cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Semi-active vibration control of smart isolated highway bridge structures using replicator dynamics

Abstract In the past two decades, passive control strategies using isolation and fluid dampers have been employed for the seismic protection of bridge highway structures. The isolation vibration control, however, lacks the adaptability to react in real-time for changes during unpredictable earthquake loadings. This research advances the idea of combining the conventional passive control (base isolation) with a semi-active or active control system to create the next generation of smart bridge structures. A novel control algorithm based on the evoluationary game theory concept of replicator dynamics is investigated for vibration reduction of highway bridge structures equipped with both a passive isolation system and semi-active control devices subjected to earthquake loadings. The proposed methodology is evaluated by application to a benchmark example based on Interstate 5 overcrossing California State Route 91 (abbreviated as 91/5) bridge in southern California subjected to near-field historical earthquake excitations. Substantial reduction in mid-span displacement is achieved compared with the conventional base-isolated bridge.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Ultralow Thermal Conductivity of a Lattice-Mismatched SnSe2(MoSe2)1.32 Heterostructure

A significant experimental challenge in testing proposed relationships between structure and properties is the synthesis of targeted structures with atomistic control over both the structure and th...
A Monte Carlo model of energy deposition, ionization, and sputtering due to thermal ion precipitation into Titan's upper atmosphere

Abstract A three-dimensional model of ion precipitation is developed to calculate incoming energy flux, number flux, charge exchange rates, energy deposition rates, and sputtering rates due to thermal (
Influence of weight gain on risk for cesarean delivery in obese pregnant women by class of obesity: pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system (PRAMS)

Currently, all obese women in the United States (US) are recommend to gain the same amount of weight during pregnancy, regardless of class of obesity. Limited literature has looked at the risk of c...
Abstract B52: KRAS-IRF2 axis drives immune suppression and immune therapy resistance in colorectal cancer

The precise biologic functions and mechanisms of oncogenic KrasG12D (Kras*) in therapeutic resistance, including immune therapy, are not understood. Here, utilizing a colorectal cancer (CRC) mouse model engineered with an inducible Kras* transgene and conditional null APC and Trp53 alleles (iKAP) that we recently established (Boutin et al., Gene & Development 2017), we observed that KRAS*-expressing invasive tumors possess a prominent immune-suppressive profile characterized by a preponderance of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Integrated transcriptomic and genomic analyses identified the Interferon Regulatory Factor 2 (IRF2) gene as a key downstream target of KRAS* mediating tumor progression and immune suppression. Mechanistically, integrated transcriptomics, cytokine profiling and ChIP-seq analysis identified CXCL3 as a key direct target of IRF2, and pharmacologic inhibition of CXCL3 or its receptor CXCR2 resulted in suppression of MDSC migration and infiltration in KRAS*-expressing CRC tumors. Translational studies established that de novo anti-PD1 resistance of KRAS*-expressing tumors can be overcome by enforced IRF2 expression or by treatment with small-molecule CXCR2 antagonist SX-682. Correspondingly, CRC patient tumors with higher IRF2 expression show increased response to anti-PD1 therapy. This KRAS*-mediated immune suppressive mechanism provides a framework for patient selection and combination therapies to enhance the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade therapy in advanced CRC. Citation Format: Wenting Liao, Michael Overman, Adam Boutin, Scott Kopetz, Ron DePinho, Alan Wang. KRAS-IRF2 axis drives immune suppression and immune therapy resistance in colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Targeting RAS-Driven Cancers; 2018 Dec 9-12; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2020;18(5_Suppl):Abstract nr B52.
Context of Reception and School Violence: Exploring the Nexus of Immigration, Race/Ethnicity, Place, and School Crime:

Of course, ensuring safe environments in the U.S. educational system is paramount. It is also evident, however, inequalities associated with immigration, race/ethnicity, and situational context can...
Investigating the Correlation Between Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Science Teaching Practices

A high self-efficacy in teaching is sometimes used as a kind of litmus test of science teaching practices. However, the connection between self-efficacy and teaching effectiveness is not well estab...
The Association of Sarcopenia with Gut Dysbiosis and Inflammation in Heart Failure, LVAD and Heart Transplant Patients

