cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Below-Ground Predator–Weed Interactions on Damage to Peanut by Southern Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

The below-ground effects of weeds ( Amaranthus retroflexus L., Chenopodium album L., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Digitaria sanguinalis L., Setaria viridis L., Panicum dichotomiflorum Michx.) and increased soil moisture on damage to peanut pods by southern corn rootworm, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber, was investigated in a 2-yr field and greenhouse study. Field experiments demonstrated that weedy areas had less pod damage overall and higher predator numbers than nonweedy areas. However, increased soil moisture, which increased southern corn rootworm oviposition and egg and larval survival, confounded the results. Greenhouse studies showed that three broadleaf species and three grass species were not as good food sources as peanuts for southern corn rootworm larvae. Although the presence of weeds growing with peanuts did not lower larval survival, weeds did significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) slow larval developmental rate. In greenhouse studies, damage to peanut pods was approximately 66% in peanut-only (control) treatments, 55% in peanut + weed treatments, 32%in peanut predator treatments, and 9%in peanut + weed + predator treatments. The interaction of predators and weeds in lowering the amount of damage caused by southern corn rootworm was significant ( P ≤ 0.05). Field and greenhouse experiments demonstrated that at least two factors were operating to reduce pest damage in this belowground, multispecies plant association. Predators and the structural complexity of the weed-crop root association may be working synergistically to reduce southern corn rootworm damage to peanuts.
Avalanche buildup time of an InP/InGaAsP/InGaAs APD at high gain

Under a high-gain operating condition, the presence of a multiplication process in the InGaAs(P) regions of an InP/InGaAsP/InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD) having a structure of separated absorption and multiplication regions could lead to significant enhancement of the avalanche buildup time. As a result, the bandwidth of the device could be reduced considerably. The dependence of the avalanche multiplication factor and the intrinsic response time on the reverse bias voltage, the heterointerface field, the doping concentrations, and the width of the InP layer is examined in detail for the case in which hole injection is assumed. It is shown, for example, that for a fixed value of doping concentrations, reduction of the excess noise factor and enhancement of the gain-bandwidth product of the device can be achieved at the same time by a proper increase of the width of the InP layer. >
Antibacterial effects of fibrin glue-antibiotic mixtures.

Abstract In the present in vitro study, we investigated the duration of action and antibacterial effects of nonautologous fibrin glue (FG) combined with antibiotics (Abs) including Ciprofloxacin, Teicoplanin, Cefoxitin, and Gentamicin; the effect of FG alone on bacterial growth was also evaluated. The rate of Ab diffusion from combined FG-Ab clots was evaluated by separate elution with pooled human serum (HS) and normal saline (NS); supernatants were removed daily and assayed for active concentrations of each Ab. The effects of FG and combined FG-Ab clots on bacterial growth were evaluated by inoculating brain-heart infusion (BHI) with Staphylococcus aureus, followed by the addition of FG or FG-Ab clots; a separate set of studies was also performed with the addition of mouse lung homogenate (MLH) as well. The addition of Ab to FG clots resulted in continuous diffusion of the Ab into the surrounding HS or NS for up to 5 to 7 days; however, more than two-thirds of the Ab diffused out within 2 to 3 days regardless of the Ab used. The antibacterial effects of FG-Ciprofloxacin and FG-Teicoplanin clots were significant compared to those of FG clots not containing Ab. In addition, the presence of FG clots (in BHI) resulted in a reduction in bacterial growth compared to that of BHI alone. The addition of MLH to BHI resulted in increased bacterial growth, but this effect was inhibited by the presence of combined FG-Ab clots. In conclusion: (1) a variety of Abs can be combined with FG resulting in significant antibacterial effects in vitro, and (2) the presence of nonautologous FG alone inhibits S. aureus growth in vitro. Potential applications of FG-Ab mixtures include sealing of gastrointestinal, vascular, and tracheobronchial anastomoses, and the establishment of hemostasis in potentially contaminated or infected wounds.
Chronic, low-dose prenatal exposure to methylmercury impairs motor and mnemonic function in adult C57/B6 mice

Methylmercury (MeHg) has cytotoxic effects on animals and humans, and a major target organ for MeHg is the central nervous system (CNS). It is well known that the developing CNS is extremely vulnerable to MeHg-induced changes in comparison to the mature brain. Most studies have concentrated on the direct effects of high levels of prenatal MeHg exposure. Surprisingly, behavioral outcomes found in adult offspring exposed developmentally to the neurotoxic effects of chronic, low-dose mercury more akin to ingestion in humans are not well characterized. The objective of this study was to determine whether such exposure produces deleterious effects on behavior in adult mice, including motor/coordination abilities, overall activity and mnemonic function. Developing mouse fetuses were exposed in utero during gestational days 8-18 by giving pregnant C57Bl/6J female mice food containing MeHg at a daily dose of 0.01 mg/kg body weight. Adult mice prenatally exposed to MeHg exhibited significant deficits in motor abilities, coordination, and overall activity, as measured by rotarod, footprint analysis and open field. In addition, MeHg-exposed mice were impaired with respect to reference memory but not in a visible, cued version of the Morris water maze task. These results indicate that prenatal exposure to the lowest dose of MeHg examined to date can have long-lasting motor and cognitive consequences on adult offspring. These findings have far reaching implications related to putative safe levels of MeHg ingestion, particularly during pregnancy, and increasing rates of cognitive and psychological disorders (e.g. attention hyperactivity deficit disorder, autism) in our society.
Mitochondria from rat liver: Method for rapid preparation and study

