cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cash distributions and returns.

Discounted cash flow analysis suggests that high cash-flow-to-price ratios should predict high future stock return, low future cash flow growth, or both. Existing studies on the predictive power of the dividend-price ratio, however, produce evidence largely inconsistent with this prediction. In this paper, we address this issue by focusing on the total cash distributions that include both dividends and share repurchases net of seasoned equity offerings. Utilizing a long time series of the total-cash-distributions-to-price (tp) ratio constructed from CRSP data since 1927, we establish strong and persistent evidence of stock return predictability at the annual horizon. Based on a wide variety of evaluation methods, the tp ratio is both statistically and economically significant in predicting future stock market returns, and serves as a pervasive state proxy.
Equilibrium Patterns for Bargaining Under Strike: A Differential Game Model

A class of N-person, general-sum differential games is considered for which non-cooperative Nash equilibria can characterize situations such as bargaining during a strike. A subclass of strategies is shown to be playable equilibria. The existence and uniqueness of this subclass, as well as the possibility of profitable re-contracting, are analyzed and illustrated with examples. Equilibrium implies that any player will eventually fare as well as if he had accepted the claim of all other players at any earlier time. Possible generalizations are outlined or discussed.
Usability for User Empowerment: Promoting Social Justice and Human Rights through Localized UX Design

Successful task performance in a health or medical-related activity, especially in treating critical patients through biotechnology in resource-constrained settings, is determined by product usability that emphasizes the ease of use, error recovery, efficiency, and satisfaction. This means that technical products designed to be used in this context need to be efficient and easy to use. Research findings and suggestions laid out in this paper will highlight the importance of use context that allows for effective use of technological products across cultures. Successful patient treatments through biotechnology in resource-constrained settings and health communications are intrinsically connected to the concept of product usability. Such goals can be achieved through localized UX design practices that help users perform their desired tasks with speed, accuracy, and satisfaction, and thus promote social justice and inclusion in resource-constrained settings. Through a case study, this paper shares findings related to usability problems in technology transfer from industrialized nations to an underrepresented, underdeveloped country. The article provides implications of the findings, suggesting that designers in industrialized nations should consider how technological products designed through localized usability can be better positioned to be used for promoting social justice and human rights in the underserved, undeveloped countries.
Cyanogenic glycosides in Lotus corniculatus

Two genotypes (one cyanogenic and the other acyanogenic) of birds-foot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus L., were used to study the effects of cyanogenic glycosides in leaf tissues upon a polyphagous herbivore, the southern armyworm, Spodoptera eridania Cram. (Lepidoptera). No differences were observed in consumption rate, assimilation efficiency, utilization of plant biomass, or metabolic costs in terms of expended calories between larvae fed acyanogenic or cyanogenic leaves. Similarly no differences were seen in the nitrogen or caloric utilization efficiencies, or in the nitrogen accumulation rate or growth rate of larvae on cyanogenic versus acyanogenic plants. Larval performance and growth on 20-week old plants was generally poorer than on 4 week old plants, however. This was reflected in slower growth, smaller pupal weights, lower nitrogen utilization efficiencies (N.U.E.) and biomass assimilation efficiencies (A.D.) on both the cyanogenic and acyanogenic plants. Although useful as a deterrent to some herbivores, cyanogenesis does not seem to provide an effective defense against this “adapted” herbivore. This study supports current hypotheses of insect/plant coevolution, and suggests that the metabolic costs of processing cyanogenic plant biomass are small in comparison to those imposed by the nutritional status of the plant leaves.
Epidemiology and Clinical Approach to Heart Failure in Patients with HIV

Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Epidemiologic studies have shown that people living with HIV (PLHIV) have 1.5–2-fold higher risk of heart failure compared with uninfected persons. This may be directly related to the level of HIV control and CD4 count. Women with HIV appear to have a higher risk of HF compared to men with HIV. The pathophysiology of HF in PLHIV is likely multifactorial including direct effects of the HIV virus, comorbid conditions, chronic inflammation, and medications. To date, there are no randomized clinical trials focused on the management of HF in PLHIV; therefore, HF management guidelines for the general population may be applied to PLHIV. There are special considerations for PLHIV undergoing device and advanced HF therapies. Studies have shown that HF therapies may be underutilized in PLHIV resulting in increased risk of adverse outcomes. This chapter discusses the epidemiology, pathophysiology, pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic management, and outcomes of heart failure in PLHIV.
Effort Estimation in Robot-aided Training with a Neural Network

Robotic exoskeletons open up promising interventions during post-stroke rehabilitation by assisting individuals with sensorimotor impairments to complete therapy tasks. These devices have the ability to provide variable assistance tailored to individual-specific needs and, additionally, can measure several parameters associated with the movement execution. Metrics representative of movement quality are important to guide individualized treatment. While robots can provide data with high resolution, robustness, and consistency, the delineation of the human contribution in the presence of the kinematic guidance introduced by the robotic assistance is a significant challenge. In this paper, we propose a method for assessing voluntary effort from an individual fitted in an upper-body exoskeleton called Harmony. The method separates the active torques generated by the wearer from the effects caused by unmodeled dynamics and passive neuromuscular properties and involuntary forces. Preliminary results show that the effort estimated using the proposed method is consistent with the effort associated with muscle activity and is also sensitive to different levels, indicating that it can reliably evaluate user’s contribution to movement. This method has the potential to serve as a high resolution assessment tool to monitor progress of movement quality throughout the treatment and evaluate motor recovery.
Phylogeography and population genetics of pine butterflies: Sky islands increase genetic divergence.

