cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The freshwater crabs of Lake Kivu (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamonautidae)

Lake Kivu is a volcanic barrier lake in the East African rift valley whose freshwater crab fauna (Potamonautidae) is largely undocumented. The present taxonomic revision revealed four species of freshwater crabs from Lake Kivu: Potamonautes idjwiensis (Chace, 1942), Potamonautes mutandensis (Chace, 1942), Potamonautes lirrangensis (Rathbun, 1904) and Potamonautes bourgaultae, sp. nov. Potamonautes idjwiensis and P. mutandensis are redescribed and distributional maps of all four species are provided. The four species are compared with each other, each species is illustrated, and a key to the species is included. The freshwater crab diversities of the African Great Lakes are also briefly compared.
Predicting fire activity using terrestrial water storage data

High fire activity periods in the Amazon region can be predicted months in advance on the basis of water storage data, a new study shows. Chen et al. analyzed satellite observations of terrestrial water storage from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, along with satellite observations of fire activity from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) mission. GRACE measures the Earth's gravity field by calculating the changes in the distance between two satellites as slight variations in density pull on one satellite more than the other. The gravity measurements provide information about the amount of groundwater or surface water in a given region.
Trends in graphene research

The limits of silicon capabilities are being reached, coincidently, the discovery of graphene with its unique nano-scale properties is paving the way to possible substitutes for the next generation of faster and smaller electronics in 21st century. As a result of the promising properties of graphene, the research in the field is attracting large grants and sponsors with an incremental rise in the number of papers. The trends in graphene research are presented here. The major challenges in the field are pointed out, and some possible prospects in the field are discussed.
Dry Oxidation and Vacuum Annealing Treatments for Tuning the Wetting Properties of Carbon Nanotube Arrays

In this article, we describe a simple method to reversibly tune the wetting properties of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays. Here, CNT arrays are defined as densely packed multi-walled carbon nanotubes oriented perpendicular to the growth substrate as a result of a growth process by the standard thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique.(1,2) These CNT arrays are then exposed to vacuum annealing treatment to make them more hydrophobic or to dry oxidation treatment to render them more hydrophilic. The hydrophobic CNT arrays can be turned hydrophilic by exposing them to dry oxidation treatment, while the hydrophilic CNT arrays can be turned hydrophobic by exposing them to vacuum annealing treatment. Using a combination of both treatments, CNT arrays can be repeatedly switched between hydrophilic and hydrophobic.(2) Therefore, such combination show a very high potential in many industrial and consumer applications, including drug delivery system and high power density supercapacitors.(3-5) The key to vary the wettability of CNT arrays is to control the surface concentration of oxygen adsorbates. Basically oxygen adsorbates can be introduced by exposing the CNT arrays to any oxidation treatment. Here we use dry oxidation treatments, such as oxygen plasma and UV/ozone, to functionalize the surface of CNT with oxygenated functional groups. These oxygenated functional groups allow hydrogen bond between the surface of CNT and water molecules to form, rendering the CNT hydrophilic. To turn them hydrophobic, adsorbed oxygen must be removed from the surface of CNT. Here we employ vacuum annealing treatment to induce oxygen desorption process. CNT arrays with extremely low surface concentration of oxygen adsorbates exhibit a superhydrophobic behavior.
Anion antisite defects in GaAs and GaP

Abstract The electronic properties of anion antisite defects and the related ideal cation vacancies are calculated based on tight-binding Hamiltonians and using a novel recursion method. For the antisite defects symmetric A1 states are found in the upper part of the fundamental gaps, and for the ideal vacancies T2 states are found in the lower part of the gaps. These results for antisite defects compare favorably with recent ESR experiments.
Basket Cases and Breadbaskets: Sacred Rice and Agricultural Development in Postcolonial Africa

Based on ethnographic research among rural Diola in Guinea-Bissau, I provide a broad view of the history and interpenetration of rice in social, political, religious, and ecological domains, while chronicling the current difficulties of residents in this region who are no longer able to grow enough of it. These farmers' experiences are unfolding at a time of revitalized attention to agricultural development in Africa, particularly under the auspices of the New Green Revolution for Africa. I examine the premises that constitute the resuscitated effort to address the plight of African farmers. I argue that the totalizing quality of rice in Diola and other rice-cultivating societies requires a development approach that takes into account dimensions of agrarian life not encapsulated by the high-modernist and antipolitical orientation of the New Green Revolution for Africa.
Effect of Cylinder Aspect Ratio and Channel Dimensions on the Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Parallel-Plate Channel Heat Exchangers

