cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PAL: A pseudo assembly language for optimizing secure function evaluation in mobile devices

Abstract Secure function evaluation (SFE) on mobile devices, such as smartphones, allows for the creation of compelling new privacy-preserving applications. Generating garbled circuits on smartphones to allow for executing customized functions, however, is infeasible for all but the most trivial problems due to the high memory overhead incurred. We develop a new methodology of generating garbled circuits that is memory-efficient. Using the standard language (SFDL) for describing secure functions as input, we design a new pseudo-assembly language (PAL) and a template-driven compiler, generating circuits that can be evaluated with the canonical Fairplay framework. We deploy this compiler for Android devices and demonstrate that a large new set of circuits can now be generated on smartphones, with memory overhead to generate circuits solving the set intersection problem reduced by 95.6% for the 2-set case. We show our compiler’s ability to interface with other execution systems and perform mobile phone specific optimizations on that execution system. We develop a password vault application to show how runtime generation of circuits can be used in practice. We also show that our circuit generation techniques can be used in conjunction with other SFE optimizations. These results demonstrate the feasibility of generating garbled circuits on mobile devices while maintaining the convenience of high-level function specification.
Measuring executive function skills in young children in Kenya.

Interest in measuring executive function skills in young children in low- and middle-income country contexts has been stymied by the lack of assessments that are both easy to deploy and scalable. T...
Assessing the extent of medical home coverage among Medicaid-enrolled children.

Objectives: In light of the transition of the Alabama Medicaid program to a primary care case management model, we assessed the level to which children had access to a medical home before and after implementation of that model. Given the growing emphasis within the MCH community on assuring children medical homes, we explored whether Medicaid claims data could be used to assess medical home coverage. Methods: We operationally defined “medical home” as use of a single primary care physician combined with receipt of at least one well child visit from that physician during the year. Using Alabama Medicaid claims data we assessed whether children's receipt of health care services met this defintion, the extent to which Medicaid-enrolled children had primary care providers and received well child visits, and changes in the source of well child visits before and after implementation of a primary care case management model in 26 of Alabama's 67 counties. Results: In general, Medicaid-enrolled children in Alabama did not meet our definition of medical home either before or after implementation of a primary care case management model. Only 11.8% of children saw a single provider and had a well child visit from that provider during the baseline year. A majority of children (49.9%) however had both a primary care provider and received a well child visit. Sixteen percent of children saw a primary care physician but received no identifiable well visit, while 11% had well child care but did not see a primary care physician. Of particular concern, 23% neither saw a primary care physician nor had a well child visit during the baseline year. These figures changed only slightly in the 26 counties examined before and after implementation of the primary care case management model. Conclusions: State Maternal and Child Health programs are required to report as a performance measure “the percent of children with special health care needs in the state who have a medical/health home” as part of their Block Grant application. Using Medicaid data, this simple measurement strategy can provide an indication of the extent to which at least one population of children receive care through a medical home.
A theory of cooperativity modulation in neural networks as an important parameter of CNS catecholamine function and induction of psychopathology.

AbstractRecent research in computational neuroscience has suggested that psychosis associated with disturbed catecholamine neurotransmission may result from disturbances in the gain parameters of neural networks that these same secondary neurotransmitters are thought to control. We propose a mathematical model based upon cooperativity theory used in thermodynamics to explain how the gain parameter that momentarily increases the effect upon the post-synaptic cell of a given weighted connection from the presynaptic cell could be instantiated in the fluctuating electrical conductance of the dendrite of a neuron without requiring extensive ion transport or utilization of the ATP energy cycle. More specifically we propose that catecholamine neurotransmission serves to maintain the dendrite in a cooperative state with regard to changes in electrical conductance due to impulse traffic alone. In this way we supply the neuron with an activity driven gain parameter that not only increases volume of neuronal output ...
Harvesting Microelectronic Circuits

This chapter focuses on how to most efficiently transfer and condition harvested energy and power with emphasis on the imposed requirements of microscale dimensions. The driving objective is to maximize operational life by reducing all relevant power losses. The chapter therefore briefly reviewes the electrical characteristics and needs of available harvesting sources and the operational implications of relevant conditioners. It then discusses the energy and power losses associated with transferring energy and useful schemes for maximizing system efficiency. It ends by presenting a sample microelectronic harvester circuit.
Factors affecting the duration of nest defense and reproductive lifespan of female sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka

Reproductive success of female animals is often affected by a combination of fecundity and parental care. In female salmonid fishes, acquisition of nest (redd) sites and prevention of their use by other females are critical to reproductive success. These factors are particularly important for stocks that spawn at high densities. Body size is positively correlated with fecundity and egg size, and has been hypothesized to control the outcome of intrasexual competition and longevity. We tested this hypothesis by evaluating the influences of body size, intrasexual aggression and arrival date on duration and success of redd guarding by female sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, in a small Alaskan creek. Contrary to the hypothesis, larger females guarded their redds no longer than smaller females, and did not live as long in the stream. Aggression was not related to body size or overall longevity but was positively correlated with residence period on the redd. Females that entered the creek earlier lived longer, spent longer on their redds, and spent more time guarding their redds after spawning than females that entered the creek later. However, despite their longevity, early-arriving fish were more likely to have their redds reused by another female because they died before all the females had selected redd sites. The small average body size in this stock is consistent with weak selection for large size, and with our evidence that size provided little if any advantage in nest guarding.
Material symmetry phase transitions in three-dimensional tensegrity metamaterials

Abstract Prestressing the cables of tensegrity-based metamaterials is a widespread practice for enhancing their stability and mechanical properties. We choose a recently developed three-dimensional tensegrity lattice (Rimoli and Pal, 2017) and investigate material symmetry phase transitions induced by varying cable prestresses. We study several combinations of prestress cases and a vast regime of prestress values for each case. In each prestress scenario, we compute the effective elasticity tensor through a homogenization scheme. We study the material symmetries of the lattice by examining the eigenspaces of the homogenized elasticity tensor. We demonstrate material symmetry breaking and phase transitions, occurring solely due to cable prestressing. We observe several phase transitions including cubic to tetragonal, tetragonal to orthotropic, and vice-versa. We also compare phase transitions in finite and infinite lattices, showing that while certain prestress conditions lead to orthotropic symmetry in the finite lattices, they result in tetragonal symmetry for the infinite case. This discrepancy in symmetries of the finite and infinite lattices is due to periodic boundary conditions and the non-symmorphic nature of the tensegrity lattice. Consequently, unlike many crystalline materials where increasing the size of the material is known to lead to symmetry reduction (Ayyub et al., 1995), we find a class of metamaterials where the infinite lattice exhibits a higher symmetry than the finite one.
Solitary wave propagation in a two-dimensional lattice

Abstract We construct a family of exact planar solitary wave solutions in a two-dimensional lattice. The system under consideration is a scalar two-dimensional extension of a nonintegrable Fermi–Pasta–Ulam problem with a piecewise quadratic potential. The constructed solutions exhibit an anisotropic dependence on the angle of propagation. Through a detailed analysis of explicit solutions, we show that conventional quasicontinuum models fail to fully describe this dependence. However, a truncated series approximation of the constructed solution that includes sufficiently short wavelengths captures this effect quite well.
Hydrocode simulations of asteroid airbursts and constraints for Tunguska

Abstract A wide range of meteors were simulated impacting Earth's atmosphere using the ALE3D hydrocode. The size, density, strength curve, entry angle, and velocity of the meteors were varied to cover the parameter space of airbursts of interest to planetary defense in general which encompasses the Tunguska event in particular. The hydrocode simulations were used to calibrate a simple analytical model that can be used to quickly estimate the burst height of an incoming asteroid or comet. The hydrocode simulations show both rocky asteroids and icy comets are plausible Tunguska meteors, over a wide range of sizes, speeds, entry angles, at least in terms of the energy delivered and height of burst required to produce the tree-fall, and the lack of an obvious impact crater on the ground. This agrees with previous analytical estimates and hydrocode simulations of hypothetical Tunguska meteors, and provides a complete range of possibilities. Modelling of the tree wind resistance predicts windspeeds of 40–50 m/s are required to fell most of the trees. This is slower than previous estimates from nuclear test data, but faster than lower bound estimates from a 3 Mt blast. It suggests an energy of 10 Mt is most likely for Tunguska, but requires missing tree size distribution and wind response data to better narrow the probability distribution of potential Tunguska impactors.
Digitizing gauge fields: Lattice Monte Carlo results for future quantum computers

In the near-future noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era of quantum computing technology, applications of quantum computing will be limited to calculations of very modest scales in terms of the number of qubits used. The need to represent numeric quantities using limited resources leads to digitization errors which must be taken into account. As a first step towards quantum simulations of realistic high-energy physics problems, we explore classically the effects of digitizing elements of the $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ gauge group to a finite set. We consider several methods for digitizing the group, finding the best performance from an action-preserving projection onto a mesh. Working in (3+1) dimensions, we find that using $\sim 7$ (qu)bits to represent each $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ gauge link induces a digitization error on the order of $10\%$ in short-distance observables and $2\%$ in long-distance observables. Promisingly, our results indicate that each $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ gauge link can be represented by $\mathcal{O}(10)$ (qu)bits, from which we estimate that a $16^3$ $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ lattice could be simulated with no more than $\mathcal{O}(10^5)$ (qu)bits. Our results on digitization are also of interest as a form of lossy compression that could be used in high-performance classical computing to alleviate communications bottlenecks.
Phonetic implementation of high-tone spans in Luganda

