cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From Deforestation to Reforestation in New England, United States

This paper considers the reforestation of New England from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. While the historical data are quite limited, I document a post-1850 flattening and eventual reversal of previous New England deforestation, even as population was increasing. Also, within-region population concentration measures based on county data for 1790 to 1930 increase each decade from 1830 — the start of the transportation revolution. Finally, along major rivers population was concentrated in a few cities. Three main points concerning land use are suggested: first, the population level does not fully dictate land use, e.g., de/reforestation; second, “external” factors may be extremely important drivers of regional land use; and third, long-run land-use analysis must look beyond the agricultural framework to consider processes including migration and industrialization. The latter two points raise the possibility that current land-use analysis may lack future policy relevance. Also, these processes suggest mechanisms through which forested area might first drop and then rise with development. However, in New England the sign reversal in the change in forest area depended at least in part upon the ability of other regions of the country to supply food — i.e. New England “exported” its agricultural land clearing — as well as to supply timber. To the extent this is so, the New England experience could not be repeated for all regions as they continue to develop.
Performance characteristics of the DIII-D advanced divertor cryopump

A cryocondensation pump, cooled by forced flow of two-phase helium, has been installed for particle exhaust from the divertor region of the DIII-D tokamak. The Inconel pumping surface is of coaxial geometry, 25.4 mm in outer diameter and 11.65 m in length. Because of the tokamak environment, the pump is designed to perform under relatively high pulsed heat loads (300 W m/sup -2/). Results of measurements made on the pumping characteristics for D/sub 2/, H/sub 2/, and Ar are discussed.
Eastern Inferno: The Journals of a German Panzerjager on the Eastern Front, 1941–43, by Christine Alexander and Mason Kunze, (eds.)

Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion for the Soviet Union in 1941, began one of the most titanic and barbaric struggles in modern history. As the Second World War progressed through its third ...
Somatic cell transfer of c-Myc and Bcl-2 induces large-cell anaplastic medulloblastomas in mice

A highly aggressive subgroup of the pediatric brain tumor medulloblastoma is characterized by overexpression of the proto-oncogene c-Myc, which encodes a transcription factor that normally maintains neural progenitor cells in an undifferentiated, proliferating state during embryonic development. Myc-driven medulloblastomas typically show a large-cell anaplastic (LCA) histological pattern, in which tumor cells display large, round nuclei with prominent nucleoli. This subgroup of medulloblastoma is therapeutically challenging because it is associated with a high rate of metastatic dissemination, which is a powerful predictor of short patient survival times. Genetically engineered mouse models have revealed important insights into the pathogenesis of medulloblastoma and served as preclinical testing platforms for new therapies. Here we report a new mouse model of Myc-driven medulloblastoma, in which tumors arise in situ after retroviral transfer and expression of Myc in Nestin-expressing neural progenitor cells in the cerebella of newborn mice. Tumor induction required concomitant loss of Tp53 or overexpression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. Like Myc-driven medulloblastomas in humans, the tumors induced in mice by Myc + Bcl-2 and Myc - Tp53 showed LCA cytoarchitecture and a high rate of metastatic dissemination to the spine. The fact that Myc - Tp53 tumors arose only in Tp53(-/-) mice, coupled with the inefficient germline transmission of the Tp53-null allele, made retroviral transfer of Myc + Bcl-2 a more practical method for generating LCA medulloblastomas. The high rate of spinal metastasis (87% of brain tumor-bearing mice) will be an asset for testing new therapies that target the most lethal aspect of medulloblastoma.
Retrotransposable Elements R1 and R2 in the rDNA Units of Drosophila mercatorum: abnormal abdomen Revisited

R1 and R2 retrotransposable elements are stable components of the 28S rRNA genes of arthropods. While each retrotransposition event leads to incremental losses of rDNA unit expression, little is known about the selective consequences of these elements on the host genome. Previous reports suggested that in the abnormal abdomen (aa) phenotype of Drosophila mercatorum, high levels of rDNA insertions (R1) in conjunction with the under-replication locus (ur), enable the utilization of different ecological conditions via a population level shift to younger age. We have sequenced the R1 and R2 elements of D. mercatorum and show that the levels of R1- and R2-inserted rDNA units were inaccurately scored in the original studies of aa, leading to several misinterpretations. In particular, contrary to earlier reports, aa flies differentially underreplicate R1- and R2-inserted rDNA units, like other species of Drosophila. However, aa flies do not undergo the lower level of underreplication of their functional rDNA units (general underreplication) that is seen in wild-type strains. The lack of general underreplication is expected to confer a selective advantage and, thus, can be interpreted as an adaptation to overcome high levels of R1 and R2 insertions. These results allow us to reconcile some of the apparently contradictory effects of aa and the bobbed phenotype found in other species of Drosophila.
Dopant delineation: novel technique for silicon dopant implantation defects identification

