cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clarification of genetic terms and their use in the management of captive populations

Some of the concepts, terms, and methods used in the genetic management of captive populations have not been defined precisely in the scientific literature and consequently have been misunderstood and misused. The definitions and interrelationships among gene diversity, effective population size, founder genome equivalents, inbreeding, allelic diversity, mean kinship, and kinship value are presented here. It is important to understand what populations and generations are used as the baselines against which losses of genetic variation are measured. Gene diversity and founder genome equivalents are defined relative to a source population from which founders of the captive population were randomly sampled. Inbreeding and allelic diversity are assessed relative to the founders. The potential gene diversity that would result from an equalization of frequencies of founder alleles retained in the population can never be achieved because, among other limitations, the random process of gene transmission will prevent equalization of allele frequencies even if animals are bred optimally. The gene diversity achievable with the population can be determined by iterative production of hypothetical offspring from the pairs with lowest mean kinship. The long-term objective for offspring production from each animal is also thereby generated. Mean kinships should be recalculated with each real or hypothetical birth and death, because offspring objectives based on current mean kinships might correlate poorly with the optimal long-term offspring objectives. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The anorectic effects of CRH and restraint stress decrease with repeated exposures

Intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) or exposure to a restraint stressor causes acute anorexia in rats. However, the effects on food intake of repeated injections of CRH or repeated exposures to restraint stress have not been previously reported. As the effects of these more chronic CRH and stress treatments may be of greater relevance to emerging hypotheses of the pathogenesis of human eating and affective disorders, we measured the changes in food intake and body weight of rats after repeated central injections of CRH. In two experiments using two different daily dosages of CRH and two different schedules of administration, we found that the anorectic effect of CRH decreased over repeated injections. Weight gain was slowed significantly only in the high-dose experiment. Rats may become tolerant to the anorectic effects of CRH delivered by repeated icv injections. These findings have important implications for hypothesized mechanisms of anorexia nervosa and/or depression.
Resetting of aortic baroreceptors with non‐myelinated afferent fibers in spontaneously hypertensive rats

The phenomenon of resetting and the possible mechanisms responsible for it were investigated in aortic baroreceptors having unmyelinated axons. Recordings were obtained from 31 aortic baroreceptor C-fibers in 20 normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and 37 baroreceptor C-fibers in 11 spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The recordings were obtained from the left aortic nerve of an in vitro aortic nerve-aortic arch preparation. The thresholds for activation of baroreceptor C-fibers were not different between SHR's and WKY's at 16 weeks of age (139 +/- 7 and 133 +/- 5 mmHg, respectively). However, the thresholds for activation in SHR at 36 weeks of age were considerably higher (163 +/- 4 mmHg) indicating resetting of the receptors in the older rats. The pressure-discharge curves were not different between SHR's and WKY's at 16 weeks of age and WKY's at 35 weeks of age, but were shifted to the right for SHR's at 36 weeks of age. The receptors showed greater responses to pulsatile pressures than to steady state pressures at the same mean level of pressure. We found that aortic C-fibers were not reset during the early established phase of hypertension in SHR's because of enhanced receptor strain sensitivity. This is likely to be of importance for tonic vasomotor control at this time. In later stages of hypertension and despite enhanced strain sensitivity the endings were reset to higher pressures probably due to an increased collagen content in the aortic wall.
IMMIGRANTS AND ETHNICS: Conflict and Identity in Chicago Polonia

Immigration is both an historical and contemporary phenomenon in the United States. As a result, various ancestral generations coexist. For example, third generation Polish American ethnics share social space with recent Polish immigrants in Chicago. While common ancestry leads immigrants and ethnics to think they ought to work together, dissimilarities between the groups lead to conflict. Two sources of conflict are identified. First, disparate cultural identities emerge because immigrant culture is embedded in the homeland, while ethnic culture is constructed over generations in the context of the host country. Second, immigrants and ethincs have different needs: the newcomers need to learn the culture of the host society, the established ethnics need to maintain an attachment to the culture of the home country. The findings suggest that ancestry does not always function as a basis for solidarity between immigrant and ethnic populations.
The Relation of Linguistic Awareness and Vocabulary to Word Reading and Spelling for First-Grade Students Participating in Response to Intervention

Purpose The relations of phonological, orthographic, and morphological awareness and vocabulary to word reading and spelling were examined for 304 first-grade children who were receiving differenti...
ABSTRACTED VERSUS CONCRETE SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY

This article compares the efficacy of abstracted systems analysis and concrete systems analysis for the study of society. Arguments for both the abstracted approach and the concrete approach are presented. A number of disadvantages of the abstracted approach are noted which hinder its usefulness as an isolated approach to sociology. These include the difficulty of system boundary determination, and the difficulty of consistently excluding the individual as the unit of analysis. The conclusion is reached that currently sociology needs a holistic model that is isomorphic with the empirical complex society, and that only a concrete systems model will satisfy this need. Such a model has the further advantage that it is easily applicable to the analysis of various system levels such as die individual, group, world, etc The holistic model is evaluated in terms of the arguments for abstracted systems, and is found to be consistent with the aims of adherents of this approach. Thus, it is concluded that the concrete approach does not preclude abstracted analysis, but may in fact facilitate such analysis by providing needed empirical grounding and model/data isomorphism. The article concludes with some thoughts on the need for exploring links between conceptual, abstracted, and concrete systems.
13C saturation transfer effect of carbon dioxide–bicarbonate exchange catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase in vivo

Carbonic anhydrase catalyzes reversible hydration of carbon dioxide and dehydration of bicarbonate. In this article we report that the rapid exchange catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase causes a large magnetization (saturation) transfer effect on the 13C signal of bicarbonate at 160.7 ppm in vivo when the resonance of the undetectable carbon dioxide at 125.0 ppm is irradiated with RF pulses. In isoflurane-anesthetized adult rat brain the unidirectional, pseudo first-order rate constant of this exchange in the dehydration direction was determined to be 0.47 +/- 0.05 sec(-1) following intravenous infusion of uniformly 13C-labeled glucose for labeling bicarbonate. Intralateral ventricular administration of the highly specific carbonic anhydrase inhibitor acetazolamide, which is a drug used for treating glaucoma and epilepsy, was also shown to significantly attenuate the observed 13C magnetization transfer effect of the carbon dioxide-bicarbonate exchange in the rat brain.
Toxicity of nitrogenous wastes to aquaculture animals

Abstract The economics of most modern aquaculture operations require that animals be cultured at high densities. A consequence of high‐density aquaculture is the increased probability that the animals will be exposed to elevated concentrations of nitrogenous wastes, particularly ammonia and nitrite. Ammonia toxicity is dependent primarily on the concentration of ammonia and the pH of the environment High concentrations of ammonia will decrease survival, inhibit growth, and cause a variety of physiological dysfunctions. Nitrite toxicity is dependent on the concentration of nitrite and, in many species, the concentration of chloride in the water. Nitrite toxicosis is characterized by reduced survival and growth, methemoglobinemia, and other physiological dysfunctions. Both ammonia and nitrite act as stressors in that they stimulate the release of corticosteroid hormones into circulation. Elevated concentrations of circulating corticosteroids have been linked to impaired immune function and, consequently, de...
Adolescents, HIV, and the emergency department: Opportunities and challenges

Abstract With more than one-half of new infections occurring in individuals less than 25 years of age, HIV has slowly become a disease of adolescents and young adults. Multiple developmental, social, and medical issues make caring for the HIV-infected adolescent challenging in the ED setting. With a thoughtful and thorough history and physical examination, and a basic understanding of common HIV-related presenting complaints, emergency physicians will be able to provide appropriate care to this vulnerable population.
Implementation of the job training partnership act: A field network process evaluation

Abstract This paper presents the early findings of a 2-year process study of the implementation of Titles IIA and III of the Job Training Partnership ACT (JTPA), the successor to the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA). The study is a field network evaluation of the operation of the program in 20 randomly selected states and 40 Service Delivery Areas within those states. The methodology of a field network evaluation is also discussed.
An evaluation of temperature scales for silica diagenesis in diatomaceous sequences including a new approach based on the Miocene Monterey Formation, California

Geologic relations indicate that silica phases transformed in the Monterey Formation in two zones that persist over a narrow depth/temperature range and do not stratigraphically overlap. The wide and overlapping range of reported temperatures of these transformations is mainly a result of the many uncertainties inherent in the different methods used to estimate temperature and does not indicate that phases transform throughout these ranges. Our approach to a reliable temperature scale for silica diagenesis combines as empirical zonation of silica phases with temperature calibration from a sequence at maximum temperature and depth of burial.
Security analysis for order preserving encryption schemes

The development of third-party hosting, IT out-sourcing, service clouds, etc. raises important security concerns. It is safer to encrypt critical data that is hosted by a third party. However, a database must be able to process queries on the encrypted data. Many algorithms have been developed to support search query processing on encrypted data, including order preserving encryption (OPE) schemes.
Minimum Condition for Stereopsis and Anomalous Contour

Horizontal borders were deleted progressively from square and circular dot patterns containing disparate forms. Stereoscopic depth and anomalous contour occur in the absence of horizontal borders and the form in depth does not always assume the shape of the dot patterns. The stereoscopic effects depend on a laterally disparate form in the stereogram.
Assessing Metal Ion Preference for the Metal Ion-Dependent Adhesion Site (MIDAS) of Platelet Integrin αIIbβ3

