cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evidence for visual function mediated by anomalous projection in goldfish

IN goldfish, there is a complete decussation of the optic nerves and only contralateral projection to the optic tectum is present. If one tectum is removed surgically, a few months later, the contralateral eye projects to the remaining ipsilateral tectum, superimposes the normal projection in a mirror-image fashion and retains its normal polarity1. The method of mapping visuotectal projection involved presynaptic recordings of the optic fibre terminals in the tectum. It is not known, however, whether or not the anomalous projection is able to mediate visual behaviour. To determine whether the regenerated optic nerve fibres have formed functional connections in the tectum, post-synaptic recordings and (or) behavioural tests are required. We report here a preliminary finding that the anomalous ipsilateral visuotectal projection, after removal of the contralateral tectum, may mediate the detection of a visual stimulus, with a threshold not significantly different from the normal projection. Sharma1 has observed that in animals with complete removal of the right tectum “after removal of the right eye in these animals, the behaviour mediated by the left eye was apparently normal”, and here we supplement those observations with psychophysical data.
EXPRESSION AND REGULATION OF ADHESION MOLECULES BY GAMMA DELTA T CELLS FROM LYMPHOID TISSUES AND INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM

T cells bearing the gamma delta T cell receptor localize largely in epithelial tissues, but are also present at low frequency in organized secondary lymphoid organs. To assess the role of cell surface adhesion molecules in the traffic and tissue localization of gamma delta T cells, we compared the expression of these molecules on both alpha beta and gamma delta T cells in several lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs. In the gut epithelium, gamma delta cells express less LFA-1 (CD11a), Pgp-1 (CD44), and alpha 4 integrin than the corresponding alpha beta cells. In lymph nodes (LN) and Peyer's patches (PP), adhesion molecule expression by gamma delta cells is heterogeneous, with some of the cells having a phenotype similar to that of intraepithelial gamma delta cells and the rest expressing high levels of CD44 and L-selectin (CD62L) but lower beta 7 and alpha M290, a phenotype more like lymph node alpha beta cells. Therefore, the particular set of adhesion molecules expressed by a T cell is dependent, in part, on its anatomic location. Superimposed upon this, however, are differences in expression that are based on the type of T cell; LN and PP gamma delta T cells express less CD44 but much more beta 7, alpha M290 and ICAM-1 (CD54) than alpha beta T cells in the same organ. The differences in adhesion molecules between alpha beta and gamma delta cells are not due simply to differences in their activation status, because these molecules are regulated differently after activation through the T cell receptor (TcR)/CD3 complex. The differential expression of adhesion molecules on cells bearing a particular TcR V region suggests that distinct adhesion phenotypes may arise from prior contact with specific antigen and resultant cell activation in vivo. Lastly, the presence of high level expression of alpha 4 beta 7 and alpha M290 on L-selectinlo gamma delta cells in lymph nodes suggests that these gamma delta cells may be uniquely capable of migrating to the gut. The differences in adhesion molecule expression and regulation between gamma delta and alpha beta T cells could explain, in part, the distinct homing and tissue localization of these T cell subsets in vivo.
Effect of anomalous cuticular phospholipids on penetration of insecticides in susceptible and resistant house flies

Abstract The cuticular lipid composition of resistant and susceptible strains of house flies ( Musca domestica L.) was altered by incorporation of dl -carnitine and 2-dimethylaminoethanol into the artificial diet under axenic conditions. β-Methyl-choline or 2-dimethylaminoethanol partially replaced the naturally occurring phospholipids (phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine) in the cuticular lipids of the adult of all strains. Effects of altered cuticular lipid composition on absorption of DDT, dieldrin, diazinon, parathion, and carbaryl in susceptible and resistant strains of house flies were studied. Upon incorporation of β-methyl-choline, the absorption pattern in the susceptible strain was decreased slightly, but this qualitative change caused increased absorption of DDT, dieldrin, diazinon, and parathion in one or more resistant strains. Incorporation of 2-dimethylaminoethanol changed the absorption pattern of insecticides in both susceptible and resistant strains of house flies to a slightly greater extent than did β-methyl-choline.
Unexpected bond activation of small organic molecules on a metal oxide-butane/CaO(100).

