cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental characterization of a UWB channel for body area networks

Ultrawideband (UWB) communication is a promising technology for wireless body area networks (BANs), especially for applications that require transmission of both low and high data rates with excellent energy efficiency. Therefore, understanding the unique UWB channel propagation characteristics around the human body is critical for a successful wireless system, especially for insuring the reliability of important vital sign data. Previous work has focused only on on-body channels, where both TX and RX antennas are located on the human body. In this paper, a 3-5 GHz UWB channel is measured and analyzed for human body wireless communications. Beyond the conventional on-body channel model, line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) channel models are obtained using a TX antenna placed at various locations of the human body while the RX antenna is placed away from the human body. Measurement results indicate that the human body does not significantly degrade the impedance of a monopole omnidirectional antenna. The measured path loss and multipath analysis suggest that a LOS UWB channel is excellent for low-power, high-data-rate transmission, while NLOS and on-body channels need to be reconfigured to operate at a lower data rate due to high path loss.
Understanding and Mapping Elements of Urban Form That Affect Children's Ability to Walk and Bicycle to School: Case Study of Two Tampa Bay, Florida, Counties

In 1969, 48% of students walked or biked to school. By 2001, that proportion had fallen to 15%. Increasing children's active travel to school is important for a variety of reasons, including the rising rates of childhood obesity and increasing fuel costs. Recent studies indicate that elements of the built environment affect the amount of time people engage in physical activity. This study evaluates two indicators of the urban form as measures of walkability potential: street connectivity and residential density around elementary schools in Pasco and Hillsborough counties in Florida. By means of controlling for school age on the basis of the growth management legislation history in Florida, four growth eras are compared. Pedestrian sheds of 1/2- and 1-mi radii around school points are used as study areas. These indicators offer insight into the evolution of the urban form around elementary schools and its implications for students' ability to walk to school. Preliminary findings suggest that walkability in...
Receptor clustering: nothing succeeds like success.

By experimentally limiting the amount of receptor molecules available in a postsynaptic neuron in Drosophila, it has been shown that receptors can preferentially cluster opposite active zones with a high release probability. This asymmetry in receptor distribution can alter the apparent probability and calcium-dependence of neurotransmiitter release.
Forgetting the future Cause lawyering and the work of California capital trial defenders

This article aims to push the boundaries of definitions of capital cause lawyering to include a more potentially radical ‘cause’ that takes on one key ideological underpinning of state killing: individualism. This article studies whether and how capital trial lawyers take up a ‘radical’ cause by challenging individualism. To the extent that they oppose state killing and illuminate social inequality, the defenders studied in this project engage in something beyond the parameters of their particular trials, and thus fall partially within current definitions of cause lawyering. However, considering that they are unaware of, avoid, or suppress subversive arguments within the expansive discursive space afforded by penalty phase proceedings, they may be ‘forgetting the future’ precisely so that their clients may avoid a death sentence. Rather, defenders construct narratives that portray a liminal conceptualization of the influence of social forces on human free will, a concept known in the defense bar as ‘diminished autonomy’.
Why Abortion Rates Vary: A Geographical Examination of the Supply of and Demand for Abortion Services in the United States in 1988

The role of states as arbiters of abortion has waxed and waned throughout American history. This paper examines the relative roles of state-imposed regulations on supply conditions and demographic demand factors in the explanation of geographic variation in state abortion rates. Path analysis reveals that supply conditions affect state abortion rates, even after the effects of demand conditions are considered. Moreover, the model shows that supply factors serve as mediators for several key demand variables. A state's population composition influences the level of public funding of abortions for poor women and the political culture's tolerance of abortion. These, in conjunction with the metropolitan nature of a state's population, directly influence the rate of abortion. Results of this analysis imply that the trend toward highly variable state restrictions on abortion in the form of parental consent, mandatory counseling, and waiting periods will lead to larger differences in state abortion rates.
Searching for the silver lining.

Work presented in this issue reveals the structure of a SNARE transmembrane domain and supports a model of exocytosis via hemifusion. Hemifusion may thus be a common intermediate in many, if not all, biological fusion reactions.
Organic Semiconductors for Detection of Ionizing Radiation

Organic semiconductors are increasingly common in electronics and sensors, and are now under investigation for a novel type of radiation sensors at Sandia National Laboratories. This class of materials can offer wide band gaps, high resistivities, low dielectric constants, and high dielectric strengths, suggesting they may be suitable for solid-state particle counting detectors. A range of solution cast materials have been evaluated for this application, primarily in the family of poly(p-phenylene vinylene)s, or PPVs. The high ratio of hydrogen to carbon offers neutron sensitivity, while the low Z material provides some natural gamma discrimination. Compared to existing detectors, these materials could potentially offer large-scale radiation detection at a substantially reduced cost. While PPVs hold promise for radiation detection, the mechanical and electrical properties must be optimized and the processing effects understood. Polymers can offer significantly simplified processing compared to the more common crystals used in solid state detection, which can be size limited and fragile. However, organic semiconductors are very sensitive to processing conditions, and mobility can be affected by orders of magnitude by processing variables, without altering any chemistry. Additives can also have dramatic effects on both electrical and mechanical properties. We report on nanoparticle additives that cause an increase in photoresponse of approximately three orders of magnitude as compared to a polymer film without additives. We separately show an order of magnitude increase in photoresponse by exposing the polymer/fullerene composite to sub-bandgap light. Future work will analyze the feasibility of single particle detection and various geometries for optimization. Additional processing variables will also be investigated for further improvement of mobility and reduction of trap density.
Do We Need Worms to Promote Immune Health

