cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatio-temporal Patterning of Small Area Low Birth Weight Incidence and Its Correlates: A Latent Spatial Structure Approach

Low birth weight (LBW) defined as infant weight at birth of less than 2500 g is a useful health outcome for exploring spatio-temporal variation and the role of covariates. LBW is a key measure of population health used by local, national and international health organizations. Yet its spatio-temporal patterns and their dependence structures are poorly understood. In this study we examine the use of flexible latent structure models for the analysis of spatio-temporal variation in LBW. Beyond the explanatory capabilities of well-known predictors, we observe spatio-temporal effects, which are not directly observable using conventional modeling approaches. Our analysis shows that for county-level counts of LBW in Georgia and South Carolina the proportion of black population is a positive risk factor while high-income is a negative risk factor. Two dominant residual temporal components are also estimated. Finally our proposed method provides a better goodness-of-fit to these data than the conventional space–time models.
Gynodioecy in Origanum vulgare : Computer Simulation of a Model

THE population dynamics of the rare male sterility factors, or of gynodioecious species, which have a characteristically high proportion of female (male-sterile) and hermaphrodite individuals together in a population, is interesting to both evolutionists and plant breeders. Many workers have discussed the evolutionary significance of such a mating system, which promotes outbreeding with the proportion of females regulating the degree of outbreeding (for example, refs. 1–3). In Origanum vulgare (Labiateae), Lewis and Crowe4 estimated that nearly 30 per cent, or even as many as 50 per cent, of females occur in various European populations. They showed that two loci govern the gynodioecy system; a dominant factor F causes anther suppression in combination with the recessive class hh to give FFhh and Ffhh as females, whereas HH, Hh suppress factor F to yield the other seven genotypes as hermaphrodites. Furthermore, certain segregation ratios suggested to them that the females are maintained through almost lethality of ffhh, lower viability of HH genotypes and poorer seed output of hermaphrodites than females. Thus if the fitness values are denoted by the matrix their data suggest that z is nearly 0, y = 0.25 to 0.50 and x>w.
Intra-Alveolar Dental Development in Twins

Intra-alveolar dental development of several permanent mandibular teeth was compared in 69 sets of twins. Bilateral symmetry of dental development was found in monozygotic and dizygotic twins. Comparisons of intrapair variances between monozygotic and dizygotic twins indicated that a strong genetic component exists in the mechanisms that influence intraalveolar dental development.
An Alternative to Maximum Contrast Symbolization for Classed Choropleth Mapping

Traditionally, choropleth maps are used to examine spatial patterns present in a data distribution rather than to examine specific data values within that distribution. The transformation of initial numeric data values into graphic values for visual display differs for classed and unclassed maps. Classed maps first group data into classification intervals and each interval is then assigned a graphic value usually using the principle of maximum contrast. Unclassed maps skip the classification step and directly assign graphic value based on the original numeric data value. The paper examines the differences in defining algebraic-to-graphic transformation lines for both classed and unclassed classed maps and especially the role of the maximum contrast principle in constructing classed choropleth maps. Results show that the maximum contrast principle increases the visual complexity of spatial patterns in a classed map over the level present in a corresponding unclassed map.
The effect of LHRH antagonist analogs and an antibody to LHRH on mating behavior in female rats

The action of two antagonist analogs and an antibody to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) on sexual receptivity was studied in ovariectomized, estrogen-progesterone primed female rats. Small amounts of each LHRH substance or saline was infused through a cannula positioned in either the third ventricle or arcuate-ventromedial (ARC-VMH) area of the hypothalamus. Infusions were carried out at the time of progesterone priming, which was 42 hrs post-estrogen treatment, and sexual receptivity, as denoted by the lordosis-to-mount ratio, was measured six hrs later. One antagonist analog, [D-pGlu 1 , D-Phe 2 , D-Trp 3.6 ]-LHRH [1] , had little or no effect on sexual receptivity when tested in either site. Similarly, an antibody to LHRH, tested only in the ARC-VMH, had no observable effect on lordotic behavior. However, the second and the most potent antagonist analog, [Ac-dehydro-Pro 1 , pCl-D-Phe 2 , D-Trp 3,6 ]-LHRH [2] , produced a marked and significant decrement in lordotic behavior when infused into either the third ventricle or ARC-VMH. These results suggest that this potent and long-acting, competitive antagonist analog of LHRH prevented endogenous LHRH from exerting its normal role in the induction of sexual receptivity and provide evidence to support the contention that the role of LHRH in mediating sexual receptivity in the female rat is physiologically relevant.
Instructional planning: information collected by school psychologists vs. information considered useful by teachers

