cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the development of matched and mismatched Italian children's speech recognition systems.

While at least read speech corpora are available for Italian children’s speech research, there exist many languages which completely lack children’s speech corpora. We propose that learning statistical mappings between the adult and child acoustic space using existing adult/children corpora may provide a future direction for generating children’s models for such data deficient languages. In this work the recent advances in the development of the SONIC Italian children’s speech recognition system will be described. This work, completing a previous one developed in the past, was conducted with the specific goals of integrating the newly trained children’s speech recognition models into the Italian version of the Colorado Literacy Tutor platform. Specifically, children’s speech recognition research for Italian was conducted using the complete training and test set of the FBK (ex ITC-irst) Italian Children’s Speech Corpus (ChildIt). Using the University of Colorado SONIC LVSR system, we demonstrate a phonetic recognition error rate of 12,0% for a system which incorporates Vocal Tract Length Normalization (VTLN), Speaker-Adaptive Trained phonetic models, as well as unsupervised Structural MAP Linear Regression (SMAPLR).
Application-Driven Design of Soft, 3-D Printed, Pneumatic Actuators With Bellows

Soft robots are flexible and adaptable allowing them to conform to objects of different shapes and sizes. However, the flexibility of soft robots leads to challenges in designing and fabricating them to satisfy application-specific requirements. In this paper, we present a class of 3-D printable three-chambered actuator modules, along with analytical models to predict actuation behavior based on a set of design parameters related to the bellows. The actuator modules are designed parametrically and fabricated on a commercial 3-D printer, which improves the speed, accessibility, and repeatability of fabrication. The approach presented here provides a framework for tailoring actuators to specific soft robotic applications. This process relates actuation characteristics (e.g., bend angle and blocked force) to a small set of design parameters with the goal of reducing the design-fabrication cycle time. The forward and inverse kinematics are defined for the three-chambered actuator. The kinematics are experimentally validated using a motion capture system. We performed a sensitivity analysis to understand which of the geometric parameters of the bellows have the greatest effect on bending and blocked force. This design framework can be tailored to realize soft actuator modules, for example applications such as fingers for a soft robotic gripper, as a robotic arm for manipulating objects, or as legs for a soft walking robot.
Computation of Convex Hull Prices in Electricity Markets with Non-Convexities using Dantzig-Wolfe Decomposition.

The presence of non-convexities in electricity markets has been an active research area for about two decades. The - inevitable under current marginal cost pricing - problem of guaranteeing that no truthful-bidding market participant incurs losses in the day-ahead (DA) market is addressed in current practice through make-whole payments a.k.a. uplift. Alternative pricing rules have been studied to deal with this problem. Among them, Convex Hull (CH) prices associated with minimum uplift have attracted significant attention. Several US Independent System Operators (ISOs) have considered CH prices but resorted to approximations, mainly because determining exact CH prices is computationally challenging, while providing little intuition about the price formation rational. In this paper, we describe CH price estimation problem by relying on Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition and Column Generation. Moreover, the approach provides intuition on the underlying price formation rational. A test bed of stylized examples elucidate an exposition of the intuition in the CH price formation. In addition, a realistic ISO dataset is used to suggest scalability and validate the proof-of-concept.
International Sourcing and Capital Structure: Evidence from U. S. Manufacturing Firms

Motivated by the rising importance of international sourcing in recent years, in this paper we examine the relation between international sourcing and capital structure using a sample of U.S. manufacturing firms that source intermediate inputs and/or final outputs from international suppliers. In doing so, we first estimate the level of international sourcing based on the U.S. input-output accounts and import data, and then empirically estimate the relation between the international sourcing level and the debt ratio. The key findings of our paper include: First, our regression analysis shows that there exists a negative and statistically significant relation between the level of international sourcing and the debt ratio. This negative relation is particularly strong for R&D intensive firms. These findings are consistent with the view that sourcing firms choose a lower financial leverage to induce overseas suppliers to make relationship-specific (RS) investments. Second, the negative relation is mitigated for firms sourcing proportionately more final outputs than intermediate inputs from international suppliers. The negative relation is also mitigated when sourcing from countries with better legal environments. Overall, our findings indicate that firms' operational and financial decisions should be examined simultaneously.
Thrombospondin-1 Restricts Interleukin-36γ-Mediated Neutrophilic Inflammation during Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pulmonary Infection.

