cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PHENOTYPES MEDIATED BY THE IOJAP GENOTYPE IN MAIZE.

The phenotype of maize plants that are homozygous recessive for the nuclear gene iojap is commonly an "anemic," grainy green appearance accompanied by white leaf stripes, white leaf margins, and reduced growth. In plants in which the iojap effect is occurring (homozygous ij/ij), we find affected tissue varies in extent, from wide, discrete striping to layered striping to short striations; and in distribution, from white leaves to boldly white-patterned to white-margined. In homozygous iojap plants the patterns are predictable and are consistent within a particular genetic background. Leaf striping patterns in iojap seedlings and plants are expressed primarily in the leaf margins, in positional patterns that are inconsistent with cellular proliferation. Reversion sectors on iojap plants (green stripes resulting from nuclear reversion of the ij gene), however, follow clonal cell lineages and indicate either that the iojap defects do not arise until after a leaf differentiates, or that they remain correctable in leaf tissue. On transmission through the egg, iojap-affected plastids become altered to a stable, nongreening state and can be transmitted maternally to subsequent generations. Defects in eggs borne on iojap ears, as revealed by ear maps of seedling progeny, have positional rather than clonal distributions on the ear. The expression of striping nonetheless is clonal in the occasional sectored plants that occur among such maternal progeny. The contrast of maternal sectorials with iojap plants is profound, and shows the period of meiosis and gametogenesis to be a critical passage for plastids in the egg as well as in the pollen. In some genetic backgrounds aborted embryos occur at variable stages in embryo development in ij ij zygotes and in the maternal progeny from ij ij plants. These effects presumably reflect a participation of the organelles in embryogenesis that is subject to the influence of nuclear genes. We conclude that the functional basis of the effects of the iojap gene must be 1) position-dependent (i.e., dependent on the location of a cell in the meristem or organ at a particular time in development of an organ) and 2) differentiation-dependent (i.e., dependent on the attainment of a certain state, specific to the genetic background). The iojap phenotype is thus a reflection of developmental progression of the organ rather than cell-specific, clonal changes. The rate of cell proliferation and growth of one portion of an organ vs. another is related to position-specific and background-specific expressions, and the range of iojap expression is similarly related. Maternally inherited sectoring, on the other hand, shows phenotypes that are derived from clonal changes specific to each cell lineage, presumably attributable to sorting of mixed organelles in the apical meristem cells.
Manufacturing supply chain applications: investigation of influence of modeling fidelities on supply chain dynamics

In this paper, a three-echelon supply chain model is analyzed to determine strategies to reduce the supply chain system dynamics. Uniqueness of this research stems from the use of multiple models with varying degrees of detail representing the same supply chain. The significance of a detailed supply chain model on the quality of result is made clear. Factors employed to build an abstract to a detailed model include: transportation and production delay, demand at the retailer, and production and transportation capacity. It is shown that the system dynamics itself varies with increasing detail in the model. In addition, it is examined to see if a strategy found effective in improving the system dynamics with an abstract model is effective with a detailed model. It is established that the strategy found to be the most effective on an abstract model is not always the best strategy for the real supply chain.
SaIL: A Spatial Index Library for Efficient Application Integration

With the proliferation of spatial and spatio-temporal data that are produced everyday by a wide range of applications, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have to cope with millions of objects with diverse spatial characteristics. Clearly, under these circumstances, substantial performance speed up can be achieved with the use of spatial, spatio-temporal and other multi-dimensional indexing techniques. Due to the increasing research effort on developing new indexing methods, the number of available alternatives is becoming overwhelming, making the task of selecting the most appropriate method for indexing the data according to application needs rather challenging. Therefore, developing a library that can combine a variety of indexing techniques under a common application programming interface can prove to be a valuable tool. In this paper we present SaIL (SpAtial Index Library), an extensible framework that enables easy integration of spatial and spatio-temporal index structures into existing applications. We focus on design issues and elaborate on techniques for making the framework generic enough, so that it can support user defined data types, customizable spatial queries, and a broad range of spatial (and spatio-temporal) index structures, in a way that does not compromise functionality, extensibility and, primarily, ease of use. SaIL is publicly available and has already been successfully utilized for research and commercial applications.
Submarine Geology and Geophysics

THE brief article by Dr. Bullard entitled “Geophysical Study of Submarine Geology” which appeared in NATURE of May 18, p. 764, was gratifying in that it directed attention to some of the developments in the newest field of geological research. On the other hand, this article showed a pardonable lack of familiarity with many developments, particularly with work along the California coast carried on with the facilities of the Scripps Institution. Since the tentative conclusions suggested by Dr. Bullard are in no way confirmed by these investigations, a brief summary of the work and its implications might prove of interest to the readers of NATURE. To date only brief summaries of this work have been published, but forthcoming publications by the Geological Society of America can be consulted for amplification.
A contour study of the carotid pulse in normal subjects, aortic valvular disease, and hypertrophic subaortic stenosis.

