cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pyrolytic graphite film thermal straps: Characterization testing

Abstract This paper reports on the experimentally-measured conductance, stiffness, and particulate contamination of pyrolytic graphite film thermal straps. This work was aimed at assessing the feasibility of replacing standard aluminum foil in thermal straps with graphite film, which is more conductive and lighter. Four different U-shaped straps with similar cross-sections and terminals were tested in the study. Three of the straps had a three-inch long flexible section. One of these was made from aluminum 1100 foil, and two were made from Pyrovo pyrolytic graphite film (PGF). One of the PGF straps was fabricated with an aluminized mylar blanket that was sealed at the terminals. The last strap was made from PGF, was blanketed, and was six inches long. The conductance of each strap was measured as a function of mean strap temperature ranging from 60 K to 300 K. The peak measured conductance of the three-inch PGF and aluminum straps were 1.0 W/K at 162 K and 0.28 W/K at 64 K, respectively. The conductance of all straps converged to around 0.3 W/K as the mean strap temperature approached 60 K. In addition, the peak conductance of the six-inch PGF strap was 0.83 W/K at 150 K. The fact that its peak conductance was near the conductance of the three-inch PGF strap indicated that the thermal resistance of the terminals in the PGF straps was significant. For a given temperature, the conductance varied by as much as 15% for two units of the same strap design. One of the straps was thermally cycled from 300 K to 60 K ten times. Its conductance was unchanged by the thermal cycling. Furthermore, one of the six-inch long PGF straps was subjected to random vibration. The random vibration spectrum was designed so that one terminal achieved a maximum displacement of ± 0.25 in. from its neutral position in three orthogonal axes while the other was held stationary. The conductance of this strap was unaffected by the random vibration test. The straps were also tested for the level of contamination introduced to the environment. The bare aluminum and bare PGF straps had equal particulate cleanliness levels while the encapsulated PGF strap had a lower one. Finally, the dynamic stiffness of one of the six-inch strap was measured to be less than 0.5 lb/in. in all directions for temperatures between 200 and 300 K.
La tierra como ética y estética continental: Güiraldes, Rivera, Gallegos y Andrade

En este ensayo estudio la descripcion de la naturaleza como una reflexion sobre la nacionalidad en un momento historico donde Latinoamerica transitaba hacia regimenes caracterizados por una agenda politica profundamente nacionalista. Entre los textos que analizco estan Dona Barbara, La voragine, Raucho y Macunaima.
Aiding Dependency: a Cross-National Analysis of Foreign Aid and Tax Compliance

This paper argues that foreign aid undermines tax compliance, and examines three causal mechanisms that may undergird this relationship: By leading the recipient state to under-invest in tax enforcement, substituting for the state in terms of service provision, or reducing state legitimacy. To test these arguments, the paper takes advantage of cross-national surveys on individual tax compliance. The results suggest that higher levels of foreign aid are associated with higher levels of refusals to pay taxes. The paper finds evidence that the causal mechanism is aid leading the state to reduce its enforcement of taxation, but not through the substitution of state services or decreasing state legitimacy. The results suggest that aid can have counter-productive effects for the long-term development of recipient countries by lowering the state’s enforcement of taxation, but not by weakening the relationship between state and society.
Implementation of an Intelligent Tutoring System for Online Homework Support in an Efficacy Trial.

Much research has been done on the development of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS), and small empirical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of ITS at promoting student learning. However, large-scale implementation of ITS in school settings has not been researched thoroughly. In this paper, we describe an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the efficacy of a web-based tutoring system—the ASSISTments—as support for homework. The program is used in 46 middle schools in the state of Maine, to provide immediate feedback to students, and to provide reports to teachers to support homework review and instruction adaptation. We describe the challenges for the RCT, approaches used to understand implementation of the system, and findings on how the system is being used.
Advancing understanding of the sustainability of lay health advisor (LHA) programs for African-American women in community settings

Lay health advisor (LHA) programs have made strong contributions towards the elimination of health disparities and are increasingly being implemented to promote health and prevent disease. Developed in collaboration with African-American survivors, the National Witness Project (NWP) is an evidence-based, community-led LHA program that improves cancer screening among African-American women. NWP has been successfully disseminated, replicated, and implemented nationally in over 40 sites in 22 states in diverse community settings, reaching over 15,000 women annually. We sought to advance understanding of barriers and facilitators to the long-term implementation and sustainability of LHA programs in community settings from the viewpoint of the LHAs, as well as the broader impact of the program on African-American communities and LHAs. In the context of a mixed-methods study, in-depth telephone interviews were conducted among 76 African-American LHAs at eight NWP sites at baseline and 12–18 months later, between 2010 and 2013. Qualitative data provides insight into inner and outer contextual factors (e.g., community partnerships, site leadership, funding), implementation processes (e.g., training), as well as characteristics of the intervention (e.g., perceived need and fit in African-American community) and LHAs (e.g., motivations, burnout) that are perceived to impact the continued implementation and sustainability of NWP. Factors at the contextual levels and related to motivations of LHAs are critical to the sustainability of LHA programs. We discuss how findings are used to inform (1) the development of the LHA Sustainability Framework and (2) strategies to support the continued implementation and sustainability of evidence-based LHA interventions in community settings.
Development of ANN-GA program for backcalculation of pavement moduli under FWD testing with viscoelastic and nonlinear parameters

