cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detection theory and quantum mechanics (II)

Statistical signal detection is formulated quantum-mechanically in terms of choosing one of two density operators as the better description of the state of an ideal receiver after exposure to a field in which a signal may or may not be present. The optimum decision procedure is expressed as a projection operator on the state-space of the receiver. Examples involving the single-mode detection of coherent and incoherent signals are given. Threshold detection as an approximation to optimum detection for weak signals is also defined quantum-mechanically, and threshold detectors for coherent and incoherent fields occupying many modes of a receiver cavity are worked out. The noise in all cases is taken to be thermal radiation described by the Planck law.
Inferential model-based control of multicomponent batch distillation

Abstract Industrial interest in batch distillation has increased significantly in recent years as more batch processing is being used for low-volume high-value specialty chemicals. Most studies have concentrated on the determination of optimum operating strategies: optimum trajectories of reflux ratio and pressure during the batch and processing of the slop cuts that are produced. Little attention has been paid to the problems of control. If instantaneous and perfect analyzers were available, the control of batch distillation would be straightforward once the optimum policies are available. Switching from total-reflux operation to producing product and from this to slop-cut production could be performed when compositions in the reflux drum or in product tankage reached the desired values. However, in most industrial applications of batch distillation, perfect composition measurements are not available. This means that an inferential control system that relies on temperature and flow measurements must be used. Models of the batch distillation process can be used to provide estimates of the required compositions. This paper presents the results of a study of two types of model-based inferential control systems for multicomponent batch distillation. The results showed that both steady-state and dynamic estimators provide good estimation of the distillate compositions using only one temperature measurement.
Effects of winter atmospheric circulation on temporal and spatial variability in annual streamflow in the western United States

Abstract Winter mean 700-hectoPascal (hPa) height anomalies, representing the average atmospheric circulation during the snow season, are compared with annual streamflow measured at 140 streamgauges in the western United States. Correlation and anomaly pattern analyses are used to identify relationships between winter mean atmospheric circulation and temporal and spatial variability in annual streamflow. Results indicate that variability in winter mean 700-Hpa height anomalies accounts for a statistically significant portion of the temporal variability in annual streamflow in the western United States. In general, above-average annual streamflow is associated with negative winter mean 700-Hpa height anomalies over the eastern North Pacific Ocean and/or the western United States. The anomalies produce an anomalous flow of moist air from the eastern North Pacific Ocean into the western United States that increases winter precipitation and snowpack accumulations, and subsequently streamflow. Winter mean 700-...
Calculation of total free energy yield as an alternative approach for predicting the importance of potential chemolithotrophic reactions in geothermal springs

To inform hypotheses regarding the relative importance of chemolithotrophic metabolisms in geothermal environments, we calculated free energy yields of 26 chemical reactions potentially supporting chemolithotrophy in two US Great Basin hot springs, taking into account the effects of changing reactant and product activities on the Gibbs free energy as each reaction progressed. Results ranged from 1.2 × 10(-5) to 3.6 J kg(-1) spring water, or 3.7 × 10(-5) to 11.5 J s(-1) based on measured flow rates, with aerobic oxidation of CH(4) or NH4 + giving the highest average yields. Energy yields calculated without constraining pH were similar to those at constant pH except for reactions where H(+) was consumed, which often had significantly lower yields when pH was unconstrained. In contrast to the commonly used normalization of reaction chemical affinities per mole of electrons transferred, reaction energy yields for a given oxidant varied by several orders of magnitude and were more sensitive to differences in the activities of products and reactants. The high energy yield of aerobic ammonia oxidation is consistent with previous observations of significant ammonia oxidation rates and abundant ammonia-oxidizing archaea in sediments of these springs. This approach offers an additional lens through which to view the thermodynamic landscape of geothermal springs.
Biochemistry of amphibian metamorphosis: effect of triiodothyronine, thyroxin, and dinitrophenol on the respiration of the tadpole.

A simple method involving the Warburg apparatus has been used for the study of the oxygen consumption of small and moderate sized tadpoles. Significant increases in the respiration of tadpoles were observed after small doses of 3,5,′-triiodothyronine, regardless of the unit of tissue used for the calculation. Thyroxin also increased tadpole oxygen consumption. However, it was not possible to establish whether or not spontaneous metamorphosis is accompanied by an increase in respiration. The tadpole gave a calorigenic response to 2,4-dinitrophenol whether administered by injection or by immersion. No significant increase was noted in succinoxidase activity after 3,5,′-triiodothyronine treatment. The possibility of the greater importance of alternative paths of oxidative metabolism in the tadpole is suggested.
Letter by Book et al Regarding Article, “Pulmonary Valve Replacement in Tetralogy of Fallot: Impact on Survival and Ventricular Tachycardia”

To the Editor: Although we applaud the efforts of Harrild et al1 in a recent issue of Circulation to address the important issue of the timing and benefits of pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) in patients with tetralogy of Fallot who have had previous pulmonary valve disruption, we do not feel the data support the conclusion that “compared with a group of similar control subjects, PVR did not result in improved survival.” The authors acknowledge a critical baseline difference between …
BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTING LOW-CARBON TECHNOLOGIES

This paper reviews the major barriers to the adoption of low-carbon technologies, with a focus on market failures that provide a rationale for policy intervention to improve economic efficiency. Market failures include externalities, asymmetric information, institutional failures, regulatory failures, and failures of consumer or firm decision-making. We discuss central generation renewable energy technologies, CCS technology, distribution generation renewable energy, and technologies to reduce the demand for energy. For each technology category, we assess whether and how policy might improve economic efficiency, and point to key open research questions.
Distribution of Stratospheric Nitric Acid Vapor.

