cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using stable isotopes of nitrogen to study its source and transformation in a heavily farmed watershed

Twenty private wells and ten stream locations were sampled to assess the source and fate of dissolved nitrate in the Cedar River watershed of Iowa, USA. The average levels of nitrate in groundwater decreased from 39.5 mg/L in May, to 38 mg/L in July, to 30 mg/L in September. Although several surface water samples exceeded MCL in May, most values dropped to below 20 mg/L by July and September. The decreasing N levels were attributed to the gradual uptake of nitrate by growing crops as well as the cyanobacterial growth in the aquatic systems. The δ15N values of dissolved nitrate in groundwater ranged from +0.45 to +5.35‰, whereas those in surface water ranged from +1.48 to +5.16‰. The results suggested that commercial fertilizers and soil organic nitrogen were probably mixed up in their transport pathways. A fertilizer-only source would provide much lower delta values, whereas soil nitrogen would provide higher than observed delta values. Denitrification was considered unlikely because of the low δ15N values, high nitrate concentrations, and moderately high DO content in groundwater. Animal wastes were not found as a possible source of nitrate in the water. This is supported by the low chloride concentrations and lower than 10‰ delta values in the water samples. The study demonstrates that nitrogen isotope data in coordination with the dissolved nitrate levels and land use can be effectively used in nitrogen source identification and its transformation studies.
Chapter 4 Gender differences in comprehension skills used in mathematical problem-solving by math-anxious and non-math-anxious students

Abstract There were no gender differences in Math Anxiety Rating Scale scores or overall comprehension scores. There was no difference between the math anxiety levels on overall comprehension scores. A repeated measures analysis on performance on the four different problem tasks indicated no significant between effect differences for anxiety or gender. There was a significant within-subject difference in comprehension scores for the four different types of problems. Comprehension of non-computational problems was statistically less difficult than comprehension of computational problems. A contrast between the computational, analytical and non-computational, visual problem tasks indicated that a significant interaction occurred between gender and anxiety level. Males that were of a moderate math anxiety level performed at an optimum level on computational, analytical problems. Females that were of a moderate math anxiety level performed at an optimum level on non-computational, visual problems. Females performed least well on computational, analytical problems. For them, performance decreased as the anxiety level increased.
Tribological behavior of Cu20%Nb and Cu15%Cr in situ composites under dry sliding conditions

Abstract The tribological behavior of Cu20%Nb and Cu15%Cr in situ composites was studied on a pin-on-disk tester. Composite pins were slid against a hardened AISI 52100 steel disk under dry ambient conditions. Comparison of coefficient of friction, wear rate and bulk temperature was made between the two composites in terms of effects of normal pressure and sliding speed. Microstructural changes in the composites due to sliding were studied and correlated with the change of tribological behavior. The wear rate increased with increasing normal pressure and decreased with increasing sliding speed in the studied range of normal pressure (0.06–0.56 MPa) and sliding speed (2.50–5.83 m s−1) for both composites. Cu20%Nb showed a much better wear resistance and a lower coefficient of friction than Cu15%Cr. The coefficient of friction slightly increased for Cu20%Nb and slightly decreased for Cu15%Cr with increasing normal pressure. The coefficient of friction for both composites decreased with increasing sliding speed. The bulk temperature was higher and subsurface deformation layer thickness was larger for Cu15%Cr than for Cu20%Nb. Both of them increased with increasing normal pressure and sliding speed. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed plastic deformation flow on the wear surface at an early stage for both composites. However, the formation of a surface film led Cu20%Nb composite to reach a steady state much sooner and therefore to have a lower wear rate than Cu15%Cr.
Alcohol Abstinence or Harm-Reduction? Parental Messages for College-Bound Light Drinkers

Parental communications about alcohol can have a significant impact on college students' alcohol use; however, it is unclear what types of communication may be most beneficial for reducing alcohol risk, particularly among students who have already initiated alcohol use. The present research examines differences in alcohol use and employment of drinking protective behavioral strategies between pre-college matriculation high school seniors receiving predominantly abstinence parent messaging and students primarily receiving harm-reduction parent messaging. Students who identified as light drinkers were recruited during their last month in high school and completed an online assessment of alcohol use and parent alcohol communication. Analyses revealed that, in comparison to light drinkers who primarily received harm-reduction messaging from parents, light drinkers who received more abstinence messaging reported less frequent alcohol use, lower peak alcohol consumption, and greater use of protective drinking strategies aimed at changing the way they drank and avoiding serious hazards associated with drinking. Findings from this study underscore the utility of messages related to abstinence even for parents who are aware that their children have had previous experiences with alcohol and highlight the need for longitudinal research assessing additional mechanisms associated with message efficacy among light, moderate and heavy drinking students transitioning to college.
Risk factors for neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: the Cache County Study

