cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apprenticeship learning of query based problem solving rules

The authors propose LASSP, an apprentice system for learning problem-solving rules in domains where solving a problem entails multiple, possibly dependent, queries performed on an underlying database. Contrary to other learning apprentice systems, LASSP has a domain theory that is initially empty, yet ever improves in terms of its strength and correctness as successive problem-solving episodes are experienced. LASSP has the desirable property of being able to learn and exploit its domain theory concurrently. Foremost, LASSP can asynchronously integrate expertise of multiple experts into a common domain theory, in a seamless manner. This parallel assimilation of knowledge potentially enables the apprentice to develop its domain theory in a fraction of the time normally needed in serial assimilation approaches. >
On Blind Spots, Moral Obligations, and Collective Action Problems

In addressing various options for registering prospective organ donors and creating a “disrespectfulness ranking,” MacKay and Robinson (2016) have embarked on the proposition that available options...
Scholarly Context Adrift: Three out of Four URI References Lead to Changed Content

Increasingly, scholarly articles contain URI references to “web at large” resources including project web sites, scholarly wikis, ontologies, online debates, presentations, blogs, and videos. Authors reference such resources to provide essential context for the research they report on. A reader who visits a web at large resource by following a URI reference in an article, some time after its publication, is led to believe that the resource’s content is representative of what the author originally referenced. However, due to the dynamic nature of the web, that may very well not be the case. We reuse a dataset from a previous study in which several authors of this paper were involved, and investigate to what extent the textual content of web at large resources referenced in a vast collection of Science, Technology, and Medicine (STM) articles published between 1997 and 2012 has remained stable since the publication of the referencing article. We do so in a two-step approach that relies on various well-established similarity measures to compare textual content. In a first step, we use 19 web archives to find snapshots of referenced web at large resources that have textual content that is representative of the state of the resource around the time of publication of the referencing paper. We find that representative snapshots exist for about 30% of all URI references. In a second step, we compare the textual content of representative snapshots with that of their live web counterparts. We find that for over 75% of references the content has drifted away from what it was when referenced. These results raise significant concerns regarding the long term integrity of the web-based scholarly record and call for the deployment of techniques to combat these problems.
Cancer-induced Immunostimulatory CD11b+Gr-1+ cells (100.30)

Both innate and adaptive immune systems are considered equally important for cancer prevention, immunosurveillance, and control of cancer progression. It is known that while both systems initially eliminate emerging tumor cells efficiently, tumors eventually escape immune attack by a variety of mechanisms including differentiation and recruitment of immunosuppressive CD11b+Gr-1+ myeloid suppressor cells into the tumor microenvironment. However, we show here that CD11b+Gr-1+ cells found in ascites of epithelial ovarian cancer-bearing mice at advanced stages of disease are immunostimulatory rather than being immunosuppressive. These cells consist of a homogenous population of cells that morphologically resemble neutrophils. Moreover, like dendritic cells, immunostimulatory CD11b+Gr-1+ cells can strongly cross-prime, augmenting the proliferation of functional CTLs via signaling through the expression of costimulatory molecule CD80. Adoptive transfer of these immunostimulatory CD11b+Gr-1+ cells from ascites of ovarian cancer-bearing mice results in the significant regression of subcutaneous tumors even without being pulsed with exogenous tumor antigen prior to adoptive transfer. We now show for the first time that adaptive immune responses against cancer can be augmented by these cancer-induced granulocyte-like immunostimulatory myeloid (CD11b+Gr-1+) cells, thereby mediating very effective anti-tumor immunity.
Measurement of Enzyme Isotope Effects

Enzyme isotope effects, or the kinetic effects of "heavy" enzymes, refer to the effect of isotopically labeled protein residues on the enzyme's activity or physical properties. These effects are increasingly employed in the examination of the possible contributions of protein dynamics to enzyme catalysis. One hypothesis assumed that isotopic substitution of all 12C, 14N, and nonexchangeable 1H by 13C, 15N, and 2H, would slow down protein picosecond to femtosecond dynamics without any effect on the system's electrostatics following the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. It was suggested that reduced reaction rates reported for several "heavy" enzymes accords with that hypothesis. However, numerous deviations from the predictions of that hypothesis were also reported. Current studies also attempt to test the role of individual residues by site-specific labeling or by labeling a pattern of residues on activity. It appears that in several systems the protein's fast dynamics are indeed reduced in "heavy" enzymes in a way that reduces the probability of barrier crossing of its chemical step. Other observations, however, indicated that slower protein dynamics are electrostatically altered in isotopically labeled enzymes. Interestingly, these effects appear to be system dependent, thus it might be premature to suggest a general role of "heavy" enzymes' effect on catalysis.
Alkali Metals on III-V (110) Semiconductor Surfaces: Overlayer Properties and Manipulation Via STM

