cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decision Making at the Margins: Settlement Trends, Temporal Scale, and Ecology in the Wadi al Hasa, West-Central Jordan

Abstract Long-term human impact on the environment is a subject of debate among archaeologists in the Near East. Two issues are of central importance to anthropology in this debate. First, what factors have led people to degrade their environment? Second, how have people responded to degradation? The present paper uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) and spatial statistical analyses to address these issues in the Wadi al Hasa, west-central Jordan. Tests of spatial segregation suggest that past populations made settlement decisions based on immediate concerns such as agricultural productivity and prevailing political climate. Conversely, long-term trends indicate that settlement success was predicated on terrain factors affecting sustainability at the expense of proximity to permanent water sources.
Dod, Sex, Time, and Effort in a Small Mammal: Energy Allocation Strategies for Survival and Reproduction

The relationship between food energy and work effort (foraging) is crucial to small mammals such as the house mouse (Mus domesticus). Energy allocation processes were studied by using a special caging system in which animals were required to work for 45 mg food pellets by running on an activity wheel. Two experimental themes were investigated: 1) When weaning female mice were forced to work harder for less food, their highest energy allocation priority was to maintain fat reserves; body growth was next in importance while achieving puberty had the lowest prority of all. The relative insensitivity of fat deposition to high foraging costs suggests a strategy for survival whereby dispersing animals maintain emergency fat reserves at the expense of growth and fertility. In male mice, however, reproductive development is independent from body growth. Both sexes employed fundamentally different energy allocation strategies during peripubertal development. Some of these sex differences were gonad-dependent, while others were not. The time spent foraging while exposed to cold ambient temperature is also critical during peripubertal development, and this relationship probably determines whether or not house mice will breed continuously or seasonally in feral habitats. 2) Deer mice (Pemmyscus maniculatus) and house mice were challenged to produce litters at increasingly greater work requirements. Deer mice supported heavier litters and produced more pups at weaning than house mice, mainly because deer mice were more efficient at food use. With regard to circadian organisation, deer mice accomplished almost all of their locomotor tasks during darkness while house mice exhibited day-to-day flexibility in locomotor activity, especially during lactation. Deer mice attempted to wean five or six pups, regardless of how severe the feeding conditions; however, pups became progressively stunted as females worked harder and obtained less food. In contrast, house mice had more pups at birth than deer mice, but females killed and cannibalized offspring throughout the first 12 days of lactation. Most surviving house mouse pups thus attained similar body weights at weaning. These divergent energy allocation patterns may reflect strategies arising from opportunism (house mice) versus seasonality (deer mice).
Learning Curve: Principle, Application and Limitation

The article introduces the background that learning curve was established and sets up its model. The basic principles and methods of estimating and improving learning rate are put forward. The author elaborates the concrete application of learning curve in enterprise management, and analyzes its applied conditions and limitations to provide suggestions for enterprises making reasonable application.
Experimental Investigation of Trimaran Models in Shallow Water

Experiments were conducted at the U.S. Naval Academy's Hydromechanics Laboratory to determine the effect of finite water depth on the resistance, heave, and trim of two different trimaran models. The models were tested at the same length to water depth ratios over a range of Froude numbers in the displacement speed regime. The models were also towed in deep water for comparison. Additionally, the side hulls were adjusted to two different longitudinal positions to investigate possible differences resulting from position. Near critical speed, a large increase in resistance and sinkage was observed, consistent with observations of conventional displacement hulls. The data from the two models are scaled up to a notional 125-m length to illustrate the effects that would be observed for actual ships similar in size to the U.S. Navy's Independence Class Littoral Combat Ship. Faired plots are developed to allow for rapid estimation of shallow water effect on trimaran resistance and under keel clearance. An example is provided.
New physics effects in CP violating B decays

Contributions to B-{bar B} mixing from physics beyond the standard model may be detected from CP-violating asymmetries in B decays. There exists the possibility of large new contributions that cannot be detected by first generation experiments because of a discrete ambiguity. Some possible strategies for resolving this are discussed. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Gauge algebras in anomalous gauge-field theories.

We show that in an anomalous gauge-field theory Faddeev's Schwinger term can be removed by a particular renormalization of the Gauss-law operators and we construct a positive-definite Hamiltonian that commutes with these renormalized operators.
Mechanisms of Hormone Action: Use of Deuterated Ethylene to Measure Isotopic Exchange with Plant Material and the Biological Effects of Deuterated Ethylene

We observed no exchange between deuterated ethylene (C2D4) and the hydrogen of pea seedlings (Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska). This suggests that bonding forces in which exchange could readily occur are not important in the physiological action of ethylene. Deuterated ethylene was just as effective as normal ethylene in inhibiting the growth of pea root sections. These results indicate that splitting carbon to hydrogen bonds did not occur during ethylene action.
Clinical Management of Diabetic Ulcers

