cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE SYSTEMATICS OF THE EREMOBATES SCABER SPECIES-GROUP (SOLIFUGAE, EREMOBATIDAE)

The scaber group of the genus Eremobates is reviewed in terms of new characters and a more restricted biogeographic area. Three new species are described from the U.S.A.: Eremobates socal (California), E. icenoglei (California), E. corpink (Utah). We synonymize E. gladiolus Muma with E. scaber (Kraepelin); E. consors Muma, E. ascopulatus Muma and E. flavus with E. ascopulatus Muma; and E. mimbrenus Muma with E. mormonus (Roewer). Eremobates scaber, E. hodai Muma, E. clarus Muma, E. similis Muma are now described from both sexes. All scaber species except the Mexican species, E. legalis Harvey, are now known from both sexes. We also present the first phylogeny of the species group based on morphological characters. This phylogeny demonstrates a geographic grouping into north- ern and southern clades.
Cytoplasmic serine hydroxymethyltransferase regulates the metabolic partitioning of methylenetetrahydrofolate but is not essential in mice.

The hydroxymethyl group of serine is a primary source of tetrahydrofolate (THF)-activated one-carbon units that are required for the synthesis of purines and thymidylate and for S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)-dependent methylation reactions. Serine hydroxylmethyltransferase (SHMT) catalyzes the reversible and THF-dependent conversion of serine to glycine and 5,10-methylene-THF. SHMT is present in eukaryotic cells as mitochondrial SHMT and cytoplasmic (cSHMT) isozymes that are encoded by distinct genes. In this study, the essentiality of cSHMT-derived THF-activated one-carbons was investigated by gene disruption in the mouse germ line. Mice lacking cSHMT are viable and fertile, demonstrating that cSHMT is not an essential source of THF-activated one-carbon units. cSHMT-deficient mice exhibit altered hepatic AdoMet levels and uracil content in DNA, validating previous in vitro studies that indicated this enzyme regulates the partitioning of methylenetetrahydrofolate between the thymidylate and homocysteine remethylation pathways. This study suggests that mitochondrial SHMT-derived one-carbon units are essential for folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism in the cytoplasm.
Osteopenia: Debates and Dilemmas

Whether or not to use pharmacologic agents for primary prevention of fracture among elderly men and women with osteopenia is debated by clinicians. In this review we provide an update to enable better understanding and characterization of this population, including the prevalence of osteopenia, transitioning from osteopenia to osteoporosis, and clinically applicable tools for fracture risk assessment. We also emphasize the very limited evidence of the benefits and risks of anti-osteoporotic agents for this population for primary fracture prevention, and the need for future studies to guide clinical practice.
Decision Processes in Audit Evidential Planning: A Multistage Investigation

This paper reports the results of a verbal protocol study designed to assess how variation in inherent‐risk factors affects auditors' decision processes throughout audit planning, including the tasks of risk assessment, generation of hypotheses, and development and justification of audit programs. The audit risk model prescribes that audit program plans should be designed to respond to client risk factors. Auditors should be able to identify potential errors that may occur given the risks present and design program plans to test for the presence of these errors. Client inherent‐risk factors were varied between subjects to create high‐ and low‐risk conditions and a seeded error enabled assessment of effectiveness in hypothesis generation and audit test planning. We find that client risk factors have pervasive effects throughout planning, affecting the concentration on error hypotheses, audit program effectiveness, and justification for audit tests. However, risk factors were not associated with differences...
Simultaneous Batching and Scheduling Using Dynamic Decomposition on a Grid

Scheduling problems arise in many applications in process industries. However, despite various efforts to develop efficient scheduling methods, current approaches cannot be used to solve instances of industrial importance in reasonable time frames. The goal of this paper is the development of a dynamic decomposition framework that exploits the structure of the problem and is well suited for grid computing. The problem we study is the simultaneous batching and scheduling of multistage batch processes for which the binary decision variables are batch selection, batch-unit assignment, and batch sequencing on units. We present methods to decompose the original problem into a number of subproblems in a dynamic fashion. First, we discuss the generation of subproblems based on fixing the batch-selection variables. Second, we generate subproblems by fixing the batch-unit assignment variables in a bottlenecking stage. Third, we generate subproblems by fixing the last batch in the sequence on each unit of the bottlenecking stage. Furthermore, the second and third methods can be carried out in various combinations. Alternatively, a problem can be decomposed into a number of promising subproblems using an automatic strong branching scheme. Our results show that the proposed method can be used on a grid computer to solve large problems to optimality in a reasonable computational time.
Greenhouse gas fluxes from no-till rotated corn in the upper midwest