Electrical properties of semiconductor devices change drastically with doping. Doping alone has no distinguishable topographical contrast or carrier concentration levels when compared to a non-doped area of an active region. As a result of that, dopant profiling and p-n junction delineation has become one very critical step in failure analysis to identify and confirm dopant abnormalities. One of the most promising techniques for two-dimensional delineation of dopants in silicon is based on chemical etching of doped regions and subsequent observation using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) or transmission electron microscope (TEM). This paper presents the use of focus ion beam (FIB) cross sectioning and selective chemical etching to perform p-n junction delineation for identifying dopant implantation defects at silicon level.
Development of testis and digestive tract in longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) at the onset of exogenous feeding of larvae and in juveniles

The aim of this study was to describe the ontogenetic development of the testis and the alimentary tract in longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) related to fish size and age at the onset of exogenous feeding and late ontogenesis. Using light microscopy, testes were first detected histologically by the appearance of primordial germ cells 9 days after the first exogenous feeding [31-31.5 mm total body length(TL)] and presumptive seminiferous tubules (maleness characteristic) in fish of 107 mm TL. The present histological studies indicated that the alimentary tract of lepisosteids is completely functional at the beginning of exogenous feeding, several days before the completion of yolk absorption. Based on these results, we have concluded that garfish larvae/juveniles can be effectively trained to consume formulated diets at early stages, after an initial feeding of live food for 2-3 days (23.5 mm TL). Our findings provide evidence of the first controlled rearing of longnose gar using live and formulated diets, providing the possibility of experimental work with this non-teleost fish.
Comparing Shape and Texture Features for Pattern Recognition in Simulation Data

Shape and texture features have been used for some time for pattern recognition in datasets such as remote sensed imagery, medical imagery, photographs, etc. In this paper, we investigate shape and texture features for pattern recognition in simulation data. In particular, we explore which features are suitable for characterizing regions of interest in images resulting from fluid mixing simulations. Three texture features -- gray level co-occurrence matrices, wavelets, and Gabor filters -- and two shape features -- geometric moments and the angular radial transform -- are compared. The features are evaluated using a similarity retrieval framework. Our preliminary results indicate that Gabor filters perform the best among the texture features and the angular radial transform performs the best among the shape features. The feature which performs the best overall is dependent on how the groundtruth dataset is created.
Higgs identification in Z0 pair production

Abstract Using the effective gauge boson approximation we calculate the cross section, longitudinal polarization fraction and decay plane angular correlation coefficients for Z 0 pair production in pp collisions at a collider energy of 40 TeV. Results are presented for Higgs masses of 0.5 and 1 TeV.
The effects of nucleus accumbens dopamine depletions on continuously reinforced operant responding: contrasts with the effects of extinction.

Two experiments were undertaken to study the role of nucleus accumbens dopamine (DA) in instrumental lever pressing on a continuous reinforcement schedule (CRF). In the first experiment, the neurotoxic agent 6-hydroxydopamine was infused directly into the nucleus accumbens to investigate the effects of DA depletion on lever pressing performance. DA depletion had only a modest effect on the total number of lever presses, and there was a significant effect on total lever presses only on the first test day (third day postsurgery). Analyses also were performed on responding across the 45-min session by breaking down the session into three 15-min periods. During the test session on day 3 postsurgery, there was a significant group x time interaction, with DA-depleted rats showing a significant reduction in the numbers of responses in the first 15-min period, but no significant effects over the second or third 15-min period within the session. Although control rats showed a within-session decline in responding, the DA-depleted rats did not. In addition, analysis of interresponse times (IRTs) indicated that accumbens DA depletions produced a slowing of the local rate of responding as indicated by a significant decrease in high rate (i.e., short-duration IRT) responses and an increase in low rate (i.e., long-duration IRT) responses. In a second experiment, the effects of extinction on CRF performance were investigated. Unlike the effects of nucleus accumbens DA depletion, extinction produced lower levels of responding throughout the entire test session.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Predictive Genetic Testing for Conditions that Present in Childhood

There is a general consensus in the medical and medical ethics communities against predictive genetic testing of children for late onset conditions, but minimal consideration is given to predictive testing of asymptomatic children for disorders that present later in childhood when presymptomatic treatment cannot influence the course of the disease. In this paper, I examine the question of whether it is ethical to perform predictive testing and screening of newborns and young children for conditions that present later in childhood. I consider the risks and benefits of (1) predictive testing of children from high-risk families; (2) predictive population screening for conditions that are untreatable; and (3) predictive population screening for conditions in which the efficacy of presymptomatic treatment is equivocal. I conclude in favor of parental discretion for predictive genetic testing, but against state-sponsored predictive screening for conditions that do not fulfill public health screening criteria.
Robust Online Dynamic Security Assessment Using Adaptive Ensemble Decision-Tree Learning

