cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Progress by Peacekeeping? Civil-Military Relations and Involvement in UN Peacekeeping

The Myth of the Democratic Peacekeeper: Civil-Military Relations and the United Nations. By Arturo C. Sotomayor. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014. 280 pp., $39.95 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-1-421-41213-9). Could putting on a “blue helmet” help the troops back home? Does involvement in UN peacekeeping missions have an influence on civil-military relations? Although conventional wisdom indicates that involvement in peacekeeping operations could help democratizing countries with domestic reforms and military socialization, Arturo C. Sotomayor's path-breaking book shows that the specific tasks of the mission and preexisting domestic conditions may limit any overall positive effect that peacekeeping could have on a troop-supplying country. Focusing on Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay in the 1990s and 2000s, Sotomayor offers many insights that are of value to those interested in civil-military relations, democratization, peacekeeping, and the potential influence of international factors on domestic politics writ large (Gourevitch 1978). Before examining the divergent effects that involvement in UN peacekeeping brings, Sotomayor starts his analysis with a theoretically rich look at potential reasons why a democratizing country would want to send troops on UN peacekeeping missions. Sotomayor's focus centers on three factors that drive participation: (i) political signaling, (ii) using the UN framework as an “accelerator” for necessary …
Receptors for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in chick pancreas: a partial physical and functional characterization.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3(1,25-(OH)2D3) receptors from the rachitic chick pancreas have been partially characterized. Analyses of these receptors by isokinetic gradient centrifugation and analytical gel filtration reveal a sedimentation coefficient (S) of 3.3–3.7, a molecular weight (Mr) of 58,500–68.000, and a calculated Stokes molecular radius (Rs) of 34–36 A. Polyethylenimine-ammonium sulfate precipitation of pancreatic cytosol partially purifies aporeceptor and reduces nonspecific binding (in part, 5.8S DBP), thus providing material more amenable to kinetic analyses. Binding studies incorporating this fractionated cytosol reveal an equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of approximately 0.112 nM at 2°C for the 1,25-(OH)2D3-receptor interaction. Competition studies further demonstrate a particular preference for 1,25-(OH)2D3 over 1,24(R),25-trihydroxyvitamin D3, 24(R),25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3. The pancreatic receptor also binds to immobilized group-selective affinity ligands such as DNA, cibacron blue, and heparin, and can be eluted as a single macromolecular species during standard linear KCl gradients. Its interaction with these ligands supports the premise that the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptors' fundamental mode of action is at the level of the cellular genome. Salt-dependent nuclear uptake and chromatin localization studies with this receptor in vitro also support this potential site of action. Significantly, a physiologic dose of 1,25-(OH)2[3H]D3 to rachitic chicks leads to the in vivo formation of a receptor-hormone complex as identified by DNA-cellulose chromatography. These observations provide further evidence that the pancreatic protein is a biologically relevant component of the chick pancreas which functions to accumulate hormone intracellularly under physiologic situations.
Optimal care of patients with non-small cell lung cancer reduces perioperative morbidity.

Objective The objective is to test the concept of "pay for performance" for patients with non–small cell lung cancer. Methods We constructed 53 benchmark performance standards (10 labeled "critical") and prospectively assessed the effect of adherence to these standards on morbidity and mortality for patients undergoing resection of non–small cell lung cancer. Results Between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009, 778 patients with non–small cell lung cancer underwent thoracotomy by 1 surgeon. Ninety-seven percent of patients received all 26 of the "day of surgery" and "intraoperative" benchmarks, and those were the easiest to deliver. The 469 patients who had all 53 benchmarks delivered, compared with the 309 who did not, had a lower mortality (2.0% vs 2.3%) and morbidity (16% vs 44%; P P = .003). Low household income and fewer than 2 people in the household were predictors of overall morbidity on univariate analysis. Conclusions Most benchmarks, especially "day of surgery" and "intraoperative" ones, can be delivered in more than 97% of patients. The delivery of benchmarks reduces perioperative morbidity but not mortality. Socioeconomic factors are predictors of overall morbidity. Operative mortality is related to the "quality of the patient" and the "quality of the health care provider."
Emphysema in nonsmokers: Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency and other causes

Nonsmokers with signs of emphysema at an earlier age than is typical for emphysema deserve a workup for one of the less common causes of emphysema, which include alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, connective tissue diseases, hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome, intravenous drug use, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and several rare metabolic disorders.
A prime decomposition theorem for grammatical families

Abstract Two basic operations on families of languages, in general, and grammatical families, in particular, are sum (formed by taking unions of member languages) and product (formed by taking unions of pairwise products of member languages). In this paper, a grammatical family is defined to be prime if it is contained in one of two grammatical families whenever it is contained in their product, and the following Prime Decomposition Theorem is then established: Every grammatical family can be represented as a minimal sum of products of primes in a unique way. This theorem leads to a general method for decomposing a grammatical family into simpler ones. A subsequent paper uses this method to obtain a decision procedure for determining whether two grammar forms generate the same grammatical family, as well as a canonical representation for grammatical families.
Identity of bovine platelet aggregating factor and ristocetin-Willebrand factor