AbstractIn this study, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based backcalculating program combined with a Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimization algorithm was developed for backcalculation of flexible pavement layer moduli from Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) test. Axisymmetric finite element (FE) models were developed considering dynamic loading of FWD drops and viscoelastic and nonlinear material parameters of pavement layers. The FE models were used to generate the synthetic database that covers variations in material parameters, pavement structures, temperatures, and loading levels. The ANN-GA program was trained and verified using the synthetic database. The accuracy of backcalculation was evaluated with measured data from Long-Term Pavement Performance field testing sections. The ANN-GA program was found having acceptable accuracy through the verification and validation processes. The input variables of the ANN-GA program are available from FWD test including the deflections at different offsets, shap...
Factors Reinforcing Pakistan Halal Food Industry to Be the World Halal Food Hub

Halal is becoming a universal sign for quality assurance and standard of living. The world market for halal goods and services is rising into influential energy pitch of world commerce and finance. Halal products and Islamic Financial Services (IFS) have a market share of one trillion USD annually. The aim of this study was to survey the potential and expectations of halal food producers, distributors and consultants anticipate in promoting Pakistan halal food industry as a potential halal food hub. The study explored the halal food producer’s awareness, perception, religious beliefs and the market strategies government adopted to fortify the Pakistan halal food industry. Shariah compliance standards were also analyzed. The study found that Pakistani food producers and distributors perceived that most of the Muslim consumers prefer halal food items, and a proper advertising and marketing strategy of Pakistan halal food could be a competitive advantage in this regard. Some policy actions are needed to be established as governance of halal is unsystematic in Pakistan. This study will be of great significance to the policy makers, marketers and food manufacturers in Pakistan.
Death Signaling and Therapeutic Applications of TRAIL

Apoptosis is a biological process that plays a pivotal role in the development and homeostasis of multicellular organisms (1, 2, 3). Aberrations of this process can be detrimental to organisms. Excessive apoptosis causes damage to normal tissues in certain autoimmune disorders; however, a failure of apoptosis allows cells to grow unlimitedly, resulting in neoplasia. A wide variety of molecules have been identified to induce apoptosis. Among these molecules, ligand-type cytokine molecules including the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family members have been best characterized. The TNF family members most extensively characterized for death signaling and structure include TNF-α, Fas ligand (FasL), and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL).
On the Race to Starvation: How Do Bacteria Survive High Doses of Antibiotics?

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Gutierrez et al. (2017) unravel a bacterial survival strategy that they term "density-dependent persistence" or DDP. The authors demonstrate that the majority of isogenic cells in bacterial populations survive lethal antibiotic doses once bacteria consume nutrients and enter stationary growth phase.
Structure, Function and Regulation of Protein Phosphatase

In the opening lecture, the events surrounding the discovery that glycogen phosphorylase activity is regulated by phosphorylation-dephosphorylation were presented. Since that time, this type of protein modification has proved to be a major mechanism by which many eukaryotic cellular processes, including their metabolism, growth, differentiation, transformation and gene expression, can be regulated. We have already heard about the many advances that have been made in our understanding of the subunit structure, mechanism of action, functional sites and regulation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, of phosphorylase kinase, and several other kinases, including protein tyrosine kinases. Until recently, however, much less was known about the protein phosphatases that catalyse protein dephosphorylation. Reasons for this include: 1) difficulty in obtaining substrates since an appropriate phosphoprotein must first be isolated and then phosphorylated with a specific protein kinase, and 2) general instability, low intracellular concentrations, and broad specificity of the phosphatases in addition to their tendency to be affected by many allosteric agents. This has made it difficult to determine if one were working with a single phosphatase or a mixture of enzymes. Despite these problems, several phosphatases have now been purified and extensively studied and some of their properties will be discussed.
Structure and function of the fallopian tubes following exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) during gestation