the natural logarithms of (mut - AUt+at) against time (t) is a straight line. The resulting slope (units, s -l) is the observed first order rate constant (kob~); the second order rate constant (k; units, M -1 s -1) is calculated from kobs = k x [NaC1]. The hemolysis time is the time required for the initial arbitrary units to fall to half the initial value. Results With the methodology described above for following the hemolysis rate constant there is no light absorption by a suspension of red blood cells in NaCl hypotonic solutions at 690 nm and the method is based on the principle that turbidity variation is directly related to particle intactness, which is measured by the intensity of the transmitted light (inversely related to scattering effects). The values of the observed first order rate constant and of hemolysis time are obtained from results in the absence and presence of dipyridamole. Red blood cell shapes are classified and the influence of dipyridamole concentrations assessed and related to the changes in the kinetic parameters. Conclusions The experiment outlined above is inexpensive because the materials utilized are readily available, is easily conducted by medical and pharmaceutical students or post-graduate students, and deals with enzyme kinetic concepts and makes it possible to investigate red cell volumes and their shapes. As red blood cells in vitro do not behave as an "end product" but, instead, the metabolic pathways and ionic pumps still operate, this practical exercise could be modified by changing the suspension medium for example by the addition of glucose, adenine or a calcium ionophore. One of the didactic advantages of this laboratory class experiment is to raise the curiosity of students to questions related of side-effects caused by drugs. In an important sense "how does it work?" is a good question. The choice of dipyridamole was based on its molecular structure (it is a large molecule with four hydroxyl groups) and on some reported properties, such as inhibition of RBC lithium and anion transport 7 and, as mentioned above, this drug induces discocyte --> echinocyte transformation. Whether RBC echinocytes induced by dipyridamole act as an activator of platelet disaggregation is an open question. Other echinocytogenic and stomatocytogenic compounds could likewise be introduced, according to class time available and the ratio between number of tutors and students.
Engineering safer-by-design silica-coated ZnO nanorods with reduced DNA damage potential

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles absorb UV light efficiently while remaining transparent in the visible light spectrum rendering them attractive in cosmetics and polymer films. Their broad use, however, raises concerns regarding potential environmental health risks and it has been shown that ZnO nanoparticles can induce significant DNA damage and cytotoxicity. Even though research on ZnO nanoparticle synthesis has made great progress, efforts on developing safer ZnO nanoparticles that can maintain their inherent optoelectronic properties while exhibiting minimal toxicity are limited. Here, a safer-by-design concept was pursued by hermetically encapsulating ZnO nanorods in a biologically inert, nanothin amorphous SiO2 coating during their gas-phase synthesis. It is demonstrated that the SiO2 nanothin layer hermetically encapsulates the core ZnO nanorods without altering their optoelectronic properties. Furthermore, the effect of SiO2 on the toxicological profile of the core ZnO nanorods was assessed using the Nano-Cometchip assay by monitoring DNA damage at a cellular level using human lymphoblastoid cells (TK6). Results indicate significantly lower DNA damage (>3 times) for the SiO2-coated ZnO nanorods compared to uncoated ones. Such an industry-relevant, scalable, safer-by-design formulation of nanostructured materials can liberate their employment in nano-enabled products and minimize risks to the environment and human health.
The Dynamics Of Poverty, Inequality and Economic Well-being: African Economic Growth in Comparative Perspective

Two hundred and fifty million Africans (about 45% of the population) are poor. In rural areas, where most Africans live, there is, alas, a 'poor majority'. Rural poverty rates range from 37% in Madagascar and 41% in Kenya to 88% in Zambia and 94% in Ghana (Table 1). It is hard to imagine an issue in development economics that is of greater importance to humankind than the effects of economic growth on poverty and economic well-being. Yet there is remarkably little consensus on this vitally important issue, as illustrated by the following two polar positions: • New patterns of growth will need to be developed and sustained well into the 21st century to prevent ever more extreme imbalances and inequalities in the world economy. (United Nations, 1996, p. 8) • In the extreme, the inequality of income may worsen fast enough at the outset of economic growth for poverty to increase; growth would be 'immiserizing' . . . . There is no case in which the effect of growth is offset by changes in inequality (contrary to the immiserizing growth hypothesis.) In short, growth reduces poverty. [Emphasis added.] (World Bank, 1990, pp. 46-7) This paper provides a fresh look at these issues with particular reference to Africa. In so doing, the methodologies for analyzing changing income distribution in the course of economic growth are introduced. Data and methods are analyzed in much greater depth in Fields (2000), to which the interested reader is referred.
Developmental regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons by fibroblast growth factor signaling.