Online dynamic security assessment (DSA) is examined in a data-mining framework by taking into account the operating condition (OC) variations and possible topology changes of power systems during the operating horizon. Specifically, a robust scheme is proposed based on adaptive ensemble decision tree (DT) learning. In offline training, a boosting algorithm is employed to build a classification model as a weighted voting of multiple unpruned small-height DTs. Then, the small-height DTs are periodically updated by incorporating new training cases that account for OC variations or the possible changes of system topology; the voting weights of the small-height DTs are also updated accordingly. In online DSA, the updated classification model is used to map the real-time measurements of the present OC to security classification decisions. The proposed scheme is first illustrated on the IEEE 39-bus test system, and then applied to a regional grid of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) system. The results of case studies, using a variety of realized OCs, illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in dealing with OC variation and system topology change.
Leadership in mixed-sex groups of muskoxen during the snow-free season

In social ungulates particular individuals or cohorts, such as adult females, can lead or initiate foraging movements. We use muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) as a model system to test hypotheses regarding the sex and age class of leaders and the potential costs of leadership in 3 different behavioral contexts: activity initiation, foraging-bout movements, and spontaneous group movements. We conducted research on approximately 160 muskoxen at Cape Krusenstern National Monument adjacent to the coast of the Chuckchi Sea in northwestern Alaska. We observed free-ranging, mixed-sex groups of muskoxen from the ground during 5 June–22 September 2002. Adult females emerged as leaders in all 3 contexts, and other group members were more likely to follow adult females than adult males during initiations of activity. Half of successful initiations by adult males included aggressive behavior toward females. Males took a more active role during rut (the mating season) by provoking females to initiate group activity and by actively manipulating spontaneous movements led by females through herding and blocking activities. Leaders incurred no obvious costs in terms of lost foraging time. Costs and benefits of leadership can be subtle and difficult to measure in the field and can include foraging and reproductive trade-offs and increased risk of predation.
Chiropractic care of a six-year-old child with congenital torticollis.

Objective To discuss the care of a patient with congenital torticollis who was treated with chiropractic diversified technique and a chiropractic technique proposed by Frogley and Wallace in a previously published article.
Electronic properties of adsorbed layers of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur on copper (100)

Adsorbed layers of nitrogen and oxygen in the $c(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2)$ structure and sulfur in the (2 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 2) structure on copper (100) have been studied. Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) shows that each of these layers induces a resonance above the "$d$ band" of copper at about 1.3-eV binding energy with respect to the Fermi level and below the "$d$ band" at about 6-eV binding energy. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy has been used to determine that the $1s$ electronic binding energies of adsorbed atoms of $c(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2)$ nitrogen and oxygen are 396.3 and 529.8 eV, respectively, and that the $2p$ electronic binding energy of adsorbed 2 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 2 sulfur is 161.2 eV. The highest-energy Auger peaks excited by each of these core holes may be interpreted as arising from Auger transitions involving the surface electronic states measured in these UPS experiments. Good agreement with most features of the experimental Auger spectra has been obtained using measured and calculated data for the surface electronic binding energies under the assumption that Auger final-state effects are small. Therefore the evidence points to the formation of a copper-adsorbate surface complex in which these UPS-observed resonances have a high local density of states at the adsorbate atom cores and in which the final-state hole momenta are only loosely coupled.
Finance models as metaphors

Abstract Quantitative models in the social science of finance such as the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and the Black–Scholes Option Pricing Model (OPM) are metaphors. They cannot be applied literally, but do provide us with figurative knowledge—an epistemologically meaningful form that might legitimately be called a “useful framework,” as the CAPM is commonly referred to in textbooks. This paper describes the scientific value of metaphors and discusses why the OPM ought to be seen as one and what this might mean. As a result of finance research and the development of what has been called “modern finance theory,” of which the CAPM and OPM are important parts, we can certainly understand financial relationships much better, but that “understanding” is quite different from what our research methods imply that it is.
Analyzing existing software for software reuse

Abstract This paper describes an automated method to support analysis of existing software at the start of a systematic reuse initiative. By determining a baseline level of informal reuse, this method can be used to help identify promising domains for initial implementation of systematic reuse and provide information that may affect calculation of return on investment in reuse. It can also be used in conjunction with domain analysis to help identify ideas for reusable components. The method draws on techniques developed for detecting plagiarized student programs. The paper presents results of three case studies that used a prototype tool called SoftKin to test this approach on commercial application software. The case studies indicate that the results from plagiarism detection transfer nicely to the task of analyzing existing software for reuse.
Provenance of correlations in psychological data.