Abstract Computer methods have been devised so that the carotid pulse can be quantitatively analyzed and compared statistically in one group of patients to the other. This is accomplished by adjusting the lengths of the curves as well as the amplitudes. Consequently, statistical differences can be computed between curves from several different types of disease states. The present study presents a contour analysis of carotid pulse in aortic valvular disease and in normal subjects. Portions of the curves which are significantly different are presented.
Insulin resistance: an adaptation for weight maintenance.

Abstract Insulin resistance can be physiological, but most often is associated with metabolic disorders such as obesity and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. The reduction in insulin action seen in insulin-resistant states affects metabolic fuel partitioning in a way that would prevent additional weight gain. Despite the potential adverse effects of cardiovascular risk factors that accompany insulin resistance, reductions in insulin action may well be necessary to prevent additional weight gain in those in whom excessive food intake is coupled with inactivity.
Soft-error-event decoding for multitrack magnetic recording channels

Multiple-head array systems, which allow reading and writing of data simultaneously on multiple tracks, can potentially provide both high density and high speed, but the readback signal in such systems is corrupted by intertrack interference (ITI) in addition to intersymbol interference (ISI). In this paper, we report on the performance of a multitrack system and propose a low-complexity multitrack soft-error-event decoder (SEED) to counter the effects of ISI and ITI. The multitrack SEED is based on a high-rate Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem code, and is capable of correcting most frequent error events produced by the channel. Used in conjunction with a joint partial response equalizer followed by an ITI equalizer, the SEED scheme provides a gain of 0.5-2 dB at a bit-error rate of 10/sup -4/ relative to an uncoded system.
Quantifying the discharge forecast uncertainty by different approaches to probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecast

Abstract. A probabilistic approach to flood prediction over the Reno river basin, a medium-sized catchment in Northern Italy, has been tested using two different meteorological ensemble systems. The future precipitation scenarios are provided either by an analogue-based technique (statistical approach) or by a limited-area ensemble prediction system (dynamical approach), then used as different inputs to a distributed rainfall-runoff model. The ensemble of possible future flows so generated allows to convey a quantification of uncertainty about the discharge forecast. The probabilistic discharge forecasts, based on the precipitation forecast provided by the two ensembles, are then compared to the deterministic one obtained by the rainfall-runoff model fed on precipitation input provided by a non-hydrostatic meteorological model, run at 7km of horizontal resolution. For this case study, the dynamical approach appears to be more feasible in providing useful discharge ensemble forecast than the statistical one, because the observed large spread among members obtained with the analogue method makes difficult to issue real-time flood warnings.
Effects of Increased Vascular Surgical Specialization on General Surgery Trainees, Practicing Surgeons, and the Provision of Vascular Surgical Care

Background Vascular surgical education for general surgery residents is concerning as endovascular interventions increase and vascular surgery expands. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects these factors have on vascular surgery case numbers for general surgery residents and statewide surgeons and to report on former general surgery residents' perceptions of vascular surgery in training and practice. Study Design Case numbers for all general surgery residents graduating from the Greenville Hospital System from 1991 to 2007 and for the vascular surgery fellows graduating from 2003 to 2007 were obtained. A database identified case numbers and physician specialty for vascular procedures from 1997 through 2006. A survey gained perspectives of graduated general surgery residents on the vascular experience during residency and practice and on postresidency vascular caseload. Results There was significant decline in resident participation in open abdominal aortic aneurysm (22.4 versus 7.7), carotid endarterectomy (37.2 versus 31.1), aortobifemoral bypass (18.6 versus 5.5), and lower extremity bypass (42.8 versus 19.1). Numbers for dialysis access creation (49.0 versus 57.1) were maintained. Statewide, comparing 1997 with 2006, the percentages of procedures performed by vascular surgeons were: abdominal aortic aneurysm (29.3% versus 49%; p Conclusions There is a trend toward vascular surgeons and vascular residents performing most open vascular cases. Currently practicing surgeons believe there is value to vascular exposure for general surgeons in training, and vascular surgery should remain in general surgery training.
Acute exercise and skeletal muscle antioxidant and metabolic enzymes: effects of fiber type and age

