cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Computational Physics-Based Algorithm for Target Coverage Problems

The problem of optimally covering a set of point targets in a region with areas of a specific shape has several important applications in the fields of communications, remote sensing, and logistics. We consider the case where a target is covered when it falls within a coverage area (so-called “Boolean” coverage), and we specialize to the case of identical circular (or spherical) coverage areas. The problem has been shown to be NP-hard, and most practical algorithms use statistical methods to look for near-optimal solutions. Previous algorithms cannot guarantee 100% target coverage. In this chapter we demonstrate a physics-based algorithm (called the “nebular algorithm”) that guarantees full coverage while seeking to minimize the number of coverage areas employed. This approach can generate solutions with reduced numbers of sensors for systems with thousands of targets within a few hours. The algorithm, its implementation, and simulation results are presented, as well as its potential applicability to other coverage problems such as area and/or probabilistic coverage.
The Educator as Neurotic: A Rankean Analysis of Teachers in Film

Otto Rank argued that, in the modern individualistic and child-focused era, the transmission of collective beliefs is no longer valued and the figure of the educator becomes obsolete. This analysis illuminates the significance of a common theme in films, namely the teacher who, though serviced with the task of training children, is himself impotent or childless. The protagonists of Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939), The Browning Version (1951), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), and Waterland (1992) are variously portrayed as unable to produce their own offspring and trapped by an overly ruminative approach to life. Rank’s analysis suggests that the educator protagonists in these films are incarnations of the modern neurotic personality, whom he described as a “failed artist.” These impotent teachers also serve as symbols of the breakdown of cultural transmission in amnesic modernity.
Spontaneous Hypertension in Nonhuman Primate African Green Monkeys Is Associated with Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Without Significant Cardiac or Aortic Fibrosis

The African Green Monkey (AGM; Chlorocebus aethiops sabeus) develops hypertension in approximately 35% of individuals. It is likely that this hypertension is associated with elevated sympathetic ne...
More Than Miles: An Analysis of the Different Bicoastal Responses to the Early AIDS Epidemic

This paper examines the different bicoastal responses to the early AIDS epidemic that occurred in the early 1980s. Specifically, research is conducted on newspaper articles from The New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle during this time to study the dissimilar responses in the two major cities on each coast that had large communities with the disease, New York City and San Francisco. The research conducted illustrates that in San Francisco, AIDS was largely a disease affecting MSM (homosexual males) living in a city where they were better tolerated and more vocal as a community than elsewhere in the nation, and physicians, used to taking care of these men, became alarmed by their rates of infection. Consequently, during the first two and a half years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, San Francisco’s political, medical and social responses to the crisis were predominantly more proactive than concurrent reactions in New York City, and this disparity was reflected in the dissimilar content and tone of newspaper articles published in The San Francisco Chronicle and The New York Times between July 3rd, 1981 and December 31st, 1983.
Adverse Events Associated with Risperidone Use in Pediatric Patients: A Retrospective Biobank Study

Although risperidone is increasingly used for behavioral indications in children, the associated adverse events (AEs) are not well defined in this population. We determined the incidence of and risk factors for AEs among children treated with risperidone at our institution, an academic medical center with inpatient, outpatient, generalist, and specialist pediatric care. The study included children aged ≤ 18 years with ≥ 4 weeks of risperidone exposure. Data were obtained using de-identified electronic health records. AEs were defined as any untoward event attributed to risperidone reported by the patient, parent/guardian, or physician or detected following a laboratory investigation. Associations between AEs and clinical variables were determined using univariate and multivariate analyses. The study cohort included 371 individuals (median age 7.8 years [interquartile range 5.9–10.2]; 271 [73.0%] male). The two most common primary diagnoses were attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (160 [43.1%]) and autism (102 [27.5%]). The most frequent indications for risperidone were aggression (166 [44.7%]) and behavioral problems (114 [30.7%]). Altogether, 110 (29.6%) individuals had 156 AEs. Weight gain (32 [20.5%]) and extrapyramidal symptoms (23 [14.7%]) were the most common AEs. Aggression, irritability, and self-injurious behavior were positively associated with AEs, and concomitant analgesics and antibiotics were negatively associated. In multivariate analysis, associations remained significant for self-injurious behavior (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7–5.4) and concomitant antibiotics (aOR 0.2; 95% CI 0.1–0.9). Nearly one in three children treated with risperidone for ≥ 1 month experienced one or more AEs. Particular vigilance is warranted for children with self-injurious behavior.
A Non-Data-Aided OSNR Estimation Algorithm for Coherent Optical Fiber Communication Systems Employing Multilevel Constellations