Abstract We determined soil surface fluxes of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane) from no-till, dryland corn ( Zea mays L.) in eastern South Dakota and tested the effect of rotation on greenhouse gas fluxes from corn. The corn was grown within a randomized, complete block study that included both a 2-year (corn–soybean) rotation and a 4-year (corn-field peas–winter wheat–soybean) rotation with plots containing the corn phase present in every year, 2007–2010. Annual carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) fluxes were between 1500 and 4000 kg CO 2 –C ha −1 during the four-year study. Annual nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes ranged from 0.8 to 1.5 kg N 2 O–N ha −1 with peak fluxes during spring thaw and following fertilization. Net methane (CH 4 ) fluxes in 2007 were close to zero, while fluxes for 2008–2010 were between 0.9 and 1.6 kg CH 4 –C ha −1 . Methane fluxes increased with consistently escalating values of soil moisture over the four-year period demonstrating that soils which previously exhibited neutral or negative CH 4 flux may become net CH 4 producers in response to multiyear climatic trends. No significant differences in gas fluxes from corn due to treatment (2-year vs. 4-year rotation) were observed. Mean net annual soil surface gas fluxes from corn calculated over four years for both treatments were 2.4 Mg CO 2 –C ha −1 , 1.2 kg N 2 O–N ha −1 , and 0.9 kg CH 4 –C ha −1 . Annual global warming potentials (GWP) as CO 2 equivalents were 572 kg ha −1 and 30 kg ha −1 for N 2 O and CH 4 , respectively. Measurements of soil carbon showed that the 4-yr rotation accrued 596 kg C ha −1 yr −1 in the top 30 cm of soil which would be more than sufficient (2.19 Mg CO 2 eq ha −1 yr −1 ) to offset the annual GWP of the nitrous and methane emissions from corn. In contrast, the 2-year rotation lost 120 kg C ha −1 yr −1 from the top 30 cm of soil resulting in corn being a net producer of greenhouse gases and associated GWP.
Vena Cava Filter Use in Cancer Patients with Acute Venous Thromboembolism in California

Abstract Background Few studies have evaluated the use of vena cava filters (VCF) in cancer patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods Hospital discharge records of patients who were admitted with a principal diagnosis of lower extremity deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism and cancer in California between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2009 were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify variables associated with VCF use. Results A VCF was placed in 2747 (19.6%) of 14,000 cancer patients. The percentage of patients treated with a VCF varied widely across hospitals, from 0% to 52% (mean = 19.2%, median = 17.2%), and by cancer type, ranging from 8% for lip/oral to 43% for brain. Using multivariable analysis, the strongest predictors of VCF use were a diagnosis of brain cancer (OR = 4.6, CI: 3.7 -5.6), undergoing major surgery (OR = 4.9, CI: 3.9 -6.1), and bleeding (OR = 2.7, CI: 2.0-3.5). Other factors significantly associated with VCF insertion included hospital characteristics (larger, urban and private), and greater severity-of-illness at the time of admission. Only 1083 (7.7%) of patients had an absolute contraindication to anticoagulation (bleeding or surgery). Conclusions A VCF was deployed in approximately 20% of acute VTE patients with cancer, but use varied widely between hospitals and cancer types. The strongest risk factors were undergoing surgery, active bleeding, and having brain cancer. Only 21% of VCF treated cancer patients had a strict contraindication to anticoagulation therapy. Further research is needed to determine if VCF use is of any benefit in cancer patients with acute VTE.
An experimental study on the effect of Cu-synthesized/EG nanofluid on the efficiency of flat-plate solar collectors

An experimental study performed to investigate the effect of Cu nanoparticle on the efficiency of a flatplate solar collector. The weight fractions of the nanoparticles tested in this study having average diameter of 10 nm, were 0.2% and 0.3% of the nanofluid. A one-step method was used to prepare copper nanofluid from reduction of CuSO4$5H2O with NaH2PO2$H2O in ethylene glycol as the solvent. The experiments were performed in different volume flow rates of the nanofluid from 0.016 to 0.050 kg/s and the standard of ASHRAE 93 was used to test the solar collector's performance. It was found that by increasing the nanoparticle weight fraction, the efficiency of the collector was improved. Also, the lowest removed energy parameter could be reached by using 0.3 wt% Cu/EG nanofluid at 1.5 Lit/min and the highest absorbed energy parameter was achieved under the same conditions.
Numeral Classifier Systems: The Case of Japanese

Numeral Classifier Systems considers the functional significance of the Japanese numeral system, its conclusions based on a corpus of 500 uses of classifier constructions drawn from oral and written Japanese texts. Interestingly, although the Japanese system appears to conform at least superficially to universalistic predictions about its semantic structure, this study reports that in actual usage, the semantic role of classifiers is slight — only very rarely do they carry any lexical information unavailable from the context or the noun with which the classifier occurs. It does appear, however, that the system has an important role to play in providing pronoun-like anaphoric elements and in marking pragmatic distinctions such as the individuatedness of referents and the newness of numerical information. For these reasons, the classifier system is deeply involved in a number of subsystems of Japanese grammar, and the demise of the system (sometimes rumored to be impending) would have substantial implications for the structure of the language as a whole.
Benefits of optical system diversity for multiplexed image reconstruction