Purpose Sarcopenia is common in advanced heart failure (HF). Multiple mechanisms thought to contribute, including inflammation, endotoxemia, oxidative stress, and gut dysbiosis. Serum creatinine to Cystatin C ratio (sCr/CysC) is a validated marker of sarcopenia. We investigated the association of sCr/CysC with: i) biomarkers of inflammation, endotoxemia and oxidative stress, and ii) gut microbial diversity, across a broad spectrum of HF categories (HF, LVAD, Heart Transplant (HT)). Methods Concomitant blood and stool samples were prospectively collected in a cohort of advanced HF pts. LVAD and HT pts were longitudinally sampled at serial time points. Biomarkers of inflammation (IL-6), endotoxemia (LPS) and oxidative stress (isoprostane) were measured in serum. Stool samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Alpha diversity (number and distribution of bacterial taxa within samples) was defined using Shannon Index. Linear mixed models were used to regress sCr/CysC on Shannon Index and serum biomarkers, adjusting for age, sex, race and HF categories. Results Among 183 pts (57±13 y,18% F) 253 blood and 253 stool samples were collected (HF=77, LVAD=89, HT=87). sCr/CysC decreased with worsened HF class and improved over time after LVAD and HT (Fig 1A, p Conclusion Sarcopenia is independently associated with gut dysbiosis and inflammation across a broad spectrum of HF categories. These observations might help identify novel therapeutic targets to prevent and/or reverse sarcopenia in HF.
Breaking Up (With a Friend) Is Hard to Do: An Examination of Friendship Dissolution Among Early Adolescents:

The current study examined the experience of friendship dissolution among early adolescents, including the number of friendship dissolutions, the reasons for the dissolution, and the ways in which ...
How Accessibility Practitioners Promote the Creation of Accessible Products in Large Companies

Although some technology companies have made significant strides towards the accessibility of their products, most consumer-facing technology products still pose access barriers to people with disabilities. Prior research has established that accessibility expertise is limited to a small number of practitioners in companies, but we do not know how these practitioners can affect change across a large organization. We sought to address this gap and understand how large companies that produce consumer-facing technologies integrate accessibility into their product lifecycle. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 accessible technology practitioners working at 13 companies. We found accessibility expertise was centered in three main roles within the company: on a central accessibility team, in champions, and in accessibility teams embedded into large product teams. Much of the work of these practitioners centered around education and development of tools and resources to allow designers and developers throughout the organization to implement accessibility. Our study revealed current practices for embedding accessibility in large companies, highlighting the gap between accessibility research and practice. We conclude by presenting areas that need future research to understand how to better support accessibility practice.
Revisiting Transparency and Fairness in Algorithmic Systems Through the Lens of Public Education and Engagement

The power, opacity, and bias of algorithmic systems have opened up new research areas for bringing transparency, fairness, and accountability into these systems. In this talk, I will revisit these lines of work, and argue that while they are critical to making algorithmic systems responsible, fresh perspectives are needed when these efforts fall short. I particularly discuss the necessity of algorithmic literacy and public education about the shortcomings of existing transparency and fairness efforts in algorithmic systems in order to enable everyday users to make more informed decisions in interactions with these systems. First, I discuss how algorithmic transparency, when not designed carefully, can be more harmful than helpful, and that we need to inform users about the limitations of transparency mechanisms provided in algorithmic systems. Second, I will talk about the current approaches tackling algorithmic bias in algorithmic systems, including bias detection and bias mitigation, and their limitations. I particularly show that the current algorithm auditing techniques that mainly rely on experts, and are conducted outside of everyday use of algorithmic systems, fall short in detecting biases that emerge in real-world contexts of use, and in the presence of complex social dynamics over time. This leads to the idea of "everyday algorithm auditing" that involves educating and enabling everyday users to understand, detect and/or interrogate biased and harmful algorithmic behaviors via their day-to-day interactions with algorithmic systems. I then take a new perspective on the bias mitigation efforts that endeavor to bring fairness to algorithmic systems, and argue that there are many cases that mitigating algorithmic bias is quite challenging, if not impossible. I propose the concept of "bias transparency" that centers bias awareness in algorithmic systems, particularly in high-stakes decision-making systems, by educating the public about potential biases these systems can introduce to users' decisions. I will end by discussing the importance of educating youth and fostering literacy around algorithmic systems from K-12 to prepare everyday users in their interactions with algorithmic systems.
Public Interests and Private Land: The Ecological Function of Property in Brazil

Property law governs human interactions with land and resources as they exist within local and global landscapes. Major environmental concerns, such as climate change and wide-scale biodiversity loss, present challenges for reconciling liberal traditions of private property with public interests in the enjoyment of environmental goods, services, and resources. This article analyzes how constitutional environmental principles can shift the property law paradigm by rebalancing individual and societal interests. Brazilian law and judicial decisions will serve as examples of this policy change. One of Brazil’s highest courts, the Superior Tribunal de Justica (“S.T.J.”), has applied an “ecological function of property” in its jurisprudence, based on provisions in Brazil’s Constitution. This principle articulates responsibilities of private parties, inherent in title to property, to maintain the public’s ability to enjoy a right to an ecologically balanced environment. Several of the S.T.J.’s opinions employing the ecological function of property will be examined, including a discussion of how this function of property affects regulatory takings law and application of Brazil’s Forest Code. The article also compares this line of reasoning to the Public Trust Doctrine in the United States, which describes the right of the general public to essential natural resources that are held in trust by the government. Ultimately, the Brazilian experience demonstrates how “constitutionalizing” environmental principles can reshape property law and strike an appropriate balance between private and public interests.
Supplemental feeding of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and dietary requirements: A review

Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) are a well known game bird that has been extensively studied and managed throughout its range for many decades. Despite this, bobwhites have continued a steady annual decline across the United States, irrespective of many well established conservation practices in place to mitigate this. Supplemental feeding is one such technique that is a widely used tool in bobwhite management, but the methods and results of the studies to investigate the effectiveness of this method are highly variable. The effectiveness of supplemental feeding practices is further hindered by the limited knowledge regarding the nutritional requirements of wild bobwhite because many of the guidelines that researchers follow are based on species of Galliformes that are primarily used for production. Here, we review supplemental feeding studies, nutritional requirements of bobwhite, and discuss future directions.
Pleiotropic actions of IP6K1 mediate hepatic metabolic dysfunction to promote nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis.

Objective Obesity and insulin resistance greatly increase the risk of the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH). We previously discovered that whole-body and adipocyte-specific Ip6k1 deletion protects mice from high fat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance due to improved adipocyte-thermogenesis and -insulin signaling. Here, we aimed to determine the impact of hepatocyte-specific and whole-body Ip6k1 deletion (HKO and Ip6k1-KO or KO) on liver metabolism and NAFLD/NASH. Methods Body weight and composition; energy expenditure; glycemic profiles; and serum and liver metabolic, inflammatory, fibrotic and toxicity parameters were assessed in Western- and high fructose diet-fed mice (WD: 40% kcals fat, 1.25% cholesterol, no added choline and HFrD: 60% kcals fructose). Mitochondrial oxidative capacity was evaluated in isolated hepatocytes. RNA-Seq was performed in liver samples. Livers from human NASH patients were analyzed by immunoblotting and mass spectrometry. Results HKO mice displayed increased hepatocyte mitochondrial oxidative capacity and improved insulin sensitivity but were not resistant to body weight gain. Improved hepatocyte metabolism partially protected HKO mice from NAFLD/NASH. Conversely, enhanced whole-body metabolism and reduced body fat accumulation robustly protected whole-body Ip6k1-KO mice from NAFLD/NASH. Mitochondrial oxidative pathways were upregulated whereas gluconeogenic and fibrogenic pathways were downregulated in Ip6k1-KO livers. Furthermore, IP6K1 was upregulated in human NASH livers and interacted with the enzyme O-GlcNAcase that reduces protein O-GlcNAcylation. Protein O-GlcNAcylation was found to be reduced in Ip6k1-KO and HKO mouse livers. Conclusion Pleiotropic actions of IP6K1 in liver and other metabolic tissues mediate hepatic metabolic dysfunction and NAFLD/NASH, and thus IP6K1 may be a treatment target in this disease.
Cost-Effectiveness of Screening Mammography Beyond Age 75 Years : A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

BACKGROUND The cost-effectiveness of screening mammography beyond age 75 years remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To estimate benefits, harms, and cost-effectiveness of extending mammography to age 80, 85, or 90 years according to comorbidity burden. DESIGN Markov microsimulation model. DATA SOURCES SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) program and Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium. TARGET POPULATION U.S. women aged 65 to 90 years in groups defined by Charlson comorbidity score (CCS). TIME HORIZON Lifetime. PERSPECTIVE National health payer. INTERVENTION Screening mammography to age 75, 80, 85, or 90 years. OUTCOME MEASURES Breast cancer death, survival, and costs. RESULTS OF BASE-CASE ANALYSIS Extending biennial mammography from age 75 to 80 years averted 1.7, 1.4, and 1.0 breast cancer deaths and increased days of life gained by 5.8, 4.2, and 2.7 days per 1000 women for comorbidity scores of 0, 1, and 2, respectively. Annual mammography beyond age 75 years was not cost-effective, but extending biennial mammography to age 80 years was ($54 000, $65 000, and $85 000 per quality-adjusted life-year [QALY] gained for women with CCSs of 0, 1, and ≥2, respectively). Overdiagnosis cases were double the number of deaths averted from breast cancer. RESULTS OF SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS Costs per QALY gained were sensitive to changes in invasive cancer incidence and shift of breast cancer stage with screening mammography. LIMITATION No randomized controlled trials of screening mammography beyond age 75 years are available to provide model parameter inputs. CONCLUSION Although annual mammography is not cost-effective, biennial screening mammography to age 80 years is; however, the absolute number of deaths averted is small, especially for women with comorbidities. Women considering screening beyond age 75 years should weigh the potential harms of overdiagnosis versus the potential benefit of averting death from breast cancer. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health.
Generative geometric design and boundary solid grammars