The performance of existing moments-based non-data-aided (NDA) optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) estimation approaches degrades greatly for coherent optical systems employing multilevel constellations. We propose a novel NDA OSNR estimation algorithm, which provides enhanced performance for such systems. The proposed algorithm utilizes the empirical cumulative distribution function of the signal's amplitude to extract the information on the noise variance. Analytical and extensive simulation results show the feasibility and advantages of the algorithm. For the studied systems employing multilevel constellations such as 8-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), 16-QAM, 32-QAM, and 64-QAM, the proposed algorithm attains the derived Cramer–Rao lower bound. Furthermore, it achieves a lower mean square error with significantly lower complexity when compared to the conventional moments-based NDA estimation approach. Moreover, the impact of fiber nonlinearity is investigated with a five-channel Nyquist wavelength division multiplexing system, and the proposed algorithm outperforms the moments-based counterpart.
Comparison of Endoscopic and Ultrasonographic Measurements of the Subglottic Airway in Children.

ObjectiveTo compare measurements of the pediatric subglottis obtained by surgeon-performed ultrasound and endoscopy.Study DesignProspective observational comparison-of-methods study.SettingTertiary...
Fraternal Enemies: Israel and the Gulf Monarchies: CLIVE JONES and YOEL GUZANSKY, (London: Hurst, 2020), 224 pages; hardback £45.00.

After a number of wars between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the Jewish state signed a peace treaty with the leading Arab country, Egypt, in 1979. Fifteen years later, Jordan became the second nei...
The Arbitration Clause as Super Contract

It is widely acknowledged that the purpose of the Federal Arbitration Act was to place arbitration clauses on “equal footing” with other contracts. Nonetheless, federal and state courts have placed arbitration clauses on a pedestal by creating special interpretive rules for arbitration clauses that do not apply to other contracts. In doing so, they have relied extensively on the Supreme Court’s adoption of a “federal policy favoring arbitration” in the case of Moses H. Cone Memorial Hosp., Inc. v. Mercury Constr. Corp., 463 U.S. 1 (1983). While many scholars have focused attention on the public policy rationales for and against arbitration, few have explored how arbitration clauses should be interpreted. This article fills that gap and asserts that judicial reliance on the federal policy favoring arbitration unfairly deprives litigants of access to the courts by pushing cases into arbitration that do not belong there. By creating special rules that favor arbitration and that deviate from state contract law, courts are enforcing arbitration agreements in situations where they would not enforce other agreements. This article questions the basis for the federal policy favoring arbitration and identifies several areas in which courts are relying on it to over-enforce arbitration clauses. Because the original purpose of the Federal Arbitration Act was to make arbitration clauses just like other contracts, this article proposes that courts should not rely on a poorly-conceived federal policy favoring arbitration, but instead should apply general contract principles to arbitration clauses. Doing so best ensures that litigants are not unfairly forced into arbitration in situations where they never agreed to it.
Comparing the sensitivity of face matching assessments to detect face perception impairments.

Abstract Numerous neurological, developmental, and psychiatric conditions demonstrate impaired face recognition, which can be socially debilitating. These impairments can be caused by either deficient face perception or face memory mechanisms. Though there are well-validated, sensitive measures of face memory impairments, it currently remains unclear which assessments best measure face perception impairments. A sensitive, validated face perception measure could help with diagnosing causes of face recognition deficits and be useful in characterizing individual differences in unimpaired populations. Here, we compared the computerized Benton Face Recognition Test (BFRT-c) and Cambridge Face Perception Test (CFPT) in their ability to differentiate developmental prosopagnosics (DPs, N = 30) and age-matched controls (N = 30). Participants completed the BFRT-c, CFPT, and two additional face perception assessments: the University of Southern California Face Perception Test (USCFPT) and a novel same/different face matching test (SDFMT). Participants were also evaluated on objective and subjective face recognition tasks including the Cambridge Face Memory Test, famous faces test, and Prosopagnosia Index-20. We performed a logistic regression with the perception tests predicting DP vs. control group membership and used multiple linear regressions to predict continuous objective and subjective face recognition memory. Our results show that the BFRT-c performed as well as, if not better than, the CFPT, and that both tests clearly outperformed the USCFPT and SDFMT. Further, exploratory analyses revealed that face lighting-change conditions better predicted DP group membership and face recognition abilities than viewpoint-change conditions. Together, these results support the combined use of the BFRT-c and CFPT to best assess face perception impairments.
Monitoring Self-Perceived Occupational Health Inequities in Central America, 2011 and 2018.