Inhibition of metabolic enzyme activity has been associated with free radical stress in locomotor muscle with prolonged or intense exercise. However, it is not known whether such alterations with acute exercise in skeletal muscle are influenced by muscle fiber type or age. Twenty 4-mo-old and twenty 24-mo-old female Fischer-344 rats were divided at random into young exercised (YE; n = 10), old exercised (OE; n = 10), young control (YC; n = 10), and old control (OC; n = 10) groups. Animals in both YE and OE groups ran on a treadmill (10% uphill grade) for 40 min at approximately 75% of each age-group's maximal O2 consumption. Immediately after the treadmill run, white gastrocnemius (WG), red gastrocnemius (RG), and soleus (SOL) muscles were removed and quick-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Malondialdehyde was significantly increased (P 0.05) with acute exercise in the SOL. However, PFK activity was decreased in the WG by 60% in OE but only 33% in YE, and in the RG by 41% in OE but only 21% in YE. We conclude that maximal glycolytic flux in the gastrocnemius may be adversely affected by acute exercise, and this effect was more pronounced in the 24-mo-old group.
Fault-tolerant systems design-estimating cache contents and usage

Development of the Remote Exploration and Experimentation (REE) Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) based space-borne supercomputer requires a detailed knowledge of system behavior in the presence of Single Even Upset (SEU) induced faults. When combined with a hardware radiation fault, model and mission environment data in a medium grained system model, experimentally obtained fault behavior data can be used to: predict system reliability, availability and performance; determine optimal fault detection methods and boundaries; and define high Return On Investment (ROI) fault tolerance strategies. The REE project has developed a fault injection suite of tools and a methodology for experimentally determining system behavior statistics in the presence of SEU induced transient faults in application level codes. Where faults cannot be directly injected, analytic means are used in conjunction with experimental data to determine probabilistic system fault response. In many processors, it is not possible to inject faults directly into onboard cache. In this case, a cache contents estimation tool can be used to define probabilistic fault susceptibility which is then combined with direct memory fault injection data to determined fault behavior statistics. In this paper we discuss the structure, function and usage of a PPC-750 cache contents estimator for the REE project.
Modification of Real-Number and Binary PSO Algorithms for Accelerated Convergence

Modifications in the velocity calculation of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm are proposed. The suggested modifications aim to arrive at a faster, more straightforward and still robust search procedure as compared to the conventional method. Two main factors, i.e., personal best influence and initial velocity values, are evaluated. It is shown that in problems with wide-range parameters, the effect of personal best locations is intrinsically encompassed by that of global best locations, thereby allowing for further simplification of the PSO algorithm by eliminating the factor which accounts for the personal best solutions in the velocity calculation. This simplification expedites the convergence procedure in real PSO. It is also shown that the initial velocity values can be modified to enhance the performance in terms of achieving better solution when compared with the existing algorithms, particularly in binary PSO. In order to validate the viability of the proposed procedure, the performances of the real-number and binary PSO algorithms with different velocity calculations are assessed in 1000-run sets, and pros and cons are studied. In particular, the performance of the proposed algorithm, when used to design software defined thinned array antennas, is shown to be superior to those of the existing algorithms.
Manganese is an additional cation that enhances colonial phase variation of Vibrio vulnificus

Vibrio vulnificus, an inhabitant of marine and estuarine environments around the world, is the leading cause of reported seafood-related deaths in the United States. Disease is caused by opaque colony-forming strains that produce capsular polysaccharide, loss of which results in an unencapsulated translucent phenotype with diminished virulence potential. Rugose is a third phenotypic variant of V. vulnificus, and produces a separate exopolysaccharide that results in a dry, wrinkled appearance and the ability to form profuse biofilms. Phase variation among these three phenotypes is influenced by several environmental factors, including the presence of calcium in the medium (Garrison-Schilling et al.). In this study, we have identified a second cation, manganese, which substantially increases the propensity of opaque V. vulnificus strains to switch to translucent or rugose phenotypes. In comparative studies, manganese and calcium promoted switching to the same phenotype for some strains but to different phenotypes for others, results of which indicate that the two cations do not always promote the same changes in underlying gene expression. The data here provide further evidence that exposure of V. vulnificus to select cations results in phenotypic changes that impact both virulence capacity and ecology of the organism.
When Friends Disappoint: Boys' and Girls' Responses to Transgressions of Friendship Expectations

In this study, the prevailing view that girls are pervasively more skilled in their friendships than boys was challenged by examining whether girls respond more negatively than boys when a friend violates core friendship expectations. Fourth- and fifth-grade children (n = 267) responded to vignettes depicting transgressions involving a friend’s betrayal, unreliability, or failure to provide support or help. Results indicated that girls were more troubled by the transgressions, more strongly endorsed various types of negative relationship interpretations of the friend’s actions, and reported more anger and sadness than did boys. Girls also endorsed revenge goals and aggressive strategies just as much as boys. These findings lead to a more complex view of boys’ and girls’ friendship competencies.
A Semi-supervised Learning Algorithm for Recognizing Sub-classes