The presence of neuropathy is the most important factor in the development of a diabetic ulcer, whereas inadequate vascular supply is the most important factor in healing. Diabetic foot ulcers are complex wounds that require a long time to heal. A key element in treating diabetic wounds is to off-load, or remove, pressure from an insensate foot. Topical wound dressings are aimed at providing a moist wound environment. No single dressing has been shown to be superior to another. Clinical infections are common but probably overdiagnosed. The question of how much and how often a diabetic foot wound needs to be debrided is controversial.
Implementation of very low cost digital camera for education purposes

This paper describes how the operating principles and assemblies associated with high-end imaging devices have been reduced to readily comprehensible concepts as well as affordable, accessible and manipulatable hardware. An inexpensive had-operated scanner was modified to perform imaging applications that are generally associated with high end equipment.
A Bayesian decision‐theoretic sequential response‐adaptive randomization design

We propose a class of phase II clinical trial designs with sequential stopping and adaptive treatment allocation to evaluate treatment efficacy. Our work is based on two-arm (control and experimental treatment) designs with binary endpoints. Our overall goal is to construct more efficient and ethical randomized phase II trials by reducing the average sample sizes and increasing the percentage of patients assigned to the better treatment arms of the trials. The designs combine the Bayesian decision-theoretic sequential approach with adaptive randomization procedures in order to achieve simultaneous goals of improved efficiency and ethics. The design parameters represent the costs of different decisions, for example, the decisions for stopping or continuing the trials. The parameters enable us to incorporate the actual costs of the decisions in practice. The proposed designs allow the clinical trials to stop early for either efficacy or futility. Furthermore, the designs assign more patients to better treatment arms by applying adaptive randomization procedures. We develop an algorithm based on the constrained backward induction and forward simulation to implement the designs. The algorithm overcomes the computational difficulty of the backward induction method, thereby making our approach practicable. The designs result in trials with desirable operating characteristics under the simulated settings. Moreover, the designs are robust with respect to the response rate of the control group.
Analytical Solution for the Prediction of Temperature Distributions During Radio-Frequency Ablation of Cardiac Tissue

One of the most effective methods of treatment for cardiac arrhythmias is radio-frequency (RF) ablation. Many studies have shown that the tissue temperature distribution is the key factor influencing lesion shape and size, and that accurate prediction of this distribution is essential to the further improvement of the procedure. Temperature distributions can be obtained by solving the bioheat equation, which has been done in several studies using numerical techniques. This paper describes the development of an analytical solution that can be used as a bench mark for subsequent numerical solutions. Using integral transforms, the bioheat equation is reduced to an ordinary differential equation with time as the independent variable. The solution has the form of a surface integral within another surface integral. An integration routine that extends the trapezoidal method of integration in two dimensions to an analogous method in three dimensions has been developed in order to evaluate the analytical solution. A C program was written to implement this method, and the program was validated using a surface integral with a known analytical solution. The program was then used to generate temperature profiles at various time values and for different convection coefficients.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
A method for tracing biochemically defined pathways in the central nervous system using combined fluorescence retrograde transport and immunohistochemical techniques.

Summary A simple method for the simultaneous localization of an antigen and a retrogradely transported fluorescent dye within single neurons is described. The method is based upon: (1) the efficiency of retrograde neuronal labeling with the fluorescent marker ‘true blue’; (2) the near-quantitative persistence of retrogradely transported true blue localizations after subsequent processing of the tissue for immunohistochemistry; and (3) the ability to distinguish clearly between true blue and immunohistochemically-stained cells by simply using appropriate excitation wavelengths for each. First we examined the characteristics of two fluorescent tracers which are effectively transported over long distances in the rat. The results confirm that true blue and bisbenzimide are transported from terminal fields to parent cell bodies and that both tracers are taken up and transported by damaged fibers and by undamaged fibers-of-passage. No evidence for transneuronal transport of either dye in the anterograde or in the retrograde direction was found. Next, using the projection of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) to the spinal cord as a test system, it was found by direct cell counts that a considerably greater percentage of cells in a specific subdivision of the nucleus was labeled following true blue injections into the spinal cord (88%) than was labeled after comparable injections of bisbenzimide (58%), or horseradish peroxidase (HRP) (24%), or after HRP-polyacrylamide gel implants (39%). A comparison of cell counts of true blue-labeled cells in normal material and in series of adjacent sections that were processed for immunohistochemistry suggested that only about 5% of the true blue-labeled cells are no longer detectable following the immunohistochemical procedures employed. Finally, by coupling the fluorescent retrograde tracing method with an indirect immunofluorescence technique, we have been able to localize reproducibly both retrogradely transported true blue and an antigen in individual neurons. The perfusion and staining method employed provided adequate staining of cell bodies that cross-reacted with antisera to one or another of the 9 peptides and enzymes tested. The results indicate that true blue is a versatile and highly sensitive marker for retrograde tracing studies that can be used alone, or in conjunction with immunohistochemical methods to establish the identity of cell groups with respect to their biochemistry as well as their efferent connections.
Neural and Behavioral Sensitivity to Interaural Time Differences Using Amplitude Modulated Tones with Mismatched Carrier Frequencies

