cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of the length of record on the standardized precipitation index calculation

The effect of the length of record on the standardized precipitation index (SPI) calculation was investigated by examining correlation coefficients, the index of agreement, and the consistency of dry/wet event categories between SPI values derived from different precipitation record lengths. The effect was also illustrated by comparing SPI values derived from different lengths of record in some severe drought and flood years, and by comparing drought intensities based on SPI values temporally and spatially. Furthermore, the reason for the SPI value discrepancy was explored by investigating the changes of the shape and scale parameters of the gamma distribution when different lengths of record were involved. The gamma distribution is a frequency distribution of climatological precipitation time series and is the basis of the SPI calculation used in this analysis. The results show that SPI values computed from different lengths of record are highly correlated and consistent when the gamma distributions of precipitation over the different time periods are similar. However, the SPI values are significantly discrepant when the distributions are different. It is recommended that the SPI user should be aware of the numerical difference of the SPI values if different lengths of record are used in interpreting and making decisions based on SPI values. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society.
Advancing Educational Podcasting and Faculty Inquiry with a Grounded Research Model: Building on Current Mixed-Methods Research across Contexts

Abstract The integration of formal and informal learning is increasing transparently in our daily lives. Leaders of higher and continuing education will benefit from better understanding why and how to formatively research and design effective popular informal learning such as educational podcasting. Using media that has a wide general public user base and robust educational capabilities is a boon to public perceptions of educational validity, relevancy, timeliness, and value of our educational institutions. However, how do we approach such efforts consistent with reflective practice and the scholarship of teaching? Researchers can recommend how to design future action-based research and inquiry in robust and systematic ways. However, there are still no recommended strategies for integrated action research and design in this arena of digital media. This article uses a cross case study of three different educational podcast series to provide a grounded research model based on a macro perspective of these n...
Control Of Robot Motion

Components of robot motion control are described. Deficiencies of existing methods of motion control are dis-cussed, and possible solutions are indicated. State-of-the-art, as well as trends in the development of components of robot motion control, are traced.
Cell type-specific expression of human 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine triphosphatase in normal breast and skin tissues in vivo

8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine triphosphate (8-oxo-dGTP) is formed from the oxidation of GTP in the nucleotide pools of cells during normal cellular metabolism and from exogenous sources. 8-Oxo-dGTP is a potent mutagenic substrate for DNA synthesis causing transversion mutations. In human cells this oxidized base is hydrolyzed to 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine monophosphate by 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine triphosphatase (8-oxo-dGTPase) to prevent the misincorporation of 8-oxo-dGTP into cellular DNA. In order to better understand specific human tissue and cell type responses to oxidative stress, we used colorimetric in situ hybridization, with an 8-oxo-dGTPase-specific antisense oligomer probe, to map, for the first time, the cellular distribution of 8-oxo-dGTPase mRNA in tissue sections of normal neonatal foreskin and adult human breast tissues. Paraffin embedded tissue sections were hybridized with a digoxigenin-labeled 39 base oligomer, antisense to 8-oxo-dGTPase cDNA. Hybridization of the probe to cells expressing the 8-oxo-dGTPase gene was visualized following immunodetection with an alkaline phosphatase-conjugated anti-digoxigenin antibody. Following color development, we were able to simultaneously identify tissue architecture and cell types with expression of the 8-oxo-dGTPase gene. There was no hybridization-specific color when sections were 'mock' hybridized, hybridized with a sense probe or treated with RNase. In skin dermis, fibroblasts express high levels of 8-oxo-dGTPAse mRNA. Within the epidermis, a gradient of expression was observed, from high to moderate levels in the replicating basal epithelial cells to undetectable in the non-mitotic suprabasal and granular epithelial cells. In the breast tissue, fibroblasts in the loosely connective tissue and myoepithelial cells expressed high levels of 8-oxo-dGTPase mRNA, while expression in the luminal epithelial cells was not detectable. Our data suggest that expression of 8-oxo-dGTP is heterogenous between cell types within an organ and may help to explain cell type-specific responses to oxidative stress, especially in replicating and potentially replicating cells with low levels of this protective protein.
Model describes river meandering

Understanding and predicting the evolution of meandering rivers could be useful to geoscientists as well as to engineers who may be dealing with practical problems related to river movement. Asahi et al. created a computational model for predicting the evolution of complex meandering rivers that captures short-term processes, such as flooding, and ­longer-term processes. The model considers bank erosion, land accretion along meander bends, and the formation of channel cutoffs and describes how river width and sinuosity evolve together. In general, the authors found that discharge variation plays an important role in the shape and behavior of river meanders. They note that their model produces a rich pattern of meander evolution that appears to be consistent with that observed in natural rivers.
Extraluminal Insertion of a Pacing Electrode

An uncommon complication of temporary transvenous pacing via the subclavian vein from an infraclavicular approach is described. The electrode was advanced extraluminally to the left ventricular pericardium where adequate pacing was temporarily achieved.
Precision and radiosonde validation of satellite gridpoint temperature anomalies. I - MSU channel 2. II - A tropospheric retrieval and trends during 1979-90

