cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiple factors may influence the performance of a visual prosthesis based on intracortical microstimulation: Nonhuman primate behavioural experimentation

We hypothesize that a visual prosthesis capable of evoking high-resolution visual perceptions can be produced using high-electrode-count arrays of penetrating microelectrodes implanted into the primary visual cortex of a blind human subject. To explore this hypothesis, and as a prelude to human psychophysical experiments, we have conducted a set of experiments in primary visual cortex (V1) of non-human primates using chronically implanted Utah Electrode Arrays (UEAs). The electrical and recording properties of implanted electrodes, the high-resolution visuotopic organization of V1, and the stimulation levels required to evoke behavioural responses were measured. The impedances of stimulated electrodes were found to drop significantly immediately following stimulation sessions, but these post-stimulation impedances returned to pre-stimulation values by the next experimental session. Two months of periodic microstimulation at currents of up to 96 µA did not impair the mapping of receptive fields from local field potentials or multi-unit activity, or impact behavioural visual thresholds of light stimuli that excited regions of V1 that were implanted with UEAs. These results demonstrate that microstimulation at the levels used did not cause functional impairment of the electrode array or the neural tissue. However, microstimulation with current levels ranging from 18 to 76 µA (46 ± 19 µA, mean ± std) was able to elicit behavioural responses on eight out of 82 systematically stimulated electrodes. We suggest that the ability of microstimulation to evoke phosphenes and elicit a subsequent behavioural response may depend on several factors: the location of the electrode tips within the cortical layers of V1, distance of the electrode tips to neuronal somata, and the inability of nonhuman primates to recognize and respond to a generalized set of evoked percepts.
The levoatriocardinal vein: Morphology and echocardiographic identification of the pulmonary—systemic connection

Objectives. This study considers the array of pulmonary—systemic connections made by the levoatriocardinal vein. The primary and associated lesions that play a role in forming this vein are examined, and echocardiography is discussed as a method for its rapid identification. Background. The levoatriocardinal vein is a pulmonary—systemic connection that provides an alternative egress for pulmonary venous blood in left-sided obstructive lesions. It is thought to result from the persistence of anastomotic channels that connect the capillary plexus of the embryonic foregut to the cardinal veins. Only 12 cases of levoatriocardinal vein have been reported since its first description in 1926. A comprehensive description of the morphology and echocardiographic identification of this lesion has been unavailable because of its rarity. Methods. A retrospective study was performed in 13 patients with a levoatriocardinal vein from the University of California, San Francisco. Echocardiographic findings were compared with those obtained by angiography or at necropsy. In addition, the details of 12 previously published case reports were reviewed. Age at presentation, primary obstruction to pulmonary venous return, integrity of the atrial septum and origin and drainage of the levoatriocardinal vein were compared. Results. Patient age at presentation was Conclusions. As a physiologic entity, the levoatriocardinal vein provides a mechanism for decompression of pulmonary venous return primarily in patients with left ventricular inflow obstruction. A levoatriocardinal vein is thought to form when the atrial septum fails to provide an alternate egress for left atrial blood. However, when a septal defect or alternative shunt occurs in conjunction with a levoatriocardinal vein, the clinical presentation may be postponed. Echocardiography provides a rapid, noninvasive modality for identifying the pulmonary—systemic connection, which may masquerade as the vertical vein in anomalous pulmonary venous connection or act as an occult source of left to right shunting in patients undergoing surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Advances in microstructural characterization

Timely development of materials for the demanding fusion energy environment requires a broad range of advanced scientific tools, including advanced structural characterization methods. The current state-of-the-art and emerging capabilities in electron microscopy, atom probe tomography, neutron scattering and X-ray scattering are reviewed with respect to potential applications in fusion materials research and development. Recent dramatic advances in capabilities in all four of these characterization tools are transforming the spatial precision and quantitative information that can be extracted during structural characterization. Examples include spectroscopic identification of single atoms in bulk materials, three-dimensional mapping of millimeter-scale volumes of materials with nanometer resolution, and high-resolution in situ measurements of internal stress and strain during mechanical testing.
Cardiac fibroma resulting in fatal ventricular arrhythmia.

