cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Agent-based sensor coalition formation

Large numbers of heterogeneous sensors the collect and fuse information in dynamic environments are envisioned in domains, such as military operations, disaster response or border surveillance. Depending on the dynamically evolving needs, operators will submit to groups of these sensors information acquisition and fusion goals that must be fulfilled within time constraints. To fulfill these goals, the sensors must autonomously and dynamically form coalitions. The problem that this paper addresses is the dynamic coalition formation problem and the evolving performance of coalitions over time. Coalition formation is an NP complete problem. One of the ways to mitigate the computational cost is to constrain the decentralized coalition formation problem by taking into consideration the underlying network structure. Has showed (a) that the network topology has a significant effect on the quality of the formed coalitions and their performance, and (b) that it is possible to develop agents that intelligently adapt the network structure to increase the ability of the organization to form good quality coalitions. However, that work used unrealistically simple coalitional models and did not perform an analysis of the network topologies and adaptation policies that could result. In this paper we make three contributions. First we present an analysis and results on the underlying network topologies that are formed. Second, we develop and analyze a more realistic coalition formation model. Third we present two new network adaptation policies. Experimental evaluation of our contributions are presented.
THE EFFECT OF TERM LIMITS ON OKLAHOMA LEGISLATORS

Term limits will have a dramatic effect on the membership of the Oklahoma Legislature. The Senate will be most affected. Groups that will gain descriptive representation from term limits include Republicans, women, and the young.
Macroeconomic Stabilization When the Natural Real Interest Rate Is Falling

The authors modify the Dynamic Aggregate Demand-Dynamic Aggregate Supply model in Mankiw's widely used intermediate macroeconomics textbook to discuss monetary policy when the natural real interest rate is falling over time. Their results highlight a new role for the central bank's inflation target as a tool of macroeconomic stabilization. They show that even when the zero lower bound is not binding, a prudent central bank must match every decrease in the natural real interest rate with an equal increase in the target rate of inflation in order to stabilize the risk of the economy falling into a deflationary spiral, which is an acute case of simultaneously falling output and inflation in which the economy's self-correcting forces are inactive.
DIETARY VITAMIN A, CAROTENE, VITAMIN C AND RISK OF LUNG CANCER IN HAWAII

The authors conducted a case-control study among the multiethnic population of Hawaii to test the hypotheses that lung cancer risk is inversely associated with dietary intake of total vitamin A, carotene, and vitamin C. Detailed dietary interviews were completed between September 1979 and October 1982 for 364 primary lung cancer patients and 627 general population controls matched on age and sex. After adjusting for a number of potentially confounding variables, including ethnicity, smoking history, and occupation, evidence was found that total vitamin A intake (food sources plus supplements), vitamin A intake from food sources only, and carotene intake were each inversely associated with lung cancer risk in males, but not in females. Among males, a monotonic dose-response relationship was found only for total vitamin A intake. However, a comparison of the lowest and highest quartiles of intake gave similar results for each of the three measures of nutrient intake: total vitamin A (odds ratio (OR) = 1.8; 95% confidence limits (CL) = 1.1-3.1), vitamin A from foods (OR = 2.0; 95% CL = 1.2-3.5), and carotene (OR = 2.2; 95% CL = 1.3-3.7). Similar analyses revealed no significant association between dietary vitamin C intake and lung cancer risk.
Oxoselenido Clusters of the Lanthanides: Rational Introduction of Oxo Ligands and Near-IR Emission from Nd(III)

Reactions of Ln(SePh)3 with SeO2 in THF give octanuclear oxoselenido clusters with the general formula (THF)8Ln8O2Se2(SePh)16 (Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm). In this isomorphous series, the eight Ln(III) ions are connected in the center by a pair of μ3-O2- ligands and μ5-Se2- ligands, with 14 bridging and two terminal selenolate ligands capping the cluster surface. Thermal decomposition at 700 °C of the Nd compound in vacuo led to the formation of a phase mixture of NdSe2, Nd2Se3, and Nd2O3. Near-IR emission experiments on the (THF)8Nd8O2Se2(SePh)16 and the fluorinated thiolate compound (DME)2Nd(SC6F5)3 demonstrate that clusters with oxo ligands are not only highly emissive, but also they emit at wavelengths not found in conventional oxides.
The inactivation of plasma α1-proteinase inhibitor by nitrous acid

Abstract 1. 1. Exposure of α 1 -PI to nitrous acid resulted in a complete inactivation of either of its elastase or trypsin inhibitors activities. 2. 2. Amino acid analyses of the nitrous acid treated inhibitor revealed only losses ol'one tryphanyl and three lysyl residues. 3. 3. Reductive methylation of α 1 -Pi offered no protection against loss of activity by nitrous acid. 4. 4. Since no further loss of lysyl residues was observed upon exposure of fully active reductively methylated α 1 -PI to nitrous acid, modification of one tryptophanyl residue appears to he responsible for the inhibitor's sensitivity to nitrous acid. 5. 5. Absorption spectral studies of the nitrous acid treated α 1 -PI indicated that the tryptophanyl residue was modified to its N -nitroso derivative.
Some evaluation problems in a course content improvement project

