cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Are the numbers adding up? Exploiting discrepancies among complementary population models

Large carnivores are difficult to monitor because they tend to be sparsely distributed, sensitive to human activity, and associated with complex life histories. Consequently, understanding population trend and viability requires conservationists to cope with uncertainty and bias in population data. Joint analysis of combined data sets using multiple models (i.e., integrated population model) can improve inference about mechanisms (e.g., habitat heterogeneity and food distribution) affecting population dynamics. However, unobserved or unobservable processes can also introduce bias and can be difficult to quantify. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach for inference on an integrated population model that reconciles annual population counts with recruitment and survival data (i.e., demographic processes). Our modeling framework is flexible and enables a realistic form of population dynamics by fitting separate density-dependent responses for each demographic process. Discrepancies estimated from shared parameters among different model components represent unobserved additions (i.e., recruitment or immigration) or removals (i.e., death or emigration) when annual population counts are reliable. In a case study of gray wolves in Wisconsin (1980–2011), concordant with policy changes, we estimated that a discrepancy of 0% (1980–1995), −2% (1996–2002), and 4% (2003–2011) in the annual mortality rate was needed to explain annual growth rate. Additional mortality in 2003–2011 may reflect density-dependent mechanisms, changes in illegal killing with shifts in wolf management, and nonindependent censoring in survival data. Integrated population models provide insights into unobserved or unobservable processes by quantifying discrepancies among data sets. Our modeling approach is generalizable to many population analysis needs and allows for identifying dynamic differences due to external drivers, such as management or policy changes.
Computer-Aided Modeling and Simulation for Recreational Waterslides#

Abstract This paper presents a computer-aided modeling and simulation method for analyzing position, velocity, and acceleration of sliding objects on recreational waterslides. Safety and excitement levels of the object sliding down the waterslide are the two common criteria for waterslide design. Between the two, safety is far more critical than excitement level. Safety aspects of the waterslide design can be reasonably ensured; by restricting the sliding object, which stays within the physical boundary of the flume sections. In this paper, mathematical representations of a number of common flume sections are first created in parametric surfaces. These basic building blocks have also been implemented in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools, such as SolidWorks. A set of coupled differential equations based on Lagrange's equations of motion that describe the motion of the sliding object are derived, in which friction forces are included. These second order differential equations are then solved using Mathemati...
Consumer Acceptance of Peanut-Flavored Frozen Desserts. II. Preferred Milk Fat Level,

Abstract Peanut butter—flavored frozen desserts containing 5% peanut butter and 8, 6, and 4% levels of milk fat were evaluated by 91 consumer families (271 persons) and their reactions were analyzed statistically. Results revealed that the 8% milk fat product was preferred by the greatest number of consumers, and the preference for this product over both the 6 and 4% milk fat products was significant at the 5% level of probability. However, there was no significant difference in consumer preference for the 6 and 4% milk fat levels; for this reason a manufacturer of peanut butter-flavored frozen desserts could expect a 4% milk fat product to compete favorably with a 6% milk fat product on the consumer market.
Comparative functional analysis of aquaporins/glyceroporins in mammals and anurans

Maintenance of fluid homeostasis is critical to establishing and maintaining normal physiology. The landmark discovery of membrane water channels (aquaporins; AQPs) ushered in a new area in osmoregulatory biology that has drawn from and contributed to diverse branches of biology, from molecular biology and genomics to systems biology and evolution, and from microbial and plant biology to animal and translational physiology. As a result, the study of AQPs provides a unique and integrated backdrop for exploring the relationships between genes and genome systems, the regulation of gene expression, and the physiologic consequences of genetic variation. The wide species distribution of AQP family members and the evolutionary conservation of the family indicate that the control of membrane water flux is a critical biological process. AQP function and regulation is proving to be central to many of the pathways involved in individual physiologic systems in both mammals and anurans. In mammals, AQPs are essential to normal secretory and absorptive functions of the eye, lung, salivary gland, sweat glands, gastrointestinal tract, and kidney. In urinary, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems, AQPs are required for proper urine concentration, fluid reabsorption, and glandular secretions. In anurans, AQPs are important in mediating physiologic responses to changes in the external environment, including those that occur during metamorphosis and adaptation from an aquatic to terrestrial environment and thermal acclimation in anticipation of freezing. Therefore, an understanding of AQP function and regulation is an important aspect of an integrated approach to basic biological research.
Stereochemical analysis of a leukotriene related hydroxypentadecadiene using a chiral high-performance liquid chromatography column and diode array detection

Abstract A high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of the chiral isomers of a leukotriene related hydroxypentadecadiene has been achieved using a chiral protein column which permits low levels of the undesired distomer to be measured in the eutomer. Diode array and proton magnetic resonance analytical methods were used to confirm their diene stereochemistry and that of a related impurity produced in trace amounts in the synthesis.
Comprehensive Musicianship in the Contemporary Music Project's Southern Region Institutes for Music in Contemporary Education.