Abstract An assay for bovine ristocetin-Willebrand factor is developed and used to compare selected physical properties of bovine ristocetin-Willebrand factor with those of bovine platelet aggregating factor. The assay measures the time required for aggregation of formaldehyde-fixed bovine platelets in the presence of ristocetin and Willebrand factor. Platelet aggregating factor is measured by the ristocetin-independent aggregation of fixed human platelets. The two activities decayed at equal rates at either 56° or 60°, and were not separated by ion-exchange chromatography or density gradient ultracentrifugation. It is concluded that bovine Willebrand factor and platelet aggregating factor are activities shared by a single molecular species.
An integrated self-masking technique for providing low-loss metallized RF MEMS devices in a polysilicon only MEMS process (Invited Paper)

A novel masking technique that enables the complex patterning of metal on any layer of a released MEMS chip is demonstrated. This technique enables a polysilicon only MEMS process to create low-loss RF devices. To illustrate the advantages of post-release metallization, in a polysilicon only MEMS process, a rotating MEMS tunable capacitor that provides a wide and linear tuning range is presented. The core of the design comes from high yield, mechanically proven gear designs from Sandia’s SUMMiT design library. Significant alterations were made to the gear structure to create the final device. Preliminary tests show device capacitance ratios of 1.8:1, with linear tuning. Increased metal deposition to reduce the device air gap, can produce a capacitance ratio over 6:1.
Friction-Factor Data for Flat-Plate Tests of Smooth and Honeycomb Surfaces

Friction factors for honeycomb surfaces were measured with a flat plate tester. The flat plate test apparatus was described and a method was discussed for determining the friction factor experimentally. The friction factor model was developed for the flat plate test based on the Fanno Line Flow. The comparisons of the friction factor were plotted for smooth surfaces and six-honeycomb surfaces with three-clearances, 6.9 bar to 17.9 bar range of inlet pressures, and 5,000 to 100,000 range of the Reynolds number. The optimum geometries for the maximum friction factor were found as a function of cell width to cell depth and cell width to clearance ratios.
Eliminating first trimester markers: will replacing PAPP-A and βhCG miss women at risk for small for gestational age?

AbstractObjective: Placental analytes are traditionally used for aneuploidy screening, although may be replaced by cell-free fetal DNA. Abnormal analytes also identify women at risk for small for gestational age (SGA). We sought to quantify the proportion of women at risk for SGA by low pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) or βhCG who would not otherwise be identified by maternal risk factors.Methods: We studied first-trimester PAPPA-A and βhCG from 658 euploid singleton pregnancies from a prospective longitudinal cohort. Analytes were standardized for gestational age in multiples of the median (MoM). SGA was defined as birthweight z-score ≤−1.28. Maternal risk factors included chronic hypertension, pre-gestational diabetes and age ≥40.Results: Mean GA was 38.8 ± 1.9 weeks; 6.8% had a SGA infant. Low PAPP-A and βhCG were identified in 48 (7.4%) and 9 (1.4%) of pregnancies, respectively, of whom 18.9% were SGA (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.4–6.3). 88% did not have risk factors for SGA. Among women with no ri...
Site-directed and random immobilization of subtilisin on functionalized membranes: activity determination in aqueous and organic media.

Kinetic comparisons have been made between a randomly immobilized and a site-specifically immobilized subtilisin BPN' on microfiltration membranes of varying hydrophilicities in both aqueous and organic media. Site-directed mutagenesis was employed to introduce a single cysteine into the amino acid sequence of subtilisin at a location away from the active site. Immobilization of this mutant enzyme was then carried out using the single cysteine residue to orient the active site of the enzyme away from the membrane surface. Kinetic comparison of the immobilized mutant enzyme with the randomly immobilized wild-type enzyme in aqueous media showed an activity enhancement on both hydrophilic silica-containing and hydrophobic poly(ether)sulfone membranes. Higher loading efficiencies were observed for the site-directed enzyme on immobilization. Optimal enzyme loading values were calculated for the randomly immobilized enzyme. An enhancement of activity was also observed for the site-directed immobilized systems using nearly anhydrous hexane as the solvent.
Correlates of Problem Solving Performance in Prerequisites of Math Courses with Problem Solving Performance in Engineering Physics 1