Bilateral cochlear implantation is intended to provide the advantages of binaural hearing, including sound localization and better speech recognition in noise. In most modern implants, temporal information is carried by the envelope of pulsatile stimulation, and thresholds to interaural time differences (ITDs) are generally high compared to those obtained in normal hearing observers. One factor thought to influence ITD sensitivity is the overlap of neural populations stimulated on each side. The present study investigated the effects of acoustically stimulating bilaterally mismatched neural populations in two related paradigms: rabbit neural recordings and human psychophysical testing. The neural coding of interaural envelope timing information was measured in recordings from neurons in the inferior colliculus of the unanesthetized rabbit. Binaural beat stimuli with a 1-Hz difference in modulation frequency were presented at the best modulation frequency and intensity as the carrier frequencies at each ear were varied. Some neurons encoded envelope ITDs with carrier frequency mismatches as great as several octaves. The synchronization strength was typically nonmonotonically related to intensity. Psychophysical data showed that human listeners could also make use of binaural envelope cues for carrier mismatches of up to 2–3 octaves. Thus, the physiological and psychophysical data were broadly consistent, and suggest that bilateral cochlear implants should provide information sufficient to detect envelope ITDs even in the face of bilateral mismatch in the neural populations responding to stimulation. However, the strongly nonmonotonic synchronization to envelope ITDs suggests that the limited dynamic range with electrical stimulation may be an important consideration for ITD encoding.
Effects of continuous oral nicotine administration on brain nicotinic receptors and responsiveness to nicotine in C57Bl/6 mice

The route of drug delivery is an important consideration in studies that evaluate the long-term bio-behavioral adaptations that occur in response to chronic drug administration. Continuous infusions (intravenous or subcutaneous) or intermittent intraperitoneal (or subcutaneous) injections are the most commonly utilized routes of chronic drug delivery in these studies. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of chronic oral nicotine exposure on sensitivity to nicotine and brain nicotinic cholinergic receptors in female C57Bl/6 mice. Mice were randomized to different treatment groups that received 2% saccharin, containing 0-200 microg/ml nicotine (free base). In preliminary experiments, radiotelemetry devices were implanted in the mice; consumption of the nicotine-containing drinking solution caused a significant increase in home-cage nocturnal (but not diurnal) activity and also altered circadian alterations in body temperature. Oral nicotine exposure resulted in dose-related elevations in plasma levels of cotinine, a primary nicotine metabolite. Continuous exposure (30 days) to oral nicotine (200 microg/ml) resulted in the expression of significant tolerance to the locomotor depressant and hypothermic actions of acute nicotine challenge. This tolerance was accompanied by a significant increase in brain nicotinic receptor number assessed by quantitative auto-radiography using [3H]-cytisine (alpha4 nAChr) and [125I]-alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha7 nAChr) as radioligands. These results suggest that chronic oral nicotine delivery to female C57Bl/6 mice results in behavioral and biochemical changes that resemble changes that occur following other routes of chronic nicotine delivery.
Blocking behavior of self-assembled monolayers on gold electrodes

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with metal electrodes, especially thiols on gold, are the subject of this investigation because of the unique properties of SAM-modified surfaces. Normal alkanethiols are used to modify the surface of a conventional gold electrode to block certain ions such as Pb(II) and Cu(II) from the surface of the electrode. Normal alkanethiols are also used to study the SAM-gold interfacial adsorption-desorption behavior of the self-assembled monolayer. The effects of varying chain length of SAMs, varying concentration of the alkanethiol solutions, immersion time of the pure gold electrode in the SAM solution, and the stability of a SAM-modified gold electrode in fresh chloroform are investigated using the oxidation-reduction peaks of gold. Conditions that optimize the surface coverage and the uniformity of the SAMs have been determined. Normal alkanethiols proved to be a good insulator on the electrode surface.
The role of adults, public space, and power in adolescent community connectedness

Communities are critical arenas for adolescent development. This study uses mixed methods to assess contextual correlates to community connectedness in 8th, 10th, and 12th grade youth. The survey examined the relationship between community connectedness and four developmental supports: safety, community monitoring, creative outlets, and meaningful opportunities for exercising influence, as well as demographic and contextual control variables. Focus groups were used to identify other potentially salient contextual correlates. Findings suggest that youth connectedness to community was influenced by: (a) quality of youth-adult exchange, (b) availability of outlets for creative engagement, (c) well advertised opportunities for meaningful input, (d) safety, (e) perceived welcome in public spaces, (f) knowledge of community events, and (g) awareness of youth impact on community policies. Positive relationships with at least one parent, grade level, group involvement, and race also contributed to connectedness. Findings provide support for a multifaceted conceptualization of community connectedness. Implications for communities hoping to enhance connectedness are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 35: 499–518, 2007.
A satellite case study of a katabatic surge along the Transantarctic Mountains

