cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fluorescence Imaging of Actin Turnover Parses Early Stem Cell Lineage Divergence and Senescence.

This study describes a new approach to discern early divergence in stem cell lineage progression via temporal dynamics of the cytoskeletal protein, F-actin. The approach involves real-time labeling of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and longitudinal tracking of the turnover dynamics of a fluorogenic F-actin specific probe, SiR-actin (SA). Cells cultured in media with distinct lineage factors and labeled with SA showed lineage specific reduction in the actin turnover shortly after adipogenic (few minutes) and chondrogenic (3–4 hours) commitment in contrast to osteogenic and basal cultured conditions. Next, composite staining of SA along with the competing F-actin specific fluorescent conjugate, phalloidin, and high-content image analysis of the complementary labels showed clear phenotypic parsing of the sub-populations as early as 1-hour post-induction across all three lineages. Lastly, the potential of SA-based actin turnover analysis to distinguish cellular aging was explored. In-vitro aged cells were found to have reduced actin turnover within 1-hour of simultaneous analysis in comparison to cells of earlier passage. In summary, SiR-actin fluorescent reporter imaging offers a new platform to sensitively monitor emergent lineage phenotypes during differentiation and aging and resolve some of the earliest evident differences in actin turnover dynamics.
PREFACE: Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Trichoptera

The 15th International Symposium on Trichoptera found the world caddisfly community once again in the United States of America, 4-8 June 2015. This second US-based symposium was hosted at Rutgers University, New Brunswick in the Garden State of New Jersey. The 8th International Symposium, the last meeting in the United States, occurred 20 years before at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and at Lake Itasca, headwaters of the Mississippi River.
A two-fluid model for black-hole accretion flows: Particle acceleration, outflows, and TeV emission

The multi-wavelength spectrum observed from M87 extends from radio wavelengths up to TeV gamma-ray energies. The radio through GeV components have been interpreted successfully using SSC models based on misaligned blazar jets, but the origin of the intense TeV emission detected during flares in 2004, 2005, and 2010 remains puzzling. It has been previously suggested that the TeV flares are produced when a relativistic proton jet originating in the core of M87 collides with a molecular cloud (or stellar atmosphere) located less than one parsec from the central black hole. We explore this scenario in detail here using a self-consistent model for the acceleration of relativistic protons in a shocked, two-fluid ADAF accretion disc. The relativistic protons accelerated in the disc escape to power the observed jet outflows. The distribution function for the jet protons is used to compute the TeV emission produced when the jet collides with a cloud or stellar atmosphere. The simulated broadband radiation spectrum includes radio, X-ray, and GeV components generated via synchrotron, as well as TeV emission generated via the production and decay of muons, positrons, and electrons. The self-consistency of the model is verified by computing the relativistic particle pressure using the distribution function, and comparing it with the relativistic particle pressure obtained from the hydrodynamical model. We demonstrate that the model is able to reproduce the multi-wavelength spectrum from M87 observed by VERITAS and HESS during the high-energy flares in 2004, 2005, and 2010.
Prenatal and childhood predictors of hair cortisol concentration in mid-childhood and early adolescence.

Background Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is an increasingly used measure of systemic cortisol concentration. However, determinants of HCC in children and adolescents are unclear because few prospective studies have been conducted to date. Study design We followed 725 children in Project Viva, a pre-birth cohort study of mothers and children, who provided hair samples at mid-childhood (median age: 7.7 years) or early adolescence (median age: 12.9 years). We examined associations of various factors measured from pregnancy to mid-childhood with HCC in mid-childhood and early adolescence, as well as change in HCC between these time points (ΔHCC). Results There were 426 children with HCC measurements in both mid-childhood and early adolescence, 173 children with measures only in mid-childhood, and 126 with measures only in early adolescence. HCC was lower in mid-childhood (median 1.0pg/mg [interquartile range, IQR: 0.5, 2.4]) than early adolescence (2.2pg/mg [1.1, 4.4]). In multivariable-adjusted regression models, female sex (β = -0.41, 95% CI: -0.67, -0.15) and birth weight-for-gestational age z-score (β = -0.19, 95% CI: -0.33, -0.04) were associated with lower mid-childhood HCC, while prenatal smoking was associated with higher mid-childhood HCC (β = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.04, 1.01). In early adolescence, child age (β = 0.34 per year, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.46) female sex (β = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.57), and maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (β = 0.15 per 5-kg/m2, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.29) were positively associated with HCC. Child anthropometric measures and biomarker concentrations were not associated with HCC. Conclusion Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal prenatal smoking, and low birth weight were associated with higher mid-childhood and adolescent HCC. However, few postnatal characteristics were associated with HCC.
SIGMOD 2020 Tutorial on Fairness and Bias in Peer Review and Other Sociotechnical Intelligent Systems