Field ion microscopists demonstrated more than twenty years ago that polarizable atoms adsorbed on a stepped surface can be induced to diffuse by an electric field due to the field gradients associated with step edges. We have exploited a similar phenomenon, the large field gradients in the vicinity of the STM tip, to induce the directional diffusion of Cs and K atoms adsorbed on room temperature GaAs(110) and InSb(110). The geometric and electronic properties of both the naturally occurring and electric field-induced alkali metal structures observed on these semiconductor surfaces are discussed, including the possibility that the alkali metal overlayers are Mott insulators.
Deterministic Polynomial-Time Actuator Scheduling With Guaranteed Performance

In this paper, the problem of time-varying actu- ator selection for linear dynamical systems is investigated. By leveraging recent advances in the graph sparsification literature, we develop a framework for designing a sparse actuator schedule for a given large-scale linear system with guaranteed performance bounds using a polynomial-time algorithm. Current approaches based on polynomial time relaxations of the subset selection problem require an extra multiplicative factor of $\log n$ sensors/actuators times the minimal number in order to just maintain controllability/observability. In contrast, we show that there exists a polynomial-time actuator schedule that on average selects only a constant number of actuators at each time, to approximate the controllability/observability metrics of the system when all actuators/sensors are in use.
Future perspectives on balance disorders in PD

Abstract Wearable technology can improve sensitivity and reliability of assessment of domains of balance control in Parkinson disease (PD). In the future, ambulatory assessment of quality of mobility during daily life will also be used to better inform clinical decisions and improve patient-centered outcomes for clinical trials. New technologies that provide accurate, sensitive measures of balance control will also improve rehabilitation of balance disorders by allowing physical therapists to focus their therapy on the specific domains of balance affected in each individual. Body-worn sensors can also be used to provide real-time biofeedback to patients, or objective feedback to therapists, to improve balance control with training. Studies on transcranial direct electrical current to enhance neural plasticity and motor learning for balance and gait rehabilitation are needed. New medications to reduce motor fluctuations, improve the response to levodopa, and slow or stop progression of PD are currently being tested. The targets and types of electrical stimulation of the nervous system in PD will be changing in the future to focus on improving balance, improving freezing, and reducing falls. In the future, developments in wearable technology, rehabilitation, medication, and neural stimulation will lead to better balance in people with PD so they can live longer, active lives.
Künstliche Intelligenz verändert viel mehr als nur die Produktion

Kurzfassung Die Entwicklung Kunstlicher Intelligenzen (KI) setzt Kooperation und grose Datenmengen voraus. Viele Anwendungen „schwacher KI“ funktionieren bereits, auch die nur abstrakt begreifbare ...
Beyond Anime? Rethinking Japanese Animation History Through Early Animated Television Commercials

As Rayna Denison begins her recent book, ‘anime seems to defy easy definition’. Despite such persistent defiance, several recent English-language publications have endeavored to pin-down and historicize anime, a term that long ago solidified its position within the lexicon of the English-speaking world. While the various textual, cultural, and industrial approaches proposed by influential voices within the field of anime studies differ substantially, television often serves as an organizing principle for locating anime’s aesthetic origins. However, what remains largely absent from this linkage is a vast amount of animation airing during the earliest years of Japanese television, namely commercials. This chapter re-evaluates the relationship between anime and television by considering early animated advertisements on Japanese television as productive, historically undervalued sites for critical exploration.
A Study of the Nanoscale Heat Transfer in the HDD Head–Disk Interface Based on a Static Touchdown Experiment

Understanding the heat transfer behavior at the nanoscale head-disk interface (HDI) in hard disk drives is crucial for head design, media design, and failure analysis of the current hard disk drive (HDD) industry, especially for the emerging technologies including heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR), and 2-D magnetic recording (TDMR). Previous experimental studies of both static touchdown technique and theoretical developments of the wave-based phonon conduction have shown enhanced heat transfer at the HDI. To better understand the heat transfer behavior across the HDI, a series of the simulation is necessary to connect the theory and the detailed geometric model of the HDI. In this article, we developed a finite-element model to explain the temperature change of the head during a static touchdown experiment. The wave-based phonon conduction theory is integrated into the simulation through iteration. The simulation results trend in agreement with the theoretical development and the experimental results. This simulation strategy can also be implemented for flying heads to predict the heat transfer behavior under HAMR conditions.
Weight discrimination, anticipated weight stigma, and disordered eating.