Despite continuous progress in understanding structure-function relationships in platelet integrin αIIbβ3, there is still limited understanding of the roles of divalent metal ions in ligand binding and outside-in signaling. Ligand-bound αIIbβ3 crystal structures have provided evidence for a direct interaction between the ligand and a Mg2+ ion in the β3 βI MIDAS domain. We recently provided crystallographic evidence for a novel mode of ligand binding through displacement of the Mg2+ from the MIDAS. Experiments also suggest that: i) both Ca2+ and Mg2+ can support fibrinogen binding to αIIbβ3, ii) Ca2+ may inhibit the aggregation-induced release reaction that is supported by Mg2+, and iii) Ca2+ can bind to the MIDAS of the recombinant isolated β3 βI with higher affinity than Mg2+. Notwithstanding these observations, there are no β3 integrin crystal structures in which the MIDAS is occupied by Ca2+, and Mg2+ occupancy of the MIDAS is only obtained in crystals that are prepared in buffers containing supraphysiological concentrations of this ion. To provide quantitative estimates of the relative affinities of Mg2+ and Ca2+ for the MIDAS under physiological conditions, we carried out ion binding free-energy calculations of the closed αIIbβ3 headpiece using a free-energy perturbation approach based on classical all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Specifically, a total of ∼2 microseconds of independent simulations in which we slowly turned off the Hamiltonian describing the Mg2+ (or Ca2+) ion in solution or in the MIDAS were performed to estimate the ion preference for this site. The results of these simulations suggest almost equivalent binding affinities of Mg2+ and Ca2+ for the MIDAS which we used to derive the occupancy of the MIDAS by these ions at different concentrations, including their physiologic plasma concentrations.
Linearization and Sensitivity Models of the Newton-Euler Dynamic Robot Model

Within the framework of the Newton-Euler formulation of robot dynamics, linearized and trajectory sensitivity models are constructed about a nominal trajectory. The approach illustrates the property that linearization of the O(N) recursive Newton-Euler formulation leads to O(N) recursive algorithms. These algorithms are conceived for simulation, parameter identification, and real-time control applications which require the numerical evaluation of the linearized or trajectory sensitivity models. The O(N) linearized recursive algorithms complement their O(N5 ) linearized Lagrange (Lagrange-Euler) counterparts which are conceived for physical insight, and manipulator and controller design.
Computer-aided process engineering in oil and gas production

Abstract As oil and gas production moves to ever more challenging areas, increased use of technology becomes increasingly important. One technology that can contribute towards achieving safe and economic production from such areas is computer-aided process engineering. The use of such technology is outlined for two (of many) instances: Managed pressure drilling (MPD) for deep-offshore applications and natural gas production from shales. A broader picture of the importance of computer-aided process engineering for energy is briefly touched upon.
Rapid microbial stabilization of unconsolidated sediment against wind erosion and dust generation

Mineral dust pollution is a concern for human health due to the reaction of mineral particles in the organism and their role as pathogen carriers. Human activity generates unconsolidated sediments that become a dust source. This study investigates the effect of microbial growth on dust stabilization through aggregation in order to help alleviate this problem. Four representative potential dust sources (volcanic ash, carbonate, mine waste, and diatomaceous earth) and three organic nutrients (humic acids, glucose + peptone and yeast extract) were selected. We used the indigenous microbial communities in the mineral samples, rain and tap water. All experiments were carried out in Petri dishes, in moist conditions. The experiments were illuminated artificially for 12 h a day and control experiments were carried out in the dark. Biological growth occurred within a few days, and followed the same sequence (bacteria, fungi, and green algae) irrespective of rock type or nutrient. After weeks, the biological development was large and dominated by the algae. Bacteria and fungi developed in some control experiments. The microbial mats successfully aggregated the sediment and formed large patches that remained stable after complete drying. Tests to measure organic C content may indicate humic acid as the most efficient of the three nutrients. SEM observation showed intricate interlacing between mineral grains and microbial structures, and the predominance of large algal mats. Measurements of particle size in water using laser granulometry showed larger particles after the experiments, despite the aqueous medium having a disaggregating effect. Simulated wind erosion indicated the removal of lower proportions of the sediment in the experiments than in their controls. Our results suggest that rapid stabilization of the surface of disaggregated sediments using microbial growth is feasible, the microbial mat remains biologically active in moist conditions and the dry sediment can be physically stable for a period of time unless disrupted mechanically. Algae have the maximum aggregating effect. This system of rapid stabilization appears to be equally feasible in sediments of very different mineralogical and chemical composition.
Analysis of clumps in Saturn's F ring from Voyager and Cassini