Monthly 2.5-deg gridpoint anomalies in the Tiros-N satellite series Microwave Sounding Unit channel 2 brightness temperatures during 1979-1988 are evaluated with multiple satellites and radiosonde data for their climate temperature monitoring capability. The MSU anomalies are computed about a 10-yr mean annual cycle at each gridpoint, with the MSUs intercalibrated to a common arbitrary level. The monthly gridpoint anomaly agreement between concurrently operating satellites reveals single-satellite precision generally better than 0.07 C in the tropics and better than 0.15 C at higher latitudes. The removal from channel 2 of the temperature influence above the 30-kPa level is addressed, providing a sharper and thus potentially more useful weighting function for monitoring lower tropospheric temperatures.
Children’s Interpretation of Facial Expressions: The Long Path from Valence-Based to Specific Discrete Categories

According to a common sense theory, facial expressions signal specific emotions to people of all ages and therefore provide children easy access to the emotions of those around them. The evidence, however, does not support that account. Instead, children’s understanding of facial expressions is poor and changes qualitatively and slowly over the course of development. Initially, children divide facial expressions into two simple categories (feels good, feels bad). These broad categories are then gradually differentiated until an adult system of discrete categories is achieved, likely in the teen years. Children’s understanding of most specific emotions begins not with facial expressions, but with their understanding of the emotion’s antecedents and behavioral consequences.
The signaling network that silences the spindle assembly checkpoint upon the establishment of chromosome bipolar attachment

Improper kinetochore attachments activate the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) to prevent anaphase onset, but it is poorly understood how this checkpoint is silenced to allow anaphase onset. Chromosome bipolar attachment applies tension on sister kinetochores, and the lack of tension delays anaphase onset. In budding yeast, the delay induced by tension defects depends on the intact SAC as well as increase in ploidy (Ipl1)/Aurora kinase and a centromere-associated protein ShuGOshin (Sgo1). Here we provide evidence indicating that Ipl1-dependent phosphorylation of the kinetochore protein Duo1 and Mps1 interacting (Dam1) prevents SAC silencing when tension is absent. The nonphosphorylatable dam1 mutant cells, as well as sgo1 mutant cells, are competent in SAC activation but unable to prevent SAC silencing in response to tension defects. We further found that phosphomimetic dam1 mutants exhibited delayed anaphase onset mainly due to the failure in SAC silencing, but destabilized kinetochore attachment likely plays a minor role in this delay. Because the tension resulting from bipolar attachment triggers the dephosphorylation of Dam1 by protein phosphatase 1, this dephosphorylation likely coordinates SAC silencing with chromosome bipolar attachment. Therefore, Sgo1, Ipl1 kinase, Dam1, and protein phosphatase 1 comprise the SAC silencing network that ensures the correct timing for anaphase onset.
Fabrication of pH-sensing iridium oxide nanotubes on patterned electrodes using anodic aluminum oxide nanotemplate

In this work, we introduced pH-sensing iridium oxide (IrOx) nanotubes grown on metal electrodes which were patterned on a silicon substrate. The fabrication approach is compatible with conventional microfabrication processes for potential mass production. A layer of 900-nm aluminum was sputtered and anodized within an area of 50×100 μm2 to create an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanotemplate layer with controlled pore diameters in a range of 50-100 nm. Electrodeposition of IrOx by potential cycling on the micro-scale electrode area produced tubes with an average diameter of 70 nm and length around 725 nm. Our result indicated the length and outer diameter of IrOx nanotubes were determined by the nanopore profile of the supporting template. Owing to the potentiometric response to hydrogen ions, the micro-scale electrodes with modified IrOx nanotube surface could be utilized as a micro pH sensor. A super-Nernstian response was achieved with a measured sensitivity of 74.3 mV/pH.
On the use of weighting matrices to improve harmonic balance parameter identification results

Abstract This paper investigates the use of weighting matrices to improve the harmonic balance identification (HBID) method for identifying nonlinear oscillators. While the notation for adding weighting matrices has been previously introduced, typical strategies for developing weighting matrices cannot be applied to the HBID method since the variance structure of each observation is identical. A new approach is presented based on the signal to noise ratio of each harmonic. This new weighting strategy is shown to improve the accuracy of the estimated parameters from data with Gaussian, uniform, and Laplacian noise distributions. In addition, the paper explores the relationship between the accuracy of the estimated parameters and the range of phase space transversed by a steady-state response. It is shown that small oscillations in a double well oscillator can be used to accurately estimate the system parameters.
Research Note Transient Visual Attention is Dominated by the Magnocellular Stream