Dr. Atkin, who is Co-Director of the Illinois Elementary-School Science Project, has long been interested in the evaluation of learning materials and, in particular, the evaluation of the new curricula in science. In this article he brings into sharp focus one of the important issues of the day: the related questions of when, how, and by whom learning goals should be stated in curriculum building and the suitability of traditional procedures for evaluating them. We look forward to publishing reactions to Dr. Atkin's statement.
Nonadiabatic Corrections to the Method of Perturbed Stationary States

Using the method of perturbed stationary states, nonadiabatic corrections to the cross section for symmetric resonant charge exchange between a proton and a hydrogen atom in its ground state are induced by considering the role played by the $2{P}^{0}$ state. These corrections lead to a polarization of the electron cloud induced by the relative motion of the hydrogen-proton systems. Such effects are found to be important for the calculation of the differential cross section, but are found to play a minor role in determining the value of the total cross section.
Issues in the consideration of intervention strategies in long-term survivors of childhood cancer

With the improved survival of children with cancer, increased attention is being focused on the health status of survivors. The ultimate objective of this research is to use the results to design and test rational intervention strategies directed toward reduction of morbidity and mortality associated with the diagnosis and successful treatment of cancer. After treatment and patient characteristics that confer a high risk for adverse sequelae are identified, intervention programs targeting primary or secondary interventions must be actively pursued. Primary interventions would include modifications to cancer treatment protocols to maintain a high degree of effectiveness but reduce the occurrence of late effects. Opportunities exist for secondary intervention research in a number of areas, including second cancers (smoking cessation/prevention, early detection, chemoprevention), cardiopulmonary dysfunction (diagnosis and treatment of comorbid disease and promotion of healthy life style practices), and reproduction/genetic risks (management, counseling, networking). It is likely that testing of intervention strategies will require collaborative studies involving a multidisciplinary team of investigators and a multi-institutional structure for access to a suitable survivor population.
Effect of glucose and confluency on phosphorus metabolites of perfused human prostatic adenocarcinoma cells as determined by31P MRS

A series of perfused cell 31P MRS studies were conducted using a well established human prostate adenocarcinoma cell line (DU 145) at different phases of growth, and exposed to varying glucose concentrations during growth. The spectral characteristics of perfused DU 145 cells were compared with the same cells grown in nude mice (xenografts). Perfused DU 145 cells had lower levels of inorganic phosphate and phosphocreative relative to in vivo nude mice xenografts. 31P MR spectra obtained from perfused cells at different phases of growth and exposed to varying glucose concentrations during grown suggest that increases in diphosphodiester levels are associated with high glucose concentrations and confluency. Perfused DU 145 cells grown in 5.5 mM glucose and harvested at log phase of growth best reflected the phosphorus MR spectra of the same cell line grown in nude mice.
Fast and accurate comb-based spectral analysis of a frequency agile CW laser

The time-resolved frequency spectrum of a frequency agile CW laser is measured with a 300 ms update rate and 3 kHz resolution/accuracy over a 28 nm wavelength range with a coherent dual comb setup.
Using visual feedback distortion to alter coordinated pinching patterns for robotic rehabilitation

It is common for individuals with chronic disabilities to continue using the compensatory movement coordination due to entrenched habits, increased perception of task difficulty, or personality variables such as low self-efficacy or a fear of failure. Following our previous work using feedback distortion in a virtual rehabilitation environment to increase strength and range of motion, we address the use of visual feedback distortion environment to alter movement coordination patterns. Fifty-one able-bodied subjects participated in the study. During the experiment, each subject learned to move their index finger and thumb in a particular target pattern while receiving visual feedback. Visual distortion was implemented as a magnification of the error between the thumb and/or index finger position and the desired position. The error reduction profile and the effect of distortion were analyzed by comparing the mean total absolute error and a normalized error that measured performance improvement for each subject as a proportion of the baseline error. The results of the study showed that (1) different coordination pattern could be trained with visual feedback and have the new pattern transferred to trials without visual feedback, (2) distorting individual finger at a time allowed different error reduction profile from the controls, and (3) overall learning was not sped up by distorting individual fingers. It is important that robotic rehabilitation incorporates multi-limb or finger coordination tasks that are important for activities of daily life in the near future. This study marks the first investigation on multi-finger coordination tasks under visual feedback manipulation.
Ballistic imaging of diesel sprays using a picosecond laser: characterization and demonstration