Abstract Stratospheric nitric acid vapor was collected by sorption on cellulose filters impregnated with dibutoxy-ethylpthalate. The sampling was conducted by both stratospheric aircraft and balloons from 53S to 65N up to altitudes of 37 km. Results indicate concentrations increase with higher latitudes. The most concentrated layer extends from about 20 to 27 km in polar regions, and higher at lower latitudes. The present data indicate a seasonal variation in concentration. Stratospheric nitrate does not appear to be appreciably associated with stratospheric aerosol. The observed concentrations are in reasonable agreement with theoretically computed profiles. The transport rate of stratospheric nitric acid into the troposphere balances the computed production rate of stratosphere nitric oxide from nitrous oxide.
Modification of human DNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity by cyclic GMP

Abstract The effect of low concentrations of cyclic GMP (guanosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate) on the in vitro enzymatic activities of DNA-dependent RNA polymerases isolated from human peripheral blood lymphocytes has been investigated. In agreement with earlier studies which employed isolated nuclei as the enzyme source, an increase in the activity of partially purified RNA polymerase I is observed in the presence of cyclic GMP (10(-8) to 10(-10)M). RNA polymerase II activity is inhibited by the presence of cyclic GMP at concentrations between 10(-4) and 10(-10)M. RNA polymerase III activity is stimulated in a bimodal fashion by the presence of cyclic GMP with maximal activity noted at 10(-8) to 10(-10) M and 10(-5)M. In addition, [3H]cyclic GMP binds specifically to chromatographic fractions which are known to contain RNA polymerases I, II and III. This binding to RNA polymerases II and III is apprarently less tenacious as demonstrated by dissociation studies. The observations provide additional evidence for a role for cyclic GMP in the regulation of RNA synthesis.
Purification and Characterization of the Repressor of the Shiga Toxin-Encoding Bacteriophage 933W: DNA Binding, Gene Regulation, and Autocleavage

The genes encoding Shiga toxin (stx), the major virulence factor of Shiga toxin-encoding Escherichia coli (STEC) strains, are carried on lambdoid prophages resident in all known STEC strains. The stx genes are expressed only during lytic growth of these temperate bacteriophages. We cloned the gene encoding the repressor of the Shiga toxin-encoding bacteriophage 933W and examined the DNA binding and transcriptional regulatory activities of the overexpressed, purified protein. Typical of nearly all lambdoid phage repressors, 933W repressor binds to three sites in 933W right operator (OR). Also typical, when bound at OR, 933W repressor functions as an activator at the PRM promoter and a repressor at the PR promoter. In contrast to other lambdoid bacteriophages, 933W left operator (OL) contains only two repressor binding sites, but the OL-bound repressor still efficiently represses PL transcription. Lambdoid prophage induction requires inactivation of the repressor’s DNA binding activity. In all phages examined thus far, this inactivation requires a RecA-stimulated repressor autoproteolysis event, with cleavage occurring precisely in an Ala-Gly dipeptide sequence that is found within a “linker ” region that joins the two domains of these proteins. However, 933W repressor protein contains neither an Ala-Gly nor an alternative Cys-Gly dipeptide cleavage site anywhere in its linker sequence. We show here that the autocleavage occurs at a Leu-Gly dipeptide. Thus, the specificity of the repressor autocleavage site is more variable than thought previously.
A MODEL FOR HEATING of LIQUID‐PARTICLE MIXTURES IN A CONTINUOUS FLOW OHMIC HEATER

Design of safe thermal processes in a continuous flow ohmic heater requires mathematical model development, since temperature monitoring of particles in continuous flow is not presently possible. A mathematical model previously developed and verified for a static heater was modified to predict temperatures of fluids and particles within a continuous heater with high particle concentration suspensions. Results for constant voltage simulations indicate that the presence of large populations of low electrical conductivity particles results in slow heating of the entire mixture rather than a single phase alone. In all these cases, particles tend to heat faster than the liquid. However, if isolated low-conductivity particles enter the system, the danger of underprocessing exists; hence particle conductivity is a critical control point. Simulations also indicate the role played by residence time distribution and liquid-particle heat transfer coefficients in the above cases.
ThetenthStrand == 3 * ethicaldebates + solution