Robust visual attentional responses are produced by the sudden onset of a visual cue, but the properties of cues that best elicit an attentional response are not fully known. We used the line-motion illusion (Hikosaka et al., 1991) to investigate the optimal cue properties that evoke visual attention. We found that visual attention is driven primarily by the luminance contrast of the cue. Furthermore, by manipulating the spatial, chromatic, and contrast properties of cues, we found that magnocellular (M) stream biased cues always override the response to parvocellular (P) stream biased cues, even when the P stream biased cues are presented first. Our data suggest that cues that preferentially excite the M pathway predominantly capture visual attention.
Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of Novel Rare Earth-Containing Pb-Free Solders

Sn-rich solders have been shown to have superior mechanical properties when compared to the Pb-Sn system. Much work remains to be done in developing these materials for electronic packaging. In this paper, we report on the microstructure and mechanical properties of La-containing Sn-3.9Ag-0.7Cu alloys. The addition of small amounts of La (up to 0.5 wt.%) to Sn-Ag-Cu refined the microstructure by decreasing the length and spacing of the Sn dendrites and decreased the thickness of the Cu6Sn5 intermetallic layer at the Cu/solder interface. As a result of the change in the microstructure, Sn-Ag-Cu alloys with La additions exhibited a small decrease in ultimate shear strength but significantly higher elongations compared with Sn-Ag-Cu. The influence of LaSn3 intermetallics on microstructural refinement and damage evolution in these novel solders is discussed. Our results have profound implications for improving the mechanical shock resistance of Pb-free solders.
Fungal Prostatitis Caused by Coccidioides

Figure 2. Coccidioides spherules that are mostly empty, although one contains endospores. A 54-year-old man had been treated with steroids. Hematoxylin and eosin stained sections of the prostate revealed a granulomatous inflammatory response, with necrosis, giant cells and large round spherules, especially within the giant cells (fig. 1). Gomori methenamine silver stain highlighted the spherules, some empty and others containing endospores (fig. 2). These findings were diagnostic of coccidioidomycosis of the prostate, or granulomatous prostatitis due to Coccidioides infection. Fungal granulomatous prostatitis is rare. Predisposing conditions include immunosuppression, prolonged antibiotic use, diabetes mellitus, malignancy and an indwelling bladder catheter. Fungi detected in the prostate include Cryptoccocus, Paracoccidioides, Coccidioides, Histoplasma, Blastomyces, Candida and Aspergillus. In patients with predisposing conditions, and granulomatous prostatitis or necrotizing granulomas in the absence of bacillus Calmette-Gu erin therapy special histochemical stains for fungal organisms and acid-fast bacilli should be used. Coccidioidomycosis of the male genital tract is rare but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of granulomatous prostatitis, particularly
Operating characteristics of sample size re‐estimation with futility stopping based on conditional power

Various methods have been described for re-estimating the final sample size in a clinical trial based on an interim assessment of the treatment effect. Many re-weight the observations after re-sizing so as to control the pursuant inflation in the type I error probability alpha. Lan and Trost (Estimation of parameters and sample size re-estimation. Proceedings of the American Statistical Association Biopharmaceutical Section 1997; 48-51) proposed a simple procedure based on conditional power calculated under the current trend in the data (CPT). The study is terminated for futility if CPT or = CU, or re-sized by a factor m to yield CPT = CU if CL < CPT < CU, where CL and CU are pre-specified probability levels. The overall level alpha can be preserved since the reduction due to stopping for futility can balance the inflation due to sample size re-estimation, thus permitting any form of final analysis with no re-weighting. Herein the statistical properties of this approach are described including an evaluation of the probabilities of stopping for futility or re-sizing, the distribution of the re-sizing factor m, and the unconditional type I and II error probabilities alpha and beta. Since futility stopping does not allow a type I error but commits a type II error, then as the probability of stopping for futility increases, alpha decreases and beta increases. An iterative procedure is described for choice of the critical test value and the futility stopping boundary so as to ensure that specified alpha and beta are obtained. However, inflation in beta is controlled by reducing the probability of futility stopping, that in turn dramatically increases the possible re-sizing factor m. The procedure is also generalized to limit the maximum sample size inflation factor, such as at m max = 4. However, doing so then allows for a non-trivial fraction of studies to be re-sized at this level that still have low conditional power. These properties also apply to other methods for sample size re-estimation with a provision for stopping for futility. Sample size re-estimation procedures should be used with caution and the impact on the overall type II error probability should be assessed.
Laceral hypothalamic ‘feeding’ sites and gastric acid secretion

Electrical stimulation within the lateral hypothalamus which had been effective in evoking stimulus-bound feeding in satiated cats did not produce any significant stimulating effect on gastric acid secretion in the same cats when hungry.
Family configuration and adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior.