We present the first example of bond activation of small alkanes (n-/iso-butane) on a metal oxide surface—CaO(100)—at ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions and at low surface temperatures studied by molecular beam scattering and thermal desorption spectroscopy.
Test-retest reliability study of a new improved Leg-O-meter, the Leg-O-meter II, in patients suffering from venous insufficiency of the lower limbs.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the interobserver and test-retest reliability of the new improved Leg-O-Meter, the Leg-O-Meter II, an instrument designed to measure leg circumference. T...
The effects of mechanical and thermal perturbations on states within the hysteresis of sorption isotherms of mesoporous materials

We investigate thermodynamic states inside the hysteresis in the adsorption–desorption isotherms of mesoporous materials by perturbing the adsorbate at a point inside the loop. Scanning curves were run to points inside the hysteresis loop and then the system was perturbed by both mechanical and thermal means. Mechanical perturbations were performed by placing a speaker inside the cryogenic bath to expose the system to vibrations. Thermal disturbances were performed by changing the temperature bath ±10 K and back or by removing the bath for 30–60 s. We find that vibrations up to 500 kHz have no substantial effect on the quantity adsorbed for states that lie within the loop. On the other hand, thermal shocks do affect the system and the states inside the hysteresis loop are found to be unstable with respect to this sort of perturbation. The final state after the sample is returned to its original temperature bath depends on whether the temperature had been raised or lowered during the shock. For increases in temperature, the adsorbed state shifts onto the adsorption branch of the hysteresis; for decreases in temperature, the state shifts onto the desorption branch.
Characterization of CO2-induced conditioning of substituted polycarbonates using various “exchange” penetrants

Abstract A series of structurally-related polycarbonates are shown to retain a state of high permeability, induced by exposure to high pressure conditioning with CO 2 , even if the pure CO 2 is completely replaced by CH 4 or CO 2 /CH 4 and O 2 /N 2 mixed gas feed streams. Reductions, ranging from 0–15%, in the CO 2 /CH 4 and O 2 /N 2 separation factors occur for the substituted polycarbonates, while as much as a 30% enhancement in the flux of the various gases was observed. On the other hand, as was the case for standard polycarbonate, if the conditioning agent is completely replaced by helium, the conditioning treatment is not detectable, even after short times. The magnitude of the increase in permeability following an exchange experiment for a given penetrant, is qualitatively smaller for the substituted materials as compared to standard polycarbonate, because their less efficiently packed matrices experience smaller increases in fractional free volume.
The effects of chemical substitution and polymerization on the pKa values of sulfonic acids.

The effects of ring substitution on the pKa value of benzenesulfonic acid (BSA) were investigated using a combined quantum mechanical and classical approach. Ring substitution with strong electron-withdrawing elements such as F, Cl, and Br is found to enhance the acidity of the BSA. More importantly, ring substitution with −NO2 groups which form an extended conjugated π-system with the benzene ring exhibits the strongest enhancement of the acidity. The effects of polymerization on the styrenesulfonic acid (SSA) were also investigated by solving the classical Poisson−Boltzmann equation. It is found that polymerization significantly decreases the acidity of SSA due to the alteration of the electrostatic environment surrounding the acid group upon polymerization. The average pKa value converges to 2.9 from the corresponding monomer value of −0.53 at a degree of polymerization of 8−12. These results shed significant light on how to design sulfonic-acid-based solid acid catalysts to achieve desired catalytic p...
Uveal Melanoma Cells Utilize a Novel Route for Transendothelial Migration

Uveal melanoma arises in the eye, and it spreads to distant organs in almost half of patients, leading to a fatal outcome. To metastasize, uveal melanoma cells must transmigrate into and out of the microvasculature, crossing the monolayer of endothelial cells that separates the vessel lumen from surrounding tissues. We investigated how human uveal melanoma cells cross the endothelial cell monolayer, using a cultured cell system with primary human endothelial cell monolayers on hydrogel substrates. We found that uveal melanoma cells transmigrate by a novel and unexpected mechanism. Uveal melanoma cells intercalate into the endothelial cell monolayer and flatten out, assuming a shape and geometry similar to those of endothelial cells in the monolayer. After an extended period of time in the intercalated state, the uveal melanoma cells round up and migrate underneath the monolayer. VCAM is present on endothelial cells, and anti-VCAM antibodies slowed the process of intercalation. Depletion of BAP1, a known suppressor of metastasis in patients, increased the amount of transmigration of uveal melanoma cells in transwell assays; but BAP1 depletion did not affect the rate of intercalation, based on movies of living cells. Our results reveal a novel route of transendothelial migration for uveal melanoma cells, and they provide insight into the mechanism by which loss of BAP1 promotes metastasis.
Understanding the Reasons Why Mothers Do or Do Not Have Their Adolescent Daughters Vaccinated Against Human Papillomavirus

Purpose The objective of this study was to compare the reasons why mothers do or do not have their adolescent daughters vaccinated against HPV. Methods Mothers of vaccinated and unvaccinated 11- to 17-year-old girls seen during preventive care visits in outpatient family medicine or pediatric clinics underwent an audiotaped structured telephone interview that used open-ended questions to assess the reasons underlying maternal decisions about HPV vaccination. Qualitative methods categorized maternal responses into themes. Results Interviews of 52 mothers (19 declining vaccination, 33 accepting) identified several distinct factors underlying their decisions about HPV vaccination. Lack of knowledge about HPV, age-related concerns, and low perceived risk of infection were commonly cited reasons for declining vaccination. Desire to prevent illness, physician recommendation, and a high perceived risk of infection were commonly identified motivating factors. Both groups of mothers had significant concerns about vaccine safety. Locus of control (e.g., mother or daughter) of health-related decisions arose as a novel factor influencing this decision that had not been previously described in the context of HPV vaccination. Conclusions Addressing safety concerns, educating parents about the age-specific risk of HPV infection, and promoting strong physician recommendation for vaccination may be the most useful targets for future interventions to increase HPV vaccine utilization.
Determination of left ventricular volume and mass with use of biphasic spin-echo MR imaging: Comparison with cine MR