GnRH neurons are central to the initiation and maintenance of reproductive function in diverse vertebrates. The formation of a functional GnRH system during development is a highly complex event that likely requires extensive guidance by neurotrophic factors. In this study, we examined whether members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family are critically involved in the development of endogenous GnRH neurons. Immunocytochemistry revealed the presence of FGF receptors (FGFRs) 1, 2, and 3, but not 4, in embryonic day (E) 10.5 medial nasal placode, an area and time consistent with the first appearance of GnRH neurons in mice. Dual immunocytochemistry confirmed the presence of FGFRs 1 and 3, but not 2 and 4, in a substantial fraction of E15.5 and postnatal day (P) 3 GnRH neurons. To examine whether FGF signaling was essential for the specification of GnRH neuronal fate, a nasal explant culture that supported the in vitro emergence of GnRH neurons from E10.5 noses was established. In this system, the add...
Rabbit IgG hinge region: Site of group d allotypic specificity

Abstract Structural studies point to the hinge region of rabbit IgG as the site of group d allotypic specificity. Acid-pepsin digestion of rabbit IgG liberated a peptide containing, in part, the hinge peptide as a disulfide bonded dimer. The peptide isolated from d 11 IgG reacted effectively with its corresponding anti- d 11 alloantiserum; the d 12 peptide did not.
The Globalizing Labor Market in Education: Teachers as Cultural Ambassadors or Agents of Institutional Isomorphism?.

Institutional isomorphists and other proponents of world culture theory argue that schools around the world are converging in many ways, whereas anthropologists and others question this conclusion, often arguing that local cultural differences belie superficial similarities. These viewpoints are not merely academic explanations of the spread and apparent convergence of education policies and practices around the world but are often present in policy and practice. The authors seek both to shed new light on these often-entrenched positions and to refocus the debate by considering the presence and influence of such views in the policies and practices of international teacher exchanges. In the context of the expanding global labor market for teachers, the authors consider the implicit theories underpinning international exchange policies and the ways in which the exchange teachers themselves make sense of these policies. In particular, we recognize that although extensive work has been done on the dynamics of...
Lies in a Time of Threat: Betrayal Blindness and the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election

Exit polls from the 2004 U.S. presidential election indicated overwhelming support for President Bush among voters who said they valued honesty, even though the Bush administration had been sharply criticized for deceiving the public, especially concerning the reasons for invading Iraq. A psychological theory recently developed to help explain memory loss in trauma survivors sheds light on this paradox. Betrayal Trauma Theory (Freyd, 1996) states that memory impairment is greatest when a victim is dependent on the perpetrator. The theory also predicts who will he "blind" to signs of deception-those who are emotionally or financially dependent on the person who is lying. Although every American is dependent on the U.S. President to some extent, religious conservatives may he more psychologically dependent that others. Because they believe their core values are under attack, they depend -on powerful leaders such as President Bush to defend these values. This psychological dependence may make it difficult for them to notice the administration's deceptions.
Severe Non-Anion Gap Metabolic Acidosis Induced by Topiramate: A Case Report

Abstract Background: A non-anion gap acidosis can be induced by topiramate, causing symptomatic dyspnea and confusion. Objectives: Discuss the pathophysiology of the hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis caused by topiramate, the typical clinical presentation, and the recommended treatment. Case Report: This case presents a young woman with a clinically significant non-anion gap metabolic acidosis believed to be caused by topiramate. She had been taking the medication for several months without prior adverse effects. Once she began having dyspnea as a respiratory response to the renal tubule acidosis, she had decreased oral intake of food and fluids, which induced a pre-renal acute renal failure that worsened her acidemia. In the Emergency Department, she received intravenous fluids and sodium bicarbonate, and later was intubated for mechanical ventilation due to respiratory fatigue. With the topiramate withdrawn, the patient had a full recovery of her renal function and metabolic acid-base status over the next 72 h. This case serves to increase awareness of this possible adverse effect and the recommended treatment as topiramate becomes more widely used. Conclusions: Topiramate can induce a renal tubule acidosis resulting in a hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis. Recognition of the underlying cause is crucial so that the drug can be withdrawn while supportive care is provided.
Hyperfiltration and renal disease in glycogen storage disease, type I

