cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laboratory experiments and numerical simulation studies of convectively enhanced carbon dioxide dissolution

Abstract Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) injected into a permeable rock stratum will be stored via four major mechanisms, (1) bulk containment of the mobile supercritical phase CO 2 , (2) small-scale trapping by capillary forces, (3) dissolution into the local brine, and (4) chemical reactions with aqueous species and host rock resulting in mineral precipitation. The security and permanence of CO 2 storage increases along this pathway from containment to mineralization. After injection into the subsurface, the less-dense free-phase CO 2 will tend to rise to the top of the permeable formation and will accumulate beneath a confining layer (cap rock) as a result of buoyancy. Beneath the confining layer, the CO 2 will spread out, governed by capillary, buoyant, and viscous forces, forming a relatively horizontal layer at some distance from the injection location. CO 2 in contact with local fluids will begin to dissolve into the fluids. The dissolution of CO 2 into the brine will result in increasing the brine density. Brine with increased density over less dense brine will result in a fluid dynamics instability such that the heavier brine containing CO 2 will tend to flow downward. This will cause lighter brine without dissolved CO 2 to move upward, contacting the CO 2 plume, dissolving more CO 2 , and then convecting downward. This dissolution-induced density-driven convection is a desirable process because it can significantly enhance the CO 2 dissolution rates, thereby increasing storage security. We have performed laboratory visualization studies in transparent cells and quantitative CO 2 absorption tests at elevated pressure to investigate this phenomenon. Numerical modeling of the tests was performed with results comparing favorably with experimental results.
Mechanical performance of surgical knots in a vaginal surgery model.

Objective To evaluate the integrity of 3 different types of sliding knots in a vaginal surgery model. Study Design Nonidentical sliding (NS), loop-to-strand sliding (LTS), and parallel sliding (PS) knots with 4 throws each were tied on a vaginal surgery model with 0 polyglactin-910 and tested until failure. The main outcomes studied were the maximum load reached at failure and the proportion of each type of sliding knot that either unraveled or broke during standardized laboratory testing. Results PS knots were significantly stronger than either NS or LTS knots, with no difference in strength between NS and LTS knots. Most of the NS and LTS knots failed by slippage, where as most of the PS knots failed by rupture at the knot site. Conclusions PS knots using 0-vicryl are significantly stronger than NS and LTS knots and should be preferentially considered when performing vaginal surgery.
Knocking Cylinder Pressure Data Characteristics in a Spark-Ignition Engine

An experimental study of the knock initiation and development period was conducted in a single-cylinder research engine. Cylinder pressure was recorded at two locations in the combustion chamber using a high sampling frequency, thus allowing the identification of spatial and temporal pressure characteristics introduced by knock. It was found that substantial local pressure differences exist inside the chamber during the initiation of autoignition. In most cases, knock-induced pressure waves are of acoustic nature, but they can become weak shock waves in heavily knocking cycles. Waves appear first in the pressure trace of the transducer closer to the site of autoignition, and are subsequently detected by the other transducer. The results show evidence of multiple sites of autoignition, and indicate changes in the nature and the direction of propagation of pressure waves. Cylinder pressure signals sampled at locations closer to the center of the chamber show significantly smaller amplitude of pressure fluctuation, making them more suitable for further mathematical processing.
The Euroland crisis and Germany’s euro trilemma

This paper investigates the causes behind the Euroland crisis, particularly Germany’s role in it. It is argued that the crisis is not primarily a ‘sovereign debt crisis’, but rather a (twin) banking and balance of payments crisis. Intra-area competitiveness and current account imbalances, and the corresponding debt flows that such imbalances give rise to, are at the heart of the matter, and they ultimately go back to competitive wage restraint on Germany’s part since the late 1990s. Germany broke the golden rule of a monetary union: commitment to a common inflation rate. As a result, the country faces a trilemma of its own making and must make a critical choice, since it cannot have it all – perpetual export surpluses, a no transfer/no bailout monetary union, and a ‘clean,’ independent central bank. Misdiagnosis and the wrongly prescribed medication of austerity have made the situation worse by adding a growth crisis to the potpourri of internal stresses that threaten the euro’s survival. The crisis in Eu...
Consequences of herbivory by native ungulates for the reproduction of a savanna tree