Two distinct families of statistical processes are considered in the production of psychophysical time series data (Gilden, 1997, 2001; Gilden, Thornton, & Mallon, 1995). We inquire whether the spectral signatures of the underlying dynamics are better described in terms of short-range autoregressive movingaverage (ARMA) processes or long-range fractal processes. A thorough presentation of both families is given so as to clarify the scope and generalizability of the models as descriptions of choice reaction time data. Analyses of data are supplemented by the construction of a spectral likelihood classifier that discriminates between the two families of processes. The classifier has sufficient sensitivity to ensure that fractals are correctly identified and that ARMA processes will rarely be misconstrued as belonging to the fractal family. Spectral likelihood classification illustrates an extremely general framework for testing competing spectral hypotheses and is offered for use in measuring the specific character of fluctuations in designed experiments.
Laser crossing in thin-film GaAs for all-optical computing realizations

Photonic THz laser digitizing with thin-film GaAs on glass is demonstrated. In fact, the GaAs/glass interface can be used for an effective all-optical digitizer (35%) of transmitted and reflected laser beams. The films have been formed with pulsed-laser deposition. The switching principle is extremely straightforward: two (or more) laser rays were crossed at the same spot on the interface. Most of the experiments have been carried out with red (read) and green (write) laser rays. The information of the write beam is transferred to the read beam by means of alteration of the electronic state of the interface. Pump-probe experiments revealed that the absorption change, i.e., the alteration of the electronic state, takes place within a few picoseconds. Therefore, logic operations in the THz range become feasible. In addition, NOR and NAND gate realizations with laser crossing are possible. Besides the formation of smart all-optical cross-links, all-optical computing is further application of laser crossing. Based on the unmatched simplicity of the switch realization, switching speed, and the fairly low material quality demands, laser crossing in thin-film GaAs has the potential to be used in future optical networks. This work further stresses the hybrid mode with laser crossing in thin-film GaAs/glass interfaces.
The Relationship between Psychological Gender Orientation and Communicator Style

Psychological gender orientation (Bern, 1974) was examined to determine whether this orientation has demonstrable effects on perceived communicator style in an interpersonal context. No such effects were observed, although communication apprehension and shyness were found to predict perceived communicator style. Gender orientation was found to predict self-reported communicator style, but communication apprehension and shyness were found to remove virtually all of that predictive power when entered into the analysis. It is concluded that gender orientation probably should not receive primary attention from researchers in interpersonal communication. The Communicator Style Measure (CSM; Norton, 1978) is examined. It is recommended that interpersonal communication researchers avoid use of the CSM until such time as problems of reliability, response bias, and external validity are overcome.
Spatial and temporal patterns of sulfur and nitrogen in wood of trees across the north central United States.

Tree wood tissue was sampled in 169 forest stands, which represented five forest types, across the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The molar ratio of elemental sulfur to nitrogen for ...
A study of the mechanism of action of the mild analgesic dipyrone

The mechanism of action for the mild analgesics is controversial. While some have proposed that they inhibit prostaglandin synthesis in the central nervous system to interfere with nociceptive mediators in the brain, others have proposed that they act directly on nociceptive neural pathways to produce analgesia. This class of drugs also possesses antipyretic activity. We examined the antipyretic effect of one such drug, dipyrone, because this might elucidate the mechanism of its analgesic activity. In rats implanted with a femoral vein catheter and a cannula guide tube aimed towards the organum vasculosum laminae terminalis (OVLT) in the brain, an i.v. injection of 2 micrograms/kg interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) produced a fever of 0.38 +/- 0.07 degrees C while an injection of 20 ng prostaglandin E1 (PGE) into the OVLT produced a fever of 1.18 +/- 0.18 degrees C. Dipyrone (25 mg/kg, i.v.) decreased the IL-1 beta fever but had no effect on the PGE fever. After pretreatment with the immunoadjuvant, zymosan, the IL-1 beta fevers were enhanced to equal those induced by PGE. Only 0.1 micrograms/kg, i.v. IL-1 beta raised body temperature by 1.20 +/- 0.10 degrees C. An increased dose of dipyrone (50 mg/kg, i.v.) was required to attenuate this IL-1 beta fever; however, the PGE fever remained unaffected by this treatment with dipyrone. Thus, dipyrone treatment blocks IL-1 beta fever where synthesis of prostaglandin is a crucial step in the febrile process, but it has no effect on PGE fever where synthesis is bypassed. This suggests that dipyrone, probably through its active metabolites, inhibits prostaglandin synthesis to induce antipyresis and, by analogy, analgesia as well.
Gluconeogenesis in cattle: significance and methodology.

