cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solving the CS1/CS2 lab dilemma: students as presenters in CS1/CS2 laboratories

In our quest to modernize our CS1/CS2 curriculum, we ran into several problems in the effective delivery of the courses and their associated laboratories. We have developed a teaching model in which students become the presenters for the hands-on laboratories. In order for this approach to be effective, the laboratories must be reused from semester to semester, so that student presenters are truly knowledgeable. The student-presenter model also requires more detailed supporting material and a rethinking of course grading policies.
Condensation Transition in DNA-Polyaminoamide Dendrimer Fibers Studied Using Optical Tweezers

When mixed together, DNA and polyaminoamide dendrimers form fibers that condense into a compact structure. We use optical tweezers to pull condensed fibers and investigate the decondensation transition by measuring force-extension curves (FECs). A characteristic force plateau (around 10 pN) and hysteresis between the pulling and relaxation cycles are observed for different dendrimer sizes, indicating the existence of a first-order transition between two phases (condensed and extended) of the fiber. Upon salt variation FECs change noticeably confirming that electrostatic forces drive the condensation transition. We propose a simple model for the decondensing transition that qualitatively reproduces the FECs and which is confirmed by atomic force microscopy images.
Myths, militarism and the police patrol rifle

Violence and force have played an important role in the establishment and defence of democratic values, and myths are used to justify the violence. The use of state-sanctioned violence by the police has a long history in the defence of those values, and myths have played a significant role in justifying their ability to use force to protect those values. This article reviews policing myths, the development of Police Paramilitary Units, the role of firearms in policing and their application to the use of ‘patrol rifles’ by street-level police officers in the USA. Contemporary issues such as terrorism and active shooters regenerate several policing myths. The result is an increased application of patrol rifles to the standard equipment of street officers. This may be viewed as an amplified militarisation of policing. It might also be argued that police agencies are acting in a rational manner to satisfy the expectations of their external environment.
A comparison of convergent and bi-plane X-ray photogrammetry systems used to detect total joint loosening.

Abstract X-ray photogrammetry is an accurate method of measuring structural displacements within the musculoskeletal system. Total joint implant alignment, migration and loosening are important clinical parameters which can be measured by X-ray photogrammetry. The purpose of this paper is to compare two different X-ray photogrammetry systems which are being used to study total joint parameters. The Seattle system uses a convergent geometry and the Cleveland system a bi-plane geometry. The accuracy of the two systems was compared by individually measuring the relative motion produced in an articulated plastic model. The model was designed to simulate the relative motion which can take place between the bone and a loose implant. The displacements of the model components were determined physiocally and photogrammetrically, and the error in the measurements was calculated for several conditions. Both systems measured relative component motion in the model with a root mean square error of 0.1 mm or less. In clinical use stainless steel markers are implanted in human subjects, and both systems measure distances with a r.m.s. error of 0.2 mm or less. The ease of usage, efficiency and flexibility of the two systems based on actual clinical experience reveals strengths and weaknesses in each which should be recognized when selecting a particular system.
Top-down modulation: the crossroads of perception, attention and memory

Research in our laboratory focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms that serve at the crossroads of perception, memory and attention, specifically exploring how brain region interactions underlie these abilities. To accomplish this, we study top-down modulation, the process by which we enhance neural activity associated with relevant information and suppress activity for irrelevant information, thus establishing a neural basis for all higher-order cognitive operations. We also study alterations in top-down modulation that occur with normal aging. Our experiments are performed on human participants, using a multimodal approach that integrates functional MRI (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG).
A Filterable Virus, Distinct from that of Laryngotracheitis, the Cause of a Respiratory Disease of Chicks

Abstract A RESPIRATORY disease of chicks clinically similar to infectious laryngotracheitis was reported upon by Schalk and Hawn (1931) under the title “An apparently new respiratory disease of chicks.” They stated that the disease was confined to chicks from 2 days to 3 weeks of age, the first cases appearing, in most instances, on the fifth to ninth day after removal from the incubator. The symptoms described were gasping, listlessness, and depression. Constant post-mortem findings were said to be acute congestion of all or a portion of one or both lungs and seromucoid liquid exudate in the bronchi and bronchioles. Mucous exudate was found in the nasal passages of a considerable number of the affected chicks. An outbreak ran a rapid course of 3 to 6 days’ duration, from 25 to 75 percent of the chicks became diseased, and from 40 to 90 percent of infected chicks succumbed. The disease was . . .
Visual analytics: why now?