In this study, the authors compared a new rapid spin-echo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging method, biphasic MR, with cine MR in the determination of left ventricular volume and mass in healthy volunteers. Biphasic spin-echo MR images covering the entire heart were obtained with use of the electrocardiogram R wave and the downslope of the T wave at both end diastole and end systole, respectively. Biphasic MR-determined values correlated well with small standard errors of the estimate (end-diastolic volume = 7.82 cm3, end-diastolic mass = 10.20 g, end-systolic mass = 10.08 g, ejection fraction = 2.62%) and were more reproducible. Cine MR-defined end-systolic volume was significantly larger (P less than .01) and ejection fraction was significantly smaller (P less than .005) than biphasic MR-determined values probably because of the uncertainty in isolating end systole with cine MR. Left ventricular volumes, mass, and ejection fraction are more accurately and reproducibly quantified in a more time-efficient ma...
Mo-Si-B based coating for oxidation protection of SiC-C composites

Abstract Silicon carbide conversion coated carbon/carbon composites (SiC–C) are promising materials for high temperature engine, aircraft and aerospace applications. However, the inherent coating cracks in SiC–C composites due to processing and rapid degradation of silica and SiC in corrosive combustion environments demand a protective external coating to preserve the integrity of the material during service. The Mo–Si–B based coating has been shown to be robust in oxidative environments at extreme temperature, making it an attractive candidate to protect SiC–C composites from oxidation. Isothermal oxidation behavior of Mo–Si–B coated SiC–C was studied and compared to uncoated SiC–C composites at 1073 K and 1773 K in ambient air. The Mo–Si–B based coating effectively protected the SiC–C composite with minimal weight lost due to the formation of a protective and continuous aluminoborosilica surface layer. Exposed carbon fibers in the uncoated SiC–C composites led to catastrophic oxidation. Thermogravimetric analysis of an uncoated SiC–C composite at 1588 K confirmed the accelerated rate at which the carbon fibers oxidized to leave a brittle SiO 2 skeleton. The same analysis on Mo–Si–B coated SiC–C showed nearly negligible steady state weight loss. The initial evaluation provides clear evidence that the Mo–Si–B based coating serves as a robust and compatible coating for SiC–C composites over a wide temperature range.
Simulation of the effects of fractal geometry on the selectivity of heterogeneous catalysts

Abstract Computer simulations have been used to explore the effects of fractal geometry on a simple model for catalyst selectivity. Two-dimensional simulations were carried out to investigate the effects of fractal structure on competing first-order and second-order reactions (A → B and A + A → C) occurring at a catalyst surface. Because of the broad distributions in the accessibility of surface sites to substances diffusing from outside, fractal catalysts behave differently from smooth surfaces. In particular, we find that the dependence of catalyst selectivity (C/B ratio) on the first-order rate constant exhibits a non-classical power law behavior.
Yang Mills theory in 2+1 dimensions: Coupling of matter fields and string-breaking effects

Abstract We explore further the Hamiltonian formulation of Yang–Mills theory in 2 + 1 dimensions in terms of gauge-invariant matrix variables. Coupling to scalar matter fields is discussed in terms of gauge-invariant fields. We analyze how the screening of adjoint (and other screenable) representations can arise in this formalism. A Schrodinger equation is then derived for the gluelump states which are the daughter states when an adjoint string breaks. A variational solution of this Schrodinger equation leads to an analytic estimate of the string-breaking energy which is within 8.8% of the latest lattice estimates.
An empirical study of dynamic scheduling on rings of processors

Abstract We empirically analyze and compare two low-overhead, deterministic policies for scheduling dynamically evolving tree-structured computations on rings of identical processing elements (PEs). Our computations have each task either halt or spawn two independent children and then halt; they abstract, for instance, computations generated by multigrid methods. Our simpler policy, koso , has each PE keep one child of a spawning task and pass the other to its clockwise neighbor in the ring; our more sophisticated policy, koso *, operates similarly, but allows child-passing only from a more heavily loaded PE to a more lightly loaded one. Both policies execute waiting tasks in increasing order of their depths in the evolving task-tree. Our study focuses on two conjectures: (a) Both policies yield good parallel speedup on large classes of the computations we study. (b) Policy koso * outperforms policy koso in many important situations. We verify these conjectures via a suite of experiments, supplemented by supporting mathematical analyses. We view our methodology of experimental design and analysis as a major component of our study’s contribution, which will prove useful in other such studies.
How historical factors have affected the application of workers’compensation data to public health