Abstract A limited national sample of 49 school psychologists and 30 regular education teachers provided information on assessment for the purpose of instructional planning. School psychologists listed the types of information they most often collected for this purpose and teachers listed the types of information considered most useful for this purpose. While some indications of agreement were found between school psychologists and teachers, there were also several inconsistencies in the views of the two groups regarding assessment procedures for instructional planning. The findings are discussed in light of empirical evidence on the contribution of various types of assessment data to instructional planning.
Creep behavior of a pitch-based carbon filament

New fabrication techniques were developed for uniaxial creep specimens of high-strength, high elastic modulus, pitch-based, carbon filaments, with a matrix-free test section. Experiments show that pitch-based carbon filaments with a tensile modulus of 896 GPa can exhibit, under high stress, large creep deformation without necking. The stress exponent for the pitch-based fibers in the Dorn equation is much lower than that for PAN-based fibers, while the activation energy is the same. The activation energies and activation volumes determined from the experiments suggest mechanisms of creep deformation.
Hyperactivity following posterior cortical injury in lateralized, sensitive to lesion size and independent of the nigrostriatal dopamine system

Abstract In a previous study, we reported that a specific size cortical suction lesion of the right posterior cortex in rats produced hyperactivity and increased concentrations of dopamine in the nigrostriatal pathway. The present study extended those findings by addressing whether this phenomenon is lateralized to the right posterior cortex and whether the increases in nigrostriatal dopamine are necessary for the behavioral changes produced by the lesion. Right posterior cortical lesions of 1.8 mm diameter produced spontaneous hyperactivity over a 30-day postoperative period while identically placed 1.3 mm or 2.4 mm diameter lesions did not. Left hemisphere lesiond of 1.3 mm, 1.8 mm or 2.4 mm diameter also failed to produced hyperactivity. The hyperactivity response to 1.8 mm diameter lesions of the right posterior cortex was not blocked by 70% depletions in nigrostriatal dopamine produced by bilateral nigral injections of 6-hydroxydopamine two weeks prior to cortical lesions. These findings suggest that hyperactivity following right posterior cortical lesions is lateralized and is not dependent upon changes in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway.
A low-profile circularly polarized curl antenna over an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) surface

An electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) surface is utilized as a ground plane for a curl antenna to achieve a low-profile design as well as a circularly polarized pattern. The antenna height is greatly reduced compared to a normal curl antenna over a PEC ground plane. The frequency bandgap and ground plane size are discussed. Experimental results demonstrate the applicability of this concept. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 31: 264–267, 2001.
Disk edema subsequent to renal transplanation

A 12-year-old child was discovered (following successful renal transplantation) to have asymptomatic bilateral disk edema with preservation of optic nerve function. He had been maintained on cyclosporine, imuran and prednisone. Evaluation revealed normal intracranial imaging and normal CSF though under elevated intracranial pressure. The contributing possibilities to this papilledema are considered, and include a secondary pseudotumor cerebri syndrome of childhood and toxic effects of cyclosporine. The indications for treatment for pseudotumor cerebri are discussed, and clinicians are reminded to separate what we think about a case from how we behave in taking care of the patient.
A case for taxation in peer-to-peer streaming broadcast

Most existing research on peer-to-peer (p2p) has been on file sharing applications. In this paper, we focus on p2p streaming applications. In particular, we argue that the Bit-for-Bit model, widely adopted in p2p file sharing, is not applicable in p2p streaming. In p2p streaming, the bottleneck resource is the upstream bandwidth capacity. Our empirical experience with p2p streaming indicates that a large percent of peers on the Internet have limited upstream bandwidth capacity, and the Bit-for-Bit model severely limits the amount of bandwidth these resource-poor peers can receive. To address this issue, we propose a taxation model.In the taxation model, resource-rich peers contribute more bandwidth to the system, and subsidize for the resource-poor peers. This redistribution of wealth improves social welfare. Such a model is applicable in the streaming context because the publisher of the video stream has the means to enforce taxation on peers and the will to maximize their collective social welfare. We design a simple linear taxation scheme and incorporate it in a distributed streaming protocol. Our simulation results indicate that taxation can significantly improve social welfare without incurring a significant overhead to the system.
Pigeons trade efficiency for stability in response to level of challenge during confined flight

Individuals traversing challenging obstacles are faced with a decision: they can adopt traversal strategies that minimally disrupt their normal locomotion patterns or they can adopt strategies that substantially alter their gait, conferring new advantages and disadvantages. We flew pigeons (Columba livia) through an array of vertical obstacles in a flight arena, presenting them with this choice. The pigeons selected either a strategy involving only a slight pause in the normal wing beat cycle, or a wings-folded posture granting reduced efficiency but greater stability should a misjudgment lead to collision. The more stable but less efficient flight strategy was not used to traverse easy obstacles with wide gaps for passage but came to dominate the postures used as obstacle challenge increased with narrower gaps and there was a greater chance of a collision. These results indicate that birds weigh potential obstacle negotiation strategies and estimate task difficulty during locomotor pattern selection.
BROADCAST SCHEDULING PROBLEM IN SINR MODEL