Ballistic imaging using a 15 ps pulse laser in high-injection-pressure diesel sprays is reported. An optical Kerr effect shutter, constructed from a CS2 liquid cell and activated by a 15 ps pulse at 1064 nm, produces effective 532 nm imaging pulses between 7 and 15 ps. The performance of the imaging system is characterized using an Air Force target positioned before an optical cell filled with polystyrene spheres in a water suspension. The impact of spatial filtering, temporal filtering, and scattering path length on image resolution are reported. The technique is demonstrated by imaging the near-orifice region of methyl oleate and methyl butyrate sprays injected using a high-pressure single-hole fuel injector with direct comparison against simultaneous orthogonal shadowgraphy.
An adaptive parallel background model for high-throughput video applications and smart cameras embedding

Background (BG) modelling is a key task in every computer vision system (CVS) independently of the final purpose for which it is designed. Even if many BG approaches exist (for example Mixture of Gaussians or Eigenbackground), they can not efficiently process real time videos due to the model complexity and to the high throughput of the video flux. One of the most challenging real time applications is the athletic scene processing, because, in this context, there are many critical aspects for defining a BG model: no a-priori knowledge of the static scene, sudden illumination changes and many moving objects that slow down the upgrade phase. The aim of this work is to provide an adaptive BG model able to deal with high frame rate videos (≥ 100 fps) in real time processing, and suitable for smart cameras embedding, finding a good compromise between the model complexity and its responsiveness. Real experiments demonstrate that this BG model approach shows great performances and robustness during the real time processing of athletic video frames, up to 100 fps.
Why Party Organization Still Matters: The Workers' Party in Northeastern Brazil

Does party organization still matter? Much of the party literature suggests that politicians, who can use substitutes like mass media to win votes, lack incentives to invest in party organization. Yet it remains an electoral asset, especially at lower levels of government. Evidence from Brazil’s Workers’ Party (PT) indicates that party elites invest in organization when they prioritize lower-level elections and that this investment delivers electoral returns. In the mid-2000s, the PT strengthened its support across levels of government in the conservative, clientelistic Northeast. Drawing from underutilized data on party offices, this article shows that organizational expansion contributed substantially to the PT’s electoral advances in the Northeast. While President Lula da Silva’s (PT) 2006 electoral spike in the Northeast resulted from expanded conditional cash transfers, the PT’s improvement at lower levels followed from top-down organization building. The PT national leadership deliberately expanded the party’s local infrastructure to deliver electoral gains.
Rural primary care program survival: an analysis of financial variables.

: This study examines the effect of financial characteristics of rural primary care programs on the probability of their continuing as federally funded entities. A randomly selected national cohort of rural primary care programs (n=162) was used to compare financial measures of programs that were continuing and those that were noncontinuing. Financial data were obtained from 1978-1987 Bureau Common Reporting Requirements (BCRR) forms submitted to the Bureau of Health Care Delivery and Assistance of the Department of Health and Human Services as part of the requirement to receive federal grant support for the programs. The results emphasize the importance of both outside funding and increased level of self-sufficiency in the continuation of rural primary care programs. Noncontinuing programs often suffer from both a lack of self-sufficiency and a lack of outside funding, mostly from federal sources. To a lesser extent, the number of patients also affects the program's chance of continuation. From a policy perspective, government intervention is both necessary and likely if rural primary care programs are to succeed and fulfill their mission of providing primary care for the medically underserved who are primarily poor, uninsured, and unable to pay.
Culture, creativity and convergence: Managing journalists in a changing information workplace

This article examines the state of management in Convergence today and poses questions and potential answers for overcoming cultural problems that exist between newspaper and television newsrooms. The article scrutinizes the seeming abyss between these expected media partners and examines cultural implications through literature in organizational psychology, organizational communications and general business management practices. ACCESS TO FULL TEXT
The Improvement of the Design and Study of Structure of the Coupling Coil

In this paper, the new type of coupling coil is designed and studied, the new structure have some advantages ,such as simple, novel ,small volume and high space utilization ,and the structure of the primary and secondary side coil structure is different in order to adapt to different environmental requirements. And the designed coil can be added to the iron core .The simulation diagrams are fully verified by ANSYS simulation experiment.
Red stain of Acer negundo.