This thesis explores the automatic generation of solid models based on a grammatical paradigm. It introduces a formalism, boundary solid grammars, for this purpose. In this formalism, a set of geometric rules is applied to an initial solid model to generate a language or family of solids. A rule may match on a portion of the boundary of a solid, and then modify the solid or add new solids. Genesis is presented as an implementation of the formalism. A number of grammars have been constructed to demonstrate the concepts and usefulness of the formalism. These grammars generate simple geometric forms including snowflakes, recursive octahedra, "fractal" mountains, and spirals. Another grammar generates stereo lithography support structures. Queen Anne houses have been characterized with a more extensive grammar. Grammars are also being developed to generate housings for small computers and structural designs for high rise buildings. The thesis introduces the unary shape operations and a new paradigm for solid modeling. The unary shape operations take models that may have self-intersections, interpret the models considering the given geometry and face orientations, and produce valid models. Local operations, the unary shape operations, and Boolean operations are used together within a valid modeling scheme. The thesis introduces a new boundary representation for manifold and nonmanifold solids, the generalized split-edge representation. It describes generalized Euler operations which manipulate the topology of the nonmanifold representation. Finally, the thesis presents a form of the Euler-Poincare equation that characterizes the relationship between elements of nonmanifold surfaces of solids.
Stronger protection or technological revolution: what is behind the recent surge in patenting?

Kortum and Lerner have staged a horse race worth watching. The prize is an explanation for t,he stunning rise in patent applications in the U.S. since 1985. The horses they have entered are J’riendly courts, fertile technology, and regulatory capture. Lessons for policy and implications for welfare depend on who wins. I have only a few objections to how the race was run. First, I would have allowed another horse to enter, namely, lower application cost. Second, I would not have made the race winner take all. The hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, and there are several facts that can be explained with a combination of hypotheses but not with any single hypothesis. Kortum and Lerner’s finish line consists of the following facts. (1) U.S. patent applications by U.S. inventors doubled from 1985 to 1996. (2) The U.S. application yield (share of applications resulting in a patent being granted) held steady for U.S. inventors while falling for foreign inventors. (3) Relative to foreign inventors, U.S. inventors were a rising source of applications in the U.S. and abroad. (4) The U.S. was no more popular a destination for patent applications. (5) Most of the rise in applications reflects year effects, i.e., was common to all source and destination countries. (6) The rise in U.S. applications was roughly uniform across technology classes (e.g., it was not heavily concentrated in biotechnology and software). (7) Newer and smaller patentees account for a modestly higher share of patents since the late 1980s. (8) U.S. renewai rates have declined since 1991 for U.S. and foreign inventors alike. (9) Research intensity has not risen. (10) The rise in applications since 1985 has been continuous (an upward trend, not a step function). In the accompanying Table I summarize the match between each hypothesis considered in isolation and each of the 10 facts. [The authors argue
Partial purification and characterization of mold antigens commonly found in foods.

Abstract Rapid methods are needed for detection of molds in foods; therefore, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed. The extracellular and mycelial antigens for Mucor, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Geotrichum species were partially purified and characterized. The molecular masses of the mycelial and extracellular antigens, as determined by size exclusion chromatography, ranged from 4.5 x 10(5) to 6.7 x 10(5) Da. There was only one main antigenic peak separated by Sepharose CL-4B and concanavalin A-Sepharose columns for Mucor, Cladosporium, and Geotrichum mycelial and extracellular antigens, but there were two for Aspergillus mycelial antigens and three for Aspergillus extracellular antigens. These antigens contained 10 to 50% protein which was part of the active site since protease digestion significantly decreased antigenic activity. Neutral sugars, ranging from 13 to 75%, made up the rest of the active site, and < 1% phosphate was detected in mycelial antigens. Geotrichum, Cladosporium, and Aspergillus antigens contained mainly glucose, galactose, and mannose. Mucor antigens contained these sugars plus fucose. The percentage of sugars differed between the mycelia and extracellular antigens. Enzymatic digestion and competitive inhibition tests using different sugar derivatives showed that galactosyl residues with beta linkages were immunodominant for Aspergillus, Geotrichum, and Cladosporium antigens and mannosyl residues with alpha linkages were immunodominant for Mucor antigens.
Sunk Cost Efficiency with Discrete Competitors 1

When entrants only differ in their exogenous entry costs, the order in which potential firms enter does not affect industry size. With discrete competitors, entry orderings can affect total sunk costs and the identity of entrants. A necessary and sufficient condition is established for sunk, entry costs in the industry to be minimized, regardless of entry ordering.
Plant Defences against Fungal Attack: Recognition and Signal Transduction

Recognition by a plant of pathogen invasion initiates activation of proteins and of gene transcription in plant cells at the site of infection and at a distance from infection. Keywords: gene-for-gene hypothesis; hypersensitive response; mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK); oxidative burst
Quasi-equivalent feedforward system in asymptotic /spl Sigma//spl Delta/ modulation

It was previously shown that sigma-delta (/spl Sigma//spl Delta/) modulators of "asymptotic" type theoretically yield an equivalent feedforward system where the recursive nonlinear mechanisms are extracted from the feedback loop and reduced to a memoryless function. With time-varying inputs, we show in this paper, partially by mathematical derivations and partially by experiment, that this system is quasi-equivalent to the original modulator in a sense that we explain. This reduction of the nonlinear mechanisms should permit more refined modeling of the /spl Sigma//spl Delta/ errors in future research, with a better account of the original nonlinearities of asymptotic /spl Sigma//spl Delta/ modulation.
Application of local learning and biological activation functions to networks of neurons for motor control