Our work is to study the Minimum Latency Broadcast Scheduling problem in the geometric SINR model with power control. With power control, sensor nodes have the ability to adjust transmitting power. While existing works studied the problem assuming a uniform power assignment or allowing unlimited power levels, we investigate the problem with a more realistic power assignment model where the maximum power level is bounded. To the best of our knowledge, no existing work formally proved the NP-hardness, though many researchers have been assuming that this fact holds true. In this paper, we provide a solid proof for this result.
MUC1 Promoter–Driven DTA as a Targeted Therapeutic Strategy against Pancreatic Cancer

Mucin1 (MUC1) is overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) and is associated with tumor aggressiveness, suggesting that MUC1 is a promising therapeutic target for promoter-driven diphtheria toxin A (DTA). Endogenous MUC1 transcript levels were analyzed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in multiple PDA cells (Capan1, HPAFII, Su.86.86, Capan2, Hs766T, MiaPaCa2, and Panc1). Expression levels were correlated with luciferase activity and cell death after transfection with MUC1 promoter–driven luciferase and DTA constructs. MUC1-positive (+) cells had significantly elevated MUC1 mRNA expression compared with MUC1-negative (−) cells. Luciferase activity was significantly higher in MUC1+ cells when transfected with MUC1 promoter–driven luciferase and MUC1+ cells underwent enhanced cell death after transfection with a single dose of MUC1 promoter–driven DTA. IFNγ pretreatment enhanced MUC1 expression in MUC1− cells and induced sensitivity to MUC1–DTA therapy. Matched primary and metastatic tumor lesions from clinical specimens revealed similar MUC1 IHC labeling patterns, and a tissue microarray of human PDA biopsies revealed increased immunolabeling with a combination of MUC1 and mesothelin (MSLN) antibodies, compared with either antibody alone. Combining MUC1 with MSLN-targeted DTA enhanced drug efficacy in an in vitro model of heterogeneous PDA. These data demonstrate that MUC1 promoter–driven DTA preferentially kills MUC1-expressing PDA cells and drugs that enhance MUC1 expression sensitize PDA cells with low MUC1 expression. Implications: MUC1 expression in primary and metastatic lesions provides a rationale for the development of a systemic MUC1 promoter–driven DTA therapy that may be further enhanced by combination with other promoter-driven DTA constructs. Mol Cancer Res; 13(3); 439–48. ©2014 AACR .
Solving the inverse problem for soil moisture and temperature profiles by sequential assimilation of multifrequency remotely sensed observations

An algorithm is developed to solve the inverse problem for the retrieval of the soil moisture and temperature profiles based on remotely sensed observations of multispectral irradiance. A model of coherent wave radiative transfer and a model of coupled heat and moisture diffusion in porous media are combined in order to estimate the liquid volumetric water content and temperature profiles in a soil column using low-frequency passive microwave and infrared emitted radiation observations and without the use of empirical relations. The central purpose of this mainly theoretical paper is to pose the inverse problem and present the physics-based algorithm as the solution. The algorithm is tested on a basic synthetic example in order to ascertain that the retrieval is feasible. Additional work in the future is necessary and planned in order to test the algorithm with field observations, extend it to include vegetation, and refine it for detail in the specification of heterogeneity in soil types and boundary conditions. >
Estimation and segmentation of displacement field using multiple features

We present an approach for estimating and segmenting the displacement field (DF) between two frames. Our method is based on local affine (first-order) approximation of the displacement field which is derived under the assumption of locally rigid motion. Each distinct motion is represented in the image plane by a distinct set of values of affine coefficients. All sets of values supported by the feature locations in two frames are identified by exhaustive coarse-to-fine search. The integrated use of multiple features (points, regions and lines) increases the probability of finding well-supported sets. The sets of coefficients thus obtained are used to describe the DF. Two experimental results with real images are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach. >
Technical editing in transition: editors wanted for intranet site development

Because of the changing nature of today's corporations and their distributive information systems, editors are in the right place and time to influence the development and management of Web based publishing systems within their companies. Technical editors possess unique skills that could be adapted for editing and administering intranets-company wide information publishing systems relying on Internet technology. The article encourages editors to take an active role in developing intranet systems at their companies and suggests strategies for doing so. Editors will benefit from the discussion of the importance of intranet "publishing" in today's changing business climate.
Multiple Imputation: A Flexible Tool for Handling Missing Data