Word problems are topics in Physics and math that students had difficulties. Physics is one of the branches of physical science. Advanced Algebra, Plane and spherical Trigonometry are branches of mathematics which are the prerequisites in engineering physics 1. As future engineers, students need to acquire sufficient mathematical and science proficiency. The study used the descriptive research design which was anchored on the three groups that contributed to problem solving capabilities of students; personal, cognitive, and social factors. The math entrance examination result and Science aptitude test are found to be significant with the final course grade in engineering physics1. The problem solving skills in personal factors (problem solving and study strategies skills), language and comprehension in cognitive factors have significant relationship with problem solving capabilities in Engphy1. The personal factors (problem solving and study strategies skills) have a significant relationship between the final course grades in engphy1. The final course grade in both the math courses are also found significant with engineering physics 1. The levels of problem solving in engineering physics1 are also found significant in both math courses. The personal and social factors have significant effect in the final course grade in engineering physics1. It also shows that the final course grade in math courses have a significant effect with the final course grade in engineering physics1. Keywords: Math courses, word problem solving, personal factors, cognitive factors, social factors and engineering physics1, descriptive design, Philippines
High-Throughput Screening and Stability Optimization of Anti-Streptavidin IgG1 and IgG2 Formulations

Selection of a suitable formulation that provides adequate product stability is an important aspect of the development of biopharmaceutical products. Stability of proteins includes not only resistance to chemical modifications but also conformational and colloidal stabilities. While chemical degradation of antibodies is relatively easy to detect and control, propensity for conformational changes and/or aggregation during manufacturing or long-term storage is difficult to predict. In many cases, the formulation factors that increase one type of stability may significantly decrease another type under the same or different conditions. Often compromise is necessary to minimize the adverse effects of an antibody formulation by careful optimization of multiple factors responsible for overall stability. In this study, high-throughput stress and characterization techniques were applied to 96 formulations of anti-streptavidin antibodies (an IgG1 and an IgG2) to choose optimal formulations. Stress and analytical methods applied in this study were 96-well plate based using an automated liquid handling system to prepare the different formulations and sample plates. Aggregation and clipping propensity were evaluated by temperature and mechanical stresses. Multivariate regression analysis of high-throughput data was performed to find statistically significant formulation factors that alter measured parameters such as monomer percentage or unfolding temperature. The results of the regression models were used to maximize the stabilities of antibodies under different formulations and to find the optimal formulation space for each molecule. Comparison of the IgG1 and IgG2 data indicated an overall greater stability of the IgG1 molecule under the conditions studied. The described method can easily be applied to both initial preformulation screening and late-stage formulation development of biopharmaceutical products.
Development of the Space Shuttle Main Engine /May 1979/

During the last year, significant progress was made toward the development of the Space Shuttle Main Engine, which will provide propulsion for the Space Shuttle Orbiter vehicle. Engine system testing continued at the National Space Technology Laboratories on both single engines and a three-engine cluster. A third single engine test position was activated at the Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory to provide additional capability for demonstrating increasing engine maturity and for solving problems. The results of engine system testing is discussed as well as the major problems identified and the design changes incorporated to solve those problems. A review of the program efforts toward the delivery of the first set of flight engines and the certification of the SSME for manned flight is included.
Abstract 2563: Upregulation of miR-155 is associated with cisplatin resistance in the head and neck cancer UMSCC-10B/15S cells

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Introduction: Cisplatin combination chemotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment for many cancers including head and neck cancer. These complexes bind to the DNA and form adducts such that they ultimately trigger apoptosis. Although initial platinum responsiveness is usually high, the majority of cancer patients will eventually relapse with cisplatin-resistant disease. Thus, chemotherapy resistance is a major clinical obstacle in the successful treatment of head and neck cancer. This study aims to investigate the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cisplatin resistance and to better understand the underlying mechanism of cisplatin resistance in the head and neck cancer UMSCC-10B/15S cells. Methods: To determine whether aberrant miRNA expression is associated with cisplatin resistance in human head and neck cancer cells, we profiled miRNA expression in the cisplatin resistant UMSCC-10b/15S and the parental line UMSCC-10B cells by real-time PCR. Luciferase reporter assays and western blot were used to confirm targets for miR-155. We also suppressed miR-155 by anti-sense locked nucleic acid (LNA) oligo to further determine the role of miR-155 in cisplatin resistance. Results: We showed that several miRNAs were altered in UMSCC-10B/15S and among them, miR-155 was the most significantly upregulated miRNA. This was also confirmed by in situ hybridization. Furthermore, ectopic expression of miR-155 was able to increase the resistance of UMSCC-10B cells to cisplatin, which is likely in part through targeting DMTF1, a tumor suppressor that directly binds to the Arf promoter to activate its expression, thereby inducing p53-dependent cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. To determine whether miR-155 directly targets DMTF1, we cloned 1.2 kb 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of DMTF1 into a luciferase reporter and demonstrated that miR-155 was able to suppress luciferase activity by over 70%. We also showed that the endogenous DMFT1 protein was reduced by over 50% in the miR-155 highly expressed resistant cells compared to the parental sensitive cells. Experiments are under way to determine whether ectopic expression of DMTF1 or its suppression by RNAi impacts cisplatin resistance in these cells. Conclusion: These findings suggest that deregulation of miRNAs is in resistant head and neck cancer cells and miR-155 may play a causal role in cisplatin resistance through targeting the DMTF1 gene. As a result, suppression of miR-155 may provide a strategy to overcome the resistance in head and neck cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2563.
A lysozyme from the fruit of Actinidia chinensis