Abstract A low-light visible/near-infra-red satellite image of the Ross Ice Shelf area at 15 10 UTC on 1 November 1986 showed a cloud-free region along the Transantarctic Mountains from the Liv Glacier northward. The corresponding thermal infra-red image indicated that the clear area was a katabatic air mass, fed by katabatic winds blowing from the main glacier valleys that dissect the Transantarctic Mountains. The cloud-free area broadened to the north and its western edge passed just to the east of Minna Bluff. The katabatic air mass crossed the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, extended about 350 km offshore and developed cloud streets. Thus, this katabatic airstream appeared to propagate horizontally for over 1300 km. Analyses are presented of its association with the regional atmospheric circulation, of its time evolution and of its probable impact on the sea ice cover over the Ross Sea. Aspects of the governing dynamics are discussed.
Basidia and Spores of the Nidulariaceae

Ever since the classic work of the Tulasnes (11), the position of the Nidulariaceae as Basidiomycetes has been definitely established. Later authors have contributed much to our knowledge of the taxonomy and morphology of the group, but surprisingly little has been added to what the Tulasnes published concerning the basidia. This is partly to be explained by the fact that the time during which spores may be found on the basidia is comparatively short, and the spores are shed and the basidia collapse long before the peridioles are exposed. The Tulasnes note that after their discharge the basidiospores of Cyathus striatus develop a thick spore wall, and Sachs (8) observed a similar change in the spores of Crucibulum vulgare, but these observations seem not to have been extended to other species. Besides the authors cited, R. E. Fries (4, 5) and Walker (12) have published excellent figures of the basidia of the Nidu? lariaceae, but these were incidental to morphological and cytological studies, and were made from fixed and stained sections. It seemed desirable, therefore, to make a comparative study of the basidia of as many species as possible. The present paper is based on the examination of three species of Cyathus, one of Crucibulum, and one of Nidularia, of all of which living as well as dried material was available. The dried specimens were soaked in water for at least an hour, then very thin freehand sections were cut and mounted in dilute potassium hydroxide solution, sometimes stained lightly with eosin. Living material was sectioned similarly and either examined untreated or killed in Gram's Iodine solution and stained with eosin. In all five species studied, it was found that the basidia appear when the basidiocarp is less than half its full size. They are at first
Opportunities for Teacher Learning during Enactment of Inquiry Science Curriculum Materials: Exploring the Potential for Teacher Educative Materials.

The development of curriculum materials that are also educative for teachers has been proposed as a strategy to support teachers learning to teach inquiry science. In this study, one seventh-grade teacher used five inquiry science units with varying support for teachers over a two-year period. Teacher journals, interviews, and classroom videotape were collected. Analysis focused on engagement in planning and teaching, pedagogical content knowledge, and the match to teacher learning needs. Findings indicate that this teacher’s ideas developed as she interacted with materials and her students. Information about student ideas, task- and idea-specific support, and model teacher language was most helpful. Supports for understanding goals, assessment, and the teacher’s role, particularly during discussions and group work, were most needed.
Resonant flow in small cavities submerged in a boundary layer

Experiments were performed to determine the conditions under which a narrow-frequency-band flow excitement could be sustained in a row of small transverse square cavities while the boundary layer in which they were submerged was already turbulent. This is shown to happen when the depth of the Stokes layer generated by monochromatic freestream disturbances is nearly the same as the cavity depth. This indicates that viscous waves can exist in thin layers adjacent to the surface under a turbulent boundary layer.
Loosely Coupled Systems: A Reconceptualization

Diverse applications of the concept of loose coupling are embodied in five recurring voices that focus separately on causation, typology, effects, compensations, and outcomes. Each has a tendency to drift away from a dialectical interpretation of loose coupling toward a unidimensional interpretation of loose coupling, thereby weakening the explanatory value of the concept. The authors first use the five voices to review the loose coupling literature and then to suggest more precise and more productive uses of the concept.
Aristotle, De Anima 428b18-25

So Ross, incorporating Bywater's transposition of ἂ συμβέβηκe τοiς αἰσθητοiς from 24 to 20. Thereby Aristotle distinguishes ‘the three types of objects of perception: (1) the ἲδια αἰσθητά, colour, sound, etc. (11. 18–19), (2) the objects to which these belong, but which are here described as being (in the order of our apprehension of them) contingent on the ἳδια αἰσθητά (11. 19–22), and (3) the κοιυa αἰσθητa, such as movement and size (11. 22–25)’—D. Ross, Aristotle De Anima (Oxford, 1961), 6; see also 289.
Iodinated NanoClusters as an Inhaled Computed Tomography Contrast Agent for Lung Visualization