A previously well and asymptomatic 6-year-old boy collapsed at school. He was initially asystolic but was resuscitated to sinus rhythm. Then, during transport to the hospital, he developed monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (Figure 1⇓). Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated a huge, homogeneous intramural mass in the left ventricular free wall, possibly also involving the left atrial wall, remarkably without evidence of ventricular systolic dysfunction or left ventricular outflow tract …
Impacts of remote sensing on U.S. geography

Abstract This paper examines some impacts of remote sensing on geography. As geographers involved in this new technology, we review and place in context its development; and with a vision of its value to our discipline, we are concerned at its modest impact on major research areas in geography. Even acknowledging that, in a broader view, remote sensing's impact on geography has been greater than in other disciplines does not alleviate our concerns that few senior academic geographers have remote sensing research underway; that few economic geographers have examined its potential; that even fewer regional geographers with interests in less-developed countries have remote sensing research interests; and that although there has been growth in the number of remote sensing courses taught in geography, this has not been accompanied by publication in reviewed geographic journals. We ask the questions: What does remote sensing permit the geographer to do better and/or cheaper than he or she could do in the past? What may remote sensing enable future geographers to do which would be significant to professional and academic geography? We then find that the exploitation of the improved or unique information available to the geographer via the application of remote sensing techniques has barely begun. Yet, remote sensing is a reality within geography whose time has come. It is too powerful a tool to be ignored in terms of both its information potential and the logic implicit in the reasoning process employed to analyze the data. We predict it could change our perceptions, our methods of data analysis, our models, and our paradigms.
Optimal pricing of the Portuguese telephone service

A first attempt is made at finding the optimal two-part tariff for Portugese telephone service. A theoretical model of consumer demand is presented and the two-part tariff which maximizes social welfare is derived. The model is then calibrated using Portugese data and previous econometric studies. The optimal long-run two-part tariff consists of an access charge that is close to twice the marginal cost of access and a usage charge 25% above the marginal cost of use. The level of the optimal two-part tariff depends mainly on the marginal cost of taxation and on an index of aversion to inequality. The structure of the optimal two-part tariff depends mainly on the ratio between the marginal consumer's usage level and the average usage level. Although the cost estimates are very tentative, the results suggest that the 1986 usage charge was greater than optimum. No similar conclusion can be drawn with respect to the acces charge.
On Non-parametric Testing, the Uniform Behaviour of the t-test, and Related Problems

In this article, we revisit some problems in non-parametric hypothesis testing. First, we extend the classical result of Bahadur & Savage (Ann. Math. ,Statist. 25 (1956) 11151 to other testing problems, and we answer a conjecture of theirs. Other examples considered are testing whether or not the mean is rational, testing goodness-of-fit, and equivalence testing. Next, we discuss the uniform behaviour of the classical t-test. For most non-parametric models, the Baha- dur-Savage result yields that the size of the t-test is one for every sample size. Even if we restrict attention to the family of symmetric distributions supported on a fixed compact set, the t-test is not even uniformly asymptotically level a. However, the convergence of the rejection probability is established uniformly over a large family with a very weak uniform integrability type of condition. Furthermore, under such a restriction, the t-test possesses an asymptotic maximin optimality property.
Adenylate cyclase activity in myocardium of spontaneously hypertensive rat: Effect of endogenous factors and solubilization

Abstract The isoproterenol- and glucagon-stimulated adenylate cyclase activities in the myocardial membranes of hypertensive rat were consistantly lower as compared with normal controls. Addition of cytosolic fraction (100,000 x g supernatant) to the particulate preparation had an additive effect for glucagon and Gpp(NH)p stimulated enzyme activity and a synergistic effect for isoproterenol stimulation. Cytosolic fraction of normal control animals did not bring the adenylate cyclase activity in SHR equivalent to the control values. The basal and F−-stimulated enzyme activity of solubilized adenylate cyclase was reduced by about 30% in SHR as compared with WKY, which could be due to a decrease in the actual amount of adenylate cyclase in the myocardium of SHR.
Susceptibility of immunodeficient mice to aerosol and systemic infection with virulent strains of Francisella tularensis

Abstract Previous studies have shown that IFN-γ, TNF-α and NOS-2, but not B cells, are crucial for host defense against primary systemic infection with the attenuated live vaccine strain (LVS) of Francisella tularensis. In this study, we examined the importance of these and additional immune components in host resistance against infection with virulent strains of F. tularensis initiated by systemic and airborne routes. Wild-type (WT) mice and mice deficient in IFN-γ, TNFR1R2, NOS-2, or B cells were equally susceptible to low dose (∼10 colony forming units) aerosol or intradermal challenge with virulent type B F. tularensis, and succumbed to the infection between days 6 and 8 post-inoculation. Quantitative bacteriology showed that IFN-γ−/− and B cell−/− mice consistently harbored up to one log10 more bacteria in their lungs, spleens and livers than WT mice at day 5 post aerosol exposure. Surprisingly, however, compared to other strains of KO mice and WT control mice, IFN-γ−/− mice showed only mild liver damage as assessed by histopathology and liver function tests. Additional experiments established that even mice with broad immunodeficiency (SCID, neutropenic, splenectomized or thymectomized mice and mice treated with corticosteroid) were no more susceptible to aerosol-initiated infection with virulent type B or type A F. tularensis than immunosufficient control mice. Combined, our results indicate that, unlike LVS, normal type A and type B F. tularensis strains are so extremely virulent that even immunocompetent mice are virtually defenseless to low dose aerosol and intradermal challenges with them.
Polarized atomic orbitals for self-consistent field electronic structure calculations