This paper includes several sources from computer science literature, describing three conflicting views of how ethical issues should be incorporated in curricula. Descriptions of specific curricular examples, drawn from several phases of our university's plan for including ethical issues, follow the literature review.
Normal mode analysis of waveguide devices. II. Device output and crosstalk

For pt.I see ibid., p.1051 (1988). A normal mode analysis is applied to Mach-Zehnder interferometers and directional couplers for the purpose of calculating device output and crosstalk, while including a rigorous treatment of the device transition structures. For devices whose transition structures are both nonsynchronous and nonabrupt the parameters of the transition structure are shown to affect both crosstalk (or modulation index) and the zero voltage bias. For synchronous directional couplers dephasing of the normal modes in the transition structures is shown to require different voltages to achieve zero crosstalk in the cross state with reverse phase mismatch and in the bar state with uniform phase mismatch. >
Vocalization frequency and duration are coded in separate hindbrain nuclei

Temporal patterning is an essential feature of neural networks producing precisely timed behaviours such as vocalizations that are widely used in vertebrate social communication. Here we show that intrinsic and network properties of separate hindbrain neuronal populations encode the natural call attributes of frequency and duration in vocal fish. Intracellular structure/function analyses indicate that call duration is encoded by a sustained membrane depolarization in vocal prepacemaker neurons that innervate downstream pacemaker neurons. Pacemaker neurons, in turn, encode call frequency by rhythmic, ultrafast oscillations in their membrane potential. Pharmacological manipulations show prepacemaker activity to be independent of pacemaker function, thus accounting for natural variation in duration which is the predominant feature distinguishing call types. Prepacemaker neurons also innervate key hindbrain auditory nuclei thereby effectively serving as a call-duration corollary discharge. We propose that premotor compartmentalization of neurons coding distinct acoustic attributes is a fundamental trait of hindbrain vocal pattern generators among vertebrates.
Acaricide trials against Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neum., Amblyomma variegatum (F.) and Boophilus decoloratus (Koch) (Ixodidae) on cattle in Uganda

Field trials were conducted to compare toxicity and residual activity on cattle of 18 acaricides against Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neum., Amblyomma variegatum (F.), and Boophilus decoloratus (Koch). Ticks were counted one, four and seven days after the cattle were sprayed. Each of the seven experiments involved three sprayings at seven- to eight-day intervals.Toxaphene at 0.25 per cent., included as a standard, was relatively slow acting compared to organophosphorous and carbamate acaricides, but was equal to or better than most of the new acaricides in residual activity and over-all effectiveness. Carbaryl, Mopham and toxaphene were tested at the highest concertration, 0.5 per cent., and found to have the maximum over-all effectiveness, including maximum residual activity. Nevertheless, even these treatments did not protexct cattle against tick attachment and engorgement for as long as seven days.All acaricides tested were very effective against B. decoloratus and A. variegatum, but none completely prevented attachment of R. appendiculatus foe as long as four days, even though all were very toxic to this tick. The smallest number (1.8 per beast) of R. appendiculatus attaching in four days occurred on the cattle sprayed with 0.5 per cent. carbaryl, but by seven days after spraying there were many ticks attached and some were already partially engorged. The inference is that none of the compounds tested gave promise of prevention of tick-borne disease transmission when used on a seven-day schedule. No inference is made concerning tick-borne disease control by reduction of tick numbers on the pasture land.Mortality among ticks on the cattle one day after treatment was greatest for 0.1 per cent. coumaphos, 0.25 per cent. Prolate, 0.05 per cent. Bayer 9053, 0.2 per cent. Geigy GS 13006, 0.2 per cent. and 0.5 percent. carbaryl, 0.1 per cent dioxathion, 0.05 per cent. Bayer 9037, 0.1 per cent. prothidathion, 0.1 per cent. Dursban, 0.2 per cent. and 0.5 per cent. Mobam, 0.025 per cent. and 0.05 percent. chlorfenvinphos, 0.2 per cent. fenitrithion and 0.1 per cent. ethion. Mortalities of 83.1 per cent. to 88.5 per cent. were given by 0.05 per cent. diazinon, 0.1 per cent. bromophos-ethyl, 0.025 per cent. Dursban, and 0.5 per cent. toxaphene. Mortality below 74 per cent. was caused by 0.25 per cent. toxaphene, 0.2 per cent. bromocyelen, and 0.1 per cent. carbophenothion.
TLR2/6 agonists and IFNγ synergize to induce melanoma cells to produce T-cell recruiting chemokines