A comparative numerical study has been carried out to analyze the unsteady three-dimensional flow and heat transfer in a parallel-plate channel heat exchangers with in-line arrays of periodically mounted square cylinders (pins) at various Reynolds number and geometrical configurations. The geometry considered represents the narrow trailing edge region of the blade where pin fins are used to serve both a structural and a heat transfer role. The three-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes and energy equations are solved using higher order temporal and spatial discretizations. The simulations have been carried out for a range of Reynolds number based on cylinder width (180–600) and a Prandtl number of 6.99 (corresponding to water). Conjugate heat transfer calculations have been employed to account for the conduction in the solid cylinder and convection in the fluid. The thermal performance factor (TPF) increases significantly when the flow becomes unsteady. The choice of aspect ratio of the cylinders is judged by their relative increase in friction factor and heat transfer at transitional Reynolds number. The TPF is found to increase with the increase in pitch of the cylinders. The increase in channel height enhances the TPF though the heat transfer decreases at higher channel height.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
New sensors and sensor fusion for a ground-based land mine detection system

The complexity of the detection and discrimination problem for land mines requires that multiple sensors and algorithms be employed. We have been attempting to develop a range of new sensors and sensor combinations that will contribute to the solution to this problem. The sensors discussed in this paper include heated waterjets combined with infrared images, non- contact acoustic focusing, and the detection of electromagnetic emissions from smart land mines.
Further observations of geomagnetically forbidden cosmic ray nuclei

Cosmic-ray particles with kinetic energies well below cutoff values were detected during a high-altitude balloon flight at 41 deg N geomagnetic latitude. These particles had kinetic energies up to 400 MeV/amu and charges in the range from 6 to 30. They are probably reentrant albedo particles and are of interest primarily because they can be confused with fast ultraheavy primary particles in some experiments.
Oxygen-dependent expression of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4-2 gene expression is mediated by transcription factors RBPJ, CXXC5 and CHCHD2

Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is the terminal enzyme of the electron transport chain, made up of 13 subunits encoded by both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Subunit 4 (COX4), a key regulatory subunit, exists as two isoforms, the ubiquitous isoform 1 and the tissue-specific (predominantly lung) isoform 2 (COX4I2). COX4I2 renders lung COX about 2-fold more active compared with liver COX, which lacks COX4I2. We previously identified a highly conserved 13-bp sequence in the proximal promoter of COX4I2 that functions as an oxygen responsive element (ORE), maximally active at a 4% oxygen concentration. Here, we have identified three transcription factors that bind this conserved ORE, namely recombination signal sequence-binding protein Jκ (RBPJ), coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix domain 2 (CHCHD2) and CXXC finger protein 5 (CXXC5). We demonstrate that RBPJ and CHCHD2 function towards activating the ORE at 4% oxygen, whereas CXXC5 functions as an inhibitor. To validate results derived from cultured cells, we show using RNA interference a similar effect of these transcription factors in the gene regulation of COX4I2 in primary pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells. Depending on the oxygen tension, a concerted action of the three transcription factors regulates the expression of COX4I2 that, as we discuss, could augment both COX activity and its ability to cope with altered cellular energy requirements.
Reply to "Parity violating asymmetries in the scattering of transversely polarized protons"

Experimental considerations usually favor measurements of the longitudinal rather than the irregular transverse analyzing power. This is particularly true for the case of the parity mixing in $^{14}\mathrm{N}$. Some typographical errors in our published expressions are corrected.
Testosterone: More Than Having the Guts to Win the Tour de France

Sex bias in susceptibility to autoimmune diseases is evident but poorly characterized. Yurkovetskiy et al. (2013) report that host testosterone mediates changes in the microbiome to confer protection to adult male NOD mice from type 1 diabetes.
Evidence for a T=0 Three-Pion Resonance

A search was made for a T = 0 3 pi resonance in the mass region m/sub i3m, where the decay omega yields pi /sup +/ + pi /sup -/ + pi /sup 0/ is pos sible. The reaction p-bar.+ p yields pi /sup +/ + pi /sup +/ + pi / sup -/ + pi /sup 0/ was studied by measuring 2500 four-prong events produced by antiprotons of 1.61 Bev/c in the 72-in. bubble chamber. Tabular and graphical data are presented that fit the qualitative criteria for an axial vector matrix element ( omega meson). There is reasonable evidence against both the A and PS mesons. (L.N.N.)
Explaining strain [in silicon]

Large effects of elastic strain on the electrical resistance of silicon were discovered not long after the recognition of silicon as the material for the development of solid-state electronics. The effects were shortly employed as the basis of a variety of mechanical sensors. More recently, the use of strain to improve the performance of field-effect transistors (FETs) has drawn increased attention to its role as a part of the arsenal of silicon electronic technology. Attention to unwanted strain as a source of problems is also increasing. This article is aimed at explaining the basis of the effects of strain on the electrical properties of n-silicon and how these effects produce both good and bad results.
Historical Biogeography of Western Peripheral Isolates of the Least Shrew, Cryptotis parva