Abstract Gluconeogenesis is a continual process that is of great importance in ruminants because almost all dietary carbohydrates are fermented to volatile fatty acids in the rumen. In turn, propionate is the only major volatile fatty acid that contributes to gluconeogenesis. Many different techniques and analytical procedures are involved in studying ruminant gluconeogenesis. Glucose kinetics can be examined by single-injection or continuous-infusion isotope dilution techniques with a variety of glucose labels. Correcting for recycling of label is an important consideration. Absorption of glucose from the gut can be measured by combining arterial-venous differences and flow rates of portal blood or can be estimated by determining the amount of glucose plus α -glucose polymers passing into the small intestine. Production of propionate in the ruminoreticulum can be measured by isotope dilution techniques. Quantitating the conversion of propionate to glucose requires the use of [carbon-14] propionate with careful corrections for propionate carbon entering the citric acid cycle before incorporation into glucose. The same fundamental techniques used with propionate are required to quantitate the contributions of amino acids and other precursors to glucose. In vitro studies of gluconeogenic enzymes, and cellular, tissue, or organ preparations provide valuable insights into the gluconeogenic processes and controls but must be validated by in vivo experiments. Progress has been considerable in understanding some aspects of ruminant gluconeogenesis, but many more studies will be required to obtain a complete understanding.
Risk and vulnerability for marijuana use problems: The role of affect dysregulation

This study examined the moderating effects of impulsivity and affect lability on relations between marijuana use frequency and use consequences. From a sample of 592 undergraduates, 300 marijuana users completed a survey that assessed marijuana problems and the hypothesized risk and vulnerability factors. Affective variables were significantly associated with increased marijuana problems above and beyond the effects of gender and lifetime use frequency. A hypothesized vulnerability mechanism, whereby impulsivity strengthened the relationship between use frequency and marijuana problems, was observed. The findings support the hypothesis that affect dysregulation enhances risk for marijuana problems among young adults who use marijuana.
Micromachined thermionic emitter

Arrays of sputtered tungsten thermionic emitters with different shapes have been fabricated. A single filament had an emission current of 10 nAmps and a one hour lifetime. The resistance of a filament decreased an order of magnitude with 25 minutes of annealing. After emission the filament appears to have recrystallized in the emitting area. The surface roughness of the recrystallized area strongly depends on the duration of annealing and emitting time. The variation of filament resistance during operation has been investigated. A thermionic emitter has been used as a source for a sub-cm electron optical column. An array of emitters could be used as a high resolution cathode ray tube if the supports are made from a low thermal conductivity material like glassy carbon with thermal conductivity of 10-3 watt/cm-K1.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Interteaching and the Testing Effect: A Systematic Replication

A growing body of research has shown that taking tests can result in enhanced learning, a phenomenon known as the testing effect. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the addition of postdiscussion quizzes to interteaching, a new behavior-analytic teaching method, produced a similar effect. Students in two sections of an undergraduate psychology of learning course participated in interteaching sessions and took postdiscussion quizzes prior to some of their exams. The authors found that students who took the quizzes had exam scores that were not significantly different from the exam scores of students who did not take the quizzes. These results provide additional evidence that including postdiscussion quizzes in interteaching may not produce a testing effect. This may be because interteaching already contains components that enhance student learning.
Growth Patterns of Perennial Grasses in the Annual Grassland Type of Southwest Oregon

This study was designed to determine whether or not the ecosystem encompassing the interior valley foothills of the Rogue River Valley is capable of supporting a perennial grass dominant, or if it is indeed an annual grassland and should be managed as such. Growth patterns of the perennial grasses were contrasted among each other and to the resident annual plants during fall, winter and spring growth periods. Of the perennial grasses, Idaho fescue, native to the area, and Berber' orchardgrass, introduced, most closely emulated the growth patterns of the resident annual grasses (...)
Parameter Optimization in the Design of Fuel Transmission System

This paper presents a methodology to construct an optimum model based on the Present Worth of Uniform Series of Amount (PWUSA) method. This paper uses the design of a gas pipeline for a power plant that recovers work at the destination as a case study. The relationship of system parameters has been developed by thermodynamics principles. The objective function is construct by combining cost of each component in the system. The main goal of the paper is to minimize the total cost of the system by optimizing the design parameters. The paper gives the detail procedure involved in minimizing the total cost of the system using MathCAD software package. The results show that MathCAD software provides a fast and easy way to conduct optimization of practical engineering design problems.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
TAK1-dependent signaling requires functional interaction with TAB2/TAB3

Transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), a member of the MAPKKK family, was initially described to play an essential role in the transforming growth factor β-signaling pathway, but recent evidence has emerged implicating TAK1 in the interleukin (IL)-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pathways. Notably, two homologous proteins, TAB2 and TAB3, have been identified as adaptors linking TAK1 to the upstream adaptors TRAFs. However, it remains unclear whether the interaction between TAB2/TAB3 and TAK1 is necessary for its kinase activation and subsequent activation of the IKK and MAPK pathways. Here, we characterized the TAB2/TAB3-binding domain in TAK1 and further examined the requirement of this interaction for IL-1, TNF, and RANKL signaling. Through deletion mapping experiments, we demonstrated that the binding motif for TAB2/TAB3 is a non-contiguous region located within the last C-terminal 100 residues of TAK1. However, residues 479–553 of TAK1 appear to be necessary and sufficient for TAB2/TAB3 interaction. Conversely, residues 574–693 of TAB2 were shown to interact with TAK1. A green fluorescent protein fusion protein containing the last 100 residues of TAK1 (TAK1-C100) abolished the interaction of endogenous TAB2/TAB3 with TAK1, the phosphorylation of TAK1, and prevented the activation of IKK and MAPK induced by IL-1, TNF, and RANKL. Furthermore, TAK1-C100 blocked RANKL-induced nuclear accumulation of NFATc1 and consequently osteoclast differentiation consistent with the ability of a catalytically inactive TAK1 to block RANKL-mediated signaling. Significantly, our study provides evidence that the TAB2/TAB3 interaction with TAK1 is crucial for the activation of signaling cascades mediated by IL-1, TNF, and RANKL.
On the Origin of Biological Functions

We consider the problem of structure and functions of the first forms of living matter and present a hypothe-sis that they were formed through a physico-chemical process known as dendritic crystallization. According to this hypothesis the branching, dendritic structures helped build living systems by lending them functions so that organic chemical evolution is just one natural consequence of the evolution of matter in the universe. We conclude that a self-replicating biological system with adaptation emerged from simple molecules using completely abiotic mechanism of formation, which acted simultaneously or intermittently at different places on the early Earth and created similar structures everywhere. The dendritic hypothesis of origin of the func-tions explains similarities in the living systems and supports the assumption of a ‘second genesis of life’. The dendritic scenario does not need carbon/phosphorus-based solutes in water-based solutions, which may have important implications for exobiology and extraterrestrial origin-of-life scenarios. An experiment to test the hypothesis is suggested.
Erosion performance and characterization of nanolayer (Ti,Cr)N hard coatings for gas turbine engine compressor blade applications

Abstract (Ti,Cr)N nanolayer coatings were deposited on Ti–6Al–4V, 17-4PH and Inconel 718 substrates using cathodic arc physical vapor deposition for improved erosion and corrosion resistance. Coating corrosion performance was highly dependent on the coating thickness and packing factors and correlated with increased chromium content within the (Ti,Cr)N nanolayer coatings. The change in cathode current predominantly affected coating thickness and the bias affected the packing factor. Erosion tests of the coated and uncoated substrates at both 30° and 90° erodent impingement angles were conducted using angular aluminum oxide media at particle velocities up to 145 m/s. Chromium evaporator current and substrate bias were varied to change film stoichiometry and microstructure for erosion performance evaluation. When chromium evaporator current was varied, the increase in chromium content led to an increase in binary CrN phase volume and a decrease in TiN phase volume. The increase in CrN phase volume decreased both hardness and erosion performance at both impingement angles. Lower bias values resulted in better erosion performance. At 30° erodent impingement, all coated samples outperformed the uncoated substrate; whereas, for 90° impingement, only coatings deposited at low bias values (− 25 V, − 50 V, and − 100 V) and high Ti:Cr ratios (> 2.4) outperformed the uncoated substrate. The primary coating failure mechanism was microchipping.
Selective neutrality and enzyme kinetics.

This article appeals to a recent theory of enzyme evolution to show that the properties, neutral or adaptive, which characterize the observed allelic variation in natural populations can be inferred from the functional parameters, substrate specificity, and reaction rate. This study delineates the following relations between activity variables, and the forces—adaptive or neutral—determining allelic variation: (1) Enzymes with broad substrate specificity: The observed polymorphism is adaptive; mutations in this class of enzymes can result in increased fitness of the organism and hence be relevant for positive selection. (2) Enzymes with absolute substrate specificity and diffusion-controlled rates: Observed allelic variation will be absolutely neutral; mutations in this class of enzymes will be either deleterious or have no effect on fitness. (3) Enzymes with absolute or group specificity and nondiffusion-controlled rates: Observed variation will be partially neutral; mutants which are selectively neutral may become advantageous under an appropriate environmental condition or different genetic background. We illustrate each of the relations between kinetic properties and evolutionary states with examples drawn from enzymes whose evolutionary dynamics have been intensively studied.
Isolation, identification, and synthesis of a female sex pheromone of the navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

A sex pheromone of the navel orangeworm,Amyelois transitella (Walker), was obtained from ether rinses of the sex pheromone gland of calling females. The pheromone was isolated by means of liquid and gas chromatography and was identified as one of four possible geometrical isomers of 11,13-hexadecadienal by means of spectroscopic and microchemical methods. Synthesis and laboratory bioassay of all four isomers revealed that only the (Z,Z) isomer was biologically active. (Z,Z)-11,13-hexadecadienal elicited quantitatively similar activation and attraction responses byA. transitella males as did the natural product.
Altered Presynaptic Vesicle Release and Cycling during mGluR-Dependent LTD