Questions of fairness and bias abound in all socially-consequential decisions pertaining to collection and management of data. Whether designing protocols for peer review of research papers, setting hiring policies, or framing research question in genetics, any data-management decision with the potential to allocate benefits or confer harms raises concerns about who gains or loses that may fail to surface in naively-chosen performance measures. Data science interacts with these questions in two fundamentally different ways: (i) as the technology driving the very systems responsible for certain social impacts, posing new questions about what it means for such systems to accord with ethical norms and the law; and (ii) as a set of powerful tools for analyzing existing data management systems, e.g., for auditing existing systems for various biases. This tutorial will tackle both angles on the interaction between technology and society vis-a-vis concerns over fairness and bias, particularly focusing on the collection and management of data. Our presentation will cover a wide range of disciplinary perspectives with the first part focusing on the social impacts of technology and the formulations of fairness and bias defined via protected characteristics and the second part taking a deep into peer review and distributed human evaluations, to explore other forms of bias, such as that due to subjectivity, miscalibration, and dishonest behavior.
The induction of apoptosis by a KSP inhibitor is independent of p53

2065 KSP is a microtubule motor protein which plays an essential role in the formation of bipolar spindles during mitosis. The inhibition of KSP causes mitotic arrest by activating the spindle assembly checkpoint, and prolonged mitotic arrest induces apoptosis which is coupled with mitotic slippage. Since mitotic slippage results in tetraploid pseudo G1 cells with abnormal DNA structures which may activate p53, we have investigated the role of p53 in the induction of cell death by a potent and specific inhibitor of KSP (KSP-IA). By evaluating the extent of apoptosis in a number of cancer cell lines with different p53 status, we have found that the sensitivity to KSP-IA-induced apoptosis is not determined by the p53 status and that several p53-inactive cell lines, such as HeLa and MDA-MB-468, exhibited similar extent of apoptosis as KSP-IA-sensitive cells that contain wild-type p53. To exclude the potential influence of genetic heterogeneity between distinct cell lines, we compared KSP-IA-mediated cell death in two pairs of isogenic cancer cell lines that were stably transfected with either an empty vector or a vector encoding a p53-shRNA to knock down the endogenous wild-type p53. While doxorubicin activated p53 in p53-intact cells, but not in p53 knockdown cells, KSP-IA caused similar or even higher levels of apoptosis in p53 knockdown cells than in their p53-intact counterparts, indicating that KSP-IA could induce apoptosis in a p53-independent manner. This is consistent with our previous observations that cells with a weakened spindle checkpoint and wild-type p53 that could slip out of mitosis more readily, incurred less apoptosis than their spindle checkpoint-proficient counterparts in response to KSP-IA. Together, the data suggest that following the inhibition of KSP, mitotic slippage by breaching an activated spindle checkpoint triggers apoptosis independently of p53.
Pelvic Support Hip Reconstruction with Internal Devices: An Alternative to Ilizarov Hip Reconstruction.