Several measures of family configuration, derived from the number, age, and sex of siblings and the number of parents, were related to adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior in a sample of 836 high school-aged teenagers from two Western states. Zero-order correlations showed that sexual intercourseexperience was less common among adolescents who lived with both parents and also among those who had younger siblings. Similarly, the zero-order correlations showed least permissiveattitudes among adolescents who had more siblings, especially younger siblings, and among those who lived with both parents. Controlling for adolescents' age, sex, race, religion, church attendance, and parents' educational attainment, however, essentially eliminated the relationships between family configuration variables and sexual attitudes and behavior. Only parents' marital structure, reflecting whether adolescents lived with both original parents or not, continued to be weakly related to adolescents' sexual attitudes and behvior.
T-bet−/− RAG2−/− ulcerative colitis: The role of T-bet as a peacekeeper of host–commensal relationships

Inflammatory bowel disease is a disease that reflects a disequilibrium in host-commensal homeostasis. T-bet-/-xRAG2-/- deficient mice develop a spontaneous juvenile ulcerative colitis resulting from a pro-inflammatory response to the commensal microbiota that is dendritic cell and TNF-alpha driven [schematized in Fig. 1]. The TRUC (T-bet-/- RAG2-/- ulcerative colitis) model is discussed in the broader context of the adaptive and innate immune mechanisms that regulate host-commensal relationships within the intestine.
Community-Based Education and Service: The Hpsisn Experience

Health services delivery is increasingly shifting to community-based settings. The competencies required of future health professionals require a shift in their educational preparation. Service learning is suggested as an educational method with the potential to reform health professions education in tandem with the changes occurring in the health services delivery. The Health Professions Schools in Service to the Nation Program (HPSISN), a US demonstration project of service learning in the health professions, examines the impact of service learning on students, faculty, communities and institutions across a wide array of universities and community settings. This paper describes the evaluation of the HPSISN program, including the evaluation model, key study questions, findings and lessons learned. The HPSISN evaluation was designed to assess the effectiveness of service learning as a pedagogy in health professions education and describe the impact of service learning activities through university-communi...
Building extensible routers using network processors

This paper describes our effort to build extensible routers using a combination of general-purpose and network processors. We emphasize five overriding challenges that dictate our design decisions: (1) optimal resource allocation; (2) efficient but flexible scheduling of the CPU; (3) maintaining overall router robustness; (4) maximizing router performance; and (5) providing sufficient extensibility to enable the injection of new functionality into the router. We adopt a hierarchical architecture, in which packet flows traverse a range of processing/forwarding paths, thereby partitioning hardware and software in concert. This paper both presents the architecture, and describes our experiences implementing the architecture and addressing the five design challenges in a prototype built from Intel IXP 1200 and a Pentium. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HIV and AIDS in the Former Soviet Bloc

This region has some of the fastest-growing rates of HIV infection in the world. AIDS is expected to kill about 20 million Russians by 2025.
Vincristine (NSC‐67574), cytosine arabinoside (NSC‐63878), 6 thioguanine (NSC‐752) and daunorubicin (NSC‐82151) (VAT‐D): A pilot study of combination chemotherapy for remission induction in acute myeloid leukemia in adults

Fifteen newly diagnosed unselected adult patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia were treated in a pilot study of the combination of vincristine, cytosine arabinoside, 6-thioguanine, and daunorubicin (VAT-D) for remission induction therapy. Eleven of fifteen (75%) achieved a remission bone marrow. Median duration of remission was seven months in all responders (11 patients). The 11 patients achieving initial remission reached a median survival of 14 months. Twelve of seventeen attempts at reinduction of remission with VAT-D were successful. The total amount of daunorubicin required for induction was less than that required in the majority of reported acute leukemia treatment regimens utilizing daunorubicin.
Dynamics of parallel and official exchange rates: The experience of hungary

This paper provides empirical evidence on the dynamics of dual markets in Hungary during the 1980–93 period using cointegration and error correction methodologies. The results suggest that the official and parallel markets were cointegrated. Short-run dynamics of these rates resulted from the overshooting and adjustment by the parallel rate to shocks, without any adjustment by the official rate. A devaluation had no significant impact on the parallel market premium in the long run. Although the premium declined in the short run, it was relatively small and sluggish. One lesson for the design of stabilization programs in other countries is that a devaluation is not a powerful policy tool to reduce the premium effectively.
The effect of ballooning modes on thermal transport and magnetic field diffusion in the solar corona

Presently favored mechanisms of coronal heating (current sheet dissipation and Alfven wave resonant heating) deposit heat in thin layers. Classical thermal conduction cannot explain how heat is transported across the magnetic field. If heating occurs in thin layers, large pressure gradients can be created which can give rise to ballooning modes. These instabilities are caused by the pressure gradient and the curvature of the magnetic field, and are stabilized by magnetic tension. The modes are broad band in wavelength and should produce turbulence. A mixing length expression for the turbulent heat transport shows that it is more than adequate to rapidly convect heat into much broader layers. Furthermore, the turbulent resistivity implies that heating occurs over most of the width of these broadened layers. The broadening also implies that much shorter time scales are required for heating. The beta values in the corona suggest that 1-10 turbulent layers are formed in typical loop or arch structures.
Oxidation of TpOsIII(NH2Ph)Cl2 to TpOsIV(NHPh)Cl2 by O2