Many immune-mediated diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, asthma, and food allergy appeared to have increased in frequency in developed countries in the latter part of the twentieth century. Reports from less developed countries suggest that the "epidemic" of immune-mediated diseases now is spreading into these regions as well. The "hygiene hypothesis" was developed to partly explain this phenomenon. It has been proposed that modern-day sanitary living has altered our exposure to organisms that provided protection from these diseases in the past. Alternations in the composition of our intestinal flora and fauna could play a role. Helminths are a group of worm-like parasitic organisms that have adapted to live in various regions of their hosts. Epidemiological and some clinical data suggest that these organisms can protect people from developing immune-mediated diseases. Animal experimentation has shown that helminths stimulate the production of regulatory cytokines, activate regulatory T cells, and induce regulatory dendritic cells and macrophages. This could be the mechanism by which they protect the host from these diseases. Early clinical studies also suggest that helminths may prove useful for treating immunological diseases. More sophisticated clinical studies are underway, testing live helminth agents as therapeutic agents. Also, a strong effort is ongoing to discover the agents produced by helminths that modulate host immune responses with an eye on developing new, highly effective immune modulatory therapeutic agent.
Structure, properties, and MEMS and microelectronic applications of vanadium oxides

Vanadium oxides have for many decades attracted much attention for their rich and unique physical properties which pose intriguing questions as to their fundamental origins as well as offering numerous potential applications for microelectronics, sensors, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This paper reviews the unique structure and properties of the two most common vanadium oxides which have entered into microfabricated devices, VO2 and V2O5, and some of the past and future device applications which can be realized using these materials. Two emerging new materials, sodium vanadium bronzes and vanadium oxide nanotubes are also discussed for their potential use in new microelectronic devices.
Peer-Mediated Conversational Repair in Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities.

Conversation skills are critical to learning and the development of social relationships. Some students with severe disabilities have a difficult time conversing with their nondisabled classmates b...
Verticillium Wilt of Skullcap and Potential for Pathogen Dissemination via Seeds and Stems

A commercial skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora, family Lamiaceae) crop with wilted and necrotic plants was examined in Washington State in 2008. Three fungal isolates were obtained and identified as Verticillium dahliae based on morphology and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer DNA region. All three skullcap isolates caused typical Verticillium wilt symptoms on skullcap and two peppermint cultivars. Inoculations of skullcap with the V. dahliae isolates from skullcap and an isolate from peppermint resulted in severe symptoms and a 21 to 78% reduction in aboveground biomass. Isolates from skullcap caused severe symptoms on the susceptible peppermint 'Black Mitcham' and reduced yield by up to 82%. One skullcap isolate caused severe symptoms on the moderately resistant 'Redefined Murray' in three of four trials and reduced biomass up to 71% compared with noninoculated control plants. The pathogen was recovered from 43 to 69% of skullcap stems from plants inoculated with skullcap or peppermint isolates, and was isolated from 2.5% of seed harvested from skullcap plants inoculated with the peppermint isolate of V. dahliae. This is the first report of V. dahliae infecting skullcap, and the first demonstration of V. dahliae isolates from skullcap and peppermint causing symptoms on both hosts, as well as the seedborne nature of V. dahliae in skullcap.
Prepaid versus traditional Medicaid plans: effects on preventive health care

Prepaid, case managed systems have been proposed as a method of controlling costs in Medicaid populations. We investigated the utilization of preventive services in two prepaid Medicaid Competition Demonstration programs in Santa Barbara County, Calif., and Jackson County, Mo. (containing the city of Kansas City). Care in the demonstration sites was compared with care given in similar counties functioning under a traditional fee-for-service Medicaid system--Ventura County, Calif., and St Louis, Mo. We tested the hypothesis that preventive care would be less in the capitated demonstrations. 2735 Children's and 3389 adult's charts were abstracted for care received during the calendar year 1985, after the prepaid demonstration had been in place for more than 1 year. No significant differences were found between the demonstration and comparison counties in the proportion of children with complete DPT or OPV immunizations at 1 year of age, with 56% complete in both California counties and 69 and 65% complete in Jackson County and St Louis, respectively. Regression analysis demonstrated a slight, but statistically significant trend towards more immunizations in the demonstration counties. Pap smear use in women of 15-44 years of age was little different in the California counties, but significantly greater in the Jackson County demonstration in Missouri (64 vs 45%). Physician breast examinations were somewhat more likely to occur in the prepaid, case managed demonstration counties. Capitated, case managed systems for the AFDC Medicaid population appear to result in no diminution of preventive services. Substantial problems exist in this, as in other poor populations, in childhood immunizations.
β-Lactamase activity in slow-growing nonpigmented mycobacteria and their sensitivity to certain β-lactam antibiotics