Abstract Weight discrimination is a well-established risk factor for disordered eating cognitions and behaviors. However, little is known about what may account for this association. Recent research suggests that anticipated weight stigma may explain the relationship between weight discrimination and non-eating disorder related health outcomes; the present study seeks to replicate this premise and extend it to the disordered eating realm. In a non-clinical sample of adults in the United States (N = 297) we test the hypothesis that weight discrimination has an indirect association with eating disorder symptomatology through anticipated stigma. At a single timepoint, participants recruited from the online data collection platform SocialSci completed self-report, online surveys of weight discrimination in day-to-day life, anticipated weight stigma, eating disorder symptoms, and demographic information. As hypothesized, weight discrimination was indirectly associated with greater disordered eating symptoms via its association with anticipated weight stigma. This pattern of results held when controlling for gender, body mass index, and self-perceived weight status. These findings suggest that anticipated stigma is relevant in the association between weight discrimination and greater disordered eating. This premise deserves additional attention using methodological approaches that can facilitate stronger causal claims. We discuss the potential for this line of research to inform clinical interventions.
Chapter 41 – Osteosarcoma

Publisher Summary Osteosarcomas are bone cancers, which occasionally appear after high-dose radiation treatment for other conditions and after treatment with certain chemotherapeutic agents. They occur in bones affected by a condition of bones called Paget's disease and by any of a number of other inherited conditions of bones. Osteosarcomas also occur in the members of families at a genetic risk of multiple different forms of cancer. Osteosarcomas are only slightly more common in men than women, and appear with equal frequency in Los Angeles County and other parts of the country. They occur in all races and in both children and adults, although among Asian-Americans, older adults appear to be at lower risk. The reasons for the nonrandom pattern of osteosarcomas in relation to sex and age are unknown. No systematic pattern of geographical occurrence is apparent, and therefore no local source of causation can be proposed.
Factors associated with overweight and obesity among Mexican Americans and Central Americans: results from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey.

Introduction Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic group in the United States; however, "Hispanic" is a broad term that describes people who are from or whose ancestors are from multiple countries of origin. This study examines, separately, the social, cultural, and behavioral factors associated with overweight and obesity among Mexican American adults and among Central American adults.
Management of Solid Tumor CNS Metastases in Children

Pediatric solid tumor central nervous system (CNS) metastases are rare and distinct from CNS metastases from either pediatric leukemias or adult solid tumors, both of which occur at a much higher frequency. This suggests a fundamental difference between the adult and pediatric blood-brain barriers, perhaps reflecting an increased permeability to systemic treatments, or a tendency toward the use of myeloablative therapy in the pediatric population. Due to their low incidence (approximately 1–10%) in pediatric solid tumor cases, CNS metastases are not routinely screened for and typically present with neurologic symptoms and as a late finding. Treatment is often targeted to CNS symptoms and the primary tumor type, with options generally including surgery, chemotherapy (systemic, intrathecal, or intraventricular delivered through an implantable ventricular reservoir), radiation, stem cell therapy, or immunotherapy. Previous reports suggest an association between aggressive multimodal therapy and rare, long-term survival in pediatric patients with CNS metastases from multiple different primary tumor types. Certain factors have been found to be associated with the development of CNS metastases, including diagnostic lumbar punctures, the presence of pulmonary metastases, and certain subtypes of primary tumors. We thus recommend consideration of CNS screening in pediatric solid tumor patients with predisposing factors.
A Method for Preparation of Site-Specific Multiple Samples of Semiconductor Material for Transmission Electron Microscopy

In recent years, the availability of focused ion beam (FIB) milling systems has given a much-needed boost for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as a technique for site-specific analysis. Much progress has been made in the area of site-specific cross-sectional and planar TEM sample preparation techniques. However, a continuing need exists to reduce the sample preparation time, in order to improve TEM cycle time for better support of process development, yield improvement and production in a high-volume industrial environment. Thus, a faster TEM sample preparation technique is always desirable to meet this demand. A new approach to TEM sample preparation is described in this paper.Following the new approach developed in the present work, one can prepare on a single TEM grid at least two different cross-sectional samples of site-specific device structures or up to four different cross-sectional samples of blanket films. Two different samples, each containing an area of interest near the center, are cleaved or cut to a width of about 1.25 mm; these samples may be from two separate locations of a wafer, or from two different wafers where TEM analyses are required.
An Archaeobotanical Approach to Well-Being: Enslaved Plant Use at Estate Cane Garden, 19th Century St. Croix

Recent paleoethnobotanical approaches in historical archaeology have successfully explored the intersection of plantation foodways, social relations, and the environment in contexts of enslavement,...
Active Reaction Control of Cu Redox State Based on Real-Time Feedback from In Situ Synchrotron Measurements.