The association between the use of diethylstilbestrol (DES) and vaginal and cervical adenocarcinoma and adenosis in the progeny was first reported by Herbst et al. in 1971. This progeny will reach a peak as far as reproduction is concerned in this decade. It is estimated that 2 million women may be involved to varying degrees. Changes in uterine and cervical contour and structure have been detailed. Thus DES exposure and anatomic changes in the Mullerian system have been documented. In this report 16 women in the reproductive age group who were exposed to DES in utero and presented with infertility are discussed. On workup for infertility they were found to have unique tubal morphologic features consisting of a foreshortened, convoluted tube with "withered" fimbria with a pinpoint os at laparoscopy. The diagnosis could not be made at the time of hysterosalpingogram. Three patients had surgery in an attempt to correct this condition; and in all cases the surgery was unsuccessful. No statistical data is offered as to epidemiologic factors or incidence rates, but the suspected increase in infertility and ectopic pregnancy rates in patients with DES exposure may corroborate these findings.
Adaptations of the Marsupial Newborn: Birth as an Extreme Environment

At birth a mammalian neonate enters an extreme environment compared to the intrauterine environment in which it has grown. This transition may be particularly extreme in marsupials because they are born at an exceedingly altricial state, after an exceptionally short gestation. Their stage of development must be considered embryonic by almost any criteria. Yet at this very early stage of development marsupials must travel to the teat, attach and suckle, and have basic functioning of all major physiological systems. In this article, we review the adaptations of the marsupial neonate for survival at an embryonic state, showing that the neonate exhibits a mosaic of accelerations and delays of various tissues and organs as well as several special adaptations to produce the functioning newborn. We then discuss the development of the craniofacial region, the body axis and limbs in order to detail some of the major changes to development leading to this uniquely configured neonate. We show that marsupial development arises out of a variety of heterochronies (changes in relative timing of events) and heterotopies (changes in location of specific developmental events) at the genetic, cellular and organ level. We argue that these data support hypotheses that many of the specific patterns seen in marsupial development arise from the basic constraint of embryonic energetic and tissue resources. Finally ideas on the evolutionary context of the marsupial developmental strategy are briefly reviewed. Anat Rec, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat Rec, 303:235-249, 2020. © 2018 American Association for Anatomy.
EFEITOS BIOLÓGICOS DA RADIAÇÃO ULTRAVIOLETA E SEU PAPEL NA CARCINOGÊNESE DE PELE: UMA REVISÃO

Introducao: Os raios ultravioletas sao espectros de radiacoes eletromagneticas emitidas pelo sol, que sao divididos em tres comprimentos de ondas UVA, UVB e UVC. Esses raios em contato com a pele humana desencadeiam diversas alteracoes, desde queimaduras solar ao desenvolvimento de uma lesao neoplasica como o câncer de pele nao melanoma que e o câncer mais prevalente no Brasil e no mundo. Objetivo: abordar os principais efeitos da Radiacao Ultravioleta (RUV) na carcinogenese de pele, bem como a prevalencia e fatores de risco associados ao câncer de pele nao melanoma. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma revisao narrativa descritiva, realizada nas bases de dados SCIELO, BVS e PUBMED, no periodo de agosto a outubro de 2017. Para cada estudo incluido foram extraidos autor; periodico; ano de publicacao, tipo de estudo e principais resultados. Resultados e discussao: No processo de pesquisa e selecao foram encontrados 766 artigos, destes, 21 foram inclusos. A exposicao a RUV solar ainda e o principal fator de risco para o câncer de pele nao melanoma. No Brasil, as Regioes Sul e Sudeste apresentaram os maiores indices de novos casos de câncer de pele nao melanoma. Os individuos com pele clara ou branca foram os mais susceptiveis a exposicao UV. Conclusao: A RUV tem papel fundamental na carcinogenese de pele do tipo nao melanoma. A maior prevalencia deste câncer e em pessoas de pele clara ou branca. Medidas de foto educacao e fotoprotecao ainda sao necessarias.
Bayesian Framework for Optimization of Electromagnetics Problems

Increasing application scope of internet-of-things devices have resulted in strict design requirements such as compact systems and efficient power delivery architectures to reduce battery wastage. RF wireless power transfer (WPT) have shown to be promising to address these issues, but with the cost of increased design complexity. In this work, we show a Bayesian framework to address this complexity and perform system-level electromagnetic-circuit co-optimization of the WPT system.
From CORONA to GRAB and CLASSIC WIZARD: Radical Technological Innovation in Satellite Reconnaissance

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it looks at some of the most critical events in the field of satellite reconnaissance and clarifies and enriches the associated historical record. The technological breakthroughs that obtained not only kept the United States’ capability for conducting overhead reconnaissance alive after Francis Gary Powers was shot down in 1960 – which led to a cessation of U-2 overflights of the Soviet Union – but also both figuratively and quite literally allowed intelligence gathering to reach new heights. Second, on a more general level, the paper aims to contribute to the literature on military innovation by analyzing what explains success in cases of “radical technological innovation.” In the military context, radical technological innovation is defined as the development and introduction into service of an individual weapon or sensor system that greatly enhances a military organization’s capacity for conducting operations in one or more areas of warfare or allows it to exploit a new dimension of the battlefield. The two goals are in fact very closely related, as good theory should be able to inform policymaking, and in terms of substantive policy significance, it would be difficult to find a question more rewarding than that of how the unprecedented expansion of US intelligence gathering capabilities during the Cold War came about.
Abstract TP234: Which Age-Groups are at Highest Risk for Early Readmission After Hospitalization for an Index Ischemic Stroke in the United States?