Objectives. To analyze changes in occupational health inequity between 2011 and 2018 among workers in Central America. Methods. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews at the workers’ homes ...
Cohabitation With a Known Coronavirus Disease 2019 Case Is Associated With Greater Antibody Concentration and Symptom Severity in a Community-Based Sample of Seropositive Adults

In a community-based sample of seropositive adults (n = 1101), we found that seropositive individuals who lived with a known coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case exhibited higher blood anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike receptor-binding domain immunoglobulin G concentrations and greater symptom severity compared to seropositive individuals who did not live with a known COVID-19 case.
Design of a Metamaterial-Based Multi-Beam High Power Microwave Oscillator

Generating microwaves using metamaterial (MTM) structures requires a negative index waveguide interacting with an electron beam. A double negative MTM (DNG-MTM) structure is necessary to produce propagating wave inside a standard waveguide. In previous work,1 the suggested method to have a DNG-MTM is to place a MTM with single negative parameter (SNG) inside a cutoff waveguide. In this work, we developed a structure comprising a number of DNG-MTM metallic plates that have periodicity in both the axial and the azimuthal directions inside a cylindrical waveguide. Using eigenmode simulations, we verified negative dispersion around the operating frequency where the group velocity is negative and extremely small.
Mobile DNA: an Introduction

The once revolutionary idea that genomes contain segments of mobile DNA was actually first conceptualized before the discovery of the structure of DNA. Mobile DNA was first suggested by McClintock when she described "controlling elements" in maize. A notable feature of the work presented in this volume is that our understanding of many of these recombination reactions has moved to the biochemical and structural level. It is appropriate to begin a discussion of site-specific recombination reactions by considering conservative site-specific recombination. Genetic studies of these reactions in the 1950s provided one of the earliest examples of genome modification by a mobile DNA. Transposition is the recombination reaction that mediates the movement of discrete DNA segments between many nonhomologous sites. These segments are variously called insertion sequences, transposons, and transposable elements. There are two large classes of transposable elements: (i) those in which DNA is the actual substrate for recombination and (ii) those in which RNA is the actual substrate for recombination. Several recombination systems mediate the alternate expression of multiple alleles of a gene by moving alternative gene copies or gene segments from a ‘‘silent’’ position to an active ‘‘expression site’’. The continued study of genomes will lead us to more mobile DNAs to identify and understand, and further investigation into mobile DNAs will help us to understand the structure and function of genomes.
Long-Term Reciprocal Associations Between Depressive Symptoms and Number of Chronic Medical Conditions: Longitudinal Support for Black-White Health Paradox.

Background Previous research has identified a Black–White health paradox, which can be defined as less frequent depressiondespite a higherprevalenceofchronic medical conditions among Blacks compared to Whites in the USA. Based on this paradox, we would expect weaker associations between chronicmedicalconditionsanddepressionamongBlacksthan Whites. However, the literature on this topic is mostly crosssectional and has provided findings that contradict the Black– White health paradox. The present longitudinal study extends prior research by assessing Black–White differences in reciprocal associations between number of chronic medical conditions and depressive symptoms over a 25-year period. Methods Data came from the Americans’ Changing Lives Study that followed 1034 surviving Black and White respondents for 25 years from 1986 to 2011. Chronic medical conditions were measured based on a count of self-reported physician diagnoses including hypertension, diabetes, chronic lungdisease,heartdisease,stroke,cancer,andarthritisatbaseline (1986) and follow-up (2011). Depressive symptoms were also measured at baseline and follow-up using a 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Multi-group structural equation modeling was used to assess reciprocal associations between baseline and subsequent depressive symptoms and baseline and subsequent chronic medical conditions comparing Black and White respondents. Results Among White but not Black respondents, a higher number of chronic medical conditions at baseline predicted a greater increase in depressive symptoms over 25 years of follow-up. Among Whites but not Blacks, individuals with more depressive symptoms at baseline developed more chronic medical conditions over time. Conclusion Findings documented Black–White differences in reciprocal associations between chronic medical conditions and depressive symptoms over time. Our study provides longitudinal evidence for the Black–White health paradox across mid and later life, as reciprocal associations between depression and chronic medical conditions were weaker for Blacks compared to Whites.
Our Better Half: A Public Interest Lawyer Reflects on Pro Bono Lawyering and Social Change Litigation

As the other commentators have noted, there is no set definition of pro bono. This lack of definition means that there are many types of practice, addressing a wide range of issues, that are considered to be pro bono. I will focus on two types of public interest representation that arise in a litigation context, providing a view of pro bono lawyering from the perspective of a full-time public interest lawyer. I will call the first type of pro bono work “stop-gap” law. Stop-gap law reflects a reactive, uncoordinated model of providing legal services in response to an individual, isolated need. The stop-gap lawyer identifies a need for legal services and then steps in to satisfy it. Typically, the lawyer is representing a low income or otherwise marginalized plaintiff who cannot get representation. A second type of pro bono work is that which assists legal organizations such as the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund (“NOW LDEF”) and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (“NAACP LDF”)--organizations that generally do not receive
MCUDA: An Efficient Implementation of CUDA Kernels for Multi-core CPUs