Summary 1 Herbivores may negatively impact plant populations by reducing the survival, growth and reproduction of individual plants. 2 In African savannas, browsing by large mammalian herbivores has been shown repeatedly to reduce adult survival and growth of members of the genus Acacia, the dominant trees in these systems. However, the potential costs of mammalian herbivory to Acacia reproduction are largely unexplored, and have never been investigated experimentally in African savannas. 3 Using a long-term, large-scale field experiment, we demonstrate that, in the absence of native herbivores, individual trees were twice as likely to reproduce, and those that reproduced produced a greater biomass of seeds. In addition, spine length (an indicator of past herbivory) was correlated with reduced reproduction of Acacia drepanolobium, the dominant tree across large areas of East Africa. Browsing by native herbivores triggers the production of longer spines, an induced resistance, and spine length was significantly and negatively related both to the occurrence and magnitude of reproduction. 4 Induced resistance appeared to mitigate the negative effects of herbivory where large herbivores were present: trees with long spines reproduced at levels comparable to trees with similarly long spine lengths in the absence of browsers. 5 Large mammalian herbivores kill and suppress the growth of adult Acacia, and therefore often are regarded as critical in maintaining the co-dominance of trees and grasses in African savannas. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that large mammalian herbivores can suppress reproduction in Acacia, thus highlighting an additional pathway through which these herbivores might impact population dynamics of this important and widespread genus. 6 In savanna systems, declining populations of large herbivores may trigger a series of complex demographic responses for trees, with potentially strong consequences for the structure and function of savannas.
Packaging and Non-Hermetic Encapsulation Technology for Flip Chip on Implantable MEMS Devices

We report here a successful demonstration of a flip-chip packaging approach for a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device with in-plane movable microelectrodes implanted in a rodent brain. The flip-chip processes were carried out using a custom-made apparatus that was capable of the following: creating Ag epoxy microbumps for first-level interconnect; aligning the die and the glass substrate; and creating nonhermetic encapsulation (NHE). The completed flip-chip package had an assembled weight of only 0.5 g significantly less than the previously designed wire-bonded package of 4.5 g. The resistance of the Ag bumps was found to be negligible. The MEMS microelectrodes were successfully tested for its mechanical movement with microactuators generating forces of 450 with a displacement resolution of 8.8 . An NHE on the front edge of the package was created by patterns of hydrophobic silicone microstructures to prevent contamination from cerebrospinal fluid while simultaneously allowing the microelectrodes to move in and out of the package boundary. The breakdown pressure of the NHE was found to be 80 cm of water, which is significantly (4.5-11 times) larger than normal human intracranial pressures. Bench top tests and in vivo tests of the MEMS flip-chip packages for up to 75 days showed reliable NHE for potential long-term implantation.
High secondary production in a Coastal Plain river is dominated by snag invertebrates and fuelled mainly by amorphous detritus

Summary The 2-years production dynamics of major taxa (family/order) and functional feeding groups was synthesised from detailed production analyses previously published for all major invertebrate species/genera (retained by a 100 μm sieve) found on snags (submerged wood) in a sixth-order south-eastern U.S. Coastal Plain river. The trophic basis of this production and annual consumption of six food types were quantified. Invertebrate production (148 and 203 g dry mass m−2 year−1 of snag surfaces for the 2 years) was among the highest ever measured for a specific habitat in non-polluted or unregulated rivers and was still relatively high when converted to overall area of the river bed (48 and 70 g m−2 year−1). Snag production constituted 73% of total main-channel production (production from snag and river bed combined). Chironomidae (40–44% over the 2 years), Ephemeroptera (14–21%) and Trichoptera (25–31%) together represented the majority (88–93%) of the putative production of primary consumers on snags. Functional group analysis showed that fine filterers (26–36% over the 2 years), gatherers (36–44%) and macro-filterers (21–25%) represented the majority of total invertebrate production. Production of predaceous insects (mostly Plecoptera, Odonata and Megaloptera) represented only 5–7% of the total. Production of the three major taxa and three major functional groups was remarkably consistent over 2 years of monthly sampling, despite strong seasonal variation in discharge/light/temperature and production of individual genera and families. Seventy-nine per cent of production by primary consumers was supported by microbially enriched amorphous detritus, the major component of seston originating primarily from floodplain forests. Invertebrates consumed ˜357 g AFDM m−2 (river bed) year−1 of seston, 325 g m−2 year−1 of amorphous detritus and 20 g m−2 year−1 of diatoms. Dividing seston consumption by seston transport indicated that ˜67% of seston was consumed over 100 km of river length. Consumption was higher than autochthonous net primary production, supporting other evidence that terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter, incorporated via the microbial loop, is the main trophic basis of this riverine food web. Macro-filtering hydropsychid caddisflies were omnivorous with > half their production from carnivory. Snag predators, including hydropsychids, consumed ˜60% (29 g m−2 year−1 of river bed) of invertebrate production (assumed to be from snags), leaving the remainder for emergence, downstream transport and consumption by fish.
Radial Growth Responses of Three Co-Occurring Species to Small Canopy Disturbances in a Secondary Hardwood Forest on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee

We analyzed the radial growth patterns of Liriodendron tulipifera, Acer rubrum, and Acer saccharum growing in 39 canopy gaps in a mature secondary hardwood forest on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee to compare species-specific growth responses to small canopy disturbances. We tested for differences between mean radial growth increases during the year of release initiation (i.e., first year of discernible growth increase) over the year prior, mean percent growth increases during the year of release initiation over the year prior, mean release durations, and mean lag times between canopy gap formation and radial growth response. At each level of analysis (i.e., by species, canopy position, and gap position) only the radial growth increase during the year of release initiation over the year prior revealed significant differences. In each case where a systematic difference was noted, the growth increase of L. tulipifera was greater than one or both of the Acer species. However, field observation indicated ...
Fatal lymphoproliferative disease in a common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) following inoculation of Ag876 strain of Epstein-Barr virus and a tumor-promoting agent: Preliminary report

We report here the development of a fatal lymphoproliferative disease in a common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) following inoculation of the Ag876 strain of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and of the tumor promoting agent 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). The marmoset showed antibodies against EBV capsid and early antigens (VCA, EA) but not against nuclear antigen (EBNA). EBNA was detected in impression smears from lymph nodes and liver, and the presence of the EBV genome was detected from the same organs by hydridization techniques. To our knowledge this is the first report of the oncogenicity of this strain of EBV. The need for further studies to assess the in vivo interaction between EBV and tumor promoting agents in the development of malignancies is stressed.
Queries = examples + counterexamples

Database queries can be expressed as unordered collections of examples and counterexamples. The resulting languages are intuitive, first order complete, and applicable to a variety of data models including relational, object oriented, and visual models. This class of languages based on examples and counterexamples employ a minimal number of constructs with no sequencing or nesting of the constructs implied, allowing a simple and uniform theoretical analysis of their syntax, semantics, and completeness.
K-shell aluminum resonance line ratios for plasma diagnosis using spot spectroscopy

Abstract Using a detailed atomic model of K shell aluminum ions, we have calculated four diagnostic resonance line ratios as a function of temperature and density for cylindrical aluminum plasmas of diameter 50 and 100 μm, assumed in collisional-radiative equilibrium. The ion densities vary from 10 19 cm -3 to 10 21 cm -3 , the temperatures range from 200 to 700 eV. The conditions are applicable to experiments using the spot spectroscopy technique for plasma diagnosis.
Laser surface treatment for porous and textured Ca–P bio-ceramic coating on Ti–6Al–4V

In the present paper the feasibility of depositing a porous calcium phosphate (CaP) bio-ceramic coating using a continuous wave Nd:YAG laser on a Ti-6Al-4V substrate has been demonstrated. The advantages offered by such porous bio-ceramic coating are its inertness combined with the mechanical stability of the highly convoluted interface that develops when bone grows into the pores of ceramic. The formation of different phases with varying laser fluences is studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD). A quantitative estimation of the crystallite size and relative amounts of Ti and other predominant phases such as TiO(2) and alpha-tricalcium phosphate (alpha-TCP) were obtained. An increase in the crystallite size with increasing laser fluence is observed for all the above three phases. It is observed that TiO(2) is the predominant phase for all laser fluences and there is an increase in the alpha-TCP phase with increasing laser fluence. Surface porosity measurements indicated a decreasing trend with increasing laser fluence. Microhardness measurements in the cross section of samples showed a maximum hardness within the coating. The bioactivity of the coatings was further demonstrated by the formation of an apatite-like layer on the surface of the sample after being immersed in a simulated biofluid.
Parallelizing the buckshot algorithm for efficient document clustering

We present a parallel implementation of the Buckshot document clustering algorithm. We demonstrate that this parallel approach is highly efficient both in terms of load balancing and minimization of communication. In a series of experiments using the 2GB of SGML data from TReC disks 4 and 5, our parallel approach was shown to be scalable in terms of processors efficiently used and the number of clusters created.
Recent advances in starch, polyvinyl alcohol based polymer blends, nanocomposites and their biodegradability

Recent environmental regulations, societal concerns and growing environmental understanding throughout the world have triggered renewed efforts in plastic industry to develop new products and processes compatible with our environment. This review outlines the new developments in thermoplastic starch, polyvinyl alcohol based blends and nanocomposites. These materials show a broad and versatile range of physical properties and other advantageous characteristics at acceptable cost and biodegradation rate and can be employed in a wide range of applications. To further improve their properties (such as mechanical properties, moisture sensitivity), some physical or chemical methods such as cross-linking, incorporation of new nanoparticles can be applied. With these new techniques, materials with a great variety of property profiles could be realized and they were even able to compete, both in price and in performance, with synthetic polymeric materials in different applications.
Blocking the Ca2+-induced Conformational Transitions in Calmodulin with Disulfide Bonds (∗)