Fusarium reticulatum Mont. var. negundinis (Sherb.) Wr., causes red stain in the wood of Acer negundo L., and is reported for the first time from the state of Kansas. It was first isolated from the...
A review of high dielectric materials for DRAM capacitors

Abstract There has been growing interest in the use of materials with the perovskite structure as a dielectric for capacitors in dynamic random access memory chips. The heightened activity in this field is exemplified by the nearly exponential increase in the number of patents issued during the past 5 years. At the present time, a fully functional DRAM with a capacitor incorporating these high-dielectric constant materials has not been demonstrated. All existing DRAMs use silicon dioxide and/or silicon nitride as the capacitor dielectric. This paper will describe the potential advantages of incorporating high-dielectric materials into the storage capacitor of a DRAM and review the requirements of the high-dielectric layer when used in a simple stack capacitor structure suitable for the GBit generation of DRAM. Recent advances in this technology are reviewed and the major issues, which could be potential show-stoppers and still need to be resolved, are described.
Lessons about respect and affect in a Korean heritage language school

Abstract This paper examines the ideologies and practices surrounding respect at a Korean American heritage language school in California. It illustrates the interaction between locally circulating metadiscourses about children's dispositions, intentions, and identities and the enforcement of classroom norms of respect. In some cases, teachers accommodated to children's linguistic norms though a metadiscourse that reframed the indexicality of potentially disrespectful behavior. In other cases, forms of bodily demeanor were naturalized as indexical of children's deliberate communication of disrespect. Teachers’ classroom narratives presented theories of affective accommodation and affective display, where respect for a teacher's feelings was supposed to be given priority over respect for a child's feelings, but children did not always comply with these theories. By illustrating how teachers’ metapragmatic ideologies about children's identities as Korean Americans, contexts of language acquisition, and linguistic needs mediate the interactional construction of (dis)respect, this paper demonstrates the hybrid/multidirectional nature of language socialization.
Enhancement of nondegenerate four-wave mixing based on electromagnetically induced transparency in rubidium atoms

We report an experimental observation of the enhancement of nondegenerate four-wave mixing (NDFWM) based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a lambda-type three-level system of rubidium atoms. We measured both the linear susceptibility Im χD(1) (absorption) and the third-order nonlinear coefficient χD(3) separately for the NDFWM process at a low atomic density. We found that, owing to the EIT effect, the linear absorption term Im χD(1) is greatly reduced, while the nonlinear generation term χD(3) is resonantly enhanced, permitting us to observe a significant enhancement of the NDFWM signal in an optically dense medium.
First harmonic suppression of a bandpass filter with an Optimum Bandstop Filter

Parallel coupledline bandpass filters (BPF) are widely used in microwave systems. But their spurious harmonics deteriorate their stopband performances. An Optimum Bandstop Filter (BSF) is designed and used to suppress the first harmonics of a parallel coupledline BPF. Simulations show that the first harmonics of the BPF is suppressed for more than 30 dB with little disturbance to the passband.
Standardization of computer intercommunication

I am going to start today by taking a little different approach to the problem of standardization. Mr. Matlack and members of the panel are concerned primarily with the specific problem of standard media, but I would like to speak, at least for a few minutes, about the philosophy of standardization in general rather than about our particular problem. What is standardization? What are the permissive functions of the American Standards Association? What, indeed, does a printed standard of the ASA do for its sponsors and for newcomers in the technical field?
Vascular Aspects in the Pathophysiology of Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy

Glaucoma remains a major eye illness with unknown etiology. Although elevated intraocular pressure is clearly a major risk factor, vascular deficits may contribute to initiation and progression of glaucoma. When intraocular pressure is acutely elevated in healthy individuals, the resistance index (derived from the peak systolic and end-diastolic velocities and an indirect index of vascular resistance distal to the site of measurement) in the central retinal and posterior ciliary arteries increases progressively. This result implies that mechanical and vascular factors may be coupled in such a way that perfusion of the retina and optic nerve head may be influenced by changes in the intraocular pressure. Further, at night, when ophthalmic artery flow velocities fall as arterial blood pressure falls in glaucoma patients, the risk of disease progression may be increased. The constancy of these same flow velocities in age-matched healthy individuals points to a possible vascular autoregulatory defect in glaucoma. In addition, in normal-tension glaucoma, vasodilation (CO2 inhalation) normalizes retrobulbar arterial flow velocities, hinting that some vascular deficits in glaucoma may be reversible. Finally, Ca2+ channel blockade improves contrast sensitivity in patients with normal-tension glaucoma, who also show increased retrobulbar vessel flow velocities, a result suggesting that visual function loss may be linked to ocular ischemia. Emerging evidence points to a role of ischemia in the pathogenesis of glaucoma, suggesting that treatments designed to improve ocular blood flow may benefit glaucoma patients.
Notch Is Expressed in Adult Brain, Is Coexpressed with Presenilin-1, and Is Altered in Alzheimer Disease