CUDA is a data parallel programming model that supports several key abstractions - thread blocks, hierarchical memory and barrier synchronization - for writing applications. This model has proven effective in programming GPUs. In this paper we describe a framework called MCUDA, which allows CUDA programs to be executed efficiently on shared memory, multi-core CPUs. Our framework consists of a set of source-level compiler transformations and a runtime system for parallel execution. Preserving program semantics, the compiler transforms threaded SPMD functions into explicit loops, performs fission to eliminate barrier synchronizations, and converts scalar references to thread-local data to replicated vector references. We describe an implementation of this framework and demonstrate performance approaching that achievable from manually parallelized and optimized C code. With these results, we argue that CUDA can be an effective data-parallel programming model for more than just GPU architectures.
Software and Programming Languages

Software and hardware are interdependent components of a computer. Keywords: software; systems software; programming languages; programming language evolution; high-level languages; procedural languages; fourth-generation languages; nonprocedural languages; fifth-generation and beyond; future languages
Fluorescent Probes for Conformational States of Proteins IV. THE PEPSINOGEN-PEPSIN CONVERSION

Abstract The conversion of pepsinogen to pepsin has been followed by means of the fluorescent probe, 2-p-toluidinonaphthalene-6-sulfonate (TNS). It was found that the change in fluorescence accurately reflects the formation of active pepsin. The data on the binding of TNS to pepsinogen and pepsin suggest that the environment surrounding the fluorophore is altered during the conversion. One of the peptides released from the zymogen enhanced TNS-pepsin fluorescence and inhibited enzyme activity in the pH range 4.5 to 5.5. Fluorescence titration data showed that the observed binding phenomenon satisfied a mechanism of noncompetitive interaction between an enzyme and 2 smaller molecules, TNS and the inhibitor peptide which modified TNS-pepsin fluorescence. Dissociation constants of the pepsin-peptide complex, evaluated by measuring the increase in TNS fluorescence, ranged from 3 to 5 x 10-4 m in the pH range 4.5 to 5.5. Studies of the fluorescence intensity as a function of pH for the above systems suggested that the dissociation of the peptide from pepsin is essentially complete below pH 3.6. These findings suggest that binding of the activation peptide to pepsin alters the enzyme conformation near the TNS binding site.
Gastric versus post-pyloric feeding: a systematic review

Our objective was to evaluate the impact of gastric versus post-pyloric feeding on the incidence of pneumonia, caloric intake, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), and mortality in critically ill and injured ICU patients. Data sources were Medline, Embase, Healthstar, citation review of relevant primary and review articles, personal files, and contact with expert informants. From 122 articles screened, nine were identified as prospective randomized controlled trials (including a total of 522 patients) that compared gastric with post-pyloric feeding, and were included for data extraction. Descriptive and outcomes data were extracted from the papers by the two reviewers independently. Main outcome measures were the incidence of nosocomial pneumonia, average caloric goal achieved, average daily caloric intake, time to the initiation of tube feeds, time to goal, ICU LOS, and mortality. The meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model. Only medical, neurosurgical and trauma patents were enrolled in the studies analyzed. There were no significant differences in the incidence of pneumonia, percentage of caloric goal achieved, mean total caloric intake, ICU LOS, or mortality between gastric and post-pyloric feeding groups. The time to initiation of enteral nutrition was significantly less in those patients randomized to gastric feeding. However, time to reach caloric goal did not differ between groups. In this meta-analysis we were unable to demonstrate a clinical benefit from post-pyloric versus gastric tube feeding in a mixed group of critically ill patients, including medical, neurosurgical, and trauma ICU patients. The incidences of pneumonia, ICU LOS, and mortality were similar between groups. Because of the delay in achieving post-pyloric intubation, gastric feeding was initiated significantly sooner than was post-pyloric feeding. The present study, while providing the best current evidence regarding routes of enteral nutrition, is limited by the small total sample size.
A Procedure for the Selection of Connectives: How Deep Is the Surface?

We present an implemented procedure to select an appropriate connective to link two propositions. Each connective is defined as a set of constraints between features of the propositions it connects. Our focus has been to identify pragmatic features that can be produced by a deep generator to provide a simple representation of connectives. Using these features, we can account for a variety of connective usages. We describe how a surface generator can produce complex sentences when given these features in input. The selection procedure is implemented as part of a large functional unification grammar. Topic area: language generation
EXPERIMENTAL TESTS OF SEX ALLOCATION THEORY WITH TWO SPECIES OF SIMULTANEOUSLY HERMAPHRODITIC ACORN BARNACLES

Sex allocation theory for simultaneous hermaphrodites predicts increases in relative allocation to male-specific function as competition for fertilizations increases. Theoretical models developed specifically for competing acorn barnacles predict that the proportional allocation to male function increases toward an asymptote of 50% as the number of competitors for fertilizations increases. Experimental manipulations were used to investigate how mate competition affected both relative and absolute allocation to the sex functions for two species of acorn barnacle: Semibalanus balanoides and Balanus glandula. The ratio of male to female allocation did not increase with the number of competitors for either species. However, both species showed increased allocation to male function (estimated as total mass of sex-specific tissues) with increased crowding. Allocation to female function seemed to be limited by other factors and did not vary with mating group size as predicted. Allocation to male and female function were both positively related to body size, but a trade-off between male and female function, a key assumption of prior models, was not observed.
Oxidation of leucine and alpha-ketoisocaproate to beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate in vivo.

