cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lectin affinity chromatography of proteins bearing O-linked oligosaccharides: application of jacalin-agarose

The lectin jacalin immobilized on agarose was found to bind a variety of glycoproteins known to contain typical O-linked oligosaccharides, including human IgA, C1 inhibitor, chorionic gonadotropin, plasminogen, bovine protein Z, bovine coagulation factor X, and fetuin. These proteins were eluted from columns of jacalin-agarose specifically by alpha-galactopyranosides such as melibiose and alpha-methylgalactopyranoside but not by lactose or other sugars. Treatment of asialofetuin with endo--alpha--N--acetylgalactosaminidase eliminated its affinity for the lectin column, and other proteins known to contain only N-linked oligosaccharides such as ovalbumin, transferrin, and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein were not retained by the lectin. Binding of proteins with O-linked oligosaccharides to the lectin column did not require divalent cations and was affected little by changes in pH and ionic strength over a wide range. Virtually all of the glycosidically linked oligosaccharides of fetuin, chorionic gonadotropin, and plasminogen are known to be sialated. Thus, binding of these glycoproteins to jacalin, which is known to have affinity for the core disaccharide, 1-beta-galactopyranosyl-3-(alpha-2-acetamido-2-deoxygalactopyranoside ), in O-linked oligosaccharides of these proteins, was not prevented by the presence of sialic acids. Affinity of oligosaccharides for jacalin did appear to be reduced by occurrence of sialic acids as it was found that higher concentrations of melibiose were required to elute asialofetuin than fetuin from jacalin-agarose. Results of the present study indicate that affinity chromatography using this lectin is a widely applicable technique for identifying and purifying proteins bearing O-linked oligosaccharides.
Wettability and Reliability for Double-Sided Assembly with Chip Connection (C2) Flip-Chip Technology

With the continued shrinking of the system-in-package, there is increasing pressure to use double-sided flip-chip assembly to reduce the size of systems. The same thermal treatment used to assemble the flip-chip on one side is also done on the other side of the substrate. A concern is the low wettability of the solder when assembling the second flip-chip. The wettability of solder depends on the surface treatment of the pads of the substrate. Various surface treatments such as Organic Solderability Preservative (OSP), Electroless Sn plating (E-less Sn), and Direct Immersion Gold (DIG) are evaluated. OSPs with high solubility into flux showed good wettability with adequate margins. Even though E-less Sn showed good wettability, the margins were insufficient. Thin DIG showed poor wettability because the Au diffused into the Cu during the thermal treatments. Reliability tests were performed on the OSPs which showed good wettability. Good reliability was confirmed for the double-sided flip-chip packages.
Dictators on blocks: Generalizations of social choice impossibility theorems

Abstract This paper extends impossibility theorems of Arrow and others to cases in which social comparisons between alternatives in a set X of social alternatives may be made only for each pair {x, y} in a certain subset of distinct pairs taken from X. With E the set of pairs within which social comparisons may be made, G = (X, E) is an undirected graph without loops. The social comparison between x and y for {x, y} ∈ E is to be based on the preferences of individuals in a finite society S. Each individual is presumed to prefer x to y or prefer y to x (not both) for every {x, y} ∈ E and may hold any preference relation that does not cycle in G. A profile is an assignment of one such relation to each individual in S. The paper examines binary social comparison procedures which map each profile into a social preference relation over the pairs in E, subject to x socially preferred to y whenever {x, y} ∈ E and everyone in S prefers x to y. Individual i ∈ S is a dictator [weak dictator] on {x, y} ∈ E iff x is socially preferred to y [x ranks as high as y socially] whenever i prefers x to y, and similarly with x and y interchanged, regardless of the preferences of the other individuals in S. An individual is a dictator [weak dictator] on a subgraph of G iff he is a dictator [weak dictator] on every edge in the subgraph. Under each of three ordering conditions on social preferences, there is a dictator or weak dictator on every block of G which has three or more points, different blocks can have different dictators, and bridges in E need not have dictators.
Paediatric craniofacial surgery: historical perspectives, recent advancements and refinements

Paediatric craniofacial surgery has evolved since the innovative work of Tessier in the 1960s. The development of the team approach has greatly helped this progress. Technical advances of osteosynthesis and better radiological examinations have further improved the predictability and stability. Microvascular free tissue transfer is playing an increasing role in certain malformations.
Using the double bind to interpret the experience of custodial grandparents