In many practical situations it is not feasible to collect labeled samples for all available classes in a domain. Especially in supervised classification of remotely sensed images it is impossible to collect ground truth information over large geographic regions for all thematic classes. As a result often analysts collect labels for aggregate classes (e.g., Forest, Agriculture, Urban). In this paper we present a novel learning scheme that automatically learns sub-classes (e.g., Hardwood, Conifer) from the user given aggregate classes. We model each aggregate class as finite Gaussian mixture instead of classical assumption of unimodal Gaussian per class. The number of components in each finite Gaussian mixture are automatically estimated. A semi-supervised learning is then used to recognize sub-classes by utilizing very few labeled samples per each sub-class and a large number of unlabeled samples. Experimental results on real remotely sensed image classification showed not only improved accuracy in aggregate class classification but the proposed method also recognized sub-classes accurately.
Color image encryption using double random phase encoding

A new encryption technique is proposed to encrypt color images using existing optical encryption systems for gray-scale images. The color images are converted to their indexed image formats before they are encoded. At the decryption end, the color images are recovered by converting the decrypted indexed images back to their RGB formats. The proposed single-channel color image encryption method is more compact and robust than the multichannels methods. Since color information is added to the shape information, better verification performance can be achieved in optical security systems. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 21: 318–323, 1999.
The Medieval Leper Plagues Modern Paris: Sylvio Lazzari's La Lépreuse

February 1912: The curtain of the Opera-Comique rises to reveal medieval Brittany. Washerwomen gossip about lepers who walk among the healthy, in defiance of the law. The women hint to Maria that her son, Ervoanik, is in love with the beautiful Aliette, who, it is rumoured, is one of these freely roaming lepers. Ervoanik does love Aliette, and when he informs his parents of his decision to marry her, his father explodes in rage. Doesn't he know that she is the daughter of a leper? Ervoanik refuses to believe it. The hideous appearance of Aliette's mother, Old Tili, betrays her own leprosy as she attempts to lure young children with her singing to eat her infected breads. When Aliette and Ervoanik stop at Old Tili's cottage to rest before making a holy pilgrimage, Tili assumes that Aliette intends to infect him, just as she has infected so many others. When she realizes that Aliette truly loves Ervoanik and plans to live with him chastely, Tili lies, telling her that he already has a wife and children. Aliette confronts Ervoanik, and he claims it is true, as a joke. She immediately touches her lips to a cup of wine and offers it to him. He drinks. In the third act, Ervoanik, now a leper, awaits the procession of the dead, which leads him to his house of exile. Aliette joins him.
Location by collision

The author shows how it is possible to establish location without adding to or modifying the environment. The only sensors required in the scheme are proximity or touch sensors. As the robot moves about its environment it may on occasion collide with environment or object boundaries. The distance between collisions can be used to recalibrate the robot's positon. A collision, after all, unambiguously locates a robot on a line or curve in a 2D representation of the environment, where these lines or curves in the environment map represent the region or object boundaries. The distance between collisions provides considerable information for robot positioning. A probabilistic approach is presented to determining the most likely collision point after a sequence of collisions. >
The PKU mouse project: its history, potential and implications

To produce genetic-based animal models for the human disease phenylketonuria (PKU), we treated mice with the powerful germline mutagen ethylnitrosourea and screened the progeny of these animals for the symptom hyperphenylalaninemia (HPH). Six independent mutant strains have been produced to date that exhibit heritable HPH. The first mutation isolated was found to cause a reduced level of GTP-cyclohydrolase I activity and, as such, yields a model for tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent HPH. The next two mutations have yet to be fully characterized but cause syndromes that appear distinct from any PKU or HPH syndromes yet reported for humans and they are allelic. Next we isolated a mutation that caused a marked reduction in hepatic phenylalanine hydroxylase activity levels. The enzyme deficiency was not sufficient to cause a PKU syndrome but instead produced a mild HPH syndrome. This strain played an instrumental role, however, in the identification of two additional mutant strains that appear to model human PKU very accurately in the laboratory mouse. These latter strains have levels of HPH very similar to human PKU patients, exhibit a phenylalanine-dependent hypopigmentation, and have reproductive difficulties that resemble human maternal PKU.
Deriving surface polaritons without using boundary conditions

A new wave-vector space method of finding electromagnetic wave propagation in bounded media without using boundary conditions is applied to finding surface waves. The method is demonstrated by finding the complete solution of the surface polariton wave for a cubic dielectric crystal. The three eigenvectors of the wave equation are found as a step in the method. This gives a convenient way of showing that only the TM mode is freely propagating, while the TE and longitudinal modes are not. The unique capability of the method in treating wave-vector-dispersive interactions for which the boundary conditions are typically not known is pointed out.
Effect of processing and Microalloying Elements on the Thermal Stability of Cr-Cr3Si and NiAl-Mo eutectic alloys