Improvements to contrast media formulations may be an effective way to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of thoracic computed tomography (CT) imaging in disease evaluation. To achieve contrast enhancement in the lungs, a relatively large localized concentration of contrast media must be delivered. Inhalation offers a noninvasive alternative to intrapleural injections for local lung delivery, but effective aerosolization may deter successful imaging strategies. Here, NanoCluster technology was applied to N1177, a diatrizoic acid derivative, to formulate low density nanoparticle agglomerates with aerodynamic diameters <or=5 microm. Excipient-free N1177 NanoCluster powders were delivered to rats by insufflation or inhalation and scanned using CT up to 1 h post dose. CT images after inhalation showed a approximately 120 (HU) Hounsfield units contrast increase in the lungs, which was more than sufficient contrast for thoracic CT imaging. Lung tissue histology demonstrated that N1177 NanoClusters did not damage the lungs. NanoCluster particle engineering technology offers a novel approach to safely and efficiently disseminate high concentrations of contrast agents to the lung periphery.
Incidence, risk factors and consequences of portal vein and systemic thromboses in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Introduction Hemostatic activation may be important for tumor biology. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is commonly associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT). Little is known about factors predictive for PVT in patients with HCC or its correlation with systemic venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of 194 consecutive patients diagnosed with HCC at the University of Rochester between 1998 and 2004 to identify the frequency and risk factors for PVT and its correlation with VTE and survival. Results Sixty patients (31%) had PVT with a higher rate in the non-transplant group compared to transplanted patients (34% vs. 24%; p = 0.15). In multivariate analysis, Child Turcotte Pugh (CTP) class, stage, major vessel involvement, serum albumin, and serum AFP were independently associated with PVT (p Conclusion PVT is common in patients with HCC, indicates advanced disease, is associated with worse survival and correlates with systemic VTE, suggesting a common mechanism of hemostatic activation. Advanced stage, higher CTP class, major vessel involvement, low serum albumin, and high AFP levels are predictive of PVT in patients with HCC.
Correlation between supercluster membership and richness for Abell clusters

THE Abell catalogue1 contains 2,712 clusters, of which 1,682 form a homogeneous statistical sample, with clusters of richness R = 1 to 5. Murray et al.2 have analysed the entire sample of 2,712 Abell clusters with a set of uniform criteria which identify 21 superclusters. Their criteria are: (1) that clusters which belong to the supercluster are approximately equidistant from us; M10, the magnitude of the tenth brightest cluster galaxy, is allowed to range over ≤0.3 mag for the member clusters; (2) six or more such clusters are contained in a circle of radius θ centred on one of the clusters; and (3) θ ∼ 1.5° for a distance class-6 cluster and scales inversely with distance according to M10. These criteria identify high-multiplicity (n ≥ 6) superclusters, rather than groups which are predominantly binary and triplet clusters. While ∼40% of nearby Abell clusters are in low-multiplicity (n = 2, 3) groups3,4, only ∼6% of all Abell clusters are contained in the superclusters of high multiplicity. This letter shows (1) that clusters of galaxies which are located in superclusters (second-order clusters of ∼30 Mpc radius) are systematically richer than those in the ‘field’, and (2) that the expected higher X-ray luminosities of these richer clusters may, therefore, account for much, if not all, of the possibly large X-ray luminosities from superclusters.
Detecting lip motion in digital video

This work describes a new method for locating moving lips in digital video sequences and applications for this technology in multimedia information retrieval and robotics. The capture on digital video of groups of speakers is very common. Determining which person in such a group is speaking is useful in many applications, including robot navigation, speaker identification and video segmentation for the purpose of retrieval in recorded proceedings.
Experimental Demonstration of 40Gbps per Channel Transmission over 50GHz DWDM Systems for Low-cost Metro and Access Networks

We experimentally demonstrate spectral efficient transmission of 40Gbps per channel in 50GHz-spaced DWDM exploiting optical carrier suppression and separation technique and optical duobinary modulation with less than 2.0dB power penalties at 10-10 BER and transmission distnces of over 200km.
Does partial liquid ventilation (PLV) worsen the cardiovascular effects of group B Streptococcal (GBS) septic shock in piglets? ♦ 1580

Does partial liquid ventilation (PLV) worsen the cardiovascular effects of group B Streptococcal (GBS) septic shock in piglets? ♦ 1580
Pyrene Sulphonyl Chloride as a Reagent for Quantitation of Oestrogens in Human Serum Using HPLC with Conventional and Laser‐Induced Fluorescence Detection