Abstract A lysozyme of M r 28 000 was purified to homogeneity from Actinidia chinensis . It is readily inhibited by histamine, but is less sensitive to N -acetyl- d -glucosamine. The amino acid composition is reported.
Extensional flow induced crystallization from solution

An experimental apparatus and technique were developed for studying the crystallization of polyethylene from solutions undergoing an oscillatory, constant stretch rate, extensional flow. Investigation of the resulting fiber morphology, obtained at various temperatures and stretch rates, shows that the fibers exhibit a bead and stringlike appearance. Study of the melting, acid etching, and selective dissolution behavior of the fibers leads to the conclusion that fiber growth occurs in a fashion which directly results in the bead and string morphology and that the morphology is not a result of secondary, epitaxial crystal growth as previously believed. A model for the growth process, as suggested by the data, is presented. Evidence is also presented to suggest that at certain temperatures and stretch rates, a triclinic phase transformation occurs during the flow process. The effect is to produce two separate melting entities which appear to be stretch rate sensitive, in line with previously published studies on the effects of stretching on the behavior of bulk polymer.
An experimental study of the aerodynamic characteristics of planar and non-planar outboard wing planforms

A series of wind tunnel experiments have been conducted to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of several planar and nonplanar wingtip planforms. Seven different configurations: base-line rectangular, elliptical, swept and tapered, swept and tapered with dihedral, swept and tapered with anhedral, rising arc, and drooping arc, were investigated for two different spans. The data are available in terms of coefficient plots of force data, flow visualization photographs, and velocity and pressure flowfield surveys. All planforms, particularly the nonplanar, have some advantages over the baseline rectangular planform. Span efficiencies up to 20-percent greater than baseline are a possibility. However, it is suggested that the span efficiency concept might need refinement for nonplanar wings. Flow survey data show the change in effective span with vortex roll-up. The flow visualization shows the occurrence of mushroom-cell-separation flow patterns at angles of attack corresponding to stall. These grow with an increase in post-stall angle of attack. For the larger aspect ratios, the cells are observed to split into sub-cells at the higher angles of attack. For all angles of attack, some amount of secondary vortex flow is observed for the planar and nonplanar out-board planforms with sweep and taper.
Cash income, intrahousehold cooperative conflict, and child health in central Mozambique.

This study presents qualitative data on individual cash income generation and intrahousehold bargaining in a sample of 100 households in central Mozambique. It is now recognized that intrahousehold resource allocation patterns can be critical determinants of children's health in the developing world. Recently developed "bargaining-power" models suggest that individual incomes are often not pooled in households and that decisions are the result of a bargaining process that involves cooperation and conflict between men and women. Women's income, many believe, is more often spent on child welfare. Development projects should target benefits to women for greater impact on child health. Some argue that households consist of separate, gendered spheres of economic responsibility that intersect through a "conjugal contract" that defines the terms of cooperation. The findings here support the "separate-spheres" depiction of the household and reveal women's subordinated position in the external cash economy, which ...
Calculational modeling of explosive fracture and permeability enhancement

With its underground explosion computer codes SOC and TENSOR, the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is developing a capability for computer code prediction of fracture intensity and permeability enhancement far from a free face. Because the codes calculate fracture and not permeability, one must relate experimental measurements to a calculable parameter for fracture. High-explosive experiments in a coal outcrop and a multiple-charge experiment in a coal seam were designed to provide the needed data. Fracture intensity observed around the explosion centers is shown to be related to a calculated damage parameter epsilon/sub f/. This parameter is actually the total failure-induced deviatoric strain. Intrinsic permeability, determined from hydraulic conductivity and calculated from results from slug tests in wells near the explosion, correlates at least qualitatively with the calculated residual tensile-fracture porosity, ..pi../sub f/. An important observation is that no tensile failure occurs for some distance from the explosion-formed cavity when spherical charges are employed, whereas, tensile failure occurs near the cavity wall when cylindrical charges are used. 16 references, 8 figures.
Does corporate strategy matter

A revisionist view that corporate strategy does not matter has gained considerable influence in recent years. This view largely stems from empirical results of early variance decomposition studies that found negligible corporate effects associated with profitability differences between businesses. Our analysis of the variance decomposition literature shows this view to be incorrect. Not only do the studies as a group show that factors at the corporate level of organizations contribute to profitability differences, but also evidence suggests that factors specifically associated with corporate strategy contribute to corporate effects. Corporate strategy in fact does matter. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The peripheral distribution and central projections of the sensory rami of the facial nerve in goldfish, Carassius auratus