In Luganda, a Bantu language of Uganda, there are long high-tone spans, which include multiple syllables, as well as short high-tone spans, limited to a single syllable. Long high-tone spans result from unbounded leftward spread of either lexical high tones or an intonational high boundary tone. This study investigates whether long tone spans in Luganda differ phonetically in f0 timing or scaling from short tone spans, and whether lexical high tones are implemented differently than intonational ones.In a production study involving 10 Luganda speakers, it was found that the initial f0 rise ends significantly later in long high-tone spans than in short high-tone spans, reflecting the reduced time pressures involved when the f0 rise is in a separate syllable than the f0 fall. The final f0 fall at the end of the span begins earlier in the syllable in long high-tone spans than in short high-tone spans, reflecting the same time pressures. There was no difference in f0 level between long and short high-tone spans, indicating that the time pressure does not lead to undershoot. The intonational high tone has significantly smaller f0 excursions in the initial rise and the final fall, compared to the lexical high tones.
Single-Layer Graphene Sandwiched between Proton-Exchange Membranes for Selective Proton Transmission

Proton transmission through single-layer CVD graphene in graphene/proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) sandwich structures is found to be more than 100 times faster than for any other cation. Ion transmi...
Superprotonic CsH2PO4 in dry air

Abstract The first observation of a stable superprotonic CsH2PO4 (CDP) phase in the absence of high humidity and high pressure is reported. Temperature- and time-resolved impedance spectroscopy data show that the superprotonic conductivity of a CDP pellet measured in dry air (22%rh) in a hermetically sealed chamber holds at σ∼1.5 × 10−2 S cm−1 over a timespan t = 50 h at a temperature T = 260 °C. Nyquist plots confirm the superprotonic nature of the conduction and x-ray diffraction data reveal that no dehydration of the CDP superprotonic phase occurs under the above-mentioned conditions.
Optical Properties of Variable-Composition Aluminum/Alumina Thin Films, Part 2

Optical properties were measured for reactively sputtered, substoichiometric alumina/aluminum thin films using ellipsometry, transmission, and thickness measurements. The film deposited at the lowest (0%) oxygen flow ratio was nearly metallic and could be modeled with one Drude and two Tauc–Lorentz oscillators. Interband absorption was reduced compared to bulk aluminum. This reduction was thought to be an effect of volume oxides and disorderliness. Free-electron optical mass was higher and relaxation time shorter than for bulk aluminum; thus, the optical conductivity was lower as a result of residual oxygen molecules gettered to the aluminum atoms. Substoichiometric films deposited at 1.5 to 4% oxygen flow ratios, unlike the aluminum and previously reported alumina (5 to 9%) films, were nonintrinsic and inhomogeneous in optical properties. Effective medium approximation modeling was used to address these issues. Simply mixing intrinsic (stoichiometric) materials did not simulate the nonintrinsic propertie...
Advances in development of the GaSb-based type-I quantum-well cascade-diode lasers: wavelength tuning and mode-locking (Conference Presentation)

Cascade pumping of type-I quantum well gain sections led to increase of the output power and efficiency of GaSb-based diode lasers operating in spectral region from 1.9 to 3.3 µm. The wide stripe multimode lasers based on cascade lasers heterostructures generate watt class output power levels up to 3 µm. The corresponding narrow ridge single spatial mode and single frequency mode distributed feedback devices generate tens of mW. The external cavity lasers utilizing gain chips based on cascade diode laser heterostructures demonstrate extra wide tuning range. The short pulse passively mode-locked lasers generate optical frequency combs.
Credibility in Instructional Supervision: A Catalyst for Differentiated Supervision

This chapter represents an initial attempt to define credibility as it relates to instructional supervision in ninth through twelfth grade. The study aimed to determine how differences in the definitions held by administrators and teachers necessitate differentiation in an administrator’s supervisory practice. Findings suggest that credibility is more often rooted in expertise and experience than in relational conditions established by school leaders or a leader’s positional authority. Indeed, one of its most important conclusions from this study is that classroom teachers and school administrators defined credibility differently within the context of instructional supervision and that these differences may necessitate differentiation in supervisory systems and practices, including those related to teacher performance evaluation. Implications for future research are discussed as are possible reforms for leadership preparation.
#WaitingForBoaz: Expressions of Romantic Aspiration and Black Christian Femininities on Social Media

Since the initial reports of a decline in Black women’s marriage rates in the 21st century, a confluence of Black male voices have risen to the fore of an enterprise designed to correct the inadequ...
Corruption and local content development: Assessing the impact of the Petrobras’ scandal on recent policy changes in Brazil