A highly sensitive HPLC method with conventional and laser-induced fluorescence detection for the analyses of oestrogens is described. beta-oestradiol (beta-ES) was chosen as a model and derivatized with pyrenesulphonyl chloride (PSCL), a novel derivatizing reagent, using a two-phase system with tetrapentylammonium bromide (TPABR) as a phase transfer catalyst. Derivatization was complete in 30 s at room temperature and concentrations as low as 5 x 10(-10) M could be derivatized and detected. The concentration detection limit PSCL derivatized beta-ES was 2 x 10(-11) M which corresponds to an on-column detection limit of one femtomole using conventional chromatography and detection. The relative standard deviation (n = 6) of the derivatization carried out at 2.5 x 10(-9) M was 4%. No significant loss of peak-height of the derivative was observed at room temperature over 24 h period. Baseline resolution of PSCL derivatized oestrone, equilin and beta-oestradiol was achieved with ACN:H2O (75:25 v/v) using a Bondclone C-18 column. The method described here is sufficiently sensitive for analyses of beta-oestradiol at low pg/mL concentrations in 1 mL of human serum. The PSCL derivatives of oestrogens demonstrate excellent potential for excitation by laser-induced fluorescence using the 351 nm line of an Ar ion laser or the 325 nm line of He-Cd laser. A concentration limit of detection of 4 x 10(-12) M for beta-oestradiol was achieved using the 325 nm line of an He-Cd laser. This corresponds to 0.2 fmol of derivatized beta-oestradiol on-column.
Sound localization in common vampire bats: Acuity and use of the binaural time cue by a small mammal

Passive sound-localization acuity and the ability to use binaural time and intensity cues were determined for the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus). The bats were tested using a conditioned suppression/avoidance procedure in which they drank defibrinated blood from a spout in the presence of sounds from their right, but stopped drinking (i.e., broke contact with the spout) whenever a sound came from their left, thereby avoiding a mild shock. The mean minimum audible angle for three bats for a 100-ms noise burst was 13.1°—within the range of thresholds for other bats and near the mean for mammals. Common vampire bats readily localized pure tones of 20 kHz and higher, indicating they could use interaural intensity-differences. They could also localize pure tones of 5 kHz and lower, thereby demonstrating the use of interaural time-differences, despite their very small maximum interaural distance of 60 μs. A comparison of the use of locus cues among mammals suggests several implications for the evolution of sound localization and its underlying anatomical and physiological mechanisms.
Effect of gold nanosphere surface chemistry on protein adsorption and cell uptake in vitro

Gold nanoparticles exhibit unique spectral properties that make them ideal for biosensing, imaging, drug delivery, and other therapeutic applications. Interaction of gold nanoparticles within biological environments is dependent on surface characteristics, which may rely on particular capping agents. In this study, gold nanospheres (GNS) synthesized with different capping agents--specifically citric acid (CA) and tannic acid (TA)--were compared for serum protein adsorption and cellular uptake into a lung epithelial cell line (A549). Both GNS samples exhibited noticeable protein adsorption based on surface charge data after exposure to serum proteins. Light scattering measurements revealed that GNS-CA-protein composites were smaller and less dense compared to GNS-TA-protein composites. The cell uptake characteristics of these nanoparticles were also different. GNS-CA formed large clusters and elicited high uptake, while GNS-TA were taken up as discrete particles, possibly through nonendosomal mechanisms. These results indicate that the capping agents used for GNS synthesis result in unique biological interactions.
Performance-based design

Abstract Even before Louis Sullivan coined the phrase `Form Follows Function,' architectural researchers have sought, to no avail, a causal relationship between these two primary constituents of the building enterprise. This paper attempts to explain why this quest has been futile, and proposes a performance-based design paradigm, instead of the prevailing process-based paradigms. It suggests that the driving force behind any design activity is the desire to achieve a qualitative solution for a particular combination of form and function in a specific context. Furthermore, it suggests that quality can only be determined by a multi-criteria, multi-disciplinary performance evaluation, which comprises a weighted sum of several satisfaction/behavior functions. The paper develops a performance-based design methodology and demonstrates its application in an experimental, knowledge-based CAD system.
Adapting psychosocial intervention research to urban primary care environments: a case example.

PURPOSE We wanted to describe the unique issues encountered by our research team in testing an intervention to reduce perinatal depression in real-world community health centers. METHOD We used a case study of an experience in conducting a randomized controlled trial designed to test the effectiveness of a low-cost multimodal psychosocial intervention to reduce prenatal and postpartum depression. Low-income minority women (N = 187) with low-risk pregnancies were randomly assigned to the intervention or treatment as usual. Outcomes of interest were depressive symptoms and social support assessed at 3 months’ postpartum. RESULTS Our intervention was not associated with changes in depressive symptoms or social support. Challenges in implementation were related to participant retention and intervention delivery. Turnover of student therapists affected continuity in participant-therapist relationships and created missed opportunities to deliver the intervention. The academic-community partnership that was formed also required more involvement of health center personnel to facilitate ownership at the site level, especially for fidelity monitoring. While attentive to cultural sensitivity, the project called for more collaboration with participants to define common goals and outcomes. Participatory research strategies could have anticipated barriers to uptake of the intervention and achieved a better match between outcomes desired by researchers and those of participants. CONCLUSION Several criteria for future research planning emerged: assessing what the population is willing and able to accept, considering what treatment providers can be expected to implement, assessing the setting’s capacity to accommodate intervention research, and collecting and using emerging unanticipated data.
Nomilin Acetyl-Lyase, a Bacterial Enzyme for Nomilin Debittering of Citrus Juices