An emerging field of study, visual analytics, is briefly described, including its motivations and the emerging partnerships that are bringing the best talents and technologies to missions such as homeland security and human health.
Recent attempts of improving the mechanical properties of AISI 4340 steel by control of microstructure — A brief review

The microstructural features such as cleanliness, defect density, and phase morphology play important roles in the fracture process and these microstructural variables can be controlled by steel refining and heat treatment techniques. Some of the recent attempts of improving the mechanical properties of AISI 4340 steel by controlling the microstructural features mentioned above have been briefly reviewed.
Galaxy clustering and the missing mass

The last several years have witnessed the completion of several large-scale red-shift surveys of galaxies, which have greatly increased our knowledge of the large-scale distribution of galaxies, and have shown that the superclustering phenomenon is widespread and accompanied by large holes in space that appear to be quite deficient in galaxies. The extreme lumpiness of our local Universe presents a challenge to all current theories of galaxy and cluster formation. A comparison with existing n-body simulations results in a poor match to the observations, indicating either that the initial conditions are incorrect or that additional input physics must be specified. With the large CfA red-shift survey complete to magnitude 14.5 at high Galactic latitude, it is possible to determine dynamical masses of small groups as well as large clusters, and the data set provides critical parameters for the mass measurement of the entire Local Supercluster. A trend of increasing mass: light ratio with scale size of measurement emerges from these studies, an effect that implies that dissipative processes probably played a major role in the formation of galaxies and clusters.
Finding a Simple Polytope from Its Graph in Polynomial Time

We show that one can compute the combinatorial facets of a simple polytope from its graph in polynomial time. Our proof relies on a primal-dual characterization (by Joswig, Kaibel, and Korner in Israel J. Math. 129:109–118, 2002) and a linear program, with an exponential number of constraints, which can be used to construct the solution and can be solved in polynomial time. We show that this allows one to characterize the face lattice of the polytope, via a simple face recognition algorithm. In addition, we use this linear program to construct several interesting polynomial-time computable sets of graphs which may be of independent interest.
A c-di-GMP effector system controls cell adhesion by inside-out signaling and surface protein cleavage.

In Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 the availability of inorganic phosphate (Pi) is an environmental signal that controls biofilm formation through a cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) signaling pathway. In low Pi conditions, a c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) RapA is expressed, depleting cellular c-di-GMP and causing the loss of a critical outer-membrane adhesin LapA from the cell surface. This response involves an inner membrane protein LapD, which binds c-di-GMP in the cytoplasm and exerts a periplasmic output promoting LapA maintenance on the cell surface. Here we report how LapD differentially controls maintenance and release of LapA: c-di-GMP binding to LapD promotes interaction with and inhibition of the periplasmic protease LapG, which targets the N-terminus of LapA. We identify conserved amino acids in LapA required for cleavage by LapG. Mutating these residues in chromosomal lapA inhibits LapG activity in vivo, leading to retention of the adhesin on the cell surface. Mutations with defined effects on LapD's ability to control LapA localization in vivo show concomitant effects on c-di-GMP-dependent LapG inhibition in vitro. To establish the physiological importance of the LapD-LapG effector system, we track cell attachment and LapA protein localization during Pi starvation. Under this condition, the LapA adhesin is released from the surface of cells and biofilms detach from the substratum. This response requires c-di-GMP depletion by RapA, signaling through LapD, and proteolytic cleavage of LapA by LapG. These data, in combination with the companion study by Navarro et al. presenting a structural analysis of LapD's signaling mechanism, give a detailed description of a complete c-di-GMP control circuit—from environmental signal to molecular output. They describe a novel paradigm in bacterial signal transduction: regulation of a periplasmic enzyme by an inner membrane signaling protein that binds a cytoplasmic second messenger.
Techniques for the correction of topographical effects in scanning Auger electron microscopy

A number of ratioing methods for correcting Auger images and linescans for topographical contrast are tested using anisotropically etched silicon substrates covered with Au or Ag. Thirteen well-defined angles of incidence are present on each polyhedron produced on the Si by this etching. If N1 electrons are counted at the energy of an Auger peak and N2 are counted in the background above the peak, then N1, N1 - N2, (N1 - N2)/(N1 + N2) are measured and compared as methods of eliminating topographical contrast. The latter method gives the best compensation but can be further improved by using a measurement of the sample absorption current. Various other improvements are discussed.
Loss of vitamin A in long-term stored, frozen sera

Abstract Vitamin A (retinol) was measured by a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method in human serum samples stored frozen at −20°C for 2–6 yr. In 40% of the sample, both vitamin A and the internal standard, vitamin A acetate (retinyl acetate) which was added at the time of assay, were destroyed. Controlled studies of each phase of the assay showed that the vitamin A began to degrade during the extraction step immediately after ethanol was added to the serum. Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and beta-carotene also degraded concurrently with vitamin A. Vitamin A may be lost because of free radical oxidation after the vitamin is released from its serum binding protein (retinol-binding protein), following the addition of ethanol to the serum sample. The loss of vitamin A is eliminated completely if ascorbic acid (0.1% w/v) is added to the ethanol before it is used in the preassay extraction.
Observation of Hydronium Ions at the Air−Aqueous Acid Interface: Vibrational Spectroscopic Studies of Aqueous HCl, HBr, and HI