Models of networks of neurons involved in motor control have been largely based on concepts derived for artificial neural networks such as global learning and idealized activation functions. The neurons in these models frequently fail to incorporate measured spike rates and baseline, background firing and thus the neuronal outputs may be less useful for testing and developing analysis techniques that can eventually be used on experimental data. In this paper we present an approach for creating large-scale networks of neurons that include local learning and more biological features of neuronal spiking and demonstrate that the models are able to learn a generalized two-dimensional reaching task. This approach opens the possibility for the development of more biologically realistic network models with an increased capacity for adaptation, with a possible tradeoff of reduced learning rates.
Psychogenic gelastic seizures in a patient with hypothalamic hamartoma

Gelastic seizures are classically associated with hypothalamic hamartoma. The most effective treatment for gelastic epilepsy is surgery, although confirming that a hypothalamic hamartoma is an epileptic lesion prior to surgical intervention is challenging. Here, we report the case of a patient with a hypothalamic hamartoma who was diagnosed with psychogenic non-epileptic gelastic seizures using video-EEG monitoring. [ Published with video sequences]
Digital filters with rational transfer functions, optimum magnitude, and minimum phase

A class of digital filters having rational transfer functions, optimum magnitude in the Chebyshev sense, and minimum phase is discussed. These filters are required to have all zeros on the unit circle, as do the classic elliptic filters. An algorithm for design of these filters is presented which allows the order of numerator and denominator polynomials to differ. Several properties of low pass filters of this type are discussed such as the minimum attainable pass-band ripple for a given denominator order, and the effect of an extra ripple. Several examples are presented and compared with the elliptic filter. Filters are described which meet the same tolerance scheme as an elliptic filter with fewer coefficients than the elliptic filter.
Evaluation of an indirect fluorescent-antibody stain for detection of Pneumocystis carinii in respiratory specimens.

Two prospective studies were undertaken to evaluate a commercial indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA) stain for the detection of Pneumocystis carinii in respiratory specimens from individuals at risk for or with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The first study compared IFA with Diff-Quik (DQ; a rapid Giemsa-like stain) for detecting P. carinii in 95 induced sputa obtained from 77 asymptomatic patients who had survived one previous episode of P. carinii pneumonia and who were being treated prophylactically with aerosolized pentamidine. Only one induced sputum specimen was found to contain P. carinii; organisms were detected by both stains. The second study compared the performance of the IFA stain versus DQ, modified toluidine blue O, and Gomori methenamine silver stains for detecting P. carinii in symptomatic individuals at risk for or with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Of 182 specimens examined, P. carinii was detected in 105 by one or more stains; the DQ stain detected 73 (70%), the modified toluidine blue O stain detected 75 (71%), the Gomori methenamine silver stain detected 76 (72%), and the IFA stain detected 95 (90%). The IFA stain was more sensitive (P less than 0.01) than the other traditional stains for detecting P. carinii; however, a subsequent clinical evaluation revealed that a subset of IFA-positive-only specimens were from patients whose clinical symptoms resolved without specific anti-P. carinii therapy. Images
A special review ofThe American Soldier, Vol. IV

Volume IV ofThe American Solider presents the first complete account of the scale analysis approach of Guttman and the latent structure approach of Lazarsfeld to the problem of attitude measurement. This review has been prepared for the purpose of providing an expository account of the models proposed by Guttman and Lazarsfeld, together with an indication of the places which call for additional clarification and research.
Reaction of Diazoalkanes with Iron Phosphine Complexes Affords Novel Phosphazine Complexes

The crystal structures of novel products from the insertion of various diazoalkanes into the iron−phosphorus bond in FeCl_2L_2 (L = phosphine) complexes are presented. Specifically, ethyl diazoacetate and diphenyldiazomethane reacted with FeCl_2(PMe_2Ph)_2 to afford FeCl_2[N(PMe_2Ph)NC(H)CO_2Et]_2 (1) and FeCl_2[N(PMe_2Ph)NCPh_2] (2). Interestingly, ethyl diazoacetate inserted into both iron phosphine bonds of FeCl_2(d^ippe)_2 to afford the seven-membered metallacycle FeCl_2{N[NC(H)CO_2Et]P^iPr)_2CH_2CH_2P(^iPPr)_2N[NC(H)CO_2Et]}_2 (3).
HOMOZYGOSITY, SELF-RECOGNITION, AND AGGRESSIVE ABILITY IN THE SEA ANEMONE, ANTHOPLEURA ELEGANTISSIMA