In C. elegans , the Notch family member lin-12 has been shown to have a genetic interaction with sel-12, the homologue of the Alzheimer disease-associated presenilin (PS) genes in humans. Mutations in PS genes cause autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease, with age of onset frequently in the 40s. Notch is known as a developmental protein that plays an important role in lateral Inhibition and specifying cell fate decisions in proliferating immature cells, and is not known to be present in adult neurons. We reasoned that, if Notch 1/PS-1 interaction is relevant in Alzheimer disease, Notch1 would also need to be expressed in neurons in adult brain and colocalized with PS-1. We found that Notchl, Notch2, and a Notch ligand, Jagged1, are expressed in adult brain in mouse and in human, with strongest expression in the hippocampal formation and Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. Double immunofluorescent staining demonstrates neuronal colocalization of Notchl with PS-1. Moreover, Notchl expression in sporadic Alzheimer disease hippocampus is elevated more than 2-fold in comparison to that in control human hippocampus by both immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis (p < 0.007). These results support the hypothesis that Notchl continues to play a role in terminally differentiated neurons, and that Notchl/PS-1 interactions may occur in adult mammalian brain. The alteration in Notchl expression in sporadic Alzheimer disease raises the possibility that disruption of Notch1/PS-1 functional interactions may occur in Alzheimer disease.
Reduction of intimate partner violence in a gay couple following alcohol treatment.

ABSTRACT Although intimate partner violence among heterosexual couples is a growing topic of investigation, there remains a critical deficiency in the amount of research on violence and relationship functioning in gay men. This article presents baseline and follow-up data on a case study examining the effects of partial hospital alcohol treatment on one gay couple. This information may be helpful in understanding the relationship between alcohol use, violence, and relationship functioning in this population. On the basis of past research involving heterosexual couples as participants, we predicted that subsequent to one patient receiving alcohol treatment: 1) alcohol consumption would be reduced; 2) there would be a reduction in the amount of psychological aggression between partners; 3) there would be a reduction in the frequency of physically violent episodes; and 4) an overall improvement in relationship satisfaction would be evident. The couple was followed-up 6 and 12 months following the patient's a...
Low-resolution cues for guiding saccadic eye movements

The high resolution field of view of the human eye only covers a tiny fraction of the total field of view. While this arrangement allows for great economy in computational resources, it forces the visual system to solve others that would not exist with a wide field of uniform high resolution. One of these problems is how to determine where to redirect the fovea given only the low-resolution information available in the periphery. The advent of spatially-variant receptor arrays for cameras has made it imperative that computational solutions to this problem be found. While the use of motion in this role is well accepted, color has been associated strongly with foveal vision. We show that color cues are well preserved under low resolution and illustrate an algorithm for locating objects based on color histograms that is both effective under low resolution and computationally efficient.
Convergence between structured diagnostic interviews and clinical assessment on the diagnosis of pediatric-onset mania

Abstract Background Uncertainties remain as to the utility of structured diagnostic methodology to aid in the diagnosis of manic symptomatology in youth. To this end, this study compared structured diagnostic interview based diagnoses of mania in children and adolescents with that of an expert clinician. Methods We separately and independently assessed 69 youths recruited for a study of mania in childhood, all but 2 of whom experienced mania, with a structured diagnostic interview administered by trained psychometricians and a clinical assessment by a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist (JW) who was blind to the structured interview results. Results Structured interviews and clinical evaluations converged in all but two cases (67 of 69 or 97% agreement). In one discrepant case, the structured interview diagnosed a full case of mania, but the clinical interview diagnosed cyclothymia/subthreshold mania; in the other discrepant case, the structured interview failed to diagnose mania, but the clinical interview did diagnose mania. Conclusions In children referred for evaluation of suspected bipolar disorder, a structured interview diagnosis of mania is very likely to be corroborated by a clinical interview.
ARE MYELOPEROXIDASE LEVELS ASSOCIATED WITH ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME? A META-ANALYSIS

Observational data indicate that increased myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels may be associated with increased risk of development of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). We performed a meta-analysis of observational studies to study the relationship between
Relative activation of two human elbow flexors under isometric conditions: a cautionary note concerning flexor equivalence

We examined the electromyographic (EMG) activity of two human elbow-flexor muscles, biceps brachii and brachioradialis, during isometric contractions. The task required subjects to match the EMG level of one of the muscles (the control muscle) to one of four target levels (5, 10, 15, or 20% of maximum) at various elbow angles. A new technique was developed for the target-matching task. The activity of the other muscle (the test muscle) was simultaneously recorded during the task. For the notion of flexor equivalence to be supported, the EMG levels for the two muscles should have covaried. This was not the case. The results revealed three features: (1) while the control-muscle EMG remained constant across joint angles, the test-muscle EMG varied with joint angle, and the trend of this variation differed among subjects; (2) in nine out of ten subjects the trend of test-muscle EMG variation with joint angle was reversed when the other muscle served as the test muscle; and (3) the testmuscle EMG associated with the four target levels was subject-, muscle-, and angle-dependent. These results caution against the generalization of the flexor equivalent concept to isometric conditions. In particular, the activity of one muscle is not a reliable indicator of the activity of other muscles subserving the same joint action.
Development of the resolution theory for gradient insulator‐based dielectrophoresis