We present a new self-consistent field approach which, given a large “secondary” basis set of atomic orbitals, variationally optimizes molecular orbitals in terms of a small “primary” basis set of distorted atomic orbitals, which are simultaneously optimized. If the primary basis is taken as a minimal basis, the resulting functions are termed polarized atomic orbitals (PAO’s) because they are valence (or core) atomic orbitals which have distorted or polarized in an optimal way for their molecular environment. The PAO’s derive their flexibility from the fact that they are formed from atom-centered linear-combinations of the larger set of secondary atomic orbitals. The variational conditions satisfied by PAO’s are defined, and an iterative method for performing a PAO-SCF calculation is introduced. We compare the PAO-SCF approach against full SCF calculations for the energies, dipoles, and molecular geometries of various molecules. The PAO’s are potentially useful for studying large systems that are currently intractable with larger than minimal basis sets, as well as offering potential interpretative benefits relative to calculations in extended basis sets.
Noise temperature modeling of AlGaAs/GaAs and AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs HEMTs

Abstract An accurate modeling of noise temperature for AlGaAs/GaAs HEMTs and AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs Pseudomorphic HEMTs (PHEMTs) is presented. The analysis is based on a self-consistent solution of Schrodinger and Poisson's equations. Pseudomorphic HEMTs have a lower noise temperature as compared to normal AlGaAs/GaAs HEMTs. The minimum noise temperature in pseudomorphic HEMTs decreases with increasing quantum-well (QW) width. Noise temperature in general increases with increasing gate length.
EXTRACTION OF ZINC(II) ION BY DIDODECYLNAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID (HDDNS) IN CARBON TETRACHLORIDE: THE ROLE OF AGGREGATION

ABSTRACT The aggregation behavior of didodecylnaphthalenesulfonic acid (HDDNS) in carbon tetrachloride at 25.0 °C has been investigated by interfacial tension measurements, FT1R spectrophotometry, Karl Fischer titrations, and computer-aided analysis of the extraction of Zn(ll) ion from nitric acid solution. HDDNS forms hydrated aggregates at analytical HDDNS concentrations greater than 4.4 x 10-6 M up to at least 0.1 M. Slope analysis of the extraction of Zn(ll) up to ca. 5% loading with 0.001-0.1 M HDDNS solutions indicates that the size of the aggregates lies in the range 5-8 and increases gradually with increasing HDDNS concentration. By use of the computer programs SXLSQ and SXLSQA the extraction of Zn(ll) up to ca. 40% loading may be described to within twice the experimental precision by formation of the three species HnAn ZnAnHn-2, and Zn2AnHn-4 (A = DDNS-anion) characterized by a common aggregation number n in the range 5-8. Under the conditions employed, organic-phase nonideality effects as estim...
Improving Disclosure Requirements for Restated Earnings per Share

In 1997 The Financial Accounting Standards Board issued FASB 129, “Earnings Per Share.” It revised the way earnings per share for common stock is computed and reported. As a result all prior periods9 earnings per share must be restated in all follow-on periods. Other reasons for restating EPS include stock splits, stock dividends, a change in reporting entity, and errors in the prior period9s accounting records. Generally, in the annual reports firms provide little or no disclosure why the EPS changes, thus leaving the readers thoroughly confused as to reliability and consistency of the data presented. This article presents a disclosure model which would explain how and why previously reported EPS is restated.
An experimental investigation of transaction costs

Abstract This research builds on Hoffman and Spitzer (1982 and 1986) and Coursey, Hoffman, and Spitzer (1987) and investigates how transaction costs may alter price patterns and economic efficiency in markets. Sixteen experimental markets were conducted which were designed to have different levels of transaction costs. The transaction costs were of two types, either as a consequence of strategic price-setting due to potential holdouts or due to the number of traders who had to contract to trigger a synergistic payoff. The results of the markets indicated that transaction costs had the anticipated influence on the price patterns and the efficiency of the markets.
Getting “Up to Code”: Preparing for and Confronting Challenges when Teaching for Social Justice in Standards-Based Classrooms

Teaching for social justice is an increasingly popular emphasis among P–12 teachers and teacher educators alike. However, research suggests teachers, and especially beginning teachers, struggle to enact their social justice visions when faced with the myriad of mandates characteristic of today's classrooms. In this article the author examines how 24 secondary English Language Arts teachers successfully balance the demands of teaching for social justice and standards-based practice. Although all participants were able to teach for social justice in their current school contexts, two thirds of participants reported challenges when doing so; these included restrictive school policies, a lack of support from colleagues, resistance from students, and insufficient personal or professional resources. In this article, the author analyzes these challenges, highlights participants' strategies for overcoming them, and makes recommendations for enhancing preservice candidates' readiness to teach for social justice.
Evidence for the multiplication of scrapie agent in cell culture.

