cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urban Immigrant Students: How Transnationalism Shapes Their World Learning

This article examines the lives of three transnational second-generation immigrant Latinas who reside in urban centers in California and maintain close ties to Mexico. Drawing from a participatory research and ethnographic study, I provide evidence of the out-of-school learning that they experience and how this shapes their notions of global citizenship. Although schools have begun to slowly recognize transnational immigrant students, many urban educators whose cities are palpably transformed by immigrants have not fully connected the promise of such a global lifestyle and its potential for instruction in the classroom.
Characterization of the promoter of human leukocyte-specific transcript 1. A small gene with a complex pattern of alternative transcripts.

Next Section Abstract The gene for the human leukocyte-specific transcript 1 (LST1) encodes a small protein that modulates immune responses and cellular morphogenesis. The LST1 transcripts are expressed at high levels in dendritic cells. Because of the complex splicing pattern, use of alternative 5′-untranslated exons, and a biologically interesting pattern of expression of LST1 mRNA, we studied the human LST1 gene promoter and regulatory elements. We identified an additional upstream 5′-untranslated exon in U937 monocytic cells. Transient transfection studies demonstrated that the combination of regions from −1363 to −621 with −112 to −54, relative to the translation start codon, produced the highest level of transcripts from among the various constructs tested, but the pattern of transcripts produced was only a subset of those produced from the endogenous gene. DNase I footprinting analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that oligonucleotide probes corresponding to three regions, −1171 to −1142 (BI), −1136 to −1111 (BII), and −783 to −751 (BIV), bound proteins in U937 nuclear extracts. Competition and supershift electrophoretic mobility shift assay did not identify any known transcription factors responsible for BII probe binding. These studies suggest that a novel DNA-binding site and interaction of multiple regulatory elements may be involved in mediating the expression of the various forms of LST1 mRNA.
The Significance of the 1976 Pacific Climate Shift in the Climatology of Alaska

Abstract The 1976 Pacific climate shift is examined, and its manifestations and significance in Alaskan climatology during the last half-century are demonstrated. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation index shifted in 1976 from dominantly negative values for the 25-yr time period 1951–75 to dominantly positive values for the period 1977–2001. Mean annual and seasonal temperatures for the positive phase were up to 3.1°C higher than for the negative phase. Likewise, mean cloudiness, wind speeds, and precipitation amounts increased, while mean sea level pressure and geopotential heights decreased. The pressure decrease resulted in a deepening of the Aleutian low in winter and spring. The intensification of the Aleutian low increased the advection of relatively warm and moist air to Alaska and storminess over the state during winter and spring. The regime shift is also examined for its effect on the long-term temperature trends throughout the state. The trends that have shown climatic warming are strongly biased by...
Equilibria and price of anarchy in parallel relay networks with node pricing

We study pricing games in single-layer relay networks where the source routes traffic selfishly according to the strategic bids made by relays. Each relay's bid includes a charging function and a proposed traffic share. Relays aim to maximize their individual profit from forwarding traffic. We show that the socially optimal traffic allocation can always be induced by an equilibrium where no relay can increase its profit by unilaterally changing its bids. Inefficient equilibria arise due to the monopolistic pricing power of a superior relay. This lead to a finite price of anarchy if marginal cost functions are concave, and an unbounded price of anarchy when the marginal cost functions are convex.
The nutritional state of tsetse flies from different vegetation types in Rhodesia.

The nutritional state of males of Glossina morsitans Westw. (subsp. orientalis Vanderplank) obtained by two different methods from four vegetation types at two contrasted seasons during 1964–65 in Rhodesia was assessed by determining their fat content, haematin content and size. The results showed that even in the hot dry season, when Brachystgia and Commiphora woodlands were leafless, the nutritional state was better in flies from these two vegetation types than in those from evergreen riverine fringe vegetation; in the rainy season, the difference persisted but was smaller. Only in Combretum bushland, which is sparsely wooded, did the poor nutritional state of flies caught in both seasons accord with the relatively inhospitable appearance of this vegetation type.The total food-reserves (fat plus the fat-equivalent of haematin) were higher in flies captured on fly-rounds than in those captured on bait-oxen, but the difference was smaller in populations under nutritional stress, e. g., in flies from riverine fringe vegetation and Combretum bushland in the hot season, which suggests that the period of sexual appetitive behaviour in males is shortened under conditions of nutritional stress.The implications of these results are discussed in relation to methods of control that involve discriminating between parts of the tsetse habitat.
Current Role of Automated Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Self-Measured Blood Pressure Determinations in Clinical Practice