ABSTRACT Interleukin-36γ (IL-36γ), a member of the IL-1 cytokine superfamily, amplifies lung inflammation and impairs host defense during acute pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. To be fully active, IL-36γ is cleaved at its N-terminal region by proteases such as neutrophil elastase (NE) and cathepsin S (CatS). However, it remains unclear whether limiting extracellular proteolysis restrains the inflammatory cascade triggered by IL-36γ during P. aeruginosa infection. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is a matricellular protein with inhibitory activity against NE and the pathogen-secreted Pseudomonas elastase LasB—both proteases implicated in amplifying inflammation. We hypothesized that TSP-1 tempers the inflammatory response during lung P. aeruginosa infection by inhibiting the proteolytic environment required for IL-36γ activation. Compared to wild-type (WT) mice, TSP-1-deficient (Thbs1−/−) mice exhibited a hyperinflammatory response in the lungs during P. aeruginosa infection, with increased cytokine production and an unrestrained extracellular proteolytic environment characterized by higher free NE and LasB, but not CatS activity. LasB cleaved IL-36γ proximally to M19 at a cleavage site distinct from those generated by NE and CatS, which cleave IL-36γ proximally to Y16 and S18, respectively. N-terminal truncation experiments in silico predicted that the M19 and the S18 isoforms bind the IL-36R complex almost identically. IL-36γ neutralization ameliorated the hyperinflammatory response and improved lung immunity in Thbs1−/− mice during P. aeruginosa infection. Moreover, administration of cleaved IL-36γ induced cytokine production and neutrophil recruitment and activation that was accentuated in Thbs1−/− mice lungs. Collectively, our data show that TSP-1 regulates lung neutrophilic inflammation and facilitates host defense by restraining the extracellular proteolytic environment required for IL-36γ activation. IMPORTANCEPseudomonas aeruginosa pulmonary infection can lead to exaggerated neutrophilic inflammation and tissue destruction, yet host factors that regulate the neutrophilic response are not fully known. IL-36γ is a proinflammatory cytokine that dramatically increases in bioactivity following N-terminal processing by proteases. Here, we demonstrate that thrombospondin-1, a host matricellular protein, limits N-terminal processing of IL-36γ by neutrophil elastase and the Pseudomonas aeruginosa-secreted protease LasB. Thrombospondin-1-deficient mice (Thbs1−/−) exhibit a hyperinflammatory response following infection. Whereas IL-36γ neutralization reduces inflammatory cytokine production, limits neutrophil activation, and improves host defense in Thbs1−/− mice, cleaved IL-36γ administration amplifies neutrophilic inflammation in Thbs1−/− mice. Our findings indicate that thrombospondin-1 guards against feed-forward neutrophilic inflammation mediated by IL-36γ in the lung by restraining the extracellular proteolytic environment.
Evolving Cost-Quality Relationship in Pediatric Heart Surgery

ABSTRACT Background For the >40,000 US children undergoing congenital heart surgery annually, the relationship between hospital quality and costs remains unclear. Prior studies report conflicting results and clinical outcomes have continued to improve over time. We examined a large contemporary cohort, aiming to better inform ongoing initiatives seeking to optimize healthcare value in this population. Methods Clinical information (Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Database) was merged with standardized cost data (Pediatric Health Information Systems) for children undergoing heart surgery from 2010-2015. In-hospital cost variability was analyzed using Bayesian hierarchical models adjusted for case-mix. Quality metrics examined included in-hospital mortality, post-operative complications, length of stay (PLOS), and a composite. Results Overall 32 hospitals (n=45,315 patients) were included. Median adjusted cost/case varied across hospitals from $67,700 to $51,200 in the high vs. low cost tertile (ratio 1.32, 95% credible interval 1.29-1.35), and all quality metrics also varied across hospitals. Across cost tertiles there were no significant differences in the quality metrics examined, with the exception of PLOS. The PLOS findings were driven by high-risk STAT 4-5 cases [adjusted median LOS 16.8 vs. 14.9 days in high vs. low cost tertile (ratio 1.13, 1.05-1.24)], and ICU PLOS. Conclusions Contemporary congenital heart surgery costs vary across hospitals but were not associated with most quality metrics examined, highlighting that performance in one area does not necessarily convey to others. Cost variability was associated with PLOS, particularly related to ICU PLOS and high-risk cases. Care processes influencing PLOS may provide targets for value-based initiatives in this population.
Conservation by racialized dispossession: The making of an eco-destination on Honduras’s North Coast

Abstract Within the context of neoliberal conservation and ecotourism development, the Honduran state has prioritized the desires of foreign tourists and private investors over the needs of indigenous and black coastal inhabitants, and increasingly this is leading to state-sanctioned violence against marginalized groups. I use Peluso’s analytic of coercive conservation (1993) to show how conservation practice furthers the expansionist policies of the state and elite investors while simultaneously dehumanizing the indigenous peoples that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. While Garifuna culture is central to Honduras’s ecotourism ambitions, their livelihoods, in the eyes of many developers and conservation NGOs, are a potential threat to the viability of the emerging tourism imaginary. Black and indigenous coastal inhabitants are valued for the cultural cache they add to regional tourism plans, yet denigrated for their inherent “backwardness” and presumed inability to respect the delicate ecosystems they inhabit. This imaginary authorizes material practices of racialized dispossession, which were set in motion by neoliberal conservation regimes designed to exploit the natural and cultural resources upon which tourism development is premised.
Sustainability and One Health