MANY attempts have been made to grow the causative agent of scrapie in cell culture, but there is no unequivocal evidence of multiplication in vitro. Cultures of cells derived from brains of sheep and mice affected with scrapie and from normal animals have been described by Gustafson and Kanitz1. They observed that many of the cells, which appeared to be astrocytes, had enlarged or bizarre nuclei or were multinucleated and these abnormalities were more marked in preparations from animals affected with scrapie. Mice, inoculated with undiluted tissue culture fluids from some of their scrapie preparations, either primary or serially passaged cells, developed the disease. The passaged cells had undergone twenty-three transfers; however, it was not clear whether the scrapie activity observed was derived from the original brains or had been caused by the multiplication of agent to low titre.
Middle and upper thermospheric odd nitrogen: 2. Measurements of nitric oxide from Ionospheric Spectroscopy and Atmospheric Chemistry (ISAAC) satellite observations of NO γ band emission

[1] Ultraviolet dayglow observed using the Ionospheric Spectroscopy and Atmospheric Chemistry (ISAAC) satellite instrument is used to determine the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) in the upper mesosphere and thermosphere. ISAAC was launched in February 1999 on board the Advanced Research and Global Observing Satellite (ARGOS). We focus on ISAAC dayside limb observations at tangent altitudes between 80 and 200 km and over the latitude range 40°N–70°S. The data analyzed here were obtained in November and December 1999 during a period of moderate to high solar activity. The NO density retrievals include constraints on instrument sensitivity, in-flight assessments of stray light, and determinations of Rayleigh-scattered background contributions. Residual spectra contain strong dayglow signatures of the NO γ bands which are used for inversion of measured radiances to absolute NO concentrations. Comparison between ISAAC measurements and photochemical calculations indicates improved agreement above 130 km using O2 and temperatures from the new NRLMSISE-00, as compared to the MS model. In the lower thermosphere, observed daily variations in low-latitude nitric oxide are strongly correlated with variations in the solar soft X-ray flux.
Putrescine export in Xenopuslaevis oocytes occurs against a concentration gradient: evidence for a non-diffusional export process

Putrescine export was found to occur by a non-diffusional highly regulated process using Xenopus oocytes as a model system of polyamine transport. Untreated oocytes were observed to possess high endogenous intracellular putrescine and spermidine levels with no detectable polyamine interconversion or biosynthesis over the assay intervals. The putrescine uptake process demonstrated a rapid saturation within a 5 min interval. Spermidine demonstrated a relatively larger uptake capacity with only a minimal ability to export. A kinetic analysis of the concentration-dependence of the putrescine and spermidine uptake processes indicated that the putrescine uptake process may possess two concurrent uptake components while spermidine uptake may possess a two-component process with an allosteric regulation. Elevated intracellular putrescine levels were observed to decrease against a 10-fold higher extracellular concentration gradient in a rapid and specific manner. No noticeable changes in the intracellular levels of other polyamines were observed over the same time interval. The uptake and export rates of putrescine transport also showed a concurrent, rapid and cyclical regulation. These findings support a non-diffusional putrescine export process which is highly regulated.
Specifying the age-sensitive component of a short-term memory.

Cognitive decline that accompanies aging is believed to arise from alterations in several neuronal mechanisms and neural systems. In this issue of Neuron, Tamura and colleagues make the remarkable observation that age specifically diminishes middle-term memory in Drosophila, a memory phase dependent on expression of the amnesiac gene.
Non-reciprocity with time-varying transmission lines (TVTLs)

It is well known that based on reciprocity theorem, non-reciprocity can not be realized in a lossless form if the component is made of only linear, passive, reciprocal material. Non-reciprocal microwave components such as isolators and circulators require the use of non-reciprocal material such as ferrite magnetic material. Such components are often bulky, lossy and narrow band, particularly when they are operated at the lower end of the microwave frequency spectrum. In this paper, a non-reciprocal component is envisioned with transmission lines with time-varying medium properties. The time-variance of the medium property added a new dimension to non-reciprocal component design for microwave applications and can potentially provide non-magnetic, broadband and lossless realization of isolators or circulators. One of the greatest advantages of such a design is that the device can be made compatible with the modern integrated circuit technology, which may eventually lead to monolithic integration of the complete transceiver front-end that provide isolation between transmitting and receiving path without resorting to a frequency or time diplexer.
Problems of relevance in the application of laboratory data to clinical situations.