Abstract Aim and objective Ilizarov hip reconstruction (IHR) is a traditional method of salvaging chronic adolescent problem hips but faces practical issues from external fixators leading to reduced compliance. We present the same reconstruction procedure using only internal devices with a modification in the technique and review early results. Materials and methods We retrospectively evaluated eight patients between 2014 and 2017 with chronic painful hips treated by two-stage reconstruction; stage I included femoral head resection and pelvic support osteotomy using double plating, whereas stage II comprised distal femoral osteotomy avoiding varus followed by the insertion of a retrograde magnetic nail for postoperative lengthening. Patients continued physiotherapy postoperatively while protecting from early weight-bearing. Results At a mean follow-up of 19 months (range, 6–36), all osteotomies healed with a bone healing index of 47 days/cm (range, 30–72). Pain improved from 8.3 (range, 7–9) to 2 (range, 0–6) while the limb length discrepancy got corrected from 4.3 cm (range, 3–5) to 1.4 cm (range, 0–2.5) at the final follow-up. Trendelenburg sign was eliminated in three patients and delayed in five patients. No examples of infection or permanent knee stiffness were noted. One patient had plate breakage due to mechanical fall, and another patient had 35 mm of lateral mechanical axis deviation (MAD) requiring corrective osteotomy. Conclusion Pelvic support hip reconstruction with exclusive internal devices is a technique in evolution with encouraging early results. It avoids common complications of external fixators and facilitates quick rehabilitation of joints. Refraining from distal varus can effectively eliminate Trendelenburg gait, although with some degree of lateral MAD. Unlike external fixation where there is a possibility of gradual correction, this staged procedure of internal fixation is technically demanding with a learning curve. Clinical significance Pelvic support hip reconstruction performed by internal implants is a viable alternative to Ilizarov hip reconstruction with potential benefits. How to cite this article Metikala S, Kurian BT, Madan SS, et al. Pelvic Support Hip Reconstruction with Internal Devices: An Alternative to Ilizarov Hip Reconstruction. Strategies Trauma Limb Reconstr 2020;15(1):34–40.
Understanding an Invisible Minority: A Literature Review of LGBTQ+ Persons in Music Education:

The topics of inclusivity and diversity in music education have drawn increased attention to how different minority groups experience music education. Unlike concerns surrounding most gender and ra...
Parameterized and exact algorithms for finding a read-once resolution refutation in 2CNF formulas

In this paper, we discuss algorithms for the problem of finding read-once resolution refutations of unsatisfiable 2CNF formulas within the resolution refutation system. Broadly, a read-once resolution refutation is one in which each constraint (input or derived) is used at most once. Read-once resolution refutations have been widely studied in the literature for a number of constraint system-refutation system pairs. For instance, read-once resolution has been analyzed for boolean formulas in conjunctive normal form (CNF) and read-once cutting planes have been analyzed for polyhedral systems. By definition, read-once refutations are compact, and hence valuable in applications that place a premium on visualization. The satisfiability problem (SAT) is concerned with finding a satisfying assignment for a boolean formula in CNF. While SAT is NP-complete in general, there exist some interesting subclasses of CNF formulas, for which it is decidable in polynomial time. One such subclass is the class of 2CNF formulas, i.e., CNF formulas in which each clause has at most two literals. The existence of efficient algorithms for satisfiability checking in 2CNF formulas (2SAT), makes this class useful from the perspective of modeling selected logic programs. The work in this paper is concerned with the read-once refutability problem (under resolution) in this subclass. Although 2SAT is decidable in polynomial time, the problem of finding a read-once resolution refutation of an unsatisfiable 2CNF formula is NP-complete. We design non-trivial, parameterized and exact exponential algorithms for this problem. Additionally, we study the computational complexity of finding a shortest read-once resolution refutation of a 2CNF formula.
Missing elements in US financial reform: A Kübler-Ross interpretation of the inadequacy of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Abstract The success of any treatment plan depends on how completely the problems it targets have been diagnosed. The precrisis bubble in securitization can be traced to incentive conflict that allows national safety nets to subsidize leveraged risk-taking. Safety-net subsidies encouraged regulation-induced innovations that enabled firms to take hard-to-monitor risks and to make themselves politically, administratively, and economically difficult for government officials to fail and unwind. This paper summarizes the incentive conflicts that led creditors and internal and external supervisors to short-cut and outsource due diligence. The Dodd-Frank strategy of reform does not adequately acknowledge or address these conflicts. The key step needed is to develop an effective statistical metric for measuring the ex ante value of safety-net support in the aggregate and at individual institutions. To accomplish this, government and industry need to rethink the informational obligations that insured financial institutions and their regulators owe to taxpayers as de facto investors and to change the way that information on industry balance sheets and risk exposures is reported, verified, and used. Without reforms in the practical duties imposed on industry and governmental officials and in the way these duties are enforced, financial safety nets will continue to expand and their expansion will undermine financial stability by generating large rewards for creative and aggressive risk-takers that are smart enough to cash in their share of safety-net benefits before they evaporate.
Current Management and Treatment Modalities for Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumors

Intramedullary spinal cord tumors are rare central nervous system tumors with unique challenges due to the eloquence of the surrounding tissue. Their treatment and prognosis is largely dependent on tumor histology and patient functionality. The introduction and advancement of microsurgical techniques have made surgery the mainstay of treatment for intramedullary tumors. Tumors that are well demarcated (e.g., ependymomas, hemangioblastomas) can be resected for cure, while more infiltrative tumors (e.g., high-grade astrocytomas) are typically managed with biopsies or limited resections in order to minimize the significant risk of damage to the spinal cord. The use of more aggressive surgical resection for astrocytoma is controversial but may have an increasing role in select cases. The use of intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring and intraoperative ultrasound may help guide the extent of surgery while minimizing damage to normal tissue. Advances in MRI technology have greatly aided the diagnosis and preoperative planning of intramedullary tumors. Further advances in intraoperative MRI may make this a useful tool in guiding extent of resection. Preoperative functional status is the most important predictor of neurologic outcome, while histology and extent of resection are the most important predictors of progression-free survival. The use of adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy is dependent on patient age and histology but is largely reserved for high-grade tumor histologies or systemic involvement. Children are particularly at risk of radiation-induced injury, and these cases may benefit from more focused stereotactic radiation where necessary. Further studies are needed to support new surgical strategies minimizing destabilization and to investigate new forms of adjuvant therapy to minimize toxicity.
Deception and arousal: Isolating the behavioral correlates of deception.

This study tested a physiologically based arousal theory of deceptive communication. The sympathetic activation (skin resistance) of three groups of communicators was monitored. Two of the groups, deceivers and unaroused truth tellers, paralleled the types of communicators used in earlier deception studies; and a third group, aroused truth tellers, was exposed to a noise stimulus to raise their sympathetic activation to a level comparable to deceivers. Comparison of the behavioral differences between comparably aroused deceivers and truth tellers made it possible to identify the cues unique to deception-induced arousal. Results confirmed that deceivers experienced significantly greater sympathetic activation than unaroused truth tellers. Six verbal and nonverbal behaviors reliably distinguished deceivers from unaroused truth tellers, and, most important, these same six behaviors reliably distinguished deceivers from aroused truth tellers.
Cancer predisposition caused by elevated mitotic recombination in Bloom mice

Bloom syndrome is a disorder associated with genomic instability that causes affected people to be prone to cancer. Bloom cell lines show increased sister chromatid exchange, yet are proficient in the repair of various DNA lesions. The underlying cause of this disease are mutations in a gene encoding a RECQ DNA helicase. Using embryonic stem cell technology, we have generated viable Bloom mice that are prone to a wide variety of cancers. Cell lines from these mice show elevations in the rates of mitotic recombination. We demonstrate that the increased rate of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) resulting from mitotic recombination in vivo constitutes the underlying mechanism causing tumour susceptibility in these mice.
Methods for pronunciation assessment in computer aided language learning

Learning a foreign language is a challenging endeavor that entails acquiring a wide range of new knowledge including words, grammar, gestures, sounds, etc. Mastering these skills all require extensive practice by the learner and opportunities may not always be available. Computer Aided Language Learning (CALL) systems provide non-threatening environments where foreign language skills can be practiced where ever and whenever a student desires. These systems often have several technologies to identify the different types of errors made by a student. This thesis focuses on the problem of identifying mispronunciations made by a foreign language student using a CALL system. We make several assumptions about the nature of the learning activity: it takes place using a dialogue system, it is a task- or game-oriented activity, the student should not be interrupted by the pronunciation feedback system, and that the goal of the feedback system is to identify severe mispronunciations with high reliability. Detecting mispronunciations requires a corpus of speech with human judgements of pronunciation quality. Typical approaches to collecting such a corpus use an expert phonetician to both phonetically transcribe and assign judgements of quality to each phone in a corpus. This is time consuming and expensive. It also places an extra burden on the transcriber. We describe a novel method for obtaining phone level judgements of pronunciation quality by utilizing non-expert, crowd-sourced, word level judgements of pronunciation. Foreign language learners typically exhibit high variation and pronunciation shapes distinct from native speakers that make analysis for mispronunciation difficult. We detail a simple, but effective method for transforming the vowel space of non-native speakers to make mispronunciation detection more robust and accurate. We show that this transformation not only enhances performance on a simple classification task, but also results in distributions that can be better exploited for mispronunciation detection. This transformation of the vowel is exploited to train a mispronunciation detector using a variety of features derived from acoustic model scores and vowel class distributions. We confirm that the transformation technique results in a more robust and accurate identification of mispronunciations than traditional acoustic models. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Central Bank Participation In Currency Option Markets