We achieve a target material state by using a recursive algorithm to control the material reaction based on real-time feedback on the system chemistry from in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Wi...
Corporate Criminal Law Unbounded

In matters of lawmaking, ascription of fault, and imposition of punishment, corporate prosecution diverges from traditional understandings of what criminal law is, how it should be made, and how it should be implemented. Contemporary criminal law scholarship seeks to restrain the government’s enforcement and lawmaking powers in regard to punishment. At the same time, corporate crime scholarship presses in the opposite direction, urging government prosecutors to punish more often, more severely and more creatively. This divergence merits scrutiny and a measured reconsideration of corporate criminal law’s reform. If the specter of unrestrained prosecutorial discretion provides sufficient reason for criminal law’s contraction and reform, presumably those reform principles ought to apply as well to the world of corporate crime, where limiting principles are almost no-where to be found. This chapter recites criminal law’s fundamental tenets (aspirational as they may be) and highlights the particular ways in which corporate punishment diverges from and ultimately ignores them. It considers the normative implications of an “unbounded” corporate criminal law and concludes by arguing for legislative reforms that would not only improve corporate criminal law’s adherence to the legality principle, but also impose needed restraints on the prosecutors who have been tasked with investigating, sanctioning and regulating organizational misconduct.
CloudSLAM: Edge Offloading of Stateful Vehicular Applications

Vehicular applications are becoming increasingly complex and resource hungry (e.g. autonomous driving). Today, they run entirely on the vehicle, which is a costly solution that also imposes undesirable resource constraints. This paper uses Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) as an example application to explore how these applications can instead leverage edge clouds, utilizing their inexpensive and elastic resource pool. This is challenging as these applications are often latency-sensitive and mission-critical. They also process high-bandwidth sensor data streams and maintain large, complex data structures. As a result, traditional offloading techniques generate too much traffic, incurring high delay. To overcome these challenges, we designed CloudSLAM. It partitions SLAM between the vehicle and the edge. To manage the complex, replicated SLAM state, we propose a new consistency model, Output-driven Consistency, that allows us to maintain a level of consistency that is sufficient for accurate SLAM output while minimizing network traffic. This paper motivates and describes our offloading design and discusses the results of an extensive performance evaluation of a CloudSLAM prototype based on ORB-SLAM.
A Fully Integrated 62-to-69GHz Crystal-Less Transceiver with 12 Channels Tuned by a Transmission-Line- Referenced FLL in 0.13µm BiCMOS

The progress towards smaller Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has expanded the applications for ubiquitous sensing. However, the form-factor of a WSN is typically limited by bulky off-chip components, mainly the crystal reference and antenna. Recent work has focused on removing the crystal by recovering the reference from a received RF signal [1], replacing the crystal with an external FBAR resonator [2], using an open-loop oscillator and compensating frequency drift at the gateway [3], or using an on-chip patch antenna for a reference [4]. This paper presents a fully integrated crystal-less TRX that supports node-to-node communication across 12 channels using an integrated transmission line as a reference to lock and tune the RF frequency. The integrated 3-port slot antenna supports TX and RX modes without a TRX switch. The on-off keyed (OOK)-based uncertain IF TRX architecture enables node-to-node communication with 16dB channel selectivity, with no external components required. The chip area is minimized by reusing the active area underneath the passive devices for baseband circuits.
Research on Characteristics and Calibration Method of Gas Relay of Power Transformer in Power Grid

Large-scale power transformer is one of the core equipments in power system. Once it breaks down, it will bring great harm to power grid. Especially when the internal turn-to-turn short-circuit fault occurs, the high temperature and arc caused by the short-circuit current will not only burn out the transformer winding insulation and iron core, but also cause the transformer insulating oil to be decomposed by heat and produce a large amount of gas, thus causing the deformation, damage and even explosion of the transformer shell. Therefore, once the transformer fails, it must be removed from the power system in time. At present, for power transformers, relay protection can be divided into electric protection and non-electric protection. Electrical relay protection mainly includes differential protection, current quick-break protection and zero-sequence current protection. Non-electric relay protection mainly includes heavy gas protection, light gas protection, pressure release protection and quick-acting oil pressure protection. This paper introduces the working principle of common non-electricity protection devices, and theoretically analyzes the cooperation between non-electricity protection devices. In view of gas relay, this paper introduces the requirements of relevant standards for gas relay, sums up the matters needing attention in field use of gas relay, and analyzes the factors affecting the performance of gas relay. The application status and characteristics of gas relay in Heilongjiang power grid are investigated, and the problems in management are pointed out. Using the calibration platform, through a large number of experiments, the influence of caliber and gas relay action on the performance parameters of gas relay is studied. And it is ensured that safe and reliable operation of the power transform of the power grid.
Effect of Crack-Parallel Compression or Tension on Mode-I Fracture Energy of Quasibrittle Material – As Applied to Concrete