The sky islands of southeastern Arizona (AZ) mark a major transition zone between tropical and temperate biota and are considered a neglected biodiversity hotspot. Dispersal ability and host plant specificity are thought to impact the history and diversity of insect populations across the sky islands. We aimed to investigate the population structure and phylogeography of two pine-feeding pierid butterflies, the pine white (Neophasia menapia) and the Mexican pine white (Neophasia terlooii), restricted to these "islands" at this transition zone. Given their dependence on pines as the larval hosts, we hypothesized that habitat connectivity affects population structure and is at least in part responsible for their allopatry. We sampled DNA from freshly collected butterflies from 17 sites in the sky islands and adjacent high-elevation habitats and sequenced these samples using ddRADSeq. Up to 15,399 SNPs were discovered and analyzed in population genetic and phylogenetic contexts with Stacks and pyRAD pipelines. Low genetic differentiation in N. menapia suggests that it is panmictic. Conversely, there is strong evidence for population structure within N. terlooii. Each sky island likely contains a population of N. terlooii, and clustering is hierarchical, with populations on proximal mountains being more related to each other. The N. menapia habitat, which is largely contiguous, facilitates panmixia, while the N. terlooii habitat, restricted to the higher elevations on each sky island, creates distinct population structure. Phylogenetic results corroborate those from population genetic analyses. The historical climate-driven fluxes in forest habitat connectivity have implications for understanding the biodiversity of fragmented habitats.
The effects of Fe and Si on the phase equilibria in a γ′-strengthened Co–Al–W-based superalloy

Abstract The effects of Fe and Si alloying additions (by replacing Co) in a base alloy composition (expressed as mole fraction times 100) Co–20Ni–10Cr–10Al–7W-0.1B on the stability of the microstructure were investigated at 800 °C and 900 °C. The two-phase γ+γ′ microstructure was found to be greatly destabilized with Fe-additions in a mole fraction of 5% or greater, exhibiting a decrease in γ′ solvus temperature by about 8 °C for each 1% Fe added, and a significantly higher volume of secondary phases μ and B2 compared to the base alloy at both temperatures. In contrast, Si additions of up to a mole fraction of 1% did not decrease the γ′ stability by an appreciable amount. Characterization of the Si additions showed no decrease in γ′ solvus temperature, no change in the fractions of secondary phases in the annealed microstructure after annealing for 168 h at 800 °C with 0.5% Si, and only a slight increase in the secondary phase fractions for a mole fraction of 1% Si. Annealing at 900 °C for 1001 h, however, did show an increase in secondary phase formation, suggesting a decrease in the stability of the two-phase γ+γ’ microstructure at higher temperature. The present results show that it may be possible to add up to a mole fraction of 1% Si for increased oxidation resistance without significantly degrading the high temperature capability of the base Co-base superalloy.
A Conserved Sequence Motif Bridges Two Protein Kinases For Enhanced Phosphorylation and Nuclear Function of A Splicing Factor.

The assembly and activation of the spliceosome rely upon the phosphorylation of an essential family of splicing factors known as the serine-arginine (SR) proteins. Although it has been demonstrated recently that two enzyme families, the SR protein kinases (SRPKs) and the Cdc2-like kinases (CLKs), can function as a complex to efficiently phosphorylate these SR proteins in the nucleus, the molecular features involved in such a connection are unknown. In this study, we identified a group of conserved residues in the large lobe of SRPK1 that interact with the N terminus of CLK1 stabilizing the SRPK1-CLK1 complex. Mutations in this motif not only disrupt formation of the kinase-kinase complex but also impair SRPK1-dependent release of the phospho-SR protein from CLK1. The binding motif potently up-regulates CLK1-specific phosphorylation sites, enhances SR protein diffusion from nuclear speckles, and impacts the alternative splicing of several target genes. These results indicate that CLK1 binds a conserved, electronegative surface on SRPK1, thereby controlling SR protein phosphorylation levels for enhanced subnuclear trafficking and alternative splicing regulation.
7 – Axial-Flow Compressors