In this issue of JAMA, Asch et al1 report results of a cluster-randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate the effects of physician financial incentives, patient incentives, or shared physician and patient incentives on low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels among patients with high cardiovascular risk. Because 1 or more follow-up LDL-C measurements were missing for approximately 7% of participants, Asch et al used multiple imputation (MI) to analyze their data and concluded that shared financial incentives for physicians and patients, but not incentives to physicians or patients alone, resulted in the patients having lower LDL-C levels. Imputation is the process of replacing missing data with 1 or more specific values, to allow statistical analysis that includes all participants and not just those who do not have any missing data. Missing data are common in research. In a previous JAMA Guide to Statistics and Methods, Newgard and Lewis2 reviewed the causes of missing data. These are divided into 3 classes: 1) missing completely at random, the most restrictive assumption, indicating that whether a data point is missing is completely unrelated to observed and unobserved data; 2) missing at random, a more realistic assumption than missing completely at random, indicating whether a data point is missing can be explained by the observed data; or 3) missing not at random, meaning that the missingness is dependent on the unobserved values. Common statistical methods used for handling missing values were reviewed.2 When missing data occur, it is important to not exclude cases with missing information (analyses after such exclusion are known as complete case analyses). Single-value imputation methods are those that estimate what each missing value might have been and replace it with a single value in the data set. Single-value imputation methods include mean imputation, last observation carried forward, and random imputation. These approaches can yield biased results and are suboptimal. Multiple imputation better handles missing data by estimating and replacing missing values many times.
A simulation model for risk analysis of toxic chemical storage

Abstract With the increasing complexity of chemical plants and the growing public concern for the safe manufacture, transport, and disposal of these chemicals, there exist a need to assist decision-makers in project evaluation with regard to risk. Extensive work has been done in risk analysis area related to nuclear industry. The amount of research and applications of risk analysis methodology in chemical industry is seriously lacking. Direct application of some of the risk analysis techniques used for nuclear risk studies is not always appropriate to the chemical industry. The use of simulation models to overcome some of the problems of direct application of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodologies is evaluated in this paper. A simulation model is developed for a toxic chemical storage risk analysis problem. The results of the simulation model are compared to the results of using standard fault tree methodology.
Examining Teacher Thinking Constructing a Process to Design Curricular Adaptations

This article provides a detailed description of a curricular adaptation decision-making process based on the tenets of reflective practice and designed to assist educators to devise meaningful and effective instruction for students in heterogenous classrooms. this adaptive decision-making process emerged from examining teacher thinking while teams of educators engaged in creative problem solving regarding daily curricular and instructional outcomes for learners with significant disabilities. a case example illustrates how an elementary teaching team transformed lessons to accommodate effectively a wide range of learners in a multiage first and second-grade classroom.
“MANAGING THE DECISION SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY: A CASE FOR ETHICAL ANALYSIS?”‐COMMENT

In the current issue of Decision Sciences, Brightman [2] argues that the growth of the discipline should be managed, and individual decision scientists must ultimately be held accountable for the ethical implications of implementing their research findings. The purpose of this comment is to examine several principles behind Brightman's arguments and to initiate a discussion of some of the important issues that have been raised. The distinction between the inquiry and technological imperatives and questions about the universality of moral reasoning at the ethical-principles leverl further Brightman's analysis and pose important considerations for decision scientists.
Nonfuel mineral problems of the United States

Abstract Since World War II, United States dependence on imports for supplies of nonfuel minerals has significantly increased. Mineral supplies are now being drawn from many countries of the world. Rising dependence on imports has been accompanied by transfer of certain segments of American mineral industry to mineral-producing countries and by internationalization of American industry at various levels from mining, smelting, and refining to manufacturing. Treatment of deficiencies in United States production solely in terms of supply of deficient mineral raw materials is, therefore, no longer possible. A review of national policies affecting nonfuel mineral supply and the nature and strength of domestic mineral-based industry is overdue. A coherent, long-term national mineral policy aimed at reversing deterioration of mineral-producing and mineral-consuming industries of the United States is needed.
CHARACTERIZATION OF A PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA FATTY ACID BIOSYNTHETIC GENE CLUSTER : PURIFICATION OF ACYL CARRIER PROTEIN (ACP) AND MALONYL-COENZYME A :ACP TRANSACYLASE (FABD)

A DNA fragment containing the Pseudomonas aeruginosa fabD (encoding malonyl-coenzyme A [CoA]:acyl carrier protein [ACP] transacylase), fabG (encoding beta-ketoacyl-ACP reductase), acpP (encoding ACP), and fabF (encoding beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase II) genes was cloned and sequenced. This fab gene cluster is delimited by the plsX (encoding a poorly understood enzyme of phospholipid metabolism) and pabC (encoding 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate lyase) genes; the fabF and pabC genes seem to be translationally coupled. The fabH gene (encoding beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III), which in most gram-negative bacteria is located between plsX and fabD, is absent from this gene cluster. A chromosomal temperature-sensitive fabD mutant was obtained by site-directed mutagenesis that resulted in a W258Q change. A chromosomal fabF insertion mutant was generated, and the resulting mutant strain contained substantially reduced levels of cis-vaccenic acid. Multiple attempts aimed at disruption of the chromosomal fabG gene were unsuccessful. We purified FabD as a hexahistidine fusion protein (H6-FabD) and ACP in its native form via an ACP-intein-chitin binding domain fusion protein, using a novel expression and purification scheme that should be applicable to ACP from other bacteria. Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization spectroscopy, native polyacrylamide electrophoresis, and amino-terminal sequencing revealed that (i) most of the purified ACP was properly modified with its 4'-phosphopantetheine functional group, (ii) it was not acylated, and (iii) the amino-terminal methionine was removed. In an in vitro system, purified ACP functioned as acyl acceptor and H(6)-FabD exhibited malonyl-CoA:ACP transacylase activity.
Hopanoids Play a Role in Membrane Integrity and pH Homeostasis in Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1