Abstract Advantages and disadvantages of measuring hypnotic susceptibility in clinical settings are presented. The argument for standardized methods of measurement in the interest of scientific advancement is balanced against clinical considerations and counterindications. The question of identity of hypnotic processes in the laboratory and in the clinical situation is addressed.
Research on Language Learning Strategies: Methods, Findings, and Instructional Issues

The purpose of this paper is to survey research on language learning strategies (LLSs), the behaviors used by learners to move toward proficiency or competence in a second or foreign language. LLSs are useful in both formal, academic settings and informal, nonacademic environmentsthat is, for both learning and acquisition. (For details on this distinction see Bibliography, 54. See 83 and 87 for examples of LLSs in both types of settings.) However, most of the research to date has been concerned with the classroom.
The Rieske iron‐sulfur cluster of plant mitochondria

The Rieske iron-sulfur cluster, which no-one as yet has been able to identify in plant mitochondria, is identitied in these mitochondria through the use of 5-N-undecyl-6-hydroxy-4,7-dioxobenzothiazole (UHDBT). The midpoint potential of the Rieske cluster in mung bean and potato mitochondria is + 300 mV. The orientation of the Rieske cluster in the potato mitochondrial membrane is identical to its orientation in animal mitochondrial and Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides membranes but differs from that in chloroplast membranes. Mitochondria Iron-sulfur cluster Cytochrome bc’ complex
Comment on “Revisiting the Balazs thought experiment in the presence of loss: electromagnetic-pulse-induced displacement of a positive-index slab having arbitrary complex permittivity and permeability”

The article Appl. Phys. A 105, 267-281 (2011) by Chau and Lezec contains a serious error in the citation of prior art. The force density which was shown to be incorrect cannot be attributed to the work of Kemp et al., and the cor- rect time-domain force equation was previously published in one of the misrepresented works. Furthermore, we show that unreferenced prior art weakens the overall contribution of the work.
E-Personalization and Its Tactical and Beneficial Relationships to E-Tailing

The numerous advancements in electronic-personalization communication have generated both benefits and challenges as online retailers try to regain competitive advantages in the current global recession. Through appropriate multivariate analyses and data-reduction techniques, the basic elements e-personalization, namely online purchasing behaviors, personalized communications, information retrieval services, degree of personal web presence, quality assurance of customer service, and the promotion of customization services, were found to be conceptually and statistically related to retailer benefits of e-personalization (increased buying and creates customer loyalty) from the viewpoint of managers for a large goods and services chain store headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
δ15N as an indicator of N2-fixation by cyanobacterial mats in tropical marshes

Cyanobacterial mats (CBM) are important components of wetland ecosystems in limestone-based regions of the Caribbean. During two sampling periods (July 1999 and January 2000) we measured N2-fixation in samples from 23 different marshes simultaneously with measurements of relevant environmental factors. Samples were evaluated for abundance of five groups of cyanobacteria: (1) Leptolyngbya, (2) Oscillatoria, (3) Chroococcales, (4) Nostoc-& Stigonematales, and (5) dead sheaths. Differences in nitrogen fixation, expressed as nitrogenase activity in nmol C2H4 cm−2 h−1, were best explained by the proportion of heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. The samples were analyzed for the natural abundance of δ15N. δ15N values ranged from −1.99 to 11.44 ‰ and were strongly negatively correlated with N2-fixation. With all data included, δ15N was also strongly correlated with nitrates in water. With the samples from Little Belize (high nitrate content marshes) excluded, the effect of nitrate became insignificant. N2-fixation predicted from δ15N measured on an independent data set from September 2000 was moderately accurate (r2 = 0.68, 0.52 and 0.54 for predictions based on July 1999, January 2000 and combined data sets, respectively). When individual sample sets were divided into two groups with δ15N 2, the two groups were always highly significantly different in terms of their N2-fixation. The presented evidence suggests that δ15N can be used as a reliable indicator of N2-fixation by CBM.
Urban Influence on Costs of Production in the Corn Belt

This article determines the relative technical efficiency of rural- and urban-influenced crop/livestock enterprises in the Corn Belt. Farmers in urban-influenced locations are less technically efficient than farmers in rural locations. During 1998‐2000, stochastic production frontier procedures indicate that a 10% increase in urban influence leads to a close to 4% decrease in technical efficiency. The most successful urban-influenced farms have controlled costs as effectively as rural farms. They have tended to de-emphasize that nondairy livestock activities—particularly beef and hogs—do not rely extensively on off-farm income, and have relatively large, less residential/lifestyle operations compared to less successful urban-influenced farmers. However, our statistical analysis clearly bears out the refrain in popular literature that urban proximity raises the cost for, and decreases the viability of, traditional farms.
Saturated Ideals and the Singular Cardinal Hypothesis