Objective To investigate the probability of individual neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia patients as a function of eight risk factors. Methods In the Cache County Study, we administered the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) to 328 dementia patients at baseline. Approximately 18 months later, we re-administered the NPI to 184 participants available for follow-up. Generalized estimating equation methods were used to model the probability of individual neuropsychiatric symptoms as a function of: gender, age, education, dementia type and severity, APOE status, time of observation, and general medical health. Results Women showed increased tendency toward anxiety, [odds ratio (OR) 2.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31–3.76] and delusions (OR 2.15, CI 1.22–3.78), but older persons of both sexes showed less tendency toward anxiety. Dementia severity increased the tendency toward hallucinations and agitation (OR 2.42, CI 1.81–3.23) and decreased risk of depression. Positive APOE e4 status increased the tendency toward aberrant motor behavior (OR 1.84, CI 1.05–3.22). Among dementia diagnoses, those with Alzheimer's disease showed decreased tendency toward agitation (OR 0.58, CI 0.35–0.95), depression (OR 0.56, CI 0.33–0.96) and disinhibition (OR 0.46, CI 0.24–0.88). Later time of observation increased risk of aberrant motor behavior and delusions, and more serious medical comorbidity increased risk of, agitation, irritability, disinhibition, and aberrant motor behavior. Conclusions Gender, age, dementia severity, APOE e4, dementia diagnosis, time of observation, and general medical health appear to influence the occurrence of individual neuropsychiatric symptoms. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Is life stress more likely to provoke depressive episodes in women than in men

One of the most consistent findings in psychiatric research is that rates of major depression are at least twofold higher among women than among men. Although there is considerable agreement in the literature that life events play a role in producing, triggering, or maintaining episodes of depression, less is known about the relationship among gender, life events, and depression. In the present study, we compared the rates, focus ("interpersonal" vs. "non-interpersonal"), and timing of stressful life experiences reported in rigorous interviews of male and female patients with unipolar recurrent depression and nondepressed contrast subjects. Consistent with hypotheses, female patients were more likely to experience stressful life experiences than their male counterparts; rates of stressful life experiences did not differ between female and male controls. Unexpectedly, rates of interpersonal stress did not differ among males and females regardless of patient or control status. We also found no significant differences in the timing of pre-onset events: stressful events were generally concentrated in the period immediately preceding onset for both men and women. Thus, although these data suggest that life stress may play a larger role in the provocation of recurrent episodes of depression for women than for men, there do not seem to be sex differences in the extent to which interpersonal vs. noninterpersonal events and difficulties are associated with depression onset or in the temporal distribution of events. Implications of these results are discussed in the context of research on other putative factors contributing to gender differences in rates of depression.
Investigation of Nephrotoxic Effects of Adenine and Its Metabolic Product, 2,8-Dioxyadenine, on Primates (Macaca Irus)

Abstract : Primates injected with one 10 mg/kg dose of adenine over 10 min or the same dose daily for 5 days had no changes in renal function or structure. Single doses of 25 or 50 mg/kg produced decreases in renal plasma flow and/or glomerular filtration which appeared to be dose related. No crystalline deposition or pathological changes were observed in the renal tissue at any dose level. Transient crystalluria was observed in some animals at the time of urinary adenine and 2,8-dioxyadenine excretion, but these crystals were not definitely identified. Adenine and 2,8-dioxyadenine were present in the urine at all dose levels during the first day, but were absent 24 hr after injection. (Author)
Emerging Issues and Fundamental Processes in Environmental Cracking in Hot Water

Abstract In the absence of definitive data, mechanistic and modeling approaches to describe environmental cracking in high-temperature water are forced to depend too strongly on speculative hypothe...
Inhibition by specific monosaccharides of interleukin 2-induced thymocyte proliferation

When rat thymocytes are cultured for 3 days in serum-free medium and are stimulated to divide by interleukin 2 (IL 2), concanavalin A, or sodium periodate oxidation, addition to the medium of 10-25 mM D-ribose, 2-deoxy-D-ribose, or N-acetyl-D-galactosamine inhibits by 40% or more the incorporation of [3H]thymidine. D-ribose and lectin-free IL 2 generated from sodium periodate oxidation of rat spleen cells were used to study the characteristics of this inhibition and to test possible mechanisms of inhibition. Viability of thymocytes cultured with D-ribose is similar to that of cells cultured without this sugar. In order to be inhibitory, D-ribose has to be added to the cultures within the first 24 hr, and the inhibition can be prevented if the sugar is removed 18-24 hr after the start of culture. D-Ribose does not block the absorption of IL 2 by unstimulated rat thymocytes or by concanavalin A-generated thymic or splenic blast cells. When thymocytes are cultured with D-ribose for 24 hr, inactivated with mitomycin C, and then cultured for 3 days with fresh mitogenically stimulated cells, [3H]thymidine incorporation into the latter is not altered. This suggests that the sugar does not generate suppressor cells or suppressor supernates. D-Ribose does not appear to be a general metabolic inhibitor since [3H]leucine incorporation into thymocyte proteins and the release of [3H]leucine into medium after a 2-hr. [3H]leucine pulse are not altered by D-ribose. Trivial or artifactual effects (nonspecific cytotoxicity, changes in thymidine transport, or changes in isotonicity of the culture medium) cannot explain the inhibition. A hypothetical mechanism of inhibition is discussed.
Temporal changes in islet polymerized and depolymerized tubulin during biphasic insulin release