Sedimentary hopanes are pentacyclic triterpenoids that serve as biomarker proxies for bacteria and certain bacterial metabolisms, such as oxygenic photosynthesis and aerobic methanotrophy. Their parent molecules, the bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs), have been hypothesized to be the bacterial equivalent of sterols. However, the actual function of BHPs in bacterial cells is poorly understood. Here, we report the physiological study of a mutant in Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 that is unable to produce any hopanoids. The deletion of the gene encoding the squalene-hopene cyclase protein (Shc), which cyclizes squalene to the basic hopene structure, resulted in a strain that no longer produced any polycyclic triterpenoids. This strain was able to grow chemoheterotrophically, photoheterotrophically, and photoautotrophically, demonstrating that hopanoids are not required for growth under normal conditions. A severe growth defect, as well as significant morphological damage, was observed when cells were grown under acidic and alkaline conditions. Although minimal changes in shc transcript expression were observed under certain conditions of pH shock, the total amount of hopanoid production was unaffected; however, the abundance of methylated hopanoids significantly increased. This suggests that hopanoids may play an indirect role in pH homeostasis, with certain hopanoid derivatives being of particular importance.
Reducing Energy Consumption of On-Chip Networks Through a Hybrid Compiler-Runtime Approach

This paper investigates a compiler-runtime approach for reducing power consumption in the context of the network-on-chip (NoC) based chip multiprocessor (CMP) architectures. Our proposed approach is based on the observation that the same communication patterns across the nodes of a mesh based CMP repeat themselves in successive iterations of a loop nest. The approach collects the link usage statistics during the execution of the first few iterations of a given loop nest and computes the slack (allowable delay) for each communication transaction. This information is subsequently utilized in selecting the most appropriate voltage levels for the communication links (and the corresponding frequencies) in executing the remaining iterations of the loop nest. The results with the benchmarks from the MediaBench suite show that, not only this hybrid approach generates better energy savings than a pure hardware-directed voltage scaling scheme, but it also leads to much less performance degradation than the latter. Specifically, the average energy savings achieved by the pure hardware based scheme and our approach are 24.9% and 38.1%, respectively, and the corresponding performance overhead numbers are 8.3% and 2.1%. Our results also show that the hybrid approach generates much better savings than two proposed pure compiler based schemes. In addition, our experimental evaluation indicates that the energy savings obtained through the proposed approach are very close to optimal savings (within 3%) under the same performance bound.
Neurexin 3 polymorphisms are associated with alcohol dependence and altered expression of specific isoforms

Neurexins are cell adhesion molecules that help to specify and stabilize synapses and provide receptors for neuroligins, neurexophilins, dystroglycans and alpha-latrotoxins. We previously reported significant allele frequency differences for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the neurexin 3 (NRXN3) gene in each of two comparisons between individuals who were dependent on illegal substances and controls. We now report work clarifying details of NRXN3's gene structure and variants and documenting association of NRXN3 SNPs with alcohol dependence. We localize this association signal with the vicinity of the NRXN3 splicing site 5 (SS#5). A splicing site SNP, rs8019381, that is located 23 bp from the SS#5 exon 23 donor site displays association with P = 0.0007 (odds ratio = 2.46). Including or excluding exon 23 at SS#5 produces soluble or transmembrane NRXN3 isoforms. We thus examined expression of these NRXN3 isoforms in postmortem human cerebral cortical brain samples from individuals with varying rs8019381 genotypes. Two of the splice variants that encode transmembrane NRXN3 isoforms were expressed at significantly lower levels in individuals with the addiction-associated rs8019381 'T' allele than in CC homozygotes. Taken together with recent reports of NRXN3 association with nicotine dependence and linkage with opiate dependence, these data support roles for NRXN3 haplotypes that alter expression of specific NRXN3 isoforms in genetic vulnerabilities to dependence on a variety of addictive substances.
Changes in Composition of Culturable Bacteria Community in the Gut of the Formosan Subterranean Termite Depending on Rearing Conditions of the Host