Objective To discuss the clinical indications for use of automated indirect blood pressure measurement (ABPM) and self-monitoring of blood pressure. Design Available equipment, variations in blood pressure, and settings in which ABPM may be useful are reviewed. Results Measurement of blood pressure in the physician's office may not reflect the usual blood pressure in other nonmedical environments, such as at work, at home, or during sleep. Self-measurement of blood pressure at home and work and ABPM can provide this additional information. These procedures can be useful not only for determining the presence of office or "white-coat" hypertension but also for assessing patients with both borderline hypertension in the office and target organ damage, those with drug resistance, and cases of episodic hypertension or hypotension. ABPM can also be used to assess very abrupt changes in blood pressure (hypertension or hypotension) and changes in heart rate and blood pressure during sleep. An abbreviated (6-hour) ABPM can be used to confirm increased office blood pressure measurements. Thus, a 6-hour ABPM has the potential to decrease the misclassification of subjects with hypertension or normotension and to limit costs. Conclusion Accurate self-monitored blood pressure measurements can be integrated with office blood pressure determinations to assist in the management of many patients with hypertension. Both ABPM and self-monitoring of blood pressure can improve blood pressure control and practice efficiencies.
A Self-Organizing Neural Model for Fault-Tolerant Control of Redundant Robots

This paper describes a self-organizing neural model that is capable of controlling the kinematics of robots with redundant degrees of freedom. The self-organized learning process is based on action perception cycles where the robot is perturbed minimally about a given joint configuration and learns to map these perturbations to changes in sensor readings corresponding to these minimal perturbations. This motor babbling phase provides self-generated movement commands that activate correlated sensory, spatial and motor information that are used to learn an internal coordinate transformation between sensory and motor systems. This idea was tested on two different tasks: reaching targets in 2-D space with a three degree of freedom robot and saccading to targets in 3-D with a twelve degree of freedom head-neck-eye system. Computer simulations show that the resulting controller is highly fault-tolerant and robust to previously unseen disturbances much like biological systems.
The utilization of commercial tissue solubilizers in liquid scintillation counting

Abstract The three commercial solubilizers can be successfully countered under the conditions of our experiment when Triton X-100 is employed with the scintillator BBOT.
Level crossing analysis of priority queues and a conservation identity for vacation models

The two purposes of this article are to illustrate the power and simplicity of level crossing analysis and to present a conservation identity for M/G/1 priority queues with server vacations. To illustrate the use of level crossing analysis we apply it to preemptive (resume) priority M/G/1 queues with single- and multiple-server vacations considered by Kella and Yechiali (1986) and to non-preemptive priority M/M/c queues considered by Kella and Yechiali (1985). The conservation identity presented here states that the ratios of mean waiting times in an M/G/1 queue with and without server vacation policies are independent of the service discipline for first come first served, shortest processing time, shortest processing time within generations and non-preemptive priority service disciplines.
SU‐EE‐A1‐02: Analysis of Photon Beam Data From Multiple Institutions: An Argument for Reference Data

Purpose: Beam data requirements to support sophisticated treatment planning and delivery techniques are increasingly rigorous. Small field photon measurements are particularly challenging for many centers and practitioners. The purpose of this work is to compare measured beam data characteristics from identical linear accelerators contributed by multiple institutions. Methods and Materials: Measured beam data from 43 “identical” 6 MV linear accelerators were collected from 43 different institutions. A common treatment planning system was used by all participating institutions, standardizing the data collected and simplifying the analysis. Beam data consisted of percent depth dose (PDD), crossbeam profiles and relative scatter factors (SF) as a function of field size. Beam data for field sizes less than 1 × 1 cm2 were contributed by the majority of institutions. A dose‐to‐monitor unit conversion factor was also obtained. All data were normalized in a consistent manner for direct comparison. Data were analyzed using a commercial analysis package. Mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum deviation were calculated for the PDD data. A one‐population t‐test was applied to PDD, scatter factors and dose‐to‐MU factors to identify statistically significant differences. Results: PDD data for a 10×10 cm2field size were remarkably consistent among institutions, with 1σ variation of less than 1% at all depths beyond dmax. In contrast, significant variation was observed in small field PDD data; at 0.6×0.6 cm2, the PDD at 10 cm fell outside the 95% confidence level at 63.2% of institutions. Measurement of small field output factors proved to be equally variable. Several significant outliers were noted in dose‐to‐monitor unit conversion factors. Conclusions: Significant differences exist in beam data collected by multiple institutions for identical linear accelerators. Uniform procedures are needed to increase the quality and consistency of measured beam data. Use of a reference set of beam data may help to eliminate fundamental errors.
Role of Turbulent Fluctuations in NO Formations

Abstract The influence of turbulent fluctuations in temperature on NO formation rates is evaluated. It is shown that turbulent fluctuation may be neglected only whcnT¯2/ T¯2(E/RT¯2) is much less than 1. When this condition is not satisfied the second and higher order moments in the temperature distribution will be important in determining NO formation. As a practical example, NO formation during the mixing of a hot air jet with a surrounding cold air jet is studied. A chopped Gaussian function is assumed to describe the temperature fluctuation distribution. Zel'dovich kinetics assuming steady-state N and equilibrium O atoms are used for NO formation. Comparison is made with rates calculated using mean temperatures. For the fully developed jet region the rates calculated with the chopped Gaussian were generally an order of magnitude higher than those obtained with mean temperatures. In the initial mixing region between the two jets the overall NO generation rates per unit length were similar, but the spati...
TH‐D‐AUD C‐06: Early Assessment of Treatment Response in Hematopoietic Disease Using [18F]FLT PET Imaging