The sustainability of global bovine production systems is currently one of the most highly debated issues relating to food production. Ruminant livestock provide high-quality animal-source foods in conjunction with a myriad of associated economic and social benefits to communities worldwide. Nonetheless, the question is often raised as to whether the consumption of milk and meat is inherently unsustainable. Sustainability was defined within the Brundtland Report (United Nations World Commission on Environment & Development, 1987) as: ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’, and this remains the most commonly used definition, implying the need to use resources at rates that do not exceed the earth’s capacity to replenish them, while ensuring human food security. 870 million people are currently considered to be food-insecure on a global basis (Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, 2012), so global food production could be argued to be unsustainable as per the first half of the definition. Nonetheless, a sustainable food system is not simply dependent upon producing sufficient food but upon delivering
An Investigation on Fully Developed Turbulent Flows in a Curved Channel

Measurements of turbulent properties have been made on a fully developed, plane incompressible flow in a curved channel between circular, concentric walls. Comparison with the flow in a straight channel of the same Reynolds Number shows strong influence of curvature of the mean flow on mean velocity, turbulence intensity, scale, and spectrum. The influence of curvature is discussed on the basis of turbulent energy equations.
Prospecting and Exploration Through the Ages: Enduring Fundamentals but Changing Technologies

The fundamentals that drive prospecting and exploration, i.e., the search for useful mineral materials by investigating observed abnormalities, have not changed significantly through the millennia. The variety of minerals sought and the approaches used in the search, however, have increased exponentially, especially in the last century, owing to advances in many fields of science and technology, all accompanying immense growth, diversification, global expansion, and integration of the world's mineral industry. The focus of these activities has shifted continually and progressively westward from Mesopotamia through the Mediterranean basin and northwestern Europe to the Americas, then southward to Africa and Australia, but always toward little-explored or unexplored regions. Significantly, the focus of world political influence has accompanied this westward shift through time. Mineral wealth, derived through prospecting and exploration, is an essential basis of modern living standards and global power, an overlooked, ignored, or even forgotten relationship that merits careful reconsideration by today's public, idealists, and politicians. Resume Les principes fondamentaux regissant la prospecrion et l'exploration, i.e., la quete de mineraux utiles par l'etude d'anomalies, n'ont pas change notablement au cours du dernier millenaire. Cependant, et la variete des mineraux recherches et les approches adoptees se sont multiplies de maniere exponentielle, particulierement au cours du dernier siecle, suite aux developpements scientifiques et technologiques dans plusieurs domaines, ces derniers entrainant des vagues immenses de developpements, de diversifications, d'expansion globale et d'integration de l'industrie minerale mondiale. L'interet de ces activites d'exploration s'est continuellement et progressivement deplace d'Est en Ouest, passant de la Mesopotamie au bassin de la Mediterranee et au nord-est de l'Europe vers les Ameriques, puis vers le sud, vers l'Afrique et l'Australie, toujours vers des regions peu ou pas explorees. Fait interessant, historiquement, les preoccupations politiques mondiales ont suivi ce meme parcours vers l'Ouest. La richesse minerale decoulant de la prospection et de l'exploration constitue une assise essentielle des niveaux de vie modernes et des pouvoirs globaux - relation de cause a effet qui est trop souvent negligee, ignoree ou meme oubliee par le grand public, les idealistes et les politiciens.
A need for health literacy curriculum: knowledge of health literacy among U.S. audiologists and speech-language pathologists in Arkansas.

Context: We assessed the general knowledge of health literacy and the impact of limited health literacy on patients and to society in United States (US) audiologists and speech-language pathologists in Arkansas. Methods: A 10-item survey was completed by 198 professionals and students in communication sciences and disorders in Arkansas. The 10-items were divided into one demographic question, six patient-related health literacy questions, and three systems-related health literacy questions. Results: Most professionals and students were aware that limited health literacy can be an obstacle for patients, but they were only somewhat or not aware of existing data on the average US adult reading grade level, the readability of clinic forms, or the estimated economic healthcare cost as a result of low health literacy. Discussion: Increasing the awareness of health literacy and the impact of limited health literacy among all healthcare providers would be a worthwhile endeavor. More work is needed to study health literacy in various patient populations and to develop effective approaches to combat low health literacy in the field of communication sciences and disorders, as well as other healthcare disciplines, across the globe. This study suggests that health literacy awareness training may be needed, not only in Arkansas, but also throughout the US and other countries. The outcome should bridge the health literacy and communication gap between providers and their patients.
Medical Student Motivations to Volunteer

SUMMARY This investigation examined medical students' motivations for participating in a volunteer community-based program for pregnant women provided primarily to traditionally underserved groups. Demographic, psychosocial, and motivational characteristics of 40 students participating in the Maternal Care Program were assessed with a self-report instrument. Medical students' motivations to participate (assessed in 6 volunteer motive categories) were higher in all categories than those found in previous studies of active adult volunteers, and university students. The rank-ordering of the importance of the motive categories also differed for medical students compared to the other groups. Finally, important differences in both the strength and the rank-ordering of motivations was found for male and female medical students. These group and gender differences are discussed in terms of their theoretical importance, as well as their practical implications for how medical schools might recruit students, encourag...
The Effects of Bird Density, Dietary Energy, Light Intensity, and Cage Level on the Reproductive Performance of Heavy Type Chickens in Wire Cages