This paper analyzes whether and how central banks can use currency options to lower exchange rate volatility and maintain (implicit) target zones in foreign exchange markets. It argues that selling rather than buying options will result in market makers dynamically hedging their long option exposure in a stabilizing manner, consistent with the first objective. Selling a "strangle" allows a central bank to increase the credibility of its commitment to a target zone, and could have a lower expected cost than spot market interventions. However, this strategy also exposes the central bank to an unlimited loss potential.
When the Show Must Go on: Disenfranchised Grief in Organizations

Examines the relationship between “grief work” and “work life”. When, after a major personal loss, we re‐enter the world of work, we become involved in the complex process of trying to combine two types of role: our role as grievers, and our work role. The two are often found to be incompatible, and grief becomes disenfranchised, with important consequences for the organization and for the individual as a spiritual, physical and social being. Starts by discussing the conditions necessary for the normal resolution of grief, and what happens when the process of grief cannot be freely experienced, thus stunting the resolution process. Proposes a theoretical model which uses the analytical tools of role theory to understand the interplay of grief work and work life in organizations. Finally, discusses the implications of this study for theory and practice.
Implementation of novel sampling and reconstruction circuits in digital radios

Several problems related to implementation of novel sampling and reconstruction circuits performing internal antialiasing filtering in digital radios are considered. Since the circuits are multichannel, the methods of their channel mismatch reduction are suggested and analyzed. Measures that lower the complexity and the number of multiplications in these circuits are proposed. An example of implementation of such circuits in a digital half-duplex transceiver is described.
On the existence of eigenvalues of Toeplitz operators on planar regions

A study is made of the eigenvalues of self-adjoint Toeplitz operators on multiply connected planar regions having g holes. The presence of eigenvalues is detected through an analysis of the zeros of translations of theta functions restricted to R g in C g .
The role of conserved waters in conformational transitions of Q61H K-ras.

To investigate the stability and functional role of long-residence water molecules in the Q61H variant of the signaling protein K-ras, we analyzed all available Ras crystal structures and conformers derived from a series of independent explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations totaling 1.76 µs. We show that the protein samples a different region of phase space in the presence and absence of several crystallographically conserved and buried water molecules. The dynamics of these waters is coupled with the local as well as the global motions of the protein, in contrast to less buried waters whose exchange with bulk is only loosely coupled with the motion of loops in their vicinity. Aided by two novel reaction coordinates involving the distance (d) between the Cα atoms of G60 at switch 2 and G10 at the P-loop and the N-Cα-C-O dihedral (ξ) of G60, we further show that three water molecules located in lobe1, at the interface between the lobes and at lobe2, are involved in the relative motion of residues at the two lobes of Q61H K-ras. Moreover, a d/ξ plot classifies the available Ras x-ray structures and MD-derived K-ras conformers into active GTP-, intermediate GTP-, inactive GDP-bound, and nucleotide-free conformational states. The population of these states and the transition between them is modulated by water-mediated correlated motions involving the functionally critical switch 2, P-loop and helix 3. These results suggest that water molecules act as allosteric ligands to induce a population shift among distinct switch 2 conformations that differ in effector recognition.
Information, special interests, and single-issue voting

The purpose of this paper has been to explore some of the implications of single-issue voting. In general terms, single-issue voting has been shown to be a stabilizing influence on majoritarian decision making. In each case examined, stable equilibria exist under single-issue voting. On the other hand, the normative properties of electoral outcomes are less clear cut. Under pure zealotry, electoral equilibria are uniformly Pareto efficient. However, electoral outcomes are not necessarily Pareto optimal in the case of strategic voting by special interest groups. The results suggest that single-issue voting can, by itself, cause electoral outcomes to depart from the center of the distribution of voter ideal points. Special interest groups might, thus, be served in the ordinary course of electoral politics even if they had no recourse to campaign contributions or rent-seeking activities which induce principal-agent problems. Voters who cast their votes as if they were single-issue voters can affect policy at both the largely ignored margins and in the mainstream of policy formation. Voting is enough.
Experimental confirmation of the reditron concept