It has been reported that certain nonpigmented, slow-growing mycobacteria do not have a constitutive beta-lactamase and are more sensitive to benzyl penicillin than M. tuberculosis. Thirty-nine isolates of these organisms, most of them belonging to the M. avium-intracellulare complex, were found to be sensitive to less than 10 micrograms of benzyl penicillin per ml in vitro. Approximately half of these isolates were inhibited by 1 microgram per ml. By contrast of 32 isolates of M. tuberculosis, only one was inhibited by 10 micrograms of benzyl penicillin. Sensitivity studies with cephalothin yielded similar results. Analysis of beta-lactamase activity in some of these species showed no activity, confirming earlier observations of this deficit.
Sequence specificity and role of proximal amino acids of the histone H3 tail on catalysis of murine G9A lysine 9 histone H3 methyltransferase.

The activity of recombinant murine G9a toward lysine 9 of histone H3 was investigated. GST fusion proteins containing various lengths of the histone H3 amino-terminal tail were used as substrates i...
Punishing female negotiators for asserting too much…or not enough: Exploring why advocacy moderates backlash against assertive female negotiators

Abstract We complement prior findings that self-advocating female negotiators are reluctant to assert their interests and subsequently suffer financial repercussions, relative to other-advocating females, self-advocating males, and other-advocating males, by showing that self-advocating female negotiators who do assert their interests suffer negative social judgments (i.e., backlash). We use nascent theory on societal norms for the behavior of each gender to explain why advocacy context moderates backlash. We show that assertive, self-advocating women suffer a social backlash (for example, decreased likability) because their behavior is associated with high negative masculine and low positive feminine characterizations. Non-assertive, other-advocating women suffer a leadership backlash (for example, lower presumed competency) because their behavior is associated with high negative feminine and low positive masculine characterizations. Interestingly, male negotiators do not suffer any backlash consequences despite being characterized in a fashion similar to that of the females in each condition.
Antibodies as targeting moieties: affinity measurements, conjugation chemistry and applications in immunoliposomes

Abstract Monoclonal antibodies are finding increasing use in medical imaging, therapeutics and targeted-drug delivery. Applications in drug-delivery systems involve coupling the intact IgG or its fragments to drug carriers such as water-soluble polymers or lipid vesicles. As with the development of other new products, we believe that it is important to monitor the activity and stability of the antibody during modification steps. However, these issues are often woefully neglected. In this article, we use immunoliposomes as a vehicle for examining affinity determination methods and conjugation chemistry. During the early development phase of a new drug delivery system, it is often advantageous to use a well-characterized monoclonal antibody instead of the clinically-relevant antibody. Our favorite model system is a family of antibodies which bind fluorescein. This is because fluorescein's emission spectra changes significantly upon binding to the antibody, which allows facile determination of antigen-binding affinity. We also describe how to use antigen-mimicking peptides to measure the affinities of clinically-relevant antibodies during later phases of development. With regard to immunoliposomes, we describe a novel procedure for conjugating poly(ethylene glycol) to lipid vesicles in order to prolong their circulation half-life. Our strategy is to conjugate both antigen-binding fragments and poly (ethylene glycol) chains to pre-formed vesicles via anchor lipids in the outer leaflet.
Changing fish use on Mangaia, southern Cook Islands: resource depression and the prey choice model

This study applies the prey choice model from foraging theory to explain changing human use of fish during the 700-year occupation of Tangatatau Rockshelter, Mangaia, southern Cook Islands. The prey choice model suggests that predators will focus initially on high ranked prey, turning to lower ranked prey if abundance of higher ranked prey declines. It is suggested that increasing human population size would have resulted in increases in harvesting pressure and ultimately prey resource depression. To apply the prey choice model to archaeological faunal records and based on previous research, prey ranks are estimated using overall attributes of taxon body size; the larger the taxon, the higher the rank. Two indices, the Marine and Freshwater Fish Index, are developed to estimate the ratio of high to low ranked prey and are calculated for each zone of the rockshelter. Over time, the indices show a decreasing abundance of high ranked prey and increasing abundance of low ranked prey, which supports the view of resource depression. Skeletal elements from two of the high ranked prey, Serranidae and Anguilla sp., are measured to examine taxon-specific changes in fish body size/age that would indicate direct human exploitation pressure. Evidence for a decline in Serranidae body size over time suggests that some of the decline in prey abundance and encounter rates results from direct harvesting pressure along with behavioural adjustments in the prey. Sample sizes for Anguilla were insufficient for statistical treatment. Environmental and technological factors that might also affect prey abundance and taxonomic representation do not satisfactorily account for the patterns. Overall, the increasing use of lower ranked prey suggests a decline in foraging efficiency, given higher energetic costs associated with their use. The study adds to a growing body of evidence that Polynesians profoundly affected the indigenous biota on islands they colonized. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the proper formulation of Maxwellian electrodynamics for continuum mechanics