Abstract Two experiments were conducted concurrently to study the effects of bird density, light intensity, cage level and dietary energy on egg production, body weight, feed consumption, feed efficiency, egg weight and mortality of heavy type chickens in wire cages. The study was conducted in a commercial, windowless, cage house equipped with modified stair-step cages 30.5 × 45.7 cm. in size. In Experiment 1, 960 pullets, housed at 1, 2, 3 and 4 birds per cage (1393, 697, 465 and 368 square centimeters per bird) were subjected to two light intensity treatments (1.5 to 3.0 foot candles and 0.5 to 1.2 foot candles), two diets (3060 and 2840 kcal. metabolizable energy), and two cage levels. Experiment 2 investigated the effects of density and cage level on the performance of 200 pullets housed two and three birds per cage and fed a commercially available caged layer diet. Data were collected from 20 to 52 weeks of age in Experiment 1, and, with the exception of feed consumption, from 20 to 72 weeks in Experiment 2. Greater bird density depressed egg production, increased mortality, and depressed body weight gain. However, under the conditions of this study, increasing density from two to three birds per cage failed to significantly depress production or increase mortality. Density effects on egg weight were not detected, nor were feed consumption and feed efficiency, investigated only at the two and three bird density levels. The higher energy diet treatment depressed egg production, increased body weight gain, and decreased total feed consumption. Dietary effects on egg weight, feed efficiency and mortality were not found to be significantly different. Effects due to differences in light intensity per se were negligible. The only significant effect was expressed by higher mortality under the high intensity treatment, probably related to the light intensity × diet interaction. Analysis revealed several statistically significant interactions, including a diet × light intensity effect which depressed egg production and increased mortality under the high energy diet × high light intensity treatment. The period × density, period × diet, and period × cage level interactions found for egg production, feed consumption, and body weight are discussed. Results suggest the desirability of further study to investigate the interaction of environmental and dietary factors. Feed consumption and body weight gain were found to be higher in the upper cage row groups. In Experiment 1, total hen-day production was higher in the upper cage row, but this effect was not observed in Experiment 2, at two and three bird densities.
Pediatric intestinal foregut and small bowel solid tumors: a review of 105 cases.

Background The outcomes of pediatric intestinal foregut and small bowel solid tumors have never been studied on a population scale. Materials and Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (1973–2005) was queried for all patients under 20 y of age. Results A total of 105 cases of pediatric intestinal foregut and small bowel solid tumors were identified. Tumors occurred in the esophagus (8.6%), stomach (61%), and small bowel (30.5%). The most common histologies include sarcoma (43.8%), which consisted mostly of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), carcinoma (41.0%), which consisted mostly of adenocarcinomas, and neuroendocrine tumors (NET) (10.5%). Most tumors were poorly differentiated and presented with advanced disease. The overall median survival time was 207 mo. Gastric solid tumors had significantly worse 5- and 10-y survival compared with their small bowel counterparts, though this difference disappeared in those who received surgical resection. Patients with carcinoma had significantly worse survival compared with those with sarcoma or NET, regardless of site and surgical intervention. Univariate analysis identified race, differentiation, stage, and surgery as significant predictors of survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that African American race, advanced stage of disease, carcinoma histology, and failure to undergo surgical extirpation were all independent predictors of worse outcome. In patients with carcinoma, failure to undergo radiotherapy was also a predictor of worse outcome. Conclusion Surgery is associated with a significantly improved survival for pediatric patients with solid tumors of the intestinal foregut and small bowel. Radiotherapy appears to be an important adjuvant therapy for patients with carcinoma.
Rural Inland Waterways Economic Impact Kit: A Synopsis

The results of a project whose primary objective was the development of a PC-based kit that gives users the ability to perform an assessment of the economic impacts of existing rural inland waterway ports and terminals are reported. The kit's design follows a step-by-step procedure that focuses on the economic impacts of cargo flows, port users' industries, and capital expenditures through the port or terminal linkages to regional industrial structures and transportation systems. The kit is interactive, guiding users through the impact analysis, and allows the users to input data and modify the model's data while maintaining a consistent approach throughout the analysis. The major elements of the kit are summarized, and in particular the derivation of the kit's input-output model and major issues that had to be resolved in constructing the kit are focused on.
Vibratory power flow through a nonlinear path into a resonant receiver