The hindgut of feeding termites that feed on wood and litter contains a diverse population of bacteria and protists that contribute to the carbon, nitrogen, and energy requirements of the termite. For understanding the ecological balance in the termite gut, detailed knowledge about the composition of the microbial gut flora is imperative, i.e., the numbers and relative proportions of the microbial taxa and the variability in the microbial composition among different termite colonies and living conditions of termites should be described. Therefore, we isolated and enumerated eight bacterial morphotypes from the gut of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Five morphotypes (three isolates of lactic acid bacteria, isolates of the family Enterobacteriaceae and isolates belonging to the genus Dysgonomonas) were found frequently in all termite colonies. Three additional morphotypes were found sporadically and were considered to be transient flora. We compared the proportions of the three lactic acid bacteria isolates and the Enterobacteriaceae among three different termite colonies. Furthermore, we investigated the shift in proportions of these four major morphotypes depending on whether bacteria were isolated from freshly collected termites or from termites reared in the laboratory under seminatural conditions (in arenas on wood) or artificial conditions (in petri dishes on filter paper). Differences in the culturable microbial composition were not significant among termite colonies, or between field-collected termites and termites reared under seminatural conditions in the laboratory. However, we found significant shifts in the microbial composition between field-collected termites and termites reared on filter paper.
Interview: Revolutionizing personalized medicine with nanosensor technology.

Perena Gouma, PhD, is a Fulbright Scholar and tenured Associate Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the State University of New York Stony Brook, NY, USA. Dr Gouma is a lead researcher in sensor technology, and recently developed a new nanomedicine tool called the ‘Nanosensor Device for Breath Acetone Detection’, which makes it possible to instantly detect and monitor disease by simply exhaling into a handheld device. Dr Gouma received a BS degree in Applied Physics from the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece, a MS in Advanced Engineering Materials and an MPhil in Organizational Management, both from the University of Liverpool (UK), and a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Birmingham (UK).
Incompressible Inviscid Flows: Source andVortex Panel Methods

In the present chapter we will consider the numerical analysis of incompressible inviscid flows. In principle, the finite—difference approach discussed later can be used to solve such flows, but there are other approaches which are usually more appropriate solutions for inviscid, incompressible flow. This chapter discusses one such approach, namely, the use of source and vortex panels. Panel methods, since the late 1960s, have become standard aerodynamic tools in the aerospace industry. Panel methods are numerical methods which require a high-speed digital computer for their implementation; therefore we include panel methods as part of the overall structure of computational fluid dynamics. For this reason, it is appropriate to spend some time discussing panel methods in our introduction to CFD. Frequently in the literature panel methods will be classified under the title of computational aerodynamics which has a slightly more specialized connotation than the more general meaning of CFD. In this author’s opinion, computational aerodynamics is simply a sub-speciality under the more general heading of computational fluid dynamics.
Ecotourism and primate habituation: Behavioral variation in two groups of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) from Costa Rica

The increase of ecotourism operations within Costa Rica during the last 20yrs has brought more and more humans into close, direct contact with several wildlife species. One of these species is the white-faced capuchin (Cebus capucinus), highly gregarious, and with exposure over time, willing to come into close vicinity of humans and their developments. Such contact has its advantages and disadvantages for the ecotourism industry. We observed white-faced monkeys in order to assess the impact of human presence and development on monkey behavior, with a focus on aggressive, affiliative, and foraging behaviors in Curu Wildlife Refuge (CWR), located in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and to ascertain the degree of over-habituation of capuchin populations at CWR. Though there exist no discrete behavioral parameters that measure over-habituation, it can be defined as an extreme state of habituation in which non-human primates not only lose fear of humans, but also actively include humans in social interactions or treat them as a food resource. We used instantaneous focal animal and group scan sampling during 8wks in March and April 2012. Two groups (approximately 20-30 individuals each) of capuchins were observed; the first near the tourist development at the Southwestern area of CWR, representing a habituated population that regularly foraged, rested, and groomed in the presence of humans. The second, was observed in the Northeastern area of CWR, did not visit the center of human activity and exhibited fear of humans. The habituated group exhibited significantly fewer instances of threatened behavior in response to human presence (p<0.0001) than the non-habituated group, and spent significantly more time eating and foraging (p<0.0001). While the habituated monkeys at CWR may not be over-habituated, they could become that way as development, especially ecotourism, increases. Over-habituation is a problem that affects capuchins in certain ecotourism sites in Costa Rica. It is critical that the consequences of habituation be studied more carefully, primarily in areas where ecotourism operations draw visitors to wildlife habitats. Shasta E. Webb1 & Michael B. McCoy2 1Macalester College, 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105-1899; webbshasta@gmail.com2Associated Colleges of the Midwest, Costa Rican Office, San Pedro de Montes e Oca, Costa Rica; mmccoycolton@yahoo.com
Potential Causes of Action for Climate Change Damages in International Fora: The Law of the Sea Convention

The article focuses on the potential impacts of climate change on ocean ecosystems and coastal resources and explores the prospects for bringing causes of action under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The article also includes a discussion of the potential barriers to such a cause of action.
Monitoring fatigue damage in concrete