In the present study, a colchicine binding assay was used to measure changes in islet polymerized and depolymerized tubulin at intervals characterizing the biphasic pattern of glucose-induced insulin release i.e., 2.5, 5.5, 10.5, and 30.5 min. At 2.5 min during the rapid onset of insulin release, a significant increase from 24% to 33% in polymerized tubulin content was observed. This increase in polymerized tubulin was followed by a reduction that temporally correlated with the disappearance of first phase release. Second phase release was also associated with a shift in equilibrium favoring tubulin polymerization at longer incubation periods. The effect of cytochalasin B on the equilibrium between polymerized and depolymerized tubulin was evaluated at a submaximal glucose concentration of 16.5 mM. Under these conditions, cytochalasin B increased polymerized tubulin content in a manner that parallels its enhancing effect on insulin release. These results indicate that the rapid events associated with the biphasic pattern of insulin release are temporally correlated with changes in polymerized tubulin.
Pursuing Health as Foreign Policy: The Case of China

Despite the growing political and academic interest in health as a foreign policy issue, much of the emerging scholarship has focused on the conceptual overview of the field or particular aspects of the health-foreign policy linkage (e.g., humanitarian action). Little in-depth analysis has been conducted on how major powers engage health as a foreign policy issue. This article attempts to fill that void by examining the dynamics of the health-foreign policy nexus in China. After an overview of the Maoist health diplomacy, it discusses the elevation of health issues in the hierarchy of foreign policy objectives in China's reform era. Next, the article analyzes China's SARS diplomacy, which further demonstrates the changing landscape of health and foreign policy in China. Then I analyze the defining features and dilemmas of China's health-foreign policy interaction. While the emergence of health as an important foreign policy issue in China facilitates the fulfillment of its foreign policy goals and makes important contributions to international health cooperation, I conclude that the tensions and dilemmas inherent in the health-foreign policy mix in China pose risks and challenges to global health governance.
Incomplete reversion of double stranded DNA cleavage mediated by Drosophila topoisomerase II : formation of single stranded DNA cleavage complex in the presence of an anti-tumor drug VM26

Abstract Anti-tumor drug VM26 greatly stimulates topoisomerase II mediated DNA cleavage by stabilizing the cleavable complex. Addition of a strong detergent such as SDS to the cleavable complex induces the double stranded DNA cleavage. We demonstrate here that heat treatment can reverse the double stranded DNA cleavage; however, topoisomerase II remains bound to DNA even in the presence of SDS. This reversed complex has been shown to contain single strand DNA breaks with topoisomerase II covalently linked to the nicked DNA. Chelation of Mg++ by EDTA and the addition of salt to a high concentration also reverse the double strand DNA cleavage, and like heat reversion, topoisomerase II remains bound to DNA through single strand DNA break. The reversion complex can be analyzed and isolated by CsCl density gradient centrifugation. We have detected multiple discrete bands from such a gradient, corresponding to protein/DNA complexes with 1, 2, 3, ..... topoisomerase II molecules bound per DNA molecule. Analysis of topoisomerase II/DNA complexes isolated from the CsCl gradient indicates that there are single stranded DNA breaks associated with the CsCl stable complexes. Therefore, topoisomerase II/DNA complex formed in the presence of VM26 cannot be completely reversed to yield free DNA and enzyme. We discuss the possible significance of this finding to the mechanism of action of VM26 in the topoisomerase II reactions.
Kalman Filter–Based CMORPH

AbstractA Kalman filter (KF)-based Climate Prediction Center (CPC) morphing technique (CMORPH) algorithm is developed to integrate the passive microwave (PMW) precipitation estimates from low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites and infrared (IR) observations from geostationary (GEO) platforms. With the new algorithm, the precipitation analysis at a grid box of 8 × 8 km2 is defined in three steps. First, PMW estimates of instantaneous rain rates closest to the target analysis time in both the forward and backward directions are propagated from their observation times to the analysis time using the cloud system advection vectors (CSAVs) computed from the GEO–IR images. The “prediction” of the precipitation analysis is then defined by averaging the forward- and backward-propagated PMW estimates with weights inversely proportional to their error variance. The IR-based precipitation estimates are incorporated if the gap between the two PMW observations is longer than 90 min. Validation tests showed substantial improv...
Characterizing 3D granular flow structures in a double screw mixer using X-ray particle tracking velocimetry