Nomilin acetyl-lyase, an enzyme responsible for the conversion of bitter nomilin to nonbitter obacunone was purified from cell-free extracts of Corynebacterium fuscians by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, followed by HPLC gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. The electrophoretically pure preparation represented a 1050-fold increase in specific activity with a recovery of 38%. The enzyme, (MW 90,000) required sulfhydryl groups for its catalysis, had a pH optimum of 8.5, a Km of 38.1 PM, and a Vmax of 4.83 μmoles/min. Obacunone A-ring lactone hydrolase, which catalyzes the conversion of obacunone to obacunoate, was also purified from the extract by HPLC gel filtration.
Sequence and biological activity of catrocollastatin-C: a disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich two-domain protein from Crotalus atrox venom.

Abstract In this study we report on the isolation and biological characterization of a 23.6-kDa protein from the venom of the western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox. Primary structural analysis shows the protein to be composed of a spacer/disintegrin-like domain and a cysteine-rich domain. The sequence is identical to the same carboxy-terminal domains found in the C. atrox metalloproteinase, catrocollastatin, and hence we termed the protein catrocollastatin-C. We estimate that catrocollastatin-C represents at least 0.5% of the total protein in C. atrox venom. The protein is an inhibitor of collagen-stimulated but not ADP-stimulated platelet aggregation. Reduction and alkylation of catrocollastatin-C causes a loss of platelet aggregation inhibitor activity. A synthetic, cyclic peptide designed from the catrocollastatin-C disintegrin-like domain has potent platelet aggregation inhibitory activity. This suggests that the corresponding region in the disintegrin-like domain of the protein is at least partially responsible for the inhibition of platelet aggregation previously reported for the protein. These studies underscore the biochemical and functional complexity of crotalid snake venoms due to differential proteolytic processing of precursor proteins and how the processed precursor fragments may contribute to the observed pathological effects of the venom.
Research Report: Diffusion of Information Systems Outsourcing: A Reevaluation of Influence Sources

Information systems outsourcing is an increasingly popular IS management practice in companies of all sizes. Examining the adoption of IS outsourcing from the well-developed theoretical foundation of innovation diffusion may shed some light on significant factors that affect the adoption decision, and clarify some misperceptions. This study explores the sources of influence in the adoption of IS outsourcing. Using a sample of 175 firms that outsourced their IS functions during the period from January 1985 to January 1995, we tested three hypotheses of sources of influences using four diffusion models: internal influence, external influence, and two mixed influence models. Our findings suggest that the mixed influence is the dominant influence factor in the diffusion of IS outsourcing, and that there is no evidence of the “Kodak effect” in the IS diffusion process. This directly contradicts the conclusions of the Loh and Venkatraman 1992 study. Further discussions are provided about the potential problems in studies of influence sources of IT innovation diffusion.
Kinetics of incorporation of DNA precursors from ingested bacteria into macronuclear DNA of Paramecium aurelia.

SYNOPSIS. The kinetics of transfer of tritium-labeled material from the DNA of ingested bacteria into macronuclear DNA of Paramecium was examined by autoradiography. Bacteria labeled with tritiated thymidine were almost immediately incorporated into food vacuoles, thus becoming available for digestion and a potential source of labeled DNA precursors. Soluble label derived from food vacuoles appeared in low concentrations in the cytoplasm soon after cells were transferred to medium with labeled bacteria; incorporation of labeled precursors into macronuclear DNA began within 5 min. Labeled food vacuoles remained as potential sources of tritiated DNA precursors for a long and variable period after removal of labeled cells to non-labeled medium. The activity of the soluble cytoplasmic DNA precursors decreased parallel to the loss of labeled food vacuoles and no soluble DNA precursors were carried over from one macronuclear DNA synthetic period to the next. Labeling experiments were designed, using this information, which allowed determination of the pattern of macronuclear DNA synthesis and nuclear mass increase during the cell cycle. Macronuclear DNA synthesis began 25–30% of the way thru the cell cycle, continued at a constant rate during the middle half, and decreased in rate during the last quarter. Macronuclear mass increased in an approximately linear fashion, beginning with the onset of DNA synthesis and doubling by the time of karyokinesis.
EMAC: An Asynchronous Routing-Enhanced MAC Protocol in Multi-Hop Wireless Networks