Rigid airport pavement structures suffer damage from multi-axial high magnitude cyclic stresses resulting from passing heavy aircraft. It is of interest to model the response of plain portland cement concrete to such loading conditions; thus, the sensitive detection and characterization of such damage during the loading process is important. Low strain vibrational resonance frequency measurement offers direct information concerning the global, apparent elastic moduli of the material and preliminary results have shown such measurements are sensitive to the presence of damage in concrete. The work reported here includes the theoretical foundation and experimental results of a non-destructive technique, based on vibrational resonance measurement. The tests are applied to monitor damage imparted to end-mounted hollow concrete cylinders subjected to monotonic and cyclic torsional (bi-axial) loads. An introduction to the concepts of vibration testing and details of mechanical and vibrational test procedures employed are given first. The most significant vibrational modes, of all of the possible modes setup within the specimen, are identified. The frequency value of these significant modes in the concrete specimen are experimentally obtained throughout a controlled cyclic testing procedure to failure. The behavior of these modes is then monitored during a controlled cyclic testing procedure to failure. Distinctions between the frequency values of the various excited resonance modes are noted. Moreover, effects of the two damage types (monotonic and cyclic) on the frequency values of the modes are studied. Finally, conclusions concerning the applicability of the vibrational resonance techniques for monitoring imparted damage in these concrete specimens are drawn.
TINEA INCOGNITO: An Update on Majocchi Granuloma

Majocchi granuloma was described naturally in situations of occlusion and later from superficial trauma such as shaving. More recently, the disease has occurred in the immunocompromised patient. Iatrogenic disease (tinea incognito) is a new and more subtle form.
Cellular mechanisms of acute and chronic adaptation of rat renal P(i) transporter to alterations in dietary P(i)

Recently, the cDNA for a Na-P(i) cotransport system of rat kidney cortex (NaPi-2) has been identified by expression cloning. Using polyclonal antibodies raised against this renal Na-P(i) cotranspor...
Inhibiting subthalamic nucleus decreases cocaine demand and relapse: therapeutic potential.

Preclinical evidence indicates that inactivation of subthalamic nucleus (STN) may be effective for treating cocaine addiction, and therapies that target STN, e.g. deep brain stimulation, are available indicating that this may have clinical promise. Here, we assessed the therapeutic potential of STN inactivation using a translationally relevant economic approach that quantitatively describes drug-taking behavior, and tested these results with drug-seeking tasks. Economic demand for cocaine was assessed in rats (n = 11) using a within-session threshold procedure in which cocaine price (responses/mg cocaine) was sequentially increased throughout the session. Cocaine demand was assessed in this manner immediately after bilateral microinfusions into STN of either vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid) or the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol. A separate group of animals (n = 8) was tested for changes in cocaine seeking either during extinction or in response to cocaine-associated cues. Muscimol-induced inhibition of STN significantly attenuated cocaine consumption at high prices, drug seeking during extinction and cued reinstatement of cocaine seeking. In contrast, STN inhibition did not reduce cocaine consumption at low prices or locomotor activity. Thus, STN inactivation reduced economic demand for cocaine and multiple measures of drug seeking during extinction. In view of the association between economic demand and addiction severity in both rat and human, these results indicate that STN inactivation has substantial clinical potential for treatment of cocaine addiction.
Straightening of the Northern San Jacinto Fault, California, as Seen in the Fault‐Structure Evolution of the San Jacinto Valley Stepover

Abstract We investigate a releasing stepover between the Casa Loma and Claremont strands of the northern San Jacinto fault zone to evaluate the late Quaternary structural evolution of the fault zone, and to assess the likelihood of a rupture jumping across the stepover. Our new cone penetration test (CPT) and trench observations along the Claremont fault at Mystic Lake indicate that the main strand of the Claremont fault has jumped nearly a half kilometer westward into the San Jacinto releasing stepover during the late Quaternary. Multiple faults are inferred from the CPT data within a small sag at the northeast side of the stepover that cuts through younger stratigraphy to the west of the basin‐bounding fault near Mystic Lake. Previous seismic‐reflection data also suggest the presence of a young fault that cuts basin strata beneath the middle of Mystic Lake farther west of our study area. Numerous tectono‐geomorphic features observed in satellite and Light Detection and Ranging Digital Elevation Model (LiDAR DEM) imagery are interpreted to delineate the location of the currently active faults, including a zone of faults that cut across the basin from the northern end of the Casa Loma fault to the Claremont fault. Seismicity observations suggest the presence of many faults within the stepover zone. Finally, new paleoseismic data from the Mystic Lake site suggest that some late Holocene earthquakes may have jumped the stepover. All of these observations suggest that the San Jacinto stepover, which has been used as the primary basis for segmenting the northern San Jacinto fault zone, is being bypassed and that the fault zone may now be capable of larger earthquakes than previously expected.
Autonomous water sampling for long-term monitoring of trace metals in remote environments.