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on axial-flow compressors that are mostly used in gas turbine applications of over 5 MW. In these compressors, the flow enters the compressor in an axial direction (parallel with the axis of rotation), and exits from the gas turbine in the same direction. The axial-flow compressor compresses its working fluid by first accelerating the fluid, and then diffusing it to obtain a pressure increase. The fluid is accelerated by a row of rotating airfoils (blades) called the rotor, and then diffused in a row of stationary blades known as stators. The diffusion in the stator converts the velocity increase gained in the rotor to a pressure increase. A compressor consists of several stages. A combination of a rotor followed by a stator makes up a stage in a compressor. An additional row of pitch variable blades, known as Inlet Guide Vanes (IGV), are frequently used at the compressor inlet to ensure that air enters the first-stage rotors at the desired flow angle. These vanes are also pitch variable, and thus can be adjusted to the varying flow requirements of the engine. In addition to the stators, another diffuser at the exit of the compressor consisting of another set of vanes, often known as the Exit Guide Vanes (EGV), further diffuses the fluid and controls its velocity entering the combustors. In an axial-flow compressor, air passes from one stage to the next, each stage raising the pressure slightly. By producing low-pressure increases in the order of 1.1:1 to 1.4:1, very high efficiencies can be obtained. The use of multiple stages permits overall pressure increases of up to 40:1 in some aerospace applications, and a pressure ratio of 30:1 in some industrial applications.
Diverse cross-resistance phenotype to Yondelis (Trabectedin; ET-743) and Zalypsis (PM00104) in paclitaxel, doxorubicin and cisplatin selected multidrug resistant cell lines

3219 Yondelis® (trabectedin, ET-743) and Zalypsis (PM00104) are marine derived compounds that have antitumor activity. The former has shown significant antitumor activity in sarcomas as well as in advanced breast and ovarian cancer. Recent studies suggest a complex relationship between ABCB1/MDR1 (Pgp1) expression and Yondelis resistance in tumor cells. The present study was performed to further investigate the relationship between expression of ABCB1 or, ABCC1/MRP1 with resistance to Yondelis or Zalypsis. First, we analyzed several multidrug resistant cell lines include human osteosarcoma (U-2OSTR), ovarian (SKOV-3TR, OVCAR8TR), breast (MCF-7TR) and colon (SW480TR) cancer cell lines that were initially induced to be resistant to paclitaxel. We observed that these cell lines expressed high levels of ABCB1 (but not ABCC1 or ABCG2/BCRP) and did not demonstrate cross-resistance to either Yondelis or Zalypsis. In contrast, the multidrug resistant cell lines (human osteosarcoma (U-2OSR2 and KHOSR2), uterine sarcoma (MES-SA/Dx5), and breast cancer (MCF-7DR) cell lines that were originally induced to be resistant to doxorubicin also expressed high level of ABCB1 (but not ABCC1 or ABCG2) but did demonstrate significant resistance to both Yondelis and Zalypsis. The above paclitaxel resistant cell lines demonstrated cross-resistance to doxorubicin, vincristine and mitoxantrane, while most of the above doxorubicin resistant cell lines demonstrated cross-resistantce to paclitaxel and, vincristine but not to mitoxantrane. Cisplatin and gemcitabine drug resistant cell lines (IGROV1cp,2008cp70 and OVCAR5GR) demonstrated no cross-resistance to paclitaxel, doxorubicin, Yondelis or Zalypsis. siRNA down-regulating ABCB1 expression in doxorubicin resistant cell lines caused partial sensitization of these cells to both doxorubicin and paclitaxel but not to either Yondelis or Zalypsis. These results indicate that cell lines initially induced to be resistant to either paclitaxel or doxorubicin (are cross resistant to many other drugs) and ABCB1 overexpression alone is not sufficient to confer resistance to either Yondelis or Zalypsis. Such diverse cross-resistance phenotype observed in these multidrug resistant cell lines seems to be associated with the initial exposure drug but not to ABCB1 expression. This study demonstrates that a common molecular pathway other than ABCB1 may be involved in the resistance to Yondelis or Zalypsis.
Self-directed learning by preschoolers in a naturalistic overhearing context.

Abstract Three studies investigated preschoolers' self-directed learning ability in a naturalistic context: learning from overheard speech. In Experiment 1, 4.5- to 6-year-olds were exposed to 4 novel words and 6 arbitrary facts corresponding to a set of co-present toys; in Experiment 2, 3- to 4.5-year-olds heard 5 nouns and 3 facts. In the Pedagogical conditions, children were taught the information with the aid of multiple pedagogical cues, but in the Overhearing conditions, children had to ‘listen in’ to one side of a phone call to learn the information. Older preschoolers (Experiment 1) learned all items above chance in both conditions. Younger preschoolers (Experiment 2) learned words and facts above chance in the Pedagogical condition, but were at chance at learning words in the Overhearing condition, despite reliably learning facts from overhearing. Experiment 3 demonstrated that younger children's difficulty at learning new words from overhearing could not be explained by only being able to hear one side of the phone conversation, as they similarly struggled when the phone call took place over speakerphone. Measures of children's touch behavior suggest that older children were better able to coordinate their attention between the overheard speech and objects, though even younger children showed evidence of attention to the overheard speech. Together, our results demonstrate that by age 5, children can learn multiple new words and facts via overhearing. This self-directed learning ability depends on being able to coordinate attention between speech and the surrounding environment, a capacity that develops throughout preschool.
Juice Jacking - The USB Charger Scam