The least shrew, Cryptotis parva , has expanded its distribution westward during the past 20–30 years in response to increased irrigation and a simultaneous trend toward more mesic climate. The species is recolonizing regions that it invaded coincident with increased summer precipitation during the late Wisconsinan (13,000 years ago) before being forced to the south and east during the establishment of modern desert-scrub vegetation 4,000 years ago. Allozymic patterns among three recently discovered peripheral populations of Cryptotis parva in eastern New Mexico compared to a population from within the continuous range of the species in Texas indicate that two populations probably resulted from recent dispersal from the east, while a third may represent a relict of late Wisconsinan and alti-thermal intervals. This population, at Bitter Lake along the Pecos River Valley, is isolated from eastern populations by an elevated, arid plateau and from southern populations along the Pecos River by 600 km; it has a unique allozymic complement and it resembles the southern subspecies ( C. p. berlandieri ) in cranial morphology. Range maps of species of mammals must be viewed with caution, particularly at their distributional limits, in light of recent documentation of substantial range shifts (up to 450 km) over periods of 2–3 decades.
How Solvent Modulates Hydroxyl Radical Reactivity in Hydrogen Atom Abstractions

The hydroxyl radical (HO*) is a highly reactive oxygen-centered radical whose bimolecular rate constants for reaction with organic compounds (hydrogen atom abstraction) approach the diffusion-controlled limit in aqueous solution. The results reported herein show that hydroxyl radical is considerably less reactive in dipolar, aprotic solvents such as acetonitrile. This diminished reactivity is explained on the basis of a polarized transition state for hydrogen abstraction, in which the oxygen of the hydroxyl radical becomes highly negative and can serve as a hydrogen bond acceptor. Because acetonitrile cannot participate as a hydrogen bond donor, the transition state cannot be stabilized by hydrogen bonding, and the reaction rate is lower; the opposite is true when water is the solvent. This hypothesis explains hydroxyl radical reactivity both in solution and in the gas phase and may be the basis for a "containment strategy" used by Nature when hydroxyl radical is produced endogenously.
Gender differences in recovery outcomes after an early recovery symptom management intervention.

Abstract Background Despite known gender differences in recovery, few studies have examined symptom management (SM) interventions or responses by gender after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS). Objective The purpose of this subanalysis was to describe and evaluate differences in response by gender to an SM intervention on the presence and burden of symptoms, physical activity, and physical functioning in elderly CABS patients during the early discharge period (3 and 6 weeks after CABS, and 3 and 6 months after CABS). Methods The parent study whose data were analyzed to examine gender differences involved a two-group, randomized clinical trial design. The 6-week early recovery SM telehealth intervention was delivered by the Health Buddy. Measures included the Cardiac Symptom Survey, a Modified 7-Day Activity Interview, an RT3 accelerometer, an Activity Diary, and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36. This study was not powered for a gender × group analysis, and we used descriptive statistics, χ2 tests, t tests, and analysis of variance for statistical analyses. Results Subjects (n = 232) included 192 men and 40 women, with a mean age of 71.2 SD, 7 years. The intervention group consisted of 86 men and 23 women, and the usual care (UC) group consisted of 106 men and 17 women. Data trends suggest that the SM intervention exerted greater impact on women than on men for symptoms such as fatigue, depression, sleep problems, and pain. Again, men exhibited higher levels of physical activity than did women. However, women in the SM group generally had higher scores than did women in the UC group. Conclusion Although the parent study found no effect of an early recovery SM intervention, this exploratory secondary analysis indicated that women in the intervention group demonstrated more improvement in measures of physical activity than did those in the UC group. Further study, using a larger sample, is necessary to test these preliminary results.
Energy balance determinations close to the soil surface using a micro-Bowen ratio system

Abstract A micro-Bowen ratio system, with β determined from temperature and humidity measurements very close to the soil surface (1 and 6 cm), was tested above bare soil by comparison with evaporation losses from a highly sensitive 6.1-m diameter lysimeter. The results indicated good accuracy in estimation of evaporation ( E ) during 8 days with moist soil-surface conditions, as well as 1 day of second-stage drying conditions when E averaged only 30–40% of a calculated reference crop evapotranspiration. Good agreement between estimated and measured E was also found, using a Bowen ratio system with a chilled mirror hygrometer sensing air sampled at 5 and 85 cm above the soil surface. On one of the study days a second Bowen ratio system (psychrometric with sensors at 5 and 85 cm) was employed as well as eddy-correlation instrumentation for measuring sensible heat flux ( H ), with H used in the energy balance equation to solve for LE . Close agreement with lysimeter-determined E and calculated E from these two systems was noted although in later afternoon hours some divergence occurred, probably produced as upwind soil surfaces developed inhomogeneous surface-moisture conditions. The results suggest that the microsystem approach should be applicable to under-canopy and small-plot studies where traditional methods are impractical.
Deep level transient spectroscopy of interface and bulk trap states in InP metal/oxide/semiconductor structures