Abstract Since the 2000s, the Brazilian government relied heavily on local content (LC) as a policy instrument in the oil and gas sector to facilitate industrial development and job creation. Through quantitative targets set in oil exploration and production contracts and direct government procurement by the state-owned company Petrobras, Brazilian policymakers have sought to tie the growth of the oil industry to the strengthening of the local supply chain. However, investigations into a corruption scandal involving Petrobras, suppliers and politicians revealed that these contracts frequently involved kickbacks. The LC policy has been questioned in the country and many initiatives have consequently been dismantled or significantly scaled back. This paper discusses Brazil’s LC policy in light of the corruption scandal and the country’s productive challenges. It conducts a process-tracing of policy changes drawing from various sources including interviews, information contained in the financial reports and court documents, such as the plea bargain statements of contractors and Petrobras’ executives. It also highlights how the more institutionalized, transparent, and multi-stakeholder policy survived: the LC contractual obligations in bidding rounds. However, the more openly political LC policies did not. The findings underscore the importance of industrial policy design for the sustainability of LC initiatives.
Day-to-day variability of the ionosphere

Abstract This section explores ways to characterize day-to-day variability of the ionosphere in quantitative ways. Three main drivers of variability are defined and assigned average magnitudes from past statistical studies. Complexity arises from simultaneous competing influences from above (solar photons and solar wind) and below (troposphere/stratosphere meteorology). Limits to predictability for a complex system are proposed.
Exposure to conflict-related violence and nutritional status of children in Iraq

There is limited empirical evidence of the health effects of war-related violence on child nutritional status. Using unique micro-level data from Iraq, we create measures of cumulative exposure to violence since conception for children ages two to five based on their date of birth and geographic location. We examine the relationship between height-for-age z-scores, a measure of chronic malnutrition, and four indicators of violence in a regression framework, adjusting for potential confounders and trends. We find that a child exposed to the maximum number of violent incidents is likely to experience a 0.5 standard deviation reduction in height-for-age z-score compared to a child who is exposed to no incidents. Each type of attack we evaluate is negatively associated with height-for-age. Further analysis reveals that the associations are the strongest for children in the northern and central regions where the bulk of the violent incidents occurred. Contrary to our expectation, the associations are similar for boys and girls. Our findings suggest that, in addition to efforts aimed at decreasing violent conflict in Iraq in general, the government and its development partners should focus relief, recovery, and reconstruction efforts in the central and northern regions of the country.
Hyperthyroidism and Thyroiditis

Causes of hyperthyroidism and the different entities involved with thyroiditis compose the majority of benign endocrine diseases. These disorders range from the very common chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) and Graves’ disease to the very rare invasive fibrous thyroiditis (Riedel’s thyroiditis). Their presentation is just as diverse, anywhere from an incidental goiter to a life-threatening thyrotoxicosis. This chapter focuses on the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of hyperthyroidism and the various types of thyroiditis, with special attention to laboratory studies, radiologic findings, pathology, and surgical management.
Erlang Loss Formulas: An Elementary Derivation

The celebrated Erlang loss formulas, which express the probability that exactly j of c available channels/servers are busy serving customers, were discovered about 100 years ago. Today we ask: “What is the simplest proof of these formulas?” As an alternative to more advanced methods, we derive the Erlang loss formulas using (1) an intuitive limit theorem of an alternating renewal process and (2) recursive relations that are solved using mathematical induction. Thus, we make the Erlang loss formulas comprehensible to beginning college mathematics students. We illustrate decision making in some practical problems using these formulas and other quantities derived from them.
Physarum Myosin Binds Ca2+: Results From Electrophoresis and Equilibrium Dialysis Experiments

We wish to understand the molecular mechanism of calcium-regulated cytoplasmic movements in the Plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum. Early studies demonstrated that the contractile activity of the cytoplasm, presumably an expression of the actomyosin ATPase activity, is influenced by Ca2+ (Hatano, 1970; Matthews, 1977). Recently it has become evident that the state of polymerization and aggregation of the actin filaments may also be Ca2+-regulated (see Chapter 9).
The infusion of corporate values into progressive education: Professional vulnerability or complicity?

Examines the history of educational administration in the USA during the Progressive era (1890‐1940). Using Callahan's Education and the Cult of Efficiency as a starting point, examines school district‐based administrative practices that offered viable alternatives to the business‐oriented, “scientific management” reforms that tended to dominate much of the educational dialogue and innovation of the early twentieth century. Offers cases studies of three superintendents who creatively resisted the ideology of efficiency or who skillfully utilized administrative structures to buttress instructional reforms. Using archival records and other historical sources, first examines Superintendent A.C. Barker in Oakland, California between 1913 and 1918 and Superintendent Charles Chadsey in Denver, Colorado during the years 1907‐1912. Then analyzes the tenure of Jesse Newlon during his superintendency in Denver from 1920 to 1927. Using the conception of “authentic leadership” and the frameworks of the ethics of care, critique, and professionalism, argues that these administrators demonstrated how leaders grounded in notions of scholarly skepticism, democratic engagement, and the compassionate care of children were sometimes able to avoid the excesses of the ideology of “efficiency”.
On the Relation between Stochastic and Deterministic Optimization