Background: Studies assessing the relationship between age and readmission rates in stroke survivors have yielded conflicting results. Limitations of these studies have included small sample size, ...
Demonstration of high mitochondrial metabolism by upregulation of MCT1 and TOMM20 as characteristic of anaplastic thryoid cancer.

e22258 Background: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is characterized by an aggressive phenotype with high growth kinetics and morbid local invasion. Genetic analyses have repeatedly shown that pathw...
Accessibility of cooling centers to heat-vulnerable populations in New York State

Abstract Introduction Spending a few hours to cool down in a cooling center reduces the impact of heat on health. But limited or lack of accessibility of these facilities is often a barrier to their utilization. The objective of this study was to assess accessibility of the cooling centers to heat-vulnerable populations in New York State (NYS) by various modes of transportation. Methods We estimate the proximity of 377 cooling centers to general and heat-vulnerable populations in NYS (excluding New York City (NYC)) and determine their accessibility via walking, public transportation and driving. Distances between tract populations and nearest cooling center, and between cooling centers and public transportation stops were estimated. Accessibility in four metropolitan regions was determined via public transportation while accessibility in heat-vulnerable rural areas was estimated via driving. Results Distances to nearest cooling center ranged from 0 to 53.2 miles with only a third of NYS population within walking distance (0.5 miles) of a cooling center. About 51% of heat-vulnerable tracts were within 0.5 miles, with an average distance of 2.4 miles to the nearest cooling center. Within the four metro politan regions 80% of cooling centers within 0.5 miles of a public transportation stop. All cooling centers in heat-vulnerable tracts were accessible via public transportation. In rural heat-vulnerable tracts, driving distances averaged at about 18 miles. Conclusions In urban areas many residents were not within walking distance of a cooling center, but most, and nearly all in the most heat-vulnerable areas, were within walking distance of public transportation to a cooling center. In rural locations distances were longer, and accessibility is a greater issue. Cooling centers can be a valuable resource for general and heat-vulnerable populations during an extreme heat event. When planning and implementing cooling centers, it is therefore important to improve accessibility and address other barriers that can hamper their utilization.
Targeting of the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract for MR-guided focused ultrasound treatment of essential tremor.

BackgroundMagnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound ablation of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus is a safe and effective treatment for medically refractory essential tremor. However, in...
States as Policy Laboratories: The Politics of State-Based Single-Payer Proposals

Although the focus for most single-payer advocates is in Washington, DC, and on proposals for Medicare for all, there are also efforts in a handful of states to enact a state-based single-payer program. Moreover, the odds of legislative passage are better in a state like New York than at the federal level.Even if enacted, however, state-based single-payer proposals face a distinct set of obstacles, including (1) the need to obtain federal permission (via waivers) to repurpose federal dollars, (2) the federal Employee Retirement Income and Security Act, and (3) the burden of state-only action in an interconnected 50-state economy.The most likely result of the energized single-payer movement will be incremental public insurance expansions at the federal and state levels, including state programs to permit the uninsured to buy into the Medicaid program. Such an outcome is consistent with the most plausible path (incrementalism) to a US version of universal coverage.
Incubating Western Science Education in Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries in India

India is known for its diversity of languages, cultures, ethnicities, religions and environment. However, the revisions to the current science curriculum and pedagogy in the National Curriculum Framework 2005 does not heed to the unique perspectives and value that this diversity brings to the vibrancy of its science classrooms and still imposes a monolithic curriculum in most schools. When I started my research into Tibetan Buddhist monastics’ experiences of learning Western science, the literature was devoid of any lessons to draw from India or its neighbouring countries, despite the existence of various religions, cultures, languages and indigenous groups in the sub-continent where negotiation between traditional ways of knowing and Western science has been ongoing. Hence, in my research, I used the science education literature involving indigenous people and communities around the globe. These include indigenous people from the Americas, South Africa and Pacific Islands, where research has been undertaken about the experiences and challenges of learners in negotiating and integrating their traditional worldview with the worldview implicit in Western science education. In this chapter, I will share the experiences of monastics negotiating the intersection of Western science and Buddhist theology from an educational perspective and provide a brief history of programs that were set up to formalise Western science teaching in the Tibetan Buddhist monastic academic institutions of India.
An Experimentally Validated Mesoscale Model of Thermal Conductivity of a UO 2 and BeO Composite Nuclear Fuel