In a recent study of aggressive behavior in the sea anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima, Ayre and Grosberg (1995) demonstrated the existence of a transitive dominance hierarchy, with dominance ranks of clones strongly correlated with mean number of acrorhagi (modified tentacles with concentrations of stinging cells) per polyp. The authors suggest that extensive clonal diversity and interclonal variation in agonistic behavior are maintained in the face of intense, interspecific competition for space partly as a result of trade-offs between competitive ability and other components of fitness such as sexual reproduction and asexual proliferation. Our aim here is not to criticize the conclusions reached by Ayre and Grosberg (1995) but rather to point out a striking relationship in their data that may have important implications for understanding the relationship between self-recognition and aggression in marine invertebrates. To establish that each clone was genetically distinct from all other clones used in the aggression experiments, Ayre and Grosberg (1995) screened a sample of polyps from each aggregation for 11 variable, enzyme-encoding loci. The authors used two methods, medal play and match play, to derive competitive ranks (Rmedal and Rmatch, respectively) based on replicated pairwise interactions between seven clones. Our reanalysis of the data presented in the article (Ayre and Grosberg 1995, table 1 and fig. 4) revealed that dominance rank was highly correlated with the number of loci at which a clone was homozygous (fig. 1). Comparison of the linear regression of dominance rank on number of homozygous loci with the regression of dominance rank on mean number of acrorhagi demonstrated that homozygosity accounted for a higher proportion of variation in dominance rank (Rmedal, r2 = 0.86, P = .0025; Rmatch, r2 = 0.69, P = .020) than did mean number
Shock densification/hot isostatic pressing of titanium aluminide

Consolidation of rapidly solidified titanium aluminide (Ti3Al) powders employing explosive shock pressure followed by hot isostatic pressing (“hipping”) was carried out successfully. Shock densification was achieved by using a double tube design in which the flyer tube was explosively accelerated, impacting the powder container. Elemental mixtures of Ti (15 wt pet) and Al (15 wt pct) powders were added to intermetallic compound powders (Ti3Al). Hipping was used to chemically induce bonding between Ti3Al particles. The highly exothermic reactions were activated by hipping at 1000 ‡C and enhanced the bonding between the inert intermetallic powders. Compression tests indicated strong bonding between Ti3Al particles. Well-bonded Ti3Al compacts having an average ultimate compressive strength of 2 GPa and compressive fracture strain of 20 pct were produced by this technique. The ultimate tensile strengths, due to the presence of flaws in the microstructure (microcracks and voids) and intergranular fracture observed in the reacted regions, were much lower (~250 MPa).
Phototherapies: photosensitized inactivation of viral and protozoan infectious agents and potential application in blood banking

More than 10 million units of human blood components are processed annually in the United States. Although donor screening and testing have greatly lowered the risk of transmission of viral and protozoan infectious agents, additional sterilization procedures which also preserve blood component function would be of significant value. Use of UV-A and visible-light-range photosensitizers for sterilization of blood platelets and red blood cells, respectively, is currently being aggressively investigated in laboratory-scale optical-mechanical systems. With successful demonstration of the efficacy and safety of these sterilization techniques, implementation in the blood bank setting will require scale-up to optical-mechanical systems capable of handling approximately 25,000 units daily in 500 - 1,000 blood banks in the United States.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Response to Commentators on “Rethinking Research Ethics”

I would like to express my gratitude to the nineteen authors of the fifteen responses to my article. I appreciate their careful reading of my work and their thoughtful critical remarks. I count the...
Charging the waters: the Grotte de Téthys as Versailles's initial metaphoric ground

Recent scholarly work has shifted our attention to the ways in which gardens negotiated the particularities of their ecological situation. New studies look at the archaeology of gardens, a fundamentally architectural shift which excavates issues of resource use. Materially specific research which sets gardens back into their hydraulic and topographic context has illuminated new dimensions of their inventive praxis. Many gardens turn out, in fact, to have been very carefully constructed in relation to a sensitive reading of local hydrological conditions. What is more, the facts of these sources seem also to be integrally enmeshed with their spatial and poetic aspects, providing salutary examples as our attention returns to what we are now calling sustainability.
On the Optimal Structure of Government Subsidies for Enterprise Zones and Other Locational Development Programs

Abstract Government locational development programs often reward businesses for decisions they would have made or that are going to be quickly reversed. This paper presents a model to determine the amount and structure of government locational subsidies that minimize this problem. We model the firm's decision to switch locations as an option whose value depends on stochastic operating costs, the costs to switch locations and subsidies offered by the government. The government maximizes the expected benefit from the operation of the firm within its preferred location by choosing a subsidy package that explicitly and endogenously recognizes the firm's switching option.
STIMULATION OF BACTERIAL PROTEOLYSIS BY ADSORBENTS