The air−liquid interface of aqueous hydrogen-halide solutions is examined using vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy. Infrared and Raman spectroscopies are used to compare the effects of the ions on the water structure in the bulk solutions to that of the interface. The addition of HCl, HBr, and HI to water is found to cause a significant disruption in the hydrogen-bonding network at the air−liquid interface, similar to that which is observed for sodium halides. However, a convolution of additional effects are observed for acids at the air−aqueous interface: interfacial H3O+ (and H5O2+) which gives rise to surface potential changes, an increase in interfacial depth from interfacial concentration gradients, and a decrease in the number of dangling OH bonds relative to the neat water surface. Additionally, and moreover, sum frequency spectra reveal a surface proton continuum at frequencies below 3000 cm-1, indicating that hydronium ions (and Zundel ions) exist at the air−aqueous interface.
Caring-self and Women's Self-esteem: A Feminist's Reflection on Pastoral Care and Religious Education of Korean-American Women

After reviewing the notion of caring-self from a Korean feminist perspective, this paper argues that caring-self, in spite of its great contribution to pastoral care and education of women, is an essentialist notion based on Western individualism, one that excludes the experiences of men and women of nonwestern/communal cultures. Critically examining psychological literature of women's self-esteem and Korean self-esteem literature, I argue that to provide more appropriate pastoral care and education for Korean women, it is necessary to understand what and how their concept of the person is formed in a Korean communal context.
Grid harmonics and voltage unbalance effect elimination for three-phase PLL grid synchronization algorithm

The conventional synchronous reference frame phase locked loop (SRF-PLL) works perfectly for synchronization of utility interactive systems with grid that has no imperfections such as harmonics, unbalanced voltage or frequency fluctuation. However, the power grid suffers from these types of imperfections. For large distributed systems such as solar, onshore and offshore wind or wave energy, there is a need for synchronization with the frequency and phase angle of the three-phase grid contaminated with harmonics. For three-phase systems, the other imperfection of the grid that needs to be eliminated before feeding the grid voltage to PLL is the voltage unbalance. The proposed algorithm demonstrates a method to eliminate both the three-phase grid voltage harmonics and unbalance effects to improve the steady state performance of grid synchronization with high bandwidth PLL.
The Relative Biologic Effectiveness versus Linear Energy Transfer Curve as a Cell Trait

The magnitude of biological response varies with different radiation types. Using Linear Energy Transfer (LET) to differentiate types of incident radiation beam, the Relative Biologic Effectiveness (RBE) as a function of LET (RBE-LET) was found to have a characteristic shape with a peak around LET values 100 - 200 eV/nm. This general feature is believed to be a property of the incident beam. Our systems engineering model, however, suggests that the shape of the RBE-LET curve is a cell trait, a property of the cell. Like any other trait, phenotypic variations result from interactions of the genes and their context. State-space block diagram of the differential equation model suggests the genes are those in the DNA double strand break (dsb) repair pathway; and the context is cellular stress responsing to DNA damage by both external stimuli and internal redox state. At a deeper level, the block diagram suggests cell using mathematical calculations in its decision-making when facing a stress signal. The MRN protein complex, in particular, may perform addition to count the degree of DNA twisting for the homeostatic regulation of DNA supercoiling. The ATM protein may act as a feedback amplifier.
Glycine Transporters Not Only Take Out the Garbage, They Recycle

Two articles in the current issue of Neuron examine the consequences of deleting the two genes that encode glycine transporters. Interestingly, loss of glial transporters enhances while loss of presynaptic neuronal transporters reduces glycinergic transmission. These two opposing phenotypes resemble distinct human diseases characterized by dysfunction in glycinergic signaling.
The Carotene and Vitamin A Contents of Wisconsin Cheese

Summary Over five hundred samples of cheese, chiefly of the cheddar and Swiss types, were collected and analyzed for their carotene and vitamin A contents. The maximum vitamin A potency of cheddar cheese occurred in those samples made in the September–October period, 17.39 I.U. per gram (7900 I.U. per lb.); the minimum occurred in the March–April period, 7.94 I.U. per gram (3600 I.U. per lb.). The values for Swiss cheese were: August–October 14.67 I.U. per gram (6600 I.U. per lb.) and February–April 7.73 I.U. per gram (3500 I.U. per lb.). A few samples of cheese other than cheddar or Swiss were analyzed. Brick, Muenster, Limburger and Colby all showed no significant difference from cheddar cheese of the same season in vitamin A potency. No correspondence between vitamin A potency and grade of cheese was observed among the samples. The vitamin A potency of cheese corresponds to that of the milk from which it was made and this in turn reflects the carotene content of the ration.
Rb-Sr ages on density and size fractions of Apollo 11 fine soil sample 10084