New and important separations capabilities are being enabled by utilizing other electric field-induced forces besides electrophoresis, among these is dielectrophoresis. Recent works have used experimentally simple insulator-based systems that induce field gradients creating dielectrophoretic force in useful formats. Among these, juxtaposing forces can generate gradient-based steady-state separations schemes globally similar to isoelectric focusing. The system of interest is termed gradient insulator-based dielectrophoresis and can create extremely high resolution steady-state separations for particles four nanometers to ten micrometers in diameter, including nearly all important bioparticles (large proteins, protein aggregates, polynucleotides viruses, organelles, cells, bacteria, etc.). A theoretical underpinning is developed here to understand the relationship between experimental parameters and resolution and to identify the best expected resolution possible. According to the results, differences in particles (and bioparticles) as small as one part in 10(4) for diameter (subnanometer resolution for a one micrometer particle), one part in 10(8) for dielectrophoretic parameters (dielectrophoretic mobility, Clausius-Mossotti factor), and one part in 10(5) for electrophoretic mobility can be resolved. These figures of merit are generally better than any competing technique, in some cases by orders of magnitude. This performance is enabled by very strong focusing forces associated with localized gradients.
Silent genes and rare males: A fresh look at pheromone blend response specificity in the European corn borer moth, Ostrinia nubilalis

The response of male moths from two pheromone races of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, was measured in a flight tunnel assay to different ratios of structurally different compounds that comprise the sex pheromone of the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis. For both O. nubilalis races, between 1 and 5% of the males completed upwind flights to two different blends of the O. furnacalis pheromone components (the 2:1 Z/E12-14:OAc female-produced blend, and a 97:3 Z/E mix), confirming that rare males exist in the O. nubilalis populations that can detect and respond to mixtures of the O. furnacalis pheromone components. Rare males that responded to the O. furnacalis blends also responded to their own O. nubilalis blends (97:3 or 1:99 Z/E11-14:OAc), indicating that rare O. nubilalis males are not preferentially sensitive to mixtures of the O. furnacalis compounds, but rather that they have a broad range of response specificity, which includes recognition of a wide range of conspecific female-produced ratios, and also recognition of heterospecific mixtures. The results support the hypothesis that saltational shifts in pheromone blend composition (Roelofs et al., 2002) can lead to the evolution of a new species-specific communication system, in part because the broad response specificity of some males includes the ability to respond in an agonistic manner to novel mixtures of compounds.
Maxillofacial rehabilitation of a large facial defect resulting from an arteriovenous malformation utilizing a two-piece prosthesis

Large facial defects involving the oral cavity can be difficult to restore prosthetically because of a lack of anatomic undercuts, limited means of retention, mobility of soft tissue margins, and the weight of the prosthesis. Use of skin adhesives may be precluded because of the presence of persistent moisture and saliva. The maxillofacial rehabilitation, including the design and fabrication of a 2-piece silicone prosthesis retained by the teeth, of a patient with a large facial defect as a result of treatment for an arteriovenous malformation is described. The pathogenesis and therapeutic alternatives for arteriovenous malformations is also discussed. (J Prosthet Dent 2003;89:109-13.)
Studies of global stability of field-reversed configuration plasmas using a rigid body model

Global stability of field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas has been studied using a simple rigid body model in the parameter space of s (the ratio of the separatrix radius to the average ion gyro-radius) and plasma elongation E (the ratio of the separatrix length to the separatrix diameter). Tilt stability is predicted, independent of s, for FRC’s with low E (oblate), while the tilt stability of FRC’s with large E (prolate) depends on s/E. It is found that plasma rotation due to ion diamagnetic drift can stabilize the tilt mode when s/E≲1.7. The so-called collisionless ion gyro-viscosity also is identified to stabilize tilt when s/E≲2.2. Combining these two effects, the stability regime broadens to s/E≲2.8, consistent with previously developed theories. A small additional rotation (e.g., a Mach number of 0.2) can improve tilt stability significantly at large E. A similar approach is taken to study the physics of the shift stability. It is found that radial shift is unstable when E 1. However, unlike tilt stability, gyro-viscosity has little effect on shift stability.
The salience of PAN-national hispanic and Asian identities in U.S. marriage markets

In this paper I test whether “Hispanic” and “Asian” identities are salient in the U.S. marriage market. That is, I determine whether the different Asian and Hispanic national groups intermarry often enough to suggest that Asian and Hispanic pan-national identities are important. Analysis of census data from 1980 and 1990 suggests that both Hispanic and Asian pan-national identities are significant forces. Variations in the strength of pan-national Hispanic and Asian associations by region, education, and nativity are discussed.
Effects of human activities on the Waterval River, Vaal River catchment, South Africa