Despite the importance of electromagnetomechanical physics to processes ranging from piezoelectricity to the dynamics of electron beams, confusion abounds in the continuum mechanics literature as to how Maxwell’s equations of electrodynamics should be formulated in the material frame of continuum mechanics. Current formulations in the literature conflict as to the manner in which the authors define fields, derive constitutive relations, and interpret contradictory formulations. The difficulties persist even when the phenomena described are electrostatic. This paper will demonstrate that the perplexity arises from two sources: a misunderstanding of the limitations of material frame descriptions, and the failure to appreciate the centrality of relativity theory to the formulation of electrodynamic equations in the vicinity of mechanical motion. Two new formulations of Maxwell’s equations are provided that avoid the paradoxes of earlier formulations and thus describe the physics clearly and without self-contradiction.
Gender influences on children's selective trust of adult testimony.

Abstract Do children tend to trust same-sex adults when learning new information? A sample of 325 4- to 7-year-olds completed two tasks. The testimony task pitted previous reliability against the sex of the informant. Children first viewed clips of a man and a woman naming familiar objects (neutral, feminine, or masculine) to establish prior accuracy. They then decided (a) whom to ask for help in naming novel objects, (b) whose label to choose, and (c) who was better at answering questions. Children also completed measures of personal sex typing and stereotyped attitudes toward others. For all testimony measures, children responded based on prior accuracy when only one adult (same sex or other sex) was reliable. They were above chance in favoring the same-sex informant when both adults were equally reliable/unreliable for ask and choice questions. The more sex-typed girls were, the more likely they were to favor the female informant’s testimony even when she was unreliable or equally reliable. There were no correlations for boys. Object type in the learning context had no effect. Overall, children have a subtle but significant preference to learn new information from a same-sex adult when both adults are equally reliable/unreliable. Findings are discussed in terms of in-group favoritism.
Effect of Regulation FD on Asymmetric Information

On 23 October 2000, the U.S. SEC put Regulation Fair Disclosure into effect. It requires companies to disseminate releases of material information to all investors, not selectively. Proponents of Regulation FD argued that the flow of information would improve; critics of the regulation asserted that Regulation FD would increase volatility and reduce the quantity of information being released into the market, resulting in an increase in asymmetric information. We examined components of the bid–ask spread surrounding news releases and trading activity by retail versus institutional investors before and after the institution of Regulation FD. Our results indicate no significant increase in volatility after Regulation FD, and we found little or no increase in the adverse-selection component of bid–ask spreads. Overall, our results do not support critics of Regulation FD.
Problem areas identified as important to older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis

Abstract Background context There is growing concern that patient-reported outcomes (PROs) commonly used in clinical research evaluating treatments such as epidural steroid injections (ESIs) for lumbar spinal stenosis may not adequately capture outcomes of greatest importance to older adults. Purpose The purpose of the study was to determine what outcomes are most important to older adults with spinal stenosis, how well commonly used PROs reflect what is most important to these participants, and which outcomes older adults with spinal stenosis would want improved to consider having ESI. Study design/setting This is an outcome prioritization study. Patient sample Community sample of 33 older adults with spinal stenosis were included. Outcome measures The outcome measures were Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire and Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Methods The methods involve individual sorting and ranking exercises followed by facilitated focus groups. Results Highest rated problem areas were “experiencing pain/discomfort” (88% of participants), “problems with physical function” (85%), “difficulty exercising” (73%), “difficulty participating in hobbies and leisure activities” (55%), and “problems with weakness” (52%). Only 10 of the 24 Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire items were rated by 50% or more of participants experiencing them as important enough to warrant ESI treatment. Conclusions Older adults with spinal stenosis rated problems related to pain and physical function as the most important outcomes to them. However, difficulty exercising and difficulty participating in hobbies and leisure activities were also among the most highly rated and were two areas not typically assessed in treatment studies. Commonly used PROs in spinal stenosis treatment studies may be insufficient to comprehensively assess outcomes from the patient perspective.
Cholestyramine treatment of pseudomembranous colitis