A prospective study of 14 patients (ages 6 months to 33 years) with glycogen storage disease, Type I (GSD-I) was carried out in order to define the character and frequency of renal dysfunction. A marked increase in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was documented in virtually all subjects, with the mean GFR raised by approximately 50%, to the range of 170 ml/min/1.73 m2. While this constituted the only renal abnormality found in the younger patients, a significant increase in urinary albumin excretion was seen in three teen-aged individuals; three patients over 20 years of age exhibited frank proteinuria (2 to 8 g/day). Renal biopsy on two of the proteinuric subjects revealed focal and global glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis. Evaluation of factors known to cause an increase in GFR did not define the precise etiology for its elevation in GSD-I. These studies suggest that: (1) glomerular damage and chronic renal disease are common in older patients with GSD-I; (2) the renal injury appears to be specifically related to GSD-I and is not secondary to the treatment of the disease; and (3) the natural history of the renal lesion in GSD-I may be analogous to that seen in insulin-dependent diabetes, with a "silent" period where hyperfiltration is the only demonstrable renal abnormality, followed by evidence of increasing glomerular damage progressing from microalbuminuria to frank proteinuria.
A PORTABLE AIR SAMPLING APPARATUS FOR THE COLLECTION OF LARGE VOLUMES.

T HE apparatus here described has been designed for the rapid collection in duplicate of relatively large volumes of air to be examined in the laboratory for such gases as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide, oxides of nitrogen, etc. Minute amounts of these gases are of hygienic significance and the standard methods of analysis require the aspiration of large quantities of such air through appropriate absorbents. It is not practicable as a rule to make the analysis on the spot, particularly if the air is rapidly changing in composition, owing to the time required for aspiration and the special apparatus necessary to complete the analysis. A situation might arise, for example, in a sewer, in an engine-room or after gunfire in a turret aboard ship when it is imperative to take large samples speedily, so that a representative portion within a short-time interval may be obtained. The advantages of col^ lection in duplicate are obvious. The present apparatus is designed to fulfil such requirements. The apparatus is portable, protected against breakage under shipment, and air-tight. It consists of a wooden case 17 inches long, 12 inches deep and 141 inches high, enclosing two glass bottles each of 2,000 cc. capacity, with gas-tight glass stopcocks, and fitted with a standard thermometer. The bottles are connected by glass and metal tubes with theinlet of a brass suction pump of special design. The writer has determined on the basis of a large number of tests that each stroke of the suction pump draws about 800 cc. of air through the two bottles at the rate of about 1 stroke per second. This was observed by connecting the two lower stopcocks to a gas holder and exhausting a definite quantity of air from the latter through the bottles with the pump. The course of the air in sampling is as follows: Through stopcocks e 1 to bottles, through stopcocks e 2 to the reducing T-tube g to h and to pump. The bottlers rest on felt pads and are held firmly in place by copper straps encased in felt. The rubber stoppers are carefully wired in place. The pump is readily accessible for interior inspection. There is an outside carrying case provided for shipment not shown in 'the sketch. This has a protective arrangement of springs at the bottom and also on the under side of the cover; the sides, cover and bottom are covered with very heavy felt padding. The inside case is therefore guarded against sudden jar in handling and no further packing material is needed. Thorough tests for tightness were made. There may of course be marked changes in pressure of the contained sample as a result of temperature variations; thus, a drop from 70 F. to 32 F. would entail a fall
Morphology of gravity‐wave energy as observed from 4 years (1998–2001) of high vertical resolution U.S. radiosonde data

[1] Gravity-wave energy densities have been derived from 4 years (1998–2001) of U.S. high vertical resolution (∼30 m) radiosonde wind and temperature data. This data set includes more than 90 stations that extend from 14°S to 71°N and 135°E to 55°W and cover such varied terrain as tropical islands, midcontinent plains, and mountainous regions, and they extend to the Arctic. This data set also includes both winds and temperatures in the troposphere and lower stratosphere for all stations. Thus analysis of this data set should be useful in distinguishing source effects from propagation effects. Some of the features found in this analysis are as follows. On the average, lower stratospheric gravity-wave energies decrease poleward and are stronger in (Northern Hemisphere) winter than summer. Tropospheric gravity waves are also stronger in winter than summer, but they maximize at middle latitudes (35°–40°N). In the troposphere, gravity-wave energy maxima exist over the Rocky Mountains, but in the lower stratosphere the energy maxima are mostly in the southeastern United States. Quasi-Biennial Oscillation and El Nino–Southern Oscillation effects appear to account for much of the observed interannual variability in lower stratospheric gravity-wave energy. The time series of tropospheric and lower stratospheric gravity-wave energies are virtually uncorrelated with one another.
Independent regulation of pyruvate kinase expression by cyclic AMP and prostaglandin F2α in mouse mastocytoma cells

Abstract P-815 mouse mastocytoma cells express the K isozyme of pyruvate kinase and the specific activity of this enzyme is increased in response to N 6 ,2′- O -dibutyryladenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate, 8-bromoadenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate, cholera toxin, and epinephrine, all of which also elevate the intracellular concentration of adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate. Prostaglandin F 2α also increases the cellular activity of this enzyme, but does not increase the adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate levels. Under all these conditions, the increase in enzymatic activity is accompanied by an equivalent increase in the pyruvate kinase protein level. However, neither the rate of enzyme synthesis nor the level of pyruvate kinase mRNA is elevated by N 6 ,2′- O -dibutyryladenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate. On the other hand, it does increase the enzyme's half-life. In contrast, prostaglandin F 2α increases the rate of synthesis and the level of pyruvate kinase K mRNA, but has no influence on the rate of degradation. Therefore, these cells have two mechanisms which increase pyruvate kinase K levels. One operates via an increase in cAMP level and results in a decrease in the rate of degradation, whereas the other minimizes an upsurge in cAMP levels but still increases pyruvate kinase K activity by increasing its rate of synthesis.
Binding of antibodies to nitroxide spin labels and to the corresponding hydroxylamines.