Purpose: Assessment of treatment response in hematopoietic diseases like leukemia is essential for disease management and routinely performed after therapy via bone marrow biopsy, an invasive and ineffective predictor of treatment response. We developed a molecular imaging based methodology for bone marrow assessment and applied it to leukemia patients during their chemotherapy for early assessment of treatment response. Method and Materials: Six adult leukemia patients and ten adult subjects with normal bone marrow were injected with 5mCi 18F‐FLT, a marker of cellularproliferation, and received whole body PET/CT scans. Leukemia patients were treated with standard induction chemotherapy and imaged at progressively earlier time points during therapy. Normal bone marrow was used to establish baseline assessment parameters including bone marrow mean SUV, SUV distribution, and heterogeneity of the axial distribution of bone marrow uptake from the pelvis to neck. Leukemic bone marrow was assessed and therapy responders were compared with non‐responders. Responders were distinguished from non‐responders based upon clinical outcome of therapy. Results: Mean bone marrow SUV of responders was lower than that of non‐responders (0.76±0.05 vs. 1.60±0.14, p=0.0054). For responders, the SUV distribution dramatically shifted toward lower SUVs than in normal patients. This shift was considerably smaller in nonresponders. Axial distribution of bone marrow uptake was more heterogeneous in non‐responders than responders, and this heterogeneity may explain the poor predictive power of the bone marrow biopsy, which is a point measurement. Measurement of treatment response was not significantly affected by the time of assessment. Conclusion: FLT PETimaging was used for early assessment of treatment response in leukemia patients during chemotherapy.Treatment response was characterized by bone marrow mean SUV, SUV distribution, and heterogeneity of the axial distribution. Given the limitations of bone marrow biopsy, FLT PETimaging provides a superior tool for assessment of treatment response in hematopoietic diseases.
The Community College and the Disadvantaged.

The objective of this study is to empirically explore the extent to which public two-year colleges in this country are characterized by open admissions policies and by comprehensive curricula, as well as the extent and nature of programs for the disadvantaged within these institutions. Utilizing a stratified sampling design developed by the research staff of the American Council on Education, a precoded original questionnaire was mailed in the spring of 1971 to the chief administrative officer for each institution in the sample. It was found that only a little over half of the colleges have the curricula offerings and admissions policies of exemplary community colleges, but that all reported special courses, programs, or services for the academically disadvantaged minority group. However, only 40% of our sample indicated that they have developed special programs (as opposed to courses or services). Too, community colleges with programs require (1) more resources in preparing faculty for dealing effectively with the disadvantaged, (2) additional emphasis on recruitment of the disadvantaged, and (3) more attention to developing courses in ethnic studies.
Distribution and Effect of Water Content on Molecular Mobility in Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) Glasses: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation

This work explores the distribution of water and its effects on molecular mobilities in poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) glasses using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation technology. PVP glasses containing 0.5% and 10% w/w water and a small amount of ammonia and Phe-Asn-Gly were generated. Physical aging processes and associated structural and dynamic properties were monitored vs. time for periods up to 0.1 μs by MD simulation. Increasing water content from 0.5% to 10% w/w was found to reduce the Tg by about 90 K and increase the rates of volume and enthalpy relaxation. At 0.5% w/w, water molecules are mostly isolated and uniformly distributed while at 10% w/w, water distribution is markedly heterogeneous, with strands of water molecules occupying channels between the polymer chains. At 10% w/w, each water molecule has an average of 2.0 neighboring water molecules. The plasticization effects of water were revealed in diffusion coefficient increases of 3.7-, 7.3-, and 7.6-fold for water, ammonia, and the individual polyvinylpyrrolidone segments, respectively, and in shorter relaxation times (37- to 47-fold) for rotation of polymer segments with an elevation in water content from 0.5% to 10% w/w. Water diffusivity was found to linearly correlate with the number of neighboring water molecules. Rotation of the PVP segments is comprised of a fast wobble motion within a highly restrained cavity and a slow rotation over a wider angular space. Only the slow rotation was shown to be significantly affected by water content. Water distribution in the PVP glass is highly heterogeneous at 10% w/w water, reflecting the formation of water strands or small clusters rather than complete phase separation. Local enhancement of mobility with increasing water content has been demonstrated using MD simulations.
Comparison of spike and aerosol challenge tests for the recovery of viable influenza virus from non-woven fabrics.