Abstract The osmium(III) aniline complex TpOs(NH2Ph)Cl2 (OsIIINH2Ph) is formed on heating the triflate complex [Cp*2Fe][TpOsIII(OTf)Cl2] in the presence of aniline [Tp = hydrotris(1-pyrazolyl)borate]. It can also be prepared by reduction and protonation of the osmium(IV) anilido complex TpOs(NHPh)Cl2 (OsIVNHPh). The X-ray structure of OsIIINH2Ph shows pseudo-octahedral molecules with an Os–N(aniline) bond length of 2.168(7) A. Unlike most Os(III) coordination complexes, OsIIINH2Ph is oxidized by O2, yielding OsIVNHPh. This reaction occurs readily in the presence of catalytic base. Under these conditions, the reaction proceeds by a stepwise mechanism of pre-equilibrium proton transfer (PT) forming OsIIINHPh−, which then reacts with O2 by outer-sphere electron transfer (ET). OsIIINH2Ph is essentially air stable in the presence of acid, because this PT–ET mechanism is prevented.
Engine-in-the-loop study of the stochastic dynamic programming optimal control design for a hybrid electric HMMWV

This paper presents a Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) methodology for automatic generation of an implementable hybrid control strategy, and addresses engine soot emissions during controller development by using an advanced Engine-In-the-Loop (EIL) setup. Coupling the real engine with the virtual driveline/vehicle enables application of fast analysers to characterise the impact of transients on engine emissions. The benefits of using the EIL for establishing driveability and soot emissions constraints, and subsequent application of the constraints for refining the SDP strategy is demonstrated through a study of a virtual parallel-hybrid system for the High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle with a V8 6L engine.
Constraints on the annihilation of primordial magnetic monopoles

Abstract It is shown that causality and magnetic charge conservation impose constraints on models in which the monopole problem of grand unified theories is solved by invoking a very efficacious annihilation mechanism. In particular, such models may not be able to yield a monopole density consistent with the most stringent bounds which have been claimed for the current monopole abundance.
Do emerging and developed stock markets behave alike? Evidence from six pacific basin stock markets

Abstract This paper investigates the short-term dynamics of stock returns in six emerging capital markets in the Pacific Basin area. The evidence shows that despite institutional differences, regulations and restrictions, short-term stock returns in these markets behave remarkably similar to those of major stock markets. More specifically, all stock price indices have a unit root in their univariate representation, the conditional and unconditional distributions of the returns are leptokurtic volatility, clustering is an all pervasive phenomenon, market declines are followed by greater volatility than market advances of an equal magnitude, and finally, first- and second-order autocorrelations are inversely related to volatility.
cAMP post-transcriptionally diminishes the abundance of adrenodoxin reductase mRNA.

Abstract Adrenodoxin reductase (AR; ferridoxin: NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.18.1.2) is a flavoprotein that mediates electron transport from NADPH to all known mitochondrial forms of cytochrome P450. AR mRNA was found in all human adult and fetal tissues examined; however, it was vastly more abundant in tissues that synthesize steroid hormones. The ratio of the 18- form of mRNA lacking 18 alternately spliced bases to the 18+ form was approximately 100:1 and remained constant irrespective of the tissue or hormonal manipulation, indicating that the alternate splicing is a passive nonregulated event. AR protein was unchanged by forskolin treatment of human JEG-3 cytotrophoblast cells for 24 h, but the mRNA diminished. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and cycloheximide had no effect, even though these agents had the expected effects on P450scc and adrenodoxin mRNAs. cAMP decreased the abundance of AR mRNA expressed from both transfected plasmids and the endogenous gene, indicating the effect was post-transcriptional. AR gene transcription in JEG-3 cells and promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase constructs transfected into JEG-3 cells were unresponsive to forskolin. Powerful basal transcription elements were identified between -46 and -214 bases from the principal transcriptional initiation site, a region containing six elements closely resembling the binding site for transcription factor SP1.
MINIMAL SELFING, FEW CLONES, AND NO AMONG‐HOST GENETIC STRUCTURE IN A HERMAPHRODITIC PARASITE WITH ASEXUAL LARVAL PROPAGATION

Little is known about actual mating systems in natural populations of parasites or about what constitutes the limits of a parasite deme. These parameters are interesting because they affect levels of genetic diversity, opportunities for local adaptation, and other evolutionary processes. We expect that transmission dynamics and the distribution of parasites among hosts should have a large effect on mating systems and demic structure, but currently we have mostly speculation and very few data. For example, infrapopulations (all the parasites in a single host) should behave as demes if parasite offspring are transmitted as a clump from host to host over several generations. However, if offspring are well mixed, then the parasite component population (all the parasites among a host population) would function as the deme. Similarly, low mean intensities or a high proportion of worms in single infections should increase the selfing rate. For species having an asexual amplification stage, transmission between intermediate and definitive (final) hosts will control the variance in clonal reproductive success, which in turn could have a large influence on effective sizes and rates of inbreeding. We examined demic structure, selfing rates, and the variance in clonal reproductive success in natural populations of Plagioporus shawi, a hermaphroditic trematode that parasitizes salmon. Overall levels of genetic diversity were very high. An a posteriori inference of population structure overwhelmingly supports the component population as the deme, rather than individual infrapopulations. Only a single pair of 597 adult individuals was identified as clones. Thus, the variance in clonal reproductive success was almost zero. Despite being hermaphroditic, P. shawi appears to be almost entirely outcrossing. Genetic estimates of selfing (<5%) were in accordance with the proportion of parasites from single infections. Thus, it appears that individual flukes outcross whenever possible and only resort to selfing when alone. Finally, our data support the hypothesis that aquatic transmission and the use of several intermediate hosts promotes high genetic diversity and well-mixed infrapopulations.
Microalgae (diatom) production — The aquaculture and biofuel nexus