Algorithms that use optical system diversity to improve multiplexed image reconstruction from multiple low-resolution images are analyzed and demonstrated. Compared with systems using identical imagers, systems using additional lower-resolution imagers can have improved accuracy and computation. The diverse system is not sensitive to boundary conditions and can take full advantage of improvements that decrease noise and allow an increased number of bits per pixel to represent spatial information in a scene.
Use of the RS decoder as an RS encoder for two-way digital communications and storage systems

It is shown that any Reed-Solomon (RS) decoder which corrects both errors and erasures also can be used as an encoder for the RS code. This technique eliminates the need of a separate subsystem, namely the RS encoder in either two-way digital communication systems or storage devices which use RS encoding and decoding. As a consequence a single RS decoder chip which corrects both errors and erasures can be mass-manufactured for use in all two-way communication systems and storage devices such as a digital video-cassette recorder (VCR) or a write-once, read-many, (WORM) optical disk drive. >
Mothers’ Differential Treatment of Adolescent Siblings: Predicting College Attendance of Sisters Versus Brothers

Current estimates suggest that by 2015, 60% of college students will be women, a change since 1970 when 59% were men. We investigated family dynamics that might explain the growing gender gap in college attendance, focusing on an ethnically diverse sample of 522 mixed sex sibling dyads from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. We examined whether the difference between sisters’ and brothers’ reports of their mothers’ expectations for, and involvement in, their education during adolescence predicted their differential odds of college attendance seven years later. Sisters were more likely than brothers to attend college, and this gap was more pronounced among non-Whites and non-Asians. Sisters also had higher grades in school than their brothers. Although there were no gender differences overall in maternal educational expectations or involvement, brothers reported greater maternal involvement than sisters in non-White and non-Asian families. After controlling for family background factors, the average of siblings’ reports of maternal treatment, and differences between siblings’ grades, the results revealed that as sisters reported greater maternal educational expectations than their brothers, it became more likely that only the sister rather than only the brother in the family attended college. The difference between brothers’ and sisters’ reports of their mothers’ educational involvement and their odds of attending college showed the same pattern of association but was not statistically significant. These results suggest that within-family social comparisons may play a role in sisters’ and brothers’ choices about attending college.
Mechanism-based inactivation of P450 2A6 by furanocoumarins.

Several furanocoumarins were tested for their ability to inhibit human P450 2A6 activity. The metabolites and conjugates formed from these furanocoumarins after incubation with reconstituted purified P450 2A6 in the absence and presence of exogenous nucleophiles were characterized by UV and LC/ESI-MS/MS analysis. The results suggest initial oxidation to form a furanoepoxide followed by hydrolytic attack, or attack of exogenous nucleophiles, to form dihydrofuranocoumarin products. Initial epoxidation is confirmed by the finding that a single 18O atom is incorporated into the 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and psoralen (P) dihydrodiol metabolites when the incubations are performed in the presence of H218O. In contrast, 19% of the dihydrodiol formed from 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP) involves incorporation of two 18O atoms, implicating a γ-ketoenal intermediate in the formation of this metabolite. Thus, the structure of the reactive intermediate(s) formed is dictated by the intrinsic electronic properties of the pare...
Multiple antibiotic resistance and efflux

Multiple antibiotic resistance in bacteria was at first thought to be caused exclusively by the combination of several resistance genes, each coding for resistance to a single drug. More recently, it became clear that such phenotypes are often achieved by the activity of drug efflux pumps. Some of these efflux pumps exhibit an extremely wide specificity covering practically all antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, detergents, dyes, and other inhibitors, the exception perhaps being very hydrophilic compounds. Such efflux pumps work with exceptional efficiency in Gram-negative bacteria through their synergistic interaction with the outer membrane barrier. It is disturbing that the antibacterial agents of the most advanced type, which are unaffected by common resistance mechanisms, are precisely the compounds whose use appears to select for multidrug-resistant mutants that overproduce these efflux pumps of wide specificity.
Fur color diversity in marmots

Fur color that differs from the typical shades of brown and gray occurs in eight species of marmots. Albinism generally is rare whereas melanism is more common. Melanism may persist in some populations at low frequencies averaging 16.1% in M. monax and in M. flaviventris for as long as 80 years. White (not albino) and “bluish” marmots generally are rare, but a population of white M. marmota persisted for at least 10 years. Four species are characterized as having pelages of “extreme colors”; M. caudata, red; M. vancouverensis, dark brown; M. caligata, white; M. baibacina, gray. Fur is involved in heat transfer between the marmot and its environment. Heat transfer depends on fur structure (fur depth, hair length, density, and diameter), on fur spectral properties (absorptivity, reflectivity), and on the thermal environment (temperature, wind speed, radiation). Heat transfer is highly sensitive to solar radiation. Metabolic rates calculated from the fur model corresponded closely with measured values at ambient temperatures ≤ 20 °C. Solar radiation can either provide heat that could reduce metabolism or thermally stress a marmot. M. fla viventris orients towards the sun when solar radiation is low and reduces exposure when it is high. Light fur reduces and dark fur color increases absorptivity. I hypothesize that fur color functions primarily in heat transfer. This hypothesis is supported by the occurrence of light-colored M. flaviventris, M. caudata aurea, and M. himalayana in warmer environments. Experiments to test this hypoythesis are suggested.
SU-F-BRE-06: Evaluation of Patient CT Dose Reconstruction From 3D Diode Array Measurements Using Anthropomorphic Phantoms