Melanoma is currently the most lethal form of skin cancer. Clinical efforts to combat melanoma have included approaches to induce the immune system, through T-cell directed therapies, to clear melanoma. These approaches require that immune cells enter the tumor microenvironment to be clinically beneficial. However, most tumors lack significant immune infiltration prior to immune therapy, and immune therapies are hindered by a persistent lack of immune cell infiltration. Chemokines can promote T-cell migration into tumors; therefore agents that induce chemokine production by melanoma cells to promote T-cell infiltration may be clinically beneficial, and could potentially work synergistically with current immune treatments for melanoma. We hypothesized that TLR ligation of melanoma would induce immune cell attracting chemokine secretion directly from melanoma cells, alone or in combination with IFNγ. To test this hypothesis, we treated human melanoma cell lines (VMM1, DM13, DM93 and DM122) individually with TLR agonists and analyzed effects on the expression of chemokines CCL2-5, CXCL9-10, and CXCL12 by flow cytometric analysis. The following TLR agonists were tested: MALP-2 and FSL-1 (TLR2/6), poly-ICLC (TLR3), LPS (TLR4), CpG (TLR9), Resiquimod (TLR7/8), Imiquimod (TLR7). Our studies found that melanoma express TLRs 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9, but that without exogenous stimulation, melanoma cells produce few immune cell attracting chemokines. Furthermore, stimulation of melanoma with the TLR agonists alone induced little chemokine production. However, TLR2/6 treatment of melanoma cells (MALP-2 or FSL-1) given in combination with IFNγ resulted in significant increases in CXCL10 and CCL3 chemokine production by melanoma. We found that TLR2 and TLR6 are widely expressed on human melanoma cells. Furthermore, stimulation of fresh patient melanoma specimens with TLR2/6 agonists plus IFNγ induces CXCL10 production from melanoma cells, endothelial cells and, to a lesser extent, several immune cell subsets including dendritic, monocytic, macrophage, and B-cell. Finally, ex vivo migration assays demonstrated that stimulation of melanoma cells with TLR2/6 agonists plus IFNγ increases CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell migration toward melanoma cells. CXCL10 has been implicated as a critical chemokine supporting T-cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment. Collectively, these data identify TLR2/6 agonists and IFNγ as key inducers of CXCL10 production by melanoma cells and suggest that for tumors lacking immune cell infiltrates, systemic immune therapies may be improved by combination with intralesional therapy using TLR2/6 agonists plus IFNγ.
Phased Array Bandwidth Enhancement Using a Novel Sampling Scheme

Phased arrays are a form of steerable antenna whose architecture makes the system complex and generally expensive. Their versatility and performance motivates the development of alternative structures which allow us to obtain simplified designs as powerful as the original approach but significantly cheaper. In this paper, a novel technique which collects information only from one antenna during each radio frequency cycle but introduces a restriction in the working bandwidth has been proposed. By studying the effect of the sampling order and optimizing it using backtracking or a genetic algorithm, the bandwidth is increased up to almost four times the original value for small arrays, and up to 25% of the carrier frequency for large arrays using maximum delay sorting. Finally, effectiveness of nonperiodic sampling order, which converts interfering harmonics into distributed background noise, is also shown.
Food for Thought on Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing

Abstract “Food for Thought” provides an opportunity for review of pertinent topics to add to updates in areas of concern for professionals involved with feeding and swallowing issues in infants and...
Gas transport properties of polyarylates part II: Tetrabromination of the bisphenol

The gas transport properties of a series of polyarylates based on isophthalic acid have been examined. The polyarylates were synthesized from the following bisphenol monomers with and without tetrabromo substitution: bisphenol A, hexafluorobisphenol A, phenolphthalein, and fluorene bisphenol, to study the effects of tetrabromination in combination with varying the bisphenol connector group size and shape. Substitution of a tertiary butyl group at position five on the isophthalate ring was used to increase polymer permeability. Tetrabromination of the bisphenol maintains or increases gas permeability and significantly increases permselectivity particularly for the O2/N2 gas pair as compared with the non-brominated analog. The substitution of t-butyl groups increases gas permeability by two-to fourfold but lowers permselectivity. Most of the increase in permeability can be related to an increase in the diffusion coefficient for each gas. All the brominated polyarylates have gas transport properties superior to most known glassy materials for O2/N2 separation with several materials close to a proposed empirical “upper bound” between permeability and selectivity. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Exploring Students' Intuitive Ideas of Randomness Using an iPod Shuffle Activity.

Summary This article presents an activity that engages students in considering characteristics of a random sequence, in this case, a randomly generated playlist of songs using the iPod shuffle feature. Students examine simulated sequences of randomly generated songs from a small music library in order to identify characteristics that are used to develop rules that they then apply to judge whether three suspicious lists are likely to be nonrandom.
3T MR of the prostate: reducing susceptibility gradients by inflating the endorectal coil with a barium sulfate suspension.