Abstract This paper uses the concept of the double bind as a tool for interpreting the role stress of custodial grandparents. The data are narratives from three waves of open-ended interviews with 15 Euro-American, custodial grandmothers. They were asked to describe the circumstances that brought them to take custody of their grandchild, and their experiences in that role. Their narratives reveal a central dilemma that places two core values—family continuity (“taking care of one's own”) and generational independence—in conflict. If the grandparents take responsibility for their grandchild, the child remains in their family; but they usurp the role of the biological parents, disempowering them as social parents and fueling intergenerational conflict. This role conflict takes place in the context of a breakdown in intergenerational communication that inhibits its resolution, and no perceived way for the grandmothers to exit the situation. The concept of the double bind provides a useful tool for interpreting the narrative texts and for comparing: (1) different families' strategies for coping, (2) the situations of custodial grandparents in different life circumstances and ethnic communities, and (3) the effects of different policy content and implementation.
Descendants of European immigrants in Southern Brazil as participants and heads of Afro‐Brazilian religious centres

Abstract This article is about a unique case of assimilation: the entry of descendants of nineteenth‐ and early‐twentieth‐century European immigrants to southern Brazil into Afro‐Brazilian religious groups, some as heads of their own centres. The discussion is placed within the framework of the contemporary multiculturalist debate over assimilation. The emigration of Europeans to rural southern Brazil is summarized. African slaves are shown to have been established ‐ with their syncretized Afro‐Catholic religions ‐ in the incipient urban centres. The transformation of Brazilian society in the second half of the twentieth century is examined focusing on 1) the massive growth of the population and 2) its urbanization. The difficulties faced by the migrants to the cities and their descendants is discussed. Umbanda, a secondary religious syncretism of the Afro‐Catholic tradition with European Spiritism, is shown to provide help to those in need as it competes with Catholicism and other religions for converts....
Binding of Ku and c-Abl at the Kinase Homology Region of DNA-dependent Protein Kinase Catalytic Subunit

Abstract The DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) controls the repair of double-stranded DNA breaks in mammalian cells. The protein kinase subunit of DNA-PK (DNA-PKcs) is targeted to DNA breaks by association with the Ku DNA-binding heterodimer. Here we show that a Ku association site is present at the carboxyl terminus of DNA-PKcs (amino acids 3002–3850) near the protein kinase domain. Correspondingly, the nuclear c-Abl tyrosine kinase that associates with DNA-PK also binds to the kinase homology domain. The c-Abl SH3 domain binds to amino acids 3414–3850 of DNA-PKcs. c-Abl phosphorylates C-terminal fragments of DNA-PKcs, particularly amino acids 3414–3850. c-Abl phosphorylation of DNA-PKcs disassociates the DNA-PKcs·Ku complex. Thus, Ku and c-Abl provide opposing functions with regard to DNA-PK activity.
Microwave spectral series of deuterated hydrogen peroxide

Abstract Two spectral series of the Δ J = 0 type have been recognized from some 130 microwave spectral lines observed in deuterated hydrogen peroxide. The method of identifying the members of a series is based upon the knowledge of the Stark and Zeeman splittings and the presence of a smooth functional relationship for the line frequencies in the series. An interpretation of the measured rotational magnetic moments leads to the conclusion that HDO 2 is the most probable origin of both series.
Effects of Two Planes of Nutrition on Performance and Uniformity of Four Strains of Broiler Chicks

Abstract Growers of broilers have recommended feeding lower protein feeds in order to reduce feed cost and nitrogen content of litter. However, the impact that very low protein feeds may have on broiler performance has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, two planes of nutrition (Standard=NRC-recommended level; or Low=66.1-69.5% as much protein) were fed to each sex of four broiler strains to 8 wk of age. Body weight, feed conversion, mortality, carcass yield, and uniformity were determined. Birds on the Low plane of nutrition had lower body weights, higher feed conversion, decreased carcass yield, and increased abdominal fat pad. In addition, the Low plane of nutrition decreased body weight uniformity and decreased uniformity of parts yield. However, the Low plane of nutrition reduced mortality to 6 wk of age and increased the percentage of dark meat yield. The data indicate that uniformity may be negatively impacted by a lower than NRC plane of nutrition, but careful application of low protein diets along with selection of an appropriate processing age will minimize the negative impact.
3. Jack L. Walker Jr. 1969. “The Diffusion of Innovations Among the American States.” American Political Science Review 63 (September): 880–99 Cited 482 times.

Jack Walker was the author of three of the 100 most cited articles in the history of the Review. Nowhere is his creativity and imagination more on display than in his “Diffusion” article. Comparing the three articles allows some conclusions about why “Diffusion” had such a great impact and illustrates the thinking of a great scholar, mentor, and colleague.
Urine concentrating ability and renal structure of insectivorous bats.

Maximum urine concentrating ability was determined for 11 species of insectivorous bats by water-deprivation experiments. Mean maximum concentrations ranged from 2,640 to 4,340 milliosmols/kg water. Renal indices involved with medullary thickness were highly correlated with urine concentrating ability (for example, r = .919 for the ratio of inner medullary zone:cortex, IM/C). Mean maximum urine concentrating abilities for six additional species were predicted from the following equation: mean maximum osmolality (mosmol/kg) = 658 + 558 (IM/C). The insectivorous bats limited to more arid habitats possessed better renal adaptations for water conservation. Under natural conditions arid-adapted species drink when water is available; however, indirect evidence suggests that some may be able to survive long periods without water.
Beginning Teachers' Technology Use: First-Year Teacher Development and the Institutional Context's Affect on New Teachers' Instructional Technology Use with Students.