In all widely used fracture test specimens, the compressive or tensile stress parallel to the plane of growing crack is negligible, and thus its effect cannot be revealed. The classical fracture models, including the cohesive crack model, cannot capture any effect of such crack-parallel normal stress and strain, except parametrically, because they do not figure such stress and strain as the basic thermodynamic variable. To capture this, the fracture process zone whose 3D stress and strain state is fully described must be implemented. Here it is shown experimentally, and documented by crack band finite element simulations with microplane model M7, that the crack-parallel normal stresses have a major effect on quasibrittle materials such as concrete. They are shown to cause a major decrease or increase of the Mode I (opening) fracture energy Gf (or fracture toughness KIc). The experiments introduce a modification of the standard three-point bend test, the idea of which is to use plastic pads with a near-perfect yield plateau to first generate compression and a gap at end supports to close later and generate bending. The experiments show and the microplane model confirms that a moderate crack-parallel compression greatly increases Gf (even doubling it), but a higher compression reduces Gf greatly, which represents the case of compression splitting. Through numerical extrapolation, it shows that crack-parallel tension reduces Gf and further that a high compressive or tensile stress normal to the specimen plate has a similar major effect on Gf. While mild parallel stresses arise in shear failure of reinforced concrete beams or slabs and prestressed concrete, high crack-parallel stresses will be impactful in hydraulic fracturing of shale when the effective stress state in the solid phase changes at the presence of a nearby borehole or fluid diffusion.
PIC-MCC Analysis of a High-Pressure Nanosecond Pulse Discharge Breakdown in Helium

Nanosecond pulsed discharges provide versatile experimental and computational testbeds for the exploration of fundamental plasma physics. In particular, the fast rise time and short duration produce plasmas which are both spatially diffuse and uniform enough to probe experimentally and confine the kinetics of interest to sufficiently short time scales to be computationally tractable. This work will focus on validation of particle-in-cell with Monte Carlo collisions (PIC-MCC) modeling and analysis of plasma phenomenon during and after formation of the conductive plasma channel of a nanosecond pulse discharge in helium at 200 Torr and 300 K over a 1 cm gap. The validation will compare results of the simulation to measurements of electron number density, temperature, 1D electron energy distribution function, and Townsend ionization coefficient, as well as ion mobility. Analysis of the stochastic nature of the electron avalanche ahead of the ionization wave front and of significant ionization overshoot in the presheath region is also performed.
Insight and analysis problem solving in microbes to machines

A key feature for obtaining solutions to difficult problems, insight is oftentimes vaguely regarded as a special discontinuous intellectual process and/or a cognitive restructuring of problem representation or goal approach. However, this nearly century-old state of art devised by the Gestalt tradition to explain the non-analytical or non-trial-and-error, goal-seeking aptitude of primate mentality tends to neglect problem-solving capabilities of lower animal phyla, Kingdoms other than Animalia, and advancing smart computational technologies built from biological, artificial, and composite media. Attempting to provide an inclusive, precise definition of insight, two major criteria of insight, discontinuous processing and problem restructuring, are here reframed using terminology and statistical mechanical properties of computational complexity classes. Discontinuous processing becomes abrupt state transitions in algorithmic/heuristic outcomes or in types of algorithms/heuristics executed by agents using classical and/or quantum computational models. And problem restructuring becomes combinatorial reorganization of resources, problem-type substitution, and/or exchange of computational models. With insight bounded by computational complexity, humans, ciliated protozoa, and complex technological networks, for example, show insight when restructuring time requirements, combinatorial complexity, and problem type to solve polynomial and nondeterministic polynomial decision problems. Similar effects are expected from other problem types, supporting the idea that insight might be an epiphenomenon of analytical problem solving and consequently a larger information processing framework. Thus, this computational complexity definition of insight improves the power, external and internal validity, and reliability of operational parameters with which to classify, investigate, and produce the phenomenon for computational agents ranging from microbes to man-made devices.
The elucidation of electrochemical mechanisms using the vibrating dropping mercury electrode: The non-catalytic waves of quinine, quinoline and 3-aminoquinoline☆

Abstract The peculiarities of VDME behavior as compared to the DME, have permitted a detailed explication of the non-catalytic waves of quinine, quinoline and 3-aminoquinoline in a variety of media. In well-buffered solutions, two reduction waves can be observed corresponding to one-electron, one-proton input processes where protonation occurs on the nitrogen of the quinoline moiety. The more positive waves result from the formation of adsorbed reduction product while the second waves correspond to the formation of dissolved species. In acidic buffers, the quinine waves obey Brdicka's classical adsorption wave theory at the VDME while DME response is distorted and obscured by adsorption inhibition and large catalytic currents.
Chapter 7 Topological methods in dynamics

Publisher Summary The use of topology in dynamical systems has had a long and important history. It played an important role in some of the best work of H. Poincare and G.D. Birkhoff in their study of dynamics and celestial mechanics. Often a “qualitative description” of dynamics is qualitative by the virtue of giving topological information about the dynamics rather than an explicit “quantitative” expression. An excellent prototype result for topological methods in dynamics is the classical theorem of Heinz Hopf that asserts that the sum of the indices of the rest points of flow on a compact manifold is equal to the Euler characteristic of the the manifold. It relates the kind of dynamics that can occur in a flow on a manifold to a topological invariant of that manifold. This chapter focuses on the generalization of this result and its applications.
An orb-weaver spider eludes plant-defending acacia ants by hiding in plain sight