The thermal stability of multiphase intermetallics at temperatures to 1400°C was investigated by studying two model eutectic systems: Cr-Cr3Si having a lamellar microstructure and NiAl-Mo having a fibrous microstructure. In drop cast Cr-Cr3Si, coarsening was found to be interface controlled. The coarsening rate could be reduced by microalloying with Ce and Re, two elements which were chosen because they were expected to segregate to the Cr-Cr3Si interfaces and decrease their energies. Similarly, directional solidification, which is also expected to lower the Cr-Cr3Si interfacial energy, was found to dramatically decrease the coarsening rate. In the case of NiAl-Mo, coarsening was found to occur by fault migration and annihilation. Microalloying with B was found to significantly decrease the coarsening rate. The fiber density in the B-doped alloy was smaller than in the undoped alloy, suggesting that B affects the coarsening rate by lowering the fault density.
Sectional modeling of nanoparticle size and charge distributions in dusty plasmas

Sectional models of the dynamics of aerosol populations are well established in the aerosol literature but have received relatively less attention in numerical models of dusty plasmas, where most modeling studies have assumed the existence of monodisperse dust particles. In the case of plasmas in which nanoparticles nucleate and grow, significant polydispersity can exist in particle size distributions, and stochastic charging can cause particles of given size to have a broad distribution of charge states. Sectional models, while computationally expensive, are well suited to treating such distributions. This paper presents an overview of sectional modeling of nanodusty plasmas, and presents examples of simulation results that reveal important qualitative features of the spatiotemporal evolution of such plasmas, many of which could not be revealed by models that consider only monodisperse dust particles and average particle charge. These features include the emergence of bimodal particle populations consisting of very small neutral particles and larger negatively charged particles, the effects of size and charge distributions on coagulation, spreading and structure of the particle cloud, and the dynamics of dusty plasma afterglows. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)
Species-specific variation in SIV disease progression between Chinese and Indian subspecies of rhesus macaque

The shortage of rhesus macaques of Indian origin for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) research has prompted a search for an alternate species. As rhesus macaques of Chinese origin are more readily obtainable, we have defined the parameters of infection in seven members of this subspecies with the primary virulent isolate, SIV/delta B670. Viremic peaks and set points as determined by real time polymerase chain reaction were, in general, lower than that observed in Indian origin rhesus macaques. As expected, these values were associated with maintenance of CD4+ lymphocytes and significantly longer survival, with six of seven Chinese origin animals living significantly longer than Indian origin rhesus macaques. Interestingly, these findings were associated with a selective amplification of one of two major phylogenetic groups found within the inoculum. This observation is in contrast to Indian origin animals where both phylogenetic groups are commonly identified. Together, these data suggest prudence in the design of experimental protocols using rhesus macaques of Chinese origin where survival and rapid loss of CD4+ lymphocytes are desired endpoints.
Exploring objects by invariant-based tangential viewpoint control

What viewpoint control strategies are important for exploring the shape of unknown, curved objects? The authors argue that strategies that control viewpoint on the tangent plane of automatically-selected points projecting to the occluding contour can be very useful for local, global, qualitative, as well as quantitative shape recovery. This paper studies the design and implementation of an uncalibrated hand-eye system for tangential viewpoint control. The authors show that tangential viewpoint control can be accurately performed in real time using an uncalibrated camera to control a robot manipulator with at least three degrees of freedom. The only requirement is that at least four points can be identified on the robot's end-effector and can be tracked across frames.
An equivalent body surface charge model representing three-dimensional bioelectrical activity

A new surface-source model has been developed to account for the bioelectrical potential on the body surface. A single-layer surface-charge model on the body surface has been developed to equivalently represent bioelectrical sources inside the body. The boundary conditions on the body surface are discussed in relation to the surface-charge in a half-space conductive medium. The equivalent body surface charge is shown to be proportional to the normal component of the electric field on the body surface just outside the body. The spatial resolution of the equivalent surface-charge distribution appears intermediate between those of the body surface potential distribution and the body surface Laplacian distribution. An analytic relationship between the equivalent surface-charge and the surface Laplacian of the potential was found for a half-space conductive medium. The effects of finite spatial sampling and noise on the reconstruction of the equivalent surface-charge were evaluated by computer simulations. It was found through computer simulations that the reconstruction of the equivalent body surface-charge from the body surface Laplacian distribution is very stable against noise and finite spatial sampling. The present results suggest that the equivalent body surface-charge model may provide an additional insight to one's understanding of bioelectric phenomena. >
Pro-Black Doesn't Mean Anti-White: The Structure of African-American Group Identity