Vibratory power flow through a nonlinear path into a resonant receiver is considered via a specific vibration isolation example case, the automotive hydraulic engine mount. System equations for the source—nonlinear path—receiver system are developed based on prior experimental and analytical studies. For periodic excitation, an efficient solution method is formulated for the calculation of the steady-state stable response using a multi-term harmonic balance approach with condensation and continuation. In this computational study it is shown that, while modeling the isolation path with a “softened” nonlinear expression may only moderately alter the predicted system behavior at the excitation harmonic, it can significantly alter it at higher harmonics. Computational studies of multi-harmonic motion and power transmission show that audible structure-borne noise may be generated from subaudio frequency excitations due to path nonlinearities. It is also observed that support base (receiver) resonances can significantly affect the overall dynamic behavior. For instance, with a multi-degree-of-freedom base model, significant levels of vibratory energy at higher harmonics of the excitation are transmitted through the path, especially when these harmonics coincide with the natural frequencies of the receiver.
M1 Polarization Bias and Subsequent Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Progression Is Attenuated by Nitric Oxide Donor DETA NONOate via Inhibition of CYP2E1-Induced Oxidative Stress in Obese Mice

Activation of M1 macrophages in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is produced by several external or endogenous factors: inflammatory stimuli, oxidative stress, and cytokines are known. However, any direct role of oxidative stress in causing M1 polarization in NASH has been unclear. We hypothesized that CYP2E1-mediated oxidative stress causes M1 polarization in experimental NASH, and that nitric oxide (NO) donor administration inhibits CYP2E1-mediated inflammation with concomitant attenuation of M1 polarization. Because CYP2E1 takes center stage in these studies, we used a toxin model of NASH that uses a ligand and a substrate of CYP2E1 for inducing NASH. Subsequently, we used a methionine and choline–deficient diet-induced rodent NASH model where the role of CYP2E1 in disease progression has been shown. Our results show that CYP2E1 causes M1 polarization bias, which includes a significant increase in interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-12 in both models of NASH, whereas CYP2E1-null mice or diallyl sulfide administration prevented it. Administration of gadolinium chloride (GdCl3), a macrophage toxin, attenuated both the initial M1 response and the subsequent M2 response, showing that the observed increase in cytokine levels is primarily from macrophages. Based on the evidence of an adaptive NO increase, the NO donor administration in vivo that mechanistically inhibited CYP2E1 catalyzed the oxidative stress during the entire study in NASH-abrogated M1 polarization and NASH progression. The results obtained show the association of CYP2E1 in M1 polarization, and that inhibition of CYP2E1 catalyzed oxidative stress by an NO donor (DETA NONOate [(Z)-1-[N-(2-aminoethyl)-N-(2-ammonioethyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate]) can be a promising therapeutic strategy in NASH.
Marathon day at Massachusetts General.

An emergency medicine physician discusses how being prepared helped him and his colleagues save lives after the Boston Marathon bombing.
Biochemical studies on cytochrome P-450 solubilized from liver microsomes: partial purification and mechanism of catalysis.

The cytochrome P-450 of the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum is of particular interest to biochemists and pharmacologists, because of its inducibility by many agents and its remarkably broad substrate specificity. Indeed, it is probably no exaggeration to state that it is the most versatile biological catalyst known. Not only physiological substrates, such as steroids and fatty acids, but also many foreign compounds, including drugs, anesthetics, petroleum products, insecticides, and so on, are attacked by molecular oxygen in the presence of NADPH as an electron donor and cytochrome P-450 as the catalyst. The hydroxylation of foreign substances is generally viewed as an important initial step in their detoxication, but in some instances the compounds so modified may become more toxic or even carcinogenic. Although much has been learned about the inducibility, specificity, and other properties of this enzyme system through work with liver microsomal suspensions, it seems likely that some of the more puzzling questions will not be answered without purification and characterization of the individual components. Two of the more difficult questions are: whether one or more forms of cytochrome P-450 account for the broad specificity, and whether oxygen undergoes activation in the presence of cytochrome P-450 to produce some species more reactive toward these substrates, most of which are lipophilic in nature and are often attacked at positions that do not appear to be highly chemically reactive. Hopefully, the conclusions reached will be applicable to the membranous system of microsomes and will prove useful to our understanding of the disposition of drugs and other foreign substances in the intact organism. Several years ago, this laboratory reported the resolution of the liver microsoma1 enzyme system by treatment with deoxycholate in the presence of stabilizing agents and ion-exchange chromatography of the resulting extract.'.* The three components that were found to be necessary for the hydroxylation of a variety of substrates are cytochrome P-450, NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, and a heat-stable, chloroform-soluble fraction which contains phosphatidylcholine as the active component.'*"' The reductase, which has NADPH-cytochrome c reducing activity, has been partially purified, and the lipid factor may be replaced by synthetically prepared phosphatidylcholines. This paper is concerned with the properties of the cytochrome P-450 fraction, which has recently been partially purified but is not yet homogeneous, and with the possible role of superoxide in substrate hydroxylation in this reconstituted enzyme system. As has been described elsewhere, the cytochrome P-450 is "SO~U* This research was supported by Grant GB-30419X from the National Science Foundation and Grant AM-10339 from the United States Public Health Service.
Morphology of taste buds on the gill arches of the mullet Mugil cephalus, and the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus

The morphology of taste buds on the gill arches of two euryhaline teleosts, the mullet Mugil cephalus, and the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus, were investigated using light microscopic and scanning and transmission electron microscopic techniques. On the mullet gill arches, taste buds were limited to the pharyngeal surfaces of the smooth-surfaced gill rakers. On the killifish gill arches, taste buds were located on the pharyngeal surfaces of all gill rakers and on the gill arch itself at the bases of the gill rakers. Despite dramatic differences in gill-raker structure between these two species, the taste buds themselves were similar ultrastructurally and closely resembled those described in other fishes. Cells within the taste buds included spindle-shaped dark and light cells and basal cells. Ultrastructural features of both the light and dark cells could support either receptor or transport functions. Tufts of microvilli, including one thick microvillus per light cell and numerous thin microvilli per dark cell, protruded at the apex of each taste bud between the ridged surface epithelial cells. Light cells contained numerous tubular membrane elements some of which appeared to open onto the apical surface of the taste bud. Dark cells contained numerous microtubules and apical, electron-lucent vesicles possibly involved in transport.
Space transportation alternatives for large space programs: The International Space University Summer Session, 1992

In 1992, the International Space University (ISU) held its Summer Session in Kitakyushu, Japan. This paper summarizes and expands upon some aspects of space solar power and space transportation that were considered during that session. The issues discussed in this paper are the result of a 10-week study by the Space Solar Power Program design project members and the Space Transportation Group to investigate new paradigms in space propulsion and how those paradigms might reduce the costs for large space programs. The program plan was to place a series of power satellites in Earth orbit. Several designs were studied where many kW, MW, or GW of power would be transmitted to Earth or to other spacecraft in orbit. During the summer session, a space solar power system was also detailed and analyzed. A high-cost space transportation program is potentially the most crippling barrier to such a space power program. At ISU, the focus of the study was to foster and develop some of the new paradigms that may eliminate the barriers to low cost for space exploration and exploitation. Many international and technical aspects of a large multinational program were studied. Environmental safety, space construction and maintenance, legal and policy issues of frequency allocation, technology transfer and control and many other areas were addressed. Over 120 students from 29 countries participated in this summer session. The results discussed in this paper, therefore, represent the efforts of many nations.
Isoproterenol alters nonshivering thermogenesis in the Zucker obese rat (fafa).

Abstract To test nonshivering thermogenic (NST) capacity of lean and obese Zucker rats, 4 doses of isoproterenol, ranging in concentration from 0.25 to 6.0 μg/min·kg .75 , were intravenously infused into 16 to 18 week old male rats, and oxygen consumption was continously monitored. Obese rats had a decreased NST response relative to lean littermates. This lowered thermogenic response of the obese rats cannot be attributed to a decreased mass of brown adipose tissue since both the cervical and interscapular depots from obese rats weighed significantly more than did those from lean rats.
A Contribution to the Non-Static Theory of Choice

The problem, 274. — Subjective risk, 275. — Subjective uncertainty, 280. — Graphical illustrations, 281. — Methodological considerations, 301. — Empirical verification, 302. — Relation to welfare economics and economic policy, 305.
Some studies of the crystallization of polychlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer films

A fluorocarbon copolymer of chlorotrifluoroethylene (96%) and vinylidene fluoride has been isothermally crystallized and the quenched films analyzed by the light microscope, photographic light-scattering, and density measurements. Above a supercooling of 79°C., homogeneous nucleation dominates, giving a morphology that appears to be that of a twisted ribbon. At supercoolings below 79°C., heterogeneous nucleation dominates and leads to spherulitic morphology. Sheaf or rodlike morphology occurs at very low supercoolings. Crystallization rates determined from density measurements at room temperature indicate maximum rate due to heterogeneous nucleation occurring at a supercooling greater than 79°C., but the temperature for maximum rate cannot be identified because of the transition to homogeneous nucleation which causes a discontinuity in the rate versus temperature curve. Superposability of crystallization isotherms constructed from density values are inconsistent with the large melting point lowering from that of polychlorotrifluoroethylene for this copolymer. However, this may be explained by the presence of a different crystal system for each monomer in the copolymer.
Citrus Rust Mite (Acari: Eriophyidae) Damage Effects on ‘Hamlin’ Orange Fruit Growth and Drop

Effects of early-season damage by the citrus rust mite, Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead), on ‘Hamlin’ orange fruit growth and drop were studied from 8 June through 17 December 1991, in Hendry County, FL. ‘Hamlin’ fruit drop increased with increasing fruit surface damage by the citrus rust mite. The data also indicated a slightly accelerated fruit drop with increasing mite damage and time. The overall data suggested a slight negative relationship between fruit size and mite damage. Cumulative percentage drop and percentage diameter increase were fitted to two-variable logistic functions of damage and time. These functions could be used in management models for calculating volume losses from rust mite damage.
An investigation of potential time effects in retrospective reports of cocaine relapses