Size and density fractions of Apollo 11 soil show that the materials < 60 μm and < 3.0 g/cm3 have87Rb/86Sr and87Sr/86Sr values that are closer to a 4.6 AE model isochron than coarser and more dense fractions. The latter increasingly approach a mixing line between high-K and low-K Apollo 11 basalts, or their mineral constituents. None of the fractions exceeds a model age of 4.6 AE. A material balance agrees with the total soil analyses. The results support the conclusion that the allochthonous part of the aggregate came in as impact ejecta from source materials which differentiated early in lunar history and were not subsequently modified in Rb/Sr ratio during a remelting or impact event. A clustering of values for the more allochthonous material suggests that it comes from a surrounding region in which the average values are: Rb ⋍ 2.9 ppm, Sr ⋍ 185 ppm and87Sr/86Sr ⋍ 0.7019.
Phosphorylation of smooth muscle actin by the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Abstract Partially purified smooth muscle (chicken gizzard) actomyosin contains two major substrates of cAMP-dependent protein kinase: a protein of Mr = 130,000, identified as the calmodulin-dependent myosin light chain kinase, and a protein of Mr = 42,000. This latter protein was shown by a variety of electrophoretic procedures to be actin. Purified smooth muscle actin also was phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The rate of phosphorylation of smooth muscle actin was significantly enhanced by depolyjerization of actin. A maximum of 2.0 mol phosphate could be incorporated per mol G-actin. Skeletal muscle F-actin was not significantly phosphorylated by protein kinase; however, skeletal G-actin is a substrate for the protein kinase although its rate of phosphorylation was significantly slower than that of smooth muscle G-actin.
Melphalan-induced appearance of potent antitumor immune reactivity in tumor bearer lymphocytes co-expressing the Lyt 2 and the L3T4 antigens.

We have previously shown that Sephadex G-10-adherent spleen cells from mice bearing a large MOPC-315 tumor can suppress the in vitro generation of a primary anti-MOPC-315 cytotoxic response. Here we show that following low dose melphalan (L-phenylalanine mustard; L-PAM) therapy of such tumor bearing mice their Sephadex G-10-adherent spleen cells no longer suppressed but actually brought about the generation of enhanced antitumor cytotoxicity when added to the immunization culture of normal spleen cells and MOPC-315 tumor cells. This immunopotentiating activity of the Sephadex G-10-adherent spleen cells from L-PAM treated MOPC-315 tumor bearers was attributed to T-cells which co-express the Lyt 2 and the L3T4 antigens based on results of experiments employing negative selection. Specifically, depletion of Lyt 2+ cells or of L3T4+ cells abolished the ability of the Sephadex G-10-adherent splenic cell population from L-PAM treated MOPC-315 tumor bearers to bring about the generation of enhanced antitumor cytotoxicity when added to the immunization culture of normal spleen cells. Moreover, the immunopotentiating activity was not restored when a population of Sephadex G-10-adherent spleen cells depleted of Lyt 2+ cells was admixed with a population of Sephadex G-10-adherent spleen cells depleted of L3T4+ cells. In light of the unusual phenotype of the immunopotentiating cells in the spleens of L-PAM treated MOPC-315 tumor bearing mice (i.e. Lyt 2+ L3T4+), and since the vast majority of thymocytes in normal adult BALB/c mice co-express the Lyt 2 and the L3T4 antigens, we evaluated the effect of low dose L-PAM therapy on the antitumor immune reactivity of thymocytes from MOPC-315 tumor bearing mice. A low dose of L-PAM was found to render thymocytes from MOPC-315 tumor bearers, but not from normal mice, capable of bringing about the generation of enhanced lytic activity when added to the immunization culture of normal spleen cells and MOPC-315 tumor cells. At the same time, the thymocytes from L-PAM treated MOPC-315 tumor bearers were unable to develop an antitumor cytotoxic response of their own when immunized in vitro in the absence of normal spleen cells. The possibility that the Lyt 2+ L3T4+ immunopotentiating cells in the spleens of L-PAM treated MOPC-315 tumor bearers represent immature cells that have been induced by the chemotherapy to migrate from the thymus into the spleen is discussed.
Dairy Management in Larger Herds

The current trend in dairy operations is toward large units which utilize hired help to carry out the tasks of milking and animal care. Management of these larger herds of dairy animals is a eonlplex venture, which requires a skillful operator with the abili ty to judiciously employ the resources available to at tain maximum profit. Large operations make it possible for the competent operator to gain substantial savings in financial outlay by spreading investments over large numbers of animals; pro'chase of feed in large quantities at lower cost; utilization of specialized labor for services not required on a daily basis; and the abili ty to obtain and utilize labor~saving devices. However, the poor operator may find the large herd movement to be a method of losing a great deal of money rapidly. The progressive operator must always be seeking new nleans which will increase profit. This paper will present some methods and practices of large herd management which, for the most part , can be utilized in any portion of the continental United States. The subject is limited further by consideration of practices which could be employed in large operations where the milking and major portion of the animal care is handled by hired labor. The operator would then make managerial assessments and see that these decisions were carried out. Size and location considerations. Large herd size is not a cure for low production (4, 14, 17, 23). The dairyman must have the managerial ability and animals with a genetic potential for high production before herd size is increased. Rades and Pulver (23) report that the lowest possible production level for a Wisconsin dairyman to break even is 9,410 lb per cow. This figure is for a theoretical 2,300cow operation with a milking rate of 45 cows per man-hour. When fewer cows are milked or a slower milking rate is employed the level of production needed to break even increases. The type of operation that the operator has in mind is an important factor in deciding on operational size (16). Generally, greater specialization is associated with increased herd size. This usually involves reduction or elimination of home-grown feeds (15). Purchase of all or the major portion of the feed requirements has long been the practice in certain portions of the country (the Southwest), while dairymen
La perversión como estrategia subjetiva en Amor, curiosidad prozac y dudas por Lucía Etxebarria