Rand Water's chemical water quality data from 1991 to 2000 were used to assess the water quality of the Waterval River, which contributes about 111 x 106m3 of water to the Vaal River annually. Due to a biological community's ability to reflect water quality changes over time, biomonitoring was undertaken to support chemical water quality monitoring. Aspects of the riverine habitat, invertebrates and fish were investigated to give baseline information on the area. Human activities such as mining, industry, agriculture, rural and urban settlements are currently responsible for the deterioration of the ecological integrity of this river system. Habitat degradation was especially evident in the upper reaches of the Waterval River, as indicated by the South African Scoring System, version 4, Average Score Per Taxon and Biotic Integrity scores. In general, the ratings achieved were lower than those expected for the available habitat, which suggests that human activities have influenced the biotic community. By ...
Precise prediction of a dominant class I MHC-restricted epitope of Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium which grows in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells and can cause severe disease in immunocompromised individuals1,2. In murine systems CD8+T lymphocytes have been shown to be important effectors of acquired protective immunity against L. monocytogenes3–5. Class I MHC-restricted CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), which lyse J774 macrophage-like targets infected with L. monocytogenes, are induced following in vivo injection of live organisms. Natural peptide epitopes derived from L. monocytogenes can be acid-extracted from heavily infected BALB/c spleens and detected by CTL. A CTL clone, B9, derived from a (BALB/c x C57BL/6)F1 (H–2dxb) mouse, recognizes one of these natural epitopes in an H–2Kd-restricted fashion. B9 also recognizes P815 (H–2d) mas-tocytoma cells transfected with the listeriolysin gene. To identify the region of the listeriolysin recognized by CTL we used the H–2Kd peptide-binding motif described by Rammensee and colleagues6 to synthesize 11 nonamer peptides. One of these peptides, listeriolysin 91–99, was recognized very efficiently by B9. This represents the first identified class I MHC-restricted epitope of bacteria and demonstrates the utility of the allele-specific motif for predicting CTL epitopes.
Relationships between loading history and femoral cancellous bone architecture

Abstract A theory relating bone maintenance to mechanical loading history has been applied to successfully predict the distribution of bone density and trabecular orientation in the adult proximal femur. The loading history was simulated by determining the stress fields in a two-dimensional finite element model exposed to various discrete loading cases and making assumptions about the relative number of loading cycles associated with each load case. The total stimulus to bone maintenance was then calculated by a linear superposition of the stimulus of each loading case. Based on the calculated total stimulus, the apparent density and material properties of each element were changed and the stress solutions were again determined. Using this iterative technique, the bone apparent density and orientation characteristics were predicted. The results indicate that the trabecular morphology of the femur can only be explained by considering the joint loadings from multiple directions. Contrary to the ‘trajectorial theory’ promoted by Wolff (The Law of Bone Remodelling, 1892), trabecular orientations predicted from our multiple-load analyses are not necessarily perpendicular and do not correspond to the principal stress directions of any one loading condition. Our predicted orientations correspond better to the drawing of bone trabecular morphology by von Meyer (Archs Anat. Physiol. wiss. Med.34, 615–628, 1867) than to the classic drawing by Wolff and suggest that further study of the trajectorial theory is warranted.
Equilibrium viscoelastic waves

From an asymptotic property of the Fourier integral, it is shown that for any input wave for a one-dimensional viscoelastic medium the waveform will recover its original shape and will propagate with the equilibrium wave speed, provided that the equilibrium modulus exists and the duration of the input wave is long enough.
Aspects of perturbed stationary state theory for slow ion-atom collisions

Abstract The perturbed stationary state (PSS) method for studying slow ion-atom collisions is re-examined in the light of recent advancements in the comprehension of its many difficulties. It is found that, while these difficulties have, by no means, been solved, it is possible to foresee an improvement in the currently fragmented state of theory.
Nuclease treatment of broken bacterial suspensions for removal of highly polymerised nucleic acids

The use of nucleases for depolymerisation of nucleic acids in suspensions of disrupted bacterial cells has been shown to result in a reduction in the viscosity and an increase in the volume of supernatant recoverable after centrifugation. Precipitation of protein from nuclease treated suspensions, followed by dialysis of the protein precipitate, resulted in removal of most of the nucleotide material from the protein solution.
The Characterization of an Easy-to-Operate Inexpensive Student-Built Fluorimeter

A compact, rugged, and portable fluorimeter was designed and constructed using a 460 nm light-emitting diode for the excitation and a silicon photodiode for detection. The total cost of such an instrument is less than $110, thus allowing for deployment of multiple instruments at low cost. The fluorimeter is easy to operate and has been successfully used to quantify fluorescein in commercial-brand antifreeze and chlorophyll a pigment in spinach leaves. The mini instrument and the associated experiments have provided for a novel approach to teaching the principles and applications of spectroscopy and fluorescence to a wide academic variety of students.
Compartmental aspects of Na+ saturation kinetics in frog skin.