Abstract Granular flows are commonly encountered in many industrial processes, but are difficult to characterize due to the opaque nature of the flow. For instance, screw pyrolyzers are being developed for the thermochemical conversion of biomass into bio-oil, but the granular flow and mixing process inside the reactor lacks fundamental understanding. In this study, X-ray particle tracking velocimetry (XPTV) is used to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize the three-dimensional (3D) granular flow structures in a double screw mixer, which geometrically replicates double screw pyrolyzers, by visualizing the position and speed profiles and quantifying the dimensionless pathlength and dimensionless residence time of individual tracer particles. The influence of screw rotation speed, dimensionless screw pitch, screw rotation orientation, and material injection configuration are investigated. Certain operating conditions are shown to significantly influence the granular flow structures and, in some instances, cause the double screw mixer to behave similar to two single screw conveyors. Comparisons with previous granular mixing studies are made to provide a link between granular flow behavior and mixing effectiveness.
Pressure stabilizer for reproducible picoinjection in droplet microfluidic systems

Picoinjection is a promising technique to add reagents into pre-formed emulsion droplets on chip however, it is sensitive to pressure fluctuation, making stable operation of the picoinjector challenging. We present a chip architecture using a simple pressure stabilizer for consistent and highly reproducible picoinjection in multi-step biochemical assays with droplets. Incorporation of the stabilizer immediately upstream of a picoinjector or a combination of injectors greatly reduces pressure fluctuations enabling reproducible and effective picoinjection in systems where the pressure varies actively during operation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the pressure stabilizer for an integrated platform for on-demand encapsulation of bacterial cells followed by picoinjection of reagents for lysing the encapsulated cells. The pressure stabilizer was also used for picoinjection of multiple displacement amplification (MDA) reagents to achieve genomic DNA amplification of lysed bacterial cells.
Interleukin-1β Inhibits Expression of p21(WAF1/CIP1) and p27(KIP1) and Enhances Proliferation in Response to Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-BB in Smooth Muscle Cells

Objective— Intimal growth depends on smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration and proliferation and is regulated by thrombotic and inflammatory responses to vascular injury. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB and interleukin (IL)-1β have been shown to contribute to intimal hyperplasia and lesion progression in atherosclerosis. Mitogenic effects of IL-1 on SMCs have been reported and have been attributed to the expression of PDGF-A chain. In some, but not all, studies, IL-1β was found to cooperate with growth factors, including PDGF, in stimulating proliferation. The molecular basis for such cooperative effects is unknown and is the subject of the present study. Methods and Results— We demonstrate that in baboon aortic SMCs, IL-1β enhances the proliferation induced by PDGF-BB independently of PDGF-A signaling. IL-1β increases the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein, a pivotal step in the G 1 -to-S transition in the cell cycle. Analysis of expression levels of cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors suggests that IL-1β stimulates CDKs by downregulating p21 and p27. Consistent with this hypothesis is the finding that CDK2 activity, induced by PDGF-BB, is enhanced 2.3±0.2-fold in the presence of IL-1β. Conclusions— Our data suggest that IL-1β may promote SMC proliferation after vascular injury and in atherogenesis by suppression of PDGF-BB–induced p21 and p27.
Structural study of Mn-doped ZnO films by TEM

Abstract The structural study of diluted magnetic semiconductors is important for interpreting the ferromagnetic behavior associated with the materials. In the present work, a series of low concentration Mn-doped ZnO thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition was studied by electron microscopy. All films show the wurtzite structure with (001) preferred growth orientation on the Si substrate. Electron diffraction experiments indicate the deterioration of the growth orientation in some areas of the films with increasing Mn concentration, and the existence of a secondary phase, of Mn 2 O 3 -type, in the films with larger Mn concentrations. High-resolution electron microscopy images confirm the existence of the secondary phase in the grain boundary of the Mn-doped ZnO phase. The magnetic properties of Mn-doped ZnO are discussed in relation to the structures of the films.
Sexual Dimorphism and Developmental Expression of Signal-Transduction Machinery in the Vomeronasal Organ

We have explored the use of a new model to study the transduction of chemosignals in the vomeronasal organ (VNO), for which the functional pathway for chemical communication is incompletely understood. Because putative vomeronasal receptors in mammalian and other vertebrate models belong to the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors, the objective of the present study was to define which G-protein subunits were present in the VNO of Sternotherus odoratus (stinkpot or musk turtle) in order to provide directionality for future functional studies of the downstream signaling cascades. The turtle vomeronasal epithelium (VNE) was found to contain the G-proteins Gβ and Gαi1–3 at the microvillar layer, the presumed site of signal tranduction in these neurons, as evidenced by immunocytochemical techniques. Gαo labeled the axon bundles in the VNE and the somata of the vomeronasal sensory neurons but not the microvillar layer. Densitometric analysis of Western blots indicated that the VNO from females contained greater concentrations of Gαi1–3 compared with males. Sexually immature (juvenile) turtles showed intense immunolabeling for all three subunits (Gβ, Gαi1–3, and Gαo) in the axon bundles and an absence of labeling in the microvillar layer. Another putative signaling component found in the microvilli of mammalian VNO, transient receptor potential channel, was also immunoreactive in S. odoratus in a gender-specific manner, as quantified by Western blot analysis. These data demonstrate the utility of Sternotherus for discerning the functional signal transduction machinery in the VNO and may suggest that gender and developmental differences in effector proteins or cellular signaling components may be used to activate sex-specific behaviors.
Physiological mechanisms of psychophysical masking: observations from auditory-nerve fibers.