The site of modification of synaptic transmission during long-term plasticity in the mammalian hippocampus remains controversial. Here we used a fluorescent marker of presynaptic activity, FM 1-43, to directly image presynaptic function during metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent long-term depression (mGluR-LTD) at CA3-CA1 excitatory synapses in acute hippocampal slices. We found a significant decrease in the rate of FM 1-43 release in response to synaptic stimulation following induction of mGluR-LTD, providing direct evidence for altered presynaptic function. Moreover, we found that mGluR-LTD causes several changes in FM dye release properties that are consistent with a change in the mode of vesicle cycling, possibly involving a switch from a full fusion mode of release to a "kiss-and-run" mode of release through the transient opening of a fusion pore.
Hydrogen Peroxide Release by Mitochondria From Normal and Hypoxic Lungs

Ischemia/reperfusion mechanisms contribute to lung injury alter transplantation, pulmonary embolism, and resolution of atelectasis. Alveolar tissue becomes hypoxic and deprived of substrate only when both ventilation and perfusion are interrupted, a situation modeled in vivo by complete, unilateral lung collapse. Because previously hypoxic mitochondria may be an important intracellular source of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) during reperfusion and re-oxygenation, the authors, in this study, investigated whether mitochondrial H2O2 release changed as a result of lung hypoxia/hypoperfusion resulting from collapse. Mitochondria were isolated from hypoxic (previously collapsed) right or contralateral left rabbits’ lungs and from control rabbits’ lungs. Mitochondrial H2O2 release, a marker of superoxide production, was measured fluorometrically after incubation with or without 1 mmol/L cyanide and 0.1 mmol/L nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Mitochondrial recovery was determined by assaying succinate dehydrogenase activity in mitochondrial preparations and lung homogenates. Lung succinate dehydrogenase activity and mitochondrial recovery were comparable among groups. Calculated lung mitochondrial content did not change (control subjects: left 7.9 ± 0.5, right 13.8 ± 1.7; hypoxic: left 10.3 ± 1.3, right 10.5 ± 2.4, all mg mitochondrial protein/lung). Mitochondria released hydrogen peroxide at approximately 5.6 nmol/h/mg pro in buffer alone and 14.8 nmol/h/mg pro in buffer with cyanide and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. However, lung collapse and resulting hypoxia caused no change in mitochondrial number or capacity to release H2O2 in vitro. Based on these findings, it is suggested that other sources of reactive oxygen metabolites, including xanthine oxidase and activated neutrophils, contribute to the oxidant injury observed in this model.
Influence of slip and twinning on the crystallographic stability of bimetal interfaces in nanocomposites under deformation

Abstract In this work, we examine the microstructural development of a bimetal multilayered composite over a broad range of individual layer thicknesses h from microns to nanometers during deformation. We observe two microstructural transitions, one at the submicron scale and another at the nanoscale. Remarkably, each transition is associated with the development of a preferred interface character. We show that the characteristics of these prevailing interfaces are strongly influenced by whether the adjoining crystals are deforming by slip only or by slip and twinning. We present a generalized theory that suggests that, in spite of their different origins, the crystallographic stability of their interface character with respect to deformation depends on the same few basic variables.
Simulation of whispering-gallery-mode resonance shifts for optical miniature biosensors

Abstract Finite element analyses are made of the shifts of resonance frequencies of whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) for a fiber–microsphere coupling miniature sensor. The time-domain Maxwell's equations were adopted to describe the near-field radiation transport and solved by the in-plane TE waves application mode of the FEMLAB. The electromagnetic fields as well as the radiation energy distributions can be easily obtained by the finite element analysis. The resonance intensity spectrum curves in the frequency range from 213 to 220 THz were studied under different biosensing conditions. Emphasis was put on the analyses of resonance shift sensitivity influenced by changes of the effective size of the sensor resonator (i.e., microsphere) and/or the refractive index of the medium surrounding the resonator. It is estimated that the WGM biosensor can distinguish molecular size change to the level of 0.1 nm and refractive index change in the magnitude of ∼ 10 - 3 even with the use of a general optical spectrum analyzer of one GHz linewidth. Finally, the potential of the WGM miniature biosensor for monitoring peptide growth is investigated and a linear sensor curve is obtained.
Morphology relations during surface-transport controlled sintering

Precise geometrical relationships have been calculated for the surface-transport controlled sintering of sphere to sphere configurations. A minimum surface area neck configuration is assumed and interparticle coordination is considered. The calculated results for surface-transport controlled sintering show a small particle size reduction during neck growth. In contrast, the concurrent surface area reduction is shown to be significantly large. Based on the morphology results of these calculations, an empirical expression relating neck size and coordination to surface area has been derived. Thus, surface area is proposed to be an alternative measure to neck size during surface-transport controlled sintering studies. Previous experimental results are generally in good agreement with the calculations provided by the proposed model.
A new method for automatic quantitation of the fluorochromatic microcytotoxicity test