It is shown that stochastic optimization problems ressemble deterministic optimization problems up to the nonanticipativity restriction on the choice of the control policy. This condition can be introduced explicitly in the form of a constraint. Doing so, lead to an optimization problem for which it is possible to derive optimality criteria. The convex case is considered here. It is shown that the variables associated with the nonanticipativity restriction form a martingale. These variables can be used to formulate an equivalent problem allowing for pointwise optimization, a result strongly akin to the Maximum principle. Finally two simple examples are used to illustrate the main results.
Complex formation and Fluorescence : Complexes of 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid

Abstract The fluorescence of solutions of cation complexes with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid has been studied. The complexes formed with transition elements do not fluoresce. The additivity of the fluorescence at certain pH values has been used to indicate new generally applicable analytical method for mixtures of cations which have similar reactions. The method is especially applicable to small or very dilute samples.
Discourse and word order

Integrating various aspects of human communication traditionally treated in a number of separate disciplines, Olga T. Yokoyama develops a universal model of the smallest unit of informational discourse, and uncovers the regularities that govern the intentional verbal transfer of knowledge from one interlocutor to another. The author then places these processes within a new framework of Communicational Competence, which legitimizes certain nebulous but important linguistic phenomena hitherto caught in a noman's land between the formal and functional approaches to language. Russian word order, a classical problem of Slavic linguistics, is subjected to a rigorous examination within this theoretical framework; Yokoyama demonstrates how this “free word order language” can only be described by taking into account such generally neglected factors as the speakers' subjectivity and attitude. Of particular interest to Slavists is a new generative theory of Russian intonation, which is consistently incorporated into the description of Russian word order.
Emerging Technologies for CTC Detection Based on Depletion of Normal Cells

Properly conducted, an enrichment step can improve selectivity, sensitivity, yield, and most importantly, significantly reduce the time needed to isolate rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The enrichment process can be broadly categorized as positive selection versus negative depletion, or in some cases, a combination of both. We have developed a negative depletion CTC enrichment strategy that relies on the removal of normal cells using immunomagnetic separation in the blood of cancer patients. This method is based on the combination of magnetic and fluid forces in an axial, laminar flow in long cylinders placed in quadrupole magnets. Using this technology, we have successfully isolated CTCs from patients with breast carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. In contrast to a positive selection methodology, this approach provides an unbiased characterization of these cells, including markers associated with epithelial mesenchymal transition.
Who Gets to Drink from the Fountain of Freedom

Summary The question “Who Gets to Drink from the Fountain of Freedom?” is designed to evoke the image of the “Whites Only” water fountains of the segregated South and to provoke discomfort and dissonance among those who, having claimed the right to drink from the fountain of freedom, would deny this right to others. Homophobia in families and communities of color is explored, and discrimination against gays and lesbians within those communities is analyzed. Commonalties in the oppression experienced across communities of color and lesbians and gays of color are explored. Finally, some progressive initiatives occurring within racialized communities are examined, including recommendations for necessary institutional and individual changes for broadening the definition of community to fully incorporate lesbians and gay men of color.
Multi-functional biochip for biological agent detection

Multifunctional biochip (MFB) is a unique system that allows simultaneous detection of multiple biotargets simultaneously. The MFB is an integrated multi-array biochip, which is designed by combining integrated circuit elements, an electro-optics excitation/detection system, and bioreceptor probes into a self-contained and integrated microdevice. The multi-functional capability of MFB is demonstrated using the biochip as both an antibody-based and DNA sensor. The study indicates that the biochip technology provides an important tool to warn of exposure to pathogenic agents for use in human health protection and homeland defense.
A comparison of distilled spirit consumption patterns in the United Kingdom and the United States

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show academics and practitioners the practical uses of syndicated data. Toward this end, an analysis of the distilled spirits industry in the USA and the UK is undertaken.Design/methodology/approach – The approach adopted draws on secondary data analysis using syndicated data to draw some preliminary conclusions and uses further analysis to support these conclusions.Findings – The paper supports the usefulness of syndicated data when used creatively across different studies. It also points out the changing direction of distilled spirit consumption within the USA and the UK.Practical implications – This use of syndicated data helps the academic develop a fuller understanding of the key research questions and gives the practitioner a higher degree of confidence in the direction they take and in the future they anticipate.Originality/value – This paper emphasises the usefulness of syndicated data.
Normalized classifier fusion for semantic visual concept detection

In this paper, we describe our classifier fusion framework for the visual concept detections of NIST TREC-2002 video retrieval benchmark. A normalized ensemble fusion is explored to improve overall performance by incorporating normalization of confidence scores, aggregation via combiner function, and an optimize selection. The normalized classifier fusion shows significant detection improvements for our visual concepts.
Unposed Object Recognition using an Active Approach