Masking might be due either to the spread of the excitation produced by the masker to the place of the tone signal along the cochlea or to the suppression of the response to the signal by the masker. In order to identify the contributions of these two mechanisms to tone‐on‐tone masking, masked thresholds of auditory‐nerve fibers were measured in anesthetized cats using the same stimulus paradigms and detection criteria as in psychophysics. Suppressive masking was identified by comparing thresholds for simultaneous masking with those for a nonsimultaneous masking technique resembling pulsation thresholds. These nonsimultaneous thresholds do not include the contribution of suppression to masking because suppression only occurs for stimuli that overlap in time. For each masker and signal frequency, the fibers with the lowest (or ‘‘best’’) masked thresholds had characteristic frequencies (CF) slightly on the opposite side of the masker frequency with respect to the signal frequency, consistent with the psychophysical phenomenon of off‐frequency listening. Patterns of best masked thresholds against signal frequency resembled psychophysical masking patterns in that they showed a maximum for signal frequencies close to the masker, and a skew toward high frequencies. Masking was found to be both excitatory and suppressive, with the relative contribution of the two mechanisms depending on the frequency separation between signal and masker. Suppressive masking was large for signal frequencies well above the masker. For these conditions, simultaneous thresholds grew more rapidly with masker level than did nonsimultaneous thresholds, suggesting that the upward spread of masking is largely due to the growth of suppression rather than to that of excitation.
Atomic Structure of a Short α-Helix Stabilized by a Main Chain Hydrogen-Bond Surrogate

Herein we report the 1.15 A X-ray crystal structure of a short alpha-helix in which the N-terminal i and i + 4 main chain hydrogen bond is replaced with a carbon-carbon bond. The structure shows that the hydrogen-bond surrogate (HBS) derived alpha-helix truly resembles the structure of canonical alpha-helices and provides unequivocal support for our helix nucleation strategy.
The abuse of medicine as a political power in Nazi Germany

Medical involvement in Nazi euthanasia and human experimentation is analysed from the viewpoints of utilitarianism, the Kantian Categorical Imperative and traditional healing ethics.
Polyamines regulate c-Myc translation through Chk2-dependent HuR phosphorylation.

All mammalian cells depend on polyamines for normal growth and proliferation, but the exact roles of polyamines at the molecular level remain largely unknown. The RNA-binding protein HuR modulates ...
Design and Analysis of a Self-Folding SMA-SMP Composite Laminate

Shape memory alloy (SMA) wires have the ability to create large actuation forces and displacements. When arranged in a planar configuration (e.g., in a mesh) and embedded near the surface of a polymer matrix, they can be used to create flat sheets that are self-folding and reconfigurable. Shape memory polymers (SMP) exhibit changes in material properties that allow them soften when heated above their glass transition temperature and then freeze when cooled back below it, retaining any deformation applied when they were softened. This work considers the design and analysis of key engineering features of a shape memory composite (SMC) laminate consisting of thermally activated SMA wires in a mesh pattern embedded in such an SMP matrix. Such a laminate would represent a relatively stiff reconfigurable structure with no need for continued power to retain actuated shapes. The results of the design study described herein will be an optimized configuration that maximizes the deflection of the laminate in its locked state while respecting conventional constraints against overstressing and overheating the SMA and SMP materials.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Intercontinental teleradiology in real time. This side of the rainbow