Deep level defect states in InP metal/oxide/semiconductor (MOS) diode structures prepared from n-type vapor phase epitaxial material were determined by transient capacitance spectroscopy. In unannealed MOS diodes a total of three bulk traps were observed with energies of Ec−0.44, Ec−0.53 and Ec−0.80 eV. The interface state density was found to be continuous in the range of Ec−0.14 eV⩽E∗⩽Ec−0.44 eV and increased toward the midgap. The capture cross section prefactor of the interface states was of the order of 10-16 cm2 and was independent of energy in the energy range from Ec−0.30 to Ec−0.44 eV.
Preparation and Properties of Multiferroic La-Doped BiFeO3 Thin Film

Multiferroic La-doped Bi1-xLaxFeO3 thin films were prepared on conductive indium tin oxide (ITO)/glass substrates through a simple sol-gel process. The crystal structure of La-doped Bi1-xLaxFeO3 thin films annealed at different temperature was determined to be rhombohedral of R3m space and free of secondary phases. The grain size of La-doped BiFeO3 thin films tends to become larger and the grain boundary is gradually ambiguous compared to pure BiFeO3. The double remanent polarization 2Pr of Bi0.9La0.1FeO3 thin film annealed at 500°C is 6.66 µC/cm2, which is slightly improved than that of pure BiFeO3 thin film. With the increase of La-doping levels, the dielectric constant is increased and the dielectric loss is obviously decreased.
Thermodynamic Functions of Phosphirane and Aziridine

Abstract The thermodynamic functions (H0 - H0 0) / T, -(G0 - H0 0)/T, S0 and Cp 0 of phosphirane and aziridine in ideal gas state at selected temperatures to 1000 °K were calculated by the methods of statistical mechanics. The rigid rotator, harmonic oscillator model was used for all fundamental frequencies.
Light gaps and long-term seedling performance of a Neotropical canopy tree (Dipteryx panamensis, Leguminosae)

Tropical tree regeneration results from a complex interplay of biotic and abiotic factors: the actions of seed dispersers, seed predators, pathogens, and herbivores influence the distribution patterns of seedlings within an environment that is heterogeneous with respect to the light, water, and soil nutrients required for eventual growth to the canopy. In a study of the canopy tree Dipteryx panamensis (Pitt.) Rec. & Mell (Leguminosae) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, De Steven & Putz (1984) found that seedling recruitment in most years was limited by mammalian predation on the large, 4-cm long seeds and that firstyear seedling growth and survival were strongly light-dependent. They hypothesized that Dipteryx regeneration required the establishment of a population of seedlings tolerant of understorey suppression while awaiting canopy gap formation and that high seed predation prevented such establishment on Barro Colorado Island. Continuation of observations for six years has now provided long-term data on differential seedling performance that suggests how canopy gap dynamics may influence Dipteryx regeneration. Methods. The tropical moist forest of Barro Colorado Island, Panama (90 09' N, 790 51' W) has been described extensively by Croat (1978). The area receives approximately 2600 mm of rainfall annually, with a distinct dry season during the 4-5 months from late December through April. Dipteryx panamensis is widely distributed on the island, but is more abundant in secondary forest areas that were extensively cleared about 100 years ago. De Steven & Putz (1984) provide a general description of its life history. Experimental microenvironments were selected to span a gradient in light availability. In the initial experimental design (described in De Steven & Putz 1984), seedlings germinated in three field sites in May 1981 were transplanted
High energy X-ray diffraction measurement of residual stresses in a monolithic aluminum clad uranium–10 wt% molybdenum fuel plate assembly

Abstract Residual stresses are expected in monolithic, aluminum clad uranium 10 wt% molybdenum (U–10Mo) nuclear fuel plates because of the large mismatch in thermal expansion between the two bonded materials. The full residual stress tensor of the U–10Mo foil in a fuel plate assembly was mapped with 0.1 mm resolution using high-energy (86 keV) X-ray diffraction. The in-plane stresses in the U–10Mo foil are strongly compressive, roughly −250 MPa in the longitudinal direction and −140 MPa in the transverse direction near the center of the fuel foil. The normal component of the stress is weakly compressive near the center of the foil and tensile near the corner. The disparity in the residual stress between the two in-plane directions far from the edges and the tensile normal stress suggest that plastic deformation in the aluminum cladding during fabrication by hot isostatic pressing also contributes to the residual stress field. A tensile in-plane residual stress is presumed to be present in the aluminum cladding to balance the large in-plane compressive stresses in the U–10Mo fuel foil, but cannot be directly measured with the current technique due to large grain size.
Lyapunov stability, regions of attraction, and indeterminate growth paths

Abstract A Lyapunov function is used to provide an explicit solution to a well known indeterminate growth model. Economies within the Lyapunov stable region display little variation in growth experience. On the other hand, a wide variation of growth experience is observed when the Lyapunov region is extended to the region of attraction.
Re-purposing cancer therapeutics for breast cancer immunotherapy