PSEUDOMEMBRANOUS COLITIS is a form of inflammatory bowel disease which is uncommon in infancy and childhood. Although the precise etiologic mechanisms remain unknown, several factors, including various causes of gastrointestinal ischemia and the use of broadspectrum antibiotics, have been repeatedly incriminated in its pathogenesis. 1,2 The diarrhea observed may be severe with fluid and electrolyte depletion in a choleralike process. Therapy in the past has been limited to supportive care including nasogastric suction, intravenous fluids, and antistaphylococc al antibiotics. Corticosteroids have also been advocated, but have not been of demonstrated value. Recently, Burbige and Milligan 3 reported a dramatic response to cholestyramine resin in two adult patients with pseudomembranous colitis. We now report a similar response to cholestyramine in a six-month-old infant with severe pseudomembranous colitis who was unresponsive to conventional management. CASE REPORT
NFATc1 and NFATc2 Together Control Both T and B Cell Activation and Differentiation

NFAT transcription factors play critical roles in gene transcription during immune responses. To investigate further the two most prominent NFAT family members, NFATc1 and NFATc2, we generated mice bearing lymphoid systems devoid of both. Doubly deficient T cells displayed cell surface markers of activation yet were significantly deficient in the development of multiple effector functions, including Th cytokine production, surface effector molecule expression, and cytolytic activity. Nevertheless, doubly deficient B cells were hyperactivated, as evidenced by extremely elevated serum IgG1 and IgE, as well as plasma cell expansion and infiltration of end organs. Thus, in T cells, NFATc1 and NFATc2 are dispensable for inflammatory reactivity but are required for effector differentiation, while in B cells, NFATs regulate both normal homeostasis and differentiation.
A presentation of the group Sl* (2, A), A a simple artinian ring with involution

Let (A,*) be an involutive ring. Then the groups Sl*(2, A), are a non commutative version of the special linear groups Sl(2, F) defined over a field F. In particular, if A = M(n, F) and * is transposition, then Sl*(2, Mn(F)) = Sp(2n, F). The above groups were defined by Pantoja and Soto-Andrade, and a set of generators for the group SSl*(2, A) (which is either Sl*(2, A) or a index 2 subgroup of Sl*(2, A)) was given in the case when A is an artinian ring. In this paper, we prove that the mentioned generators provide a presentation of the mentioned groups in the case of simple artinian rings.
fac-Tricarbonylchlorobis(pyridine-N)-rhenium and fac-Tricarbonylchlorobis(4,4′-bipyridine-N)rhenium

Structural analyses for the title compounds (OC-6–32)-tricarbonylchlorobis(pyridine-N)rhenium(I), [ReCl(C5H5N)2(CO)3] and (OC-6–32)-tricarbonylchlorobis(4,4′-bipyridine-N)rhenium(I), [ReCl(C10H8N2)2(CO)3] show that both complexes have the expected fac-octahedral geometry. The pyridine complex has a local C2 symmetry, with the rotation axis bisecting the N—Re—N' and OC—Re—CO angles. In contrast with closely related tetrameric assemblies which crystallize as porous channel-containing structures, the title compounds form dense crystals which are packed in herring-bone fashion.
Primate and Feline Lentiviruses in Current Intrinsic Immunity Research: The Cat is Back

Retroviral restriction factor research is explaining long-standing lentiviral mysteries. Asking why a particular retrovirus cannot complete a critical part of its life cycle in cells of a particular species has been the starting point for numerous discoveries, including heretofore elusive functions of HIV-1 accessory genes. The potential for therapeutic application is substantial. Analyzing the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) life cycle has been instrumental and the source of some surprising observations in this field. FIV is restricted in cells of various primates by several restriction factors including APOBEC3 proteins and, uniquely, TRIM proteins from both Old and New World monkeys. In contrast, the feline genome does not encode functional TRIM5alpha or TRIMCyp proteins and HIV-1 is primarily blocked in feline cells by APOBEC3 proteins. These can be overcome by inserting FIV vif or even SIVmac vif into HIV-1. The domestic cat and its lentivirus are positioned to offer strategic research opportunities as the field moves forward.
Anion release and uptake kinetics: Structural changes of layered 2-dimensional ZnNiHN upon uptake of acetate and chlorinated acetate anions

Abstract X-ray diffraction and UV–vis spectroscopy were used for the investigation of ion exchange reaction kinetics of nitrates with acetate (Ac), chloro acetate (ClAc), dichloro acetate (dClAc) and trichloro acetate (tClAc) anions, using zinc nickel hydroxy nitrate (ZnNiHN) as the exchange precursor. The exchange reactions conducted at 24, 30, 40 and 50 °C revealed that rate constants were inversely related to the calculated anion electronic spatial extent (ESE), while a direct relationship between rate constants and the average oxygen charges was observed. Temporal solid phase structural transformations were shown to be affected by the nature of the guest anions. The amount of nitrates released into solution has been shown to decrease as the guest anions became more chlorinated. Use of isoconversional approach revealed that activation energies changed significantly with α during dClAc intercalation than for the other anions. The topotactic intercalation of the guest anions, except dClAc, followed the Avrami–Erofe’ev kinetic model for the entire reaction progress.
A high temperature water-cooled anemometer

Prior attempts to measure air velocity within and near fires have not been completely successful because of mechanical and electronic failures due to heat. A system of cooling critical mechanical and electronic parts of anemometers using liquids has been developed to overcome this problem.
Behavioral thermoregulation in chicks: the best nest.