?0. The large cardinal-like properties of saturated ideals have been investigated by various authors, including Foreman [F], and Jech and Prikry [JP], among others. One of the most interesting consequences of a strongly compact cardinal is the following theorem of Solovay [So2]: if a strongly compact cardinal exists then the singular cardinal hypothesis holds above it. In this paper we discuss the question of relating the existence of saturated ideals and the singular cardinal hypothesis. We will show that the existence of "strongly" saturated ideals implies the singular cardinal hypothesis. As a biproduct we will present a proof of the above mentioned theorem of Solovay using generic ultrapowers. See Jech and Prikry [JP] for a nice exposition of generic ultrapowers. We owe a lot to the work of Foreman [F]. We would like to express our gratitude to Noa Goldring for many helpful comments and discussions.
A restoration genetics guide for coral reef conservation

Worldwide degradation of coral reef communities has prompted a surge in restoration efforts. They proceed largely without considering genetic factors because traditionally, coral populations have been regarded as open over large areas with little potential for local adaptation. Since, biophysical and molecular studies indicated that most populations are closed over shorter time and smaller spatial scales. Thus, it is justified to re-examine the potential for site adaptation in corals. There is ample evidence for differentiated populations, inbreeding, asexual reproduction and the occurrence of ecotypes, factors that may facilitate local adaptation. Discovery of widespread local adaptation would influence coral restoration projects mainly with regard to the physical and evolutionary distance from the source wild and/or captive bred propagules may be moved without causing a loss of fitness in the restored population. Proposed causes for loss of fitness as a result of (plant) restoration efforts include founder effects, genetic swamping, inbreeding and/or outbreeding depression. Direct evidence for any of these processes is scarce in reef corals due to a lack of model species that allow for testing over multiple generations and the separation of the relative contributions of algal symbionts and their coral hosts to the overall performance of the coral colony. This gap in our knowledge may be closed by employing novel population genetic and genomics approaches. The use of molecular tools may aid managers in the selection of appropriate propagule sources, guide spatial arrangement of transplants, and help in assessing the success of coral restoration projects by tracking the performance of transplants, thereby generating important data for future coral reef conservation and restoration projects.
The archetype enhancer of simian virus 40 DNA is duplicated during virus growth in human cells and rhesus monkey kidney cells but not in green monkey kidney cells.

Archetype SV40, obtained directly from its natural host, is characterized by a single 72-bp enhancer element. In contrast, SV40 grown in cell culture almost invariably exhibits partial or complete duplication of the enhancer region. This distinction has been considered important in studies of human tumor material, since SV40-associated tumor isolates have been described having a single enhancer region, suggesting natural infection as opposed to possible contamination by laboratory strains of virus. However, the behavior of archetypal SV40 in cultured cells has never been methodically studied. In this study we reengineered nonarchetypal 776-SV40 to contain a single 72-bp enhancer region and used this reengineered archetypal DNA to transfect a number of simian and human cell lines. SV40 DNA recovered from these cells was analyzed by restriction endonuclease analysis, PCR, and DNA sequencing. Reengineered archetype SV40 propagated in green monkey TC-7 or BSC-1 kidney cells remained without enhancer region duplication even after extensive serial virus passage. Archetype SV40 grown in all but one of the rhesus or human cell lines initially appeared exclusively archetypal. However, when virus from these cell types was transferred to green monkey cells, variants with partial enhancer duplication appeared after as little as a single passage. These findings suggest (1) that virus with a single 72-bp enhancer may persist in cultured cells of simian and human origin; (2) that variants with partially duplicated enhancer regions may arise within cell lines in quantities below limits of detection; (3) that these variants may enjoy a selective advantage in cell types other than those from which they arose (e.g., green monkey kidney cells); and (4) that certain cell lines may support a selective growth advantage for the variants without supporting their formation. Our data indicate that enhancer duplication may also occur in human as well as rhesus kidney cells. Thus, detection of enhancer region duplication may not, a priori, indicate laboratory contamination, nor does detection of a single 72-bp enhancer exclude the possibility that contamination may have occurred. These findings may be of relevance to studies attempting to detect SV40 DNA in human tumors or other clinical specimens.
Dynamic Wavelet Neural Network Model for Traffic Flow Forecasting

Accurate and timely forecasting of traffic flow is of paramount importance for effective management of traffic congestion in intelligent transportation systems. In this paper, a novel nonparametric dynamic time-delay recurrent wavelet neural network model is presented for forecasting traffic flow. The model incorporates the self-similar, singular, and fractal properties discovered in the traffic flow. The concept of wavelet frame is introduced and exploited in the model to provide flexibility in the design of wavelets and to add extra features such as adaptable translation parameters desirable in traffic flow forecasting. The statistical autocorrelation function is used for selection of the optimum input dimension of traffic flow time series. The model incorporates both the time of the day and the day of the week of the prediction time. As such, it can be used for long-term traffic flow forecasting in addition to short-term forecasting. The model has been validated using actual freeway traffic flow data. The model can assist traffic engineers and highway agencies to create effective traffic management plans for alleviating freeway congestions.
ON OPTIMIZING MULTI‐LEVEL DESIGNS: POWER UNDER BUDGET CONSTRAINTS