Calcium-dependent regulation of intracellular processes is mediated by proteins that on binding Ca2+ assume a new conformation, which enables them to bind to their specific target proteins and to modulate their function. Calmodulin (CaM) and troponin C, the two best characterized Ca2+-regulatory proteins, are members of the family of Ca2+-binding proteins utilizing the helix-loop-helix structural motif (EF-hand). Herzberg, Moult, and James (Herzberg, O., Moult, J., and James, M. N. G.(1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 2638-2644) proposed that the Ca2+-induced conformational transition in troponin C involves opening of the interface between the α-helical segments in the N-terminal domain of this protein. Here we have tested the hypothesis that a similar transition is the key Ca2+-induced regulatory event in calmodulin. Using site-directed mutagenesis we have substituted cysteine residues for Gln41 and Lys75 (CaM41/75) or Ile85 and Leu112 (CaM85/112) in the N-terminal and C-terminal domains, respectively, of human liver calmodulin. Based on molecular modeling, cysteines at these positions were expected to form intramolecular disulfide bonds in the Ca2+-free conformation of the protein, thus blocking the putative Ca2+-induced transition. We found that intramolecular disulfide bonds are readily formed in both mutants causing a decrease in affinity for Ca2+ and the loss of ability to activate target enzymes, phosphodiesterase and calcineurin. The regulatory activity is fully recovered in CaM41/75 and partially recovered in CaM85/112 upon reduction of the disulfide bonds with dithiotreitol and blocking the Cys residues by carboxyamidomethylation or cyanylation. These results indicate that the Ca2+-induced opening of the interfaces between helical segments in both domains of CaM is critical for its regulatory properties consistent with the Herzberg-Moult-James model.
Braking Resistors and Control for Diesel-Electric Locomotives

This paper covers the general scheme and performance of a new dynamic braking system for heavy Diesel-electric road locomotives and a description of design features of the newly developed braking resistor unit.
Invention in the city: Increasing returns to patenting as a scaling function of metropolitan size

We investigate the relationship between patenting activity and the population size of metropolitan areas in the United States over the last two decades (1980–2001). We find a clear superlinear effect, whereby new patents are granted disproportionately in larger urban centers, thus showing increasing returns in inventing activity with respect to population size. We characterize this relation quantitatively as a power law with an exponent larger than unity. This phenomenon is commensurate with the presence of larger numbers of inventors in larger metropolitan areas, which we find follows a quantitatively similar superlinear relationship to population, while the productivity of individual inventors stays essentially constant across metropolitan areas. We also find that structural measures of the patent co-authorship network although weakly correlated to increasing rates of patenting, are not enough to explain them. Finally, we show that R&D establishments and employment in other creative professions also follow superlinear scaling relations to metropolitan population size, albeit possibly with different exponents.
Design of alternative sensors for NDE/SHM applications based on highly nonlinear solitary waves

In this paper, we describe the designs and the relative experiments of novel transducers utilized for the generation and detection of highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs). In recent years these waves have been proposed for the NDE/SHM of structural materials and structural elements such as concrete and aluminum lap-joints bonded by high-strength epoxy. Conventionally these transducers contain a chain of spherical particles and the waves are measured by means of thin piezoelectric material embedded in between two half-particles. The final product is usually identified as a bead sensor. Although bead sensors can measure the propagation of HNSWs effectively, their manufacturing may require high level of precision. In this paper we propose an alternative design and investigate the use of magnetostrictive phenomenon to detect HNSWs. For both transducers’ designs a series of experiments are conducted and the results are compared. As the results in good agreement, this study may pave the road to broader applications of HNSWs for NDE and SHM.
Heat-inducible Cre-lox system for marker excision in transgenic rice.

The present study assessed the efficacy of a heat-inducible cre gene for conditional removal of the marker gene from a rice genome via Cre-lox recombination. A cre gene controlled by the soybean heat-shock promoter was introduced into the rice genome along with the recombination target (lox) construct. Cre-mediated recombination was expected to remove the marker gene and activate the promoter-less GUS gene. Six transgenic lines displayed well-regulated heat-inducible Cre activity in the callus. However, only one line that contained a single copy of the cre gene maintained this property in the regenerated plants and their progeny. Marker-free progeny were obtained from the plant that was heat-treated at the seedling stage, indicating the inheritance of the recombination ‘footprint’. The presence of the ‘footprint’ was verified by polymerase chain reaction and Southern analysis. Therefore, the cre gene controlled by the soybean heat-shock promoter is an effective tool for conditional removal of the marker gene in rice.
Sea Surface Topography Estimation with Infrared Satellite Imagery

Abstract Sea surface flow derived from displacements of surface patterns in sequential NOAA-6 AVHRR (11 micron band) satellite images yield coherent nonuniform distributions of velocity vectors, An analytic representation of flow over the region of the distribution is obtained by performing a least-squares regression analysis for coefficients of a streamfunction expansion that is expressed in terms of trigonometric bash functions. Sea surface topography is estimated with the streamfunction by employing a geostrophic approximation. An application is made to a portion of the Oyashio Frontal Zone in the northwestern Pacific that includes the First and Second Oyashio Intrusions and an anticyclonic eddy. A horizontal map of a local rotational perturbation property is calculated for this region as a further example of the use of the streamfunction analysis.
Imitation of Gestures Technique: A Preliminary Report on a Preschool Test of Visual-Motor Integration