After decades of work to develop immune-based therapies for cancer, the first drugs designed specifically to engage the host anti-tumor immune response for therapeutic benefit were recently approved for clinical use. Sipuleucel-T, a vaccine for advanced prostate cancer, and ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that mitigates the negative impact of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 signaling on tumor immunity, provide a modest clinical benefit in some patients. The arrival of these drugs in the clinic is a significant advance that we can capitalize on for even better clinical outcomes. The strategic and scientifically rational integration of vaccines and other direct immunomodulators with standard cancer therapeutics should lead to therapeutic synergy and high rates of tumor rejection. This review focuses on the use of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and HER-2-specific monoclonal antibodies to dissect mechanisms of immune tolerance relevant to breast cancer patients and illustrates how appropriate preclinical models can powerfully inform clinical translation. The immune-modulating activity of targeted, pathway-specific, small molecule therapeutics is also discussed. Fully understanding how cancer drugs impact the immune system should lead to the ultimate personalized cancer medicine: effective combinatorial immunotherapy strategies that simultaneously target signaling pathways essential for tumor growth and progression, and systematically break multiple, distinct immune tolerance pathways to maximize tumor rejection and effect cure.
Analysis of Site-specific Glycosylation of Renal and Hepatic γ-Glutamyl Transpeptidase from Normal Human Tissue

The cell surface glycoprotein γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) was isolated from healthy human kidney and liver to characterize its glycosylation in normal human tissue in vivo. GGT is expressed by a single cell type in the kidney. The spectrum of N-glycans released from kidney GGT constituted a subset of the N-glycans identified from renal membrane glycoproteins. Recent advances in mass spectrometry enabled us to identify the microheterogeneity and relative abundance of glycans on specific glycopeptides and revealed a broader spectrum of glycans than was observed among glycans enzymatically released from isolated GGT. A total of 36 glycan compositions, with 40 unique structures, were identified by site-specific glycan analysis. Up to 15 different glycans were observed at a single site, with site-specific variation in glycan composition. N-Glycans released from liver membrane glycoproteins included many glycans also identified in the kidney. However, analysis of hepatic GGT glycopeptides revealed 11 glycan compositions, with 12 unique structures, none of which were observed on kidney GGT. No variation in glycosylation was observed among multiple kidney and liver donors. Two glycosylation sites on renal GGT were modified exclusively by neutral glycans. In silico modeling of GGT predicts that these two glycans are located in clefts on the surface of the protein facing the cell membrane, and their synthesis may be subject to steric constraints. This is the first analysis at the level of individual glycopeptides of a human glycoprotein produced by two different tissues in vivo and provides novel insights into tissue-specific and site-specific glycosylation in normal human tissues.
Effects of fluorine substitution of cytosine analogues on the binding affinity to HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

Abstract In order to find out the possible role of fluorine substituent in binding of the fluorinated cytidine analogues at the active site of HIV-1 RT, binding modes of several 5-fluoro cytidine analogues, such as FTC, d -dioxolane 5-FC and d -2′F-d4FC to the active site of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, were compared by molecular dynamics studies.
Exogenous cytokines enhance survival of macrophages from organ cultured embryonic rat tissues

Background: Macrophage precursors are present in embryonic rats shortly after the onset of hematopoiesis. During organogenesis they soon establish residency in many parts of the body and become convertible into phagocytes, at first gaining morphological characteristics of macrophages and later a range of surface antigens used to characterize subpopulations in adults. Nonetheless, it is uncertain whether representatives of this fetal lineage continue to exist past birth. We investigated the question indirectly by seeing if such cells can be made to survive in vitro to an age equivalent to adulthood and by examining underlying conditions that favor this outcome. Methods: Fourteen-day embryonic lungs, hearts, and limb buds were organ cultured on a firm serum-containing medium. Fetal macrophages developed within all explants and then migrated out to form a corona of cells surrounding each explant. The lung cultures were selected for subsequent work which mainly used coronal area as the measure of macrophage population size in experimental and control groups. Baseline growth and survival of macrophages were established for cultures grown on standard medium, then effects of the following were examined: indomethacin (10−6M) as it influences initial production of macrophages from precursors and later survival of differentiated cells; and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), used alone at moderate dosage (50–100 U), and combined with granulocyte-macrophage CSF (both 200 U), for its importance to long-term survival of the population. Mitogenic influence of M-CSF on differentiated macrophages was demonstrated by uptake of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine. Results: Indomethacin inhibited the formation of macrophages from precursors but enhanced the survival of differentiated cells. M-CSF increased BrdU uptake of differentiated macrophages and permitted coronal growth to continue long past the ∼30 day limit of controls. Beyond this interval, M-CSF was essential for macrophage survival, since coronas quickly shrank after the cytokine was withdrawn. Administration of the M-CSF/GM-CSF mixture to the 2 oldest M-CSF-exposed cultures between 98 and 127 days in vitro resulted in an increase in the number of coronal macrophages (P < 0.001); withdrawal between 129 and 140 days led to a decrease (P < 0.005). Ultimately a few cells were still surviving at 183 days. Conclusions: Intrinsic factors promote early formation of macrophages within the explants, but the availability of factors is lessened by the anti-inflammatory action of indomethacin. Its later promotion of macrophage survival may be based on suppression of autogenous prostaglandin (PGE2) synthesis. M-CSF greatly promotes macrophage survival; in context this is sufficient to show that the fetal macrophage line has a clear potential to survive well into adulthood. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
MUON COLLECTION CHANNEL