An experimentally validated mesoscale model was developed to simulate the effective thermal conductivity of UO2–BeO nuclear fuel with different microstructural features. The effects of the second phase (BeO) fraction and morphology, temperature, and interface thermal resistance were investigated. The model predicts that the continuous second phase configuration has a higher effective thermal conductivity than the dispersed second phase configuration for the same volume fraction and temperature. Companion experiments were conducted to validate the model predictions. It was demonstrated that accounting for the interface (Kapitza) thermal resistance is necessary to improve the model predictions. The largest difference between the model calculations and experimental results was about 5%, which is within the precision of the experimental measurements.
Evolution of the gastrointestinal tract morphology and plasticity in cave-adapted Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus

The gastrointestinal tract has evolved in numerous ways to allow animals to optimally assimilate energy from different food sources. The morphology and physiology of the gut is plastic and can be greatly altered by diet in some animals. In this study, we investigate the evolution and plasticity of gastrointestinal tract morphology by comparing laboratory raised cave-adapted and river-adapted forms of the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus reared under different dietary conditions. In the wild, river-dwelling populations (surface fish) consume plants and insects throughout the year, while cave-dwelling populations (cavefish) live in a perpetually-dark environment dependent on nutrient-poor food brought in by bats or seasonal floods. We find that multiple cave populations converged on a reduced number of digestive appendages called pyloric caeca and that some cave populations have a lengthened gut while others have a shortened gut. Moreover, we identified differences in how gut morphology and proliferation of the epithelium respond to diet between surface fish and cavefish. Using a combination of quantitative genetic mapping, population genetics, and RNA sequencing we implicate molecular and genetic changes influencing cell proliferation, cell signaling, and immune system function in the evolution of gut morphology.
Implausible OECD motor vehicle travel data

Abstract To assess the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles in a given country, an estimate of kilometers traveled is required. Examination of kilometers per liter among countries contributing data to OECD revealed implausible results for several. Also kilometers per vehicle were anomalous. The kilometers per vehicle based on a stratified random sample of U.S. travel varied substantially from the numbers reported by OECD during 2000–2014. OECD motor vehicle travel data are unusable.
Hybridizing clinical translatability with enzyme-free DNA signal amplifiers: recent advances in nucleic acid detection and imaging

Nucleic acids have become viable prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for a diverse class of diseases, particularly cancer. However, the low femtomolar to attomolar concentration of nucleic acids in human samples require sensors with excellent detection capabilities; many past and current platforms fall short or are economically difficult. Strand-mediated signal amplifiers such as hybridization chain reaction (HCR) and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) are superior methods for detecting trace amounts of biomolecules because one target molecule triggers the continuous production of synthetic double-helical DNA. This cascade event is highly discriminatory to the target via sequence specificity, and it can be coupled with fluorescence, electrochemistry, magnetic moment, and electrochemiluminescence for signal reporting. Here, we review recent advances in enhancing the sensing abilities in HCR and CHA for improved live-cell imaging efficiency, lowered limit of detection, and optimized multiplexity. We further outline the potential for clinical translatability of HCR and CHA by summarizing progress in employing these two tools for in vivo imaging, human sample testing, and sensing-treating dualities. We finally discuss their future prospects and suggest clinically-relevant experiments to supplement further related research.
The Association of Asthma, Sexual Identity, and Inhaled Substance Use among U.S. Adolescents.

Rationale: Minority sexual identity appears to confer asthma risks. Although associations between inhaled substances and asthma are established, these have not been examined among sexual minority y...
Effects of FinTech and Crowdsourced Forecasting on Firms: Evidence from Estimize

This paper examines whether and how coverage from a unique crowdsourced financial estimates platform, Estimize, affects firms. Employing a difference-in-difference design comparing firms that gain coverage from Estimize with firms that do not, I find that covered firms experience decreased information asymmetry, implying that Estimize provides useful information to the market. I also provide evidence of a visibility effect, as the breadth of institutional ownership increases following initiation of Estimize coverage. In addition, firms gaining Estimize coverage become more likely to engage in real earnings management and issue downwards quarterly earnings guidance, suggesting increased pressure effects from Estimize coverage. However, I find no monitoring effects of Estimize on firms’ financial reporting and future firm performance. Lastly, I find that firm value significantly increases upon Estimize coverage, and that the driving channels are reduction of information asymmetry and increased visibility. Furthermore, the effects of Estimize coverage on firm outcomes appear to be more pronounced when a firm has zero analyst coverage. Taken together, the evidence in this paper suggests that crowdsourced forecasting affects firms through various channels, most notably through decreasing information asymmetry, increasing visibility and pressure, but that the net effect on firm value is positive.
Creating Community Through Affinity Groups for Minority Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