Hackers have evolved from ground zero and are growing hard and tough on digital security inch-by-inch every day. When we say digital security, everything in the virtual world of information the "data" technology counts which includes complex industrial systems, mobile systems, handheld devices, entertainment systems, design and governance systems and so on; the list never ends. The more the technology is used by people, the more the data is generated and the more the data is generated, the more the insights one can get and that's what the curiosity behind the hackers getting too interested in getting hands on both the personal and commercial data where data is the new oil of 21 st century and beyond. Whether to benefit from the data or not, the hackers never leave any loophole of the systems which are a result of never thought innovation in the space of security breaches termed as "hacking". This article focuses on a similar equipment breach which uses USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports meant for to be used by passengers while in public transport places using which they can electrically charge their mobile phones, laptops, iPod and other portable devices. Using Juice jacking mechanism; the hackers have found a new way to compromise the equipment and steal the data only to provide the access back to the original owner for a hefty price.
Predicting Survival in Veterans with Follicular Lymphoma Using Structured Electronic Health Record Information and Machine Learning.

The most accurate prognostic approach for follicular lymphoma (FL), progression of disease at 24 months (POD24), requires two years’ observation after initiating first-line therapy (L1) to predict outcomes. We applied machine learning to structured electronic health record (EHR) data to predict individual survival at L1 initiation. We grouped 523 observations and 1933 variables from a nationwide cohort of FL patients diagnosed 2006–2014 in the Veterans Health Administration into traditionally used prognostic variables (“curated”), commonly measured labs (“labs”), and International Classification of Diseases diagnostic codes (“ICD”) sets. We compared performance of random survival forests (RSF) vs. traditional Cox model using four datasets: curated, curated + labs, curated + ICD, and curated + ICD + labs, also using Cox on curated + POD24. We evaluated variable importance and partial dependence plots with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RSF with curated + labs performed best, with mean AUC 0.73 (95% CI: 0.71–0.75). It approximated, but did not surpass, Cox with POD24 (mean AUC 0.74 [95% CI: 0.71–0.77]). RSF using EHR data achieved better performance than traditional prognostic variables, setting the foundation for the incorporation of our algorithm into the EHR. It also provides for possible future scenarios in which clinicians could be provided an EHR-based tool which approximates the predictive ability of the most accurate known indicator, using information available 24 months earlier.
The Wonder Years: New Communications Technology is Set to Alter the Way International Investors Do Business

NEW YORK-Two major technological breakthroughs - mini-supercomputers and high-speed networks - are forever altering today's data and communications landscapes. Together, they will revolutionize global custody services and cut costs to a fraction of what they are today.
Hans Holbein: the artist in a changing world: by Jeanne Nuechterlein, London, Reaktion Books, 2020, 280 pages, £15.95 (hardback), ISBN 978-1-78914-211-2

The epithet “elusive” clings to Hans Holbein the Younger in modern scholarship. Given his contemporary success and renown, not to mention that he worked for powerful patrons (the King of England an...
Global disruption in excitation-inhibition balance can cause localized network dysfunction and Schizophrenia-like context-integration deficits.

Poor context integration, the process of incorporating both previous and current information in decision making, is a cognitive symptom of schizophrenia. The maintenance of the contextual information has been shown to be sensitive to changes in excitation-inhibition (EI) balance. Many regions of the brain are sensitive to EI imbalances, however, so it is unknown how systemic manipulations affect the specific regions that are important to context integration. We constructed a multi-structure, biophysically-realistic agent that could perform context-integration as is assessed by the dot pattern expectancy task. The agent included a perceptual network, a memory network, and a decision making system and was capable of successfully performing the dot pattern expectancy task. Systemic manipulation of the agent’s EI balance produced localized dysfunction of the memory structure, which resulted in schizophrenia-like deficits at context integration. When the agent’s pyramidal cells were less excitatory, the agent fixated upon the cue and initiated responding later than the default agent, which were like the deficits one would predict that individuals on the autistic spectrum would make. This modelling suggests that it may be possible to parse between different types of context integration deficits by adding distractors to context integration tasks and by closely examining a participant’s reaction times.
Trade Potential and Trade Integration of the Russian Far East: A Regional Perspective

Over the past decade, the Russian government has embarked on an ambitious program of economic development in the Russian Far East (RFE), envisioning the transformation of the region into a hub for trade with the Asia Pacific. This paper explores the extent of RFE’s trade integration with both key partners around the world and the rest of Russia. In particular, we calculate the region’s trade potential on the basis of mean predicted values from a gravity model using three samples that offer different perspectives. Actual trade flows are then evaluated relative to the potential and the resulting index is analyzed for various years and countries. The results suggest that RFE exports to Northeast Asia have intensified over the period 2008-17, allowing the region to surpass its potential, although there is room to grow with respect to China. Moreover, the deepening integration with the Asia Pacific has been achieved at the expense of trade links with the rest of Russia. Lastly, imports from Japan and Korea are shown to be far below potential, although these two countries could be useful in promoting the economic development of RFE.
Climate, Carbon Dioxide, and Plant-Based Aero-Allergens: A Deeper Botanical Perspective