The oxidation of alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC) to beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) by the enzyme KIC dioxygenase has been previously described in rat and human liver; however, the importance of this pathway in normal leucine metabolism has not yet been assessed. A series of experiments was conducted in young lambs and pigs to determine whether HMB is produced from KIC in vivo and to estimate the importance of this pathway in leucine metabolism. In the first study, lambs were fed a bolus of KIC, and the change in plasma HMB concentration was monitored over a 24-h period. Administration of KIC increased plasma HMB from basal concentrations of 2 to approximately 7 microM 4 h after the supplementation. In the second experiment, lambs were infused with [6,6,6-2H3]KIC into the duodenum, and the appearance of labeled [2H3]HMB was measured. Under basal conditions, a minimum of 18% of the HMB was derived from KIC, but when unlabeled KIC was infused into the duodenum at a rate of 1.6 mumol.kg-1.min-1, plasma HMB concentration doubled, and essentially 100% of the HMB present was derived from KIC. In a third experiment, young pigs were infused with [6,6,6-2H3]leucine. At steady state, [2H3]-leucine and HMB enrichments were nearly identical, indicating that plasma HMB is derived solely from leucine. In a fourth experiment, both lambs and pigs were injected intravenously with 600 mg of HMB daily, and urinary HMB excretion was quantitated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Exploring relationships among organizational capacity, collaboration, and network change

Is the collaborative activity of organizations in a network associated with the capacity of individual organizations? How might the structure of collaborative activity and the location of high capacity organizations in a network be related to the network's overall ability to influence community conditions? This article explores these questions among 23 local organizations providing women and new mothers with health care, advocacy, and other services in a single US city. Changes in the interorganizational network of collaborations are depicted in four time periods spanning 12 years and analyzed over time using both whole network and local network measures. Organizational attributes associated with dimensions of organizational learning and organizational effectiveness are examined in relation to interorganizational network changes over time. Results indicate that more adaptable organizations and those with higher capacity were not necessarily central in the network. Overall, findings suggest that increases in cohesion across a structurally diffuse network, relatively well dispersed high capacity organizations, and strategic relational investments may have influenced the reduction in health disparities for infants and expecting mothers. Although community-level interventions often focus on building a strong, central group of high capacity organizations, these findings suggest a need to also take into account the strategic action of a range of individual organizations, their local networks, and how they may advance change in the broader network over time.
Reivindicación del martirio en el episodio de los mártires de Córdoba

Between 850 and 859 A. D., the Muslim government of Cordoba ordered the execution of forty-four Christians for disparaging Islam. This article identifies the use of Augustinian discussion on martyrdom and orthodoxy in the episode of the martyrs of Cordoba. The efficacy of the Augustinian model allowed the author of the Memoriale to reinterpret Byzantine hagiographic material and present the martyrdom of Cordoba as a rallying declaration of religious orthodoxy.
Mobile agents: the next generation in distributed computing

Mobile agents are programs that can move through a network under their own control, migrating from host to host and interacting with other agents and resources on each. We argue that these mobile, autonomous agents have the potential to provide a convenient, efficient and robust programming paradigm for distributed applications, particularly when partially connected computers are involved. Partially connected computers include mobile computers such as laptops and personal digital assistants as well as modem connected home computers, all of which are often disconnected from the network. We describe the design and implementation of our mobile agent system, Agent Tcl, and the specific features that support mobile computers and disconnected operation. These features include network sensing tools and a docking system that allows an agent to transparently move between mobile computers, regardless of when the computers connect to the network.
Textual Objects: Accounting for the Role of Texts in the Everyday Life of Complex Organizations

Texts function as both means and motive for human activity in the same way that other technological objects function: They move from private mediational means to public motive as part of the shifting consciousness that sustains the everyday life of complex organizations. In complex organizations, the status of text, the condition of public visibility, is an achievement rather than a given. Seeing texts as objects calls our attention to a range of textual phenomena associated with the advent of information technologies. In infomated environments, the virtual states of textual objects are becoming ever more ubiquitous and consequential. A sample analysis of the texts produced and used in the context of the new technology of personal digital assistants (PDAs) suggests, for example, that such “ITexts” may facilitate the migration of the documentary reality of the workplace into the home.
An Examination of the Economic Benefits of ISO 9000 and the Baldrige Award to Manufacturing Firms