AbstractThis empirical research study addresses the issues of new teacher development and the role of the institutional context on new teachers’ instructional technology use. The study examines two first year teachers, their development during their initial year of classroom experience, and how the institutional context they entered affected their instructional decisions about technology use with students. Results underscore the challenges many beginning teachers face and how those challenges affect instructional decisions of beginning teachers. Results also stress the importance of the institutional context in valuing beginning teachers’ instructional decisions about technology use with students.
Simulations of the Effects of Water Vapor, Cloud Liquid Water, and Ice on AMSU Moisture Channel Brightness Temperatures

Radiative transfer simulations are performed to determine how water vapor and nonprecipitating cloud liquid water and ice particles within typical midlatitude atmospheres affect brightness temperatures T(sub B)'s of moisture sounding channels used in the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and AMSU-like instruments. The purpose is to promote a general understanding of passive top-of-atmosphere T(sub B)'s for window frequencies at 23.8, 89.0, and 157.0 GHz, and water vapor frequencies at 176.31, 180.31, and 182.31 GHz by documenting specific examples. This is accomplished through detailed analyses of T(sub B)'s for idealized atmospheres, mostly representing temperate conditions over land. Cloud effects are considered in terms of five basic properties: droplet size distribution, phase, liquid or ice water content, altitude, and thickness. Effects on T(sub B) of changing surface emissivity also are addressed. The brightness temperature contribution functions are presented as an aid to physically interpreting AMSU T(sub B)'s. Both liquid and ice clouds impact the T(sub B)'s in a variety of ways. The T(sub B)'s at 23.8 and 89 GHz are more strongly affected by altostratus liquid clouds than by cirrus clouds for equivalent water paths. In contrast, channels near 157 and 183 GHz are more strongly affected by ice clouds. Higher clouds have a greater impact on 157- and 183-GHz T(sub B)'s than do lower clouds. Clouds depress T(sub B)'s of the higher-frequency channels by suppressing, but not necessarily obscuring, radiance contributions from below. Thus, T(sub B)'s are less closely associated with cloud-top temperatures than are IR radiometric temperatures. Water vapor alone accounts for up to 89% of the total attenuation by a midtropospheric liquid cloud for channels near 183 GHz. The Rayleigh approximation is found to be adequate for typical droplet size distributions; however, Mie scattering effects from liquid droplets become important for droplet size distribution functions with modal radii greater than 20 micrometers near 157 and 183 GHz, and greater than 30-40 micrometers at 89 GHz. This is due mainly to the relatively small concentrations of droplets much larger than the mode radius. Orographic clouds and tropical cumuli have been observed to contain droplet size distributions with mode radii in the 30-40 micrometers range. Thus, as new instruments bridge the gap between microwave and infrared to frequencies even higher than 183 GHz, radiative transfer modelers are cautioned to explicitly address scattering characteristics of such clouds.
Explosive activity associated with the growth of volcanic domes

Abstract Domes offer unique opportunities to measure or infer the characteristics of magmas that, at domes and elsewhere, control explosive activity. A review of explosive activity associated with historical dome growth shows that: 1. (1) explosive activity has occurred in close association with nearly all historical dome growth; 2. (2) whole-rock SiO 2 content, a crude but widely reported indicator of magma viscosity, shows no systematic relationship to the timing and character of explosions; 3. (3) the average rate of dome growth, a crude indicator of the rate of supply of magma and volatiles to the near-surface enviornment, shows no systematic relationship to the timing or character of explosions; and 4. (4) new studies at Arenal and Mount St. Helens suggest that water content is the dominant control on explosions from water-rich magmas, whereas the crystal content and composition of the interstitial melt (and hence magma viscosity) are equally or more important controls on explosions from water-poor magmas. New efforts should be made to improve current, rather limited techniques for monitoring pre-eruption volatile content and magma viscosity, and thus the explosive potential of magmas.
Jurassic aeolian oolite on a palaeohigh in the Sundance Sea, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming

Aeolian limestones are widespread in the Quaternary record and have been identified in outcrops and cores of late Palaeozoic strata. These rocks have been interpreted as a low latitude signal of glacio-eustatic sea level fluctuations and have not been previously reported from the Mesozoic or from other episodes of earth history generally believed to have been non-glacial. Numerous lenticular bodies of cross-stratified oolite lie near the contact between the lower and upper members of the mudstone-dominated lower Sundance Formation (Middle and Upper Jurassic) in the Bighorn Basin of north-central Wyoming, USA. The lenses, up to 12 m thick, contain sedimentary structures diagnostic of aeolian deposition. Inversely graded laminae within thick sets of cross-strata were deposited by climbing wind ripples. Adhesion structures and evenly dispersed lag granules are present in flat-bedded strata at the bases of several of the oolite bodies. Thin sections reveal abundant intergranular micrite of vadose origin. The lenses appear to represent virtually intact, isolated aeolian bedforms that migrated across a nearly sand-free deflation surface. When the Sundance Sea transgressed the dunes, a thin (<1 m thick), wave-rippled, oolite veneer formed on the upper surface of the aeolianite. Previous workers, primarily on the basis of sedimentary structures in the veneer, interpreted the oolite lenses as tidal sand bodies. The dunes provide clear evidence of widespread subaerial exposure on the crest and north flank of the Sheridan Arch. This structural high was delineated by previous workers who demonstrated thinning of pre-upper-Sundance Formation strata and localized development of ooid shoals. Ooids that formed in shoals on the windward (southern) side of the palaeohigh were exposed and deflated during lowstand. Thin, scour-filling ooid grainstone lenses that crop out in the southern part of the study area represent remnants of the marine beds that sourced the aeolianites. Farther north (down-wind), oolitic dunes prograded over thinly laminated lagoonal silts. When relative sea level began to rise, the uncemented dunes were buried under fine-grained marine sediment as the lee side of a low-relief island was inundated.
Experimental study of a noncircular array

Circular closed-loop arrays have been found to have interesting resonances. There is reason to think that, by deforming these arrays, better directivity can be obtained. In order to search for shapes of deformed closed-loop arrays that are likely to produce a high directivity, a method for estimating the radiation pattern and guiding the search has been developed. The estimation is based on the assumption that the current along the elements of a closed-loop array is close to that of a traveling wave. This assumption has been verified experimentally. Based on the traveling-wave source, some guidelines have been found. By following these guidelines, the radiation patterns have been greatly improved.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The doctorate in Second Language Acquisition: An institutional history

This article surveys nine graduate programs that confer doctoral degrees in Second Language Acquisition, the first of which was founded in 1988, 25 years ago. I examine warrants for the establishment of PhD programs in second language acquisition, the array of institutional bases on which they rest, and their curricula. I also point out distinctive features of particular programs, and report some of the ways in which this relatively new option for graduate education in the field of second language acquisition can be assessed. The goal is to reflect on what the existence and content of PhD programs in second language acquisition contributes to the discipline overall.
Body Image: A Study in a Tri-Ethnic Sample of Low Income Women

This study was designed to examine the evaluative, affective, and behavioral components of body image among 1,217 low-income European American, African American, and Latina women. Participants completed a multidimensional body image questionnaire while awaiting an outpatient clinic appointment. Body mass index (BMI) was determined by medical chart review. Nearly all normal weight and a number of overweight and obese African Americans characterized their weight as normal. In contrast, nearly all overweight and obese European Americans and Latinas regarded themselves as overweight as did over 30% of those of normal weight. European Americans and Latinas with higher BMIs reported more appearance shame than their lower BMI peers did; this pattern was not observed among African Americans. Among Latinas, body image was influenced by length of residency in the U.S.
Calorie restriction increases muscle mitochondrial biogenesis in healthy humans.

Background Caloric restriction without malnutrition extends life span in a range of organisms including insects and mammals and lowers free radical production by the mitochondria. However, the mechanism responsible for this adaptation are poorly understood. Methods and Findings The current study was undertaken to examine muscle mitochondrial bioenergetics in response to caloric restriction alone or in combination with exercise in 36 young (36.8 ± 1.0 y), overweight (body mass index, 27.8 ± 0.7 kg/m2) individuals randomized into one of three groups for a 6-mo intervention: Control, 100% of energy requirements; CR, 25% caloric restriction; and CREX, caloric restriction with exercise (CREX), 12.5% CR + 12.5% increased energy expenditure (EE). In the controls, 24-h EE was unchanged, but in CR and CREX it was significantly reduced from baseline even after adjustment for the loss of metabolic mass (CR, −135 ± 42 kcal/d, p = 0.002 and CREX, −117 ± 52 kcal/d, p = 0.008). Participants in the CR and CREX groups had increased expression of genes encoding proteins involved in mitochondrial function such as PPARGC1A, TFAM, eNOS, SIRT1, and PARL (all, p < 0.05). In parallel, mitochondrial DNA content increased by 35% ± 5% in the CR group (p = 0.005) and 21% ± 4% in the CREX group (p < 0.004), with no change in the control group (2% ± 2%). However, the activity of key mitochondrial enzymes of the TCA (tricarboxylic acid) cycle (citrate synthase), beta-oxidation (beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase), and electron transport chain (cytochrome C oxidase II) was unchanged. DNA damage was reduced from baseline in the CR (−0.56 ± 0.11 arbitrary units, p = 0.003) and CREX (−0.45 ± 0.12 arbitrary units, p = 0.011), but not in the controls. In primary cultures of human myotubes, a nitric oxide donor (mimicking eNOS signaling) induced mitochondrial biogenesis but failed to induce SIRT1 protein expression, suggesting that additional factors may regulate SIRT1 content during CR. Conclusions The observed increase in muscle mitochondrial DNA in association with a decrease in whole body oxygen consumption and DNA damage suggests that caloric restriction improves mitochondrial function in young non-obese adults.
Biotic and abiotic gradients in a regulated high elevation Rocky mountain river