This viewpoint article describes an effective model for creating and sustaining an affinity group for undergraduate and graduate students from racial and ethnic backgrounds historically underrepres...
The devil is in the details: The effect of nonverbal cues on crowdfunding success

Abstract Many reward-based crowdfunding platforms encourage entrepreneurs to introduce their projects and make a personal appeal with a video clip. In this study, we investigate the impact of such a pitch video on financing outcomes. Grounded in social perception literature, we propose that effective use of nonverbal cues in a pitch video increases funding success. We coded and analyzed videos of crowdfunding campaigns and found that an entrepreneur could improve the funding outcomes by gazing less, appearing early, and reducing speech hesitations in a pitch video. We also found that smiling has no impact on funding success.
Mutation, selection, and the prevalence of the C. elegans mortal germline phenotype

C. elegans strains with the mortal germline (Mrt) phenotype become progressively sterile over the course of a few tens of generations. Mrt is proximately controlled epigenetically, and is typically temperature-dependent, being penetrant at temperatures near the upper range of C. elegans tolerance. Previous studies have suggested that Mrt presents a relatively large mutational target, and that Mrt is not uncommon in natural populations of C. elegans. The Mrt phenotype is not monolithic. Some strains exhibit a strong Mrt phenotype, in which individuals invariably become sterile over a few generations, whereas other strains show a weaker (less penetrant) phenotype in which the onset of sterility is slower and more stochastic. We present results in which we (1) quantify the rate of mutation to the Mrt phenotype, and (2) quantify the frequency of Mrt in a collection of 95 wild isolates. Over the course of ~16,000 meioses, we detected one mutation to a strong Mrt phenotype, resulting in a point estimate of the mutation rate[xcup] Mrt{approx} 6x10-5/genome/generation. We detected no mutations to a weak Mrt phenotype. 5/95 wild isolates had a strong Mrt phenotype, and although quantification of the weak Mrt phenotype is inexact, the weak Mrt phenotype is not rare in nature. We estimate a strength of selection against mutations conferring the strong Mrt phenotype [Formula], similar to selection against mutations affecting competitive fitness. The appreciable frequency of weak Mrt variants in nature combined with the low mutation rate suggests that Mrt may be maintained by balancing selection.
Space Shuttle launch pad rescue plan

The final preparation of the Space Shuttle Orbiter for flight involves the loading of large quantities of hazardous propellants. Additionally, many pyrotechnially operated mechanical joints are armed and ready for flight. The personnel manning at the pad is minimized during these operations to reduce the risk. Upon completion of propellant loading, the flight crew must be boarded onto the vehicle which at this point has tremendous potential energy. Plans have been made to safely and quickly evacuate the crew should some unforeseen contigency occur. Both aided and unaided egress scenarios have been planned. Personnel protective equipment is an important consideration to assure the highest chance for survival. Rapid movement of personnel is enhanced by the use of the slidewire system and specially prepared armored personnel carriers. The end result is a system that provides a reasonable chance of survival should an emergency occur during late countdown at the pad.
Bayesian Methods in Nonlinear Time Series

This paper reviews the analysis of the threshold autoregressive, smooth threshold autoregressive, and Markov switching autoregressive models from the Bayesian perspective. For each model we start by describing a baseline model and discussing possible extensions and applications. Then we review the choice of prior, inference, tests against the linear hypothesis, and conclude with models selection. A short discussion of recent progress in incorporating regime changes into theoretical macroeconomic models concludes our survey.
Performance of the NAS parallel benchmarks on grid enabled clusters

As grids become more available and mature in real world settings, users are faced with considerations regarding the efficiency of applications and their capability of utilizing additional nodes distributed over a wide area network. When both tightly coupled clusters and loosely gathered grids are available, a cost effective organization will schedule applications that can execute with minimal performance degradation over wide-area networks on grids, while reserving clusters for applications with high communication costs. We analyze the performance of the NAS parallel benchmarks using both MPICH-G2 and MPICH with the ch/spl I.bar/p4 device. We compare the results of these communication devices on both tightly and loosely coupled systems, and present an analysis of how parallel applications perform in real-world environments. We make recommendations as to where applications run most efficiently, and under what conditions.
Investigations into the analysis of remote sensing images with a growing neural gas pattern recognition algorithm