Taste buds in goldfish and other cyprinids are found not only within the oropharyngeal cavity but also scattered over the external body surface. The external taste buds are innervated by branches of the facial nerve that terminate centrally in an enlargement of the medulla termed the facial lobe. The peripheral distribution and areas of innervation of the rami of the facial sensory nerve were determined by using a modification of the Sihler technique and by examination of a Bodian-stained head series. The central projections of individual rami of the facial sensory nerve were traced by means of the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) technique. Fibers of the facial sensory nerve distribute over the head and trunk via nine rami. The supraorbital ramus distributes fibers to taste buds above the eye. The palatine, maxillary, and mandibular rami innervate taste buds of the rostral palate, upper lip, and lower lip, respectively. The three rami of the hyomandibular trunk innervate taste buds on the operculum, branchiostegal rays, and in the lower cheek region. A facial recurrent ramus was also found that distributes fibers to taste buds on the trunk and pectoral fin via two rami, the lateral recurrent ramus and pectoral recurrent ramus. The facial sensory rami map somatotopically on the facial lobe. Overall, the projections follow an anteroposterior orientation with the long axis of the body tilted slightly ventrally. The lips and rostral palate make up a disproportionately large portion of the map, taking up nearly the entire ventral extent of the lobe. The trunk and pectoral fin regions map broadly across the dorsal portion of the lobe. Further, projections to the nucleus of the descending trigeminal tract were observed with labeling of the supraorbital, maxillary, and mandibular rami, and the rami of the hyomandibular trunk. Projections to the facial motor nucleus were also observed with labeling of maxillary and mandibular rami, perhaps indicating a monosynaptic reflex arc. These projections have not been reported in previous studies on the teleostean facial taste system.
Stretch Response and Large Heat Release in the Zeldovich-Liñ´n Model

Abstract A comprehensive study of the stretch response of the Zeldovich-Lin´n model is made under the new limit of large heat release. As a response to the work of Mikolaitis (1986), in particular, it is shown that the smallness of the concentration of intermediates is due to the ratio of Damkohler numbers and not to the largeness of the heat release, and that the stretch response. including the existence of Seshadri and Peters' stretch-resistant flames, is not affected by the consideration of a large heat release and/or activation energy limit.
Aciduric Proteobacteria isolated from pH 2.9 soil.

Acidic (pH 2.9) soil was used as an inoculum to culture heterotrophic bacteria at pH values of 3–4. Four isolates were obtained; on the basis of 16S rDNA sequence, they were shown to be members of the β- and γ-Proteobacteria. The three isolates that were most closely related to Burkholderia spp. had simple nutritional requirements and could grow in glucose-mineral salts media; two of these used a broad array of organic substrates. The 16S rDNA sequence of the fourth isolate was most similar (96%) to Frateuria aurantia. The isolates were aciduric rather than acidophilic; their pH ranges for growth were approximately 3.5–8. Unlike many bacteria whose acid tolerance represents the capacity to survive acid exposure, these microorganisms carried out exponential growth at pH<4 and their growth rates at pH 3.9 ranged from 60 to 98% of those found at pH 7. The cell yields on glucose of two strains were identical at pH 4 and pH 7. The acidic soils appeared to contain a very diverse bacterial community as assessed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprinting of PCR amplicons of a portion of the 16S rDNA gene. Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer LINK server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00203-002-0427-1.
The effect of post‐mortem conditions on the extractability and adenosine triphosphatase activity of myofibrillar proteins of rabbit muscle

Summary. 1. Washed myofibrils from rabbit muscle have been heated at pH values between 4.8 and 5.6 and temperatures between 35°C and 42°C. It has been found that, under these conditions, myofibrils lose their Ca2+ activated adenosine triphosphatase, their Mg2+ activated adenosine triphosphatase and also become less extractable in M KCl–30 mM sodium glycerophosphate, pH 6.2. 2. The reactions follow first-order kinetics and the rates are dependent on pH and temperature. The first order rate constants, enthalpies and entropies for the three reactions are sufficiently near each other to suggest that all three reactions are occurring simultaneously. 3. When a muscle is allowed to go into rigor at 37°C the extractability in M KCl–30 mM sodium glycerophosphate is reduced after 4 hr at 37°C when the pH of the muscle has reached 5.55. At the same time the Ca2+ adenosine triphosphatase activity falls but the Mg2+ adenosine triphosphatase does not. The latter is reduced by prolonging the period at 37°C to 6 hr. 4. It is suggested that there is present in muscle, undergoing rigor at 37°C, myosin which does not bind to actin and is readily denatured. When bound to actin, myosin in the myofibril is more resistant and denatures only after long exposure to a temperature of 37°C.
Contact calls are used for individual mate recognition in free-ranging green-rumped parrotlets, Forpus passerinus