There is global evidence of a general increase in the incidence and prevalence of respiratory diseases including allergic rhinitis and associated asthma. This increase in turn, has been related, in part, to concurrent increases in carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature on pollen production and allergic disease generated from plant-based sources of pollen. Such links to anthropogenic climate change has suggested three significant and interrelated consequences associated with respiratory allergies or disease. First, warmer temperatures and a longer frost-free growing season can influence pollen season length and temporal exposure to airborne aeroallergens. Second, both warmer temperatures and additional CO2 can increase the amount of pollen, the seasonal intensity, from spring through fall. Thirdly, there is evidence from oak and ragweed that rising levels of CO2 could increase the allergen concentration of the pollen and symptom severity. However, while these outcomes are of obvious consequence, they do not fully encompass all of the plant derived changes that could, directly or indirectly, influence aeroallergen production, exposure and consequences for public health. In this overview, I will delve deeper into other plant-based links to climate / CO2 that are consequential either directly or indirectly to allergic rhinitis and associated disease. The goal in doing so is to provide a broader context and appreciation for the interactions between plant biology and climate that can also directly affect allergen production and human impact but which, to date, have received little recognition or research.
Levels Of Requirements, Robustness, Unicorns, And Other Semi-Mythical Creatures In The Requirements Engineering Bestiary: Why "Types" Of Software Requirements Are Often Misleading

Taxonomies are useful for organizing complex bodies of knowledge, and taxonomies of software requirements abound. Most software engineering textbooks include one. However, there is little, if any, agreement on the names or definitions for the types of requirements that constitute the taxonomies. "Types" of requirements that appear in the literature include functional, performance, high level, low level, lower level, derived, interface, design, operational, system, system operational, safety-related, security, initial, user, and detailed requirements.And that list is hardly exhaustive. Yet ambiguous and even contradictory definitions for many of these terms in the literature can make it hard to identify conceptually distinct items. The problem is not academic. In the avionics community, disputations about the meaning and nature of high level, low level, and derived requirements have persisted for decades; the nature of robustness requirements is similarly unclear, as is the distinction between functional and performance requirements. It is not that no one knows what these terms might mean; it is that there are too many obvious but incompatible interpretations, too little rigor in the conceptual underpinnings of the definitions, and, as a result, too little agreement as too which ones apply and when, if ever. Chapter 7 of The Mythical Man-Month, "Why Did the Tower of Babel Fail?", identifies the issue: Poor communication leads to engineering fiascos. Ambiguities and confusion in fundamental concepts and vocabulary hinder communications about requirements engineering. In the avionics world of DO-17C/ED-12C, such confusions are particularly worrisome. This paper will seek to clarify requirements engineering vocabulary that remains murkier than it needs to be.
Photoelectron spectra of carbonyls: Acetaldehyde, acetamide, biacetyl, pyruvic acid, methyl pyruvate and pyruvamide☆

Abstract Photoelectron spectra of a number of carbonyl compounds are reported and assigned on the basis of a correlative scheme which makes heavy use of CNDO/s computations. The assignments of n and π ○ type for monocarbonyls, and n + , n − , π ⊕ and π ⊖ type for α-dicarbonyls are quite secure in an experimental sense. All other assignments given are tentative.
Ciliary Body and Ciliary Epithelium

Abstract The ciliary body is a complex, highly specialized tissue that comprises several cell types. The ciliary muscle is situated at the base of the ciliary body and ligaments originating in the ciliary body attach to the lens. Contraction or relaxation of the muscle alters tension on the lens causing it to alter shape and thus shift focus. The surface of ciliary body is elaborated into a series of ridges named ciliary processes. Each ciliary process contains a complicated network of blood vessels that appear leaky to plasma constituents. The ciliary processes are covered by a specialized epithelium bilayer that comprises two distinct epithelial cell types, pigmented ciliary epithelium (PE) and nonpigmented ciliary epithelium (NPE). The ciliary epithelium bilayer constitutes a diffusion barrier between the blood and the aqueous humor in the interior of the eye. Barrier function depends on tight junctions between adjacent NPE cells. The ciliary body is responsible for the production of aqueous humor, a task that requires the polarized cellular distribution and coordinated function of Na, K-ATPase, Na/K/2Cl cotransporter, Na-H exchanger chloride channels and aquaporins in the NPE and PE. There is evidence suggesting an important role for gap junctions between the NPE and PE layers. The rate of aqueous humor secretion can be modified by ion transport inhibitors, by agents that modify gap junction permeability and by maneuvers that change blood flow in the ciliary processes.
The Impact of Environment on the Productivity Attitudes of Intellectually Challenged Office Workers

Factors affecting the productivity of intellectually challenged office workers have not been systematically investigated. The impact of environment (lighting, noise, pleasant sounds, landscape, etc...
Small‐scale waves on Jupiter: A reanalysis of New Horizons, Voyager, and Galileo data