Abstract Saturn’s F ring is subject to dynamic structural changes over short periods. Among the observed phenomena are diffuse extended bright clumps (ECs) ∼3–40° in longitudinal extent. These ECs appear, evolve, and disappear over a span of days to months. ECs have been seen by the two Voyager spacecraft, the Cassini Orbiter, and various ground- and space-based telescopes. Showalter (Showalter, M.R. [2004]. Icarus 171, 356–371) analyzed all Voyager images of the F ring and found that there were 2–3 major and 20–40 minor ECs present in the ring at any given time. We expand upon these results by comparing the ECs seen by Voyager to those seen by Cassini in 2004–2010. We find that the number of minor ECs has stayed roughly constant and the ECs have similar distributions of angular width, absolute brightness, and semimajor axis. However, the common exceptionally bright ECs seen by Voyager are now exceedingly rare, with only two instances seen by Cassini in the 6 years, and they are now also much dimmer relative to the mean ring background. We hypothesize that these bright ECs are caused by the repeated impacts of small moonlets with the F ring core, and that these moonlets have decreased in number in the 25 years between missions.
A theoretical and experimental investigation of shock-associated noise in supersonic jets

This paper examines the fundamental mechanism of broadband shock noise generation in an improperly expanded supersonic jet. The study includes circular convergent-divergent as well as circular convergent nozzles. The main source of shock noise is determined to be the transient interaction between the shock front and the convected vorticity within the jet plume. The discussion of the noise-generation mechanism is based on detailed numerical analysis, theoretical aerodynamic and acoustic modeling, refined measurements of the jet mean flow, shock-cell structure, turbulence, and noise. These results provide a broad-based generalization for the Harper-Bourne and Fisher analysis and prediction method.
A vibrational investigation of the stability, morphology and surface reactivity of NiO on Ni(100)

Abstract The formation and thermal stability of NiO on Ni(100) have been investigated using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Our results indicate that the saturated NiO/Ni(100) layer prepared at 300 K is rather poorly ordered and is thermally unstable at higher temperatures. Heating this NiO/Ni(100) layer to 800 K produces a surface with mixtures of crystalline NiO(100) clusters and c(2 × 2)−O chemisorbed local structures. The long range order of the NiO(100) clusters could be improved by repeated cycles of oxygen adsorption at 300 K followed by heating to 800 K. The NiO(100) clusters obtained after 9 cycles of such dosing-annealing exhibit bulk-like properties, as suggested both by the off-specular EELS measurements and by the experimental observation that the intensities of the multiple loss features follow the expected Poisson distribution. The NiO bond strength of the NiO(100) clusters, estimated from the overtone spectra, is $ 3.6 eV. In addition, the reduction of NiO(100) clusters by H2 at 800 K has also been investigated. The NiO(100) clusters are reduced preferentially with respect to the c(2 × 2)−O overlayer, resulting in a reduction sequence of NiO(100) → c(2 × 2)−O → p(2 × 2)−O → Ni(100).
Net primary production and nutrient cycling in replicated stands of Eucalyptus saligna and Albizia facaltaria

Production and nutrient cycling budgets were estimated at three locations within 1 km on the island of Hawaii, for replicated plantations of Eucalyptus saligna Sm. and nitrogen-fixing Albizia facaltaria (L.) Fosberg (aParaserianthes facaltaria (L.) Nielson)). At the age of 16 years, the aboveground biomass of Eucalyptus averaged 323 Mg/ha, about 50% more than the 216 Mg/ha of Albizia biomass. Net primary production (NPP) was about 40 Mg ha ˇ1 year ˇ1 for both species. Eucalyptus allocated 45% of NPP to stem production, compared with 34% of Albizia (pa0.02). Conversely, Eucalyptus allocated less production belowground (29% of NPP) than did Albizia (41% of NPP, p<0.01). Litterfall mass did not differ between species, but differences in litterfall nutrient concentrations led to greater litterfall cycling of N and P for Albizia than for Eucalyptus (141 vs. 105 kg N ha ˇ1 ; 6.2 vs. 4.8 kg P ha ˇ1 year ˇ1 ). The rate of N cycling in the aboveground-increment plus litterfall did not differ significantly between species. Lower soil P supply under Albizia may be partially responsible for the high ratio of belowground:aboveground production for Albizia. The mean annual increment (MAI) of aboveground biomass of Eucalyptus for 16 years was 20.2 Mg ha ˇ1 year ˇ1 , which is not different from the annual increment of 19.3 Mg ha ˇ1 year ˇ1 between the age of 14 and 16 years. The MAI for Albizia (13.5 Mg ha ˇ1 year ˇ1 ) also matched the annual increment (13.9 Mg ha ˇ1 year ˇ1 ) from ages 14‐16. The sustained high productivity of these stands may warrant longer rotation periods than currently recommended, especially on fertile soils or in silvicultural systems with high rates of fertilization. # 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
22.4-Gb/s OFDM transmission over 1000 km SSMF using polarization multiplexing with direct detection

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate 22.4-Gb/s optical OFDM transmission over 1000km SSMF with polarization multiplexing (POLMUX) and direct detection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the longest reach directly-detected POLMUX-OFDM experiment reported.
Reference modelling in support of M&S—foundations and applications