Abstract:This article reviews the financial data of manufacturing companies who are ISO 9000 certified and the winners in the manufacturing category of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award to examine whether the benefit of receiving ISO 9000 certification or winning the Baldrige award is economically attractive. A comparison of costs versus benefits associated with obtaining ISO 9000 registration is performed for ISO 9000, while stock performance is examined for the Baldrige winners. Results show that the economic success reported by companies who received ISO 9000 certification and Baldrige awards may be exaggerated and that this success certainly cannot be guaranteed. Recommendations for further study are presented.
Sparse incomplete representations: a potential role of olfactory granule cells

Mitral/tufted cells of the olfactory bulb receive odorant information from receptor neurons and transmit this information to the cortex. Studies in awake behaving animals have found that sustained responses of mitral cells to odorants are rare, suggesting sparse combinatorial representation of the odorants. Careful alignment of mitral cell firing with the phase of the respiration cycle revealed brief transient activity in the larger population of mitral cells, which respond to odorants during a small fraction of the respiration cycle. Responses of these cells are therefore temporally sparse. Here, we propose a mathematical model for the olfactory bulb network that can reproduce both combinatorially and temporally sparse mitral cell codes. We argue that sparse codes emerge as a result of the balance between mitral cells' excitatory inputs and inhibition provided by the granule cells. Our model suggests functional significance for the dendrodendritic synapses mediating interactions between mitral and granule cells.
Correlation Between the Biological and Immunological Activities of Growth Hormone Circulating in Rats Bearing MtTW15 Tumors1

Growth hormone-like activity was demonstrated in diluted plasma of rats bearing the GH-secreting tumor, MtTW15, using an in vitro bioassay. The bioassay used depends upon the ability of GH in vitro to stimulate the uptake of 3–0-methyl glucose (3-OMG) into the isolated diaphragm of the hypophysectomized rat. It was found that the effect of the diluted plasma on this system was qualitatively like that of rat pituitary GH. Theophylline, a drug which blocks the action of GH on 3-OMG uptake by the diaphragm but has no effect on the actions of insulin or somatomedin on this process, completely abolished the stimulatory action of the plasma on the transport of the sugar. Furthermore, antibodies against rat pituitary GH (ArGH) completely abolished the biological activity of the diluted plasma. When plasma was diluted to give specific concentrations of rat GH (rGH), as determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA), the plasma produced responses in the 3-OMG assay equivalent to those obtained with similar concentrations of...
Maternal behaviour of a webspinner (order embiidina): mother-nymph associations

. 1 The life cycle of Antipaluria urichi (Saussure) (Embiidina: Clothodidae) was aseasonal and without overlap of generations within fifteen closely monitored colonies observed over a 9½ month field season. Adult females remained with their nymphs after hatch but disappeared prior to maturation of their offspring. 2 Time budgets of nymphs and their mothers differed significantly. Adult females spent significantly more time spinning silk than their offspring. After the nymphs hatched, the increase in area of the silk covering approximated an exponential curve, reflecting the increase in silk spinning behaviour exhibited by the adult female. These results indicate that silk may be a major contribution of the mother. 3 Observations suggest that silk protects embiids from some predators and from rainfall, which is often torrential in the rainforest. 4 In experimental field colonies, nymphs with their mothers developed significantly faster than those alone, indicating that maternal behaviours promote the development of their nymphs.
Ethanol Inhibits Basal and Flow-Induced Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Migrationin Vitro

Abstract Background.Alcohol consumption protects against coronary heart disease by as yet unclear mechanisms. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ethanol on vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Materials and methods.Cultures of human SMC under static (no flow) or pulsatile flow conditions (perfused transcapillary culture system) were pretreated in the absence or presence of ethanol (EtOH) whereupon their random migration (chemokinesis) was assessed by Transwell assay. Results.Ethanol pretreatment (24 h) dose dependently inhibited migration of HuSMC from static cultures with a maximal inhibition of 60.8 ± 4.4% observed at 40–80 mM, in the absence of any effect on cell adhesion or cell viability as assessed by trypan blue exclusion. In HuSMC exposed to pulsatile flow (0.3 to 25 ml/min, 24 h), there was a flow-dependent increase in migration ranging from a 1.3 ± 0.16- to 2.67 ± 0.26-fold increase, compared to static cells, concomitant with a significant increase in urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) mRNA levels. Ethanol pretreatment (20–80 mM, 24 h) dose dependently inhibited the flow-induced increase in SMC migration but did not affect uPA mRNA expression. Conclusions.The inhibitory effect of ethanol on basal and flow-stimulated SMC migration may be relevant to its cardiovascular effectsin vivo.
Velocity and scalar fields of turbulent premixed flames in stagnation flow