Summary A comparison of the initial rate of NH, production from protein adsorbed on kaolinite and non-adsorbed protein by bacteria showed that adsorption enhanced the rate. This effect occurs with both adsorbed and non-adsorbed organisms, and disappears when a non-adsorbed substrate (denatured lysozyme predigested by chymotrypsin) is used. With Flavobacterium sp. the effect occurred with a dilute inoculum and disappeared with a concentrated one. Shaking cultures of Flavobacterium sp., which ordinarily is c. 98 per cent. adsorbed to kaolinite, and of Pseudomonas sp., which is only c. 30 per cent. adsorbed to kaolinite statically, which might dislodge organisms from the clay, did not decrease rates of NHs liberation. It is concluded that the kaolinite acts as a concentrating surface for adsorbed substrate and exoenzymes, and thereby brings about a more rapid break-down of substrate. Flavobacterium sp. readily attacks protein adsorbed on bentonite with a resulting decrease in (001) X-ray diffraction spacing.
The Impact of High-Stakes Assessments on Beliefs about Reading, Perceptions of Self-as-Reader, and Reading Proficiency of Two Urban Students Retained in Third Grade

This yearlong study explores the perceptions of self-as-reader, beliefs about reading, and reading proficiency of two urban students retained in third grade on the basis of high-stakes assessment scores. The data presented focus on four individual reading and retrospective miscue analysis (RMA) sessions each student had with the researcher across one school year. When the study began, the students were less focused on reading for meaning and did not perceive themselves as good readers. In RMA sessions the students read and retold stories and then analyzed high quality miscues with the researcher facilitating their revaluation of reading as a process of constructing meaning and themselves as capable readers. Findings show that while the students grew in their understanding of the reading process and in their reading proficiency, they did not fully change their perceptions of themselves as readers. Thus the impact of the high-stakes assessment superseded the understanding the students gained while participating in more authentic reading experiences.
Identification of a Microsporidian Polar Tube Protein Reactive Monoclonal Antibody

The microsporidia are characterized by spores containing a single polar tube that coils around the sporoplasm. When triggered by appropriate stimuli, the polar tube rapidly discharges out of the spore forming a hollow tube. The sporoplasm passes out of the spore through this tube serving as a unique vehicle of infection. Due to the unusual functional and solubility properties of the polar tube, the proteins comprising it are likely to be members of a protein family with a highly conserved amino acid composition among the various microsporidia. Polar tube proteins were separated from the majority of other proteins in glass bead disrupted spores of Glugea americanus using sequential 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 9M urea extractions. The resultant spore pellet demonstrated broken, empty spore coats and numerous polar tubes in straight and twisted formations by negative stain transmission electron microscopy. After subsequent incubation of the pellet with 2% dithiothreitol (DTT), empty spore coats were still observed but the polar tubes were no longer present in the pellet. The DTT supernatant demonstrated four major protein bands by SDS-PAGE: 23, 27, 34 and 43 kDa. Monoclonal antibodies were produced to these proteins using Hunter's Titermax adjuvant. Mab 3C8.23.1 which cross-reacted with a 43-kDa antigen by immunoblot analysis, demonstrated strong reactivity with the polar tube of G. americanus spores by immunogold electron microscopy. This antibody will be useful in further characterization of polar tube proteins and may lead to novel diagnostic and therapeutic reagents.
Glutathione and antioxidants protect microsomes against lipid peroxidation and enzyme inactivation.

The study investigated the relationship between lipid peroxidation and enzyme inactivation in rat hepatic microsomes and whether prior inactivation of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) exacerbated inactivation of other enzymes. In microsomes incubated with 2.5 μM iron as ferric sulfate and 50 μM ascorbate, ALDH, glucose-6-phosphate (G6Pase) and cytochrome P450 (Cyt-P450) levels decreased rapidly and concurrently with increased levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. Microsomal glutathioneS-transferase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-cytochromec reductase were little affected during 1 hr of incubation. Addition of reduced glutathione partially protected, andN,N′-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine and butylated hydroxytoluene completely protected microsomes against inactivation of ALDH, G6Pase and Cyt-P450, as well as lipid peroxidation induced by iron and ascorbate. ALDH was more susceptible than G6Pase to inactivation by iron and ascorbate, and was thus an excellent marker for oxidative stress. Inhibition of ALDH by cyanamide injection of rats exacerbated the inactivation of G6Pase in microsomes incubated with 0.1 mM, but not 25 μM 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HN). 4-HN did not stimulate lipid peroxidation. Thus, 4-HN may play a minor role in microsomal enzyme inactivation. In contrast, lipid, peroxyl radicals play an important role in microsomal enzyme inactivation, as evidenced by the prevention of both lipid peroxidation and enzyme inactivation by chain-breaking antioxidants.
An improved approximation algorithm for requirement cut

This note presents improved approximation guarantees for the requirement cut problem: given an n-vertex edge-weighted graph G=(V,E), and g groups of vertices X"1,...,X"[email protected]?V with each group X"i having a requirement r"i between 0 and |X"i|, the goal is to find a minimum cost set of edges whose removal separates each group X"i into at least r"i disconnected components. We give a tight @Q(logg) approximation ratio for this problem when the underlying graph is a tree, and show how this implies an O([email protected]?logg) approximation ratio for general graphs, where k=|@?"i"="1^gX"i|@?n.
A 6-Gbit/s Hybrid Voltage-Mode Transmitter With Current-Mode Equalization in 90-nm CMOS