Purpose: To compare 3D reconstructed dose of IMRT plans from 3D diode array measurements with measurements in anthropomorphic phantoms. Methods: Six IMRT plans were created for the IROC Houston (RPC) head and neck (HN however, the lung phantom dose did not, most likely due to the inaccuracy of the pencil beam algorithm in the presence of low-density inhomogeneities. Work supported by PHS grant CA10953 and CA81647 (NCI, DHHS).
Two space scattering theory using the subspace of continuity

We study completeness of the wave operators between pairs of spaces not using the subspace of absolute continuity. Rather we work with the orthogonal complement of the eigenvectors, a subspace which is more natural from the viewpoint of physics. Moreover, we also give sufficient conditions that the singular continuous spectrum be absent. In this case the subspaces mentioned above coincide.
TRAPPII subunits are required for the specificity switch of a Ypt-Rab GEF.

Ypt–Rab GTPases are key regulators of the various steps of intracellular trafficking. Guanine nucleotide-exchange factors (GEFs) regulate the conversion of Ypt–Rabs to the GTP-bound state, in which they interact with effectors that mediate all the known aspects of vesicular transport1,2,3. An interesting possibility is that Ypt–Rabs coordinate separate steps of the transport pathways4. The conserved modular complex TRAPP is a GEF for the Golgi gatekeepers Ypt1 and Ypt31/32 (Refs 5–7). However, it is not known how Golgi entry and exit are coordinated. TRAPP comes in two configurations: the seven-subunit TRAPPI is required for endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transport, whereas the ten-subunit TRAPPII functions in late Golgi8,9,10. The two essential TRAPPII-specific subunits Trs120 and Trs130 have been identified as Ypt31/32 genetic interactors11,12,13. Here, we show that they are required for switching the GEF specificity of TRAPP from Ypt1 to Ypt31. Moreover, a trs130ts mutation confers opposite effects on the intracellular localization of these GTPases. We suggest that the Trs120–Trs130 subcomplex joins TRAPP in the late Golgi to switch its GEF activity from Ypt1 to Ypt31/32. Such a 'switchable' GEF could ensure sequential activation of these Ypts, thereby coordinating Golgi entry and exit.
Feasibility of an immunoassay for mevalonolactone

Abstract Mevalonic acid is a key intermediate in a broad spectrum of cellular biological processes and their regulation. Availability of a rapid, sensitive and accurate method for its assay would be highly useful. Therefore, the feasibility of developing an immunoassay for mevalonic acid in biological samples was explored. The strategy employed was to synthesize several racemic haptens structurally resembling R -mevalonolactone, the cyclic form of mevalonic acid present at lower pH and presumed to be more antigenic. Two of these haptens were coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and the resulting conjugates were used successfully to generate antibodies in rabbits. The first antiserum bound to R , S -mevalonolactone much more effectively at pH 4.0 than at pH 6.0, consistent with the structural resemblance of the haptens to the lactone form. This antiserum also bound the free hapten from which it was generated and two others of different structure with comparable effectiveness, and slightly better than it bound R , S -mevalonolactone at pH 4.0. Similar results were obtained with the antiserum to the second hapten. The binding of either antiserum to the natural enantiomer, R -mevalonolactone, was 20 times weaker than to R , S -mevalonolactone, suggesting that the nonbiological enantiomer was more antigenic. Nevertheless, the results demonstrate that an immunochemical approach to accurate quantitation of mevalonic acid in biological samples is feasible.
An apparatus and procedure for effective instrumental training of neonatal and infant rats

Following introductory remarks on the necessity of being able to detect learning disabilities and other behavioral impairments in animals at an early age, an apparatus and procedure for the escape training of neonatal rats are described. In this apparatus, both 5- and 7-day-old rats were shown to have improved their performance, in terms of a speed increase, over a 25-trial training session. A procedure for active avoidance training in the same apparatus is also described and its effectiveness is demonstrated in the behavior of trained 10-day-old rats relative to that of yoked controls. The appropriateness of the described apparatus for the instrumental training of neonatal and infant rats is discussed in relation to that of other apparatuses that have been used for this purpose.
A study on the influence of fiber-matrix interphase properties on ultrasonic wave behavior using effective elastic property models