This study offers a historical perspective of the implementation of Comprehensive Musicianship from 1966 through 1968 in the five colleges and universities that formed the Southern Region of the Contemporary Music Projects Institutes for Music in Contemporary Education (IMCE) program: East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina; Florida State University, Tallahassee; George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tennessee; University of Georgia, Athens; and University of Kentucky, Lexington.Diverse realizations of Comprehensive Musicianship were fostered among the Southern Region IMCE institutions, ranging from East Carolina University's integrated theory-history courses for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to the University of Georgia's small-scale experiment on the use of composition as part of sophomore theory instruction. Although the IMCE program influenced music faculty members in the Southern Region schools to confront important issues about college training in musicianship, the long-te...
Cell responses without receptors and ligands, using nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs)

The plasma membrane is a lipid bilayer that surrounds and shelters the living structural and metabolic systems within cells. That membrane is replete with transmembrane proteins with and without ligand binding sites, oligosaccharides, and glycolipids on the cell exterior. Information transfer across this structure is closely controlled to maintain homeostasis and regulate cell responses to external stimuli. The plasma membrane is contiguous with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nuclear membranes. A number of proteins form ER–mitochondria junctions, allowing interorganelle communications, especially for calcium transport. Transport mechanisms across these membranes include nongated channels or pores; single-gated channels for ion transport; carrier molecules for facilitated diffusion; and pumps for active transport of ions and macromolecules. During the activation of these transport systems, “pores” are formed through protein structures that transiently connect the intracellular and extracellular milieu. These pores are nanoscale structures with diameters of 0.2–4.0 nm. However, there can also be maligned movements of molecules across the plasma membranes. Staphylococcus aureus protein α-toxin and Streptococcus pyogenes protein streptolysin O both create pores that allow unsolicited molecular transfer across membranes that disrupts vital functions. Cytotoxic T-cells permeabilize the invading cell membranes with perforin, creating pores through which granzymes can induce apoptosis. These pores have a lumen of 5–30 nm with the majority at 13–20 nm.1
Improved Bioassay Method for Evaluating the Potency of Chemosterilants Against House Flies

To save time and reduce the amount of labor involved, efforts were made to simplify the assay method for evaluating the potency of chemosterilants on house flies, Musca domestica L., described by Chang and Borkovec (1964). Only the modifications are reported here and the reader is referred to the original article for the entire procedure.
Oxygen versus Nitrogen Bonding of Carboxamides to Pentaammineruthenium(II/III)

Reversible linkage isomerizations are identified for monodentate carboxamides on pentaammineruthenium(II) and -(III). The equilibrium between O-bonded and N-bonded amides is pH and oxidation-state dependent. When both O- and N-bound amides are neutral uncharged ligands (pH < 7, Ru(II); pH < 2, Ru(III)), the O-bonded isomers are thermodynamically more stable for both oxidation states. They are, however, inherently unstable, solvolyzing in coordinating solvents with loss of amide ligand (Ru(II), t1/2 < 1 s; Ru(III), t1/2 < 2 h; 25 °C, H2O) or isomerizing to deprotonated N-bonded isomers in nonacidic solutions. Cyclovoltammetry in base produces reversible RuIII/II couples for the substitution-inert deprotonated form, [(NH3)5RuNHCOR]2+/+, which protonates for Ru(II) in acidic and neutral solutions (pKa ∼ 7) and isomerizes to the O-bonded amide. Following oxidation to Ru(III), isomerization of the O-bonded amides (pKa ≥ 10) back to the N-bonded amides (pKa ≤ 2) is driven by selective deprotonation to [(NH3)5Ru...
Pseudovirus mimics cell entry and trafficking of the human polyomavirus JCPyV

The normally asymptomatic human polyomavirus, JCPyV, is the causative agent of a rare but fatal demyelinating disease known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Individuals at risk for developing PML include those with AIDS, with other underlying immunosuppressive diseases, and in patients treated with immunomodulatory regimens. Drugs to prevent viral reactivation in the setting of immunosuppression or immunomodulation could be used to sustain lives. Development of such drugs has been impeded by the difficulty of growing and studying the virus. We sought to develop a more efficient method for screening drugs that inhibit viral infection. Pseudovirus models have been developed which may be of use in pharmaceutical research. The use of pseudoviruses as models for viral infection is dependent on them using similar pathways for infection as virus. We screened known inhibitors of viral entry for their ability to block pseudovirus infection. Here we show that the pseudovirus based on the human polyomavirus JCPyV recapitulates virus binding, entry and trafficking. This system can be used for high-throughput screening of antiviral drugs.
The rent gradient for manufacturing

Abstract Rent gradients for manufacturing are estimated using actual rent and value figures for Cincinnati. Distance to the city center is found to be of no importance in explaining rent or value variations.
Coordination chemistry of phosphoryl compounds—II: Cationic lanthanide complexes of hexamethyl phosphoramide