Contact calls function to coordinate movements in a wide variety of social animals. Where population density is high, visibility is low and repeated interactions occur between known social companions, calls are often individually recognizable. Parrots are highly social and make substantial daily movements, which appear to be mediated through contact calling. However, there is little experimental evidence for how free-ranging parrots recognize social companions. We quantified intra- and interindividual variation of contact calls in a banded population of green-rumped parrotlets in Venezuela. Recordings of a sample of males were made on replicate days as they announced their return to incubating mates. Spectrographic structure of these contact calls showed significantly more variation between than within individuals, and calls could be correctly classified to individuals more often than was expected by chance. Males varied across multiple dimensions simultaneously, including duration, frequency and frequency modulation of contact calls. Playback experiments showed that free-ranging female parrotlets responded significantly more often to their mates’ calls than to calls of males of other nests. Mate recognition via contact calls may be selectively advantageous during incubation and brooding if this reduces the potential costs associated with confusing contact calls of mates with those of nonmates, including infanticidal conspecifics.
CT-guided high-dose-rate dose prescription for cervical carcinoma: the importance of uterine wall thickness.

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the use of CT imaging to guide dose prescription for high-dose-rate brachytherapy in cervical cancer, by defining the uterine wall thickness and the proximity of the rectosigmoid, bladder, and small bowel. Methods and Materials: From 1994–2000, 40 patients with cervical cancer underwent treatment with external beam radiation therapy plus high–dose-rate brachytherapy. A pelvic CT scan was performed following applicator placement, and was analyzed to determine anterior and posterior uterine wall thickness, and the distance to the bladder and rectosigmoid. The dose prescription was initially at Point A, but in some patients, was altered based on the thickness of the uterine wall. Results: Measurements in the region of the lower and upper uterine wall were analyzed separately. Nearly half (46%) of the patients had an average anterior or posterior wall thickness of
“What Do You Mean There Were No Tribes in Africa?”: Thoughts on Boundaries—and Related Matters—in Precolonial Africa

I made a mistake teaching my course on precolonial African history this past fall. I vowed (to myself) to be absolutely honest. I decided to admit to students how little historians know for certain about much of Africa's early history. I focused on the evidence, emphasizing how little there is for determining what occurred several centuries ago—let alone 2000 years ago—in sub-Saharan Africa. I gave one lecture—downright sterling, I thought—in which, in the first part, I taught about “Bantu Expansion” as I had done in my first year on the job, way back in 1976. I had read Roland Oliver's 1966 article in the Journal of African History, which had made everything clear to me once upon a time.With that as a basis I laid out an entire scheme about how these humans, who spoke related languages, had populated nearly all of sub-equatorial Africa since the beginning of the modern era. I had maps on overhead projection (copies handed out) showing when the Bantu migrated where; I spoke of the evidence for it all, even reading from Ptolemy's Geography and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea; and recalled how clear it all was to myself and the students, who wrote down nearly every word and made notations on the maps.Then, in the second part of the lecture, I talked about how incorrect it all was (student pens here coming to rest)—how our reading of some of the linguistic evidence was faulty, how we read things into Ptolemy and the Periplus because they fit the scheme, and how subsequent archeological evidence has simply proved most of the neat scheme wrong. I concluded with an honest, if pessimistic, note that, because of the paucity of evidence, there simply is a lot about early African history that we will not be able to know.
Protein trafficking dysfunctions: Role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension

AbstractEarlier electron microscopic data had shown that a hallmark of the vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in man and experimental models includes enlarged vacuolated endothelial and smooth muscle cells with increased endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi stacks in pulmonary arterial lesions. In cell culture and in vivo experiments in the monocrotaline model, we observed disruption of Golgi function and intracellular trafficking with trapping of diverse vesicle tethers, SNAREs and SNAPs in the Golgi membranes of enlarged pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) and pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Consequences included the loss of cell surface caveolin-1, hyperactivation of STAT3, mislocalization of eNOS with reduced cell surface/caveolar NO and hypo-S-nitrosylation of trafficking-relevant proteins. Similar Golgi tether, SNARE and SNAP dysfunctions were also observed in hypoxic PAECs in culture and in PAECs subjected to NO scavenging. Strikingly, a hypo-NO state ...
Stress before and after the 2002 Denali fault earthquake

[1] Spatially averaged, absolute deviatoric stress tensors along the faults ruptured during the 2002 Denali fault earthquake, both before and after the event, are derived, using a new method, from estimates of the orientations of the principal stresses and the stress change associated with the earthquake. Stresses are estimated in three regions along the Denali fault, one of which also includes the Susitna Glacier fault, and one region along the Totschunda fault. Estimates of the spatially averaged shear stress before the earthquake resolved onto the faults that ruptured during the event range from near 1 MPa to near 4 MPa. Shear stresses estimated along the faults in all these regions after the event are near zero (0 ± 1 MPa). These results suggest that deviatoric stresses averaged over a few tens of km along strike are low, and that the stress drop during the earthquake was complete or nearly so.
Speed discrimination of stereoscopic (cyclopean) motion.