As fishing has become more industrialized and wild fish stocks increasingly depleted, aquaculture production has grown rapidly to address the shortfalls in capture fisheries and limitations to long-term aquaculture success. One such shortfall is the need to produce a suitable, sustainable, substitute for the capture fishery derived fish meal and oil based fish feeds currently in use, while maintaining the human protein requirements and health benefits of Long Chain (LC) omega-3 oils in farmed fish products. Fish derive the LC omega-3 oils from the food they consume, which ultimately comes from lower trophic level primary producers like microalgae. Using Integrated Aquaculture System (IAS) principles and practices, microalgae (diatoms) can be raised and processed directly for their Algal/Single Cell Oils (SCO), protein, and nutrients. Besides the use as an aquaculture feedstock, microalgae have been investigated for biofuel production because of higher photosynthetic efficiency, higher biomass production, and faster growth compared to other terrestrial energy crops. SCO based carbon-neutral renewable liquid biofuel solutions are currently under investigation but suffer from high production costs. Liquid biofuels have been considered to displace non-renewable, petroleum-derived transport fuels of limited availability which contribute to climate change via greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The current high cost constraint of SCO production could be alleviated through explored water-energy-food nexus synergies between the aquaculture and biofuels sector with a concentration on innovations in microalgae/SCO production, harvesting, and processing technologies. Interdisciplinary collaborations between engineers, biologists and chemists are essential for their successful development.
Starting and Response Speed as Related to Stimulus Size

METHOD Subjt-cis and apparatus.--One week after being placed on a 22-hr. food deprivation schedule ( 8 gr daily), 160 naive male albino rats were trained on a straight runway which was 24 In long, 5 in. wide, 6 in. high, covered with glass, and divided by a vertically sliding door between the starting box and reaction compartment. A 2V8-in. continuation of the runway contained the stimulus. The stimulus was a rectangle of sheet metal the size of the end of the alley and presented a flat black background upon which was painted a white circle (plane). Flush with and cut in the center of the circle was a round door 1 % in, in diameter and hinged at the top. This door could be pushed open by S's nose to secure a food pellet located in a small tray just below and behind the stimulus door. Timing was accomplished by means of two silent Hunter Klockounters activated by raising the starting box door 1% in. O n each trial two measures were obtained: ( a ) latency, time elapsing from the raising of the starting box door until S broke the light beam located 6y8 in. beyond the door; and ( b ) response time, time elapsing from the raising of the starting box door until S pushed the stimulus door % in. The measures were converted to reciprocals and referred to as starting speed and response speed, respectively. Following three days of preliminary training during which Ss learned to open the stimulus door and secure the incentive, Ss were given 1 0 reinforced trials on each of five successive days. Half of the Ss were rewarded for traversing the runway and opening the door in the center of a circle 20 sq. cm. in area, the other half for traversing the runway and opening the door in the center of a circle 79 sq. cm. in. area. After each trial S was rerurned to his home cage and given his next trial after a minimum of 2 0 min. had elapsed. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The effects of stimulus size on reaction potential were determined by the following measures: ( a ) response speeds and starting speeds on the first five training trials, ( b ) response speeds and starting speeds on the last five training trials, and ( c ) acquisition training as a whole. For each S, the median response speed and median starting speed (l/sec.) on each block of five trials were obtained, and the mean-median group measure calculated. A comparison of the response speeds on the first five training trials for the two groups yielded a t of 1.40, while a comparison of the starting speed measures yielded a t of 0.92. A comparison of the response speeds on the last
Asymptotic expansions in limit theorems for stochastic processes. – III

For families of processes with independent increments ηɛ(t), 0≤t≤T, with frequent small jumps, limit theorems for expectations of the functionals F(ηɛ[0, T]) are proved of the form where diD , are positive numbers, A di are linear integro-differential or differential operators acting on functionals, and some differentiability conditions are imposed on the functional F. The case of power ‘tails’ of the jump distribution is considered.
The effects of inhibitors of glucosidase I on the formation of Sindbis virus