Samples were collected year-round over a one-year period at sites 250m, 500m, 1000m, 2300m, 5200m, and 11000m downstream from a hypolimnetic-release reservoir on the Blue River, Colorado, to examine biotic and abiotic gradients induced by river regulation. The impoundment had only minimal effects on river chemistry and chemical variables failed to exhibit discernible downstream patterns. The temperature regime was markedly altered by regulation and exhibited a distinct downstream recovery gradient. The progressive downstream increase in zoobenthos species diversity is attributed, in part, to the thermal recovery. The average size of mineral substratum particles was greater at sites nearest the dam, although cobble and pebble predominated at all sites. A downstream decrease in bed stability was accompanied by decreased water clarity and increases in scour and ice action. These factors may have accounted for the higher standing crops of periphyton near the dam and a shift from filamentous chlorophytes to a predominance of diatoms with increasing distance downstream. The amount of leaf detritus in the substratum increased downstream. The abundance of shredders, zoobenthic species that feed on leaf detritus, tracked the downstream increase in coarse sedimentary detritus. Spatial patterns of organic seston within the study reach, influenced partly by sloughing of periphyton, are thought to account for the downstream species replacement patterns exhibited within the filter-feeder guild.
THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF HISTORY FROM RACIAL HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH

Although thriving in many respects, racial health disparities research suffers from a lack of historical analysis and may be in danger of reaching a saturation point. This article examines how renewed attention to history can enhance the explanatory power of such research. First, it surveys a body of writing on what history can contribute to contemporary social science and policy debates. Next, it compares current racial health disparities research to the analytical impasse encountered by urban poverty researchers of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It contrasts that work with two classic post-Second World War urban histories, and identifies qualities of the latter lacking in conventional social science. The essay then surveys historically oriented works on race and health, pointing out their usefulness to racial health disparities research while discussing promising future research directions. It concludes with a brief reflection on changes in the academic institutional context necessary for fruitful synergy between public health researchers and historians.
An Empirical Investigation of the Relationship between Executive Risk Sharing and Stock Performance in New and Old Economy Firms

Compensation contracts used in different firms embody both incentive and risk sharing components. This study builds on the existing literature by empirically investigating the relationship between executive risk sharing and firms’ stock performance in new and old economy firms. It tries to answer the fundamental question of whether or not using risk sharing contracts actually motivate executives to increase shareholder value, and whether that effect differs between new and old economy firms. The results indicate that the level of risk sharing does not influence the future market value of firm shares in high-risk sharing and new economy firms. However, it does negatively influence the current and future return to shareholders. The results also indicate that more intensive stock-based contacts positively influence current and future stock performance. This indicates that although stock based compensation includes a level of risk sharing, the level of risk sharing is not what drives stock performance in high-risk sharing and new economy firms. Rather, it is the value of the stock based compensation that drives performance leading to a higher market value per share and higher return to shareholders.
The survey says: Practitioners cautiously move toward accepting same-neutral med-arb, but party sophistication is mandatory

In the second of two parts, Gerald F. Phillips, of Los Angeles, shares the results of a poll of dozens of leading arbitrators on using same-neutral med-arb, a controversial process Phillips strongly supports.
Multilingualism and Web Advertising: Addressing French-Speaking Consumers.

Drawing inferences from both quantitative and qualitative data, this study examines the extent to which American companies tailor their Web advertising for global audiences with a particular focus on French-speaking consumers in North America, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and French Polynesia. Explored from a sociolinguistic and social semiotic perspective, advertising is seen as being strongly rooted in symbolic and cultural codes that are designed to have an emotional impact on consumers. This analysis also draws on the notion of ‘language display’ to explore strategies involving English borrowings used to appeal to French-speaking audiences and the indisputable link between language and identity. By analysing the latest trends in international e-marketing practices, this research underscores the cultural differences among global consumers and the importance of tailoring corporate websites to audiences in different markets.
Characteristics of polarization techniques for the separation of the overlapping fluorescence and reflectance applied to algae in seawater