Epithelial membranes are multicompartment structures of microscopic and submicroscopic dimensions. Therefore, interpretations of kinetic data on solute fluxes, based on the standard three compartment model are open to criticism. We have obtained an integrated view of the kinetics of Na+ transport in frog skin epidermis by application of the computer simulation method. Epidermis and whole skin models were designed which resemble photomicrographs of these tissues. Justification is given for the way in which internal and external chamber compartments are connected (topology). The epidermis model has eight passive, and two active transfer sites. Our primary aims were 1) simulation of the transepidermal Na+ influx and the concomitant Na+ backflux saturation kinetics, and 2) localization of the so-called “outer” and “inner” Na+ responsive borders in epidermis. The analysis, based on methodical variations of transfer coefficients, suggests involvement of the “composite desmosomes” and the transepithelial Na+-pump leak pathway. These are located in the outer and the inner region of the epidermis, respectively. Reasonable functional agreement between epidermis and model was also seen in 1) Na+ saturation kinetics in ouabain, poisoned system, 2) relative independence of the two borders to the “trans” [Na+] in the external solutions, and 3) equal energy requirement, for the transmembrane Na+ pump, Na+/O2∼-20.
Minimizing Inaccuracy for Self-Locating Beliefs

One's inaccuracy for a proposition is defined as the squared difference between the truth value (1 or 0) of the proposition and the credence (or subjective probability, or degree of belief) assigned to the proposition. One should have the epistemic goal of minimizing the expected inaccuracies of one's credences. We show that the method of minimizing expected inaccuracy can be used to solve certain probability problems involving information loss and self-locating beliefs (where a self-locating belief of a temporal part of an individual is a belief about where or when that temporal part is located). We analyze the Sleeping Beauty problem, the duplication version of the Sleeping Beauty problem, and various related problems
Salt-sensitive hypertension: contribution of chloride

The effect of the anion associated with sodium loading on the development of hypertension in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat was determined. For 5 weeks rats were fed a diet containing normal or high concentrations of sodium chloride or high concentrations of sodium provided as a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, phosphate, and amino acids. After 1 week on these diets and until the end of the study the rats receiving high concentrations of sodium chloride had higher systolic blood pressures than the rats in the other two groups. There were no statistically significant group differences in plasma volume, arterial pH, or plasma concentrations of Na+, K+, Cl-, Ca2+, or creatinine, or in renomedullary prostaglandin E2 production. Compared to the animals receiving normal concentrations of sodium chloride, those receiving high concentrations of sodium chloride or amino acids showed decreased plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone concentrations. Thus, the anion ingested with sodium alters the development and severity of hypertension in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat.
When Infants Look to Their Parents: I. Infants' Social Referencing of Mothers Compared to Fathers

66 12-month-olds were seen with their mothers and fathers in a laboratory procedure designed to compare infants' solicitation of, emotional resonance to, and self-regulation on the basis of happy, fearful, and conflicting emotional signals from mothers versus fathers. Measures of positive and negative affect and affect lability; of look, approach, and proximity behavior; and of overall response pattern were obtained. Infants showed more positive and less negative affect and greater toy proximity with happy compared to fearful signals. Few differences emerged in infants' referencing response to mothers versus fathers. Infants looked more to mothers than fathers when no signals were given but did not differentiate between parents when only one was signaling or when both were signaling (conflict). In affective state and behavioral regulation, they were not differentially responsive to maternal versus paternal signals either when only one parent was signaling or when both were giving signals.
Central administration of peptide and small molecule MC4 receptor antagonists induce hyperphagia in mice and attenuate cytokine-induced anorexia

Abstract We investigated the effect of melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4) antagonists on food intake in mice. Food intake during the light phase was significantly increased by ICV administration of mixed MC3/MC4 antagonists (AgRP and SHU9119) or MC4 selective antagonist peptide [(Cyclo (1–5)[Suc– d –Nal–Arg–Trp–Lys]NH 2 ] (MBP10) and the small molecule antagonists THP and NBI-30. Both mixed and selective antagonists significantly reversed anorexia induced by ICV administration of the MC4 agonist (c (1–6) HfRWK-NH 2 ) and the cytokine IL-1β. These findings provide pharmacological evidence that the MC4 receptor mediates the effects of melanocortin agonists and antagonists on food intake in mice, and support the idea that selective small molecule MC4 antagonists may be useful as therapeutics for cachexia.
Load transfer in a composite containing a broken fiber with imperfect bonding

Abstract The effect of interface behavior on the local deformation field is studied by analyzing a composite consisting of a broken fiber imperfectly bonded to its surronding matrix. The fiber-matrix interface is modelled by constitutive relations that specify the value of the shear stress in terms of the relative displacements of the fiber and the matrix along the interface. Two different forms of constitutive relations are considered, one corresponding to an elastic interface model, another to a plastic interface model with possible debonding at sufficiently large interface displacement. The latter model is used to study the process of interface crack growth and fiber pull out. Analytic and numerical solutions are presented for the both models.