Background To experimentally determine the survival kinetics of influenza virus on personal protective equipment (PPE) and to evaluate the risk of virus transfer from PPE, it is important to compare the effects on virus recovery of the method used to contaminate the PPE with virus and the type of eluent used to recover it. Methods Avian influenza virus (AIV) was applied as a liquid suspension (spike test) and as an aerosol to three types of non-woven fabrics [polypropylene (PP), polyester (PET), and polyamide (Nylon)] that are commonly used in the manufacture of PPE. This was followed by virus recovery using eight different eluents (phosphate-buffered saline, minimum essential medium, and 1·5% or 3·0% beef extract at pH 7, 8, or 9). Results For spike tests, no statistically significant difference was found in virus recovery using any of the eluents tested. Hydrophobic surfaces (PP and PET) yielded higher spiked virus recovery than hydrophilic Nylon. From all materials, the virus recovery was much lower in aerosol challenge tests than in spike tests. Conclusions Significant differences were found in the recovery of viable AIV from non-woven fabrics between spike and aerosol challenge tests. The findings of this study demonstrate the need for realistic aerosol challenge tests rather than liquid spike tests in studies of virus survival on surfaces where airborne transmission of influenza virus may get involved.
A nibbling mechanism for clathrin-mediated retrieval of secretory granule membrane after exocytosis.

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is the major pathway for recycling of granule membrane components after strong stimulation and high exocytotic rates. It resembles “classical” receptor-mediated endocytosis but has a trigger that is unique to secretion, the sudden appearance of the secretory granule membrane in the plasma membrane. The spatial localization, the relationship to individual fusion events, the nature of the cargo, and the timing and nature of the nucleation events are unknown. Furthermore, a size mismatch between chromaffin granules (∼300-nm diameter) and typical clathrin-coated vesicles (∼90 nm) makes it unlikely that clathrin-mediated endocytosis internalizes as a unit the entire fused granule membrane. We have used a combination of total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy of transiently expressed proteins and time-resolved quantitative confocal imaging of endogenous proteins along with a fluid-phase marker to address these issues. We demonstrate that the fused granule membrane remains a distinct entity and serves as a nucleation site for clathrin- and dynamin-mediated endocytosis that internalizes granule membrane components in small increments.
Oxidant stress inhibits the endogenous production of lipoxygenease metabolites in rat lungs and fish gills

Abstract Hydroperoxides are potent initiators of lipid peroxidation in vivo. Acyl hydroperoxides may also regulate various aspects of lipid metabolism. In this study we investigated the regulation of the endogenous 12 lipoxygenase in trout gill and rat lung, a prominant acyl hydroperoxide catalyst in these tissues. Initial experiments revealed that the enzyme from trout gill was activated by hydroperoxides at low levels and inactivated by the same hydroperoxides at high levels. Homogenization of these tissues resulted in the production of a predominant metabolite class from released endogenous polyunsaturated fatty acids, the 12 lipoxygenase products. In rat lung, arachidonic acid was the major polyunsaturated fatty acid released and 12 (S) HETE was the major metabolite. In trout gill 20:4, 20:5 n3, and 22:6 n3 were released and the 12(S), 12, and 14 hydroxy derivatives the corresponding metabolites. Computer simulations of the sensitivity of these enzymes to hydroperoxides predicted that exogenous oxidant stress would reduce significantly the production of HETEs. Tertiary butyl hydroperoxide was added to tissue homogenates and resulted in elimination of >95% of the lipoxygenase activity. These results suggest that the lipoxygenase enzyme in lung and gill tissue is a major potential source for acyl hydroperoxides in vivo, but is also very sensitive to oxidant including the acyl hydroperoxides themselves. This enzyme could thus be an important focus for oxidant injury in lungs.
Cooperative behavior of a chain of synaptically coupled chaotic neurons

Abstract A coupled linear chain of Hindmarsh-Rose model neurons with reciprocal inhibition between neighboring neurons exhibited synchronous oscillations in which neighboring neurons burst out-of-phase and next nearest neighbor neurons burst in-phase. The bifurcations observed inside this “out-of-phase” regime were qualitatively the same for all chains with an even number of neurons and were similar to those observed in a single isolated cell, although the organization of the behavior of a chain of coupled neurons was more regular than that of an isolated cell. When noise was added to the synaptic coupling strengths, there was less hysteresis in the system and many of the bifurcations with smaller basins of attraction were eliminated, making the system even more regular. These results suggest that in populations of bursting neurons with reciprocal inhibition, the chaotic behavior found in single cells is suppressed.
HETEROGENEITY IN COMPUTING: INSIGHTS FROM A WORKSHARING SCHEDULING PROBLEM

Heterogeneity complicates the use of multicomputer platforms. Can it also enhance their performance? How can one measure the power of a heterogeneous assemblage of computers ("cluster"), in absolute terms (how powerful is this cluster) and relative terms (which cluster is more powerful)? Is a cluster that has one super-fast computer and the rest of "average" speed more/less powerful than one all of whose computers are "moderately" fast? If you can replace just one computer in a cluster with a faster one, should you replace the fastest? the slowest? A result concerning "worksharing" in heterogeneous clusters provides a highly idealized, yet algorithmically meaningful, framework for studying such questions in a way that admits rigorous analysis and formal proof. We encounter some surprises as we answer the preceding questions (perforce, within the idealized framework). Highlights: (1) If one can replace only one computer in a cluster by a faster one, it is (almost) always most advantageous to replace the fastest one. (2) If the computers in two clusters have the same mean speed, then the cluster with the larger variance in speed is (almost) always more productive (verified analytically for small clusters and empirically for large ones.) (3) Heterogeneity can actually enhance a cluster's computing power.
The calmodulin binding region of the skeletal ryanodine receptor acts as a self-modulatory domain.