Abstract The affinities of rabbit antibodies directed against the spin-label nitroxide group have been found to be of the order of 106 1/mole for a number of low molecular weight water soluble haptens. It is shown that the same antibodies have almost equal binding affinities to corresponding hydroxylamines.
Effect of cage design on growth of transplanted Asian clams: implications for assessing bivalve responses in streams.

This study was designed to determine whether survivorship and growth of Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea [Muller]) differed significantly between two types of field enclosures. Enclosures were either flexible mesh bags or rigid cages (hereto after referred as bioboxes) designed to homogenize substrate among study sites and accommodate Asian clam feeding mechanisms. For 96-d, cages remained at 12 Clinch River (CR), Hurricane Fork (HF), and Dump's Creek (DC) sites upstream and downstream of a coal-fired power plant discharge, coal mining effluent, and coal combustion-related disposal facilities in Carbo, Virginia. Although survivorship was not significantly different between cage types, mean growth of clams in bioboxes was significantly greater overall (p = 0.0157). Despite the difference in growth between the two cage types, both confirmed significant reductions of survivorship and growth directly below the power plant discharge. Additionally, coefficient of variance values for biobox growth data were reduced at most study sites (averages of 16% for bioboxes versus 19% for mesh bags). Our results have implications toward strengthening weight-of-evidence approaches used to link impairment of transplanted bivalves to environmental contaminants. More importantly, these results suggest that ecotoxicological impairment of bivalves transplanted downstream of the coal-fired power plant discharge functioned independently of site-specific substrate provisions.
A derangement in B12 metabolism leading to homocystinemia, cystathioninemia and methylmalonic aciduria

Abstract In mammals, vitamin B 12 derivatives are known to function as coenzymes for two reactions: (a) methionine formation from 5-methylfolate-H 4 and homocysteine and (b) isomerization of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA (Weissbach and Dickerman,1967; Hogenkamp, 1968 ). We have recently investigated an infant with abnormalities of both the sulfur amino acids and methylmalonic acid. This paper summarizes the results of our investigation which indicate the occurrence of a hitherto unrecognized metabolic abnormality, a defective ability to accumulate the coenzymatically active derivatives of B 12 . As far as we are aware, this is the first proven instance of deranged vitamin metabolism in a human.
Wireless communication systems: a satellite-based communications approach for competitive advantage in logistic and transportation support services

Abstract The ability for a manufacturer, or any firm, to compete in environments that are rapidly changing is dependent upon the adoption of new business paradigms to meet competitive threats or sieze new opportunities. The demand for just-in-time support for production operations is a critical factor in many industries. Also, the need to minimize total product cost and each cost component in the value chain, including the logistics or transportation element of product cost, may be the difference between a strong competitive business entity and one that is declining. Advanced communications technologies are providing many firms with competitive advantage opportunities and when coupled with information technology support for manufacturing and business processes can provide a firm with new paradigms for their business operations.
Application of OSL dating to middle to late Holocene arroyo sediments in Kanab Creek, southern Utah, USA

Abstract Middle to late Holocene alluvium, identified as Quaternary alluvial unit 4 (Qa4), along Kanab Creek in southern Utah, USA was dated using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) on quartz sand, and by radiocarbon dating of detrital charcoal. Entrenchment beginning in 1882 AD created arroyo walls that expose up to 35 m of the Qa4 alluvium. The stratigraphy and sedimentology suggest that fluvial aggradation along the study reach occurred rapidly. Due to the high sediment supply, short transport distances and semi-arid climate with flashy discharge, partial bleaching (zeroing) of the luminescence signal was expected to be a problem for OSL dating. We approached this problem by first using small-aliquot (∼20 grains) and single-grain dating of quartz sand to reduce the number of grains contributing to the OSL signal. Second, we used statistical parameters based on single-grain and small-aliquot equivalent dose (De) distributions of bleached sediment to help identify partial bleaching and to inform if a minimum age model (MAM) should be used for age calculation. Comparison of results with radiocarbon ages demonstrates the success of OSL dating on Kanab Creek arroyo-fill deposits, although careful attention should be paid to the sedimentary facies and stratigraphy of the targeted sample horizon to minimize the effects of partial bleaching. Thin, decimeter-scale plane-bedded and ripple cross-bedded sandy lithofacies were found to be the best target for OSL dating, as these sediments showed minimal evidence for incomplete solar resetting. Additionally, results generally indicate that better-bleached sediments are found in downstream reaches. Age control from these arroyo-fill deposits was acquired in order to fulfill larger research goals of understanding regional arroyo incision and aggradation cycles.
Mobile computational thinking with app inventor 2 (abstract only)