Most prostate MRI/MRS examinations are performed with an endorectal coil inflated with air, leading to an air–tissue interface that induces magnetic susceptibility gradients within the gland. Inflation of the coil with a barium sulfate suspension is described and compared to inflation with air or liquid perfluorocarbon (PFC). The B0 field in the prostate gland was mapped for five healthy volunteers when the endorectal coil was inflated with each of the three agents. A marked decrease in the posterior-anterior (P-A) field gradient and a significant improvement in field homogeneity were evident in the presence of a barium suspension and PFC relative to air. MRS data acquired from the prostate gland in the presence of air, PFC, and a barium suspension in the endorectal coil showed similar trends, demonstrating improvement in line-widths and spectral resolution when the barium suspension or the PFC were inflating the endorectal coil. On this basis we conclude that a barium suspension provides an available, cheap, and safe alternative to PFC, and we suggest that inflating the endorectal coil with a barium suspension should be considered for prostate MR studies, especially at high field strengths (such as 3T). Magn Reson Med 57:898–904, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Genome-wide identification of long noncoding natural antisense transcripts and their responses to light in Arabidopsis

Recent research on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has expanded our understanding of gene transcription regulation and the generation of cellular complexity. Depending on their genomic origins, lncRNAs can be transcribed from intergenic or intragenic regions or from introns of protein-coding genes. We have recently reported more than 6000 intergenic lncRNAs in Arabidopsis. Here, we systematically identified long noncoding natural antisense transcripts (lncNATs), defined as lncRNAs transcribed from the opposite DNA strand of coding or noncoding genes. We found a total of 37,238 sense-antisense transcript pairs and 70% of annotated mRNAs to be associated with antisense transcripts in Arabidopsis. These lncNATs could be reproducibly detected by different technical platforms, including strand-specific tiling arrays, Agilent custom expression arrays, strand-specific RNA-seq, and qRT-PCR experiments. Moreover, we investigated the expression profiles of sense-antisense pairs in response to light and observed spatial and developmental-specific light effects on 626 concordant and 766 discordant NAT pairs. Genes for a large number of the light-responsive NAT pairs are associated with histone modification peaks, and histone acetylation is dynamically correlated with light-responsive expression changes of NATs.
“As these fresh lines fade”: Narratives of containment and escape in Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs

Drawing on recent work on settler colonialism, which emphasizes the ambivalence with which settler societies negotiated the complex ties between metropole and colony, this essay examines how such ambivalence is played out on multiple levels in Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs, his postcolonial response to Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. This occurs both through the process of simultaneous resistance and accommodation that happens as Jack Maggs and Tobias Oates struggle for ownership of Maggs’ story, which breaches the gap between England and Australia, and through the analogous process whereby Carey comes to terms with Dickens’ depiction of Australia’s ancestral history and offers his own re-interpretation of this classic story. Domesticity plays a crucial role in these complex negotiations because it is through an understanding of what “home” means that Jack Maggs—and by extension Carey—learn to disavow aspects of their English inheritance while reconciling other parts as integral to a uniquely Australian i...
Population-level resource selection by sympatric brown and American black bears in Alaska

Distribution theory predicts that for two species living in sympatry, the subordinate species would be constrained from using the most suitable resources (e.g., habitat), resulting in its use of less suitable habitat and spatial segregation between species. We used negative binomial generalized linear mixed models with fixed effects to estimate seasonal population-level resource selection at two spatial resolutions for female brown bears (Ursus arctos) and female American black bears (U. americanus) in southcentral Alaska during May–September 2000. Black bears selected areas occupied by brown bears during spring which may be related to spatially restricted (i.e., restricted to low elevations) but dispersed or patchy availability of food. In contrast, black bears avoided areas occupied by brown bears during summer. Brown bears selected areas near salmon streams during summer, presumably to access spawning salmon. Use of areas with high berry production by black bears during summer appeared in response to avoidance of areas containing brown bears. Berries likely provided black bears a less nutritious, but adequate food source. We suggest that during summer, black bears were displaced by brown bears, which supports distribution theory in that black bears appeared to be partially constrained from areas containing salmon, resulting in their use of areas containing less nutritious forage. Spatial segregation of brown and American black bears apparently occurs when high-quality resources are spatially restricted and alternate resources are available to the subordinate species. This and previous work suggest that individual interactions between species can result in seasonal population-level responses.
Object recognition and laterality: null effects.

Abstract In two experiments, normal subjects named briefly presented pictures of objects that were shown either to the left or to the right of fixation. The net effects attributable to hemifield were negligible: naming RTs were 12 msec lower for pictures shown in the left visual field but error rates were slightly lower, by 0.8%, for pictures shown in the right visual field. In both experiments, a second block of trials was run to assess whether hemifield effects would be revealed in object priming. Naming RTs to same name-different shaped exemplar pictures were significantly longer than RTs for identical pictures, thus establishing that a component of the priming was visual, rather than only verbal or conceptual, but hemifield effects on priming were absent. Allowing for the (unlikely) possibility that variables with large differential left-right hemifield effects may be balancing and cancelling each other out, we conclude that there are no differential hemifield effects in either object recognition or object priming.
Prevention of infectious diseases in older adults through immunization: the challenge of the senescent immune response

A decline in immune function with aging increases the risk of different infectious diseases, many of which of can be prevented by vaccination. Influenza is foremost among these illnesses and remains a significant problem in older adults despite widespread influenza vaccination programs. There are major challenges to developing new or more effective vaccines against influenza and the many other virus and bacterial illnesses that commonly affect the population aged over 65 years. This article will provide a summary of the impact of vaccine-preventable diseases, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, pneumococcal disease and herpes zoster, strategies that are being used to develop or improve vaccines against these diseases and how this might alter the immune response to improve protection.
Anthropogenic impacts upon plant species richness and net primary productivity in California