A description is given of experiments demonstrating a method for producing high-power microwave emission. The unstable oscillations of a virtual cathode, which forms when a magnetized relativistic electron beam is injected into a circular waveguide, generates the microwave radiation. In contrast to other virtual-cathode microwave-generation techniques, electrons in the waveguide are prevented from reflexing back into the diode region by use of a slotted range-thick anode. Electrons injected into the waveguide are guided through the slot by an applied magnetic field, while reflected electrons, under the proper conditions, are intercepted by the anode. Several advantages of this approach are described, and experimental confirmation of this mode of high-power microwave generation is demonstrated. Data showing frequency scaling with beam parameters and magnetic field are also presented. Using this technique, 1.4 GW was produced at 3.9 GHz with several hundred megawatts radiated in harmonic radiation. >
Collective behavior of predictive agents

Abstract We investigate the effect of predictions upon a model of coevolutionary systems which was originally inspired by computational ecosystems. The model incorporates many of the features of distributed resource allocation in systems comprised of many individual agents, including asynchrony, resource contention, and decision-making based upon incomplete knowledge and delayed information. Previous analyses of a similar model of non-predictive agents have demonstrated that periodic or chaotic oscillations in resource allocation can occur under certain conditions, and that these oscillations can affect the performance of the system adversely. In this work, we show that the system performance can be improved if the agents do an adequate job of predicting the current state of the system. We explore two plausible methods for prediction - technical analysis and system analysis. Technical analysts are responsive to the behavior of the system, but suffer from an inability to take their own behavior into account. System analysts perform extremely well when they have very accurate information about the other agents in the system, but can perform very poorly when their information is even slightly inaccurate. By combining the strengths of both methods, we obtain a successful hybrid of the two prediction methods which adapts its model of other agents in response to the observed behavior of the system.
Stratigraphical architecture at the muddy margin of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, southern Utah

The Tropic Shale and correlative Tununk Shale Member of the Mancos Shale accumulated during Cenomanian-Turonian time, within prodeltaic environments near the western margin of the Western Interior Seaway of North America. Stratigraphical and sedimentological analysis has revealed a detailed history of relative sea level change in the thick, fine grained succession. The Tropic and Tununk shales were deposited during the Greenhorn second-order sea level cycle, over a time span of about 2–5 million years. In southern Utah, six depositional sequences are superposed upon the record of this long term sea level change. The sequences developed during third-order relative sea level cycles of hundreds of thousands of years duration and are composed of at least 37 parasequences, arranged in retrogradational, aggradational and progradational parasequence sets. The Tropic Shale and Tununk Shale Member accumulated just basinward of the axis of maximum subsidence of a foreland basin. Stratal geometries and facies distribution patterns in the succession indicate that in southern Utah the Greenhorn cycle was tectonically controlled. During the Greenhorn transgression and highstand, rapid rates of tectonic subsidence trapped terrigenous sediment to the west of the study area, in the more proximal foreland. At this time, hemipelagic facies accumulated at relatively slow rates in southern Utah and type 2 sequences developed during third-order sea level cycles. In contrast, during the Greenhorn regression rates of thrust-induced subsidence in the proximal foreland basin evidently slowed, and deltaic clinoforms prograded across the study area. At least one forced regression occurred in southern Utah at this time, and type 1 sequences developed. The formation of type 1 sequence boundaries in the upper part of the Tropic Shale and Tununk Shale Member points to episodes of base level fall and indicates that the six third-order sea level cycles recorded in the succession were not the result of changes in sediment supply alone. The third-order cycles may have been a consequence of episodic tectonism. The timing of these cycles, however, suggests that development of sequences and parasequences in the Tropic Shale and Tununk Shale Member may have been related to orbital forcing in the Milankovitch band. Glacioeustasy or climatically related fluctuations in the amount of groundwater stored on continents may explain these high frequency sea level changes.
Monocytosis in malignancy.

Excerpt To the editor: I read with interest Col. O'Neill Barrett, Jr.'s letter describing the association of monocytosis with solid tumor maligancy (Ann Intern Med73:991-992, 1970). Mr. Roger Conne...
Comment on "Generic Approach to Determine Optimum Aeroelastic Characteristics for Composite Forward-Swept-Wing Aircraft"

Brief discussions of previous investigations in the aerospace sciences and technical comments on papers published in the AIAA Journal are presented in this special department. Entries must be restricted to a maximum of 1000 words, or the equivalent of one Journal page including formulas and figures. A discussion will be published as quickly as possible after receipt of the manuscript. Neither the AIAA nor its editors are responsible for the opinions expressed by the correspondents. Authors will be invited to reply promptly.
Cooperative On-Chip Temperature EstimationUsing Multiple Virtual Sensors