Although group identity has been the focus of much debate, there is little agreement as to its meaning. We use a particular theory of group cohesion-social identity theory-to develop testable hypotheses about the structure of African-American group identity. After relating the elements of this theory to the identity debate, we employ a national sample of African-Americans to examine whether the structure of group identity conforms to theoretical expectations. Our analysis supports one contention found in both social identity theory and much black political thought-that identity is most strongly defined by individuals' sense of common fate with the group. However, we find little evidence that black identity consists of oppositional attitudes toward whites. We end by speculating that racial group identity may have less to do with discriminatory treatment by whites than with the socializing experiences that occur within formal and informal black networks.
Coordination Chemistry of Polyaromatic Thiosemicarbazones 2: Synthesis and Biological Activity of Zinc, Cobalt, and Copper Complexes of 1-(Naphthalene-2-yl)ethanone Thiosemicarbazone

A novel thiosemicarbazone from 2-acetonaphthone (represented as acnTSC) has been synthesized and its basic coordination chemistry with zinc(II), cobalt(II), and copper(II) explored. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis and various spectroscopic techniques and are best formulated as [M(acnTSC)2Cl2] with the metal likely in an octahedral environment. The anticancer activity of the complexes was determined against a panel of human colon cancer cells (HCT-116 and Caco-2). The compounds bind to DNA via an intercalative mode with binding constants of 9.7×104 M-1, 1.8×105 M-1, and 9.5×104 M-1 for the zinc, cobalt, and copper complexes, respectively.
Seeing spots: Complex phase behavior in simple membranes

Liquid domains in model lipid bilayers are frequently studied as models of raft domains in cell plasma membranes. Micron-scale liquid domains are easily produced in vesicles composed of ternary mixtures of a high melting temperature lipid, a low melting temperature lipid, and cholesterol. Here, we describe the rich phase behavior observed in binary and ternary systems. We then discuss experimental challenges inherent in mapping phase diagrams of even simple lipid systems. For example, miscibility behavior varies with lipid type, lipid ratio, lipid oxidation, and level of impurity. Liquid domains are often circular, but can become noncircular when membranes are near critical points. Finally, we reflect on applications of phase diagrams in model systems to rafts in cell membranes.
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL‐AREA PROTECTION: MANAGEMENT RESPONSES AND RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

During the past decade, our understanding of the potential risks that climate change poses to ecosystem function and natural-area protection has increased. Simulation studies of expected changes in species ranges and changes in ecosystem dynamics have indicated that rapidly changing climatic conditions could significantly thwart natural-area protection efforts at a global scale. In response to this potential threat, prescriptive policy and management recommendations have begun to emerge. These management responses include general guidelines for selecting new protected habitats, preemptive actions such as the development of connective corridor systems between protected areas, and active habitat management interventions. At present, many suggested natural-area management responses are only vaguely defined and have yet to be fully tested. To be effective, management responses must now be rigorously assessed with focused and practical ecological analysis. In this overview I examine the current state of resear...
Characteristics of Tree Roosts of Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus Rafinesquii) in Southeastern Mississippi

Cavity-roosting species of bats generally require patches of forest containing older timber, but such habitats have been reduced in the southeastern United States. Rafinesque's big-eared bat, Corynorhinus rafinesquii, is a rare species for which data on natural roosts in the Gulf Coastal Plain (where caves are largely absent) are scant. We used radiotelemetry to locate tree roosts of C. rafinesquii in southeastern Mississippi from August 2001 until August 2004. We captured and radiotagged 25 bats that led us to 14 trees. Corynorhinus rafinesquii used hollow Nyssa spp. and Magnolia grandiflora. Most of these trees were still alive, relatively large (mean DBH = 79.4 cm, mean height = 18.5 m), possessed cavities with openings not located at their bases and were located adjacent to streams or other bodies of water. When bats shifted roosts among different trees, these sites were usually located nearby (mean distance ≅ 360 m). Tree roosts were apparently rare within the study area, and C. rafinesquii showed roost fidelity to particular areas of forest. Six tree roosts were used by multiple individuals and several trees were reused within tracking sessions and among years.
Generation of Genetically Modified Organotypic Skin Cultures Using Devitalized Human Dermis