Jupiter's equator-encircling mesoscale waves were a distinguishing feature observed during the New Horizons Jupiter flyby. Measured velocities indicated eastward propagation, inconsistent with standing wave models developed after the Voyager encounters. We present revised New Horizons mesoscale wave velocities of 164 to 176 m/s, approximately 90 m/s higher than the tropospheric zonal winds on that date, while Voyager and Galileo mesoscale waves do not show any apparent motion. This is consistent with an eastward propagating inertia-gravity or Kelvin wave, or a wave propagating with the wind at certain altitudes, given proper vertical wind shears. New Horizons high solar phase angle methane band observations show wave crest shadows or aerosol clearing, implying altitudes above the cloud deck for the observed features. New Horizons and Voyager data also indicate that wave trains have lifetimes exceeding two Jovian rotations.
Dust Echoes from Gamma-Ray Bursts.

The deviation from the power-law decline of the optical flux observed in GRB 970228 and GRB 980326 has been used recently to argue in favor of the connection between gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. We consider an alternative explanation for this phenomenon, based on the scattering of a prompt optical burst by 0.1 M☉ dust located beyond its sublimation radius 0.1-1 pc from the burst. In both cases, the optical energy observed at the time of the first detection of the afterglow suffices to produce an echo after ~20-30 days, as observed. Prompt optical monitoring of future bursts and multiband photometry of the afterglows will enable us to test simple models of dust reprocessing quantitatively and to predict source redshift.
The effectiveness of request redirection on CDN robustness

It is becoming increasingly common to construct network services using redundant resources geographically distributed across the Internet. Content Distribution Networks are a prime example. Such systems distribute client requests to an appropriate server based on a variety of factors---e.g., server load, network proximity, cache locality---in an effort to reduce response time and increase the system capacity under load. This paper explores the design space of strategies employed to redirect requests, and defines a class of new algorithms that carefully balance load, locality, and proximity. We use large-scale detailed simulations to evaluate the various strategies. These simulations clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of our new algorithms, which yield a 60--91% improvement in system capacity when compared with the best published CDN technology, yet user-perceived response latency remains low and the system scales well with the number of servers.
Generation of reducing prower in chemosynthesis

Cell-free preparations from T. neapolitanus catalyzed an ATP-dependent reduction of pyridine nucleotides by thiosulfate. The reduction of flavins by thiosulfate was also observed to be an energy-linked process. Optimal reaction occurred at pH 7.3–7.5 in the presence of 7 mM S2O3=, 1.5 mM ATP and 0.7 mM NAD+ or NADP+. The enzyme(s) catalyzing the energy-linked reactions appear to reside in the 144000 x g supernatant fraction since washed particles failed to catalyze the ATP driven NAD+ reduction by S2O3+; the cell-free preparations contained, however, S2O3= oxidase and ferro-cytochrome c: O2 oxidoreductase activities. The ATP-driven reduction of flavins or that of the pyridine nucleotides was inhibited bythe inhibitors that intersect the electron transport chain in the flavin or that of the cytochrome b and c regions. In the flavin-inhibited system, quinones could substitute as electron bypass carriers for the reduction of pyridine nucleotides. Uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation and oligomycin inhibited the energy-transfer reactions. A utilization of 2 to 3 ATP equivalents was observed for the reduction of each equivalent of NAD+. Such observations indicate that the T. neapolitanus system operated with an efficiency of approximately 80% with respect to the utilization of energy for the generation of reducing power.
Autoradiographic analysis of GABAA receptor binding in the neural anxiety network of postpartum and non-postpartum laboratory rats

Abstract Postpartum female rats exhibit a suppression of anxiety-related behaviors when compared to diestrous virgin females, pregnant females, and males. This blunted anxiety promotes optimal maternal care and involves elevated GABA neurotransmission, possibly including greater density of GABA A and benzodiazepine receptors in the postpartum brain. We here examined autoradiographic binding of [ 3 H]muscimol to measure the total population of GABA A receptors and [ 3 H]flunitrazepam to assess density of benzodiazepine sites in the medial prefrontal cortex, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, amygdala, hippocampus, and periaqueductal gray of female rats sacrificed on day 7 postpartum, day 10 of pregnancy, or as diestrous virgins. A group of sexually naive male rats was also included. We found that [ 3 H]muscimol binding did not differ among groups in any site but that diestrous virgin females had greater [ 3 H]flunitrazepam binding in the CA1 and dentate gyrus of the hippocampus compared to mid-pregnant females and males. Notably, postpartum and diestrous virgin females did not significantly differ in binding of either ligand in any site examined. This is the first study to evaluate the densities of GABA A and benzodiazepine binding sites simultaneously across three female reproductive states and sex with a focus on brain sites influencing anxiety-related behaviors. The results suggest that changes in other GABA A receptor characteristics such as subunit composition, or increased presynaptic GABA release during interactions with offspring, must instead play a greater role in the postpartum suppression of anxiety in laboratory rats.
Adjunctive Mitomycin C in Molteno Implant Surgery