Whether by design or by practice, systems engineering (SE) processes are used more and more often in Modeling and Simulation (M&S). While the two disciplines are very close, there are some differences that must be taken into account in order to successfully reuse practices from one community to another. In this paper, we introduce the M&S System Development Framework (MS-SDF) that unifies SE and M&S processes. The MS-SDF comprises the SE processes of requirements capture, conceptual modelling, and verification and validation (V&V), and extends them to M&S. We use model theory as a deductive apparatus in order to develop the MS-SDF. We discuss the benefits of the MS-SDF especially in the selection between federation development and multi-model approaches and the design of composable models and simulations. Lastly, a real life application example of the framework is provided.
Calculation of winged-body-like flow fields using an implicit upwind space-marching code

The Mach-8 flow past a 60-deg swept fin mounted on a 12-degree ramp has been simulated using a parabolized Navier-Stokes solver employing an upwind algorithm in order to investigate the interference patterns that develop when a bow shock impinges on a wing shock. Good agreement with experimental data is found downstream of the interaction for each of three meshes of varying grid point density and computed surface pressure and heat transfer. In the wedge flow region, some disagreement with experimental data is noted for both pressure and heat transfer.
The Ethnic Revolution and Political Integration in The Middle East

The continuing tensions between ethnic groups and nationalism of the dominant population since independence have attracted world attention to the fact that in the Middle East serious ethnic problems exist regardless of the strong integrative character of the Islamic religion and culture. For centuries Islam has had the effect of moderating if not, obliterating racial differences among the peoples of the Middle East. However, although race is not a social problem in Muslim countries, ethnic differences are.
Cooperative field theory is critical for embodiment

The field theoretic approach of the target article is simplified by setting the parameters of the dynamical field equation so that the system is near the critical point between cooperative and non-cooperative dynamics. However, embodiment of cognitive development would require a closer connection between the dynamical field interactions and the physiology of the cerebral cortex.
Use of emergency departments by elderly patients: Projections from a multicenter data base

Study objectives: To assess the use of emergency medical care by the elderly in the United States, including emergency department visits, level of ED care required, ambulance services, and hospital admission rate. Setting and participants: A multicenter computerized data base of 70 hospitals in 25 states. Design: A retrospective review of elderly patients seeking ED care and comparison of elderly and nonelderly patients. The data were then used to estimate the use of emergency medical services nationally. Measurements and main results: Fifteen percent of the 1,193,743 ED visits were made by patients 65 years or older. Thirty-two percent of elderly patients seen in EDs were admitted to the hospital, compared with 7.5% of nonelderly patients. Seven percent of elderly patients were admitted to ICUs, compared with 1% of nonelderly patients. Thirty percent of elderly patients seeking emergency care used ambulance transports compared with 8% of nonelderly. It is estimated that 13,693,400 elderly patients were seen in EDs in 1990, with more than 4 million patients admitted to hospitals. Compared with the nonelderly, the elderly are 4.4 times more likely to use ambulance transport, 5.6 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital, 5.5 times more likely to be admitted to an intensive care bed, and 6.1 times more likely to be classified as a comprehensive ED level of service. In our sample, 36% of all patients arriving by ambulance to the ED, 43% of all ED admissions, and 48% of all intensive care admissions were geriatric patients. Conclusion: With the rapid growth of the size of the elderly population, it is important that we assess the emergency medical resources needed to care for the geriatric population.
Review of Methane Mitigation Technologies with Application to Rapid Release of Methane from the Arctic

Methane is the most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, with particular influence on near-term climate change. It poses increasing risk in the future from both direct anthropogenic sources and potential rapid release from the Arctic. A range of mitigation (emissions control) technologies have been developed for anthropogenic sources that can be developed for further application, including to Arctic sources. Significant gaps in understanding remain of the mechanisms, magnitude, and likelihood of rapid methane release from the Arctic. Methane may be released by several pathways, including lakes, wetlands, and oceans, and may be either uniform over large areas or concentrated in patches. Across Arctic sources, bubbles originating in the sediment are the most important mechanism for methane to reach the atmosphere. Most known technologies operate on confined gas streams of 0.1% methane or more, and may be applicable to limited Arctic sources where methane is concentrated in pockets. However, some m...
Model-based evaluation of expert cell phone menu interaction

We describe concepts to support the analysis of cell phone menu hierarchies, based on cognitive models of users and easy-to-use optimization techniques. We present an empirical study of user performance on five simple tasks of menu traversal on an example cell phone. Two of the models applied to these tasks, based on GOMS and ACT-R, give good predictions of behavior. We use the empirically supported models to create an effective evaluation and improvement process for menu hierarchies. Our work makes three main contributions: a novel and timely study of a new, very common HCI task; new versions of existing models for accurately predicting performance; and a search procedure to generate menu hierarchies that reduce traversal time, in simulation studies, by about a third.
An easily testable parallel multiplier