Abstract A synthetic peptide (CaMBP) matching amino acids 3614–3643 of the skeletal ryanodine receptor (RyR1) binds to both Ca2+-free calmodulin (CaM) and Ca2+-bound CaM with nanomolar affinity [J. Biol. Chem. 276 (2001) 2069]. We report here that CaMBP increases [ 3 H ]ryanodine binding to RyR1 in a dose- and Ca2+-dependent manner; it also induces Ca2+ release from SR vesicles, and increases open probability (Po) of single RyR channels reconstituted in planar lipid bilayers. Further, CaMBP removes CaM associated with SR vesicles and increases [ 3 H ]ryanodine binding to purified RyR1, suggesting that its mechanism of action is two-fold: it removes endogenous inhibitors and also interacts directly with complementary regions in RyR1. Remarkably, the N-terminus of CaMBP activates RyRs while the C-terminus of CaMBP inhibits RyR activity, suggesting the presence of two discrete functional subdomains within this region. A ryr1 mutant lacking this region, RyR1-Δ3614–3643, was constructed and expressed in dyspedic myoblasts (RyR1-knockout). The depolarization-, caffeine- and 4-chloro-m-cresol (4-CmC)-induced Ca2+ transients in these cells were dramatically reduced compared with cells expressing wild type RyR1. Deletion of the 3614–3643 region also resulted in profound changes in unitary conductance and channel gating. We thus propose that the RyR1 3614–3643 region acts not only as the CaM binding site, but also as an important modulatory domain for RyR1 function.
A test of macromolecular crystallization in microgravity: large well ordered insulin crystals.

Crystals of insulin grown in microgravity on Space Shuttle Mission STS-95 were extremely well ordered and unusually large (many >2 mm). The physical characteristics of six microgravity and six earth-grown crystals were examined by X-ray analysis employing superfine φ slicing and unfocused synchrotron radiation. This experimental setup allowed hundreds of reflections to be precisely examined from each crystal in a short period of time. The microgravity crystals were on average 34 times larger, had sevenfold lower mosaicity, had 54-­fold higher reflection peak heights and diffracted to significantly higher resolution than their earth-grown counterparts. A single mosaic domain model could account for the observed reflection profiles in microgravity crystals, whereas data from earth crystals required a model with multiple mosaic domains. This statistically significant and unbiased characterization indicates that the microgravity environment was useful for the improvement of crystal growth and the resultant diffraction quality in insulin crystals and may be similarly useful for macromolecular crystals in general.
A method for pneumatically inserting an array of penetrating electrodes into cortical tissue

The goal of this research was to find a practical means by which an array of 100 needle-shaped electrodes could be implanted into the cerebral cortex with minimal brain tissue trauma. It was found that insertion of these structures into cortical tissues could only be performed using high insertion speeds. A pneumatically actuated impact insertion system has been developed that is capable of inserting an electrode array into feline brain tissue at speeds from about 1 to 11 m/s. We found that a minimum array insertion speed of 8.3 m/s was necessary for a complete, safe insertion of all 100 electrodes in the array to a depth of 1.5 mm into feline cortex. The performance of the impact insertion system is discussed in terms of a simplified representation of cortical tissue.
Effects of larval-juvenile treatment with perchlorate and co-treatment with thyroxine on zebrafish sex ratios.

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the effect of larval–juvenile exposure to perchlorate, a thyroid hormone synthesis inhibitor, on the establishment of gonadal sex ratios in zebrafish. Zebrafish were exposed to untreated water or water containing perchlorate at 100 or 250 ppm for a period of 30 days starting at 3 days postfertilization (dpf). Recovery treatments consisted of a combination of perchlorate and exogenous thyroxine (T4; 10 nM). Thyroid histology was assessed at the end of the treatment period (33 dpf), and gonadal histology and sex ratios were determined in fish that were allowed an additional 10-day period of growth in untreated water. As expected, exposure to perchlorate caused changes in thyroid histology consistent with hypothyroidism and these effects were reversed by co-treatment with exogenous T4. Perchlorate did not affect fish survival but co-treatment with T4 induced higher mortality. However, relative to the corresponding perchlorate concentration, co-treatment with T4 caused increased mortality only at a perchlorate concentration of 100 ppm. Perchlorate alone or in the presence of T4 suppressed body length at 43 dpf relative to control values. Perchlorate exposure skewed the sex ratio toward female in a concentration-dependent manner, and co-treatment with T4 not only blocked the feminizing effect of perchlorate but also overcompensated by skewing the sex ratio towards male. Moreover, co-treatment with T4 advanced the onset of spermatogenesis in males. There was no clear association between sex ratios and larval survival or growth. We conclude that endogenous thyroid hormone plays a role in the establishment of gonadal sex phenotype during early development in zebrafish.
Blood to brain sodium transport and interstitial fluid potassium concentration during early focal ischemia in the rat.