Traditional contention-based random-access wireless MAC protocols such as IEEE 802.11 DCF are designed for single-hop wireless networks and do not perform well in multi-hop scenarios due to inefficiency in their medium reservation mechanisms. In this paper, we introduce a new MAC protocol, called EMAC, which improves the efficiency of wireless medium reservation for general asynchronous multi-hop wireless networks. By exploiting limited routing information at the MAC layer, EMAC enables multiple asynchronous stations along a delivery path to cooperate in their random medium access. In particular, a control frame can travel across a multi-hop path composed of asynchronous nodes, and make synchronized medium reservations for an upcoming data frame transmission. This distributed cooperation at the MAC layer can greatly improve the medium reservation efficiency by reducing intra-flow contentions. Simulation results show that EMAC can improve end-to-end throughput compared to IEEE 802.11 DCF in chain scenarios by up to 85% and can avoid throughput starvation in cross scenarios.
Design of sparse arrays with high sidelobe rejection

An approach to the design of one-dimensional sparse arrays based on the factorization of a polynomial representation of the effective aperture function is outlined along with algorithms for designing arrays with staircase, mixed linearly tapered and staircase effective aperture functions. It is also shown that a combination of linearly tapered and staircase effective aperture functions results in sparse arrays with higher side lobe rejections and slightly smaller element reduction factors than that obtained in sparse arrays with staircase effective aperture functions.
Rotational contours of CH2X chain species compared with several diffuse interstellar bands

We have calculated synthetic spectra of perpendicular and parallel rovibronic bands of cumulene carbene molecules of the form CnH2. The perpendicular bands are consistent with a regularly spaced group of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) near 6850 A. Parallel bands calculated for these molecular structures are consistent with the intrinsic profile of the associated 6614-A DIB. Both types of bands are expected for an electronic transition that these species should have at those energies. We could not determine if the molecule was charged or if an atom other than carbon terminated the chain-end. Constraints due to molecular geometry and temperature place the chain length at 7–15 carbons to fit the 6850-A group and 9–13 carbons to fit the 6614-A DIB.
Effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate (Provera) on the metabolism and biological activity of testosterone.

ABSTRACT Oral administration of medroxyprogesterone acetate to 4 normal male and 3 normal female subjects was found to produce a significant increase in the metabolic clearance rate of testosterone in 6 of the 7 subjects. The plasma levels and production rates of testosterone decreased markedly in the males. The females tended to show a decrease in the plasma concentration of testosterone with no change in the production rate of the steroid. Although there was an over-all decrease in the percentage binding of testosterone for the group, individual responses were variable in degree and did not necessarily correlate with the alterations in the metabolic clearance rate of the steroid. Plasma LH levels fell during the administration of medroxyprogesterone acetate in 6 of the 7 subjects. Plasma FSH, however, decreased in only 1 subject (postmenopausal female). Medroxyprogesterone acetate increased rat hepatic testosterone A-ring reductase activity almost 4-fold. Moreover, the drug interfered with the growth-pr...
Safety of improved milbond-TX when fed to laying hens at higher-than-recommended levels

Abstract A corn-soybean meal diet was supplemented with 0, 1, or 2% Improved Milbond-TX (IMTX, a hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate) for Hy-Line W-36 laying hens selected for good or poor eggshell quality. Supplementing the diet with IMTX had no detrimental effects on egg weight, eggshell weight, albumen quality, feed consumption, or feed conversion during 5 consecutive 28-d periods. Increase in BW over the 5-mo experimental period was not influenced by the addition of IMTX. Results from this study show that an accidental oversupplementation of a laying hen diet with up to 8 times the recommended level of IMTX of the manufacturer, which may occur due to a feed mill mixing error, should not result in adverse performance of laying hens nor should it affect the concentration of moisture in the excreta.
Mao and the Economic Stalinization of China, 1948–1953

Mao and the Economic Stalinization of China, 1948–1953. By Hua-yu Li. Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield, 2006. 266p. $75.00 cloth. At the heart of Hua-yu Li's argument is the policymaking process of the early People's Republic of China (PRC). Between the years 1948 and 1953, the PRC began its massive and far-reaching socialist transformation. The author suggests not only that Mao Zedong played the decisive role in the drastic policy shift but that he also helped clarify various convoluted economic issues, as well as ignored Stalin's advice on how to achieve socialism.
Cuban Tourism in the Caribbean Context: A Regional Impact Assessment

The impact of a free Cuban tourism market will be substantial, with great potential—especially over the short term—to draw market share away from other Caribbean destinations and even tourism destinations on the U.S. mainland. The magnitude and nature of this impact will be determined in large measure by strategic decisions that must be faced now and in the near future—both by Cuba and its Caribbean competitors (or partners). Regional approaches to tourism planning, development, and marketing offer some promise for “growing” the Caribbean regional tourism pie, rather than simply cutting smaller slices from the existing pie.