Abstract — Retrospective reports are widely used in social science research, such as studies of the relapse process. There is evidence, however, that such reports can he affected by a number of factors, including the passage of time. The goal of this study was to determine whether retrospective reports of cocaine relapses were influenced by the amount of time that had elapsed between the onset of the relapse and when the relapse interview was administered. A structured cocaine relapse interview was used to gather information on experiences prior to relapse and attributions for relapse. Evidence of linear and/or nonlinear time effects was found in two of the six subscales assessing experiences prior to relapse (Social Pressure to Use Drugs and Sensation Seeking), and there was evidence of logarithmic time effects in four of the six subscales that assessed attributions for relapses. These findings indicate that the amount of time between the onset of a relapse and when the subject is interviewed can influence reports of experiences prior to relapse and attributions for relapse. However, the magnitude of the time effects was generally small.
An overlay MAC layer for 802.11 networks

The widespread availability of 802.11-based hardware has made it the premier choice of both researchers and practitioners for developing new wireless networks and applications. However, the ever increasing set of demands posed by these applications is stretching the 802.11 MAC protocol beyond its intended capabilities. For example, 802.11 provides no control over allocation of resources, and the default allocation policy is ill-suited for heterogeneous environments and multi-hop networks. Fairness problems are further exacerbated in multi-hop networks due to link asymmetry and hidden terminals. In this paper, we take a first step towards addressing these problems without replacing the MAC layer by presenting the design and the implementation of an Overlay MAC Layer (OML), that works on top of the 802.11 MAC layer. OML uses loosely-synchronized clocks to divide the time in to equal size slots, and employs a distributed algorithm to allocate these slots among competing nodes. We have implemented OML in both a simulator and on a wireless testbed using the Click modular router. Our evaluation shows that OML can not only provide better flexibility but also improve the fairness, throughput and predictability of 802.11 networks.
Dendrotoxin‐sensitive K+ currents contribute to accommodation in murine spiral ganglion neurons

We have previously identified two broad electrophysiological classes of spiral ganglion neuron that differ in their rate of accommodation (Mo & Davis, 1997a). In order to understand the underlying ionic basis of these characteristic firing patterns, we used alpha-dendrotoxin (alpha-DTX) to eliminate the contribution of a class of voltage-gated K(+) channels and assessed its effects on a variety of electrophysiological properties by using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Exposure to alpha-DTX caused neurons that initially displayed rapid accommodation to fire continuously during 240 ms depolarizing test pulses within a restricted voltage range. We found a non-monotonic relationship between number of action potentials fired and membrane potential in the presence of alpha-DTX that peaked at voltages between -40 to -10 mV and declined at more depolarized and hyperpolarized test potentials. The alpha-DTX-sensitive current had two components that activated in different voltage ranges. Analysis of recordings made from acutely isolated neurons gave estimated half-maximal activation voltages of -63 and 12 mV for the two components. Because alpha-DTX blocks the Kv1.1, Kv1.2 and Kv1.6 subunits, we examined the action of the Kv1.1-selective blocker dendrotoxin K (DTX-K). We found that this antagonist reproduced the effects of alpha-DTX on neuronal firing, and that the DTX-K-sensitive current also had two separate components. These data suggest that the transformation from a rapidly adapting to a slowly adapting firing pattern was mediated by the low voltage-activated component of DTX-sensitive current with a potential contribution from the high voltage-activated component at more depolarized potentials. In addition, the effects of DTX-K indicate that Kv1.1 subunits are important constituents of the underlying voltage-gated potassium channels.
Bent radio jets reveal a stripped interstellar medium in NGC 1272

We report the discovery of bent double jets in the elliptical galaxy NGC 1272, a member of the Perseus cluster. The jets have a radius of curvature of ~2 kpc, much smaller than the galaxy half-light radius of ~11 kpc. This bending is likely a result of ram pressure, and indicates that the intracluster gas enters deep within the galaxy and that the interstellar medium of NGC 1272 has been significantly removed. X-ray observations of the surrounding intracluster medium allow us to constrain the pressure within the jet. We find that the standard assumptions of equipartition often used in interpreting other jets underestimate the pressure in the jets by a factor ~30.
Mechanisms of Gene Regulation Over a Distance on DNA and in Chromatin