The growing neural gas (GNG) pattern recognition algorithm is an unsupervised algorithm which inserts nodes into the state space of the training data. Observations of the behavior of the algorithm lead to the hypothesis that this method may be an efficient pre-classification clustering algorithm for data in highly discrete state spaces, as in satellite remote sensing images. The GNG algorithm was used to train a network using a Landsat image from Wyoming. The initial results of this investigation were extremely positive. The image derived from the trained GNG network is difficult to distinguish from the source image. Preliminary statistical results also indicate a high degree of correlation between the source and resultant images.
A liberal realist answer to debunking skeptics: the empirical case for realism

Debunking skeptics claim that our moral beliefs are formed by processes unsuited to identifying objective facts, such as emotions inculcated by our genes and culture; therefore, they say, even if there are objective moral facts, we probably don’t know them. I argue that the debunking skeptics cannot explain the pervasive trend toward liberalization of values over human history, and that the best explanation is the realist’s: humanity is becoming increasingly liberal because liberalism is the objectively correct moral stance.
Inhibition of tsh Bio-Activity by Synthetic βTsh Peptides

The in vitro bioactivity of the human βTSH subunit was investigated utilizing eleven overlapping synthetic peptides representing the entire 112 residue sequence. The peptides were tested for both stimulatory and inhibitory activity in two sensitive bioassay systems: the first based on cAMP production in FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells, and the second based on stimulation of iodine trapping by the same continuous cell line. Peptides from three distinct regions of the β-subunit showed concentration dependent inhibition of TSH bio-activity, including β1–15, β11–25, β31–45, β81–95, and β91–105 with IC50 values ranging from 150 to 304 μM. An additional peptide representing the entire sequence of the “intercysteine loop” region of βTSH, β31–52, also inhibited TSH activity With somewhat higher potency than its fragment peptide β31–45 (IC50 of 87.5 ± 14.7 μM for β31–52 versus 207 ± 92.4 μM for β31–45). Three of these, β1–15, β31–45, and β31–52, also inhibited binding of TSH to the receptor in a radio-receptor assay, as ...
Design and implementation of a general-purpose processor for space systems

The requirements for this processor were established using the experience of the hardware and software designers in the APL Space Department. The use of commercial hardware and software products, combined with an error- and fault-tolerant architecture, resulted in a low-cost design without adversely affecting overall reliability. The processor's architecture and mechanical design, and hardware and software test and validation methods are described.
Defective Proximal TCR Signaling Inhibits CD8+ Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Lytic Function

CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are severely deficient in cytolysis, a defect that may permit tumor escape from immune-mediated destruction. Because lytic function is dependent upon TCR signaling, we have tested the hypothesis that primary TIL have defective signaling by analysis of the localization and activation status of TIL proteins important in TCR-mediated signaling. Upon conjugate formation with cognate target cells in vitro, TIL do not recruit granzyme B+ granules, the microtubule-organizing center, F-actin, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein, nor proline rich tyrosine kinase-2 to the target cell contact site. In addition, TIL do not flux calcium nor demonstrate proximal tyrosine kinase activity, deficiencies likely to underlie failure to fully activate the lytic machinery. Confocal microscopy and fluorescence resonance energy transfer analyses demonstrate that TIL are triggered by conjugate formation in that the TCR, p56lck, CD3zeta, LFA-1, lipid rafts, ZAP70, and linker for activation of T cells localize at the TIL:tumor cell contact site, and CD43 and CD45 are excluded. However, proximal TCR signaling is blocked upon conjugate formation because the inhibitory motif of p56lck is rapidly phosphorylated (Y505) and COOH-terminal Src kinase is recruited to the contact site, while Src homology 2 domain-containing protein phosphatase 2 is cytoplasmic. Our data support a novel mechanism explaining how tumor-induced inactivation of proximal TCR signaling regulates lytic function of antitumor T cells.
Support Schemas Influence Reactivity for Adult Survivors of Childhood Maltreatment

Adult survivors of childhood maltreatment can be resilient when they have adequate psychosocial resources to cope with maltreatment-related sequelae; however, interpersonal problems may influence the effectiveness of such resources. This study used a schema activation experimental paradigm to test the benefit of social support cognitions on emotional reactivity in adult survivors, while also testing for the moderating role of interpersonal problems and the mediating role of stress appraisal. Young women (N = 126, ages = 18-23) with histories of childhood maltreatment were administered an anger provocation stressor task while their cardiac activity, state anger, and stress appraisals were assessed. Prior to the stressor, women were randomly assigned to either a support schema condition or an acquaintance schema (control) condition, in which they were asked to think and write about either a supportive person or casual acquaintance. The support schema condition demonstrated the least emotional reactivity as ...
CELLULAR PROCESSING OF TEMPORAL INFORMATION IN MEDIAL VESTIBULAR NUCLEUS NEURONS