Ana, Rosa y Cristina son protagonistas que desesperadamente buscan la Ley y una manera de abordar el deseo y El Otro.Amor, curiosidad, prozac y dudas, por Lucia Etxebarria, es una novela sobre las hermanas Gaena que demuestra la necesidad de mujeres para una estrategia que se puede implementar para avenirse con el deseo y la suspension del Maestro, cuando El Otro esta suspendido, en la Espana pos-Franco. Un analisis psicoanalitico, especificamente de Lacan, es apropiado para esta novela como sus estructuras sugieren este tipo de lectura. Lucia Etxebarria presenta a tres hermanas que viven en la Espana pos-Franco y que forman una sujeta compuesta, la cual le provee a la lectora espanola con un modelo de como abordar el deseo y El Otro.
Preparation and Wear Performance of Novel Graphite/Copper Alloy-Matrix Self-Lubricating Composite Materials

A novel graphite/copper alloy-based self-lubricating composite materials were prepared using the powder metallurgy method by composing 663 bronze, Ni, W, nanoAl2O3, MoS2, Ag, CaF2, Sm2O3 as the basic alloy powder and adding 1wt.%, 1.5wt.%, 2wt.%, 2.5wt.%, 3wt.% graphite and nickel coated graphite powder respectively to the composite powder. The microstructure, mechanical properties and friction properties of the samples were studied. The results show that the samples with nickel coated graphite powder have their wettability and the composite structure between graphite and copper alloy matrix is improved. When the content of graphite is 3wt.%, the properties of samples prepared by Ni-coated graphite are improved compared with those prepared by uncoated graphite. The hardness is increased from 34HV to 38HV, the crushing strength is from 116MPa to 151MPa, the friction coefficient is reduced from 0.28 to 0.21, wear loss is reduced from 20mg to 12mg. The samples prepared by Ni-coated graphite have good self-lubricating performance.
Ondaatje's The English Patient and Altered States of Narrative

Beverley Curran argues in her paper "Ondaatje's The English Patient and Altered States of Narrative" that Ondaatje reconfigures in his novel the "romantic" figure of the father/artist as a clandestine lover, a drug addict, or an eccentric translator, all figures with dependencies. In The English Patient, the father or artist's sense of source, continuity, or authority are translated into a narrative which rejects the perverse captivity demanded of the lover and the translator by fidelity or by the tenets of realistic representation. Using sex, drugs, and translation, Ondaatje deranges both time and space to reconfigure the role of the artist as a translator in an attempt to dislocate the "false rhapsody of art" or historical explanation and their authority and relocate the site of the story. Creation is less a preoccupation than contradiction and the consequences of choice in this novel, and instead of the textual strategies of realist narrative to "maintain self-other relations of dominance" to establish authority, Ondaatje applies translation to narrative in the novel so that, at the story's heart there is deferment, for a translation is never definitive. Beverley Curran, "Ondaatje’s The English Patient and Altered States of Narratives" page 2 of 8 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 6.3 (2004):
Can Whooping Cough Be Eradicated

You may have guessed that in choosing my topic for today I have taken advantage of a currently exciting accomplishment-the near eradication of smallpox-to talk about a subject of special interest to me, that is, epidemic whooping cough caused by Bordetella pertussis. Recognizing the need for greater concern over its worldwide control, we are posing the question, "Can whooping cough be eradicated?" I feel sure we would not have thought of raising this question seriously in public before the current experience of the World Health Organization's (WHO) program for smallpox eradication. In the smallpox story, we have the shining example of a communicable disease being purposefully eradicated from the earth by man. In his
Chromatographic determination of the relative retention of isotopic species of oxygen in methanol and methan-d/sup 3/-ol

Abstract A high-precision gas chromatograph was used in conjunction with a quadrupole mass filter and an on-line computer to study the fractionation of oxygen isotopes by Porapak T and glycerol in CH3 OH and CD3 OH as a function of temperature. Values of relative retention on the order of 1.002 compared favorably with results for the vapor pressure ratio obtained by classical means. Differences from unity were much smaller for the activity-coefficient ratio than for the vapor-pressure ratio. Differential thermodynamic data were also reported.
Hymenopteran parasitoids and dipteran predators of the invasive aphid Diuraphis noxia after enemy introductions: Temporal variation and implication for future aphid invasions