We assess the importance of anthropogenic land-use, altered productivity, and species invasions for observed productivity–richness relationships in California. To this end, we model net primary productivity (NPP) c. 1750 AD and at present (1982–1999) and map native and exotic vascular plant richness for 230 subecoregions. NPP has increased up to 105% in semi-arid areas and decreased up to 48% in coastal urbanized areas. Exotic invasions have increased local species diversity up to 15%. Human activities have reinforced historical gradients in species richness but reduced the spatial heterogeneity of NPP. Structural equation modelling suggests that, prior to European settlement, NPP and richness were primarily controlled by precipitation and other abiotic variables, with NPP mediating richness. Abiotic variables remain the strongest predictors of present NPP and richness, but intermodel comparisons indicate a significant anthropogenic impact upon statewide distributions of NPP and richness. Exotic and native species each positively correlate to NPP after controlling for other variables, which may help explain recent reports of positively associated native and exotic richness.
Posture-Predictive Power Control in Body Sensor Networks Using Linear-Quadratic Gaussian Control

This paper presents a novel transmission power assignment mechanism for on-body wireless links formed between severely energy-constrained wearable and implanted sensors. The objective is to develop a model based framework in which RF signal strength is predicted and is regulated at a reference value. In particular, the body movement has been modeled as a stochastic linear system and a quantized Linear Quadratic Gaussian control with an Integrator (LQGI) approach has been utilized to achieve this objective. Experimental results from linear and binary search based closed-loop design along with simulation results from LQGI approach are presented and compared. It is shown that the LQGI approach with quantizer is able to enhance the performance of the system.
Bradypus tridactylus (Pilosa: Bradypodidae)

Bradypus tridactylus Linnaeus, 1758, is commonly called the pale-throated sloth. Males have a middorsal speculum. B. tridactylus is endemic to rain forests of northeastern South America. Like other sloths, B. tridactylus is a high-canopy folivore. It has a commensal relationship with the algae and invertebrates that live in its abundant pelage. It is listed as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources because of its distribution in pristine areas of the Amazon Basin. It does not adapt to zoo settings.
Matched filter bounds for low spreading factor DS-CDMA with random spreading sequences

We evaluate the matched filter bound (MFB) for QPSK symbols with random QPSK spreading sequences at low spreading factors in discrete-multipath, Rayleigh fading channels. We recognize the importance of the effect of the autocorrelation of the symbol waveform (spreading sequence) in the form of inter-path interference (IPI) on the performance of the matched filter receiver. With the decision statistic as a quadratic form of complex Gaussian variables dependent on the aperiodic code autocorrelation, we perform eigenvalue and characteristic function analysis to arrive at a probability of bit error or bit error rate (BER). For a 3GPP Case 3 dispersive channel and a spreading factor of SF=4, we note a spread of the MFBs of the individual codes of 1.4 dB in E/sub b//N/sub 0/ at BER=1%. Examining the MFB averaged over codes, we note a 0.5 dB difference at BER=1% between this and the MFB with no consideration of IPI. For a 3GPP typical urban channel, we note a spread of 1.1 dB at BER=1%, and for average MFB, there is a 0.4 dB difference from the MFB with no consideration of IPI. Thus we see that, at low spreading factors, the inclusion of the autocorrelation of the random spreading sequence, or the IPI, is an important consideration in obtaining accurate results for the MFB. The paper further extends the analysis to multiple receiver branches, and evaluates the MFB for other dispersive channels and additional spreading factors.
Volatile organic compounds in some urban locations in United States

Importance of this paper: Air pollution in urban locations contains many components that originate from a wide range of industrial, motor vehicle, and natural emissions sources. Some of these components include compounds known or suspected to be carcinogenic, and some of them play important roles in atmospheric chemistry such as tropospheric ozone pollution and stratospheric ozone depletion. Therefore, it is essential to characterize the composition, magnitude, and the distribution of urban air pollution through extensive ambient air monitoring and assess the impact of these components on human health and global atmospheric chemistry. Abstract Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been determined to be human risk factors in urban environments, as well as primary contributors to the formation of photochemical oxidants. Ambient air quality measurements of 54 VOCs including hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons and carbonyls were conducted in or near 13 urban locations in the United States during September 1996 to August 1997. Air samples were collected and analyzed in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency-approved methods. The target compounds most commonly found were benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene. These aromatic compounds were highly correlated and proportionally related in a manner suggesting that the primary contributors were mobile sources in all the urban locations studied. Concentrations of total hydrocarbons ranged between 1.39 and 11.93 parts per billion, by volume (ppbv). Ambient air levels of halogenated hydrocarbons appeared to exhibit unique spatial variations, and no single factor seemed to explain trends for this group of compounds. The highest halogenated hydrocarbon concentrations ranged from 0.24 ppbv for methylene chloride to 1.22 ppbv for chloromethane. At participating urban locations for the year of data considered, levels of carbonyls were higher than the level of the other organic compound groups, suggesting that emissions from motor vehicles and photochemical reactions strongly influence ambient air concentrations of carbonyls. Of the most prevalent carbonyls, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were the dominant compounds, ranging from 1.5-7.4 ppbv for formaldehyde, to 0.8-2.7 ppbv for acetaldehyde. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
The management of neoplastic colorectal obstruction with colonic endolumenal stenting devices