Quantitative descriptions of the cellular transformations from behaviorally relevant inputs into temporal patterns of firing are crucial for understanding information processing in systems of neurons and for incorporating biological properties of neurons into models of the neural control of behavior. To understand how neurons that mediate vestibulo-ocular behavior transform their inputs into temporal patterns of firing, we examined responses of medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons to current injected intracellularly. MVN neurons recorded from avian brain slices fired spontaneously. Sinusoidal modulation of input current produced precisely sinusoidal modulation of firing rate. The transformation between input current and firing rate was remarkably linear: firing rate scaled linearly as a function of current amplitude, and the responses to steps of input current were predicted accurately from the linear superposition of responses to sinusoidal modulation of input current. Over the physiological range of head movement frequencies, from 0.1 to 10 Hz, peak-to-peak modulation of firing rate was relatively constant or increased slightly in most neurons. In contrast, when hyperpolarizing current was used to keep neurons below threshold for action potentials, the frequency response of the membrane potential behaved like a low-pass filter. These results imply that the membrane conductances that are active when MVN neurons fire compensate for the low-pass characteristics of the membrane to allow faithful transmission of high frequency head movement signals.
Effect of Textile Properties in Evaluating a Directional Shading Fabric

The effect of textile properties—openness of weave, fiber cross section, and fabric structure—on the distribution and redirection of sunlight is reported in this paper. A new scanning radiometer apparatus evaluates the performance of directional shading fabrics through measurements of biconical transmittance distributions. A Z-pleat cross-sectional shade design (aspect ratio 1.5:1) with a round fiber cross section and variable pitch, specular reflecting tape has evolved from an evaluation of several exploratory designs. The effect of the Z-pleat configuration on enhancing the redirection of light is discussed as it relates to the daylighting performance evaluation of a directional shading fabric.
Block Copolymer Lithography

This chapter presents block copolymer lithography (BCPL) in light of engineering nanoscale architectures for catalytic applications. It begins with an introduction to the basic phenomenology of block copolymers and then follows with highlights of recent advances in block copolymer science. An overview of the methods and materials commonly used in BCPL is provided. Important results involving BCPL in current research including heterogeneous catalysis, advanced material growth, and plasmonics are presented. Finally, challenges and outlook for BCPL are discussed.
The external coherence of Pokot ritual behaviour

Human ritual behaviour involves a component of sign-symbolism which notably heightens the complexity of its analysis. For participants and observers alike, the meaning of ritual may be ambiguous and arbitrary. Furthermore, the meaning of ritual and its content may change independently of each other with time and circumstance. Using the Nkula ceremony of the Ndembe people of Central Africa as his data, Professor Turner has amply demonstrated for this Symposium the internal coherence of ritual behaviour and the complexity of its discovery (this Symposium, pp. 295- 303). The present paper is written from a different point of view—it emphasizes the external coherence or ‘fit’ of ritual with other aspects of a way of life. The data presented here include the behaviour observed during some of the ritual events by means of which (and at a very generalized level of meaning) the Pokot of East Africa anticipate the summer solstice (1).
Sexual dimorphism in gender plasticity and its consequences for breeding system evolution

Flowering plants are able to develop gametes throughout their lives. As a consequence, environmental conditions can impact this development and alter a plant's functional gender or the degree to which it achieves fitness through male or female function. Two dimorphic breeding systems are widespread among angiosperm families: gynodioecy (hermaphrodites and females) and dioecy (males and females). Gynodioecy can evolve into dioecy, via loss of female function on the hermaphrodites, or it can remain stable. Here I discuss how developmental plasticity of gender can impact the sex ratio of populations and thereby influence the transition of one breeding system into another. I review studies showing that greater plasticity of fruit production by hermaphrodites as compared with females causes sex ratios among populations to vary in response to environmental conditions, with higher female frequency expected in harsh or low-quality sites. I also review how dioecy may evolve in dry sites to avoid inbreeding and any consequent inbreeding depression. Taken together, these studies show the importance of understanding how ecological development affects functional gender and consequently the evolutionary stability or malleability of dimorphic breeding systems.
Individual differences and task design: A laboratory experiment

Abstract A laboratory experiment was conducted to test the moderating effects of Protestant Ethic, Growth Need Strength, Need for Achievement, and Arousal-Seeking Tendency on task design relationships. Objective task scope was manipulated by assigning 190 college students to either a simple or complex electronic assembly task. While none of the individual differences variables significantly moderated the objective scope—satisfaction relationship, need for achievement did moderate the perceived scope—satisfaction relationship. Upon inspection of the interaction terms, however, it was found that the moderating effects were contrary to those hypothesized. Implications for both theory development and the practice of job redesign are discussed.