Abstract We have examined the effects of deoxynojirimycin and castanospermine, compounds known to inhibit the removal of glucose from high mannose asparagine-linked oligosaccharides, on the formation of Sindbis virus. These drugs inhibited virion formation in baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, 15B — the CHO cell line that lacks GlcNAc transferase activity, and chicken embryo fibroblasts, although our results with the latter cells were variable. We analyzed the [ 3 H]mannose-labeled oligosaccharides from Sindbis virus infected 15B cells. Those from control cells were predominantly GlcNAc 2 Man 5 . Oligosaccharides from the treated cells were larger than the Man 5 species and as expected, were partially resistant to α-mannosidase. The growth of Sindbis virus was inhibited to a much greater extent at 37°C than at 30°C in BHK cells treated with either deoxynojirimycin or castanospermine. Both of these compounds also inhibited the proteolytic cleavage of the viral glycoprotein precursor, PE2, to the virion glycoprotein, E2, but did not prevent the migration of the glycoprotein to the cell surface. These results, taken together with our earlier studies with vesicular stomatitis virus (Schlesinger et al., 1984) provide strong evidence that the removal of glucose residues during the processing of asparaginelinked oligosaccharides is critical for some proteins to achieve a functional conformation.
Chemiluminescent and bioluminescent techniques.

Light-emitting chemical reactions (chemiluminescence, CL) and biological reactions (bioluminescence, BL) have a diverse range of analytical applications but relatively few have been adopted by routine clinical laboratories. Advantages of CL and BL assays include sensitivity (attomole and sub-attomole detection limits), speed (signal generated in a few seconds and in some cases stable for several hours), nonhazardous reagents, and simple procedures. The most promising clinical applications are in immunoassay, protein blotting, and DNA probe assays. Chemiluminescent molecules exploited as labels include luminol, isoluminol, acridinium esters, thioesters and sulfonamides, and phenanthridinium esters. Separation and nonseparation assays have been devised, based on isoluminol and acridinium ester labels. The combination of the amplification properties of an enzyme and a CL or BL detection reaction provides a highly sensitive analytical system. Since 1983, CL and BL methods have been developed for many enzyme labels, e.g., alkaline phosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, horseradish peroxidase, Renilla luciferase, and xanthine oxidase. Currently, the most successful enzyme assays are the enhanced CL method for a peroxidase label involving a mixture of luminol, hydrogen peroxide, and an enhancer (e.g., p-iodophenol) and the direct CL method for alkaline phosphatase, with an adamantyl 1,2-dioxetane phenyl phosphate as substrate. Both systems are very sensitive (the detection limit for alkaline phosphatase when using the dioxetane reagent is 0.001 amol) and produce long-lived light emission (greater than 30 min), which is ideal for membrane applications in which light emission is detected with photographic film or a charge-coupled device camera.
The Disease-Ameliorating Function of Autoregulatory CD8 T Cells Is Mediated by Targeting of Encephalitogenic CD4 T Cells in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated demyelinating disease of the CNS, and CD8 T cells are the predominant T cell population in MS lesions. Given that transfer of CNS-specific CD8 T cells results in an attenuated clinical demyelinating disease in C57BL/6 mice with immunization-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), we investigated the cellular targets and mechanisms of autoreactive regulatory CD8 T cells. In this study we report that myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG35-55)-induced CD8 T cells could also attenuate adoptively transferred, CD4 T cell-mediated EAE. Whereas CD8(-/-) mice exhibited more severe EAE associated with increased autoreactivity and inflammatory cytokine production by myelin-specific CD4 T cells, this was reversed by adoptive transfer of MOG-specific CD8 T cells. These autoregulatory CD8 T cells required in vivo MHC class Ia (K(b)D(b)) presentation. Interestingly, MOG-specific CD8 T cells could also suppress adoptively induced disease using wild-type MOG35-55-specific CD4 T cells transferred into K(b)D(b-/-) recipient mice, suggesting direct targeting of encephalitogenic CD4 T cells. In vivo trafficking analysis revealed that autoregulatory CD8 T cells are dependent on neuroinflammation for CNS infiltration, and their suppression/cytotoxicity of MOG-specific CD4 T cells is observed both in the periphery and in the CNS. These studies provide important insights into the mechanism of disease suppression mediated by autoreactive CD8 T cells in EAE.
The Primacy of Negative Interpretations When Resolving the Valence of Ambiguous Facial Expressions

Low-spatial-frequency (LSF) visual information is processed in an elemental fashion before a finer analysis of high-spatial-frequency information. Further, the amygdala is particularly responsive to LSF information contained within negative (e.g., fearful) facial expressions. In a separate line of research, it has been shown that surprised facial expressions are ambiguous in that they can be interpreted as either negatively or positively valenced. More negative interpretations of surprise are associated with increased ventral amygdala activity. In this report, we show that LSF presentations of surprised expressions bias the interpretation of surprised expressions in a negative direction, a finding suggesting that negative interpretations are first and fast during the resolution of ambiguous valence. We also examined the influence of subjects’ positivity-negativity bias on this effect.
Elevated ceramide is downstream of altered calcium homeostasis in low serum-induced apoptosis