Summary This paper derives a procedure for efficiently allocating the number of units in multi-level designs given prespecified power levels. The derivation of the procedure is based on a constrained optimization problem that maximizes a general form of a ratio of expected mean squares subject to a budget constraint. The procedure makes use of variance component estimates to optimize designs during the budget formulating stages. The method provides more general closed form solutions than other currently available formulae. As such, the proposed procedure allows for the determination of the optimal numbers of units for studies that involve more complex designs. A method is also described for optimizing designs when variance component estimates are not available. Case studies are provided to demonstrate the method.
A novel approach of manufacturing light-weight composites with polypropylene web and mechanically split cornhusk.

Abstract A novel method has been developed to fabricate composites from mechanically split cornhusks (MSHs). This cost effective method will potentially open the door for a wide variety of agro-wastes in composites. The effect of holding temperature, MSH concentration, weight/area of web in between MSH layers, and MSH length on mechanical properties of composites has been investigated. The effect of MSH concentration on sound absorption has also been studied. Although the mechanical properties of MSH-PP are inferior to jute-PP composites, the former have 100% better sound absorption due to the presence of microair pockets in husks. At a substantially lower cost compared with other natural fibers, cornhusk presents an opportunity to reduce environmental pollution and to provide a higher profit margin to the farmers.
Heritability of size, a sexually selected character, and the response to sexual selection in a natural population of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Heritability of size, a sexually selected character, and the response to sexual selection in a natural population of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)
An improved method of modeling porous materials using finite elements

Abstract In this paper, a new method for determining the modulus of elasticity of a porous material is developed. This method involves the creation of a finite element model of a specimen of the material. The modulus of elasticity can then be found using limited information from one material sample. The model is three-dimensional, and simulates pores by placing small elements that are non-load bearing into the structure. These voids are randomly and unevenly distributed using a Poisson distribution to better simulate the response of a real porous material to a load. The same finite element model is used to demonstrate the effects on material behavior of changing the pore size and distribution. From this information a trend was noticed and an empirical equation developed that predicts a material's elastic modulus based on porosity and pore size.
Biologically inspired coupled beampattern design

Inspired by the female Ormia ochracea's mechanically coupled ears, we propose to design a small-size transmission coupled antenna array with high performance radiation pattern. The mechanical coupling provides the female Ormia with high localization accuracy despite the small distance between its ears compared with the incoming wavelength of the source signal. The mechanical coupling between the Ormia's ears has been modeled by a pair of differential equations. In this paper, after solving these differential equations governing the Ormia ochracea's ear response, we convert the response to the pre-specified radio frequencies. Using the converted response, we then design a biologically inspired uniform linear array composed of finite-length dipole antennas including also the undesired electromagnetic coupling due to the proximity of the elements. In our numerical examples, we compute the radiation intensity of the designed system for binomial and ordinary end-fire arrays to demonstrate the improvement in the half-power beamwidth, sidelobe suppression, and directivity of the radiation pattern due to the biologically inspired coupling.
Functional neuroimaging studies of bipolar disorder: Examining the wide clinical spectrum in the search for disease endophenotypes

Bipolar disorder (BP) is among the top ten most disabling illnesses worldwide. This review includes findings from recent studies employing functional neuroimaging to examine functional abnormalities in neural systems underlying core domains of the psychopathology in BP: emotion processing, emotion regulation and executive control, and common comorbid features of BP, that are relevant to the wide spectrum of BP rather than focused on the more traditional BPI subtype, and that may facilitate future identification of diagnostically-relevant biomarkers of the disorder. In addition, an emerging number of studies are reviewed that demonstrate the use of neuroimaging to elucidate biomarkers whose identification may help to (1) identify at-risk individuals who will subsequently develop the illness to facilitate early intervention, (2) identify targets for treatment and markers of treatment response. The use of newer neuroimaging techniques and potential confounds of psychotropic medication upon neuroimaging findings in BP are also examined. These approaches will help to improve diagnosis and the mental well-being of all individuals with BP.
Advantages of Real-Time Data Acquisition for Exposure Assessment

Abstract A computerized data acquisition system, utilizing real-time instrumentation and a video taping system, can provide the information necessary to identify the sources or activities which most affect worker exposure levels. Integrated workplace samplers, such as pumps with filters or charcoal tubes, may indicate a certain level of exposure. However, due to the complexity of the process or work cycle, an evaluation of activities affecting exposure patterns may be difficult. Such a system, utilizing a computer, real-time instrumentation, and video taping, has been used successfully in three different NIOSH studies. In the first, a study of manual weigh-out and transfer of powders, the data acquisition system identified the scooping operation as the component of the work cycle which most affected the worker dust exposures. Because of the short work cycle, typically 30 seconds or less, filter sampling could not isolate this work element as the major cause of worker dust exposure. In the second study, an...
Adiabatic Flame Temperature for Combustion of Methane