Abstract In this paper, a three-phase (fiber-interphase-matrix unit cell) micro-mechanics model (Gardner et al. (1993), Comp. Sci. Technol. 46, 307–318) is used to study the influence of fiber-matrix interphase properties on the overall effective elastic constants. Then, the behavior of measurable ultrasonic parameters such as velocities of the three ultrasonic bulk wave modes, and their reflection factor (as a function of wave orientation and frequency) is discussed as a function of interphase properties. Theoretical results are compared with experimental studies on both glass-epoxy and graphite-epoxy composites.
Ultrastructure of vegetative cysts of Pyrocystis (Dinophyta), with special reference to PAS bodies and trichocysts

The ultrastructure of two dinoflagellates, the lunate Pyrocystis lunula and the spherical Pyrocystis noctiluca, is described using fluorescence microscopy, cryo-scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, with an emphasis on periodic acid-Schiff reagent (PAS) bodies and trichocysts. Seen in section, the cytoplasm of Pyrocystis cells is separated into two distinct areas: a core area and a peripheral area. The core area contains most of the cellular organelles, including the PAS bodies. Trichocysts exist in both species, even though the cyst wall contains no pores for ejection. A possible role of trichocysts in dinoflagellate cysts is discussed.
Measurements and modeling of the angular-resolved sputtering yield of D-soaked Be by 100, 300, 500 and 700 eV D+

Abstract The angular-resolved sputtering yield of Be by D + was predicted and then measured. An ion beam at 100, 300, 500 and 700 eV from a Colutron ion source was focused onto S-65 C grade Be samples. The sample was exposed in situ to a 350 V dc D plasma to remove oxide, load the surface with D and more-nearly simulate the surface which would be found during steady-state fusion device operating conditions. The angular distribution of the sputtered atoms was measured by collection on a highly ordered pyrolytic graphite witness plate. The areal density of Be (and BeO, after exposure to air) was then measured using a scanning Auger spectrometer. Total deposition was measured by deposition onto a quartz crystal oscillator placed alongside the witness plate. A three-dimensional version of vectorized fractal TRIM (VFTRIM3D), a Monte-Carlo computer code which includes surface roughness characterized by fractal geometry, was used to predict the angular distribution of the sputtered particles and a global sputtering coefficient. One-quarter million trajectories were simulated to determine the azimuthal and polar angle distributions of the sputtered atoms. A fractal dimension of 2.05, and a surface binding energy of 3.38 eV, both standard values for Be, were used. Results show reasonable agreement between the code and experimental values for total yield with the experimental yields somewhat lower. The measured angular distribution is broader (less forward peaked) than predicted by the computer simulation.
Identification of Multiple Osteoclast Precursor Populations in Murine Bone Marrow

Murine BM was fractionated using a series of hematopoietic markers to characterize its osteoclast progenitor populations. We found that the early osteoclastogenic activity in total BM was recapitulated by a population of cells contained within the CD11b−/low CD45R−CD3−CD115high fraction. Introduction: Osteoclasts are of hematopoietic origin and they have been shown to share the same lineage as macrophages. We further characterized the phenotype of osteoclast progenitor populations in murine bone marrow (BM) by analyzing their cell surface markers. Materials and Methods: We used fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to identify the subsets of BM cells that contained osteoclast progenitors. We fractionated BM according to several markers and cultured the sorted populations for a period of 2–6 days with macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and RANKL. The numbers of multinucleated osteoclast-like cells (OCLs) that formed in the cultures were counted. Results: We found that the CD45R−CD11b−/low population recapitulated the early osteoclastogenic activity of total BM. In addition, although previous experiments indicated that osteoclastogenic activity was enriched within the CD45R+ population, we found that highly purified CD45R+ BM was incapable of differentiating into osteoclasts in vitro. We also found that CD45R−CD11bhigh BM cells were an inefficient source of osteoclast progenitors. However, CD11b was transiently upregulated by cells of the CD45R−CD11b−/low fraction early (within 24 h) during culture with M-CSF. Finally, further fractionation of BM using CD115 and CD117 showed that, as osteoclast precursor cells matured, they downregulate CD117 but remain CD115+. Curiously, pure populations of CD117− (CD115high) cells isolated fresh from BM have low osteoclastogenic activity in vitro. Conclusions: We provided a refined analysis of the precise subpopulations of murine BM that are capable of differentiating into OCLs in vitro when treated with M-CSF and RANKL.
SSAT maintenance of certification: literature review on gastroesophageal reflux disease and hiatal hernia.