Detailed experimental measurements of the scalar and velocity statistics of premixed methane/air flames stabilized by a stagnation plant are reported. Conditioned and unconditioned velocity of two components and the reaction progress variables are measured by using a two-component laser Doppler velocimetry techniques and Mie scattering techniques, respectively. Experimental conditions cover equivalence ratios of 0.9 and 1.0, incident turbulence intensities of 0.3 to 0.45 m/s, and global stretch rates of 100 to 150 sec/sup /minus/1/. The experimental results are analyzed in the context of the Bray-Moss-Libby flamelet model of these flames. The results indicate that there is no turbulence production within the turbulent flame brush and the second and third order turbulent transport terms are reduced to functions of the difference between the conditioned mean velocity. The result of normalization of these relative velocities by the respective velocity increase across laminar flames suggest that the mean unconditioned velocity profiles are self-similar. 13 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.
Understanding of informed consent by parents of children enrolled in a genetic biobank.

Prior research suggests that parents undervalue long-term risks associated with their children’s participation in research studies. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate parental understanding of informed consent for a pediatric biobanking study. The study population included parents who provided consent for their child to participate in a study examining the genetic etiology of congenital cardiovascular malformations. Informed consent understanding was measured by adapting the Quality of Informed Consent assessment to our study. We evaluated possible predictors of individual Quality of Informed Consent items using generalized estimating equations. A total of 252 individuals representing 188 families completed the study. The Quality of Informed Consent items best understood by parents included consent to participate in research, the main purpose of the study, and the possibility of no direct benefit. The items least understood by parents were those involving the indefinite storage of DNA, the possible risks of participation, and the fact that the study was not intended to treat their child’s heart defect. Parent age and medical decision making by one versus both parents were frequent predictors of individual Quality of Informed Consent items. Parents overestimate personal benefit and underestimate the risks associated with their child’s participation in a biobanking study. Genet Med 16 2, 141–148.
Application of Extended Kalman Filter in a Forced-Feedback Metering Poppet Valve System

This work focuses on an accurate Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) estimator, which is applied in a forced-feedback metering poppet valve system (FFMPVS). The EKF estimator is used to estimate the position and velocity of the main poppet valve, the pilot poppet valve and the piston through using the control volume pressure, the load pressure and the pressure between the pilot poppet and the actuator housing, which are all disturbed by noise. The EKF estimator takes advantage of its recursive optimal state estimation to estimate the states of this metering poppet valve, which is a non-linear, time-variant dynamical system in real time. The EKF estimator has robustness to parameter variations and ability to filter measurement noises. It is shown that the EKF estimator tracks the states confidently and promptly for both the steady-state and transient performance, at the same time, the EKF estimator also filters the noise of the measured pressures.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Mobility of a Restriction-Modification System Revealed by Its Genetic Contexts in Three Hosts

The flow of genes among prokaryotes plays a fundamental role in shaping bacterial evolution, and restriction-modification systems can modulate this flow. However, relatively little is known about the distribution and movement of restriction-modification systems themselves. We have isolated and characterized the genes for restriction-modification systems from two species of Salmonella, S. enterica serovar Paratyphi A and S. enterica serovar Bareilly. Both systems are closely related to the PvuII restriction-modification system and share its target specificity. In the case of S. enterica serovar Paratyphi A, the restriction endonuclease is inactive, apparently due to a mutation in the subunit interface region. Unlike the chromosomally located Salmonella systems, the PvuII system is plasmid borne. We have completed the sequence characterization of the PvuII plasmid pPvu1, originally from Proteus vulgaris, making this the first completely sequenced plasmid from the genus Proteus. Despite the pronounced similarity of the three restriction-modification systems, the flanking sequences in Proteus and Salmonella are completely different. The SptAI and SbaI genes lie between an equivalent pair of bacteriophage P4-related open reading frames, one of which is a putative integrase gene, while the PvuII genes are adjacent to a mob operon and a XerCD recombination (cer) site.
Thermodynamics of aqueous potassium carbonate, piperazine, and carbon dioxide

Abstract CO2 solubility was measured in a wetted-wall column in 0.6–3.6 molal (m) piperazine (PZ) and 2.5–6.2 m potassium ion (K+) at 40–110 °C. Piperazine speciation was determined using 1H NMR for 0.6–3.6 m piperazine (PZ) and 3.6–6.2 m potassium ion (K+) at 25–70 °C. The capacity of CO2 in solution increases as total solute concentration increases and compares favorably with estimates for 7 m (30 wt.%) monoethanolamine (MEA). The presence of potassium in solution increases the concentration of CO32−/HCO3− in solution, buffering the solution. The buffer reduces protonation of the free amine, but increases the amount of carbamate species. These competing effects yield a maximum fraction of reactive species at a potassium to piperazine ratio of 2:1. A rigorous thermodynamic model was developed, based on the electrolyte nonrandom two-liquid (ENRTL) theory, to describe the equilibrium behavior of the solvent. Modeling work established that the carbamate stability of piperazine and piperazine carbamate resembles primary amines and gives approximately equal values for the heats of reaction, ΔHrxn (18.3 and 16.5 kJ/mol). The pKa of piperazine carbamate is twice that of piperazine, but the ΔHrxn values are equivalent (∼−45 kJ/mol). Overall, the heat of CO2 absorption is lowered by the formation of significant quantities of HCO3− in the mixed solvent and strongly depends on the relative concentrations of K+ and PZ, ranging from −40 to −75 kJ/mol.
Short-term effects of cover cropping on the quality of a Typic Argiaquolls in Central Ohio