We examine the use, characteristics and potential of polarization discrimination techniques developed by us in which the polarization properties of elastically scattered light and the unpolarized nature of any fluorescence excited are utilized to separate the fluorescence component from the reflectance spectra of algae. These techniques are applied here to seawater algae in a variety of conditions both in the laboratory and in the field. We show that they are effective for extracting the chlorophyll fluorescence in the 685 nm region from reflectance spectra dominated by chlorophyll pigments for different types of algae with the illumination by polarized and unpolarized light
Fast Bayesian model assessment for nonparametric additive regression

Variable selection techniques for the classical linear regression model have been widely investigated. Variable selection in fully nonparametric and additive regression models has been studied more recently. A Bayesian approach for nonparametric additive regression models is considered, where the functions in the additive model are expanded in a B -spline basis and a multivariate Laplace prior is put on the coefficients. Posterior probabilities of models defined by selection of predictors in the working model are computed, using a Laplace approximation method. The prior times the likelihood is expanded around the posterior mode, which can be identified with the group LASSO, for which a fast computing algorithm exists. Thus Markov chain Monte-Carlo or any other time consuming sampling based methods are completely avoided, leading to quick assessment of various posterior model probabilities. This technique is applied to the high-dimensional situation where the number of parameters exceeds the number of observations.
Effect of Annular Shape on Leaflet Curvature in Reducing Mitral Leaflet Stress

Background— Leaflet curvature is known to reduce mechanical stress. There are 2 major components that contribute to this curvature. Leaflet billowing introduces the most obvious form of leaflet curvature. The saddle shape of the mitral annulus imparts a more subtle form of leaflet curvature. This study explores the relative contributions of leaflet billowing and annular shape on leaflet curvature and stress distribution. Methods and Results— Both numerical simulation and experimental data were used. The simulation consisted of an array of numerically generated mitral annular phantoms encompassing flat to markedly saddle-shaped annular heights. Highest peak leaflet stresses occurred for the flat annulus. As saddle height increased, peak stresses decreased. The minimum peak leaflet stress occurred at an annular height to commissural width ratio of 15% to 25%. The second phase involved data acquisition for the annulus from 3 humans by 3D echocardiography, 3 sheep by sonomicrometry array localization, 2 sheep...
The psychophysiology of crying

Two conflicting views have emerged as to why people cry when they are sad. One suggests that crying serves homeostasis by facilitating recovery; the other suggests that crying produces an aversive high-arousal state that motivates behavior aimed at ending the tears. To test hypotheses drawn from these views, we showed a short film known to elicit sadness to 150 women. During this film, 33 subjects spontaneously cried and 117 did not. Subjects who cried exhibited more expressive behavior and reported feeling more sadness and pain than did subjects who did not cry. Crying also was associated with increases in somatic and autonomic nervous system activity. The increases in autonomic activity could not be accounted for solely by the increases in somatic activity. Crying is thus associated with an aversive state, including negative emotion and a complex mixture of sympathetic, parasympathetic, and somatic activation, and we speculate about the functional implications of these findings.
Strong optimality of the normalized ML models as universal codes and information in data

We show that the normalized maximum-likelihood (NML) distribution as a universal code for a parametric class of models is closest to the negative logarithm of the maximized likelihood in the mean code length distance, where the mean is taken with respect to the worst case model inside or outside the parametric class. We strengthen this result by showing that, when the data generating models are restricted to be the most "benevolent" ones in that they incorporate all the constraints in the data and no more, the bound cannot be beaten in essence by any code except when the mean is taken with respect to the data generating models in a set of vanishing size. These results allow us to decompose the code of the data into two parts, the first having all the useful information in the data that can be extracted with the family in question and the rest which has none, and we obtain a measure for the (useful) information in data.
Do SE(II) electrons really degrade SEM image quality

Summary Generally, in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging, it is desirable that a high-resolution image be composed mainly of those secondary electrons (SEs) generated by the primary electron beam, denoted SEI. However, in conventional SEM imaging, other, often unwanted, signal components consisting of backscattered electrons (BSEs), and their associated SEs, denoted SEII, are present; these signal components contribute a random background signal that degrades contrast, and therefore signal-to-noise ratio and resolution. Ideally, the highest resolution SEM image would consist only of the SEI component. In SEMs that use conventional pinhole lenses and their associated Everhart–Thornley detectors, the image is composed of several components, including SEI, SEII, and some BSE, depending on the geometry of the detector. Modern snorkel lens systems eliminate the BSEs, but not the SEIIs. We present a microfabricated diaphragm for minimizing the unwanted SEII signal components. We present evidence of improved imaging using a microlithographically generated pattern of Au, about 500 nm thick, that blocks most of the undesired signal components, leaving an image composed mostly of SEIs. We refer to this structure as a “spatial backscatter diaphragm.” SCANNING 35:1-6, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Do herbivores eavesdrop on ant chemical communication to avoid predation