Published online: 26 June 2003 ASER 2003 When teleradiology first came on the scene it was accompanied by many pie-in-the-sky pronouncements promoting its wondrous capabilities. As is often the case, the hype outstripped the facts because, although the expectations were enthusiastic, the initial technology could not yet match them. Moreover, logistical constraints, both unanticipated and formidable, limited practical application. Now, however, with the rapid development of telecommunication equipment shortening transmission time coordinated with improvements in electronic imaging, plain films can be manipulated and distributed as easily as CT and ultrasound studies, making the roseate prospects a reality. The three accompanying articles on teleradiology in this issue of Emergency Radiology betoken burgeoning possibilities. Steckel and his co-workers have provided another contribution to their lengthening series of evaluations of the capabilities of teleradiology with respect to resident instruction. They have shown that even with a remote site, the interactions between trainees and attending radiologists are not diminished in any way. Kalyanpur and colleagues, in their report on intercontinental teleradiology, have demonstrated the feasibility of film interpretation without inordinate delays in transmission by a reader in India viewing images obtained in New England. An obvious advantage to such a remote siting of a staff member is that overnight interpretations need not depend upon the presence of a nighthawk living in the same or next time zone. Undoubtedly, there are successful ventures employing nighttime readers in the United States, but with the very attractive job market for radiologists, it may be difficult to recruit and retain individuals to work at off hours when the opportunities for daytime work are so great. Hence, if our nighttime work could be done during someone else’s daytime, the practicality of intercontinental interpretations becomes obvious and can be achieved readily as Kalyanpur’s study demonstrates. The summary of the work by Levine et. al from our institution represents a synthesis of advances in distant
Ribbons: a partially shared memory programming model

The need for programs to execute subcomponents in isolation from each other or with lower privileges is prevalent among today's systems. We introduce ribbons: a shared memory programming model that allows for more implicit sharing of memory than processes but is more restrictive than threads. Ribbons structure the heap into protection domains. Privileges between these protection domains are carefully controlled in order to confine computation. We propose RibbonJ, a backwards-compatible extension of Java, to easily create or port programs to use the ribbons model. We study the progress and isolation properties of a subset of the language. Building on JikesRVM we implement ribbons by leveraging existing memory protection mechanisms in modern hardware and operating systems, avoiding the overhead of inline security checks and read or write barriers. We evaluate efficiency via microbenchmarks and the DaCapo suite, observing minor overhead. Additionally, we refactor Apache Tomcat to use ribbons for application isolation, discuss the refactoring's design and complexity, and evaluate performance using the SPECweb2009 benchmark.
Modelling heterogeneous processor scheduling for real-time systems

A new model is presented to describe dataflow algorithms implemented in a multiprocessing system. Called the resource/data flow graph (RDFG), the model explicitly represents cyclo-static processor schedules as circuits of processor arcs which reflect the order that processors execute graph nodes. The model also allows the guarantee of meeting hard real-time deadlines. When unfolded, the model identifies statically the processor schedule. The model therefore is useful for determining the throughput and latency of systems with heterogeneous processors. The applicability of the model is demonstrated using a space surveillance algorithm.
Concept of dimensionality and reversal shift performance in children.

Abstract Thirty children, ranging in age from 6 to 7 years, were administered a concept of dimensionality test (DT) during which they were required to order sets of stimuli varying in size or brightness along the correct dimension. Training effects were assessed by presenting one-half the Ss with the DT prior to a reversal shift problem and one-half subsequent to it. Ss who scored below the median and made fewer errors on the DT made significantly fewer errors on the reversal problem than did Ss who seored above the median. Moreover, a significantly larger proportion of Ss who scored below the median performed as reversal responders on the reversal problem. The DT showed no significant training effects. The results indicate that responding to the dimension rather than specific values within the dimension underlies the ability to shift solutions to a reversal problem.
Genetic variation in resistance, but not tolerance, to a protozoan parasite in the monarch butterfly

Natural selection should strongly favour hosts that can protect themselves against parasites. Most studies on animals so far have focused on resistance, a series of mechanisms through which hosts prevent infection, reduce parasite growth or clear infection. However, animals may instead evolve tolerance, a defence mechanism by which hosts do not reduce parasite infection or growth, but instead alleviate the negative fitness consequences of such infection and growth. Here, we studied genetic variation in resistance and tolerance in the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) to its naturally occurring protozoan parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. We exposed 560 monarch larvae of 19 different family lines to one of five different parasite inoculation doses (0, 1, 5, 10 and 100 infective spores) to create a range of parasite loads in infected butterflies. We then used two proxies of host fitness (adult lifespan and body mass) to quantify: (i) qualitative resistance (the ability to prevent infection; also known as avoidance or anti-infection resistance); (ii) quantitative resistance (the ability to limit parasite growth upon infection; also known as control or anti-growth resistance); and (iii) tolerance (the ability to maintain fitness with increasing parasite infection intensity). We found significant differences among host families in qualitative and quantitative resistance, indicating genetic variation in resistance. However, we found no genetic variation in tolerance. This may indicate that all butterflies in our studied population have evolved maximum tolerance, as predicted by some theoretical models.
Recommendation Models for Open Authorization