Abstract. This project calculated the adiabatic flame temperature of a combustion reaction of pure methane and oxygen, assuming that all of the heat liberated by the combustion reaction goes into heating the resulting mixture. Mole fractions of methane to oxygen were computed from 0.05 to 0.95, in increments of 0.05, and then an integral was computed was computed with respect to temperature using the moles of product produced or leftover moles of reactants from the starting mole fraction times the specific heat of each respective gas. The highest adiabatic flame temperature evaluated, occurred at a mole fraction of 0.35.
Length-based endotracheal tube and emergency equipment in pediatrics.

Hypothesis: Pediatric endotracheal (ET) tubes can be accurately selected based on body length using a specialized emergency tape. Population: Derivation set: Two hundred five children undergoing elective surgery. Validation set: Two hundred thirteen children undergoing elective surgery. Each child served as his or her own control. Methods: Derivation phase: Two hundred twenty-one children undergoing ET intubation for elective surgery had their body length and leak pressures measured. The 205 children who had leak pressures between 10 and 40 cm H 2 O constituted the derivation set. The body length for a given ET tube size was derived from the interquartile range of patient lengths in this derivation set. Sizes for other resuscitative equipment items were chosen by a panel of experts using a modified Delphi technique. This information was placed by length on a color-coded tape. Validation phase: The tape was validated by using it to select ET tube size in another group of 203 children undergoing elective surgey. Criteria for acceptable fit in this group included leak pressure as above and the anesthesiologists' decision to accept the tube size or to reintubate. In the validation phase, length-based ET tube selections were compared with age-based rules: (age + 16)/4, and (age + 18)/4. Results: The tape selected the appropriate ET tube size by leak pressure criterion in 77% of the cases and was within ± 0.5 mm of the "correct" size 99% of the time. This was significantly better ( P Conclusion: A system for length-based selection of emergency equipment represents a significant adjunct to emergency physicians and paramedics who must deal with critically ill children. Length-based ET tube selection is clearly superior to age-based rules, which are difficult to remember and require accurate estimation of a patient's age.
The Impact of AIDS on Parents and Families in Thailand: A Key Informant Approach

Local key informants provided data on individual adult cases of AIDS for assessing the impact of the epidemic in Thailand on aged parents and other family members. In most cases parents provided care for their infected adult children often assisted with expenses and frequently played a main role in paying for treatment. For one third of the cases a family member reduced or stopped working to provide care. For approximately one fifth of parents the infected adult child was their main income earner. Nevertheless in most cases the childs death was not judged to have a devastating economic impact for the parents although poorer families were far more likely to be adversely affected than others. Wide availability of basic government health insurance moderated the economic impact. Results are interpreted in terms of patterns of intergenerational exchanges of support and services. (authors)
Critical Communication Pedagogy and Assessment: Reconciling Two Seemingly Incongruous Ideas

Many critical educators struggle with the idea of assessment, viewing it as a practice that stifles a critical communication pedagogical agenda. However, assessment is a necessary part of education, because it helps instructors to determine how well students are meeting course goals. In fact, I argue that assessment can be a positive tool to help critical educators to work toward conscientization, thus, determining whether students are developing a heightened awareness of hegemony, identifying avenues for praxis, and developing means to respond to hegemony when they discern its presence in society. By providing examples of how critical educators can help students reach conscientization, this article examines the relationship between two seemingly incongruous terms—critical communication pedagogy and assessment—to enable critical educators to facilitate a critical agenda.
Color change as a potential behavioral strategy

Within species, color morphs may enhance camouflage, improve communication and/or confer reproductive advantage. However, in the male cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni, body color may also signal a behavioral strategy. A. burtoni live in a lek-like social system in Lake Tanganyika, Africa where bright blue or yellow territorial (T) males (together ~10-30% of the population) are reproductively capable and defend territories containing food with a spawning site. In contrast, non-territorial (NT) males are smaller, cryptically colored, shoal with females and have regressed gonads. Importantly, males switch between these social states depending on their success in aggressive encounters. Yellow and blue morphs were thought to be adaptations to particular habitats, but they co-exist both in nature and in the laboratory. Importantly, individual males can switch colors so we asked whether color influences behavioral and hormonal profiles. When pairing territorial males with opposite colored fish, yellow males became dominant over blue males significantly more frequently. Moreover, yellow T males had significantly higher levels of 11-ketotosterone than blue T males while only blue NT males had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol compared to the other groups. Thus color differences alone predict dominance status and hormone profiles in T males. Since T males can and do change color, this suggests that A. burtoni may use color as a flexible behavioral strategy.