Abstract Background: Colonic endolumenal stenting (CELS) to treat obstructing colorectal neoplasms was first described in 1991. The aim of this study was to review the published world literature and make recommendations for its use in current clinical practice. Methods: Suitable English language reports were identified using a Medline search. Results: CELS can been successfully accomplished in 64% to 100% of obstructing malignant colonic lesions. Distal lesions are more common and theoretically more easy to stent although lesions within the ascending colon have been successfully managed. Minor complications include transient anorectal pain and rectal bleeding, however, significant complications of stent dislocation and colonic perforation are also well recognized. Conclusion: CELS can aid the palliative management of malignant colorectal obstruction. Its role in relieving obstruction prior to resection remains to be defined. Increasing experience has allowed the safe placement of stents and relief of obstruction of virtually any lesion throughout the large bowel.
FOG: Fairness in mobile opportunistic networking

The fundamental challenge in opportunistic networking, regardless of the application, is when and how to forward a message. Rank-based forwarding techniques currently represent one of the most promising methods for addressing this message forwarding challenge. While these techniques have demonstrated great efficiency in performance, they do not address the rising concern of fairness amongst various nodes in the network. Higher ranked nodes typically carry the largest burden in delivering messages, which creates a high potential of dissatisfaction amongst them. In this paper, we adopt a real-trace driven approach to study and analyze the tradeoff between the efficiency and fairness of rank-based forwarding techniques in mobile opportunistic networks. Our work comprises three major contributions. First, we quantitatively analyze the tradeoffs between fair and efficient environments. Second, we demonstrate how fairness coupled with efficiency can be achieved based on real mobility traces. Third, we propose FOG, a real-time distributed framework to ensure efficiency-fairness tradeoff using local information. Our data-driven experiment and analysis show that mobile opportunistic communication between users may fail with the absence of fairness in participating high-ranked nodes, and an absolute fair treatment of all users yields inefficient communication performance. Finally our analysis show that FOG ensures relative equality in the distribution of resource usage among neighbor nodes while keeping the success rate and cost performance near optimal.
Chromatin remodeling finds its place in the DNA double-strand break response

The accurate repair of chromosomal double-strand breaks (DSBs) arising from exposure to exogenous agents, such as ionizing radiation (IR) and radiomimetic drugs is crucial in maintaining genomic integrity, cellular viability and the prevention of tumorigenesis. Eukaryotic cells have evolved efficient mechanisms that sense and respond to DSBs. The DNA DSB response is facilitated by hierarchical signaling networks that orchestrate chromatin structural changes, cell-cycle checkpoints and multiple enzymatic activities to repair the broken DNA ends. Sensors and transducers signal to numerous downstream cellular effectors which function primarily by substrate posttranslational modifications including phosphorylation, acetylation, methylation and ubiquitylation. In particular, the past several years have provided important insight into the role of chromatin remodeling and histones-specific modifications to control DNA damage detection, signaling and repair. This review summarizes recently identified factors that influence this complex process and the repair of DNA DSBs in eukaryotic cells.
Employment Stability in the U.S. Labor Market: Rhetoric versus Reality

Most Americans believe that employment stability has declined in recent decades. Initial efforts to document this trend empirically, however, produced mixed results, and so research lost momentum. This review shows that evidence of declines in employment stability is stronger than originally portrayed and that therefore the field deserves renewed attention, particularly in light of the current recession. Research shows consistent declines in employment stability among private-sector male workers but more complex trends for female and public-sector workers. Future research should not only seek to better document these trends but go further by investigating their possible causes and broader consequences. Additionally, although changes have occurred, they do not match the strength of public perceptions. Further work is necessary, therefore, to understand this contradiction and the changing role of employment in American society.
‘Hanging on a Tree’: Deuteronomy 21.22-23 and the Rhetoric of Jesus’ Cruciﬁxion in Acts 5.12-42

On three occasions, Acts refers to Jesus’ cruciﬁxion as ‘hanging on a tree’ (5.30; 10.39; 13.29), a phrase alluding to the proscriptions for displaying an Israelite convicted of a capital crime (Deut. 21.22-23). Most scholars attach little signiﬁcance to this appropriation, assessing it as a dead metaphor. This article focuses primarily on the phrase’s ﬁrst occurrence in Acts (5.30), arguing that the reference functions within the apostles’ rhetoric to characterize the manner of Jesus’ execution and the opponents’ maladministered judgment. After assessing the interpretive scope and availability of the allusion, the study situates the phrase in the rhetoric of the apostles’ speech, its polarization of the protagonists’ and antagonists’ respective evaluative viewpoints and the narrative development of the elements commensurate with ‘hanging on a tree’. The apostles’ speech polarizes a religio-political conﬂict and situates the cross as the rhetorical crux between two contradictory assessments of Jesus’ role...
Testing the Hypothesis of Allopolyploidy in the Origin of Penstemon azureus (Plantaginaceae)