Background This article reviews the current literature pertaining to the diagnosis and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatal hernia.
A general coarse-graining framework for studying simultaneous inter-population constraints induced by evolutionary operations

The use of genotypic populations is necessary for adaptation in Evolutionary Algorithms. We use a technique called form-invariant commutation to study the immediate effect of evolutionary operations on populations of genotypes. This technique allows us to understand compositional changes induced by evolutionary operations in terms of constraints between populations. Deep insight into the population-level effect of some evolutionary operation is possible when multiple constraints can be derived for all pairs of pre and post operative populations; for each such pair of populations the constraints between them are then said to hold simultaneously. When selection is fitness proportional we show that any coarse-graining of the genotype set can be used to systematically derive single constraints between between all pairs of pre and post selection populations. Matters are not so simple in the case of variation. We develop an abstract condition called ambivalence and show that when a coarse-graining and a variation operation satisfy this condition then a systematic derivation of single constraints between all pairs of pre and post variation populations is possible. Finally we show that it is possible to use schema partitions to systematically derive simultaneous constraints for any combination of variation operations that are commonly used in GAs.
Magnetoresistance of oblique angle deposited multilayered Co/Cu nanocolumns measured by a scanning tunnelling microscope.

In this work we present the first magnetoresistance measurements on multilayered vertical Co(∼ 6n m)/Cu(∼6 nm) and slanted Co(x nm)/Cu(x nm) (with x ≈ 6, 11, and 16 nm) nanocolumns grown by oblique angle vapour deposition. The measurements are performed at room temperature on the as-deposited nanocolumn samples using a scanning tunnelling microscope to establish electronic contact with a small number of nanocolumns while an electromagnet generates a time varying (0.1 Hz) magnetic field in the plane of the substrate. The samples show a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) response ranging from 0.2 to 2%, with the higher GMR values observed for the thinner layers. For the slanted nanocolumns, we observed anisotropy in the GMR with respect to the relative orientation (parallel or perpendicular) between the incident vapour flux and the magnetic field applied in the substrate plane. We explain the anisotropy by noting that the column axis is the magnetic easy axis, so the magnetization reversal occurs more easily when the magnetic field is applied along the incident flux direction (i.e., nearly along the column axis) than when the field is applied perpendicular to the incident flux direction. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)
Risk behaviors in adopted adolescents and subsequent outcomes in young adulthood

.012). Trends were seen for both attitudes against violence and reported violent behaviors, with those attending control programs or fewer than 50% of the VP sessions more likely to report attitudes supporting violence (p .065), and intervention subjects reporting fewer violent and aggressive behaviors at immediate posttest (p .06). No significant intervention effects were seen for intentions, overall violence knowledge, and self-efficacy. Conclusions: Adapting and implementing a school-based violence prevention program in a community-based setting is both feasible and effective in improving skills, attitudes, and behaviors towards aggression and violence. Making these programs more widely available to community-based agencies and families may provide alternatives or complements to school-based programming and offer needed opportunities for enhancing positive behavior changes among youth.
Temporal detection of Lawsonia intracellularis using serology and real-time PCR in Thoroughbred horses residing on a farm endemic for equine proliferative enteropathy

The goals of this study were to evaluate titers of antibodies against Lawsonia intracellularis in 68 resident broodmares from a farm known to be endemic for equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) and to evaluate maternal antibodies, occurrence of seroconversion and fecal shedding in their foals. Serum samples collected from mares at delivery and from foals pre- and post-colostrum ingestion and monthly thereafter were tested for the presence of L. intracellularis antibodies by immunoperoxidase monolayer assay (IPMA). Further, feces collected from mares at delivery and foals post-partum and monthly thereafter were assayed for L. intracellularis using real-time PCR. Thirty-seven mares (54.4%) had detectable antibody titers (> or =60) against L. intracellularis by IPMA at the time of foaling. Passive transfer of colostral antibodies against L. intracellularis was documented in 37 foals (54.4%) and the colostral antibodies remained detectable in the serum of foals for 1-3 months. Overall, 22 foals (33.3%) showed evidence of natural exposure to L. intracellularis throughout the study period, however, none of the study foals developed signs compatible with EPE. The serological results showed that mares residing on a farm known to be endemic for EPE are routinely exposed to L. intracellularis and that antibodies against L. intracellularis are passively transferred to foals.
Distributed network control for mobile multi-modal wireless sensor networks

A sensor network operates on an infrastructure of sensing, computation, and communication, through which it perceives the evolution of events it observes. We propose a fusion-driven distributed dynamic network controller, called MDSTC, for a multi-modal sensor network that incorporates distributed computation for in-situ assessment, prognosis, and optimal reorganization of constrained resources to achieve high quality multi-modal data fusion. For arbitrarily deployed sensors, a certain level of data quality cannot be guaranteed in sparse regions. MDSTC reallocates resources to sparse regions; reallocation of network resources in this manner is motivated by the fact that an increased density of sensor nodes in a region of interest leads to better quality data and enriches the network resilience. Simulation results in NS-2 show the effectiveness of the proposed MDSTC.
Morphology and movement of corneal surface cells in humans.