Abstract Quality of agricultural soils is influenced by different management practices. The purpose of conducting on-farm field research is to come up with fact-based answers to farming's challenging questions and this type of research targets “real world” data that are typically more variable than smaller fields used for small-plot/small-scale research. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the immediate (one year) impacts of pea (Pisum sativum) and turnip (Brassica rapa rapa) as cover crops on properties of a Kokomo silty clay loam soil (Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiaquolls) in Central Ohio under on-farm conditions. A range of soil parameters were tested for soil sampled from four depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm) after the first season of cover cropping and before seeding of soybean (Glycine max) in 2013. Data indicate that only few soil parameters were significantly affected by the cover crop treatment. For 0–10 cm depth, cover crops significantly decreased pH from 6.7 to 5.7 and increased soil organic C (SOC) concentrations from 2.3 to 2.5% (g 100 g− 1). Although cover crops did not have any significant effects on other soil properties, however, there were trends of lower field dry bulk density (BD) and water stable aggregates (WSA) in 0–10 cm depth under the cover cropping system (BD: 1.3 Mg m− 3, WSA: 72%) than those of control (BD: 1.5 Mg m− 3, WSA: 80% in 0–10 cm), and similar observations were found for deeper soil layers. The lack of significant effects on other soil properties may be due to high field variability and short duration under cover cropping. Similarly, soybean grain yield was not significantly impacted by the treatment but yield was slightly higher under cover crop (4.6 Mg ha− 1) than under control (4.3 Mg ha− 1). These data suggest that some improvements in soil characteristics are likely even over a short period under an appropriate cover crop, however, longer-term data are needed to see whether or not these trends are transient.
Na+/Ca2+ exchanger expression in the developing rat cortex

Abstract The Na + /Ca 2+ exchanger (NCX) participates in the regulation of neuronal Ca 2+ homeostasis and is also believed to be involved in the neuronal responses to hypoxia. However, there are very limited data on how NCX mRNA and protein expression are regulated during brain development. In the present study, we sought to elucidate the developmental expression of NCX1 and NCX2 in the rat cortex from late fetal to adult stages using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot assays. The primers for NCX1 mRNA targeted the alternative splicing domain to allow differentiation between NCX1 splice variants. Our results show that: (1) only two NCX1 mRNA splice variants (NCX1.5 and NCX1.4) are present in the cortex and their expression is age-dependent; (2) total NCX1 mRNA levels are low in fetal tissue, reach maximum density at postnatal day 8 and substantially decline with further maturation; (3) NCX2 mRNA density is significantly greater than total NCX1 mRNA for all ages and increases markedly during maturation from fetus/neonate to adult; and (4) NCX1 protein expression is lowest in late fetal cortex and reaches maximum levels after 2 weeks postnatally, even though expression levels are not significantly different between newborn and adult animals. Also, we found a similar NCX1 protein trend in the subcortical and cerebellar regions during development. From these data we suggest that NCX1 and NCX2 are differentially expressed in the cortex with a predominance of NCX2 levels during postnatal development. We speculate that the developmental increase in NCX2 expression is responsible for the overall increase in Na + /Ca 2+ exchange capacity during maturation.
Fundamental measure density functional theory studies on the freezing of binary hard-sphere and Lennard-Jones mixtures

Free energies and correlation functions of liquid and solid hard-sphere (HS) mixtures are calculated using the fundamental measure density functional theory. Using the thermodynamic perturbation theory the free energies of solid and liquid Lennard-Jones (LJ) mixtures are obtained from correlation functions of HS systems within a single theoretical approach. The resulting azeotrope- and spindle-type solid-liquid phase diagrams of HS and LJ binary mixtures are in good agreement with the corresponding ones from computer simulations.
Movement of beach sands by water waves

The basic similarity of the sand movement on a beach and in river flow is discussed and from this similarity an approach is indicated to the solution of the beach problem.
High-resolution preparative electrochromatography for purification of two subunit types of ferritin.

Abstract A simple preparative apparatus has been designed that combines beneficial features of high-resolution electrophoresis and gel filtration methods in sequential steps. The procedure has been used to isolate two structurally similar subunit types of ferritin. Protein was recovered in high yield, and the resolution of this system far exceeded those attained by conventional ion-exchange or gel filtration procedures.