Abstract Shifts in prevalence and abundance of hymenopteran parasitoids and dipteran predators, Diuraphis noxia, and other aphids were measured in the west-central Great Plains of North America, April–September, in 2001 and 2002, corresponding to over a decade after first detection of D. noxia and first release of D. noxia enemies. Significant temporal shifts in enemy species prevalence and diversity were detected in this study and more broadly during an 11 year time span. At any given time, some species were relatively common. One parasitoid had been predominant throughout (Aphelinus albipodus), two had shifted in dominance (Lysiphlebus testaceipes and Diaeretiella rapae), three parasitoids had been detected infrequently (Aphidius avenaphis, Aphidius matricariae, and Aphelinus asychis), one parasitoid was detected in the 1990s but not during 2001 and 2002 (Aphelinus varipes), two predatory flies occurred at occasional significant levels (Leucopis gaimarii and Eupeodes volucris), and two parasitoids may have been minor members of the fauna (Aphidius ervi and Praon yakimanum). Aphid populations detected were usually very low or not detected, precluding estimation of percent parasitism. The best evidence of suppression was observations of parasitoids in the rare case of D. noxia exceeding economic thresholds, which complemented past studies using high aphid densities. The D. noxia enemies detected were primarily endemic or long-time residents derived from previous introductions. This enemy community may provide flexibility in responding to a future aphid invasion, allowing more strategic use of biological control and other pest management approaches.
Second-order classical conditioning of meaning in the Staats format

Five nonsense syllables were paired 18 times each with meaningful words. Two syllables (CS1) were paired systematically with words (UCS) of either positive or negative evaluative connotation, and the remaining syllables were paired with words without systematic evaluative connotation. Postexperimental ratings on semantic differential scales indicated that the syllable paired with positive words was evaluated more positively than the syllable paired with negative words (p <.001). This replicates Staats and Staats’ well known finding. Part 2 of the experiment had two conditions. In Condition 1, the positive CS1 from Part 1 was paired with one neutral CS2, and the negative CS1 was paired with another CS2. In Condition 2, the pairings of the positive and negative CS1s were reversed for the CS2s. Three noncritical pairs of nonsense syllables were also presented. A significant interaction (p <.05) in the rating of CS2s in the different conditions indicated that they had acquired the connotative meaning associated with CS1s. Results support the phenomenon of second-order classical conditioning of syllables.
Review: transient left ventricular apical ballooning, broken heart syndrome, ampulla cardiomyopathy, atypical apical ballooning, or Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy

Abstract Background Transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome, also called “Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy,” is increasingly being recognized as a cause of cardiomyopathy occurring during stress, with characteristic apical ballooning appearance of the left ventricle and the finding of normal coronary arteries on angiogram. In this manuscript, we review the available literature about the pathogenesis and characteristics of this syndrome.
Abstract 1615: Anthocyanin-rich black raspberry extract negatively regulates stem cell related molecules, EMT, and pluripotency of pancreatic cancer stem cells

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Ascertaining the potentials of diet-derived phenolics in eradicating cancer stem cells (CSCs), that proliferate and self-renew extensively leading to the initiation and progression of tumor, may escort significant clinical implications. Recently, we have shown that black raspberry extract (RSE) potentiates pancreatic cancer (PC) cell killing by targeting transcriptional machinery. Herein, we investigated ex vivo the effect of RSE on the regulation of EMT, pluripotency maintaining and other stem cell related molecules in PC-CSCs. CD133+CD44+CD24+ESA+ PC-CSCs isolated from human PC xenografts developed in athymic NCr-nu/nu nude mice with human MiaPaCa2, BXPC3, Panc-1 or Panc-3.27 cells were maintained in vitro. PC-CSCs exposed to RSE (2.0μg) for 3h were assessed for transcriptional regulation of 93 stem cell related molecules using QPCR profiling. Expression and cellular localization of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and pluripotent maintaining factors including ABCG2, E-Cadherin, N-Cadherin, MYB, MYC, Nanog and SOX2 in MiaPaCa2, BXPC3 xenografts were assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The results revealed that RSE significantly inhibited 83, 50 and 54 stem cell related molecules in PC-CSCs isolated from xenografts developed using MiaPaCa2, Panc-1 and Panc 3.27 respectively. Of these, 27 genes were commonly suppressed by RSE in all three PC-CSCs population. Further, IHC staining showed complete repression of EMT and pluripotent markers in both MiaPaCa2 and BXPC3 xenografts. Together, these data imply that RSE may exert selective inhibition of EMT and pancreatic CSCs’ self renewal capacity and, may thus serve as a potential “deliverable” to negate PC initiation and progression. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1615. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1615
Guest Editors’ Introduction: The Promises of Charter Schools

As the guest editors of this issue of Equity & Excellence in Education, we intentionally included the language “The Promises of Charter Schools” from the original call for charter research, in this...
Sympathetic activation enhances QT prolongation by quinidine.