A remotely controlled autonomous method for long-term high-frequency sampling of environmental waters in remote locations is described. The method which preserves sample integrity of dissolved trace metals and major ions for month-long periods employs a gravitational filtration system (GFS) that separates dissolved and particulate phases as samples are collected. The key elements of GFS are (1) a modified “air-outlet” filter holder to maximize filtration rate and thus minimize filtration artifacts; and (2) the direct delivery of filtrate to dedicated bottle sets for specific analytes. Depth and screen filter types were evaluated with depth filters showing best performance. GFS performance is validated using ground, stream, and estuary waters. Over 30 days of storage, samples with GFS treatment had average recoveries of 95 ± 19% and 105 ± 7% of Fe and Mn, respectively; without GFS treatment, average recoveries were only 16% and 18%. Dissolved major cations K, Mg, and Na were stable independent of collectio...
Are the ‘monstrous races’ races?

This essay considers the use of the modern term ‘monstrous races’ to describe the wondrous beings found in Herodotus, Pliny, The Wonders of the East, world maps and elsewhere. Considering the etymology and history of the word ‘race,’ a series of modern definitions are tested out on figures found in the images and texts of the British Library MS Harley 3954 Book of John Mandeville, the BL MS Tiberius B.v Marvels of the East, The King of Tars, Cursor Mundi and other medieval sources. The essay questions whether the term, often rooted in modern notions about the fixity of divisions of peoples, is helpful for describing medieval concepts. The essay further explores how the term ‘monstrous races’ reifies the culture of the medieval authors and illuminators – often in practice ‘white’ European Christians – as a ‘race,’ and implicitly, if unintentionally, elevates this group as normative.
Men with Money and the “Vulnerable Women” Client Category in an AIDS Epidemic

Why have African men been largely overlooked in HIV policy and programs, while poor women are almost always targeted? Men are more likely to die of AIDS than women, and multiple studies in Africa find that wealthier men are more likely to be infected with HIV than are poor men. We draw on survey and ethnographic data from rural Malawi, a country in southeastern Africa that has experienced a major AIDS epidemic, to examine this puzzle of the “missing men.” Using longitudinal survey data collected at the height of Malawi’s epidemic, we find that not only are wealthy urban men more likely to be HIV positive, but so too are rural men who are wealthy by rural standards. We further advance our argument using ethnographic data to show that rural Malawians understand that men with money are a risk, both to themselves and others. We then systematically analyze HIV policies and documents from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, and the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)—large international organizations at the forefront of responding to AIDS—to identify the extent to which women and men and poverty and wealth appear as targets. We present evidence showing that women, who appear in these documents more than twice than do men, are framed as unquestionably vulnerable and in need of aid, whereas men are overlooked. We argue that the international discourse on AIDS in Africa cannot be conceived of as separate from the broader discourses of economic development. The campaigns by international donors and NGOs to protect poor women while sidelining men with money gives an incomplete picture of AIDS epidemics.
Improved methods for the determination of drying conditions and fraction insoluble solids (FIS) in biomass pretreatment slurry

Abstract Accurate and precise chemical characterization of biomass feedstocks and process intermediates is a requirement for successful technical and economic evaluation of biofuel conversion technologies. The uncertainty in primary measurements of the fraction insoluble solid (FIS) content of dilute acid pretreated corn stover slurry is the major contributor to uncertainty in yield calculations for enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose. This uncertainty is propagated through process models and impacts modeled fuel costs. The challenge in measuring FIS is obtaining an accurate measurement of insoluble matter in the pretreated materials, while appropriately accounting for all biomass derived components. Three methods were tested to improve this measurement. One used physical separation of liquid and solid phases, and two utilized direct determination of dry matter content in two fractions. We offer a comparison of drying methods. Our results show utilizing a microwave dryer to directly determine dry matter content is the optimal method for determining FIS, based on the low time requirements and the method optimization done using model slurries.
Wherein lies the future

The number of endoscopic procedures performed in adults has grown beyond all imaginable thoughts over the past 3 years. Likewise, the application of this technology in children is growing rapidly, and what the future holds or what limits this technology will reach is unknown. In the preceding articles, the authors have described commonly applied indications for endoscopic surgery. There are other areas in which the technique is being used but not as frequently. Moreover, there are a few indications for which there is little, if any, experience in children; however, these may become applicable in the future as additional expertise is gained.
Designing software security with UML extensions: post-conference workshop

Security is becoming required knowledge for software engineers. Building security into the product means that security must be considered during the requirements and throughout the software development process. This workshop considers how UML can be enhanced for security, including through misuse cases, business process diagrams, class diagrams, mis-sequence diagrams, and misuse deployment diagrams. The OCTAVE process to analyze risk is also introduced.