Abstract : Object recognition is a practical problem with a wide variety of potential applications. Recognition becomes substantially more difficult when objects have not been presented in some logical, posed manner selected by a human observer. We propose to solve this problem using active object recognition, where the same object is viewed from multiple viewpoints when it is necessary to gain confidence in the classification decision. We demonstrate the effect of unposed objects on a state-of-the-art approach to object recognition, then show how an active approach can increase accuracy. The active approach works by attaching confidence to recognition, prompting further inspection when confidence is low. We demonstrate a performance increase on a wide variety of objects from the RGB-D database, showing a significant increase in recognition accuracy.
An overview of cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide pharmacology

Cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide are alkylating agents administered to treat malignant disease. They are prodrugs and require activation by hepatic microsomal enzymes before being metabolized to their respective cytotoxic species, phosphoramide mustard and ifosfamide mustard. These species alkylate DNA, forming DNA-DNA cross-links that result in inhibition of DNA synthesis and cell death. Resistance to oxazaphosphorines is poorly understood, although increased aldehyde dehydrogenase activity may be a significant factor. Although both compounds share a common metabolic pathway, 4-hydroxylation of ifosfamide occurs at a slower rate and to a lesser extent than that of cyclophosphamide. This difference significantly alters the toxicity profile of ifosfamide. Leukopenia is the dose-limiting toxicity of cyclophosphamide, and neurotoxicity is the dose-limiting toxicity of ifosfamide when preventive measures are taken to reduce urotoxicity. With recent findings concerning their basic and clinical pharmacology, the therapeutic index of these compounds can be improved.
The impact of Bt maize as a natal host on adult head capsule width in field populations of western corn rootworm

The success of the current resistance management plan for transgenic maize, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), targeting the rootworm complex hinges upon high rates of mating between resistant and susceptible beetles. However, differences in the fitness of adult beetles could result in assortative mating, which could, in turn, change the rate of resistance evolution. Adult head capsule widths of naturally occurring populations of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), were examined in a variety of refuge configurations. Beetles were classified into treatments based on the hybrid - non-Bt refuge or Bt maize targeting larval rootworms (hereafter Bt-RW maize) - and location - proximity to other Bt-RW or refuge plants - of the natal host plant. Treatments included the following: a refuge plant surrounded by other refuge plants, a refuge plant located near a Bt-RW plant, a Bt-RW plant surrounded by Bt-RW plants, and a Bt-RW plant located near a refuge plant. The mean head capsule width of males emerging from Bt-RW plants was significantly smaller than the mean head capsule width of males emerging from refuge plants. These results indicate that males emerging from Bt-RW maize plants may be exposed to sublethal doses of the Bt toxin as larvae. No differences were detected between females emerging from refuge plants compared with Bt-RW plants. Overall mean head capsule width decreased as the season progressed, regardless of treatment. The diminished head capsule width of western corn rootworm males emerging from Bt-RW maize may act to enhance resistance management, particularly in a seed mix refuge system.
Aging, opioid-receptor agonists and antagonists, and the vestibulosympathetic reflex in humans

Animal studies indicate that opioids inhibit the firing rate of vestibular neurons, which are important in mediating the vestibulosympathetic reflex. Furthermore, this inhibition appears to be greater in more mature rats. In the present study, we tested the hypotheses that opioids inhibit the vestibulosympathetic reflex in humans and that endogenous opioids contribute to the age-related impairment of the vestibulosympathetic reflex. These hypotheses were tested by measuring muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), arterial blood pressure, and heart rate responses to otolith organ engagement during head-down rotation (HDR) in young (24 +/- 2 yr old) and older (63 +/- 2 yr) subjects before and after administration of either an opioid-receptor antagonist (16 mg naloxone in 9 young and 8 older subjects) or an opioid-receptor agonist (60 mg codeine in 7 young and 7 older subjects). Naloxone did not augment the reflex increase in MSNA during HDR in young (Delta7 +/- 2 vs. Delta4 +/- 2 bursts/min and Delta81 +/- 23 vs. Delta60 +/- 24% change in burst frequency and total MSNA before and after naloxone, respectively) or older subjects (Delta2 +/- 2 vs. Delta1 +/- 2 burst/min and Delta8 +/- 7 vs. Delta8 +/- 9% before and after naloxone). Similarly, codeine did not attenuate the increase in MSNA during HDR in young (Delta8 +/- 1 vs. Delta7 +/- 2 bursts/min and Delta53 +/- 4 vs. Delta64 +/- 16% before and after codeine) or older subjects (Delta6 +/- 4 vs. Delta3 +/- 3 bursts/min and Delta38 +/- 21 vs. Delta33 +/- 20%). Mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate responses to HDR were not altered by either naloxone or codeine. These data do not provide experimental support for the concept that opioids modulate the vestibulosympathetic reflex in humans. Moreover, endogenous opioids do not appear to contribute the age-associated impairment of the vestibulosympathetic reflex.
Culture across Borders in the Americas