A recent meeting of leading workers' compensation (WC) researchers was held in Washington, DC to consider ways of improving the use of WC data for injury and illness prevention. Participants identified specific deficiencies that limit the application of WC data for research purposes. For example, commercial insurers are often reluctant to provide claims records to research organizations. Unlike many other countries, the Unites States lacks a comprehensive national system for compiling and analyzing WC data, or mechanisms for linking WC data with other health care, employment, and disability records. Many of these deficiencies can be traced to historical circumstances surrounding the early development of WC laws in the United States. Inconsistencies among states developed in the absence of a federal WC system. Opportunities exist for using WC data more broadly to support public health research aimed at improving the health of populations and communities.
Thermal decomposition of energetic materials 13. High-rate thermolysis of benzofuroxans and 3,4-dimethylfuroxan

Abstract The rapid thermal decomposition of five substituted benzofuroxans and a 3,4-dimethylfuroxan was examined by rapid-scan FTIR spectroscopy as a function of heating rate and pressure. The product distribution and parent molecular structure proved difficult to correlate in the benzofuroxan series, but it is distinctly different from the alkylfuroxan. Rapid heating cleaves 3,4-dimethylfuroxan into two equivalents of acetonitrile N-oxide, whereas only small molecule fragments are produced by benzofuroxans.
Why is DNA polymorphic while RNA is not

In DNA, the base-sugar hydrophobic interactions between the 2′-methylene group of the 2′-deoxyribose sugar and the base (H6 in pyrimidines and H8 in purines) on the 3′-side appear to act as a ball joint and facilitate the A-DNA B-DNA conformational interconversion by lowering the pseudorotational barrier. These and other sugar-base interactions coupled with the inherently more flexible 2′-deoxyribofuranose ring allow DNA to occur in a variety of polymorphic helical states. In contrast, the 2′-hydroxyl group in RNA not only sterically disfavors the B-type structure, but the inherently less flexible ribofuranose ring is further stabilized in the A-type structure by intramolecular hydrogen-bonded water bridge between the 2′-OH group and the base (O2 in pyrimidines and N3 in purines). This lack of flexibility of RNA dictates that DNA-RNA hybrid structures assume the A-type helix.
Turning on Brown Fat and Muscle Metabolism: Hedging Your Bets

Developmental genes are essential in the formation and function of adipose tissue and muscle. In this issue of Cell , Teperino et al. demonstrate that noncanonical hedgehog signaling increases glucose uptake into brown fat and muscle. Modulation of developmental pathways may serve as a potential target for new treatments of diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
Voltammetric study of plating baths for electrodeposition of Co-W amorphous alloys

Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry at glassy carbon and platinum microdisc electrodes have been used to study the electrodeposition of Co−W amorphous alloys. Voltammetric results show that cathodic deposition of Co−W alloy is accompanied by hydrogen evolution and the efficiency of Co−W electrodeposition does not exceed 20%. Voltammetric behaviour of cobalt (II) and tungstate in ammonium citrate solution depend strongly on composition of the plating bath. The concentration of Co(II) ions can be monitoredin situ during electroplating by means of anodic stripping voltammetry at a platinum microelectrode. The deposit of the alloy on the microelectrode is stable in the atmosphere and thus can be stored for subsequent comparison with a deposit obtained later in the life of the working bath.
Saharan dust transport to the Caribbean during PRIDE: 1. Influence of dust sources and removal mechanisms on the timing and magnitude of downwind aerosol optical depth events from simulations of in situ and remote sensing observations

[1] Dust emissions, transport, and deposition are simulated for the Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (June–July, 2000) with a three-dimensional aerosol transport model driven by assimilated meteorology. Sensitivity to the dust source formulation is tested by comparing simulations run with two different source modules to TOMS and AERONET measurements. Central and east African dust sources are more accurately simulated with the Ginoux et al. [2001] source model than with the Marticorena and Bergametti [1995] source model. The timing of high aerosol optical depth (AOD) dust events at Puerto Rico is largely independent of the timing of dust emissions, implying a persistent reservoir of suspended dust particles exists over Africa and that the timing of downwind dust events is more strongly coupled to transport dynamics than to the dust source model chosen. The downwind AOD and particle size distribution are accurately simulated using the dust particle size distribution produced by the Ginoux et al. [2001] source model or by fitting the Marticorena and Bergametti [1995] dust emissions to the d'Almeida [1987] background desert aerosol particle size distribution. The dust distribution determined by fitting the Marticorena and Bergametti [1995] emissions to the Schulz et al. [1998] initial particle size distribution produces aerosol optical depths that are consistently too high. Large dust particles observed far downwind of source areas may be partially explained if they are treated as flat disks rather than spheres in the particle fall velocity calculation. With the Ginoux et al. [2001] source model we estimate African and Arabian dust emissions during July 2000 to be 214 Tg for particles smaller than 10 μm radius. Nineteen percent of the emitted mass is transported west of Africa and over the North Atlantic. Twenty percent of the dust leaving Africa passes west of Puerto Rico.
NIR/LWIR dual-band infrared photodetector with optical addressing