During partial ischemia, sodium and potassium ions exchange across the blood–brain barrier, resulting in a net increase in cations and brain edema. Since this exchange is likely mediated by specific transporters such as Na,K–ATPase in the capillary endothelium and because brain capillary Na,K–ATPase activity is stimulated by increased extracellular potassium in vitro, this study was designed to determine if the rate of blood to brain sodium transport is increased in ischemic tissue having an elevated interstitial fluid potassium concentration ([K]ISF) in vivo. Sprague-Dawley rats were studied between 2–3 h after occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery. To identify where cortical tissue with an elevated [K]ISF could be sampled for transport studies, the regional pattern of cerebral blood flow and [K]ISF was obtained in a group of 17 rats using hydrogen clearance and potassium-selective microelectrode techniques. We observed severely elevated [K]ISF (> 10 mM) when CBF was less than 20 ml 100 g−1 min−1...
Enhancing the Quality of Infrared-Based Automatic Pedestrian Sensor Data by Nonparametric Statistical Method

With the advent of intelligent transportation systems in the past several decades, sensors are being extensively used to detect and count vehicle movements. The use of similar sensing technologies to detect pedestrian movements, however, is relatively new. Pedestrian counts are essential for decision making in pedestrian facility planning, signal timing, and pedestrian safety modeling. Conventional methods such as manual counting and videotaping can hardly satisfy the requirements of programs for the long-term collection of pedestrian data. Advances in sensing technologies have increased the ability to automate pedestrian data collection with the use of infrared sensors. However, the quality of the data from infrared sensors is still a problem; several field studies have shown that these types of sensors do not always perform perfectly. Field tests conducted in this study and by other research teams showed that infrared sensors usually counted significantly fewer pedestrians than the actual number. Thus, ...
Analysis of Triaxial Vibration Data for Health Monitoring of Helicopter Gearboxes

Research on the nature of the vibration data collected from helicopter transmissions during flight experiments has led to several crucial observations believed to be responsible for the high rates of false alarms and missed detections in aircraft vibration monitoring systems. This work focuses on one such finding, namely, the need to consider additional sources of information about system vibrations. In this light, helicopter transmission vibration data, collected using triaxial accelerometers, are explored in three different directions, analyzed for content, and then combined using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to analyze changes in directionality. The frequency content of the three different directions is compared and analyzed using time-synchronously averaged vibration data. To provide a method for analysis and monitoring purposes, the triaxial data are decorrelated using a mathematical transformation, and compared to the original axes to determine their differences. The benefits of using triaxial data for vibration monitoring and diagnostics are explored by analyzing the changes in the direction of the principal axis of vibration formed using all three axes of vibration. The statistical variation introduced due to the experimental variables is further analyzed using an Analysis of Variance approach to determine the effect of each variable on the overall signature. The results indicate that triaxial accelerometers can provide additional information about the frequency content of helicopter gearbox vibrations, and provide researchers and industry with a novel method of capturing and monitoring triaxial changes in the baseline vibration signatures.
Armillaria species distribution on symptomatic hosts in northern hardwood and mixed oak forests in western Massachusetts

Abstract Armillaria spp. are some of the most important forest pathogens in mixed hardwood forests of southern New England, yet their role as prominent disturbance agents is still not fully appreciated. We investigated the distribution of Armillaria species across eight separate stands of northern hardwood and mixed oak forests in western Massachusetts. We were specifically interested in the Armillaria species distribution from live, symptomatic hosts and not in determining overall incidence in the forest. From 32 plots (16 within each forest type), 320 isolates were collected. Armillaria was routinely encountered causing disease of live trees. In total, 89% (286/320) of all isolations came from live hosts exhibiting symptoms of root and butt rot. Overall, A . gallica was the dominant species in each forest type, making up 88/160 (55%) isolates from northern hardwood and 153/160 (96%) of all isolations from mixed oak stands. However, northern hardwood forests showed much greater species diversity, as A. calvescens , A. gemina , A. ostoyae , and A. sinapina were all found. At one site, a northern hardwood forest surrounding a high elevation spruce-fir forest, A. ostoyae was the most abundant species encountered. All five Armillaria species were found causing disease of live hosts, including A. gemina , a species considered by some as weakly virulent. Armillaria gallica was found on 22/23 tree species’ sampled, and was found most often causing butt rot.
Psychological and Behavioral Correlates of Excess Weight: Misperception of Obese Status among Persons with Class II Obesity