We examined the morphology of the corneal surface epithelial cells in 13 eyes of 13 subjects using specular microscopy. We determined cell area, perimeter, and shape comparing the central cornea with the inferior and superior periphery. We found surface epithelial cells are significantly smaller in the central cornea. The cells measured 560 +/- 93 square microns in the central cornea, 850 +/- 135 square microns in the superior cornea and 777 +/- 176 square microns in the inferior cornea (p less than .005). Newly emerged surface cells are smaller and are thought to enlarge with time. We postulate that lid shearing forces are greater in the central cornea and contribute to epithelial cell exfoliation. We further postulate that preferential shearing of central corneal surface cells is an important factor driving the centripetal movement of corneal epithelial cells.
Greenland snowmelt estimation using multi-spectral passive and active microwave observations

Principal component analysis (PCA) has previously been used to characterize snowmelt on the Greenland ice sheet using all seven SSM/I channels. Three extensions to this algorithm are presented in this work. First, a location dependent thresholding technique is developed that facilitates improved sensitivity in snowmelt detection as compared to prior studies. Second, an adapted PCA algorithm is formulated that is able to link key physical processes with vectors in the SSM/I data eigenspace. Finally, the inclusion of active scatterometer data in the PCA implementation is shown to offer additional information that assists in snowmelt estimation.
Comparative Virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae Strains with Insertion-Duplication, Point, and Deletion Mutations in the Pneumolysin Gene

Pneumolysin is a 471-amino-acid toxin produced by Streptococcus pneumoniae which has both cytolytic and complement activation properties. We have constructed a derivative of the type 2 S. pneumoniae strain D39 in which the portion of the pneumolysin gene encoding amino acids 55 to 437 has been deleted in-frame. The virulence of this strain (ΔPly) was compared with those of wild-type D39, a pneumolysin insertion-duplication mutant (PLN-A), and a derivative (PdT) carrying a toxin gene with three point mutations known to abolish both cytolytic activity and complement activation. PdT was intermediate in virulence between D39 and either PLN-A or ΔPly in a mouse intraperitoneal challenge model. This provides unequivocal evidence that pneumolysin has an additional property that is not abolished by point mutations which reduce cytotoxicity and complement activation to virtually undetectable levels.
Constructing the Transition to Parenthood

How is the transition to parenthood constructed in a context in which fatherhood and motherhood are therapeutically defined? Relying on ethnographic observations of 66 expectant and new parent couples assigned to 13 different parent educator-led groups, we show how, with the arrival of a baby, a sense of transition is crafted and often amplified. Our analysis suggests that just as the overall life course is constructed through language and meaningful gesture, so also the transition to parenthood is constructed through verbal and nonverbal signification. Using a vocabulary of contrast and change, parent edu-cators and expectant and new parents create a collective feeling that they are witnessing a transformation of major proportions. By emphasizing the idea that things are no longer the same, parent educators also establish themselves as authorities whose job it is to steer fathers and mothers through unfamiliar terrain. For their part, expectant and new parents not only listen to but often also replicate the parent educators’ vocabularies and, in so doing, further magnify distinctions between before parenthood and after, and between one stage of parenthood and another. Childbirth stands uncomfortably at the junction of the two worlds of nature and culture. Like death and disease it is a biological event, but the defining feature of biological events in human life is their social character. Ann Oakley (1980:7)
A Bayesian approach to geometric subspace estimation

This paper presents a geometric approach to estimating subspaces as elements of the complex Grassmann-manifold, with each subspace represented by its unique, complex projection matrix. Variation between the subspaces is modeled by rotating their projection matrices via the action of unitary matrices [elements of the unitary group U(n)]. Subspace estimation or tracking then corresponds to inferences on U(n). Taking a Bayesian approach, a posterior density is derived on U(n), and certain expectations under this posterior are empirically generated. For the choice of the Hilbert-Schmidt norm on U(n), to define estimation errors, an optimal MMSE estimator is derived. It is shown that this estimator achieves a lower bound on the expected squared errors associated with all possible estimators. The estimator and the bound are computed using (Metropolis-adjusted) Langevin's-diffusion algorithm for sampling from the posterior. For use in subspace tracking, a prior model on subspace rotation, that utilizes Newtonian dynamics, is suggested.
Facing the Debt Challenge of Countries that are Too Big to Fail

The recent financial woes of Greece and other nations are reinvigorating the debate over whether to bail out defaulting countries or, instead, restructure their debt. Bailouts are expensive, in the case of Greece costing potentially hundreds of billions of euros. But a bailout was virtually inevitable because a default on Greek debt was believed to have the potential to bring down the world financial system. This is a growing problem: as finance becomes more intertwined, the potential for a country’s debt default to trigger a larger systemic collapse becomes even more tightly linked. This reveals a phenomenon viewed until recently as limited to banks and other large financial institutions - the problem of “too big to fail.” Bailouts are not, however, the only way to prevent defaults. Just as policymakers have been proposing orderly resolution procedures for troubled financial institutions, an orderly resolution procedure for troubled countries can bypass the need for a bailout. This short and accessible paper, written as a chapter for the forthcoming book Sovereign Debt: From Safety to Default (Robert W. Kolb ed., 2010-11), explains how simple such a resolution procedure would be and why, without it, we will all end up subsidizing nations that lack the political will or ability to be fiscally responsible.
Residue-Specific pKa Measurements of the β-Peptide and Mechanism of pH-Induced Amyloid Formation