The n-by-n parallel multiplier can be usually broken into two blocks, the summand-generator and the summand-counter. The summand-generator generates n/sup 2/ summands and the summand-counter adds them up to produce the final 2n-bit product. The summand-generator is easy to test because all inputs are directly controllable and all faults propagate through summand-counter to primary outputs. However, the summand-counter is difficult to test due to poor controllability. To provide 100% controllability of summands, the summand-generator is modified using one extra input. This new summand-generator can be tested with 19 vectors. With this summand-generator, the summand-counter can be constructed testable using the minimum number of adder cells but no extra device or pin. This summand-counter can be tested with 3n+41 vectors. Thus, a parallel multiplier can be designed testable with 3n+60 vectors using only one extra pin. >
Finding the old in the new: on race and class in US charter school debates

This study examines how charter school advocates and district administrators in a suburban US school district work in concert, although not in unison, to create a public charter school that reinforces the interests of White, economically advantaged families. Drawing on ethnographic data, interviews, census data and charter school documents, we find that district administrators, charter school parents, and charter school officials at the US Department of Education have a tendency to ‘pass the buck’ for responsibility about enrollment and admissions. We also find that district administrators are caught within the social and political dynamics of a school system that in this case compels them to make decisions and enact policies that reinforce existing hierarchies. Our findings contribute to mounting evidence that rather than liberate students from the educational inequalities inherent within the regular public school system, charter schools hold the potential to reproduce racial exclusion and class stratifi...
Making the most of undergraduate research (abstract only)

Involving undergraduates in Computer Science research has many benefits. It's an exciting way for students to gain independent problem solving skills. It exposes them to interesting projects and the research process, thereby keeping them in computer science, even encouraging them to go to graduate school. And especially in primarily teaching institutions, it's a rewarding way for faculty to remain engaged in their own research. In this workshop we will (1) present best practices for mentoring undergraduate research, (2) equip participants with resources for mentoring their own students, and (3) further develop (1) and (2) through breakout sessions on concerns of interest to attendees. For more, please see www.cs.williams.edu/~andrea/SIGCSE2013. This workshop is intended for all college level computer science educators. Laptop Optional.
Application of object tracking in video recordings to the observation of mice in the wild

We give an overview of methods used to track moving objects in video and describe how information about animal behavior can be extracted from tracking data. We discuss how computer-aided observation can be used to identify and pre-select potentially interesting video sequences from large amounts of video data for further observation, as well as directly analyze extracted data. We examine how this analysis can be used to study animal behavior. As an example, we examine thermal video recorded from free-living, nocturnal, wild mice in the genus Peromyscus.
Optical fiber readout of scintillator arrays using a multi-channel PMT: a high resolution PET detector for animal imaging

The authors report the results from a new high resolution gamma ray imaging detector designed for use in a positron emission tomography (PET) system dedicated to small animal imaging. The detectors consist of an 8/spl times/8 array of 2/spl times/2/spl times/10 mm bismuth germanate (BGO) crystals coupled by 2 mm diameter double clad optical fibers to a 64 pixel multi-channel photomultiplier tube (MC-PMT). A charge division readout board is used to convert the 64 output channels into four position sensitive signals which determine the crystal of interaction. Measurements with a pair of these detectors demonstrate an intrinsic spatial resolution of 1.4 mm, a coincidence timing resolution of 15 ns and an energy resolution ranging between 35 and 60%. Based on these encouraging results, the design for a dedicated animal PET tomograph is proposed and simulations of this system project a reconstructed resolution of less than 2 mm within a 5 cm diameter transaxial field of view.
39.2: Invited Paper: Natural and Intuitive User Interfaces: Technologies and Applications

How we interface and interact with computing, communications, and entertainment devices is going through revolutionary changes, with natural user inputs based on touch, gesture, and voice replacing or augmenting the use of traditional user interfaces based on keyboard, mouse, trackballs, joysticks, etc. This paper will review the key technologies towards realizing natural user interfaces and implementations of new interactive applications.
Chromatic adaptation and the evolution of light color sensing in cyanobacteria.

One of the most fascinating recent developments in the field of microbiology is the growing recognition that a large number of bacterial species are capable of sensing and responding to many different light colors. Much of this has come from analysis of bacterial genome sequences, which has shown that genes encoding a superfamily of phytochrome-class photoreceptors exist in both nonphotosynthetic and photosynthetic prokaryotes (1). Cyanobacteria, which make their living via photosynthesis, contain an especially large number of genes encoding such photoreceptors. As yet, the mechanisms and cellular roles of most of these have not been elucidated. In PNAS, Hirose et al. (21) provide interesting new insights into a cyanobacterial phytochrome-regulated sensory system that controls the production of proteins used to capture light for photosynthesis, raising new possibilities to explain how such systems evolved.
Cryopreservation of Platelets Simplified: A Modified Glycerol-Glucose Method