Major online platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter allow third-party applications such as games, and productivity applications access to user online private data. Such accesses must be authorized by users at installation time. The Open Authorization protocol (OAuth) was introduced as a secure and efficient method for authorizing third-party applications without releasing a user's access credentials. However, OAuth implementations don't provide the necessary fine-grained access control, nor any recommendations, i.e., which access control decisions are most appropriate. We propose an extension to the OAuth 2.0 authorization that enables the provisioning of fine-grained authorization recommendations to users when granting permissions to third-party applications. We propose a multicriteria recommendation model that utilizes application-based, user-based, and category-based collaborative filtering mechanisms. Our collaborative filtering mechanisms are based on previous user decisions, and application permission requests to enhance the privacy of the overall site's user population. We implemented our proposed OAuth extension as a browser extension that allows users to easily configure their privacy settings at application installation time, provides recommendations on requested privacy permissions, and collects data regarding user decisions. Our experiments on the collected data indicate that the proposed framework efficiently enhanced the user awareness and privacy related to third-party application authorizations.
Visual Selection Contributes to Artists' Advantages in Realistic Drawing

To test a venerable explanation for artists drawing ability, superior skill at visual selection, artists andnonartists traced a photograph of a face using 70 pieces of tapenot enough to depict everything. Artistsand nonartists judged the drawings on accuracy. A mixed-model analysis of variance yielded a reliableadvantage for artist drawers, no main effect of judge group, and a strong interaction, in which artistjudges ratings distinguished artist versus nonartist drawers, but nonartist judges ratings did not. Thus,artists appear to make superior decisions about what to include in drawings and are also more sensitiveto others decisions. In a second study, using the same task, nonartists drew upright or inverted faces. Aninteraction was found in which artist judges rated faces drawn inverted as more accurate than faces drawnupright, but nonartist judges ratings showed no differences. Results are discussed in terms of reconcilingtop-down and bottom-up accounts of skilled drawing.Keywords: artists, drawing, visual attention, schemata, visual realism
Asylums, asphalt, and ethics.

Dr. Eth's Introduction: Homelessness has burst into the American consciousness, and with it recognition of the many homeless persons who are mentally ill. Less conspicuous, but no less important, are the daily problems psychiatrists face in evaluating the homeless mentally ill. Often the basic facts about the patient are straightforward, but the choice of an optimal treatment plan is rarely as clear, reflecting the underlying ethical conflicts. This month's column focuses on the unarticulated ethical issues encountered by a prototypic psychiatric resident when a homeless patient asks to be hospitalized.
Reaction of nitrogen monoxide with a macrocyclic superoxorhodium(III) complex produces an observable nitratorhodium intermediate

The rapid (k ≥ 106 M-1 s-1) reaction between NO and L2(H2O)RhOO2+ (L2 = meso-Me6-[14]ane-N4) generates two strongly oxidizing, scavengeable intermediates, believed to be NO2 and L2(H2O)RhO2+. A mechanism is proposed whereby a peroxynitrito complex L2(H2O)RhOONO2+ is formed first. The homolysis of O−O bond produces NO2 and L2(H2O)RhO2+ which were trapped with ABTS2- and Ni([14]aneN4)2+. In the absence of scavengers, the decomposition of L2(H2O)RhOONO2+ produces both free NO3- and a rhodium nitrato complex L2(H2O)RhONO22+, which releases NO3- in an inverse acid-dependent process. The total yield of L2(H2O)RhONO22+ is 70%. In a minor, parallel path, NO and L2(H2O)RhOO2+ react to give nitrite and the hydroperoxo complex L2(H2O)RhOOH2+.
Technique of anterolateral thoracolumbar plating

During the last three decades, instrumentation of the thoracolumbar spine from the anterior perspective has evolved markedly. Plate systems have emerged as the preferred internal fixator of these segments. Anterolateral screw plate fixation provides the surgeon with a practical and reliable system for stabilizing the spine. The technique of plate fixation of the thoracolumbar spine from the anterolateral perspective is presented.
The role of love in satisfied customers' relationships with retailers

This study proposes and tests a model that includes customer love as a measure of satisfied customers' emotional responses to retailers specifically in apparel and grocery store contexts. Customer love was found to partially mediate the effect of service quality on positive word-of-mouth and willingness to pay more. In contrast, customer love was proven to fully mediate the effect of service quality on self-disclosure and competitive insulation. As a control variable, emotional intensity had a positive effect on customer love. The implications of the customer love construct are discussed, as well as limitations and areas for future research.
181 DISTRIBUTION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF NO-SALT CULTURES IN THE PRE-COLUMBIAN ERA

Previously, we identified the Yanomama Indians of northern Venezuela and southern Brazil to be a people existing without mineral salt (sodium chloride) or substances of high salinity, a circumstance probably extending over a period of at least several thousand years, and most likely even longer (Circulation 52:146-151, 1975). Other reports have identified additional groups to be characterized as no-salt cultures. This paper presents the results of a review of reports in the world's literature describing observations made of unacculturated groups at the time of initial or early contact. These reports, made by a diverse group of observers including biomedical scientists, epidemiologists, anthropologists, early explorers and travelers, missionaries, and others, identify a signficant number of previously unrecognized no-salt cultures existing in the pre-Columbian era. Perusal of the collected data permits a cautious interpretation that a major portion of the peoples inhabiting North and South America, the continent of Australia, the islands of Oceania, including New Zealand, and other geographic sites can be accurately described as existing and thriving in no-salt cultures. A parallel finding in those groups in which blood pressures have been measured is the consistent absence of hypertension throughout the span of adult life although the associated physiological adjustments include marked increases of renin and aldosterone. From the perspective of the three or more million years postulated for the evolution of man, use of salt is a very recent event and unnecessary for health as a consequence of the adequate homeostatic responses for sodium conservation despite widely varying dietary customs.
Loss of FliL Alters Proteus mirabilis Surface Sensing and Temperature-Dependent Swarming