Abstract Complexes of lanthanides of the type LnCl3-3HMPA have been prepared and characterized by means of analytical, conductivity and infrared spectral studies (HMPA = O = P[N(CH3)2]3). It has been found that the lanthanides exhibit the unusual coordination number of six in these compounds. Results also indicate that the ligand is coordinated via its phosphoryl oxygen atom.
Non-Antibody Mediated Roles of B Cells in Allograft Survival

Antibody production is unquestionably a key effector function of B cells that remains a formidable barrier against long-term graft survival. However, emerging evidence indicates that B cells play a key role in shaping the effector responses by mechanisms that extend beyond their function as antibody producing cells. B cell depletion in transplant recipients has resulted in paradoxical outcomes of increased graft rejection versus improved graft function, implying that B cells function as both enhancers and regulators of the alloimmune response. Based on findings from animal and human studies, we address mechanisms by which B cells modulate the immune response and highlight their role in promoting allograft rejection or tolerance.
Impact of DCS-facilitated cue exposure therapy on brain activation to cocaine cues in cocaine dependence

Abstract Background The development of addiction is marked by a pathological associative learning process that imbues incentive salience to stimuli associated with drug use. Recent efforts to treat addiction have targeted this learning process using cue exposure therapy augmented with d -cycloserine (DCS), a glutamatergic agent hypothesized to enhance extinction learning. To better understand the impact of DCS-facilitated extinction on neural reactivity to drug cues, the present study reports fMRI findings from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of DCS-facilitated cue exposure for cocaine dependence. Methods Twenty-five participants completed two MRI sessions (before and after intervention), with a cocaine-cue reactivity fMRI task. The intervention consisted of 50 mg of DCS or placebo, combined with two sessions of cocaine cue exposure and skills training. Results Participants demonstrated cocaine cue activation in a variety of brain regions at baseline. From the pre- to post-study scan, participants experienced decreased activation to cues in a number of regions (e.g., accumbens, caudate, frontal poles). Unexpectedly, placebo participants experienced decreases in activation to cues in the left angular and middle temporal gyri and the lateral occipital cortex, while DCS participants did not. Conclusions Three trials of DCS-facilitated cue exposure therapy for cocaine dependence have found that DCS either increases or does not significantly impact response to cocaine cues. The present study adds to this literature by demonstrating that DCS may prevent extinction to cocaine cues in temporal and occipital brain regions. Although consistent with past research, results from the present study should be considered preliminary until replicated in larger samples.
Improving registration correction accuracy via finer quantization and timestamp

In order to successfully fuse measurements from multiple surveillance sensors in the National Airspace System (NAS), radar registration techniques are used to minimize radar biases in the measured range and azimuth. These biases can be systematically estimated; the estimated biases can then be subtracted from each target's measured range and azimuth to improve the measurement accuracy. The NAS's current radar's range and azimuth quantization, however, through hardware known as the Common Digitizer, has large quantization errors, potentially degrading registration estimation accuracy. The finer quantization of All Purpose Structured Eurocontrol Surveillance Information Exchange (ASTERIX) would theoretically improve the accuracy of registration bias estimates. In addition to more precise range and azimuth quantization, ASTERIX formatted data is required to include a Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) timestamp, eliminating the errors in the current system's time-of-applicability (TOA) estimation. In particular, errors stem from time alignment message estimation and variable sweep rates. Using PC-based simulations of long range radar sweeps, aircraft targets, radar noise, and registration biases, the authors propose to measure the net effect of finer range and azimuth quantization and more exact timestamps. Radar registration techniques used by US terminal and en route surveillance systems—those used by the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) and En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM)—will be faithfully replicated and simulated 2D aircraft flight patterns will be incorporated.
Implications of the Lag-Luminosity Relationship for Unified Gamma-Ray Burst Paradigms

Spectral lags (τlag) are deduced using a cross-correlation methodology for 1429 long (T90 > 2 s) BATSE gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with peak flux Fp > 0.25 photons cm-2 s-1, near to the BATSE trigger threshold. The lags are modeled as a power-law function of peak flux with limit parameters for the lag extrema. Lag model errors are assigned via a novel decimation procedure, drawing from the observed lag distribution with Fp and τlag as governing parameters. The model parameters were adjusted within a five-dimensional grid to achieve best agreement with the observed distribution in the Fp-τlag plane. Assuming a two-branch lag-luminosity relationship, the lags are self-consistently corrected for cosmological effects to yield distributions in luminosity, distance, and redshift. The results have several consequences for GRB populations and for unified gamma-ray/afterglow scenarios that would account for afterglow break times and gamma-ray spectral evolution in terms of jet opening angle, viewing angle, or a profiled jet with variable Lorentz factor. A component of the burst sample is identified—those with few, wide pulses, lags of a few tenths to several seconds, and soft spectra—whose log N- log Fp distribution approximates a -3/2 power law, suggesting homogeneity and relatively nearby sources. The proportion of long-lag bursts increases from negligible among bright BATSE bursts to ~50% at trigger threshold. Bursts with very long lags, ~1-2 s 0), then overproduction of low-luminosity bursts results. Thus, the relativistic kinematic factor as the dominant component for the dynamic range in GRB luminosities is not favored. The variable beaming fraction scenario, with constant luminosity across the jet cone, can fit the high-luminosity bursts with a fairly flat distribution in jet cone solid angle, dN(Ωjet)/dΩjet Ω; for the ultralow-luminosity bursts a distribution that increases is required, dN(Ωjet)/dΩjet Ω. Jets with variable luminosity profiles viewed at a range of angles can also reproduce the observed luminosity distributions, such that L ~ θ and L ~ θ for high- and ultralow-luminosity regimes, respectively. Approximately 1/300 of the universal SN Ib/c population would be required to produce GRBs at cosmological distances, with a rate of 1 × 106 to a few times 106 yr-1. The modeled redshift distribution for GRBs peaks at z ~ 10, with large uncertainty.
Itinerary of Truman G. Yuncker’s expeditions