Two immortalized cell lines, sup (+) and sup (−), derived from mutagenized Syrian hamster embryo cells, were used to study the relationship and temporal order between calcium and ceramide signals d...
Hypertext Learning Environments and Epistemic Beliefs: A Preliminary Investigation

This paper discusses a knowledge transfer and hypertext study that also explored the influence on learning associated with basic epistemic beliefs about the nature of learning and the structure knowledge. In the experiment, a Thematic Criss-Crossing Hypertext treatment presented the instructional material using multiple cases and themes to highlight different aspects of the knowledge, while a Minimal Hypertext/Drill control treatment presented the same content in a more rigid and decontextualized manner. It was found that subjects with a more complex set of epistemic beliefs (i.e., viewed learning as a constructivistic process and felt the organization of knowledge was primarily heterarchical and web-like) were better able to learn with the hypertext treatment than those subjects with a simpler set of epistemic beliefs.
Chemistry Inside Carbon Nanotubes: the Menshutkin SN2 Reaction

In an effort to gain insight into the effect of carbon nanotube confinement on reaction enthalpies and activation energies, calculations using hybrid density functional theory have been carried out for the Menshutkin S N2 reaction in gas phase and inside carbon nanotubes. The polarizability of the carbon nanotubes provides an interaction mechanism, which leads to the stabilization of confined dipolar species. Inside hydrogen-terminated (8,0) and (9,0) carbon nanotubes, the activation energy and reaction endothermicity for the Menshutkin S N2 reaction are significantly reduced compared to those in the gas phase. Polarizable continuum models, using dielectric constants calculated from the carbon nanotube polarizabilities, are found to provide results in remarkable agreement with all electron nanotube-confined calculations, confirming the stabilization mechanism and offering a cost-effective approach for further exploration of the effects of the carbon nanotube environment. Overall, the effect of carbon nanotube confinement on reaction enthalpies closely resembles solvation in a low-dielectric solvent. Therefore, chemical reactions in which there is a separation of charge along the reaction coordinate may be enhanced inside fullerene-based materials because of their large electronic polarizabilities.
Web Service Orchestration for Bioinformatics Systems: Challenges and Current Workflow Definition Approaches

The number of Web services, applications, data sources and scripts available to biomedical researchers increases day by day. Complex analysis, annotation, and data integration could potentially be orchestrated from these services, if only they could be seamlessly connected. Biomedical researchers often do not have the time or expertise required to download, install, and adapt these tools, nor would the input and output formats required make this adoption easy. In this short paper, we provide a preview of the challenges that biomedical applications present to the use of Web services, and explore existing workflow definition frameworks for Web service orchestration. We conclude that the current offering of support software for this task is not at the level to be desired to provide a viable answer to the challenges of orchestrating complex service-based biomedical applications, but the benefits to be gained from such support invites further systematic research in this area.
XML: an interview with Peter Flynn

The developers of XML (Extensible Markup Language) intended it as a metalanguage? a language in which you can describe another language - for designing your own markup. Today, businesses see XML as a way to tag data so they can interchange it among applications, and groups are developing XML-based languages for exchanging data for business-tobusiness e-commerce, directory services, financial transactions, and wireless devices. As such, XML is becoming an important tool in application integration. Peter Flynn was a key voice in developing the standard and remains an active observer of how XML is finding its place in the world.
Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Cardiovascular Disease

Sleep apnea is defined as repetitive episodes of decreased or total cessation of respiratory airflow during sleep, leading to a fall in oxygen saturation of ≥4% and sleep fragmentation. Sleep apnea can be central or obstructive. Central sleep apnea (CSA) is characterized by apneas secondary to diminution or cessation of thoraco-abdominal respiratory movements (due to dysfunction of central respiratory control mechanisms). Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by upper airway collapse during inspiration and is accompanied by strenuous breathing efforts. When defined as >5 episodes of apnea or hypopnea per hour of sleep, OSA is relatively common, affecting 24% and 9% of middle-aged men and women, respectively.1 CSA is primarily seen in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), although it occasionally may occur in healthy normal subjects, in people at high altitudes, and in association with central neural lesions. Sleep apnea constitutes a major public health problem because of its high prevalence and its emerging association with cardiovascular morbidity. ### Central Sleep Apnea CSA is especially relevant to CHF. The prevalence of CSA in CHF patients is dependent on various factors, such as heart failure etiology, gender, age, ejection fraction, and hemodynamic status, and has been estimated at 40% to 60%.2,3 Cheyne-Stokes respiration occurs during CSA and is a distinct pattern of periodic breathing with alternating crescendo-decrescendo sequences of hyperventilation and apnea (ie, complete breathing cessation). CSA may have an important influence on prognosis, in that its presence is associated with increased mortality in CHF patients.3 This effect appears to be independent of other known risk factors, such as left ventricular ejection fraction or peak oxygen consumption. Although the association of CSA with CHF has been recognized for decades, it is unclear whether CSA directly affects CHF pathophysiology and can therefore be causally linked to prognosis, or whether it is rather …