Summary.-The present study was done to determine the validiry of the Imitation of Gestures Technique as a measure of visual-motor functioning for preschoolers. Contrary to the paper-and-pencil techniques utilized by most tests of visual-motor functioning, this test requires the child to reproduce arm, hand, and finger gestures demonstrated by the examiner. The performance of 295 preschoolers on the test was correlated with age and scores from the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. Results support the potential of this new test as a measure of visual-motor functioning. Developmental theorists have suggested that sensory-motor development precedes higher forms of cognitive functioning (Getman, 1971; Kephart, 1963; Piaget, 1952). These ideas, in turn, have generated a great deal of research on the measurement of perceptual-motor skills and the relationship of these measures to higher cognitive processes, especially as reflected in early school achievement. The general conclusion from this line of research is that visualmotor functioning is modestly related to both intelligence and school achievement (Koppitz, 1964; Tolor & Schulberg, 1963). Two very frequently used tests of visual-motor perception have been the Bender-Gestalt Test (Bender, 1938) and the Developmental Test of VisualMotor Integration (Beery & Buktenica, 1967). Both are pencil-and-paper instruments which require a respondent to reproduce geometric forms. The Bender-Gestalt Test is generally not utilized with children below the age of five; however, the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration can be used with preschoolers and has been frequently used by preschool programs to help identify learning disabled children. It has been in this context that the authors have worked with the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration and have come to suspect that to some extent success on the instrument depends on the amount of exposure the preschool child has had to drawing and to drawing instruments. In support of this hypothesis, Rand ( 1973) demonstrated that preschool children could significantly improve accuracy of design copying through as little as three 25-min. periods of instruction and practice in the use of simple drawing rules. Visual-motor functioning, for the purposes of this study, can be considered the ability to perceive and motorically reproduce information received visually.
Family of piecewise expanding maps having singular measure as a limit of ACIMs

Keller [Stochastic stability in some chaotic dynamical systems. Monatsh. Math.94(4) (1982), 313–333] introduced families of W-shaped maps that can have a great variety of behaviors. As a family approaches a limit W map, he observed behavior that was either described by a probability density function (PDF) or by a singular point measure. Based on this, Keller conjectured that instability of the absolutely continuous invariant measure (ACIM) can result only from the existence of small invariant neighborhoods of the fixed critical point of the limit map. In this paper, we show that the conjecture is not true. We construct a very simple family of W-maps with ACIMs supported on the whole interval, whose limiting dynamical behavior is captured by a singular measure. Key to the analysis is the use of a general formula for invariant densities of piecewise linear and expanding maps [P. Gora. Invariant densities for piecewise linear maps of interval. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys. 29(5) (2009), 1549–1583].
Pathways to prostitution: The chronology of sexual and drug abuse milestones

To assess the sequence, timing, and prevalence of sexual and illegal drug use milestones in prostitute women, we interviewed 237 prostitutes in the community and 407 comparison women at an STD clinic. Drug use was more commonly reported by prostitutes than comparisons (86% vs. 23%), as was non‐consensual prepubertal sex (32% vs. 13%). Sexual‐ and drug‐related milestones occurred in the same order in both groups, with drug use preceding sexual activity and injecting drug use preceding prostitution. Ninety‐four percent of prostitutes who injected drugs reported noninjectable drug use before prostitution, and 75% of prostitutes who injected drugs reported doing so before beginning prostitution. The age distributions at critical events were similar for prostitutes and comparison women who reported regular drug use. Comparison women who did not report regular drug use were in general older than both these groups at the time of early sexual experience and drug experimentation. However, the ordering of these eve...
Steric exclusion is the principal source of the preferential hydration of proteins in the presence of polyethylene glycols.

The preferential interactions of bovine serum albumin, lysozyme, chymotrypsinogen, ribonuclease A, and beta-lactoglobulin with polyethylene glycols (PEGs) of molecular weight 200-6,000 have been measured by dialysis equilibrium coupled with high precision densimetry. All the proteins were found to be preferentially hydrated in all the PEGs, and the magnitude of the preferential hydration increased with increasing PEG size for each protein. The change in the chemical potentials of the proteins with the addition of the PEGs had highly positive values, indicating a strong thermodynamic destabilization of the system by the PEGs. A viscosity study of the PEGs showed them to be randomly coiled polymers, as their radii of gyration were related to the molecular weight by Rg = aM0.55. The thickness of the effective shell impenetrable to PEG around protein molecules, calculated from the preferential hydration, was found to vary with PEG molecular weight in similar fashion as the PEG radius of gyration, supporting the proposal (Arakawa, T. & Timasheff, S.N., 1985a, Biochemistry 24, 6756-6762) that the preferential exclusion of PEGs from proteins is due principally to the steric exclusion of PEG from the protein domain, although favorable interactions with protein surface residues, in particular nonpolar ones, may compete with the exclusion. These thermodynamically unfavorable preferential exclusion interactions lead to the action of PEGs as precipitants, although they may destabilize protein structure at higher temperatures.
Are men more intuitive when it comes to eating and physical activity