Many of the systematically and historically valuable collections in the DePauw University Herbarium (DPU), Greencastle, Indiana, were made by Truman G. Yuncker during his numerous expeditions. He collected in large, and until then unexplored, areas of Honduras, and undertook several expeditions to islands in the South Pacific (Manua, Niue, and Tonga) and Hawaii. In his late years he collected in the West Indies and in Brazil. His extensive collections ofCuscuta (Cuscutaceae) and Piperaceae each became among the largest in the world. In this article an itinerary of his expeditions is presented.
NUTRITION OF PANDORINA MORUM1,2

SUMMARY A defined medium was developed for 3 strains of Pandorina morum. The strains tested required no vitamins or other organic compounds. The optimal initial pH was between 7.0 and 8.0. Various carbon sources were tested, and only glycolate and acetate appreciably stimulated growth. Mixotrophic growth in the light was stimulated by glycolate in all 3 strains, and by acetate in strains 880 and N76-6. Only strain N76-6 utilized acetate for heterotrophic growth in the dark. Thirty strains of P. morum of world-wide distribution were surveyed for mixotrophic and heterotrophic growth with acetate. All were found to fit 1 of 3 classes with respect to acetate metabolism: (1) no effect in light or dark; (2) stimulation of growth in light only; (3) stimulation of growth in light and dark.
Measuring components of family planning program effort

The measures of family planning program effort developed by Lapham and Mauldin have played a key role in family planning program analysis, but surprisingly little is known about them. This article investigates the measurement of family planning program effort based on data reflecting conditions circa 1982 in 100 developing countries. Using confirmatory factor analytic techniques, it tests some hypotheses implicit in the work of Mauldin and Lapham. Since the data do not fully support these hypotheses, an alternative conceptualization is proposed that consists of eight rather than four components. The discussion focuses on the expanded set of components and includes an assessment of the empirical indicators associated with them.
Preparing various policies for interactive reinforcement learning for the SICE-ICASE International Joint Conference 2006 (SICE-ICCAS 2006)

We propose a new method of preparing various policies to distinguish main rewards from temporal rewards toward the interactive reinforcement learning method in which reward functions are given incrementally from an initial state to the goal state. Shaping is the theoretical framework of interactive reinforcement learning. Most previous shaping researches assume shaping reward function that is monotonic distance function to the main goal and that is policy invariant. However, these assumptions will not be true on interactive reinforcement learning. To solve them, it is necessary to distinguish main rewards included in an expected optimal policy from temporal rewards only to guide its learning toward the optimal policy. This paper proposes the reward discrimination method for an interactive reinforcement learning agent. First, we introduce a concept of every-visit-optimality to define various policies. Then we present a method to search various policies on an identified MDP model. Experiments to evaluate the total search cost of acquiring various policies are performed between Modified-PIA and our method. As the experimental results, our method holds the total search cost against increasing the number of rewards. This suggests that our method is better than previous reinforcement learning methods for interactive reinforcement learning in which many rewards are added incrementally.
Initial tumor cell arrest in animals of defined coagulative status.

Experiments were made to evaluate the potential role played by thrombogenic factors on the hematogenous arrest of circulating tumor cells in mice with demonstrable coagulopathies associated with the presence of a primary tumor, by administration of “therapeutic” doses of anticoagulants. The effects of warfarin, aspirin and heparin administration on the early arrest patterns of 125IdUrd-labelled TA3 carcinoma and Gardner lympho-sarcoma cells injected intravenously into tumor-bearing mice were examined. Several hematologic parameters of carcinoma- and lymphosarcoma-bearing animals were measured prior to anti-coagulation experiments and the results indicated that mice had coagulopathies similar to those found in cancer patients with disseminated intra-vascular coagulation syndrome, i.e., thrombocyto-penia and elevated fibrinogen levels. Despite the presence of coagulation abnormalities and effective anticoagulation in recipient animals, all three agents were without effect on localization patterns of both tumor types. It was concluded that the proposed involvement of thrombogenesis in metastasis was probably not due to any role played by those clotting factors inhibited by aspirin, warfarin and heparin in early intravascular tumor cell arrest.
Unsteady mixed convection in micropolar boundary layer flow on a vertical plate