Abstract Automatic quantitation of the fluorochromatic microcytotoxicity test was obtained by increasing the emission ratio of the sample over background. This ratio was increased by washing and removing the fluorescein which had been released from dead cells into the surrounding media. The fluorescence remaining in the living cells was then measured on a microscope spectrophotometer. The plates, each containing 60 wells, were positioned for viewing on a new semiautomatic stage which can be easily interfaced to a small computer for rapid scoring ( 1 min 20 sec 60 wells ). Good correlation existed between visual scores and photometric readings.
Differences in the variability of measured and simulated tropospheric ozone mixing ratios over the Paso del Norte Region

The objective of this study is to present differences in the variability of observed and ozone-mixing ratios simulated by a three-dimensional atmospheric chemical model using two chemical mechanisms. In this study the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions is used to make ozone simulations with the Carbon Bond mechanism, versions 4 and 5. The Paso del Norte region is used as a test-bed for these simulations. The shared variance between the simulations and measurements is typical for air quality models ranging from 0.51 to 0.86 for both mechanisms. The smallest mean normalized gross error is about 31 % with CB4 but the normalized bias is over 30 % as well. Boundary conditions, emissions and other factors affect the levels of ozone of the simulated mixing ratios and therefore error and bias but these factors have a much less affect on the simulated ozone variability. The differences in the ozone variability of the measurements and the simulations are very large and different for the two chemical mechanisms. There are many more instances of low ozone mixing ratios in the measurements than in the simulated ozone. One possible explanation is that these differences are due to problems associated with comparing point measurements with grid averages. A more disturbing possibility is that the bias could be due to the procedures used in the development and testing of air quality modeling systems. Air quality mechanisms are evaluated against environmental chamber data where the chemistry occurs at high concentrations and this may lead to a systematic positive bias in ozone simulations.
Pragmatics and elicited imitation: Children's performance on discursively related and discursively unrelated sentences

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to determine the elicited imitation performance of preschool children when the stimulus sentences were meaningfully related to each other in a story as compared to when the sentences were arranged in a random order. Experiment 1 used a repeated-measures design and found a practice effect demonstrating less errors during the second trial regardless of experimental condition. Experiment 2 implemented a group design with one group imitating the related (story) sentences and the other imitating the randomly arranged sentences. The results showed no significant difference in the mean number of errors occurring in the “story” versus the “random” condition. The implications of the practice effect found in Experiment 1 are discussed and the error pattern during the second trial is evaluated. The efficacy of using discursively related as opposed to unrelated sentences in elicited imitation tasks is discussed from a pragmatic point of view.
Retrofitting Information Processes and Content Standardization in Response to Enterprise-Wide System Planning and Development: Organizational and Socio-Technical Influences as Determining Factors

When a large conglomerate initiated the planning and development of an enterprise-wide electronic database system to form part of its growing e-business systems infrastructure, the resulting action called for the reengineering of information processes coupled with the push towards data content standardization across the entire organization. The objective of the system was to help engineers sift through millions of components offered by various suppliers and component manufacturers, where the end-result was to improved the integration and efficiency of the product development, engineering design, e-sourcing and e-procurement processes. This research paper is a qualitative action research study on how different organizational, social, political, and technical forces influenced the social construction of an enterprise-wide information system. Understanding the dynamics and power of these socio-technical forces in shaping the development environment and change process of enterprise systems is the research contribution of this paper.
BIOLOGY AND IMMATURE STAGES OF LEUCOPIS VERTICALIS (DIPTERA: CHAMAEMYIIDAE)

The life cycle of Leucopis (Leucopis) verticalis Malloch, a chamaemyiid predator of mealybugs, is presented. There are at least two and probably four generations a year in northeastern Ohio, with overwintering occurring as diapausing pupae. Eggs are laid in or near colonies of Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) infesting such ornamental shrubs as Taxus cuspidata Sieb. and Zucc. var. hicksii Rehd (Japanese yew) and Euonymus Fortunei (Turez.) Hand-Mazz. (wintercreeper). The incubation period requires 48–72 hours at 21°–25 °C. Larvae complete development in 12–15 days. Larvae feed by breaking through the integument of the prey with their mouthhooks and sucking out the body contents. Each larva usually kills all of the immature mealybugs within a colony before attacking the stem mother. Puparia are formed within the remains of the destroyed colony. The pupal period of non-diapausing pupae requires about 12 days. Pupae formed after mid-September enter diapause and overwinter. The entire life cycle in nature can be completed in 33–42 days if no diapause intervenes.The egg, three larval instars, and puparium are described and illustrated.