Salt Restriction and QT Prolongation.Introduction: Salt restriction results in endogenous sympathetic activation, and we previously showed that plasma concentrations of quinidine measured after oral drug administration are increased during a low-salt diet. However, it is not known whether, independent of effects on plasma concentration, the extent to which quinidine prolongs the QT interval also is modulated by changes in endogenous sympathetic activity. Methods and Results: In these studies, we evaluated quinidine concentration-QT relations during low-salt (10 mEq/day for 8 days) and high-salt (400 mEq/day for 8 days) diets, with or without beta blockade in normal volunteers. In the absence of beta blockade, the concentration producing a fixed (15%) increase in QTc was significantly lower with salt restriction: 1.2 ± 0.4 μg/mL (low salt) versus 2.2 ± 0.4 μg/mL (high salt) (P < 0.01). With beta blockade, this difference was abolished: 1.9 ± 0.3 μg/mL (low salt + beta blockade) versus 2.1 ± 0.3 μg/mL (high salt + beta blockade). QT morphologic abnormalities including bifid T waves and U waves were abolished with beta-adrenergic blockade. Conclusion: Sympathetic activation by a low-salt diet not only modulates drug disposition but also increases sensitivity to drug-induced QT prolongation.
Complete Nucleotide Sequence of the Rhesus Lymphocryptovirus: Genetic Validation for an Epstein-Barr Virus Animal Model

We sequenced the rhesus lymphocryptovirus (LCV) genome in order to determine its genetic similarity to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The rhesus LCV encodes a repertoire identical to that of EBV, with 80 open reading frames, including cellular interleukin-10, bcl-2, and colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor homologues and an equivalent set of viral glycoproteins. The highly conserved rhesus LCV gene repertoire provides a unique animal model for the study of EBV pathogenesis.
Assessing creativity in engineering students

Creativity has been studied extensively since 1956 when the NSF sponsored the first national research conference on creativity (Taylor, 1962). Within engineering education, one often hears the call for the development of creativity in engineering students. As part of the IDEAS grant (DUE-0836861), we examined the relationship between domain specific hypothetical challenges and opportunities, and engineering students' self-reported attitudes and behavioral intentions designed to measure creative self-efficacy in engineering. Our concept of creative self-efficacy in engineering was designed to assess one's confidence in their ability to be creative within the engineering domain. Using factors analysis procedures, we have identified four factors that appear to be novel indicators of creative self-efficacy in engineering: Cognitive Approaches, Cognitive Challenges, Cognitive Preparedness, and Impulsivity in problem solving.
White ghettos: The ‘crisis of multiculturalism’ in post-unification Germany

This article traces the shifts in German discourses about multiculturalism and the failed experiment of multiculturalism from the early 1990s into the 21st century by analyzing anxieties about emerging ‘ethnic ghettos’ and ‘parallel societies’ in Europe. In these discourses, ‘Europe’ functions simultaneously as an example for the failures of multiculturalism and as a bastion of western values in need of protection. The second part of this article shifts to a discussion on creative political interventions that expose these tensions and contradictions and emphasize the historic dimension of racialized exclusion in Germany and the European context. They describe the effects of social exclusion and propose (often syncretic) translocal forms of solidarity and activism. In their irreverent, playful and performative interventions, activists and artists develop strategies to counter the essentialist culturalisms that underpin the debates about European integration, multiculturalism and the crisis of multicultural...
The effect of professor ethnicity and gender on student evaluations: Judged before met.

Ethnic minority academicians face a number of challenges in the “ivory tower.” One set of challenges arises from the racial stereotypes that others hold, and the current research investigates the stereotypes held by students before they even meet such professors. After providing college preparatory students with a CV of a professor (differing in their race—White, Black, or Asian; their gender—male or female; and their academic discipline—Science or Humanities), students evaluated the professor on measures of competence, legitimacy, and interpersonal skills. We found that students evaluated Black professors to be significantly less competent and legitimate than their White and Asian counterparts. Both Black and Asian professors were judged to have significantly less interpersonal skills than White professors. No gender main effects emerged. Professors in science were judged to be more competent and legitimate than professors in humanities. Very few interactions surfaced. We discuss our results in terms of previous stereotype research and the implications our results have for further compounding the challenges that Black professors face in academia.
Organization of the fibers in the dorsolateral funiculus of the cervical spinal cord in the cat

To investigate the functional organization in the lateral corticospinal tract (LCST), the cervical white matter was stimulated with multiple penetrations in the mediolateral direction at the C5/C6 and C6/C7 segmental borders in cats. Silicon substrate microelectrodes (CNCT, University of Michigan) with a linear arrangement of activated iridium contacts were used. The stimulation current consisted of a short (10-20 ms) train of charge balanced biphasic pulses at 330 Hz. The evoked limb movements were observed and the activities from selected forelimb muscles were acquired into a computer. Only the data points with an activation threshold of less than 30 /spl mu/A were considered in the analysis. The muscle contractions were usually in the form of short twitches. Sustained muscle forces were observed only rarely for certain movements such as elbow flexion and digit extension in the forelimb. There exits a region in the middle of the dorsolateral funiculus for both segments where the activation threshold was relatively high (>30 /spl mu/A). A segregation of the fibers according to the muscles they innervate was not found in these segmental borders. A functional organization is being investigated with further analysis.
An efficient SVM-GA feature selection model for large healthcare databases