By the use of the theory of micropolar fluids due to Eringen, boundary layer solutions are presented to study an unsteady combined convection of a micropolar fluid among a vertical plate. The unsteadiness arises and a result of time-varying nature of the free stream velocity as well as the wall temperature. Numerical results are obatained for the velocity, angular velocity and temperature fields. The effect of the buoyancy force results in the enhancements of friction factor, heat transfer rate and wall couple stress. Micropolar fluids display drag reduction and reduce surface heat transfer rate when compared to Newtonian fluids.
Finite state relational programs

We introduce a new class of programs, called Finite Relational Linear Programs (FRLP), capable of modeling simple data processing applications. We analyze these programs with respect to tradeoffs between features they possess including the problems of equivalence and optimization. Algorithmic solutions are given to the two latter problems and others. Extensions are discussed in which a (part of) algorithmic solvability is lost. A unifying concept for this and previous work is presented.
CMCpy: Genetic Code-Message Coevolution Models in Python

Code-message coevolution (CMC) models represent coevolution of a genetic code and a population of protein-coding genes (“messages”). Formally, CMC models are sets of quasispecies coupled together for fitness through a shared genetic code. Although CMC models display plausible explanations for the origin of multiple genetic code traits by natural selection, useful modern implementations of CMC models are not currently available. To meet this need we present CMCpy, an object-oriented Python API and command-line executable front-end that can reproduce all published results of CMC models. CMCpy implements multiple solvers for leading eigenpairs of quasispecies models. We also present novel analytical results that extend and generalize applications of perturbation theory to quasispecies models and pioneer the application of a homotopy method for quasispecies with non-unique maximally fit genotypes. Our results therefore facilitate the computational and analytical study of a variety of evolutionary systems. CMCpy is free open-source software available from http://pypi.python.org/pypi/CMCpy/.
Acquisition of a conditioned aversion as a function of age and measurement technique

Two experiments investigated variables influencing the acquisition of a conditioned aversion in juvenile and adult rats. In the first experiment, juvenile and adult subjects received six scopolamine-illness pairings utilizing a forced single-bottle measurement technique. Whereas adult rats learned an aversion to sucrose more rapidly when sucrose was novel rather than familiar, neither familiarized nor novel juvenile animals exhibited any aversion to sucrose. The second experiment compared acquisition of a taste aversion in juvenile and adult animals with either a one-bottle forced technique or a two-bottle choice procedure. Adult rats acquired an aversion to sucrose associated with LiCl illness more rapidly with a two-bottle than with a one-bottle measurement technique, although a strong sucrose aversion was seen in adult rats after four sucrose-illness pairings with the one-bottle technique. Young juvenile rats avoided sucrose when a two-bottle free-choice procedure was employed, while showing only a weak aversion to sucrose with the forced technique after four pairings. These results show that young animals can learn to avoid a taste associated with illness if the appropriate conditions are employed.
Adverse effects on pollen exposed to Atta texana and other North American ants: implications for ant pollination

The effects of the surface secretions of eight species of ants on three types of pollen were bioassayed by exposure to the integument of undisturbed, living individuals for 20 min. Ant species included Atta texana which cultures fungi by means of various types of secretions. The frequency of grains showing membrane dysfunction, and therefore reduced viability, was quantified by means of a fluorochromatic test. Comparisons of treated and control samples showed that in 46 out of 50 bioassays there was a reduction in pollen viability following exposure to ants, 38 being statistically significant. Variation in the outcome of bioassays showed differential potency among ant species and differential vulnerability among pollen types. Ant pollination may be uncommon because surface secretions, often from the metapleural glands, cause membrane dysfunction in pollen. Ant species without metapleural glands may be pollinators, but ant pollinated plants may have pollen resistant to the secretion.
Characterization of sidewall Bragg gratings using optical low-coherence interferometry with a broadband source

In this work, we present fabrication and measurement of sidewall Bragg gratings in chalcogenide arsenic tri-sulfide (As2S3) on titanium-diffused lithium niobate (Ti:LiNbO3) channel waveguides. The transfer matrix method was used to analyze the temporal and spectral response of the sidewall gratings in the mid-infrared. The waveguide sidewall Bragg gratings were fabricated by electron-beam lithography (EBL), metal liftoff and subsequent reactive-ion etching (RIE). Insertion loss of the mid-infrared Ti:LiNbO3 optical waveguides were measured at ~2 dB and the propagation loss was estimated to be 0.45 dB/cm. Configuration of an optical low-coherence interferometer that is capable of characterizing the mid-infrared sidewall grating-based devices was experimentally implemented and preliminary results from fiber Bragg gratings are presented.
Modifying role of trace elements on the mutagenicity of benzo[a]pyrene.