The purpose of this study was to determine where men fall on the motivation continuum based on intuitive eating status and if motivation for physical activity and intuitive eating are correlated. Results indicate that being an intuitive eater was associated with a lower body mass index. In terms of demographic variables, as age increased, intuitive eating status decreased and body mass index increased. Men scored high on the antidieting and self-care subscales of the Intuitive Eating Scale. Men who were classified as intuitive eaters scored higher on the external and introjected regulation of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire but no significant differences were reported by eating status and the identified and intrinsic motivation subscales. Intuitive eating holds promise as a weight management and weight loss tool for men. Intuitive eating may also influence initial motivation for physical activity for men.
Comparison of hand-traced and computerized cephalograms: landmark identification, measurement, and superimposition accuracy.

Introduction: The purposes of this study were (1) to investigate the variations of landmark identification between film and digital cephalometric tracings, (2) to compare the ability of Quick Ceph 2000 (Quick Ceph Systems, Inc, San Diego, Calif) to measure the linear and angular measurements with the hand-traced method, and (3) to compare Quick Ceph 2000 superimpositions to the hand-traced method of superimpositions that are currently accepted by the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO). Materials: We used 30 sets of serial cephalometric radiographs of growing patients from 1 orthodontic office. Fiduciary x- and y-axes were drawn in pencil on the T1 radiographs in the regions of the cranial base, the maxilla, and the mandible. The fiduciary lines were transferred to the digital and film serial cephalograms by regionally superimposing the tracings as described in the ABO Phase III examination handbook. A Mann-Whitney test was done to compare the median and Δ of the T1 and T2 values for each measurement acquired by hand and by Quick Ceph. Results and Conclusions: There was no difference in the identification of cephalometric landmarks made manually vs digitally with Quick Ceph 2000. There was no difference in acquiring consistent cephalometric values for the measurements required by the ABO for the Phase III clinical examination manually vs digitally by using Quick Ceph 2000. There was no difference in the regional superimpositions of the mandible, the maxilla, and the cranial base, manually vs digitally with Quick Ceph 2000.
Left–right axis malformations in man and mouse

Abstract The study of left–right axis malformations in man and mouse has greatly advanced understanding of the mechanisms regulating vertebrate left–right axis formation. Recently, the roles of the TGF-β family, Sonic hedgehog and fibroblast growth factor signaling, homeobox genes, and cilia in left–right axis determination have been more clearly defined. The identification of genes and environmental factors affecting left–right axis formation has important implications for understanding human laterality defects.
Transnational Marriage: Modern Imaginings, Relational Realignments, and Persistent Inequalities

ABSTRACTIn the context of shifting cultural anchors as well as unstable global economic conditions, new practices of intimacy and sexuality may become tactics in an individual's negotiation of conflicting desires and potentials. This article offers reflection on the interface between global forces, powerful transcultural narratives, and state policies, on the one hand, and local, even individual, constructions and tactics in regard to sexuality, marriage, migration, and work, on the other. The article focuses on the life trajectory of Gudiya, an ambitious young Hindu woman who started out life with little social capital and few economic resources in a dusty corner of what was then the tiny kingdom of Nepal. Gudiya's story highlights the ways in which she has engaged in relational realignments aimed at bringing her closer to the life she imagines, even as she has encountered new and persistent forms of inequality both local and transnational in scale.
Dietary nitrate supplementation enhances exercise performance in peripheral arterial disease

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) results in a failure to adequately supply blood and oxygen (O(2)) to working tissues and presents as claudication pain during walking. Nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability is essential for vascular health and function. Plasma nitrite (NO(2)(-)) is a marker of vascular NO production but may also be a protected circulating "source" that can be converted to NO during hypoxic conditions, possibly aiding perfusion. We hypothesized that dietary supplementation of inorganic nitrate in the form of beetroot (BR) juice would increase plasma NO(2)(-) concentration, increase exercise tolerance, and decrease gastrocnemius fractional O(2) extraction, compared with placebo (PL). This was a randomized, open-label, crossover study. At each visit, subjects (n = 8) underwent resting blood draws, followed by consumption of 500 ml BR or PL and subsequent blood draws prior to, during, and following a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) test. Gastrocnemius oxygenation during the CPX was measured by near-infrared spectroscopy. There were no changes from rest for [NO(2)(-)] (152 ± 72 nM) following PL. BR increased plasma [NO(2)(-)] after 3 h (943 ± 826 nM; P ≤ 0.01). Subjects walked 18% longer before the onset of claudication pain (183 ± 84 s vs. 215 ± 99 s; P ≤ 0.01) and had a 17% longer peak walking time (467 ± 223 s vs. 533 ± 233 s; P ≤ 0.05) following BR vs. PL. Gastrocnemius tissue fractional O(2) extraction was lower during exercise following BR (7.3 ± 6.2 vs. 10.4 ± 6.1 arbitrary units; P ≤ 0.01). Diastolic blood pressure was lower in the BR group at rest and during CPX testing (P ≤ 0.05). These findings support the hypothesis that NO(2)(-)-related NO signaling increases peripheral tissue oxygenation in areas of hypoxia and increases exercise tolerance in PAD.
Heterogeneous conversion of COF2 to HF in polar stratospheric clouds