Computational Thinking Through Mobile Computing is an NSF-funded project for introducing students to computational thinking through creating mobile apps. In this hands-on workshop, which is targeted at undergraduate and secondary school computer science teachers, participants will develop Android apps using MIT App Inventor 2. This is a new version of the visual blocks-based programming environment with additional language features (e.g., local variables) and browser-based blocks editing. The workshop will also present pedagogical materials (lessons, tutorials, assignments), evaluation materials (blocks-based quizzes, surveys, project rubrics), and student projects. All of the pedagogical materials presented in the workshop, as well as all of the materials used by the workshop presenters in their individual courses, are posted on the Web and are available to everyone under a Creative Commons license. A laptop is required for this workshop. Each participant will be provided with an Android mobile device to use during the workshop. Participants who have their own Android phones or tablets can use them if they choose. This workshop is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Numbers 1225680, 1225719, 1225745, 1225976, and 1226216.
Uncertainty, governance alignment, and firm performance in biotechnology alliances

Despite the importance of alliances in industries such as biotechnology, few studies have addressed how performance outcomes are affected by firm-level propensities toward alliance formation and alliance governance. We use transaction cost economics and real options reasoning to develop and test how uncertainties in alliance transactions affect firm performance, and how governance choices moderate performance outcomes. Data obtained on biotechnology alliances formed during the nine-year period from 1999 to 2007 involving 461 firms with 2,687 alliances were used in an empirical test of our model using hierarchical regression in a two-stage approach. Results support our argument that firm-level performance is negatively related to firm-level uncertainties from the firm’s alliances and the choice of alliance governance moderates these performance effects in distinctive ways. We then discuss the joint influence of transaction cost, real options reasoning on a firm’s alliance portfolio and its relationship to firm performance and offer implications of our findings for theory, research, and management practice.
Flow cytometric characterization and classification of multiple dual‐color fluorescent microspheres using fluorescence lifetime

FlowMetrix (Luminex, Austin, TX) microspheres were recently introduced as a platform for bead-based assays involving antibodies, enzymes, toxins, and nucleic acids. The procedure involves classification of the microspheres by their orange and red fluorescence and quantitation of the BODIPY-tagged biological probes by their green fluorescence. In an attempt to increase the number of fluorochromes available for the biological probes, we explored the possibility of using excited singlet state lifetime as an alternative to one of the fluorochromes. For a set of 20 dual-color microspheres the excited singlet state lifetimes were measured using the total emissions (>515 nm), the orange emissions (515-600 nm), and the red emissions (>665 nm). The microspheres could not all be resolved in bivariates of fluorescence intensity versus excited singlet state lifetime. However, 13 of the microspheres could be resolved using the total emissions and lifetime. Although this result required both fluorochromes, the merits and limitations of this approach to other systems are briefly discussed.
Multi-Packet Interference in Opportunistic Large Array Broadcasts over Disk Networks

The Opportunistic Large Array (OLA) is a simple form of cooperative transmission, in which a group of single-antenna nodes decode the same packet, then a short time later relay the packet simultaneously in orthogonal or space-time coded channels. The authors have previously shown that OLA transmissions can be adequately synchronized so they appear to a receiver as having come from a conventional array with co-located antennas doing transmit diversity. OLAs have been considered as a basis for rapid single-packet broadcasting in multi-hop networks, however, there are few studies that consider OLA broadcasting of multiple co-channel packets. Using the continuum assumption (approximated by high density networks), we focus on broadcast throughput optimization, as determined by the packet insertion rate at the source. We consider spatial pipelining, which means broadcasting a packet before the previous co-channel packet has cleared the network. We show theoretically that for infinitely large networks the feasibility of spatial pipelining depends on the path loss exponent. For finite networks, we study the propagation behavior of spatially pipelined packets using numerical analysis.
Max Headroom and The Efficiency Worshippers: Problems of Control in a Technocratic Democracy

For a short while in 1987 ABC ran a marvelous program that centered on the physically two-dimensional but spiritually three-dimensional Max Headroom. The man who gave birth to Max, Edison Carter, had a traffic accident in which his head slammed into a parking garage barrier that warned: Maximum Headroom 6 Feet. Carter, a post-modem silicon-raker with Network 23, had witnessed some evil doing, the particulars of which now escape me, and a device was hooked up to his head to discover what he had seen. The inventor of the idea-sucking device, Bryce, was a high-level hacker with a devious nature. Bryce's machine was powerful enough to take all the data from Carter's brain and reconstitute his thoughts and emotions, creating an electronically designed image of the donor. When the electronic Max took form-began to speak and reason and run around in networks of machines and televisions (which were literally everywhere)-the first thing he "remembered" was the sign on the garage barrier; hence his name. Everywhere Carter turned he found himself fighting the good fight against overwhelming corporations whose labyrinth interconnections would render the heartiest interlock researcher apoplectic. Government had disappeared and society had bifurcated into those who ran and fought for control of powerful corporations and those who watched television.' Although technology had rendered everyone but capitalist and engineering elites superfluous, the hundreds of Networks nevertheless competed intensely for Ratings. The market was gone, but the competitive urge remained. The issues Max Headroom raised about economic power, organization, democracy, and technology burn for Langdon Winner. Reading
An FT-IR Study of NO2 Reduction in Nanocrystalline NaY Zeolite: Effect of Zeolite Crystal Size and Adsorbed Water