To begin, all history is cultural, and all culture is hybrid. Whether or not they ostensibly frame their work as ‘cultural’, all historians grapple to contextualize past communication. Whether or not they work across national borders, all historians must examine the distinct fibers that comprise seemingly solid fields of signification. For the historian who does work cross-nationally, it is necessary to relate the distinct international forces operating between nations to the transnational forces produced by the presence of one nation within another. It is at this nexus of the international and transnational – of the territorial and extraterritorial, of political economy and socioculture – that provocative work about U.S.-Latin American cultural relations currently resides.
Fischer–Tropsch synthesis: Kinetics and water effect study over 25%Co/Al2O3 catalysts

Abstract The kinetics of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) over a 25%Co/Al2O3 catalyst was studied using a 1-L continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) under the conditions of 205–230 °C, 1.4–2.5 MPa, H2/CO = 1.0–2.5 and 3–16 NL/g-cat/h (XCO = 7–54%). Thirty-one sets of kinetic data collected at 220 °C with a low extent of deactivation were used for kinetic parameter regression. The CAER empirical kinetic model ( r F T = k P CO a P H 2 b / ( 1 + m P H 2 O / P H 2 ) ) was employed to study the kinetic effect of water. A positive kinetic water effect was first evidenced using the kinetic approach, consistent with the results of the effect of co-fed water on cobalt FTS in this work and the literature (e.g. Loegdberg et al., 2011 [21] ) for Co/Al2O3 catalysts. The current kinetic results are based on kinetic data taken following an initial catalyst induction period, where the CO conversion had stabilized. These data are different from our earlier investigations where reversible oxidation of small cobalt crystallites and/or catalyst support effects likely impacted the cobalt site densities, resulting in a negative water effect. Thus, in this study, we decoupled the effect of reversible oxidation from the kinetics, so that the effect of water on stable (i.e., presumably larger) metallic cobalt particles could be assessed. In this study, an additional eleven classical FT kinetic models for Co catalysts were tested using the kinetic data. Five of them were also found to adequately describe the kinetic data, including two mechanistic models developed based on carbide mechanisms. The CAER model containing a water effect term and the mechanistic model of Botes et al. (2009) [31] yielded comparable reaction orders for the partial pressures of H2 and CO, resulted in a better fit of the kinetic data.
Infants' ability to connect gaze and emotional expression to intentional action

Four studies investigated whether and when infants connect information about an actor's affect and perception to their action. Arguably, this may be a crucial way in which infants come to recognize the intentional behaviors of others. In Study 1 an actor grasped one of two objects in a situation where cues from the actor's gaze and expression could serve to determine which object would be grasped, specifically the actor first looked at and emoted positively about one object but not the other. Twelve-month-olds, but not 8-month-olds, recognized that the actor was likely to grasp the object which she had visually regarded with positive affect. Studies 2, 3, and 4 replicated the main finding from Study 1 with 12- and 14-month-olds and included several contrasting conditions and controls. These studies provide evidence that the ability to use information about an adult's direction of gaze and emotional expression to predict action is both present, and developing at the end of the first year of life.
A globally convergent algorithm for determining approximate real zeros of a class of functions

It is shown that Newton's method can be used to define a globally convergent algorithm for approximating real zeros of a certain class of functions. Included in this class are the polynomials with only real zeros.
Urinary prolactin is correlated with mothering and allo-mothering in squirrel monkeys

The hormone prolactin is implicated in infant care-giving by parents and allo-parents in a variety of species. Adult female squirrel monkeys (Saimiri spp.) engage in allo-mothering behavior, which includes carrying and nursing infants, but communal care of offspring has not been investigated from an endocrine standpoint in this taxon. We attempted to fill this gap by examining prolactin levels in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) as a function of parental responsiveness. Subjects were housed at the National Institutes of Health Animal Center and assays were performed at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. To test for the presence of prolactin in squirrel monkey, saliva, blood and saliva were simultaneously collected from anesthetized subjects during routine health examinations. Prolactin was detectable in serum but not in saliva samples. In the core investigation, behavioral data were collected by focal animal sampling on three 1-male multi-female groups, and individually identified urine was collected non-invasively from foil containers underneath group cages on a daily basis throughout the behavioral study. Changes in urinary prolactin over time reflected changes in the reproductive state of a female who was pregnant, gave birth and lactated during the study. Mean urinary prolactin levels in non-lactating females and a male housed with infants in one group were higher than in adults from 2 groups without infants. In the group with infants, mean urinary prolactin levels in adults increased with the amount of infant contact and care-giving. The squirrel monkey may represent a new primate model for investigating the endocrinology of infant care-giving.
Urban spatial structure and incidence of arson: Differences between ghetto and nonghetto environments

This article presents an assessment of arson incidence in ghetto and nonghetto areas of the city of Houston by noting differences in the physical and social composition of the areas. The research assumption is that residential segregation defines and maintains the spatially restricted ghetto in such a way that the ghetto exhibits a spatial structure which differs inherently from that of nonghetto areas. Consequently, different factors may be responsible for the incidence of arson in these two areas. The relative importance of physical or structural variables and of variables that underscore the organization of these communities are used to uncover the differences in arson rates for these two territorial units.
Evidence that a short-lived effect of copper leads to amplification of prostaglandin E2 stimulation of the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone from median eminence explants.