Abstract Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon that is found in tobacco smoke and various environmental contaminants and has been shown to be carcinogenic and mutagenic in animal and cell culture studies, respectively. Research studies suggest that various nutritional factors such as the antioxidant vitamins and selenium are very promising as potential anticarcinogenic agents. Moreover, some evidence exists showing that both iron and germanium, at specific dosage levels, may posses animutagenic potential. This study examined the influence of ferrous sulfate and germanium oxide, independently, upon the mutagenic potential of BaP in the Ames test. Four test strains of Salmonella typhimurium were exposed to BaP (15 μg/plate) in the presence of different dosage levels of iron (0–1000 μg/plate) and germanium (0–600 μg/plate). In the case of iron, it was observed that, depending upon the strain tested, iron reduced BaP's mutagenicity. In strain TA98, this was a significant effect at 100 μg/plate and higher. In strains TA97a and TA100, iron concentrations had to reach 250 μg/plate or higher to produce significant effects. Iron was much less effective in reducing BaP mutagenicity in strain TA102. In general, germanium was not as effective in reducing the mutagenic potential of BaP. Only in the case of the highest concentrations tested (400 and 600 μg/plate) was any effect noted, and this in only three of the four strains evaluated.
Cytometry of DNA Replication and RNA Synthesis: Historical Perspective and Recent Advances Based on “Click Chemistry”

This review covers progress in the development of cytometric methodologies designed to assess DNA replication and RNA synthesis. The early approaches utilizing autoradiography to detect incorporation of (3) H- or (14) C-labeled thymidine were able to identify the four fundamental phases of the cell cycle G(1) , S, G(2) , and M, and by analysis of the fraction of labeled mitosis (FLM), to precisely define the kinetics of cell progression through these phases. Analysis of (3) H-uridine incorporation and RNA content provided the means to distinguish quiescent G(0) from cycling G(1) cells. Subsequent progress in analysis of DNA replication was based on the use of BrdU as a DNA precursor and its detection by the quenching of the fluorescence intensity of DNA-bound fluorochromes such as Hoechst 33358 or acridine orange as measured by flow cytometry. Several variants of this methodology have been designed and used in studies to detect anticancer drug-induced perturbations of cell cycle kinetics. The next phase of method development, which was particularly useful in studies of the cell cycle in vivo, including clinical applications, relied on immunocytochemical detection of incorporated halogenated DNA or RNA precursors. This approach however was hampered by the need for DNA denaturation, which made it difficult to concurrently detect other cell constituents for multiparametric analysis. The recently introduced "click chemistry" approach has no such limitation and is the method of choice for analysis of DNA replication and RNA synthesis. This method is based on the use of 5-ethynyl-2'deoxyuridine (EdU) as a DNA precursor or 5-ethynyluridine (EU) as an RNA precursor and their detection with fluorochrome-tagged azides utilizing a copper (I) catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition. Several examples are presented that illustrate incorporation of EdU or EU in cells subjected to DNA damage detected as histone H2AX phosphorylation that have been analyzed by flow or laser scanning cytometry.
Comparisons of Software Packages for Generalized Linear Multilevel Models

Abstract We review five software packages that can fit a generalized linear mixed model for data with more than a two-level structure and a multiple number of independent variables. These five packages are MLn, MLwiN, SAS Proc Mixed (Glimmix Macro), HLM, and VARCL. We first discuss the features of each of the five packages. These features include data input and data management, statistical model capabilities, output, and user friendliness. We then compare their performance on several simulated datasets.
Urban demand and free market inflation in Guizhou Province, P.R.C.: 1984–1987

Abstract Between 1984 and 1987, food prices in Guizhou's urban and rural open markets increased dramatically. An examination of price data for 25 different commodities from 21 different locations throughout Guizhou reveals several distinct patterns between urban and rural price changes. This paper argues that these price increases are primarily caused by demand changes that originate in urban areas due to changes in the wage system and then spread to rural areas via the mechanism of the rising monetization of rural incomes.
NEURONET-BASED APPROACH FOR ASSESSING LIQUEFACTION POTENTIAL OF SOILS

A backpropagation artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm with one hidden layer was used as a new numerical approach to characterize the soil liquefaction potential. For this purpose, 61 field data sets representing various earthquake sites from around the world were used. To develop the most accurate prediction model for liquefaction potential, alternating combinations of input parameters were used during the training and testing phases of the developed network. The accuracy of the designed network was validated against an additional 44 records not used previously in either the network training or testing stages. The prediction accuracy of the neural network approach-based model is compared with predictions obtained by using fuzzy logic and statistically based approaches. Overall, the ANN model outperformed all other investigated approaches.
Student Journals: A Means of Assessing Transformative Learning in Aging Related Courses

In courses where topics are sensitive or even considered taboo for discussion, it can be difficult to assess students’ deeper learning. In addition, incorporating a wide variety of students’ values and beliefs, designing instructional strategies and including varied assessments adds to the difficulty. Journal entries or response notebooks can highlight reflection upon others’ viewpoints, class readings, and additional materials. These are useful across all educational levels in deep learning and comprehension strategies assessments. Journaling meshes with transformative learning constructs, allowing for critical self-reflection essential to transformation. Qualitative analysis of journals in a death and dying class reveals three transformative themes: awareness of others, questioning, and comfort. Students’ journal entries demonstrate transformative learning via communication with others through increased knowledge/exposure to others’ experiences and comparing/contrasting others’ personal beliefs with the...
Extension of postharvest life of bell peppers with low oxygen.