In this study, in situ transmission FT-IR spectroscopy was employed to investigate the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO2 in nanocrystalline NaY zeolite with a crystal size of 23 nm. Two specific aspects of this reaction were explored in this study: the importance of zeolite crystal size and the effect of water on the propylene-SCR reactions.
Strategic Network Restoration

For any networked infrastructure, damage to arcs and/or nodes and associated disruption of network services is inevitable. To reestablish service in a damaged network, affected components must be repaired or reconfigured, a process that can be time consuming and costly, so care must be taken to identify network restoration strategies that reestablish service most efficiently. A strategic goal of service restoration, therefore, is to ensure that facility restoration is prioritized so that system performance is maximized over a planning horizon within budgetary restrictions. To address this problem, this paper proposes a multi-objective optimization approach for network restoration during disaster recovery. The proposed model permits tradeoffs between two objectives, minimization of system cost and maximization of system flow, to be evaluated. A telecommunication application illustrates the significance of the developed approach.
The stability inLq of theL2-projection into finite element function spaces

The stability ofL 2-projection into many standard finite element spaces as a map intoL q , 1?q??, is demonstrated. TheL 2-projection ofu?L q is shown to be a quasi-optimal approximation ofu inL q .
Experimental Studies and Numerical Modeling of Copper Nets in Marine Environment

Copper alloy netting is increasingly used for offshore aquaculture, harbor protection and other marine applications. Its advantageous characteristics include high resistance to biofouling and increased strength compared to polymer nets. However, the hydrodynamic properties of copper nets are not well studied. In this paper, the results of experimental studies of drag forces on copper alloy net panels are reported. Based on these studies, empirical values for drag coefficients are proposed for various types of copper nets, and compared to the corresponding data for polymer netting. It is shown that copper nets exhibit significantly lower resistance to the current flow which corresponds to lower values of drag coefficient. Coefficients obtained from the experiments are incorporated into the finite element program Aqua-FE, developed at the University of New Hampshire for analysis of flexible structures subjected to waves and currents in marine environment. The results of the numerical simulations for a small volume fish cage, subjected to two different sets of environmental conditions, are analyzed to compare how introduction of copper netting instead of traditional nylon nets affects the dynamic response of the system.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
The morphology and chronology of a landslide near Dillon Dam, Dillon, Colorado

Abstract Investigations were made of a landslide at the Dillon Dam site, Dillon, Colo., that included detailed laboratory and field analyses of the mineralogy, chemistry, and physical properties of landslide materials and the bedrock formations from which they were derived. These investigations provide an understanding of the relative importance of various factors contributing to the origin and reactivation of a landslide in overburden resting on the Morrison Formation. The landslide material consists dominantly of an aggregate of large to small angular fragments of quartzite and sandstone from the Dakota Formation, embedded in a matrix of very fine grained to colloidal clayey substances derived mainly from the upper, noncalcareous portion of the Morrison Formation. During construction of Dillon Dam and associated structures, excavation of the toe of an old, relatively stable landslide adjacent to the left abutment caused renewed movement that threatened engulfment of the intake structure at the portal of the diversion tunnel for the reservoir. Remedial measures included excavation of a large volume of the landslide material and construction of a gravel-fill coffer- dam on bedrock at the toe of the landslide.
To Die with the Buddha: The Brick Pagoda and Its Role in the Xuezhuang Tomb in Early Medieval China