Abstract A preliminary analysis of the collection channel for a muon collider is presented. Pions, produced in a target by 8–30 GeV protons, are captured and transported in a solenoid where they decay into muons. Muon yield and phase space characteristics at the end of the channel can be improved by placing RF cavities and absorbers along the decay channel as well as by providing a supplemental toroidal field in conjunction with the absorbers. Results of Monte Carlo simulations are presented for a few such scenarios.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease and comorbid major depressive disorder.

Background Depression has been recognized as a common feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder in PD patients. Objective The authors sought to determine whether cognitive– behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective in the treatment of depression within the context of PD (dPD). Method The authors enrolled 8 depressed PD patients into an open treatment study of 12 weeks of individual CBT treatment. Results There was a significant linear decrease in mean Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (17-item) scores over Weeks 0 to 12, and 57% of patients (4/7) met criteria for remission at endpoint. Conclusion This uncontrolled study suggests that CBT may be effective in treating dPD and may be an alternative or adjunct to pharmacological treatment.
Determinants of chief executive officer compensation following major acquisitions

Abstract This study sought to determine whether major increases in firm size, achieved through acquisitions, result in greater chief executive officer (CEO) compensation, given manager versus owner control. A second issue addressed is whether the type of firm—single industry or multiple industry—plays a role in the linkage between acquisition activity and additional compensation. Other variables included in the analysis were CEO tenure and profitability. Annual observations from 1979 through 1986 of 50 firms that had engaged in acquisition activity form the basis of the study. Findings reveal that acquisitions, after allowing 1 year for the full impact of the merger to be felt, led to significant increases in CEO compensation for both owner- and manager-controlled firms. Also, it was found that manager-controlled firms gave their CEOs further rewards for additional years on the job, regardless of performance, while owner-controlled firms were found to reward more on the basis of performance.
Multi-fiber Reconstruction from DW-MRI Using a Continuous Mixture of Hyperspherical von Mises-Fisher Distributions

Multi-fiber reconstruction has attracted immense attention lately in the field of diffusion weighted MRI analysis. Several mathematical models have been proposed in literature but there is still scope for improvement. The key issues of importance in multi-fiber reconstruction are, fiber detection accuracy, robustness to noise and computational efficiency. To this end, we propose a novel mathematical model for representing the MR signal attenuation in the presence of multiple fibers at a single voxel and estimate the parameters of this model given the diffusion weighted MRI data. Our model for the diffusion MR signal consists of a continuous mixture of Hyperspherical von Mises-Fisher distributions. Being a continuous mixture, our model does not require the specification of the number of mixture components. We present a closed form expression for this continuous mixture that leads to a computationally efficient implementation. To validate our model we present extensive results on both synthetic and real data (human and rat brain) and demonstrate that even in presence of noise, our model clearly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in fiber orientation estimation while maintaining a substantial computational advantage.
Understanding the multiple meanings of 'inbreeding' and 'effective size' for genetic management of African rhinoceros populations

Although some African rhinoceros populations are currently increasing, others are critically endangered. Even healthy populations are extensively managed in the wild and in captivity. While political and demographic considerations are of primary concern, many decisions are made in the name of genetic management. Such decisions should be informed by a full understanding of the multiple meanings of inbreeding and effective population size. In this essay, we examine inbreeding and effective size of wild and captive populations of African rhinoceroses. We conclude by showing how misunderstanding of effective size and Franklin’s 50 ⁄ 500 rule can make a crucial difference in informing management decisions.
Building a Lunar or Martian Launch Pad with In Situ Materials: Recent Laboratory and Field Studies

AbstractBuilding launch pads on extraterrestrial surfaces has gained interest as a way to improve landing safety and mitigate dust problems caused by launch and landing. On Mars, a landing pad may be a necessity for the safe landing of a large human-carrying vehicle. There have been many proposed surface stabilization technologies, and evaluation of the technologies uses regolith simulants and terrestrial analogue sites. Recent work on the lunar simulants used in sintering studies and results from recent field demonstrations are presented here. Laboratory studies on simulants focused on determining how the composition of the simulant affected sintering. The glass content of the lunar simulant was found to be a key parameter in determining when a simulant sintered. Field demonstrations of a solar concentrator and a resistive heating sintering system are described. Field demonstrations factor in not only the simulant but also larger-scale thermal effects that are not present in laboratory tests.
Mixing Enhancement in Microfluidic Devices Using Contactless Dielectrophoresis (cDEP)