Myrmecophily is uncommon in spiders and adaptations that allow spider infiltration of ant colonies are poorly studied. Here, a novel interaction between the orb-weaver spider, Eustala oblonga Chickering, and the acacia ant, Pseudomyrmex satanicus Wheeler, in central Panama is documented. These spiders occupy webs at night, but spend most of the day crouched directly against the surface of their host acacias (Acacia melanocerus Fabaceae) amidst the plant-defending ants. Detailed behavioural observations indicated that the spiders generally occupied areas on the acacias patrolled more actively by ants, but were attacked only if the spiders moved, which happened very infrequently. We hypothesized, therefore, that the spiders avoid ant aggression behaviourally by being still and not reacting to encounters by patrolling ants. We tested this hypothesis experimentally by comparing ant responses to moving versus immobilised E. oblonga and moving versus immobilised individuals of another plant-inhabiting, orb-weaver spider (Argiope argentata Fabricius) not naturally found on ant-acacias. Consistent with the hypothesis, ants responded significantly more aggressively to moving spiders of both species than to immobilised spiders. Further, moving E. oblonga utilised a particular method of escape in which they suspended themselves on a dragline until ant activity waned before returning to the plant surface and crouching quietly without further agitating the ants. In contrast, moving A. argentata attempted to outrun the ants, thus, continuing to agitate them until the spiders were killed or dropped to the ground. Our results suggest that E. oblonga may be able to inhabit ant-defended acacias essentially by hiding in plain sight.
KRAS Mutations: An Old Oncogene Becomes a New Predictive Biomarker

This commentary highlights a novel assay for detection of mutations in KRAS, which have recently emerged as a useful negative predictive biomarker.
Remote sensing of foliar nitrogen in cultivated grasslands of human dominated landscapes.

Abstract Foliar nitrogen (N) in plant canopies is central to a number of important ecosystem processes and continues to be an active subject in the field of remote sensing. Previous estimates of foliar N at the landscape scale have primarily focused on intact forests and grasslands using aircraft imaging spectrometry and various techniques of statistical calibration and modeling. The present study extends this work by examining the potential to estimate the foliar N concentration (%N) of residential, agricultural and other cultivated grassland areas within a suburbanizing watershed in southeastern New Hampshire. These grasslands occupy a relatively small fraction (17.5%) of total land area within the study watershed, but are important to regional biogeochemistry and are highly valued by humans. In conjunction with ground-based vegetation sampling (n = 20 sites with 54 sample plots), we developed partial least squares regression (PLSR) models for predicting mass-based canopy %N across management types using input from airborne and field-based imaging spectrometers. Models yielded strong relationships for predicting canopy %N from both ground- and aircraft-based sensors (r2 = 0.76 and 0.67, respectively) across sites that included turf grass, grazed pasture, hayfields and fallow fields. Similarities in spectral resolution between the sensors used in this study and the proposed HyspIRI mission suggest promise for detecting canopy %N across multiple forms of managed grasslands, with the possible exception of areas containing lawns too small to be captured with HyspIRI's planned 60 m spatial resolution.
High torque density ferrite permanent magnet vernier motor analysis and design with demagnetization consideration

This paper proposes a low speed dual stator spoke type vernier permanent magnet motor (DSSVPM) using ferrite permanent magnets (PMs). The replacement of conventional rare earth PMs reduces the cost of machine manufacturing. The design of DSSVPM uses an analytical optimization model to achieve the maximum electrical and magnetic loading whilst the ferrite PMs can still withstand the presence of fault current. The analytical model was verified using finite element analysis (FEA). The FEA results are then compared to an existing Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) machine. The FEA results indicate the DSSVPM does not only achieve higher torque production but also higher power factor and efficiency than the existing IPM machine. After the occurrence of an electrical fault, the results show that the DSSVPM delivers higher torque production than that of the existing IPM machine, despite the minor demagnetization that appeared at the corner of each ferrite PM. The comparison concludes that the proposed ferrite DSSVPM shows considerable performance in low speed machinery applications.
Negotiating insurance contracts--is there any hope?