Abstract Purpose: The authors assessed the efficacy of adjunctive intraoperative mitomycin C to produce lower intraocular pressures (IOPs) in patients with complicated glaucoma who underwent double-plate Molteno implantation. Methods: A pilot series of 21 consecutive patients who underwent double-plate Molteno implantation with adjunctive intraoperative mitomycin C (0.5 mg/ml) for 5 minutes was compared with a historical control group who received Molteno implants without mitomycin C (n = 18). With failure defined as an IOP greater than 21 or less than 6 mmHg at two observations 1 month apart, the addition of medication, re-operation for glaucoma, or tube removal, a life-table analysis of IOP was performed on patients with at least 3 months' follow-up. Results: Success in the mitomycin C group was higher (68% at 1 year) than the control group (17% at 1 year; P = 0.006). Loss of more than one line of vision (33%) and re-operation for complications (including flat anterior chamber, choroidal detachment, and tube blockage) (38%) were slightly but not significantly more frequent in the mitomycin C group than in the control group. Conclusion: This study suggests that intraoperative mitomycin C in conjunction with Molteno implant may offer a better chance of achieving target IOPs in the low teens in patients with complicated glaucoma than Molteno implantation alone.
Assessing the utility of indicator groups for the conservation of South American terrestrial mammals

Abstract Because data on the distribution of most species are limited, prioritizing sites for conservation requires the use of indicator groups to represent overall diversity. The purpose of this study is to assess the utility of different subsets of the South American mammal fauna in representing the overall diversity of South American terrestrial mammals, percentage of endangered and restricted-range species, and the percentage of monotypic genera. Particularly, I assess the effectiveness and efficiency of explicitly selected indicator groups at two spatial scales – continental South America and the country of Brazil. Results show that all indicator groups were more effective than a random selection of cells. However, when compared with sets of randomly selected species, only one indicator group outperformed these sets. An indicator group composed of geographically rare species was more effective and efficient at both spatial scales, protecting a higher percentage of the total number of species, as well as higher percentages of endangered and rare species, and total number of monotypic genera.
The increase in brain tryptophan caused by amphetamine-like drugs: correlation with an increase in body temperature.

Abstract The effects of amphetamine, hyperthermia and increased serum unesterified fatty acids (UFA) were considered as having possible roles in the amphetamine-induced increase in brain tryptophan (Trp) levels. The change in brain Trp of male Sprague-Dawley rats 1 hour after the administration of various amphetamine-like drugs (50 μmoles/kg) correlated with the change in rectal temperature (r = 0.89) but not with the increase in serum UFA (r = 0.04). Also, increases in UFA did not correlate with increases in temperature (r = 0.01). The amphetamine-induced increase in brain Trp was not accompanied by significant changes in the levels of aromatic amino acids in serum. The amphetamine-induced increase in brain Trp also correlated with the increase in body temperature in six strains of mice (r = 0.93). No significant increases in serum UFA were observed in mice 1 hour after the administration of d1-amphetamine (50 μmoles/kg).
Black Housing, White Finance: African American Housing and Home Ownership in Evanston, Illinois, Before 1940

A case study of African American housing and home ownership in Evanston, Illinois, a railroad suburb of Chicago, illustrates that there was a greater variety in suburban housing markets before WWII than historians have recognized. Housing discrimination was a fact of life in early, affluent suburbs, such as Evanston, by the mid-1910s, yet housing markets in these suburbs often accommodated black population growth and comparatively high rates of black home ownership, albeit within the limits of segregation. In Evanston, members of the local real estate establishment played key roles in the process--building, selling, and even financing housing for African Americans. Black suburbanites, for their part, made exceptional efforts to become home owners, in some cases even building their own homes (owner-building). In Evanston and other suburbs where patterns of local race relations were built on a foundation of domestic service, white paternalism combined with the aspirations of black southerners to shape housing markets that supported black home ownership and accommodated black community building in otherwise affluent and white suburbs.
Ab initio many body perturbation theoretical study of small sodium cationic clusters

Abstract Ab initio molecular orbital computations have been carried out for small sodium cationic clusters. Detailed electronic structures of these clusters have been investigated. Stabilities from the points of view of binding and fragmentation energies have been discussed and, wherever possible, results have been compared with published data in the literature.
Aluminum contents of the edible portions of the winged bean,Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC. (Fabaceae): Field study and caveat

The winged bean,Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC has been widely recognised as a potentially useful source of protein for tropical regions of the world. A neglected aspect of the plants nutritional quality has been the reporting of the accumulation of aluminum (Al) in the edible parts of the plant; the leaves, pods, seeds and tubers. The accumulation of Al in the plant on acidic tropical soils and the implication of Al to human health problems further justified the inclusion of Al in nutritional analysis. Field experiments on two varieties of the winged bean, the USDA-releaseHi-Flyer and an unnamed variety from the Phillipines, showed that all edible portions of the plant accumulate Al from high to very high levels when compared to an average of usually less than 300 ppm in other crop plants. Aluminum accumulation is generally highest in the youngest tissues particularly in the young roots with levels recorded as high as 25,000 ppm and these contents are as high as levels for recognised ‘Al accumulators’ such as the leaves ofPinus and tea. Future improvement breeding programs for the winged bean will necessarily require identifying and taking advantage of possible variation in Al accumulation between varieties.
The chemistry of pyrazine and its derivatives. XII. The reaction of acetonylpyrazine with phenyllithium in the presence and absence of methyl benzoate