We have previously shown that copper (Cu) amplifies prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) stimulation of LHRH release from explants of the median eminence area (MEA) incubated under in vitro conditions. In this study, we have carried out an extensive comparative study of the kinetics of the process of PGE2 stimulation and Cu-amplified PGE2 (Cu/PGE2) stimulation of LHRH release. MEA explants obtained from adult male rats were incubated under in vitro conditions, and LHRH released into the medium was assayed by RIA. Kinetic parameters were established by varying the time of exposure of the MEA to Cu or PGE2 and the dose of Cu or PGE2. Cu action requires a minimal 5-min period of exposure of the MEA, is rapidly manifested (<5 min after transfer of Cu-free medium), and is reversible (half-life, 10–15 min). Cu amplification of PGE2 action is a saturable function of the concentration of both Cu and PGE2; half-saturation and saturation were achieved with 120 and 200 μM copper, respectively, and with 0.6 and 10 μM PGE2, respec...
Differences in the localization and extent of the renal proximal tubular necrosis caused by mercapturic acid and glutathione conjugates of 1,4-naphthoquinone and menadione.

We have previously demonstrated that administration of various benzoquinol-glutathione (GSH) conjugates to rats causes renal proximal tubular necrosis and the initial lesion appears to lie within that portion of the S3 segment within the outer stripe of the outer medulla (OSOM). The toxicity may be a consequence of oxidation of the quinol conjugate to the quinone followed by covalent binding to tissue macromolecules. We have therefore synthesized the GSH and N-acetylcysteine conjugates of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (menadione) and 1,4-naphthoquinone. The resulting conjugates have certain similarities to the benzoquinol-GSH conjugates, but the main difference is that reaction with the thiol yields a conjugate which remains in the quinone form. 2-Methyl-3-(N-acetylcystein-S-yl)-1,4-naphthoquinone caused a dose-dependent (50–200 μmol/kg) necrosis of the prximal tubular epithelium. The lesion involved the terminal portion of the S2 segment and the S3 segment within the medullary ray. At the lower doses, that portion of the S3 segment in the outer stripe of the outer medulla displayed no evidence of necrosis. In contrast, 2-methyl-3-(glutathion-S-yl)-1,4-naphthoquinone (200 μmol/kg) caused no apparent histological alterations to the kidney. 2-(Glutathion-S-yl)-1,4-naphthoquinone and 2,3-(diglutathion-S-yl)-1,4-naphthoquinone (200 μmol/kg) were relatively weak proximal tubular toxicants and the lesion involved the S3 segment at the junction of the medullary ray and the OSOM. A possible reason(s) for the striking difference in the toxicity of the N-acetylcysteine conjugate of menadione, as opposed to the lack of toxicity of the GSH conjugate of menadione, is discussed. The basis for the localization of the lesion caused by 2-methyl-3-(N-acetylcystein-S-yl)-1,4-naphthoquinone requires further study.
I&M education for the new millennium: a U.S. perspective

Instrumentation-and-measurement (I&M) education is of interest to a number of stakeholders. Measurement standards provide the foundation for commerce. Equipment companies need fresh ideas in order to innovate and produce improved instrumentation products. The myriad of industries that use measurement and instrumentation products need to apply equipment correctly to get optimal results. Academic institutions are charged with developing new knowledge and transmitting that knowledge through undergraduate and graduate education programs. In the spirit of total quality management, it is important to periodically review both our goals and how well we are meeting them. Some of the issues relevant to I&M education are discussed, focusing on the status of I&M education in the U.S., followed by observations about opportunities for improvement.
Cleavage of Se-ethylselenomethionine selenonium salt by a cabbage leaf enzyme fraction

Abstract An enzyme fraction from leaves of cabbage ( Brassica oleracea var. capitata ) has been shown to cleave Se -methylselenomethionine selenonium bromide to dimethyl selenide and homoserine. The enzyme had maximal activity at pH 7.8. The enzyme fraction was shown also to cleave S -methylmethionine sulfonium salt to dimethyl sulfide and homoserine. A mechanism is proposed for the production of dimethyl selenide in higher plants by enzymatic cleavage of the selenonium salt. Both of these compounds have been identified in cabbage plants grown on media containing either selenite or selenate.