Strong effects of predator chemical cues on prey are common in aquatic and marine ecosystems, but are thought to be rare in terrestrial systems and specifically for arthropods. For ants, herbivores are hypothesized to eavesdrop on ant chemical communication and thereby avoid predation or confrontation. Here I tested the effect of ant chemical cues on herbivore choice and herbivory. Using Margaridisa sp. flea beetles and leaves from the host tree (Conostegia xalapensis), I performed paired-leaf choice feeding experiments. Coating leaves with crushed ant liquids (Azteca instabilis), exposing leaves to ant patrolling prior to choice tests (A. instabilis and Camponotus textor) and comparing leaves from trees with and without A. instabilis nests resulted in more herbivores and herbivory on control (no ant-treatment) relative to ant-treatment leaves. In contrast to A. instabilis and C. textor, leaves previously patrolled by Solenopsis geminata had no difference in beetle number and damage compared to control leaves. Altering the time A. instabilis patrolled treatment leaves prior to choice tests (0-, 5-, 30-, 90-, 180-min.) revealed treatment effects were only statistically significant after 90- and 180-min. of prior leaf exposure. This study suggests, for two ecologically important and taxonomically diverse genera (Azteca and Camponotus), ant chemical cues have important effects on herbivores and that these effects may be widespread across the ant family. It suggests that the effect of chemical cues on herbivores may only appear after substantial previous ant activity has occurred on plant tissues. Furthermore, it supports the hypothesis that herbivores use ant chemical communication to avoid predation or confrontation with ants.
Searching for Common Threads: Understanding the Multiple Effects of Diversity in Organizational Groups

In this article, we review and evaluate recent management research on the effects of different types of diversity in group composition at various organizational levels (i.e., boards of directors, top management groups, and organizational task groups) for evidence of common patterns. We argue that diversity in the composition of organizational groups affects outcomes such as turnover and performance through its impact on affective, cognitive, communication, and symbolic processes.
Views from here Working the field, looking at tourists, mapping touristic terrain

In this article, I consider the ethnographic study of tourists and tourism by juxtaposing the perspectives and positions of differently situated members of the tourist-receiving population at Lake Mille Lacs, in the upper midwestern USA. There, I positioned myself as worker at two sites — the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post State Historic Site and the Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council's information office. From these two locations, I conducted ethnography by engaging in a range of pursuits including participant-observation, conducting surveys and interviewing both tourists and tourist workers. In discussing this experience, I critique discourses that ascribe `mobility' and `rootedness' in ways that obscure the complex realities of daily life in tourist settings. I argue that these conceptions of the positions available in tourist settings can be usefully unsettled through the practice of ethnography.
CO 2 gas exchange and ocean acidification studies in the coastal Gulf of Maine

The University of New Hampshire is studying CO 2 gas exchange, ocean acidification, air-sea dynamics, and associated biological processes in the western Gulf of Maine. Three buoys and shipboard cruises have provided data to support these studies. The first, a CO 2 monitoring buoy, is deployed jointly with NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and has been moored in 70 m of water northeast of the Isles of Shoals off the Maine coast during the last 4 years. The second, Jeffrey's Ledge Moored Observatory, is a development mooring testing new techniques and is deployed east of Gloucester, MA near our third platform, a dedicated 2D wave measurement buoy. The Jeffrey's Ledge mooring is testing the direct measurement of the wind stress from a discus buoy using a 3-D sonic anemometer along with a motion package to remove buoy motion effects. A fast-rate atmospheric CO 2 sensor is mounted next to the anemometer to evaluate the potential for direct covariance gas flux measurements. Both discus buoys have additional meteorological and oceanographic sensors to provide key supporting measurements and to augment our regional ocean observing system. Long-term data from the CO 2 buoy have helped to quantify the seasonal air-sea flux cycle of CO 2 in the Gulf of Maine, and this buoy site is now the central node for near-term Carbon cycle process control experiments and longer term ocean acidification monitoring in this region. Jeffrey's Ledge buoy momentum flux estimation results indicate reasonable first-order buoy motion corrections, likely flow disturbance leading to a non-zero mean vertical velocity, and possible artifacts due to large azimuthal rotations of the buoy. All aspects are under study. The paired sonic anemometer and open-path CO 2 sensor package shows promise for long-term measurements using solar power. Ten-minute resolution vertical water column oxygen profiles from this mooring show phytoplankton bloom signatures and permit robust net community production estimates in summer and fall 2009. Finally, all three buoys are providing information on mooring response, platform survival/servicing, sensor biofouling, and low-power data system and telemetry issues in the Gulf of Maine region.
Approximate analysis of exponential queueing systems with blocking