This paper presents an efficient hybrid feature selection model based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) for large healthcare databases. Even though SVM and GA are robust computational paradigms, the combined iterative nature of a SVM-GA hybrid system makes runtime costs infeasible when using large databases. This paper utilizes hierarchical clustering to reduce dataset size and SVM training time, multi-resolution parameter search for efficient SVM model selection, and chromosome caching to avoid redundant fitness evaluations. This approach significantly reduces runtime and improves classification performance.
The effect of food or previous medication upon the action of an oral bronchodilator.

The literature contains a number of excellent reviews on the metabolism of dr~gs.l-~ However, surprisingly little information is available describing the effect of food or previous medications upon the pharmacologic action of orally administered drugs. Considering these factors which might influence drug absorption, we decided to conduct a practical test in the clinic by administering an oral bronchodilator, with and without a meal, and with and without previous medication. Spirometric tests were chosen as an objective method to measure bronchodilating action in a group of adolescents whose responses to the drug (in earlier tests) had been found predictable within close limits. Since blood level studies would have been difficult, if not impossible to perform, we felt that standard pulmonary function tests would serve as a reliable index of the absorption of the drug in these patients. In our study we used the oral bronchodilator, metaproterenol (Mupent@) ,** which we were investigating at that time.
A time-varying kernel for ultrasound Doppler spectra

A new time-varying kernel has been formulated and tested for the bilinear time-frequency representation (BTFR) of signals. This kernel reshapes itself to track the instantaneous frequency of the signal, so that kernel smoothing does not necessarily yield poor resolution. Performance analyses were based upon mono-component FM (deterministic) and ultrasound Doppler (non-deterministic) signals. The results show that the new kernel improves the compromise between cross-terms (or variance) reduction and time-frequency resolution. >
Quantitative Determination of Dyes in Textile Fibers Part I : Cationic and Nonionic (Disperse) Dyes in Polyacrylonitrile Polymers:

Cationic and nonionic dyes in polyacrylonitrile fiber are determined spectrophotometrically by dissolving the dyed fiber in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) acidified with p-toluene-sulfonic acid. The absorptivity and stability of the cationic dye dissolved in DMSO depend upon the acidity of the solvent and exhibit a maximum in the pH range of 2.4-4.0. In the absence of acid some cationic, e.g., triarylmethane, dyes fade rapidly in DMSO or dimethylformamide (DMF). The fading is not always reversible upon acidification. The lightfastness of cationic dyes is higher in DMSO than in DMF containing the same amount of p-toluenesulfonic acid.
Non-Enumerative Path Delay Fault Diagnosis

The first non-enumerative framework for diagnosing path delay faults using zero suppressed binary decision diagrams is introduced. We show that fault free path delay faults with a validated non-robust test may together with fault free robustly tested faults be used to eliminate faults from the set of suspected faults. All operations are implemented by an implicit diagnosis tool based on the zero suppressed binary decision diagram. The proposed method is space and time non-enumerative as opposed to existing methods which are space and time enumerative. Experimental results on the ISCASý85 benchmarks show that the proposed technique is on an average least three times more efficient to improve the diagnostic resolution than existing techniques.
Verification of RUC 0-1-h Forecasts and SPC Mesoscale Analyses Using VORTEX2 Soundings

AbstractThis study uses radiosonde observations obtained during the second phase of the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX2) to verify base-state variables and severe-weather-related parameters calculated from Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) analyses and 1-h forecasts, as well as those calculated from the operational surface objective analysis system used at the Storm Prediction Center (the SFCOA). The rapid growth in temperature, humidity, and wind errors from 0 to 1 h seen at all levels in a past RUC verification study by Benjamin et al. is not seen in the present study. This could be because the verification observations are also assimilated into the RUC in the Benjamin et al. study, whereas the verification observations in the present study are not. In the upper troposphere, the present study shows large errors in relative humidity, mostly related to a large moist bias. The planetary boundary layer tends to be too shallow in the RUC analyses and 1-h forecasts. Wind speeds...
Maximizing Qualitative Responses about Smoking in Structured Interviews

This article addresses the important methodological issue of whether face-to-face or self-administered interviews elicit better qualitative data on reasons for smoking and quitting among 173 current and former smokers. The data are from a study of smoking behaviors among 601 African American and Latina women age 14 to 21 years recruited from family planning clinics in Los Angeles from 1995 to 1996. Results suggest that responses to closed questions about smoking behavior are similar in both methods but that self-administered surveys elicit more responses to open-ended questions than face-to-face interviews. The authors encourage the use of self-administered surveys in smoking research because they are cheaper to administer, yield similar data on closed-question items, and elicit richer and more provocative responses to open-ended questions.