Organotypic cultures allow the reconstitution of a 3D environment critical for cell-cell contact and cell-matrix interactions which mimics the function and physiology of their in vivo tissue counterparts. This is exemplified by organotypic skin cultures which faithfully recapitulates the epidermal differentiation and stratification program. Primary human epidermal keratinocytes are genetically manipulable through retroviruses where genes can be easily overexpressed or knocked down. These genetically modified keratinocytes can then be used to regenerate human epidermis in organotypic skin cultures providing a powerful model to study genetic pathways impacting epidermal growth, differentiation, and disease progression. The protocols presented here describe methods to prepare devitalized human dermis as well as to genetically manipulate primary human keratinocytes in order to generate organotypic skin cultures. Regenerated human skin can be used in downstream applications such as gene expression profiling, immunostaining, and chromatin immunoprecipitations followed by high throughput sequencing. Thus, generation of these genetically modified organotypic skin cultures will allow the determination of genes that are critical for maintaining skin homeostasis.
A 3D Virtual Learning System for STEM Education

A recent boom has been seen in 3D virtual worlds for entertainment, and this in turn has led to a surge of interest in their educational applications. Although booming development has been seen, most of them only strengthen the traditional teaching methods using a new platform without changing the nature of how to teach and learn. Modern computer science technology should be applied in STEM education for the purpose of rising learning efficiency and interests. In this paper, we focus on the reasoning, design, and implementation of a 3D virtual learning system that merges STEM experiments into virtual laboratory and brings entertainment to knowledge learning. An advanced hand gesture interface was introduced to enable flexible manipulation on virtual objects with two hands. The recognition ability of single hand grasping-moving-rotating activity SH-GMR allows single hand to move and rotate a virtual object at the same time. We implemented several virtual experiments in the VR environment to demonstrate to the public that the proposed system is a powerful tool for STEM education. The benefits of this system are evaluated followed by two virtual experiments in STEM field.
Democratization, Global Grant-Making, and the Internal Revenue Code Lobbying Restrictions

The United States government is committed to spreading democracy throughout the world. This goal has become particularly urgent in recent years. To achieve success in this challenge requires the peaceful creation of the necessary conditions for, and attributes of, democracy within other countries, including legitimate and representative governments backed by laws and policies designed to support democratic ideals and values. The shaping of appropriate laws and policies to govern emerging and developing democracies abroad depends on lawmakers' and policymakers' hearing the pluralistic voices of their citizens. Foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can be critical mediating actors in this endeavor, representing peoples' voices and contributing to the democratic formulation of their countries' laws and policies. But, the few success stories of foreign NGOs' crucial and effective participation in the democratizing legislative processes of their countries suggest that outside financial resources often are required.Political circumstances may militate against the U.S. government directly providing pecuniary support to the foreign NGOs. On the other hand, for many years, America's public charities and private foundations have been influential figures in promoting democracy abroad. It now is time for the U.S. government to encourage our philanthropic institutions to financially aid foreign NGOs that, through their own legislative activities, can be crucial in the development of the necessary conditions for, and attributes of, democracy in their respective countries. The current federal tax regime, however, deters America's philanthropies from making such financial commitments. That need not continue. The old justifications for the Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C.) lobbying restrictions were formed in the pre-globalization era. They do not advance the complex democratization processes in foreign countries transitioning from oppressive or repressive governments. Moreover, there are venerable theoretical and practical political notions of democracy that suggest, and justify in the specific circumstances of global grant-making addressed in this essay, liberalization of the relevant I.R.C. lobbying restrictions. This essay thus urges reform of the I.R.C. provisions so that our domestic tax policy will better support our foreign policy in the twenty-first century.
Fluorescence-enhanced absorption imaging: noise tolerance characteristic comparison with conventional absorption and scattering imaging

We present a novel fluorescence-enhanced absorption imaging algorithm for frequency-domain photon migration measurements conducted at the air-tissue interface. Fluorescence-enhanced imaging is similar to Bom iterative image reconstruction of absorption, yet it differs in that it utilizes measurements of generated fluorescence wave instead of scattered excitation wave. Using synthetic data sets, we demonstrate fluorescence-enhanced imaging for an FDA approved fluorescent agent, Indocyanine Green (ICG). Our results show the fluorescence-enhanced absorption imaging algorithm works well up to 10:1 dye uptake ratio at the modulation frequency of 100MHz. To access the noise tolerance and stability of the algorithm, the random noise of Gaussian distribution is added to the simulated measurement data, and image reconstruction is carried out. The random Gaussian noise is added to both real and imaginary parts of the fluence at the detector position at Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of 15 dB up to 55 dB. We demonstrate that the additional optical contrast from preferential partitioning of the fluorescent contrast agent and from the lifetime of dye make it more tolerant against the measurement noise when it is compared to the conventional absorption and scattering reconstruction imaging method with excitation wave information.
Asymmetric organic-inorganic hybrid membrane formation via block copolymer-nanoparticle co-assembly.