Obesity is an increasingly common and serious problem in the United States [1]. Recent estimates suggest that 66.3% of adults are overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2) [2]. In spite of public health efforts promoting increased awareness of overweight and obesity, a substantial proportion of adults may inaccurately identify their weight status [3, 4]. Among overweight and obese individuals, under-estimation of weight status may contribute to minimization or denial that current weight is a health risk [3], and may thus contribute to health problems associated with obesity due to a failure to respond [5, 6]. Earlier studies have explored demographic differences in weight status perception among overweight and obese as a unitary group. Accuracy in overweight perception has been associated with age, gender, race, BMI, physical activity level, smoking behavior, income, and educational background [3, 4, 7-11]. However few studies have examined psychological and behavioral correlates of weight status misclassification among obese individuals. Psychological and behavioral characteristics are particularly important to examine among more severely obese individuals (e.g., class II) who under-estimate their weight status. These individuals are also at higher risk of medical problems than overweight or less severely obese individuals due to greater adiposity. Given that research consistently demonstrates an association between obesity and depression, low self-esteem, and poorer quality of life [12, 13], it is important to understand the relationship between psychological factors and accuracy of weight status perception. While several studies suggest that accuracy of self-reported weight appears to be unrelated to psychological features (e.g., [11, 14-16], the literature remains very limited. Notably, these studies did not ask participants to identify their weight status as under weight, normal weight, overweight, or obese but rather examined the discrepancy between self-reported and actual weight. It may be more relevant from a behavioral or clinical perspective to examine how obese individuals who identify as “obese” differ from those who misidentify their weight status as “overweight.” Additionally, previous research on weight misperception has classified individuals as accurate or inaccurate according to standard cut-offs for weight classifications. Therefore individuals who are just beyond a given cutoff are grouped alongside individuals with much greater disparity between actual and reported classifications. The current study seeks to examine weight status misperception among individuals classified as Class II obese (35≤BMI<40), and to determine whether, within this group, accuracy in weight status perception is associated with psychological and behavioral factors.
Measurement and analysis of particle—particle interaction in a cocurrent flow of particles in a dilute gas—solid system

Abstract The experimental apparatus of Arastoopour et al.[3] was modified to measure pressure drop and solid velocities for cocurrent flow of particles in a pneumatic conveying line. The data were translated into particle—particle interaction expression using a force balance over the particles. The particle interaction is a combination of collision and drag force in a particles low relative velocity region. A correlation for particle—particle interaction with relative velocity between the particles of 0.3–4.6 m/s has been developed. The correlation describes our experimental data within the 10% deviation.
Effect of Caffeine on the ATR/Chk1 Pathway in the Epidermis of UVB-Irradiated Mice

Administration of caffeine was shown in earlier studies to enhance UVB-induced apoptosis and inhibit UVB-induced carcinogenesis in hairless SKH-1 mice. Here, we describe a potential mechanism for these in vivo effects. A single irradiation of mouse skin with UVB activated the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated- and Rad3-related (ATR) pathway, causing a severalfold increase in keratinocytes with phospho-Chk1 (Ser(345)) and a marked decrease in mitotic keratinocytes with cyclin B1 compared with baseline. When given in the drinking water for 1 to 2 weeks before UVB, caffeine (0.4 mg/mL) markedly inhibited the UVB-induced phosphorylation of Chk1 on Ser(345) and caused premature expression of cyclin B1 in the epidermis. Normal keratinocytes had delayed mitotic entry for >10 h following UVB. Caffeine administration reduced this mitotic delay to only 4 h and caused markedly increased apoptosis by 6 to 10 h after UVB. p53 knockout mice were used to determine the role of p53 in these processes. Irradiation with UVB markedly decreased the number of mitotic keratinocytes with cyclin B1 in p53 knockout mice, and topical caffeine immediately after UVB abrogated this response and increased UVB-induced apoptosis severalfold. These effects of caffeine in knockout mice were substantially greater than in wild-type mice. The ability of caffeine to promote the deletion of p53(-/-) keratinocytes may be relevant to its inhibitory effect on UVB-induced skin cancer. Our studies indicate that administration of caffeine enhances the removal of DNA-damaged cells by inhibiting the ATR-mediated phosphorylation of Chk1 and prematurely increasing the number of cyclin B1-containing cells that undergo lethal mitosis.
Analyzing and Assessing Gaddis's Kennan Biography: Questionable Interpretations and Unpursued Evidence and Issues

Nine experts on Cold War history offer commentaries about John Lewis Gaddis's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of George F. Kennan, the first head of the U.S. State Department's Policy Planning Staff. The commentators come from several countries and offer a wide range of perspectives about Gaddis's George F. Kennan: An American Life, published by Penguin Books in 2011. Although most of the commentators express highly favorable assessments of the book, they also raise numerous points of criticism. Two of the commentators, Barton J. Bernstein and Anders Stephanson, present extended critiques of Gaddis's biography. The forum concludes with a reply by Gaddis to all the commentaries, especially those by Bernstein and Stephanson.
Viscosities, frictional coefficients and self-diffusion in liquid metals