Green bell peppers (Capsicum annum L cv California Wonder) were stored in oxygen/nitrogen mixtures at 10, 30, 50, 70 and 210 (air) ml O 2 litre -1 for 4 weeks at 10°C. Decay, weight loss, colour, titratable acidity and soluble solids contents, internal CO 2 and ethylene were evaluated. After 2 weeks, 33% of the air-stored peppers had decayed while only 9% of those stored in 10 ml litre -1 O 2 had decayed. The benefit of 10 ml litre -1 O 2 in reducing decay continued through 4 weeks of storage. The 30 and 50 ml litre -1 O 2 atmospheres slightly reduced decay for a short time while the incidence of decay in 70 ml litre -1 O 2 was not different from the control. Peppers stored in 10 ml litre -1 O 2 had significantly lower internal CO 2 than the air control and other low O 2 treatments. A slower decrease in green colour of peppers stored in low O 2 indicates a retardation of colour change by low O 2 treatments during storage. Low respiration and ethylene synthesis rates may be the primary factors in quality retention.
Family Therapy Education and Higher Education Administration Policy: Facing New Challenges

Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) education programs are not immune to the financial pressures associated with providing quality educational programs. In this article, the author discusses the current higher education economic environment, explores contemporary trends in higher education management, and considers their effect on MFT educational programs, an area that is virtually unaddressed in the literature. Finally, the author describes how one MFT training program is responding to the challenges brought forth by the fiscal complexities embedded in the contemporary higher education economic environment. The discussion offers useful and practical administrative policy information to MFT educational programs and their leaders.
Interactions between two antigens governed by the poly-L-lysine gene: failure of one to inhibit competitively an in vitro response to the other.

SummaryPoly-L-glutamic acid-poly-L-lysine (GL) and dinitrophenyl-poly-L-lysine (DNP-PLL) are two antigens to which the capacity of guinea pigs to make cell-mediated immune responses appears to be governed in common by a single, dominant, histocompatibility-linked gene, the poly-L-lysine (PLL) gene, although the responses to the two antigens are individually antigen-specific. The hypothesis that this common genetic control might be associated with the involvement at some stage in the antigen-recognition process of a receptor common to both antigens and susceptible to competitive inhibition was tested by incubating, in the presence of DNP-PLL alone and of DNP-PLL together with excess GL, cultures of lymph node cells from animals possessing the PLL gene and previously immunized with DNP-PLL. The presence of GL did not inhibit the response to DNP-PLL (as judged by incorporation of radioactive thymidine), thus providing no evidence for the hypothesized common receptor for the two antigens.
GXXXG and GXXXA motifs stabilize FAD and NAD(P)-binding Rossmann folds through Cα-H...O hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions

Here we present evidence that domains in soluble proteins containing either the GXXXG or GXXXA motif are stabilized by the interaction of a beta-strand with the following alpha-helix. As an example, we characterized a beta-strand-helix interaction from the FAD or NAD(P)-binding Rossmann fold. The Rossmann fold is one of the three most highly represented folds in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). A subset of the proteins that adopt the Rossmann fold also bind to nucleotide cofactors such as FAD and NAD(P) and function as oxidoreductases. These Rossmann folds can often be identified by the short amino acid sequence motif, GX(1-2)GXXG. Here, we present evidence that in addition to this sequence motif, Rossmann folds that bind FAD and NAD(P) also typically contain either GXXXG or GXXXA motifs, where the first glycyl residue of these motifs and the third glycyl residue of the GX(1-2)GXXG motif are the same residue. These two motifs appear to stabilize the Rossmann fold: the first glycyl residue of either the GXXXG or GXXXA motif contacts the carbonyl oxygen atom from the first glycyl residue of the GX(1-2)GXXG motif consistent with the formation of a C(alpha)-H cdots, three dots, centered O hydrogen bond. In addition, both the glycyl and alanyl residues of the GXXXG or GXXXA motifs form van der Waals interactions with either a valine or isoleucine residue located either seven or eight residues further back along the polypeptide chain from the first glycine of the GXXXG or GXXXA motifs. Therefore, we combine both the GX(1-2)GXXG and GXXXG/A motifs into an extended motif, V/IXGX(1-2)GXXGXXXG/A, that is more strongly indicative than previously described motifs of Rossmann folds that bind FAD or NAD(P). The V/IXGX(1-2)GXXGXXXG/A motif can be used to search genomic sequence data and to annotate the function of proteins containing the motif as oxidoreductases, including proteins of previously unknown function.
Self-Assembled Microstructures of Confined Rod-Coil Diblock Copolymers by Self-Consistent Field Theory