A facile method for forming asymmetric organic–inorganic hybrid membranes for selective separation applications is developed. This approach combines co-assembly of block copolymer (BCP) and inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) with non-solvent induced phase separation. The method is successfully applied to two distinct molar mass BCPs with different fractions of titanium dioxide (TiO2) NPs. The resulting hybrid membranes exhibit structural asymmetry with a thin nanoporous surface layer on top of a macroporous fingerlike support layer. Key parameters that dictate membrane surface morphology include the fraction of inorganics used and the length of time allowed for surface layer development. The resulting membranes exhibit both good selectivity and high permeability (3200 ± 500 Lm–2 h–1 bar–1). This fast and straightforward synthesis method for asymmetric hybrid membranes provides a new self-assembly platform upon which multifunctional and high-performance organic–inorganic hybrid membranes can be formed.
Hepatic glycogen concentration and hexobarbital-sleeping time in mice.

SummaryThe results of the present study demonstrated that the alterations of hexobarbital metabolism produced by chlorcyclizine and SKF-525A are independent of the effects of these agents on liver glycogen and do not support the concept of a relationship between liver glycogen levels and the activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes of liver microsomes.
Calcimimetics for the Treatment of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a common complication in patients with end-stage renal disease. It has been associated with increased cardiovascular events and mortality. Traditional therapy has b...
Four Modes and Reference Enlightenment of China's Agricultural Development in Modern Times

This paper summarizes the four main modes of constructing modern agriculture in every place through practical investigation and analysis,based on which,this paper puts forward enlightenment supplied to every place to construct modern agriculture as a reference. The enlightenment can be regarded as the reference for each place to construct modern agriculture in the future.
A Technique for the Correction of Penoscrotal Fusion

AbstractA simple technique for the surgical correction of penoscrotal fusion is described. The condition probably is more common than the literature would suggest.
Yoram Hazony and Leo Strauss on the Relation between Philosophy and Revelation

ABSTRACTThis essay challenges Yoram Hazony's ostensible correction of Leo Strauss's account of the tension between philosophy and revelation in Hazony's book The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture. While Hazony persuasively demonstrates the value of the Hebrew Bible, notably the half that he calls the “History of Israel,” as a work of rational political theory, emphasizing the difference in function between the Torah and the Christian “New Testament” (which serves chiefly to “bear witness” to particular events, rather than account for the permanent character of human and political life), he wrongly accuses Strauss of sharing the position of the radically antiphilosophic Christian theologian Tertullian that the Bible and classical philosophy are “absolutely oppos[ed],” even though Strauss, unlike Tertullian, takes the side of philosophy rather than the Bible in this conflict. Contrary to the impression Hazony conveys, Strauss readily acknowledged that the believer, no less than the philosopher, is obliged to m...
Women’s Power to Give: Their Central Role in Northern Plains First Nations

JoAllyn Archambault and Alice Beck Kehoe explain the essential role of women in the most important Blackfoot ceremony, that of the Sun Dance (okan). Blackfoot tradition requires that a woman vows to lead it. This crucial role was not recorded by Western ethnographers who disregarded the participation of women. Archambault and Kehoe detail the elements of this ceremony illustrating the complementary and absolutely necessary activities of both women and men.
Toward a methodology for the implementation of energy saving technologies

ERDA (The Energy Research and Development Administration) was given the mandate to perform or cause to be performed the research and development of alternative energy sources and energy conserving technologies and strategies. However, answers to the energy dilemma not only depend upon the proof that a technology or strategies exist but that they reach the end user and actually conserve energy. At the same time there is an indication that R & D projects carried out by or supported by the Federal Government are seldom utilized. This lack of utilization can be partially blamed on a lack of concern and knowledge surrounding the implementation process. To avoid this pitfall in the case of energy research, the study outlined here is a beginning to understanding the implementation process and, specifically, the implementation of energy saving technologies.
Multi-texture local ternary pattern for face recognition

In imagery and pattern analysis domain a variety of descriptors have been proposed and employed for different computer vision applications like face detection and recognition. Many of them are affected under different conditions during the image acquisition process such as variations in illumination and presence of noise, because they totally rely on the image intensity values to encode the image information. To overcome these problems, a novel technique named Multi-Texture Local Ternary Pattern (MTLTP) is proposed in this paper. MTLTP combines the edges and corners based on the local ternary pattern strategy to extract the local texture features of the input image. Then returns a spatial histogram feature vector which is the descriptor for each image that we use to recognize a human being. Experimental results using a k-nearest neighbors classifier (k-NN) on two publicly available datasets justify our algorithm for efficient face recognition in the presence of extreme variations of illumination/lighting environments and slight variation of pose conditions.