The ability of prehomeothermic chicks to thermoregulate behaviorally was studied in chicks with continuous access to heated nests, running wheels, and separate sources of high and low protein. In Experiment 1, cold-reared groups with heated or unheated transparent nests ate the same amount and selected the same dietary fractions, but chicks with heated nests ran less and grew faster. Despite this, groups maintained normal body temperatures. In Experiment 2, chicks were cold- or warm-reared with heated or unheated painted nests, or no nests. Cold-reared chicks with heated nests spent most of their time in them. They selected diets containing a higher protein:carbohydrate ratio than cold-reared chicks with unheated nests but ate less, thereby consuming less absolute protein and growing more slowly. Despite differences in growth, intake, and dietary choice, all chicks maintained normal body temperatures. These data reveal that behavioral thermoregulation has a privileged status for chicks over the first 3 weeks of life. Prehomeothermic chicks exercise complex and effective solutions to energetic challenges when offered behavioral options that simulate those available in nature. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 31: 231–244,1997
Oxygen adsorption characteristics on hybrid carbon and boron-nitride nanotubes.

In this work, first-principles density functional theory (DFT) is used to predict oxygen adsorption on two types of hybrid carbon and boron-nitride nanotubes (CBNNTs), zigzag (8,0), and armchair (6,6). Although the chemisorption of O2 on CBNNT(6,6) is calculated to be a thermodynamically unfavorable process, the binding of O2 on CBNNT(8,0) is found to be an exothermic process and can form both chemisorbed and physisorbed complexes. The CBNNT(8,0) has very different O2 adsorption properties compared with pristine carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and boron-nitride nanotube (BNNTs). For example, O2 chemisorption is significantly enhanced on CBNNTs, and O2 physisorption complexes also show stronger binding, as compared to pristine CNTs or BNNTs. Furthermore, it is found that the O2 adsorption is able to increase the conductivity of CBNNTs. Overall, these properties suggest that the CBNNT hybrid nanotubes may be useful as a gas sensor or as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Characteristics of nanoscale composites by terahertz spectroscopy

We have conducted visible pump-THz probe experiments on single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on quartz substrates. Our results suggest an upper limit to the carrier-lifetime, which is on the order 1.5ps, limited only by the THz pulse duration. These experiments were repeated for ion-implanted, 3-4nm Si nanoclusters in quartz for which the carrier lifetime was also assessed at 1.5ps. THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) of SWCNTs revealed that the THz pulse peak transmission changed under optical illumination.
The effects of amrinone on human platelet aggregation: evidence that amrinone does not act through a cyclic nucleotide mechanism in platelet rich plasma.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate in human platelet rich plasma the effects of amrinone, a cardiotonic agent, on platelet aggregation induced by ADP, arachidonic acid (AA), collagen, prostaglandin H2 (PGH2), and U46619, a substance reported to mimic the actions of thromboxane A2. Amrinone inhibited aggregatory responses to all substances studied in a dose-related fashion and this is the first report demonstrating the inhibitory actions of amrinone on platelet aggregation induced by PGH2. Although amrinone inhibited aggregatory responses to ADP, collagen, PGH2, and U46619 at similar doses, markedly lower doses of amrinone were necessary to inhibit aggregatory responses to AA. Furthermore, amrinone did not alter CAMP and cGMP levels in human platelet rich plasma. The present data demonstrate that amrinone inhibits human platelet aggregation induced by a variety of substances and independent of changes in cAMP and cGMP levels. Furthermore, the present data suggest that amrinone selectively inhibits aggregatory responses to arachidonic acid prior to the formation of thromboxane A2.
Studies on the adaptability of three breeds of sheep to a tropical environment modified by altitude III. The response of mature and young rams to a thermal burden induced by exercise