Abstract Expressions are developed for the shear viscosity and frictional coefficient by consideration of the rigid-sphere model as presented by Longuet-Higgins and Pople and the application of the Carnahan and Starling equation of state. The proposed relationships are shown to reproduce experimental results for numerous pure liquid metals over a wide temperature range.
POSITION STATEMENT: Glucose Intolerance in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome—A Position Statement of the Androgen Excess Society

Objectives: Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are at increased risk for developing glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Recommendations for the timing and method of screening have varied. The purpose of this statement is to determine the optimal screening method, timing of screening, and treatment modalities for impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) among women with PCOS. Participants: The expert panel was appointed by the Androgen Excess Society (AES) to review the literature and make recommendations based on the available evidence. Meetings were open, and there was no funding for the panel. Evidence:A systematic review was conducted of the published, peerreviewed medical literature using MEDLINE to identify studies that addressed the prevalence, risk factors, testing, and treatment for IGT in both adults and adolescents with PCOS. Unpublished data were not considered. Consensus Process: The panel held meetings to review the literatureanddraftthestatementasacommittee.TheAESboardmembers reviewedandcritiquedthemanuscript,andchangesweremadebased on their comments. Conclusions: The panel recommends that all patients with PCOS be screenedforIGTwitha2-horalglucosetolerancetest.Afewmembers of the AES board recommend alternatively screening women with PCOS for IGT and type 2 DM using an oral glucose tolerance test only in patients with a body mass index of 30 kg/m 2 or greater or in lean patients with additional risk factors. Patients with normal glucose tolerance should be rescreened at least once every 2 yr, or more frequently if additional risk factors are identified. Those with IGT should be screened annually for development of type 2 DM. PCOS patients with IGT should be treated with intensive lifestyle modification and weight loss and considered for treatment with insulinsensitizing agents. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 92: 4546–4556, 2007)
Photolytic Behavior of Some Popular Disperse Dyes on Polyester and Nylon Substrates

The photodegradation products that form when disperse red 1, red 17, and blue 3 dyed fabrics and films are exposed to carbon arc and xenon arc light sources have been identified. The effects of black panel and dye carrier on the nature of the deg radation products and the fading process itself were also studied. The results of this research indicate that the same photodegradation products occur in comparisons in volving carbon arc versus xenon arc exposures, polyester versus nylon substrates, black panel versus no black panel exposures, and exposures of carrier dyed versus no carrier dyed PET. It is clear that photo-reduction pathways account for the products that form when the two azo disperse dyes (red 1 and red 17) photofade, but photo oxidation characterizes the fading of the anthraquinone disperse dye blue 3. The pho todegradation products were determined with the aid of GC mass spectrometry and by TLC comparisons with authentic samples.
Determining heterogeneous bottom friction distributions using a numerical wave model

[1] This paper describes a method for estimating spatially variable bottom roughness lengths (kb) in friction-dominated coastal regions where dense measurements of the significant wave height are available. The method utilizes a numerical wave model to calculate wavefields. The model-predicted significant wave height is compared to a control simulation with a known kb field, which is a proxy for measured wave heights. The error is used in combination with an influence matrix to successively correct the bottom roughness field. This predictor-corrector calculation is completed in a series of analysis cycles. The method is demonstrated in an idealized basin with different kb distributions. The test cases simulate swell propagating over a sloping beach. The original kb fields are recovered in a reasonable number of analysis cycles but the method is limited by the influence of bottom friction on the wave height. The inversion is shown to be robust in the presence of errors in the measured wavefield as well as random bathymetry errors. However, the inversion fails if bathymetry errors are large and/or systematic because the friction error is not substantially greater than the error from bathymetry, which is also a key parameter for calculating the wave height. Thus it is important to select parameters and variables that have well-defined dependencies in the numerical wave model for this procedure to be effective.
Updating on conditional information

This paper, concentrating on deductions among conditional expressions, extends some previous ideas of the author as an alternative to the use of conditional event algebra. The approach taken here is through metalanguage-based "high probability relations". Higher order conditionals are also treated in the same metalevel format, in contrast to the object language format of conditional event algebra. Other comparisons with conditional event algebra are also discussed, and a potentially promising technique is presented for connecting metalanguage probability relations with object language relations. >
Open source basics: definitions, models, and questions

In this paper, I will provide a basic overview of issues related to the use of open source models for development and distribution of computer documentation. The first section of the paper defines the key relations among different "open" categories (ranging from open standards to free software). The second section of the paper argues for two different methods for implementing open source models for computer documentation, one that offers increased user input into documentation projects and another that works to redefine how users and customers understand the importance and value of documentation.
The Struggle for Amazon Town: Gurupá Revisited

The Struggle for Amazon Town: Gurupa Revisited. Richard Pace. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 1998. 236 pp.