A network of service stations Q 0 Q 1,...,QM is studied. Requests arrive at the centers according to independent Poisson processes; they travel through (part of) the network demanding amounts of service, with independent and negative exponentially distributed lengths, from those centers which they enter, and finally depart from the network. The waiting rooms or buffers at each service station in this exponential service system are finite. When the capacity at Q i is reached, service at all nodes which are currently processing a request destined next for Q i is instantaneously interrupted. The interruption lasts until the service of the request in the saturated node Q i is. completed. This blocking phenomenon makes an exact analysis intractable and a numerical solution computationally infeasible for most exponential systems. We introduce an approximation procedure for a class of exponential systems with blocking and show that it leads to accurate approximations for the marginal equilibrium queue length distributions. The applicability of the approximation method may not be limited to blocking systems.
An absolute immersion-type electrical plasma conductivity probe

The feasibility of measuring the spatial distribution of the electrical conductivity in plasmas by means of an immersed plasma probe has been examined. By solving the Maxwell-Heimholtz equations for the case of a coil inside a cylinder immersed in an electrically conducting medium, the change in coil impedance due to the presence of the medium is predicted. The exact solution is numerical but for certain limiting cases analytical and empirical design formulas are obtained. A bridge and phase-sensitive demodulator allows separation of the resistive and reactive signal components; experiments with electrolytes and with shock-tube plasmas show that the theoretical predictions are borne out in practice to a good degree of accuracy, thereby providing an absolute method for which no known electrical conductivity standards are required. The plasma cooling effect of the probe is considered and an estimate for corrections is suggested.
A new positioning system using television synchronization signals

The technique discussed herein may be used to position a range of wireless devices that require location information when in inclement urban conditions, including PDA's, laptops, cellular phones, asset-tracking devices and radios for emergency response personnel. We make use of synchronization signals that are part of the standard for Television set forth by the Advanced Television Systems Committee. Consequently, the technique described herein requires no changes to the television broadcast stations. The signal can accommodate robust indoor positioning where the Global Positioning System (GPS) fails, since the television synchronization signals typically have a power advantage over GPS of more than 40 dB. In addition, the effects of multipath are substantially mitigated since the signals have a bandwidth of roughly 6 MHz, and substantially superior geometry for triangulating lateral position to that which GPS can typically provide in inclement environments. A wide range of VHF and UHF frequencies have been allocated to television stations; consequently, there is redundancy built into the system to protect against deep fades on particular channels. In addition, unlike GPS, the synch signals are not affected by transmitter Doppler, ionospheric propagation delays, or data that is modulated onto the signals. In overview, the technology exploits the considerable Digital TV infrastructure to achieve more reliable, accurate and rapid positioning than can be achieved with existing technologies.
Influence of Virginiamycin and Dietary Manganese on Performance, Manganese Utilization, and Intestinal Tract Weight of Broilers

Abstract An experiment was conducted with day-old Cobb feather-sexed chicks for 21 days to study the effect of virginiamycin and dietary manganese on tissue uptake of manganese and intestinal tract weight. The 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments included 0 or 12 ppm virginiamycin and 0 or 1000 ppm added manganese as MnSO4·H2 O. Ad libitum intake was determined with four pens of five birds fed the basal corn-soybean meal diet. To eliminate the possibility that tissue manganese concentration of virginiamycin-fed birds could be attributed to increased dietary manganese intake, chicks fed experimental diets were restricted to 90% of the previous day’s intake of ad libitum- fed birds. Feed intake, average daily gain, and feed efficiency were not affected by treatments. Virginiamycin decreased (P
Evaluating popular non-linear image processing filters for their use in regularized iterative CT

Iterative CT algorithms are becoming increasingly popular in recent years, and have been found useful when the projections are limited in number, irregularly spaced, or noisy, which are imaging scenarios often encountered in low-dose imaging and compressed sensing. One way to cope with the associated streak and noise artifacts in these settings is either to incorporate or to interleave a regularization objective into the iterative reconstruction framework. In this paper we explore possible techniques for the latter. We investigate a number of non-linear filters popular in the image processing literature for their suitability in iterative CT application, here OS-SIRT.
Precise stabilization of a femtosecond laser comb to a high finesse, passive optical cavity

We report on direct stabilization of a femtosecond comb to a stable optical cavity with an analysis of various stabilization schemes. An absolute fractional frequency instability of <7 /spl times/ 10/sup -14/ at 1 second is measured.
Optimal Design of Elastic Circular Sandwich Beams for Minimum Compliance

Abstract : Elastic circular sandwich beams are designed for minimum compliance and given total weight. To treat the problem in a more realistic manner, the beams are regarded as extensible. Examples are given for the optimal design of circular rings and semicircular arches with different end conditions. The calculated optimal compliance is compared with the corresponding compliance of a uniform beam with identical weight. Finally, the optimal design with stress bounds is also investigated for the ring problem.
The Physics and Reliability of Fusing Polysilicon

This paper is presented to further the understanding of the physics of programming polysilicon fuses. One and two dimensional models have been developed to understand the fusing event and predict the fusing time and power relationship. The predicted fusibility (fusing time and power dependence) is shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data.