It is argued that the reaction COF2 + H2O - 2HF + CO2 should proceed on surfaces of polar stratospheric clouds, based on laboratory evidence for this reaction in condensed phase and on analysis of column observations of HF during the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition. If the hypothesis is confirmed, observations of COF2 and HF could provide unambiguous indication of heterogeneous processing of polar air, and could help elucidate the influence of heterogeneous chemistry on concentrations of HCl, ClNO3, and chlorine oxide radicals.
Semantic Provenance for eScience: Managing the Deluge of Scientific Data

Provenance information in eScience is metadata that's critical to effectively manage the exponentially increasing volumes of scientific data from industrial-scale experiment protocols. Semantic provenance, based on domain-specific provenance ontologies, lets software applications unambiguously interpret data in the correct context. The semantic provenance framework for eScience data comprises expressive provenance information and domain-specific provenance ontologies and applies this information to data management. The authors' "two degrees of separation" approach advocates the creation of high-quality provenance information using specialized services. In contrast to workflow engines generating provenance information as a core functionality, the specialized provenance services are integrated into a scientific workflow on demand. This article describes an implementation of the semantic provenance framework for glycoproteomics.
Plasposons : Modular self-cloning minitransposon derivatives for rapid genetic analysis of gram-negative bacterial genomes

A series of modular mini-transposon derivatives which permit the rapid cloning and mapping of the DNA flanking the minitransposon's site of insertion has been developed. The basic plasposon, named TnMod, consists of the Tn5 inverted repeats, a conditional origin of replication, rare restriction endonuclease multiple cloning sites, and exchangeable antibiotic resistance cassettes. The broad host range and low target DNA sequence specificity of the Tn5 transposase, in combination with the flexibility afforded by the modular arrangement of TnMod, result in a versatile tool for the mapping of insertional mutations and the rapid recovery of clones from gram-negative bacteria.
Does immune challenge affect torpor duration

1. Hibernation may alter the relationship between pathogens and their hosts; low host temperatures can prevent pathogen replication. Therefore, manipulating the timing and duration of torpor bouts could allow animals to gain an advantage over pathogens. 2. Thirty-two Turkish Hamsters (Mesocricetus brandti) were placed in short-day, cold conditions. After 10 weeks, 20 animals were challenged with an antigen to simulate a pathogen infection. Ten of these animals were returned to the cold (‘cold-challenged’). The other 10 animals were placed in warm conditions (‘warm-challenged’). Twelve animals received saline injections and were returned to the cold (‘cold-control’). Cold-challenged animals spent significantly more time in torpor than did cold-control animals. 3. After 6·5 weeks, all animals were housed in warm conditions and ceased torpor. Both cold-challenged and warm-challenged animals received a second injection of antigen. There was no correlation between time spent euthermic and level of secondary humoral response of cold-challenged animals. The secondary humoral response of the cold-challenged animals was significantly lower than that of warm-challenged animals. 4. In this study immune status influenced torpor duration, and torpor caused immunosuppression. Hibernators may manipulate body temperature in order to combat pathogens while their own immune systems are suppressed.
Couple's activism in Lebanon: The legacy of Laure Moghaizel

Synopsis For over half a century Laure Moghaizel struggled alongside her husband, Joseph, to include equal rights for women in Lebanese law and to advocate for women's participation in politics. Considering violations of women's rights to be integral to the broader plight of human rights violations in Lebanon, they successfully brought pressure on the Lebanese government to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1996. Their example helps us to envision one answer to the general questions with which this article is concerned: how can women exercise their agency while still being embedded in the family structure rather than operating independently of its influence? Can social capital gained from family membership be used to foster women's agency? How can a husband work side by side with his wife to advance women's rights? What can we learn, from the point of view of feminist practice, from a couple who retained the trappings of a traditional marriage and yet devoted themselves to the struggle for women's equality? Remaining in dialogue with liberal and radical feminist literature and the literature on women's activism, while recognizing the salience of cultural differences, this article aspires to answer those questions. Using the writings of Laure Moghaizel, interview data from her close associates, and relevant secondary data, I examine multiple aspects of Laure' activism: the social structures that influenced her activism; her contributions to women's rights; her partnership with her husband; and their approach to framing couples' activism for women's human rights. Based on Laure's own success and her lasting influence in Lebanon and throughout the region, I argue that, contrary to the critique of the nuclear family as an institution of patriarchal oppression, the institutions of marriage and family in Middle Eastern cultures can contribute to the success of feminism.
Feeding Sites of Some Louisiana Tabanidae (Diptera) on Fenvalerate-Treated and Control Cattle