Low-power (LP) high-speed serial I/O transmitters which include equalization to compensate for channel frequency-dependent loss are required to meet the aggressive link energy-efficiency targets of future systems. This brief presents an LP serial-link-transmitter design that utilizes an output stage which combines a voltage-mode driver, which offers low static-power dissipation, and current-mode equalization, which offers low complexity and dynamic-power dissipation. The utilization of current-mode equalization decouples the equalization settings and termination impedance, allowing for a significant reduction in predriver complexity relative to segmented voltage-mode drivers. Proper transmitter series termination is set with an impedance control loop which adjusts the on-resistance of the output transistors in the driver voltage-mode portion. Further reductions in dynamic-power dissipation are achieved through scaling the serializer and local clock distribution supply with data rate. Fabricated in a 1.2-V 90-nm LP CMOS process, the transmitter supports an output swing range of 100–400 $\hbox{mV}_{{\rm ppd}}$ and up to 6 dB of equalization and includes output-duty-cycle control. The transmitter achieves 6-Gbit/s operation at 1.26-pJ/bit energy efficiency with 300- $\hbox{mV}_{{\rm ppd}}$ output swing and 3.72-dB equalization.
AN FDTD ALGORITHM WITH PERFECTLY MATCHED LAYERS FOR CONDUCTIVE MEDIA

We extend Berenger's perfectly matched layers (PML) to conductive media. A finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) algorithm with PML as an absorbing boundary condition is developed for solutions of Maxwell's equations in inhomogeneous, conductive media. For a perfectly matched layer in a conductive medium, an additional term involving the time-integrated electric field has to be introduced to account for the coupling between the loss from the PML and the normal conduction loss. This absorbing boundary condition is proven to be highly effective for the absorption of outgoing waves at the computational edge even when a dipping interface intersects the outer boundary. The algorithm is validated by analytical solutions, and is also compared with Liao's absorbing boundary condition. Numerical results for subsurface radar measurements are shown to demonstrate the applications of this method. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett14, 134–137, 1997
Excited-state properties of lamellar solids derived from metal complexes and hydrogen uranyl phosphate

Abstract Hydrogen uranyl phosphate (HUP), HUO 2 PO 4 ·4H 2 O, is a layered solid that undergoes intercalative ion-exchange reactions with guest cationic species spanning the periodic table. The host lattice exhibits highly efficient green photoluminescence (PL) characteristic of the uranyl (UO 2 2+ moiety. Structural and optical perturbations of the host and guest generally accompany intercalation reactions. Guest metal complexes have afforded an opportunity to study host-to-guest energy transfer, interlamellar acid-base/precipitation chemistry, interlamellar redox chemistry, and host lattice substitution chemistry. These reactions are summarized in this article.
The Interferon-Inducible Growth-Inhibitory p202 Protein: DNA Binding Properties and Identification of a DNA Binding Domain

Abstract p202 is an interferon-inducible protein whose expression in transfected cells inhibits proliferation. p202 binds to the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein in vitro and in vivo and the transcription factors AP-1 c-Fos and c-Jun, NF-κB p50 and p65, and inhibits the transcriptional activity of theses factors in vivo. Here we report that p202 nonspecifically binds to double-stranded DNA and to single-stranded DNA in vitro. Analysis with recombinant p202 revealed that DNA binding activity is intrinsic to p202. A C-terminal deletion mutant of p202 exhibited DNA-binding properties, indicating that the C-terminus is dispensable for DNA binding. We also found that underphosphorylated p202 efficiently binds to DNA. Our data suggest that DNA binding activity of p202 may contribute to its functions.
Generation of mechanistic variability in a process-based object-oriented plant model

Abstract A cotton crop model based on individual plant developmental behavior and variability was developed. Object-oriented simulation (OOS) provided the conceptual basis for the new model structure. The procedural model, COTSIM, provided the theoretical background for cotton plant development. Data collected during 1987 from field-grown cotton were used for model development and verification, and data from 1988 were used for model validation. The model predicted mass accretion and production of organs within the patterns and magnitudes observed in the field. The model also predicted crop development aspects that had not previously been described by procedural models. Age and size of leaves and fruit and associated developmental variability were included in the model through representation of objects and their variable behavior defined by their position on the plant and how this constrains their growth. Observed variability was the result of the aggregate behavior of components. Variability in our OOS model is an output as opposed to being an input in most procedural plant models. The model has recreated both realistic plants and populations in a mechanistic simulation. Object-oriented models are an important step towards common structures and languages for model design and the development of simulations. It was noted that increased mechanistic detail resulted in an increase of procedure calls (messages) and a five-fold increase in model run time.