The majority of eukaryotic genes and some prokaryotic genes are positively regulated by activator-binding DNA sequences (enhancers) that can efficiently communicate and directly interact with their targets (promoters) over extended regions of spacer DNA organized into chromatin structure (see (1) for a review). The mechanisms for mediating enhancer-promoter interaction in chromatin include tracking and looping models.Previously we have shown that DNA supercoiling greatly facilitates EPC over a large distance (2-4). Our studies have also suggested that chromatin structure per se can support highly efficient communication over a distance by a looping mechanism and functionally mimic the supercoiled state characteristic for prokaryotic DNA (5). However, the mechanisms allowing efficient communication in chromatin remain unknown.More recently, we have established defined polynucleosomal chromatin templates allowing quantitative analysis of the rate of distant EPC and have identified components of the system and protein factors that strongly affect the rate of communication in chromatin. These studies will be presented at the meeting.References1. Bondarenko, V. A., Liu, Y. V., Jiang, Y. I., and Studitsky, V. M. (2003) Biochem. Cell. Biol. 81, 241-251.2. Liu, Y., Bondarenko, V., Ninfa, A., and Studitsky, V. M. (2001) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 14883-14888.3. Bondarenko, V. A., Jiang, Y. I., and Studitsky, V. M. (2003) EMBO J. 22, 4728-4737.4. Polikanov, Y. S., Bondarenko, V. A., Tchernaenko, V., Jiang, Y. I., Lutter, L. C., Vologodskii, A., and Studitsky, V. M. (2007) Biophys. J. 93, 2726-2731.5. Rubtsov, M. A., Polikanov, Y. S., Bondarenko, V. A., Wang, Y. H., and Studitsky, V. M. (2006) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 17690-17695.
Evaluating and training substance abuse counselors: a pilot study assessing standardized patients as authentic clients.

ABSTRACT Clinician training and supervision are needed to transfer evidence-based practices to community-based treatment organizations. Standardized patients (SPs) are used for clinician training and evaluating. However, to be effective for substance abuse counselors, SPs must realistically portray substance abuse treatment clients. The current study assessed authenticity of SPs as substance abuse treatment clients. Twenty-one substance abuse counselors interviewed SP(s) with differing profiles. Counselors provided quantitative and qualitative ratings of SP authenticity. Counselor responses to the study procedures were analyzed as well. Quantitative results include high-authenticity ratings for the SPs but counselors' subjective responses varied. Counselor's rated the experience of participating in the study positively and provided constructive comments for future applications of this methodology. Results support future work on SPs as teaching and evaluation tools in substance abuse counseling. Findings a...
Potential effect of phytoplankton colony breakage on the calculation of zooplankton filtration rates.

Substantial net production of short chains of the diatom Skeletonema costatum occurred in grazing experiments conducted with Acartia hudsonica (=A. clausi). A general model was then constructed to evaluate the influence of colony breakage during grazing on the calculation of zooplankton filtration and ingestion rates. Breakage can lead to either over-or underestimation of these rates. The magnitude of error is related to breakage probability, particle size distribution, size of the largest colonies, length of the experiment, copepod concentration and actual filtration rates. Size distributions similar to those described in the literature as manifestations of a complex selection for size and particle abundance can be generated by the grazing model under conditions of a uniform filtration rate accompanied by colony breakage. Unless the rate of breakage exceeds the rate of removal and causes net particle production, the occurrence of breakage may go undetected.
Crafting the “New Woman” in China’s left-wing cinema of the 1930s: Sun Yu’s three films

“New Woman” and “Modern Girl” discourse prevailed in China in the early twentieth century. The left-wing cinema of the 1930s engaged in this discourse and created a filmic space in which to negotiate gender and modernity. Focusing on three films directed by Sun Yu (1900–90): Wild Rose, Little Toys and The Highway, this paper compares Sun Yu’s new women with those in two other films: Lessons for Girls, a lesser known but interesting caricature of “new” women, and the New Woman, the best known of the “new woman” genre, both of which depict how urban, petty bourgeois women failed in their struggles for independence. In sharp contrast, Sun Yu used poetic realism to create a series of refreshingly independent working class women characters that successfully combined traditional moral values and modern patriotism and resisted the radical anti-traditionalism of the new woman discourse. This paper offers a differentiated analysis of the diverse and complex ways in which China’s left-wing cinema negotiated gender and modernity in the 1930s.
Homeostasis of plasma calcium: effects of actinomycin D, parathyroidectomy and thyrocalcitonin.

One hr after subcutaneous administration of thyrocalcitonin (5-10 U) to intact rats the plasma calcium concentration reached its lowest level. The same acute hypocalcemic effect was observed in rats that had been given actinomycin D or that were parathyroidectomized by surgical excision. Plasma calcium concentration returned to normal in control rats between 1 and 3 hr after thyrocalcitonin. However, there was no rise in plasma calcium during this same 2-hr interval in rats injected with actinomycin D 7 hr previously or in rats surgically parathyroidectomized at the time they were injected with thyrocalcitonin. Actinomycin-treated rats that did not receive thyrocalcitonin maintained normal plasma calcium concentrations for 12 hr. Thereafter, the plasma calcium level of rats treated with actinomycin D alone fell at a rate similar to the rate of fall after parathyroidectomy by surgical excision. The parathyroid glands from hypocalcemic, actinomycin- treated rats were homotransplanted to parathyroidectomized...