A near infrared (NIR) and long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) dual-band infrared photodetector, which can switch detection bands with light bias, is demonstrated at 77 K. The demonstrated scheme consists of series connected photodetectors for different bands. The basic operating principle of the scheme is that without light bias, shorter wavelength detector limits the total current and thus the device operates in NIR mode. With light bias on the NIR detector, the LWIR detector becomes the current limiting device and the device then operates in LWIR mode. Proposed design allows single indium-bump per pixel focal plane arrays, and in principle allows covering all tactical bands such as UV, visible, NIR, SWIR, MWIR and LWIR bands with a single pixel.
A geometrical approach to maximizing a variance

Abstract The matrix form for the variance of n independently chosen real numbers, x 1 , x 2 ,…, x n , is observed to be the same as that for the potential energy matrix for n coupled oscillators symmetrically arranged on a circle. Unitary matrices that have previously been developed from the irreducible representations of the circular symmetries to diagonalize the potential energy matrices are given. These transformations are applied to the variance. A geometric setting is provided for the transformations, and the maximum variance is found for real numbers x i subject to linear constraints on the choices of the numbers.
Parental Cultural Socialization of Mexican-American Adolescents’ Family Obligation Values and Behaviors

The current study examined how parents’ cultural socialization efforts contribute to adolescents’ family obligation values and behaviors and how these processes may depend upon the relational climate at home. Utilizing survey and daily diary methodologies, 428 Mexican-American adolescents (50% males; Mage = 15 years) and their parents (83% mothers; Mage = 42 years) participated in the study. Adolescents reported on their family obligation values and engagement in family assistance tasks across 14 days. Parents reported on their cultural socialization practices. Results indicated that parental cultural socialization was associated with adolescents’ family obligation values and behaviors when parent–child relationships were low in conflict and high in support. Findings suggest that the transmission of cultural values and practices is best facilitated through positive parent–child relationships.
Differential Down-Regulation of Epidermal Protein Kinase C by 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and Diacylglycerol: Association with Epidermal Hyperplasia and Tumor Promotion

A single topical application of 2 nmol 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to CD-1 mouse skin resulted in a rapid decrease in cytosolic, particulate, and total epidermal protein kinase C (PKC) activity at 6 h, which remained decreased by 70% at 96 h. This dose of TPA produced epidermal hyperplasia as determined by an increase in the number of nucleated epidermal cell layers. A single application of 10 µmol sn -1,2-didecanoylglycerol, a model sn -1,2-diacylglycerol and complete tumor promoter, induced ornithine decarboxylase to an extent similar to that of 2 nmol TPA. However, sn -1,2-didecanoylglycerol produced an 80% increase in particulate PKC activity that was accompanied by a 45% decrease in cytosolic PKC activity, resulting in no net change in total PKC activity. Unlike TPA, this dose of sn -1,2-didecanoylglycerol did not produce a hyperplastic response. Additional dosing regimens were examined to determine whether the down-regulation of particulate PKC activity was associated with hyperplasia and tumor promotion. A tumor-promoting dosing regimen consisting of multiple applications of 5 or 10 µmol sn -1,2-didecanoylglycerol twice daily for 1 week resulted in more than a 60% decrease in cytosolic and particulate PKC activity and a marked epidermal hyperplasia. Twice-weekly application of 10 µmol sn -1,2-didecanoylglycerol, a nonpromoting dosing rate, for 1 week decreased cytosolic PKC activity but increased particulate PKC activity and did not produce hyperplasia. Dosing regimens utilizing multiple applications of TPA decreased both particulate and cytosolic PKC activity and were also hyperplastic. PKC activity was also measured in epidermal papillomas from mice initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene and promoted with either sn -1,2-didecanoylglycerol or TPA. Cytosolic- and particulate-associated PKC activity in these papillomas was decreased by at least 70% and 40%, respectively, when compared with epidermis and whole skin. After 2 months without promoter treatment, both cytosolic and particulate PKC activity remained decreased in the papillomas, whereas epidermal PKC activity returned to control values by 2 to 3 weeks following cessation of several weeks of TPA treatment. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the down-regulation of epidermal PKC is associated with and may be a permissive event for epidermal hyperplasia and tumor promotion.
Sex differences in group communication: A review of relevant research

(1976). Sex differences in group communication: A review of relevant research. Quarterly Journal of Speech: Vol. 62, No. 2, pp. 179-192.
Gamma-ray burst afterglow observations using AXAF and ACIS