Mature and young Merino, Persian and Native rams were compelled to run 1 mile in 10–12 min. The response to the thermal burden induced by this exercise was measured in terms of body and skin temperatures, rate of respiration and length and temperature of the scrotum.1. Marked increases were recorded in every body response immediately after the exercise. Body, skin and scrotal temperatures returned to normal within 2 hr. but respiratory rate remained elevated for a further 4 hr.2. There were breed differences in the initial and subsequent measurement of every response. At 7.0 a.m. when there was no thermal stress body temperatures and rates of respiration were: Merino 102·9° F.; 3·-6 cyc./min. Persian 101·4° F.; 23·8 cyc./min. Native 102·1° F.; 28·9 cyc./min. Merino rams had the greatest ability to combat rising ambient temperature, Native rams the least. Persian rams recuperated quickest after exercise, Native rams slowest. The different responses of wool and hair breeds were apparently due to their coats. Merino fleece stabilized body temperature, did not aggravate the effects of exercise unduly and did not greatly hamper elimination of heat from the body after exercise.3. In all breeds respiratory evaporation was the principal thermolytic process. Rate of respiration was a sensitive indicator of thermal stress but it could not be used as an index of heat tolerance because the associated changes in respiratory volume were not known.4. Age was seldom of significant importance to determine response to thermal burden. In general young rams were affected less adversely by exercise and more adversely by rising ambient temperature than were mature rams. These differential effects were probably due to leggy conformation, low live weight and physical fitness in young rams on one hand, and incomplete development of the thermoregulatory system on the other.5. Increase in scrotal pendulance was related inversely to ability to maintain normal body temperature.6. In view of the influence of age and body conformation on the response to exercise it was questioned whether comparable heat tolerance indices could be obtained by this method.
Wise Latina: Framing Sonia Sotomayor in the General-Market And Latina/o-Oriented Prestige Press

This narrative framing analysis examines The New York Times and El Diario-La Prensa coverage of Sonia Sotomayor, the first woman of color nominated for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. It adds to the body of framing research in three ways: by using critical race theory (CRT) and intersectionality, which has not yet been used in news media studies of women of color in political roles, to explore definitions of identity, by building on previous studies' frames to analyze “benefit of diversity” versus “burden of diversity” frames, and by comparing general-market with Latina/o-oriented prestige press. This study found the 2 presses' coverage in opposition, with the Latina/o-oriented article providing a counternarrative to the general-market article. Times coverage framed Sotomayor's Latinaness as a burdensome mantle she should shed to assimilate. Using CRT and intersectionality, Times coverage defined her as non-Anglo, or by that which she is not, and portrayed her identity as primarily Hispanic, rather than...
Three Cognitive Markers of Unconscious Semantic Activation

A "response window" technique is described and used to reliably demonstrate unconscious activation of meaning by subliminal (visually masked) words. Visually masked prime words were shown to influence judged meaning of following target words. This priming-effect marker was used to identify two additional markers of unconscious semantic activation: (i) the activation is very short-lived (the target word must occur within about 100 milliseconds of the subliminal prime); and (ii) unlike supraliminal prime-target pairs, a subliminal pair leaves no memory trace that can be observed in response to the next prime-target pair. Thus, unconscious semantic activation is shown to be a readily reproducible phenomenon but also very limited in the duration of its effect.
Comparison of bone inductive proteins of rat and porcine bone matrix

Subcutaneous implantation of demineralized bone matrix in allogenic rats induces a sequence of events resulting in de novo formation of cartilage, bone and bone marrow. In the present study endochondral bone formation by demineralized porcine matrix was studied and compared with the rat bone matrix. Endochondral bone formation was induced by 4M guanidine hydrochloride fraction IV (less than 50,000 daltons) of Sepharose CL-6B gel filtration but not by whole extract or by demineralized porcine bone matrix. Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration of the osteoinductive proteins of fraction IV showed the Porcine osteoinductive factor to be associated with protein fraction III (less than 20,000 daltons) whereas the rat with fraction II (between 20,000 and 30,000 daltons) of the chromatographic profile indicating an apparent difference in molecular weight of the osteoinductive factors between these two species.
Elastic property attributes to photoacoustic signals: an experimental phantom study

We report an experimental study that shows the attribution of the elastic property of light absorbing targets to the generation of ultrasound signals induced due to the photoacoustic effect. We investigated the variation in strength of the detected photoacoustic signals for various targets embedded in a background phantom with: (1) different elastic coefficients (94–346 kPa) and (2) various sizes (0.25–1.5 mm2). The results show that photoacoustic signals increase with an increase in elastic coefficient (i.e., showing to contrast in elastic property) while it is independent of variation in target sizes. Quantitative (analysis) study, and 2D and 3D reconstructed images are also presented. This study demonstrates the feasibility of imaging elastic property using photoacoustic technique.
Five-year clinical and echocardiographic evaluation of the Das AngelWings atrial septal occluder ☆