Abstract This study investigated the degree to which speed of stereoscopic translational motion (i.e. moving binocular disparity information) can be discriminated in a display that minimizes position information. Observers viewed dynamic random-element stereograms depicting arrays of randomly positioned stereoscopic dots that moved bidirectionally. Two tasks were performed: a speed discrimination task and a displacement discrimination task. Across a range of conditions, speed could be discriminated under conditions in which displacement could not. Thus, speed of stereoscopic motion can be discriminated when position information is minimal. This result indicates that stereoscopic motion is sensed in a way that cannot be explained by feature tracking or by inferring the motion from memory of position and time. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Focal elements generated by the Dempster-Shafer theoretic conditionals: A complete characterization

Incorporation of soft evidence into the fusion process poses considerable challenges, including issues related to the material implications of propositional logic statements, contradictory evidence, and non-identical scopes of sources providing soft evidence. The conditional approach to Dempster-Shafer (DS) theoretic evidence updating and fusion provides a promising avenue for overcoming these challenges. However, the computation of the Fagin-Halpern (FH) conditionals utilized in the conditional evidence updating strategies is non-trivial because of the lack of a method to identify the conditional focal elements directly. The work in this paper presents a complete characterization of the conditional focal elements via a necessary and sufficient condition that identifies the explicit structure of a proposition that will remain a focal element after conditioning. We illustrate the resulting computational advantage via several experiments.
p-Azidoclonidine: a photoaffinity label for the α2-adrenoceptor

Abstract We have synthesized and characterized p-azidoclonidine (AZC) as a putative α2-adrenoceptor photoaffinity label. [3H]AZC demonstrated high affinity (KD = 11.8 ± 2.5 nM, saturability (Bmax = 171 ± 21 fmol/mg protein), stereo-specificity, and rank order of potency expected of a specific α2-receptor label when used as a reversible ligand in the rat cerebral cortex. The pharmacologic profile of AZC was similar to p-aminoclonidine (PAC), an established α2-adrenoceptor partial agonist. Membranes covalently prelabeled with nonradioactive AZC showed a dose dependent decrease in the number of α2-receptor sites subsequently detected by [3H]PAC and [3H]yohimbine. Specific covalent [3H]AZC binding to rat cerebral cortical α2-receptors represented 35 ± 7% of the total [3H]AZC bound. These data indicate that AZC is a selective α2-adrenoceptor photoaffinity lavel which may be useful in the identification and purification of the α2-Adrenoceptor.
Male sperm motility dictated by mother's mtDNA.

We are grateful to Dr. Paul Turek, Dr. Eugene Xu, and Joyce Tung for their helpful comments and support. F.A.M. is supported by a Ford Foundation predoctoral fellowship. R.A.R.-P. is supported by the Searle Scholarship Foundation and grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Quinacrine mustard fluorescence of sex chromatin in human amniotic fluid cell cultures.

SINCE the work of Zech1, a fluorescent staining technique has been used for identification of the Y chromosome in the interphase nuclei of cells from human male subjects. No recognizable fluorescence of the Barr body or sex chromatin mass has been observed in the nuclei of uncultured human amniotic fluid cells from female foetuses obtained by amniocentesis.
Use of 1H-15N heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence NMR spectroscopy to study the active site of aspartate aminotransferase.

Aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli, an 88 kDa enzyme, was uniformly and selectively enriched with 15N and was studied by heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence NMR spectroscopy in H2O. Good resolution was obtained for the downfield region (above 9.5 ppm chemical shift in the 1H dimension) for NH protons in the amide, indole, imidazole, and guanidinium group regions and several resonances were tentatively assigned. Two downfield resonances, at 12.6 and 11.36 ppm, appear to belong to oxygen- or sulfur-bound protons. The most downfield amide resonance at 11.78 ppm was assigned to the active site cysteine 192 whose peptide proton is 2.9 A away from the negatively charged carboxyl group of aspartate 199. Large downfield shifts (up to 1.15 ppm) of the indole NH resonance of the active site tryptophan 140 were observed upon binding of dicarboxylic inhibitors to the pyridoxal 5‘-phosphate (PLP) form and of inorganic dianions to the pyridoxamine 5‘-phosphate (PMP) form of the enzyme. We discuss the...
Fluctuations about hydrodynamic nonequilibrium steady states

Abstract Using an extension of the Langevin method, we calculate the fluctuations of a fluid about a stationary state held away from global thermal equilibrium by a temperature gradient or shear flow. In the former case, the Brillouin peaks in the light scattering spectrum acquire an asymmetry that is qualitatively similat to earlier results but different in detail.
Confusions about context in the judgment of facial expression: A reply to “the contempt expression and the relativity thesis”