The important late fifth- or early sixth-century brick tomb at Xuezhuang in Dengxian (Henan) features a brick form at the rear wall, which remained mysterious until it has recently been shown to represent a Buddhist pagoda. This discovery sheds light on the purpose of the burial chamber, featuring the novel combination of vaulted ceiling, colonnade, and pagoda, as simulating an Indian-derived Buddhist temple (caitya). To reinforce this Buddhist context, the burial chamber simultaneously imitates the structure of a Buddhist votive stele (zaoxiangbei 造像碑), in which various Buddhist images, including the Buddha and bodhisattvas, apsaras, worshippers, and guardians, are carefully organized. The Xuezhuang tomb thus merges Buddhist structures with the traditional Chinese funerary structure, representing an entirely new manner in which funerary art and Buddhist art interacted with one another in early medieval China. While in earlier times Buddhist elements were subject to the unilaterally dominant funerary context, in the fifth to sixth centuries, as the importance of a specifically Buddhist context increased, the tomb occupant, whose coffin lay right before the pagoda, became an integral part of a simulated Buddhist structure as a worshipper symbolically poised to worship the pagoda or attend the “dead” Buddha in the concealed Buddhist “temple” that was the tomb. La tombe importante, datant de la fin du ve siecle ou du debut du vie, decouverte a Xuezhang (Dengxian, Henan) comporte une forme en briques sur son mur posterieur dont on n’a montre que recemment qu’il s’agissait d’une pagode bouddhiste. Cette decouverte eclaire l’objet de la chambre funeraire: la combinaison d’un plafond en voute, d’une colonnade et d’une pagode evoque un temple bouddhiste de style indien (caitya). Renforcant encore ce contexte religieux, la chambre funeraire imite en meme temps la structure d’une stele votive bouddhiste (zaoxiangbei 造像碑), dans laquelle les images du Bouddha, des bodhisattvas, des apsaras, des adorateurs et des gardiens sont soigneusement disposees. La tombe de Xuezhang combine de la sorte des structures bouddhistes et une structure funeraire chinoise traditionnelle; elle represente une maniere entierement nouvelle dans la Chine du debut du Moyen Âge, dans laquelle interagissent l’art funeraire et l’art bouddhique. Alors qu’auparavant les elements bouddhistes etaient subordonnes a un contexte exclusivement funeraire, aux ve-vie siecles le contexte specifiquement bouddhique a gagne en importance; en consequence, l’occupant de la tombe, dont le cercueil etait place directement devant la pagode, est devenu partie integrante d’une structure bouddhique simulee en tant qu’adorateur place symboliquement pour faire ses devotions a la pagode, ou alors etre au service du Bouddha “mort” dans le temple bouddhique cache qu’etait devenue la tombe.
Age-related protective effect of deprenyl on changes in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes and antioxidant defense enzymes activities in cerebellar tissue in Wistar rats

Antioxidants are free radical scavengers and protect living organisms against oxidative damage to tissues. Experimental evidence implicates oxygen-derived free radicals as important causative agents of aging and the present study was designed to evaluate the age-related effects of deprenyl on the antioxidant defense in the cerebellum of male Wistar rats. Experimental rats of three age groups (6, 12, and 18 months old) were administered with liquid deprenyl (2 mg/kg body weight/day for a period of 15 days i.p) and levels of diagnostic marker enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase) in plasma, lipid peroxides, reduced glutathione and activities of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase) and antiperoxidative enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase) in the cerebellar tissue were determined. Intraperitonial administration of deprenyl (2 mg/kg body weight/day for a period of 15 days) significantly (p < 0.05) attenuated the age-related alterations noted in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes plasma of experimental animals. Deprenyl also exerted an antioxidant effect against aging process by hindering lipid peroxidation to an extent. Moderate rise in the levels of reduced glutathione and activities of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes and antiperoxidative enzymes was also observed. The results of the present investigation indicated that the protective potential of deprenyl was probably due to the increase of the activity of the free radical scavenging enzymes or to a counteraction of free radicals by its antioxidant nature or to a strengthening of neuronal membrane by its membrane-stabilizing action. Histopathological observations also confirmed the protective effect of deprenyl against the age-related aberrations in rat cerebellum. These data on the effect of deprenyl on parameters of normal aging provides new additional information concerning the anti-aging potential of deprenyl.
Electron microscopic features in psoriatic patients with α1-antitrypsin deficiency

Abstract We studied the electron microscopic features of 7 psoriatic patients with α 1 -antitrypsin deficiency and 14 psoriatic controls. We found a statistically significant difference in frequency of basal keratinocyte herniations (BKH) as well as of BKH with abnormal configuration (broad-based BKH, herniating through wide gaps in the basal lamina; and multipolypoid BKH) in the α 1 -antitrypsin deficient group. The differences were more marked in the MZ phenotype than in the MS/SS phenotypes. These findings may reflect the changes resulting from defective inhibition of proteolytic enzyme activity in the psoriatic patients with α 1 -antitrypsin deficiency, and support the concept that proteolytic enzyme release and activity may play a role in BKH formation.
Middle-age suicide: A literature review and epidemiological study

Abstract Middle age (i.e., 45-64 years) has been the least studied period of life in developmental psychology and the field of suicidology. Following a review of the suicide and relevant psychosocial literature on middle age, the present investigation reports the levels and trends in suicide among the middle-aged population along with sex and race differences. Official United States suicide data by sex and race from 1933 to 1986 were collected for persons 45 to 64 years of age and compared with the age groups 15 to 24 years, 25 to 44 years, and 65 years and older. Suicide rates declined markedly over the period studied for the middle aged and particularly for men and Caucasians within that category. Rates have increased for all those younger than 45. However, current rates of suicide are comparable to those for middle-aged adults and 25- to 44-year-old adults, but suicide rates for all adult populations are still slightly higher than those for the younger population (15-24 years). Despite dramatic decline...