Rapid mixing is necessary in lab-on-a-chip (LOC) and Micro Total Analysis Systems (μTAS) devices for chemical and biological processes [1]. Because of the small length scale of microdevices, rapid efficient mixing is difficult to achieve. Thus mixing without any intentional stretching and folding of interfaces is dominated by molecular diffusion, which takes a long time relative to the typical operating timescale of these microdevices. To address this need, various techniques for enhancing mixing in microdevices have been proposed [1]. Electrokinetic mixing has proven to be an efficient method for actively mixing solutions or microparticles [2]. Among electrokinetics techniques, DEP, the motion of a particle in a suspending medium due to the presence of a non-uniform electric field [3], has shown a great potential for particle separation, manipulation, and identification. However, there is not much reported use of DEP for mixing enhancement reported in the literature. Lee et al. [4] presented a micromixer that uses DEP force to generate chaotic trajectories within a mixing chamber. Although DEP has been a very successful technique to manipulate microparticles, it has some drawbacks such as electrolysis (bubble formation), electrode delamination and sample contamination.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Securing E-Government Assets through Automating Deployment of Honeynets for IDS Support

One of the challenges facing system e-government security professionals is the laborious task of sifting through numerous log files in an attempt to identify malicious traffic and conduct a forensics analysis to determine an appropriate course of action. This process is complicated significantly by the volume of traffic that can be associated with a production system environment. A honeynet can provide a mechanism to identify much of the forensically interesting traffic by creating a representative system to collect traffic data. However, it is challenging to maintain an accurate representation of a dynamic system in order to consistently collect the appropriate data of interest. This research effort addresses a current challenge identified by researchers at the Honeynet Project by describing a methodology for automatically creating and dynamically updating a honeynet in order to facilitate IDS support.
Performance/area efficiency in chip multiprocessors with micro-caches

This paper proposes the use of very small instruction caches, called micro-caches (μ-caches), consisting of tens to hundreds of bytes, at the bottom of the instruction delivery hierarchy in chip-multiprocessors (CMP). Multi-core architectures place a novel emphasis on the performance/area efficiency of processor cores, and we note that traditional instruction cache sizes reflect an emphasis on hit-rate performance rather than efficiency. In brief, ¼-caches reduce the area footprint of individual cores, thus allowing additional cores to fit within a given die area. We use commercial design tools and a commercial processor core to evaluate this tradeoff in the context of high-performance networking, where CMP architectures have had their greatest commercial impact to date. Our results suggest that the use of u-caches can yield a 25% improvement in efficiency relative to traditional hierarchies. In our evaluation, we consider a range of architectural options (cluster organization, non-blocking caches, cache parameters) and justify our conclusions while accounting for the errors inherent in die area estimates.
ELIXYS - a fully automated, three-reactor high-pressure radiosynthesizer for development and routine production of diverse PET tracers.

Background Automated radiosynthesizers are vital for routine production of positron-emission tomography tracers to minimize radiation exposure to operators and to ensure reproducible synthesis yields. The recent trend in the synthesizer industry towards the use of disposable kits aims to simplify setup and operation for the user, but often introduces several limitations related to temperature and chemical compatibility, thus requiring reoptimization of protocols developed on non-cassette-based systems. Radiochemists would benefit from a single hybrid system that provides tremendous flexibility for development and optimization of reaction conditions while also providing a pathway to simple, cassette-based production of diverse tracers.
Impact of Superoxide Dismutase on Nitric Oxide and Peroxynitrite Levels in the Microcirculation - A Computational Model

Interactions of free radicals such as superoxide (O2 -), nitric oxide (NO), and peroxynitrite (ONOO") are important in pathophysiological conditions such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes and the resulting cardiovascular diseases. Excessive levels of superoxide during oxidative stress cause a reduction in NO bioavailability by forming peroxynitrite and resulting in endothelial dysfunction. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) competes with NO for superoxide, and reduces the formation of peroxynitrite. In this study, we developed a mathematical model for free radical transport within and around an arteriolar vessel based on the fundamental principles of mass balance, reaction kinetics, and vascular geometry. We used the model to study the effect of the three types of SOD, viz. CuZn-SOD, Mn-SOD and extra cellular-SOD, on the bioavailability of NO. Results indicate that SOD location and concentration in the arteriole significantly affect superoxide concentration. The model predicts that a reduction in SOD levels results in increased superoxide and peroxynitrite concentrations and decreased NO concentration in the vessel. The results also suggest a role of SOD in the amelioration of oxidative stress and NO bioavailability in microcirculation. This model will help in furthering our knowledge of endothelial dysfunction in pathological conditions and the impact of specific SODs on free radical interactions.
Dimensions of Social Capital and Rates of Criminal Homicide