A recent study of the effect of context in the judgment of contempt facial expression (Russell, 1991) was flawed by several confusions about what constitutes context. We argue that the context used should have ecological validity, through the use of many, rather than a few, facial expressions, which are spontaneous rather than posed, and which are judged by carefully selected judgment tasks, using clearly defined or well-understood emotional terms. The confusion in Russell's work between accuracy studies and agreement studies is also addressed.
Characterization of centrosomal association of nucleophosmin/B23 linked to Crm1 activity

Nucleophosmin (NPM)/B23 is a multifunctional protein, involving in a wide variety of basic cellular processes, including ribosome assembly, DNA duplication, nucleocytoplasmic trafficking, and centrosome duplication. It has previously been shown that NPM/B23 localizes to centrosomes, and dissociate from centrosomes upon phosphorylation by Cdk2/cyclin E. However, detail characterization of centrosomal association of NPM/B23 has been hampered by the lack of appropriate antibodies that efficiently detects centrosomally localized NPM/B23, as well as by apparent loss of natural behavior of NPM/B23 when tagged with fluorescent proteins. Here, by the use of newly generated anti-NPM/B23 antibody, we conducted a careful analysis of centrosomal localization of NPM/B23. We found that NPM/B23 localizes between the paired centrioles of unduplicated centrosomes, suggesting the role of NPM/B23 in the centriole pairing. Upon initiation of centrosome duplication, some NPM/B23 proteins remain at mother centrioles of the parental centriole pairs. We further found that inhibition of Crm1 nuclear export receptor results in both accumulation of cyclin E at centrosomes and efficient dissociation of NPM/B23 from centrosomes.
Effects of three aphid species (Homoptera: Aphididae) on development, survival and predation of Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

The effects of three aphid species (fourth instars only), Aphis gossypii Glover; Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach), on immature development, survival and predation of the common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens), were determined in the laboratory. Survival rates of C. carnea from first stadium to adult emergence were significantly different among larvae fed different aphid species. When larvae were fed A. gossypii and M. persicae, 94.4±3.3% (mean±SE) and 87.6±5.1% of individuals developed to adults, respectively; whereas only 14.9±3.4% of individuals developed to adults when fed L. erysimi. The developmental durations of C. carnea larvae were also significantly different among larvae fed the three aphid species. The developmental duration from first stadium to adult emergence was shortest when larvae were fed A. gossypii (19.8±0.4 d), followed by M. persicae (22.8±0.2 d), and then L. erysimi (25.5±0.4 d). The total number of fourth stadium aphids consumed by C. carnea larvae differed significantly among individuals fed different aphid species. Chrysoperla carnea consumed more A. gossypii (292.4) and M. persicae (272.6) than L. erysimi (146.4). Although total numbers of aphids consumed by the three C. carnea larval stadia differed significantly, the proportions of aphids consumed by each larval stadium to the total number of aphids consumed were similar, 3.9–7.1% by the first stadium, 12.0–16.8% by the second stadium, and 78.1–83.9% by the third stadium.
The Difficult Cholecystectomy: Problems During Dissection and Extraction

All surgeons will encounter difficult cholecystectomies. Many trying and untenable situations can be prevented or made easier by the cautious surgeon who has a carefully thought-out plan for each potential problem. Step-by-step, this article addresses the arduous challenges that may be faced beginning with diagnosis and continuing through the operative procedure including the decision to operate, the best intervention, abdominal entry, dealing with common duct stones, intraoperative cholangiography, exposure of the biliary anatomy, avoidance of bleeding or common duct injury, spilled stones, and postoperative bile collection. Each problem is addressed with emphasis on prevention and management.
Methods for comparing contact hole shrinking techniques with 248-nm single layer and bilayer photoresists

Several contact hole shrinking techniques have been discussed in the literature recently. Two notable techniques; Resolution Enhancement Lithography Assisted by Chemical Shrink (RELACSTM) and Resist Flow Process (RFP) were investigated in conjunction with several commercially available high activation energy chemically amplified materials and one bilayer material. During the course of this study the unique set of advantages along with the inconveniences associated with each technique were explored. It was not only the lithographic attributes of each technique that were of interest, but also characteristics that would effect manufacturability. To that end, experiments were designed so that standard statistical techniques could be employed at the data analysis stage. The attributes of interest were the amount and control of shrinkage, nested and isolated feature bias, process window comparisons, and line edge roughness. It will be shown how several of theses attributes are directly related to manufacturing issues such as lot-to-lot repeatability and linewidth variations across the wafer.
Epidemiology: How common is autism?

Autism spectrum disorders vary greatly in severity. By including children in regular education who received no special help, an epidemiological study has found these disorders to be up to three times more prevalent than thought.