A variety of dynamic thermal management (DTM) schemes have been proposed to address the adverse effects of high temperatures on a chip. These DTM schemes rely on on-chip thermal sensors to get accurate temperature information over a die, and typically assume on-chip thermal sensors give accurate temperature readings. However, on-chip thermal sensors with small footprint and low power consumption, such as popular ring-oscillator (RO) based sensors, have relatively low accuracy. We address the challenging question of how to acquire accurate temperature information of a chip during its runtime using small, low-power on-chip thermal sensors. We propose a novel approach of using multiple virtual thermal sensors to increase the accuracy of temperature readings; the virtual thermal sensors are generated from a small low-power physical thermal sensor by adaptively switching its calibration points on the run. Simulation results show that the RMS error of temperature readings can be reduced by up to 91.1% with the use of four virtual thermal sensors as compared with a single thermal sensor case.
A Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer with Three Independent Ion Sources for the Study of Gas-Phase Ion/Ion Reactions

An instrument for the study of gas-phase ion/ion reactions in which three independent sources of ions, namely, two electrospray ionization sources and one atmospheric sampling glow discharge ionization source, are interfaced to a quadrupole ion trap mass analyzer is described. This instrument expands the scope of gas-phase ion/ion reaction studies by allowing for manipulation of the charge states of multiply charged reactant and product ions. Examples are provided involving the formation of protein-protein complexes in the gas phase. Complexes with charge states that cannot be formed from reactant ion charge states present in the normal electrospray charge state distributions can be formed in the new apparatus. Strategies that rely on both reactant ion charge state manipulation and product ion charge state manipulation are demonstrated. In addition, simplification of product ion spectra generated from dissociation of complexes formed via ion/ion reactions can be effected by using the discharge source to reduce the charge state of the product ions to primarily 1+.
Effects of Methylxanthines on Adenosine 3',5'–Monophosphate and Corticosterone in the Rat Adrenal

The possibility that phosphodiesterase inhibitors might potentiate the adrenal stimulating action of ACTH was investigated using a new agent, l–methyl,3–isobutylxanthine. This agent was approximately ten times as potent as theophylline in inhibiting the enzymatic hydrolysis of cyclic AMP by phosphodiesterase activity found in the 1000 X g supernate of rat adrenal homogenates. At a concentration of 1 HIM, it increased cyclic AMP concentrations and corticosterone production by quartered rat adrenals in the absence of ACTH. Appropriate doses of 1–methyl, 3–isobutylxanthine were shown to potentiate the effects of ACTH with respect to adrenal cyclic AMP concentrations and corticosterone production, both in vitro and in vivo, in the rat. (Endocrinology 92: 525, 1973)
Characterization of human UDP-glucose dehydrogenase reveals critical catalytic roles for lysine 220 and aspartate 280.

p-Nitrophenyldiazonium chloride was found to modify the Tyr-75 and Tyr-189 residues in aspergillopepsin A. Incubation of the protein with a 45-fold molar excess of the reagent at pH 5,2 results in the attachment of 1,8 inhibitor residues, which leads to a 75% decrease of the enzyme activity towards haemoglobin. The pepsin inhibitor--pepstatin--protects one of the tyrosyl residues against modification. The chromatography on Sepharose-4B-Bacitracin showed that aspergillopepsin modified at pH 5.2, consists of molecules, which contain one and two incorporated inhibitor residues. The enzyme containing one inhibitor residue possesses 35% of activity of native protein. Apergillopepsin containing two inhibitor residues is practically inactive. It is concluded that at least one of the modified tyrosyl residues is closely related to the enzyme activity.
A new approach to the Efinger model for a nonlinear quantum theory for gravitating particles

A general solution is obtained for a model of a nonlinear quantum theory for gravitating particles proposed by H. Efinger. The solution procedure is easily generalized to space-time or stochastic formulations.
Focus Groups Nursing Staffs Experiences Using Restraints

A phenomenological approach was used to examine nursing staffs experiences using physical restraints. A total of 12 nurses from a tertiary hospital participated in one of three focus groups. Explor...
An unusual complex derived from MoCl3(THF)3 and AgBF4 in acetonitrile: Synthesis and structure of [MO2(μ-F)(NCCH3)8O2][BF4]3