During most of the twentieth century, physicians were in charge of their own reimbursements for services. Before the 1980s, there were few mandates or regulations regarding the services they provided, no bundling issues, no modifiers, and no written referrals. Physicians and their staff focused on healing patients, not on a business plan. The end of the century brought challenges and a different environment for health care providers. One of these is the responsibility of physicians to negotiate insurance contracts. This article outlines the ways to negotiate an insurance contract successfully.
Results of a clinical test of an ATM tele-ultrasound system

The AT&T extended multimedia interface (EMMI) is being tested for applicability to wide area network access. Two EMMI units are used. One in the ultrasound examination room is connected to the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) output of the ultrasound modality and audio communication equipment for the technologist. The other in the ultrasound reading room is connected to a NTSC monitor and audio communication equipment for the radiologist. The EMMIs are interconnected via an ATM permanent virtual circuit that establishes a connection between an ultrasound technologist and radiologist during a procedure. The test monitors 3 items: (1) How often can ultrasound studies be completed by a radiologist without on-site intervention, i.e., by viewing remotely only? (2) How often and on which exam does a technologist require direction remotely from a radiologist to complete a study? (3) How often and which exams require the radiologist to go to the ultrasound examination room to complete the study?© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Identification and characterization of a +1 frameshift observed during the expression of Epstein-Barr virus IL-10 in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Epstein-Barr virus IL-10 (ebvIL-10) mimics the biological functions of cellular IL-10 including a number of immunoinhibitory activities on diverse immune cells. Characterization of ebvIL-10 and several mutants, expressed in Escherichia coli , by gel filtration chromatography and mass spectrometry revealed a +1 frameshift upon ebvIL-10 expression. The frameshift is caused by the rare AGG codon at ebvIL-10 Arg159, which is followed by the most inefficient stop signal, UGAC. The frameshift was corrected by substituting the rare AGG codon with an abundant arginine codon, CGU, or by enhancing the level of tRNA that decodes the AGG codon. As a result, ebvIL-10 expression levels increased by ∼3-fold and the purity of the protein improved from 85–95% to 98–99%. The correction of the frameshift has been essential for continuing structural and biophysical studies of ebvIL-10.
Coagulopathy after a liver resection: is it over diagnosed and over treated?

Background Prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) is widely utilized to guide plasma therapy and initiation of thromboprophylaxis after a hepatectomy. Thrombelastography (TEG) monitors shear elasticity, which is sensitive to cellular and plasma components in blood, allowing for functional assessment of the life of the clot. The objective of this study was to prospectively compare PT-INR and TEG in liver resection patients.
Group delay and dispersion in adiabatic plasmonic nanofocusing

We study the decrease in group velocity of broadband surface plasmon polariton propagation on a conical tip, using femtosecond time-domain interferometry. The group delay of (9±3) fs measured corresponds to a group velocity at the apex of less than 0.2c. The result agrees in general with the prediction from adiabatic plasmonic nanofocusing theory, yet is sensitive with respect to the exact taper geometry near the apex. This, together with the sub 25 fs2 second-order dispersion observed, provides the fundamental basis for the use of plasmons for broadband slow-light applications.
Feasibility of cooling the Earth with a cloud of small spacecraft near the inner Lagrange point (L1).

If it were to become apparent that dangerous changes in global climate were inevitable, despite greenhouse gas controls, active methods to cool the Earth on an emergency basis might be desirable. The concept considered here is to block 1.8% of the solar flux with a space sunshade orbited near the inner Lagrange point (L1), in-line between the Earth and sun. Following the work of J. Early [Early, JT (1989) J Br Interplanet Soc 42:567–569], transparent material would be used to deflect the sunlight, rather than to absorb it, to minimize the shift in balance out from L1 caused by radiation pressure. Three advances aimed at practical implementation are presented. First is an optical design for a very thin refractive screen with low reflectivity, leading to a total sunshade mass of ≈20 million tons. Second is a concept aimed at reducing transportation cost to $50/kg by using electromagnetic acceleration to escape Earth's gravity, followed by ion propulsion. Third is an implementation of the sunshade as a cloud of many spacecraft, autonomously stabilized by modulating solar radiation pressure. These meter-sized “flyers” would be assembled completely before launch, avoiding any need for construction or unfolding in space. They would weigh a gram each, be launched in stacks of 800,000, and remain for a projected lifetime of 50 years within a 100,000-km-long cloud. The concept builds on existing technologies. It seems feasible that it could be developed and deployed in ≈25 years at a cost of a few trillion dollars, <0.5% of world gross domestic product (GDP) over that time.
Adolescent attitudes, beliefs, and concerns regarding breastfeeding.