Polyploidy plays a major role in the evolution of angiosperms with multiple paleopolyploid events having been suggested making it plausible that all angiosperms have a polyploid event in their history. Polyploidy can arise by genome duplication within a species (i.e., autopolyploidy), or whole genome duplication coupled with hybridization (i.e., allopolyploidy). Penstemon subsection Saccanthera is a species complex of closely related diploids and polyploids. The species in this complex are P. heterophyllus (2x, 4x), P. parvulus (4x), P. neotericus (8x), P. laetus (2x) and P. azureus (6x). Previous studies have hypothesized that P. azureus is an allopolyploid of P. parvulus (4x) X P. laetus (2x). To test the hypothesis of allopolyploidy in the origin of P. azureus and to determine possible progenitors, two nuclear loci (Adh & NIA) and three chloroplast spacer regions (trnD-trnT, rpoB-trnC, rpl32-trnL) were sequenced from P. azureus, P. heterophyllus, P. laetus, P. parvulus, and P. neotericus. These data were analyzed in a phylogenetic framework and a network analysis was used on the nuclear data. Both nuclear datasets supported the allopolyploid origin of P. azureus with divergent Adh orthologs recovered in all five accessions of P. azureus and divergent NIA orthologs recovered in three of the P. azureus accessions. Furthermore, the Adh and NIA datasets support three hypotheses for the possible progenitors of P. azureus: (1) P. heterophyllus (2x) X P. parvulus; (2) P. heterophyllus (4x) X P. laetus; and (3) P. heterophyllus (2x) X P. heterophyllus (4x). Markedly, all hypotheses support P. heterophyllus (2x) as a progenitor. In addition, the Adh and NIA trees also suggest that P. neotericus is an allopolyploid, P. parvulus is an autopolyploid with two distinct origins, and P. heterophyllus (4x) is an autopolyploid or allopolyploid. The cpDNA analysis resolved geographically structured clades. This pattern seems best explained by local adaptation of the chloroplast genome and chloroplast capture. However, multiple origins of the polyploid species and gene flow could also explain this pattern. This study provides the first molecular phylogenetic evidence of the allopolyploid origin of P. azureus and has given insight into the origin of the other polyploids in this species complex.
Role of Bovine Placental Lactogen in Intercellular Signalling during Mammary Growth and Lactation

In dairy cattle, the majority of mammary growth takes place during pregnancy and as such, it might be expected that signals from the placenta would be involved in controlling mammogenesis. Placental lactogen (PL) is produced only during pregnancy and may be one of the endocrine factors that controls mammary growth. It is also generally recognized that mammary growth is controlled not only by endocrine signals, but also by paracrine and/or autocrine factors. The in vitro and in vivo mammogenic effects of some of these growth factors are discussed, along with possible interactions between the locally acting factors and endocrine hormones such as bovine PL (bPL). In addition, it is common for dairy cattle to be pregnant during much of lactation. Thus, the possible influences of bPL on lactation are also discussed.
Similitude in Free-Surface Vortex Formations

Different fluids were used to investigate the effects of fluid viscosity and surface tension on the incipient conditions for vortex formation and on vortex size and shape. Experiments were conducted in two different sizes of cylindrical tanks with adjustable vanes at the perimetry to allow varying degrees of initial circulation to be generated at the entrance to the test section. The results of the experiments demonstrated that: (1) free surface vortex flow is affected by initial circulation and viscosity, but, for the ranges tested, is not affected by surface tension; (2) the coefficient of the discharge is a function of the Reynolds and circulation numbers; and (3) regions in which an air core will or will not form can be defined by the depth of flow, orifice size, and circulation and Reynolds numbers.
Religious Support Mediates the Racial Microaggressions-Mental Health Relation Among Christian Ethnic Minority Students

The author examined the mediating role of perceived support from religious sources (i.e., religious support; Fiala, Bjorck, & Gorsuch, 2002) in the inverse relation between racial microaggressions and well-being in a sample of Christian ethnic minority students. A modified version of the support deterioration model (Barrera, 1986) was used as the conceptual framework. It was hypothesized that the nature of the indirect effect would be (a) an inverse relation between racial microaggressions and religious support, and (b) a positive relation between religious support and well-being. Religious commitment was entered as a covariate. African American, Asian American, and Hispanic college students (N = 144) completed an online survey. The study design was cross-sectional. A significant indirect effect of racial microaggressions on psychological well-being through congregational support was found, with findings pointing to the empirical utility of religious support in explaining the racial microaggressions-mental health link among ethnic minority samples.