Robert Putnam comprehensively analyzes the multidimensional nature of social capital and makes a persuasive argument for its relevance to various community social problems, including violent crime. However, systematic empirical evaluations of the links between the multiple dimensions of social capital and violence are limited by the lack of adequate measures. Using data from the Social Capital Benchmark Survey, the authors model the relationships between several dimensions of social capital and homicide rates for 40 U.S. geographic areas. Their findings show that many forms of social capital highlighted in the literature as having beneficial consequences for communities are not related to homicide rates. Two dimensions of social capital, social trust and social activism, do exhibit significant associations with homicide rates, net of other influences. However, in the latter case, the relationship is positive, and in both cases, simultaneous equation models suggest that these dimensions of social capital are consequences as well as causes of homicide. The results underscore the importance of examining the different dimensions of social capital and assessing their reciprocal relationships with homicide and other social outcomes. Language: en
FLUX: fuzzy content and structure matching of XML range queries

An XML range query may impose predicates on the numerical or textual contents of the elements and/or their respective path structures. In order to handle content and structure range queries efficiently, an XML query processing engine needs to incorporate effective indexing and summarization techniques to efficiently partition the XML document and locate the results. In this paper, we propose a dynamic summarization and indexing method, FLUX, based on Bloom filters and B+-trees to tackle these problems. The results of our extensive experimental evaluations indicated the efficiency of the proposed system.
Utilization of Dominance Variance Through Mate Allocation Strategies

Abstract Simulation was used to evaluate the increase in progeny performance from three mating strategies based on predicted specific combining abilities among sires and maternal grandsires over random mating that do not use specific combining ability but avoid inbreeding. Specific combining abilities were equal to the sum of combination effects from dominance plus the effect of inbreeding depression. Mates were allocated by linear programming with two approximations. Genetic parameters were h 2 in the narrow sense equal to .05, .15, or .25 and the ratio of dominance to phenotypic variance equal to .05, .10, or .15. A population of 400 bulls were grouped by .99, .85, and .70 PTA reliability; the first group was sires and maternal grandsires of others. Recurrence equations for combination effects that were due to dominance, not including inbreeding depression, were used to create a matrix of true combination effects among bulls. Predicted specific combining abilities were computed from true combination effects using low, intermediate, and high levels of accuracy plus the effect of inbreeding. Twenty herds of cows were generated for each bull population. Within a herd, four mating groups of 123 cows were mated to 10 bulls from all bull groups. The three mating strategies yielded progeny merits slightly but significantly higher than random mating. Scaled by standard deviation of milk yield, increases with linear programming were 12.3 to 40.1kg for low, 16.4 to 46.4kg for intermediate, and 31.0 to 80.3 for high accuracy.
Wavelength and temperature-dependent apparent quantum yields for photochemical formation of hydrogen peroxide in seawater

Wavelength and temperature-dependent apparent quantum yields (AQYs) were determined for the photochemical production of hydrogen peroxide using seawater obtained from coastal and oligotrophic stations in Antarctica, the Pacific Ocean at Station ALOHA, the Gulf of Mexico, and at several sites along the East Coast of the United States. For all samples, AQYs decreased exponentially with increasing wavelength at 25 °C, ranging from 4.6 × 10(-4) to 10.4 × 10(-4) at 290 nm to 0.17 × 10(-4) to 0.97 × 10(-4) at 400 nm. AQYs for different seawater samples were remarkably similar irrespective of expected differences in the composition and concentrations of metals and dissolved organic matter (DOM) and in prior light exposure histories; wavelength-dependent AQYs for individual seawater samples differed by less than a factor of two relative to respective mean AQYs. Temperature-dependent AQYs increased between 0 and 35 °C on average by a factor of 1.8 per 10 °C, consistent with a thermal reaction (e.g., superoxide dismutation) controlling H2O2 photochemical production rates in seawater. Taken together, these results suggest that the observed poleward decrease in H₂O₂ photochemical production rates is mainly due to corresponding poleward decreases in irradiance and temperature and not spatial variations in the composition and concentrations of DOM or metals. Hydrogen peroxide photoproduction AQYs and production rates were not constant and not independent of the photon exposure as has been implicitly assumed in many published studies. Therefore, care should be taken when comparing and interpreting published H₂O₂ AQY or photochemical production rate results. Modeled depth-integrated H₂O₂ photochemical production rates were in excellent agreement with measured rates obtained from in situ free-floating drifter experiments conducted during a Gulf of Maine cruise, with differences (ca. 10%) well within measurement and modeling uncertainties. Results from this study provide a comprehensive data set of wavelength and temperature-dependent AQYs to model and remotely sense hydrogen peroxide photochemical production rates globally.