Purpose To investigate the attitudes, beliefs, and concerns of pregnant and postpartum adolescents regarding breastfeeding. Study design and methods Audiotaped focus groups of low-income, largely minority pregnant and postpartum adolescents were conducted and transcripts analyzed using content analysis techniques. Findings Major themes identified were in the area of beliefs, such as "They say" it's healthy, or "It hurts"; attitudes, such as breastfeeding is the mother's "choice" and "The baby comes first"; and concerns such as privacy, and "Breastfeeding leads to dependency." Clinical implications Adolescents can be encouraged to breastfeed, but require appropriate education beyond what they have heard from others. Myths such as pain during breastfeeding need to be addressed. Since teens want to learn but not be told what to do, active learning strategies such as guided Internet searches could be helpful to guide them into discovery of the benefits of breastfeeding. Since all the teens in this study felt that "the baby comes first," emphasizing the benefits of breastfeeding for the baby should predominate educational efforts. Concerns related to physical exposure while breastfeeding can be addressed antenatally through discussing creative strategies to maintain modesty. This study suggests that, in the postpartum hospital setting, adopting a sensitive, initially "hands-off' approach to supporting breastfeeding might be more well-accepted than tactile assistance, and that following the initial establishment of a milk supply, various levels of breastfeeding exclusivity should be considered as potentially acceptable infant feeding patterns.
COMPARATIVE WATER RELATIONS AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS OF MYCORRHIZAL AND NON-MYCORRHIZAL BOUTELOUA GRACILIS H.B.K. LAG EX STEUD.

SUMMARY The rangeland grass, Bouteloua gracilis was inoculated with its mycorrhizal symbiont, Glomus fasciculatus, to determine the influence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae on water status, stomatal behaviour and photosynthesis as well as gross plant morphology, biomass and phosphorus content. Mycorrhizal infection increased transpiration rates by over 100% with 50 to 70% lower leaf resistances to water vapour diffusion. Leaf xylem pressure was not different between mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants indicating that whole-plant resistance to water transport was reduced by more than 50%. Photosynthetic rates under saturating light conditions increased 68% with infection as a consequence of a 33% reduction in stomatal resistance and a 67% reduction in mesophyll resistance to CO2 uptake. Mycorrhizal infection did not affect biomass or gross plant morphology after 30 weeks of growth, but increased chlorophyll and phosphate concentrations by 28% and 70% respectively. These physiological changes indicate that mycorrhizae may substantially alter survival ability of Bouteloua gracilis.
Bias voltage dependence of magnetocurrent in magnetic tunnel transistors

The magnetocurrent of magnetic tunnel transistors is measured as a function of emitter/base bias voltage. A nonmonotonic bias dependence is found for magnetic tunnel transistors with a GaAs collector, whereas a monotonic decrease of the magnetocurrent with bias voltage is observed for transistors with a Si collector. A model including spin-dependent inelastic electron scattering in the ferromagnetic base layer and strong electron scattering at the base/collector interface can well account for the experimental results. The different bias dependences of magnetic tunnel transistors with GaAs and Si collectors is attributed to the different conduction band structures of these semiconductor collectors.
Incidence of Campylobacter and possible modes of transmission

Enteritis caused by members of the genus Campy‐lobacteris now the most common cause of bacterial food poisoning incidents in the UK. Although isolates are reported to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC), because reporting is voluntary and the symptoms are generally relatively mild, there is difficulty in assessing the true incidence of campylobacteriosis because of under‐reporting. Analyses some possible reasons for the trend in incidents of food poisoning due to Campy‐lobacter spp., and investigates the two most common modes of infection.
Ozone-exposure responses of black cherry and red maple seedlings

Abstract Field foliar injury surveys have been used to identify ozone injury in deciduous tree species growing in forested areas in the southeastern United States. Whether ozone-induced foliar symptoms are indicative of leaf photosynthetic and growth reductions is not well understood. This research tested the hypothesis that ozone-induced foliar injury is accompanied by reductions in leaf gas exchange and growth in 1-year-old black cherry ( Prunus serotina Ehrh.) and red maple ( Acer rubrum L.). Seedlings were grown under a 75% reduction of ambient light and fumigated with sub-ambient, ambient or twice-ambient concentrations of ozone on a 24-hr basis for one growing season (5 months). For both species, only leaves exposed to the twice-ambient ozone treatment displayed visible symptoms. Net photosynthesis and leaf conductance of red maple and black cherry leaves declined, and internal CO 2 concentrations increased in response to ozone treatment. Ozone reduced the height growth and the root/shoot ratio of black cherry, but ozone did not influence red maple growth. These results indicate that ozone-induced foliar injury may be accompanied by reductions in leaf gas exchange in black cherry and red maple, and by growth reductions in black cherry.
Beta-delayed proton decay of 73Sr.

The ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{z}}$=-3/2, A=4n+1 nuclide $^{73}\mathrm{Sr}$ produced in the $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$${(}^{36}$Ar,3n) reaction has been observed via beta-delayed proton emission. A single proton group at a laboratory energy of 3.75\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04 MeV has been observed, corresponding to decay of the T=3/2 isobaric analog state in $^{73}\mathrm{Rb}$ to the ground state of $^{72}\mathrm{Kr}$. Combining this measurement with a Coulomb displacement energy calculation yields a mass excess for $^{73}\mathrm{Sr}$ of -31.82\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.24 MeV based on a predicted mass for $^{72}\mathrm{Kr}$ of -53.94\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.24 MeV.