With the successful launch of AXAF next summer, it will be possible to observe the X-ray afterglow from gamma-ray bursts with much improved positional accuracy ( 1 arcsec) and sensitivity (2 10 keV, 1: 51 0 14 ergs=cm 2 =s in 10 ksec). A typical burst after- glow should be observable within about 10 hours after the position has been determined by BeppoSAX or any other satellite capable of determining the position to within about 5 arcmin and provide about 1000 counts in a 10 ksec integration using the ACIS on AXAF. To con- strain the decrease of intensity with time, using existing data from BeppoSAX and ASCA, the burst should pro- duce a measurable flux for up to about 4 months after the gamma-ray event for an observing time of about 40 ksec, if a simple extrapolation of the observed fall-o with time is assumed. Depending upon a number of assumptions, there is a slight possibility of observing iron lines from the gas immediately surrounding the gamma-ray burst source using a long exposure (> 100 ksec).
Moderators in the academic development of migrant Latino children attending after-school programs

The current study examines how certain ecological factors influence migrant Latino children’s (N = 94) academic outcomes following their participation in an after-school program with intensive academic instruction. Hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that children who made the greatest academic gains were acculturated in English, were from poorly functioning families, and had families with fewer parent–teacher contacts and less engagement with children’s school activities. Moderating effects were found to differ by age group. Implications of the current study are that community services may wish to focus increased attention on reducing the level of academic risk in migrant Latino populations, that after-school programs may serve a protective function for children from relatively low-functioning families and families with less school involvement, and that timing of after-school services may be important to some aspects of children’s development.
Combined nulling-canceling and maximum-likelihood detection for multiple antenna communication

Multiple transmit and receive antennas can increase the capacity, as well as increase reliability in wireless communication. In this paper, we propose a nulling-canceling based detection algorithm that performs selective maximum-likelihood decoding based on result of comparison between symbol estimates with different orderings. If the symbol estimates do not agree, then maximum-likelihood detection is performed on the discrepant symbols; otherwise, only nulling and canceling are performed. The proposed algorithm can achieve a better performance than the original nulling-canceling algorithm and requires a relatively small computational complexity increase.
Arbitrageur Heterogeneity, Investor Horizon and Arbitrage Opportunities: An Empirical Investigation

Evidence is provided that arbitrage profits in integrated currency and credit markets differ according to the initial asset allocation, trading horizon and investment objectives of arbitrageurs. It is shown that several types of profitable one-way strategies can coexist and profits are differently distributed across maturity horizons. Moreover, there are episodes in the markets where particular strategies are consistently profitable. Strategies using the spot market and two credit transactions to create a synthetic forward contract are most likely to result in profitable arbitrage opportunities. This is directly attributable to the higher level of transactions costs in the forward markets.
Modulation of interleukin-1α mRNA expression in mouse epidermis by tumor promoters and antagonists

Increased expression of interleukin-1 (IL-1) in skin elicits a variety of responses, including inflammation and epidermal hyperplasia, which are also characteristic events elicited by tumor promoters. The goal of this study was to investigate whether various classes of tumor promoters increase expression of IL-1 alpha and whether phorbol ester-induced IL-1 alpha expression can be blocked by antitumor promoters. Northern analysis of mRNA isolated from the dorsal skins of SENCAR mice treated with 1 microgram of 4 beta-12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) showed that a single application of TPA produced a significant increase in IL-1 alpha mRNA at 6 h that decreased by 24 h after treatment. Two treatments of TPA at 48-h intervals induced, at 6 h, twice as much IL-1 alpha mRNA as one treatment. Of the other promoters tested, anthralin (22.6 micrograms), mezerein (2 micrograms), calcium ionophore A23187 (120 micrograms), and benzoyl peroxide (20 mg) induced IL-1 alpha mRNA with different kinetics and to different extents. On the other hand, the non-tumor promoting phorbol ester analogue 4 alpha-12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate had little effect on the expression of IL-1 alpha mRNA. The effects of various antitumor promoters on TPA-induced IL-1 alpha mRNA expression were also assessed. Fluocinolone acetonide, mepacrine, and 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid were the most effective inhibitors, and each produced about 80% inhibition. Other antitumor promoters such as retinoic acid, N-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone, and butylated hydroxytoluene inhibited approximately 35%, 65%, and 50% of TPA-induced IL-1 alpha mRNA expression, respectively. Therefore, this study suggests a possible role of IL-1 alpha in the promotion stage of skin carcinogenesis.
Difficult diabetes in teenagers