Platelets were prepared for freezing in liquid nitrogen by prediluting with 1 ml glycerol-glucose freezing solution, allowing the platelet concentrate to set for ten minutes at 29 C, and then adding an additional 8 ml glycerol-glucose freezing solution. A 3-mm thick cardboard holder was constructed and used to hold the platelet concentrate during immersion and storage in liquid nitrogen. The mean recovery of frozen thawed platelets was 79 per cent. Electron microsopic examination of the frozen thawed platelets showed that the platelets to be structurally intact. In vitro testing showed the platelets to be functional.
Tobramycin-Induced Hepatotoxicity

Objective:To report a case of tobramycin-induced hepatotoxicity.Case Summary:A 20-year-old female was hospitalized for treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia and osteomyelitis. Empiric intravenous antibiotic therapy with piperacillin/tazobactam, vancomycin, and ciprofloxacin was started, and based on the results of culture and sensitivity testing, was changed to intravenous ceftazidime and tobramycin 70 mg every 8 hours on hospital day 3. Liver enzyme levels then increased over days 3–6. Tests for hepatitis A, B, and C were all nonreactive, and HIV testing was negative. On day 8, therapy was changed from ceftazidime to piperacillin/tazobactam and the tobramycin dose was increased to 100 mg every 8 hours. Due to a continued increase in total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase, piperacillin/tazobactam was discontinued and aztreonam was started on day 10. All antibiotics were stopped on day 12 and the elevated liver parameters began to decrease. Aztreonam and ciproflo...
The inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment in a static chamber

Abstract The inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 by pulsed electric field (PEF) processing as a function of electric field strength (15–30 kV cm−1), pulse number (1–20), temperature (5–65°C) and pH (3·5 and 6·8) was studied using a commercially available pulser, a static chamber and gellan gum gel as a suspension medium. The custom-designed static chamber achieved near-isothermal treatment conditions while eliminating flow field effects. Gellan gum gel was used to suspend the bacteria for treatment. It allowed uniform distribution of bacteria and neither inhibited nor promoted bacterial growth. The combination of equipment design and experimental protocol allowed the contribution of electrical (PEF) and thermal energy to be measured separately. In water-based gel, a maximum of 3 log reductions were achieved by PEF energy. Greater inactivation was observed at a treatment temperature of 55°C, but the additional inactivation was attributable entirely to thermal energy. Microbial injury was also observed at this temperature. At 60°C and above, complete inactivation was achieved, but this was attributable entirely to thermal energy. In water-based gellan gum gel adjusted to pH 3·5, again a 3 log reduction was achieved by PEF. In gel made from freshly squeezed apple juice naturally having the same pH, however, a maximum of 1·5 log reduction was observed. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
A framework for assessing global change risks to forest carbon stocks in the United States.

Among terrestrial environments, forests are not only the largest long-term sink of atmospheric carbon (C), but are also susceptible to global change themselves, with potential consequences including alterations of C cycles and potential C emission. To inform global change risk assessment of forest C across large spatial/temporal scales, this study constructed and evaluated a basic risk framework which combined the magnitude of C stocks and their associated probability of stock change in the context of global change across the US. For the purposes of this analysis, forest C was divided into five pools, two live (aboveground and belowground biomass) and three dead (dead wood, soil organic matter, and forest floor) with a risk framework parameterized using the US's national greenhouse gas inventory and associated forest inventory data across current and projected future Koppen-Geiger climate zones (A1F1 scenario). Results suggest that an initial forest C risk matrix may be constructed to focus attention on short- and long-term risks to forest C stocks (as opposed to implementation in decision making) using inventory-based estimates of total stocks and associated estimates of variability (i.e., coefficient of variation) among climate zones. The empirical parameterization of such a risk matrix highlighted numerous knowledge gaps: 1) robust measures of the likelihood of forest C stock change under climate change scenarios, 2) projections of forest C stocks given unforeseen socioeconomic conditions (i.e., land-use change), and 3) appropriate social responses to global change events for which there is no contemporary climate/disturbance analog (e.g., severe droughts in the Lake States). Coupling these current technical/social limits of developing a risk matrix to the biological processes of forest ecosystems (i.e., disturbance events and interaction among diverse forest C pools, potential positive feedbacks, and forest resiliency/recovery) suggests an operational forest C risk matrix remains elusive.
The Projection Problem

While world population has continued to increase, fertility has been falling. Projections out to the year 2050 currently assume that fertility will continue to decline to, or below, replacement. 1) Past projections have been very wrong. Estimates of population growth have alternated between being far too low and far too high. 2) Similarly, public anguish has alternated between extreme fears of over- and under-population, neither supported by eventualities. 3) We do not understand the causes of the current fertility decline and so have little reason to project its continuation. 4) Many of the Asian countries, which are exemplars of the current decline, are exceptional because of coercion and/or vast infusions of Western capital. 5) The population decline may as readily plateau at 3 children as at 2 children. With an unknowable future, an emphasis on future population is misplaced. Concerns should be for the present. Poor families and a stressed environment are struggling with current population levels right now. Complacency about the future is unjustified by the facts and may derail efforts to ensure the continuation of the fertility decline.
Ratcheted electrophoresis for rapid particle transport