Feeding patterns of Tabanidae on Jersey bullocks in southcentral Louisiana were investigated during 1988–1990. Diel activity was highest in late morning and early afternoon. Numbers of tabanids attacking animals sprayed with a 0.002% fenvalerate solution and untreated controls did not differ. Preferences in feeding sites were observed for eight horse fly species. A descending anterior-to-posterior trend was noted for the number of tabanid flies feeding on host animals. Number of tabanids feeding on the front legs was highly correlated with number of flies on the entire body. The number of flies occurring on the body can be estimated from the number of flies on the front legs.
Optimizing for sparse training of Cognitive Radio networks

In order to find a configuration suitable to fulfill its needs, Cognitive Radios search the parameter configuration search space using one or more particular algorithms or heuristics. While each individual configuration tested uses a similar cost for evaluation (for example in airtime, computational cost for evaluation or power), many configurations will not yield any value to the radio and their exploration turns out to be a waste of resources. This paper introduces the application of fractional factorial designs to Cognitive Radios (CR), a technique to drastically prune the parameter search space while still yielding good results, thus enabling CRs to find the best possible configuration fast while using less resources for the search. We show that by using this technique CRs can evaluate a fraction of configurations while still correctly estimating the factors influencing its performance.
Estimators of alluvial bed load transport

The equilibrium stream represents a compromise between three tendencies: (i) to maximize grain size, (ii) to maximize quantity of bed load transported, and (iii) to minimize bed shear stress (which represents, among other things, water discharge).
Online learning for attention, recognition, and tracking by a single developmental framework

It is likely that human-level online learning for vision will require a brain-like developmental model. We present a general purpose model, called the Self-Aware and Self-Effecting (SASE) model, characterized by internal sensation and action. Rooted in the biological genomic equivalence principle, this model is a general-purpose cell-centered in-place learning scheme to handle different levels of development and operation, from the cell level all the way to the brain level. It is unknown how the brain self-organizes its internal wiring without a holistically-aware central controller. How does the brain develop internal object representations? How do such representations enable tightly intertwined attention and recognition in the presence of complex backgrounds? Internally in SASE, local neural learning uses only the co-firing between the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic activities. Such a two-way representation automatically boosts action-relevant components in the sensory inputs (e.g., foreground vs. background) by increasing the chance of only action-related feature detectors to win in competition. It enables develop in a “skull-closed” fashion. We discuss SASE networks called Where-What networks (WWN) for the open problem of general purpose online attention and recognition with complex backgrounds. In WWN, desired invariance and specificity emerge at each of the what and where motor ends without an internal master map. WWN allows both type-based top-down attention and location-based top-down attention, to attend and recognize individual objects from complex backgrounds (which may include other objects). It is proposed that WWN deals with any real-world foreground objects and any complex backgrounds.
Mangrove Restoration: Do We Know Enough?

Mangrove restoration projects have been attempted, with mixed results, throughout the world. In this paper, I first examine goals of existing mangrove restoration projects and determine whether these goals are clear and adequate, and whether or not they account for the full range of biological diversity and ecological processes of mangrove ecosystems. Many restored mangrove forests resemble forest plantations rather than truly integrated ecosystems, but mangrove plantations can be a first step toward mangrove rehabilitation. Mangrove restoration projects that involve associated aquaculture or mariculture operations tend to be more likely to approximate the biological diversity and ecological processes of undisturbed mangrove ecosystems than are projects that focus only on the trees. These integrated restoration projects also provide a higher economic return than do silvicultural projects alone. Second, I briefly assess whether existing ecological data are sufficient to undergird successful restoration of mangal and define criteria for determining whether or not a mangrove ecosystem has been restored successfully. These criteria include characteristics of vegetation (forest) structure, levels of primary production, composition of associated animal communities, and hydrology. Finally, I suggest ways to improve mangrove restoration projects and identify key research needs required to support these efforts. Ecological theories derived from other wetland and upland systems rarely have been applied to either “basic” or “applied” mangrove forest studies, to the detriment of restoration projects, whereas lessons from restoration of the relatively species-poor mangrove ecosystems could be beneficially applied to restoration projects in other contexts. An international database of mangrove restoration projects would reduce the likelihood that unsuccessful restoration projects would be repeated elsewhere. Clear criteria for evaluating success, greater accessibility of information by managers in the developing world, intensified international cooperation, and application of relevant ecological theories will improve the success rate of mangrove restoration projects.