Summary Until recently all diabetes in young people was considered to be type 1 or autoimmune, with destruction of the pancreatic β -cells and absolute insulin dependence. Children with diabetes presented with osmotic symptoms or ketoacidosis, and treatment was essentially a practical management issue. Recently, however, obesity-related type 2 diabetes has emerged in children; genetic forms of diabetes have been identified; and with the rising prevalence of obesity, there is clinical overlap between types of diabetes. Accurate diagnosis is important because these different forms have specific treatments and have different complications. This article focuses on the presentations of type 1 diabetes in the obese teenager, type 2 diabetes mimicking type 1, and maturity onset diabetes of the young. An algorithm is suggested to help guide diagnosis and initial management. Finally there is a list of resources on where to go for further information.
3D In situ mapping of focused cylindrical vector beam using trapped Rayleigh nanoparticles

Optically trapped Rayleigh nanoparticles are used as nanoprobes to map in situ the three-dimensional field distribution of a focused cylindrical vector beam. Intensities calculated from measured trapping energy shows good agreement with numerical simulations.
Disturbance response across a productivity gradient: postfire vegetation in serpentine and nonserpentine forests

Disturbances such as wildfire play a major role in the diversity, structure and composition of plant communities, however, little is known about the differential impacts of fire across landscapes that vary in characteristics such as soil nutrients and site productivity. Theory predicts that productivity can mediate the impacts of fire for reasons related to broad ecological processes and differential selective forces. For instance, ecosystems with lower site productivity are less limited by space and light and consequently experience less pronounced changes in these resources following a disturbance. Moreover, resource availability related to disturbance and productivity can affect the proportion of plants with competitive versus stress-tolerant life history strategies. In this study, we utilized a model system for testing predictions about productivity and disturbance that included a mixed conifer forest across a gradient of edaphically harsh, ultramafic “serpentine” soils and “nonserpentine” soils in th...
Operational performance of the SNS LLRF interim system

A new approach has been taken to develop and build the Low-Level RF Control System for the SNS Front End and Linear Accelerators, as reported in a separate paper in this conference. An interim version, based on the proven LBNL MEBT design, was constructed to support short-term goals and early commissioning of the Front End RFQ and DTL accelerators, while the final system is under development. Additional units of the interim system are in use at JLab and LANL for concept testing, code development, and commissioning of SNS SRF cryomodules. The conceptual design of the MEBT system had already been presented elsewhere, and this paper will address operational experiences and performance measurements with the existing interim system hardware, including commissioning results at the SNS site for the Front End and DTL Tank 3 together with operational results from the JLab test stand.
A global approach to nonholonomic motion planning

The kinematic path planning problem of a nonholonomic system can be posed as a point-to-point control problem of a nonlinear system. This system has the property that it is not locally stabilizable but is globally controllable. The authors present a new algorithm for constructing a feasible path between specified initial and final configurations. The algorithm iteratively warps the entire path until all the constraints are satisfied. Polyhedral constraints in both configuration and nonconfiguration spaces (possibly nonconvex) can also be incorporated in this framework. The algorithm is based on the assumption that the system is usually controllable about a nontrivial trajectory, which is true for many cases. An initial trajectory is iteratively warped until the desired final configuration is reached. Examples of a front-wheel driven car and of tractors with one, two, and three trailers are included to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm. >
Addressing hard constraints in the air traffic problem through partitioning and difference rewards

In the US alone, weather hazards and airport congestion cause thousands of hours of delay, costing billions of dollars annually. The task of managing delay may be modeled as a multiagent congestion problem with tightly coupled agents who collectively impact the system. Reward shaping has been effective at reducing noise caused by agent interaction and improving learning in soft constraint problems. We extend those results to hard constraints that cannot be easily learned, and must be algorithmically enforced. We present an agent partitioning algorithm in conjunction with reward shaping to simplify the learning domain. Our results show that a partitioning of the agents using system features leads to up to a 1000x speed up over the straight reward shaping approach, as well as up to a 30% improvement in performance over a greedy scheduling solution, corresponding to hundreds of hours of delay saved in a single day.
Icons on Glass: Materials and Technique

Peasant icons on glass offer a strange image of a folk art, clearly outlined and unique in its technical quality and sensitivity. While a few paintings on glass were found in Central Europe (mainly Bohemia and Austria), the area where this type of craft was practiced extensively and reached maturity was Transylvania and Northern Moldova. The beginnings of this artistic Romanian pursuit are not well known. Because of the frailty of the glass support, and of the poor adherence of the color to this shiny, non-porous surface, many, far too many, ancient icons on glass have disappeared over time. Icons found in different collections, which bear an indication that makes it possible to date them, belong usually to the second half of the eighteenth century (Fig. 10.1) (Wendt HC (1953) Rumanische Ikonenmalerei. Eine kunstgeschichtliche Darstellung. Erich Roth Verlag, Eisenach). In the Romanian area this genre reached its pinnacle between 1830–1900. After 1900 this technique was used by very few iconographers (Ioanidu IC, Radulescu GG (1942) Icons on glass.Bulletin of the Commission for Historical Monuments, fasc 113–114).
Role of Coincident Site Lattice Boundaries in Creep and Stress Corrosion Cracking