Ratcheted electrophoresis of contact-charged particles allows for high speed transport through microfluidic channels over large distances and even against fluid flows. Using a set of predictive design heuristics, we demonstrate an extension of this microfluidic ratchet to separate conductive particles from a particle suspension.
Mixing and Combustion Issues in Hypersonic Air-Breathing Propulsion

Hypersonics is defined, herein and conventionally, as flight at Mach numbers of 6 or greater. Historically, hypersonic vehicles have been rocket boosted/propelled with well-known performance limits in terms of specific impulse. Contemporary attempts to increase Rocket Isp include the Air Force Phillips Laboratory High Energy Density Materials Program (primarily creation/storage of metastable states) and anti-matter and fusion approaches (e.g., Froning, 1989). These efforts have possibly exciting payoffs, but as currently envisaged, such payoffs are problematical and will only be available in the long term. In the meantime, exploration and utilization of space, both near earth and within the solar system, as well as, eventually, interstellar, is a continuing national interest. A major key to the effective utilization and exploration of space is an efficient launch system into near earth orbit. While major strides are being made in payload miniaturization, launcher effectiveness and efficiency will remain, for the foreseeable future, a critical issue. There are two obvious approaches to reducing the cost of access to space, an inexpensive (conventional) reusable rocket system specifically designed to reduce the “standing army” and overhead associated with current launch systems and various advanced technology options.
A novel bioreactor to study the dynamics of co-culture systems

Abstract Co-culture strategy has drawn increasing interest in the last a few years to ferment the mixture of glucose and xylose or lignocellulosic hydrolysate. However, existing research has been mostly qualitative which mainly examined the ethanol production performance of the co-culture system such as final ethanol yield and productivity, with little or no attempt made to understand the dynamic interactions between the two microbes. This is partially due to the difficulties associated with monitoring and control of co-culture systems. In this work, we developed a bioreactor and associated protocols and control strategies to facilitate quantitative and systematic study of co-culture systems. In particular, the reported equipment, operation protocols and control strategies can deliver chemostat operation under controlled stable operation conditions by achieving stable oxygen utilization rates at various levels. In addition, the developed membrane-separated co-culture bioreactor enables independent control of the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in each chamber, and easy tracking of individual biomass of each strain. The new protocol is a dual continuous/pseudo-continuous operation mode, which allows the control of constant biomass by adjusting the operation time of each mode, dilution rate and feed concentration. Experimental results on the co-culture system of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Scheffersomyces stipitis are provided to demonstrate the capabilities of the developed co-culture bioreactor. With the developed equipment and protocol, simultaneous and complete utilization of both glucose and xylose was achieved around 70 h into the experiments we conducted, and was maintained as long as 800 h. Such complete utilization can be maintained even longer if desired. In addition, different OUR conditions (ranging 0.0036–0.0045 mmol O2/gDCW/h) were tested under controlled chemostat. Under the different operation conditions tested, ethanol yields and conversion rates varied in the range of 0.12–0.44 g/g and 0.22–1.95 g EtOH/L/h, respectively, which are in line with results reported in the literature.
Asymmetrical mate preference in recently adapted White Sands and black lava populations of Sceloporus undulatus

Speciation can proceed rapidly when natural and sexual selection act in concert. For example speciation can be ac- celerated when traits that confer a selective advantage in a particular habitat also influence mate preference. Studying parallel but evolutionarily independent instances of ecological divergence can illuminate the interaction between natural and sexual selection during speciation. Locally adapted populations of the eastern fence lizard Sceloporus undulatus have recently evolved in three different habitats in the Chihuahuan desert: blanched color morphs occur on the gypsum dunes of White Sands, melanic color morphs occur on the Carrizozo lava flow, and brown color morphs occur in the surrounding desert scrubland. In addition to dif- ferences in cryptic dorsal coloration, populations also differ in the size and color of ventral patches used for social signaling. This system therefore provides an opportunity to investigate the interplay of natural and sexual selection during rapid ecological speci- ation. We used mate preference experiments to determine whether locally adapted populations may exhibit the early stages of be- havioral reproductive isolation. We observed an asymmetrical mate preference in this system; White Sands males preferentially courted local females, while males from dark soils and black lava populations did not exhibit a preference for local mates. We also found that female behavior and ventral patch phenotype were associated with male courtship. Our results suggest that the observed preference for local mates evolved at White Sands, and we discuss the possible link between local adaptation and traits involved in mate preference in this system (Current Zoology 59 (1): 20-30, 2013).