We employ the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) incorporating Maier−Saupe orientational interactions between rods to investigate the self-assembly of rod−coil diblock copolymers (RC DBC) in bulk and especially confined into two flat surfaces in 2D space. A unit vector defined on a spherical surface for describing the orientation of rigid blocks in 3D Euclidean space is discretized with an icosahedron triangular mesh to numerically integrate over rod orientation, which is confirmed to have numerical accuracy and stability higher than that of the normal Gaussian quadrature. For the hockey puck-shaped phases in bulk, geometrical confinement, i.e., the film thickness, plays an important role in the self-assembled structures’ transitions for the neutral walls. However, for the lamellar phase (monolayer smectic-C) in bulk, the perpendicular lamellae are always stable, less dependent on the film thicknesses because they can relax to the bulk spacing with less-paid coil-stretching in thin films. In particular, ...
Teaching NeuroImages: unmasking raccoon eyes: a classic clinical sign.

A 65-year-old woman presented with head/facial trauma secondary to seizure. Examination revealed right-sided facial contusions and subconjunctival hemorrhage. Over 24 hours she developed bilateral periorbital ecchymoses: “raccoon eyes” (figure 1). Neuroimaging revealed right orbital fracture with hemorrhage into the orbit (figure 2). There was no basilar skull fracture or Battle sign (mastoid ecchymosis).
Performance evaluation of image registration

From the medical point of view, the only meaningful measure of system performance is correct diagnosis. In ventilation and perfusion (V/Q) lung scan analysis, the goal is to identify the degree of match or mismatch, which is dependent on V/Q ratios. High registration performance is a critical factor for computation of the ratios. Thus, the method used to evaluate system performance is important. Here, the authors present an exclusive-or (XOR) function to evaluate registration error improvement and investigate several commonly used evaluation methods to compare registration results. Three measurements are compared with respect to accuracy, reliability, and computational cost. Both direct and indirect methods are studied to assess registration performance. The direct method requires direct user interaction such as manual identification of corresponding points or expert judgment. The indirect method is an automated approach with a minimum amount of user interaction. Examples include the correlation coefficient function and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) approach.
Experimental detection of capillary adhesion forces between single textile fibers

A torsion balance arrangement housed in a specially designed chamber was used to study the effect of atmospheric humidity on the normal adhesion of single polyester, nylon, cotton, and glass fibers, which were contacted at right angles. Marked increase in fiber-to-fiber attraction detected at humidities in excess of 60% is attributed to capillary condensation from the vapor phase. Experimental results are interpreted in light of what is known about capillary condensation in small pores and the adsorption of moisture onto fiber surfaces.
Stochastic Cramer-Rao bounds of DOA estimates for BPSK and QPSK modulated signals

The paper focuses on the stochastic Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) of direction of arrival (DOA) estimates for binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) and quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulated signals corrupted by additive circular complex Gaussian noise. Explicit expressions of the CRB for the DOA parameter alone in the case of a single signal waveform are given. Finally, these results are extended to the case of two independent BPSK distributed sources where an explicit expression of the DOA parameters alone is given for large SNR.
Temperature mapping results on the high-field Q-slope of 1500 MHz single cell superconducting radiofrequency cavities baked in-situ at 400 C

The heat treatment of a niobium cavity between 100degC - 120degC for 48 hours substantially improves cavity performance, presumably by healing the nature of the oxide- metal interface, although the nature of the healing is not yet understood. The heat treatment at higher temperatures is found to deteriorate the performance. Our tests on 1500 MHz single cell cavities are always equipped with a temperature mapping system [1] consisting of 700 thermometers. The effect of heat treatment at various temperatures has been studied in detail using the temperature mapping system. In this article we report on several interesting findings from studies of a 400degC heat treatment.
Service oriented garbage collection: improving performance and robustness of application servers

Garbage Collection (GC) has critical impact on the performance and robustness of Java Application Servers. We proposed a Service-Oriented Garbage Collector (SOGC), which exploits the fact that remote objects live longer than local objects. SOGC allocates remote and local objects in different spaces in the young generation. The experimental results showed that SOGC increases the performance and robustness of Java Application Servers compared to traditional generational approaches.
Subspace Sequence Estimation

Recent work in the theory of subspace filtering and estimation, for example the Multistage Wiener Filter (MWF) of Goldstein et. al., has focused primarily on the case of finite dimension filtering. While this is the more practical case, as it can be implemented in a general purpose computer, it has left open the theoretical question of the behavior of subspace filters in the infinite dimension case. In this work we begin develop a causal infinite dimensional filter that operates in a subspace similar to that of the MWF and whose performance approaches that of the causal Wiener Filter using this subspace.