Interfaces control many properties in engineering materials, several of which are critical to the integrity of the engineering structure. In single phase, solid solution, austenitic alloys, grain boundaries are often the weak link, displaying susceptibility to creep, corrosion and stress corrosion cracking. As such, grain boundary structure control affords the opportunity to improve the overall performance of alloys in a variety of applications. The role of coincident site lattice boundary (CSLB) enhancement and grain boundary connectivity is examined for how it affects the response of an alloy to stress and the environment. Specifically, the effect of grain boundary character on creep, grain boundary sliding, intergranular stress corrosion cracking, and irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking in austenitic nickel-base (high purity Ni-Cr-Fe and alloy 600) and iron-base (high purity Fe-Cr-Ni and 304 stainless steel) alloys and for ferritic-martensitic alloy T91 is discussed.
Some aspects of the chemistry and acute toxicity of the iron ore flotation agent dimethyl ammonium alkyl hydroxamate and some related compounds to brook trout

Dimethyl ammonium alkyl hydroxamate (DMAH) was lethal to brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) at concentrations as low as 4.5 mg/l. Since DMAH consisted of a number of molecular species in equilibrium, experiments were conducted with several of them in an attempt to evaluate their contribution to its toxicity. Of the compounds tested dimethylamine proved to be non-toxic, hydroxylamine was as lethal as DMAH (on a molar basis) and NaC10 hydroxamate was 5–10 times more toxic than hydroxylamine or DMAH. These results suggested that although hydroxylamine may have played a small part in the toxicity of DMAH, the hydroxamate group appeared to be the major lethal component.
Research on the Dimensions of Correlation between Grass-Root Sport Organization and Government

The booming of grass-root sport organization in the recent years is set to become a fantastic spectacular in the development of national fitness program in China. Under the special system characterized by"strong government and weak society",heated topics about how the grass-root sport organizations survive and function have been formed in the academic field. Considering the functions that governments play in the development of grass-root sport organization and relationship between it and outside aspects,the correlation between grass-root sport organizations and governments should firstly be explored. By such methods as social survey and logical analysis,based on the theory of resource dependence,the possibilities and barriers in establishing the relationship between grass-root sport organization and governments have been looked into in this research. It has been found that the more attention should be attached to"cooperation"between grass-root sport organization and governments,but not"separation",based on which the theory transforming relationship between grass-root sport organization and government from "government-led collaboration"into "mutual-benefit collaboration"has been put forward.
Thinking Ourselves Old

Copyright: © 2012 Shield RR. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. In her classic text, The Coming of Age that inveighs against the social and physical ravages attending old age Simone de Beauvoir noted that it is harder for individuals to think themselves dead than to think themselves old. She postulated that the simple and profound reason for our reluctance is that it damages our self-concept less to imagine our intact self negated than to picture it altered and diminished. Whether this explanation is valid, it helps this researcher understand some of the denial that attaches to the general antipathy to thinking that we too can become old-like them. This is our challenge: imagining our own old age is a necessary step to understanding how current health care does not meet the needs and preferences of older adults. We should make concerted personal, clinical and research attempts to identify and unmask the ingredients that comprise intolerable aspects of being old. This effort to think ourselves old should help us plan systems and processes of care that fit the needs and goals of older adults.
Diagnosis of resistive-open defects due to electromigration and stress-induced voiding in an SRAM array

We present a Built-in Self Test (BIST) methodology for on-chip failure analysis of via/contact voiding due to electromigration (EM) and stress-induced voiding (SIV) in SRAM cells. Our BIST system detects wearout and identifies the location of the worn out via in the cell By matching the observed failure rate from BIST and the failure distribution function based on mathematical models, we can identify the cause of failure and potentially distinguish EM and SIV failures. Hence, the method determines separate wearout distributions for EM vs. SIV with electrical tests only.
General Introduction by Guerino Mazzola

This introduction gives a general orientation about the book’s topic, its philosophy, and its collaborative authors.
Characterization of the Intrinsic Water Wettability of Graphite Using Contact Angle Measurements: Effect of Defects on Static and Dynamic Contact Angles

Elucidating the intrinsic water wettability of the graphitic surface has increasingly attracted research interests, triggered by the recent finding that the well-established hydrophobicity of graphitic surfaces actually results from airborne hydrocarbon contamination. Currently, static water contact angle (WCA) is often used to characterize the intrinsic water wettability of graphitic surfaces. In the current paper, we show that because of the existence of defects, static WCA does not necessarily characterize the intrinsic water wettability. Freshly exfoliated graphite of varying qualities, characterized using atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, was studied using static, advancing, and receding WCA measurements. The results showed that graphite of different qualities (i.e., defect density) always has a similar advancing WCA, but it could have very different static and receding WCAs. This finding indicates that defects play an important role in contact angle measurements, and the static contact...