The aggregation of the β-peptide into amyloid is a key pathological event in Alzheimer's disease. This process (β-amyloidosis) involves the conversion of soluble random coil, α-helical or β-sheet conformations into insoluble, aggregated β-pleated sheet structures. The pH is a significant extrinsic factor that influences β-amyloidosis, which must be related to the presence of ionizable groups in the β-peptide. To further evaluate this effect, we determined the dissociation constants (pKa) of the side chains for the aspartic acid (Asp), glutamic acid (Glu), histidine (His), and tyrosine (Tyr) amino acid residues using NMR spectroscopy. The measurements were performed under different solution conditions, where the predominant conformation is either random coil or α-helix. We have used a peptide fragment that comprises residues 1−28 [β-(1−28)] of the natural β-(1−40) or β-(1−42) peptides, which is an appropriate model since the remaining 29−40 or 29−42 regions are devoid of polar and charged amino acid residu...
Model Predictive Control of Agile Projectiles

Currently, gun-launched precision munitions have limited maneuverability to prosecute moving or defilade targets, or even greatly extend range. This paper provides a theoretical underpinning for the flight control strategy of statically unstable projectiles. The approach is to develop a high-fidelity understanding of the flight physics and include that theory in the flight control algorithm. A model predictive control algorithm is developed to achieve the maneuverability goal. Parametric variation of the inherent static stability was undertaken for an agile airframe. Six degree-of-freedom flight simulations were performed to assess the flight control algorithm. Results demonstate that stability in the yaw and roll channels even for statically unstable projectiles can be maintained over the range of airframe configurations for this study. Modest control action was necessary to achieve the required flight stability. Nomenclature D = diameter S = reference area m = mass t a I I I , ,  = moment of inertia tensor, axial moment of inertia, transverse moment of inertia
Experimental thermal field measurements of film cooling above the suction surface of a turbine vane

Two-dimensional thermal profiles were experimentally measured downstream of a single row of film cooling holes on both an adiabatic and a matched Biot number model turbine vane. The measurements were taken as a comparison to computational simulations of the same model and flow conditions. Previously, adiabatic and overall effectiveness comparisons have been made between experimental and computational data. To improve computational models of the evolution of a film cooling jet as it propagates downstream, the thermal field above the vane, not just the footprint on the vane surface must be analyzed. This study expands these data to include 2-D thermal fields above the vane at 0, 5 and 10 hole diameters downstream of the film cooling holes. Four blowing ratios were tested, M = 0.28, 0.65, 1.11, and 2.41. In each case the computational jets remained colder than the experimental jets because they did not diffuse into the mainstream as quickly. In addition, the computational results for the higher two blowing ratios exhibited the effects of the kidney vortex commonly studied in film cooling, but the experimental thermal fields were not dominated by this vortex. Finally, in comparing results above adiabatic and matched Biot number models, these thermal fields allow for an accurate analysis of whether or not the adiabatic wall temperature was a reasonable estimate of the driving temperature for heat transfer.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
The Birth of a Nation and the Making of the NAACP

With the appearance of D. W. Griffith's 1915 racist epic, The Birth of a Nation, the six-year-old NAACP reluctantly organized a campaign to ban the film entirely or at least to censor its most offensive elements. Although this struggle was a failure, it helped transform the association in ways no one could have imagined at the outset. Up to this point, the issues the NAACP had taken up, such as housing segregation and lynching, focussed primarily on southern or border states. The Birth of a Nation, however, was a national event. As the film moved from major population centers to smaller ones throughout the country, so too did the protests and countless meetings between local NAACP leaders and mayors, city councils, censors, and governors. In the end, this failed campaign had the effect of providing local association members with invaluable political experience and of elevating the NAACP to a position of national stature and indeed prominence in the struggle for civil rights in America.
Gadaa (Oromo Democracy): An Example of Classical African Civilization

The paper briefly introduces and explains the essen ce of indigenous Oromo democracy and its main characteristics that are relevant for the curr ent condition of Africa in general and Oromo society in particular. It also illustrates how Orom o democracy had functioned as a socio-political institution by preventing oppression and exploitati on and by promoting relative peace, security, sustainable development, and political sovereignty, and how the gadaa system organized Oromo society around economic, cultural and religious ins titutions. Finally, the paper explores how the Oromo movement for national self-determination and multinational democracy struggles to revive and revitalize the Oromo democratic traditio n.