Proteus mirabilis is a dimorphic motile bacterium well known for its flagellum-dependent swarming motility over surfaces. In liquid, P. mirabilis cells are 1.5- to 2.0-μm swimmer cells with 4 to 6 flagella. When P. mirabilis encounters a solid surface, where flagellar rotation is limited, swimmer cells differentiate into elongated (10- to 80-μm), highly flagellated swarmer cells. In order for P. mirabilis to swarm, it first needs to detect a surface. The ubiquitous but functionally enigmatic flagellar basal body protein FliL is involved in P. mirabilis surface sensing. Previous studies have suggested that FliL is essential for swarming through its involvement in viscosity-dependent monitoring of flagellar rotation. In this study, we constructed and characterized ΔfliL mutants of P. mirabilis and Escherichia coli. Unexpectedly and unlike other fliL mutants, both P. mirabilis and E. coli ΔfliL cells swarm (Swr+). Further analysis revealed that P. mirabilis ΔfliL cells also exhibit an alteration in their ability to sense a surface: e.g., ΔfliL P. mirabilis cells swarm precociously over surfaces with low viscosity that normally impede wild-type swarming. Precocious swarming is due to an increase in the number of elongated swarmer cells in the population. Loss of fliL also results in an inhibition of swarming at <30°C. E. coli ΔfliL cells also exhibit temperature-sensitive swarming. These results suggest an involvement of FliL in the energetics and function of the flagellar motor.
Chest radiograph heterogeneity predicts functional improvement with volume reduction surgery

Abstract Background . Using a historical cohort study model, we tested the hypothesis that heterogeneity of emphysematous changes on the preoperative chest radiograph correlated with favorable outcome of lung volume reduction surgery. Methods . The test population consisted of 21 patients with severe emphysema who were being treated at a 1,000-bed university-affiliated tertiary teaching hospital. A simple but quantitative index of heterogeneity has been devised, whereby the preoperative posteroanterior chest radiographic lung fields are divided into four geometric quadrants. Each quadrant is scored (0 to 4) for emphysematous changes by two radiologists blinded as to subsequent patient management and outcome. Criteria for determining presence of emphysema were hyperlucency, decreased vascular markings, and parenchymal crowding indicating compressed lung. Heterogeneity index is the sum of the two highest scores minus the two lowest, with a maximum index of 8 and a minimum of 0. Preoperative chest radiographs and postoperative changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 second were examined. Results . The heterogeneity index was positively correlated with change in forced expiratory volume in 1 second after operation with an r 2 of 0.31 and an average increase of 117 mL per unit increase in heterogeneity index ( p Conclusions . This simple index of heterogeneity may be useful as a predictor of improved pulmonary function after lung volume reduction surgery.
Average Characteristics of Triggered and Nontriggered Substorms

Magnetic field data from ground stations, geosynchronous orbit, and magnetotail are examined to study the response to substorm activity with and without apparent interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) perturbations. Global substorms are identified using a sudden, persistent decrease in the AL index. The onset of this global expansion is taken to be the time of the Pi2 burst nearest to the beginning of the AL decrease. IMF triggers were identified subjectively through visual scanning of the data. Both northward turnings of the IMF B, and decreases in the amplitude of the By component were considered as possible triggers. Two different solar wind monitors were used in the investigation: IMP 8 in a circular orbit with a distance between approx.12 and approx.35 R(sub E) from the Earth-Sun line and ISEE 2 in an elliptical orbit with a distance of only approx.5- 10 R(sub E) from the Earth-Sun line. The results of superposed epoch analysis show that the temporal response from ground stations, geosynchronous orbit, and magnetotail are nearly identical for triggered (with apparent IMF perturbation) and nontriggered (without apparent IMF perturbation) substorms. It is therefore concluded that the nontriggered substorms are not a different form of activity than triggered substorms. However, we demonstrate that the magnitude of the response is different for the two types of substo&. By every measure considered, triggered substorm are systematically larger than nontriggered substorms. We interpret the fact that nearly 40% of all substorms cannot be associated with an IMF trigger as evidence that substorms are caused by an internal instability. However, the fact that so many appear to be triggered suggests that this internal instability is susceptible to external perturbations by the IMF. The fact that triggered substorms are larger than nontriggered substorms is counterintuitive, and we have no explanation for the observation.