The reaction of acetonylpyrazine with phenyllithium in the absence and presence of methyl benzoate gives (a) 2-phenyl-6-acetonylpyrazine (IV) and (b) a mixture of IV and 3-(2-phenyl-6-pyrazyl)-4-phenylbutane-2, 4-dione (V, VI), respectively. Evidence in support of the structures of the products has been presented and comments on their formation are made.
The amide of the naturally occurring opioid [Met]enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 is a potent analog of the molluscan neuropeptide FMRFamide

Abstract The molluscan neuropeptide FMRFamide (Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2), the opioid [Met]enkephalin, and two peptides analogous to both were tested on four isolated molluscan muscles. Both FMRFamide and [Met]enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7-NH2 (YGG-FMRFamide) excited the ventricle of Macrocallista nimbosa and inhibited that of Lampsilis claibornensis . These same two peptides also caused contractures of the anterior byssus retractor muscle (ABRM) of Mytilus edulis and the radula protractor muscle of Busycon contrarium . The effect on the ABRM was a catch contracture, relaxed by 5-hydroxytryptamine. In all cases, the two peptides were equipotent and their actions were identical. Neither [Met]enkephalin, nor the naturally occurring opioid peptide [Met]enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 (YGG-FMRF), affected these preparations. In conclusion, these tissues are specifically sensitive to the structure at the C-terminal of FMRFamide, but not to its N-terminal or that of the enkephalins; that is, FMRFamide receptors, but not opioid ones, are present. Nevertheless, the amino acid sequence common to [Met]enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 and FMRFamide implies that these two peptides and their naturally occurring congeners are homologous molecules.
Learning Trajectory for Transforming Teachers’ Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics and Science With Digital Image and Video Technologies in an Online Learning Experience

AbstractThis qualitative cross-case study explores the influence of a designed learning trajectory on transforming teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) for teaching with digital image and video technologies. The TPACK Learning Trajectory embeds tasks with specific instructional strategies within a social metacognitive constructivist structure to engage K–12 in-service teachers in an online learning course for teaching and learning mathematics and science with these technologies. The resulting trajectory shapes teachers’ TPACK into a more robust, integrated knowledge structure, influencing their thinking and decision making about the content, technology, and pedagogical concerns with these technologies. From their learning experiences, the teachers’ instructional intentions transformed to incorporate the tools and processes for teaching with technologies. The TPACK Learning Trajectory thus influences a transformation in the teachers’ TPACK strategic thinking about when, where, and ...
A novel method of characterizing regional lung deformation

Regional lung deformation (as opposed to whole lung volume change) may be an indicator of localized lung malformations. Regional deformation may be characterized by principal strains, but lack a direct physiological relevance. Alternatively, regional volume change (distribution of Jacobian) is physiologically intuitive, but does not characterize all aspects of deformation. For instance, a region may undergo no volume change, but still have deformed significantly — say, when the lengthening in one direction is compensated by contraction along another direction. From a perspective of physiological relevance to lung function, lung deformation may be thought to encompass both the volume change and directional preferences in volume change.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Discriminated response patterning in goldfish with successive presentation and explicitly unpaired pseudoconditioning procedures

Goldfish show discriminated responding by shuttling in increasingly more US paired time' frames than unpaired time frames both for the successive-presentation and explicitly unpaired pseudoconditioning procedures, where measurement, in addition to the CS, is made in a com­ parable period of the intertrial interval just prior to the US. These data strongly question stimulus-specific interpretations of response patterns arising from the use of the successive­ presentation procedure, suggest that goldfish learn a conditioned inhibition to an unpaired stimulus, and may imply that the explicitly unpaired pseudoconditioning procedure is an appropriate control, in goldfish, for the successive-presentation procedure. With successive presentation of two cues, where one (Sd) is classically paired with a shock US and where the second (SA) is not US paired, Woodard and Bitterman (1971) showed that goldfish responded differentially on more Sd than SA trials. This discriminated perfonn­ ance occurred despite tlle fact that the subjects response neither terminated the cue signal nor, in the Sd case, produced US omission. The results were viewed as evidence for classical conditioning of a discriminated response. The present study is an attempt to replicate the basic finding and to examine other stimulus/response conditions shown to affect shock-motivated perfonn­ ance in goldfish. The conditions compared are response­ contingent US omission, Sdtermination, SA termination, and intertrial-interval (lTI) illumination, all of which have affected shuttlebox performance in single-stimulus procedures (Scobie & Fallon, 1974; Zerbolio & Wickstra, 1978a, 1978b).