Abstract Background The late outcome of patients treated with atrial septal occluder devices remains incompletely defined. The purpose of this study was to assess the late outcome (range 4–7 years postprocedure) of patients in whom the Das AngelWings septal occluder device was implanted in the atrial septum. We report the clinical and echocardiographic outcome, at an average of 5 years following the procedure, of patients treated with the Das AngelWings device used to close either a secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) or a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Methods Thirty-two patients underwent successful percutaneous closure of an atrial septal closure, patent foramen ovale, or fenestration in the lateral tunnel of their Fontan with the Das AngelWings device between June 1995 and March 1998 at Duke University Medical Center. Two of the 32 patients were lost to follow-up. The remaining 30 patients were divided into 3 groups based on indication for device implantation. Group 1 consisted of 14 patients with a secundum ASD and predominantly left-to-right atrial shunting. Group 2 consisted of 8 patients who had a PFO and who suffered a thromboembolic event. Group 3 (compassionate use) consisted of 10 patients with multiple comorbid medical problems with predominantly right-to-left shunting at the atrial level causing hypoxemia. Eight of the patients in group 3 were severely ill at the time of device implantation. The 2 remaining patients in group 3 underwent AngelWings implantation for closure of right-to-left shunting through a Fontan fenestration. Mean follow-up was 59 months. Results There was no device embolization. No patient in the ASD or PFO/stroke group had a clinical complication. By radiographic examination, 2 of 27 patients had evidence of fracture of the nitinol framework at 2-year follow-up. Residual shunting was present in 44% at 24 hours, 20% at 1 year, and 18.8% at 2 years by use of Doppler color flow imaging and/or microcavitation echocardiographic studies. Mild mitral regurgitation caused by the AngelWings device occurred in 1 patient. One patient in the compassionate use group had a subsequent neurologic event. Five of the 10 patients in the compassionate use group died of comorbid illnesses in follow-up, none directly related to device complications. Conclusion The late clinical outcome of secundum ASD and PFO/stroke patients in this study demonstrates that Das AngelWings closure of the atrial septum is effective and safe. These data are encouraging with respect to the expanding use of other percutaneously implanted ASD occlusion devices, although late clinical safety and efficacy data are needed for the specific devices being implanted.
A study of flow induced by laser induced breakdown-enhanced dielectric barrier discharges in air

The flow induced by an asymmetric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuator in air together with laser induced breakdown (LIB) near the exposed electrode is investigated using particle image velocimetry. In this approach, the electrodes, driven by alternating current (8 kHz, 14 kVp-p) serve primarily to accelerate the ions generated by the laser pulse (532 nm, 15 mJ per pulse, and 2 Hz). The mean velocity fields suggest that this hybrid scheme leads to a significant enhancement in the wall-jet velocity and momentum flux generated by actuation.
Spin relaxation of optically trapped atoms by light scattering.

We study spin relaxation of optically trapped atoms that is due to light scattering from the trap laser. We observe relaxation times greater than 2 s for ground-state hyperfine-level populations of 85Rb atoms trapped in an optical dipole force trap operating as much as 65 nm to the red of the D1 line. The measured relaxation rate can be more than 100 times slower than the atoms’ total spontaneous scatter rate from the trap laser. This enhancement in atomic ground-state lifetime is due to an interference effect in spontaneous Raman scattering far from atomic resonance.
Modeling Anomalies Prevalent in Sensor Network Deployments: A Representative Ground Truth

The performance of anomaly detection algorithms is usually measured using the total residual error. This error metric is calculated by comparing the labels assigned by the detection algorithm against a reference ground truth. Obtaining a highly expressive ground truth is by itself a challenging task, if not infeasible. Often, a dataset is manually labeled by domain experts. However, manual labeling is error prone. In real-world sensor network deployments, it becomes even more difficult to label a sensor dataset due to the large amount of samples, the complexity of visualizing the data, and the uncertainty in the existence of anomalies. This paper proposes an automated technique which uses highly representative anomaly models for labeling. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique through evaluating a classification algorithm using our designed anomaly models as ground truth. We show that the classification accuracy is similar to that when using manually labeled real-world data points.
5-Aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase: structure, function, and mechanism

delta-Aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase catalyses the synthesis of porphobilinogen. The enzyme has a molecular mass of 285000 and is composed of eight similar subunits of molecular mass 35000. The N-terminal amino acid is acylated, and the number of peptides found on tryptic digestion equals the number of lysine and arginine residues per mass of 35000. The eight subunits are apparently arranged at the corners of a cube and therefore have dihedral (D4) symmetry. The bovine liver enzyme which has been cystallized contains 4--6 atoms of zinc per mole of enzyme. The apo-enzyme obtained on prolonged hydrolysis can be reactivated by the addition of zinc or cadmium ions. The dialysed enzyme must be first treated with dithiothreitol. There are two very active SH groups in a total of 6--7-SH groups per subunit. The substrate forms a Schiff base with the epsilon-amino group of a lysine residue. Reduction of the Schiff base with NaBH4 should reveal the number of active sites per mole of enzyme. It appears that only four of the eight subunits form a Schiff base with the substrate indicating that the enzyme exhibits the phenomenon of either half-site reactivity or negative cooperativity. The enzyme appears to have a strong subunit-subunit interaction for an immobilized preparation remained stable for at least a month. An immobilized enzyme preparation was treated in a manner so that it dissociated into tetramers. Both the eluate and protein still attached to the Sepharose on a column were enzymically active. The bound enzyme could not reassociate under assay conditions but still contained about 50% of the original enzyme activity. It would seem that the enzyme is active when composed with less than eight subunits.