Abstract Reaction of MoCl 3 (THF) 3 with 3 equiv of AgBF 4 in refluxing acetonitrile produces the unusual solvated Mo IV -oxo complex [Mo 2 (μ-F)(NCCH 3 ) 8 O 2 [BF 4 ] 3 ( 1 ) as a result of oxidation by silver(I), as well as abstraction of both a fluoride ion from [BF 4 ] − and an oxygen atom from THF or adventitious water. Compound 1 has been investigated by 1 H and 19 F NMR, IR and UV-vis spectroscopy, electrochemistry and X-ray crystallography. Single crystal X-ray data collected at − 92 ± 2°C revealed that 1 is monoclinic, space group P 2/ n with a = 11.776(4), b = 12.293(7), c = 12.497(7) A, β = 100.90(4)°, V = 1776(1) A 3 and Z = 2. Final refinement led to R = 0.038 and R w = 0.059. The structural core of the molecule consists of the unusual group [OMoFMoO] 3+ for which the angle MoFMo is 165.0°. The pyramidal MoN 4 units around each molybdenum(IV) centre are staggered with respect to one another, and as a result of the basal N plane being 0.27 A from the molybdenum centre, the acetonitriles are canted towards the centre of the molecule forming a “cupped” central region around the bridging fluorine atom. This fluoride-bridged structure is unique among molybdenum(IV) dimers, and is one of only several documented examples in molybdenum chemistry.
Examples of Aubry sets

We construct a quotient Aubry set isometric to the unit interval. We also construct several related examples of Aubry sets.
Commercial Agriculture in Historical Perspective

Our session title suggests that agriculture in the "Old South" can be treated as an entity.' To do so requires such great generalization that one soon realizes that much of what is said about modern agriculture in the South can be said about other agricultural regions of the United States. That is as it should be since forces from our political economy which induce adjustment in southern agriculture are also those which affect all agriculture. Unique features of the "Old South" include the purpose and organization of the initial settlements by Europeans and the influence of these features on subsequent developments. Initial settlements employed systems of indentured servants and slaves to produce products for export to Europe. These features have made the adjustment problems in the South somewhat different and probably more difficult than those elsewhere. We consider the "Old South" to include those areas in which the slavery system prevailed prior to the Civil War. It includes most of the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Parts of Maryland, northern Florida, eastern Texas, and central Missouri were in the Old South, but are excluded here for we are working with data at the state level. For convenience, we have also used regional data as reported for three of the USDA Farm Production Regions-Appalachian (West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee), Southeast (Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida), and Delta States (Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi). We begin with an historical sketch of the Old South to provide a background of how southern agriculture has been transformed from early settlements until the 1940s. We then look at post-World War II changes and conclude with some speculation about the future.
Transnational labor migration in Qatar: An empirical sociological analysis

Background & Objectives: This presentation reports on the findings of a Qatar National Research Fund-sponsored study that is the first of its kind in the Gulf. Through a survey, the study examines the demographics, cost, migration arrangements, and the living and working conditions of low-income migrant workers in Qatar. Although much has been written about the problems and challenges of migrant workers in the Gulf, these quantitative data are the first of their kind in the larger area of migration studies in the Gulf. Our presentation seeks to provide an overview of the findings, with more in-depth discussion of the findings that complement and challenge our ethnographically-derived findings to date. Methods: Utilizing a sampling frame derived from utility records, we constructed a random sample of 1,189 low-income transnational labor migrants in Qatar's worker accommodations and other migrant dwellings. The administered survey explores the problems and challenges labor migrants oftentimes encounter in the Gulf States, with topical sections exploring labor brokerage, wages, housing, health, migrant finances, and living and working conditions in general. Results: The findings suggest that while labor migrants in Qatar face a similar regime of structures, practices, and challenges, there is significant variation within the total population of low-income labor migrants, with nationality and ethnicity playing the most significant role in shaping the migrant experience. For example, basic salaries for low-income workers from the Philippines and Egypt were substantially higher than the lowest earning nationalities. Arab low-income migrants also work fewer days per week, live in slightly less crowded conditions, and, unlike their South Asian counterparts, report no problems with salary withholding. Conclusions: Although our findings generally confirm the conclusions others have produced via small-scale, anecdotal, or non-representative samples in regard to the general characteristics of the population and the challenges they face, we also present several surprising findings that challenge conventional knowledge about labor migration in Qatar and the GCC at large.
Submicrosecond phospholipid dynamics using a long-lived fluorescence emission anisotropy probe

The use of the long-lived fluorescence probe coronene (mean value of tau(FL) approximately 200 ns) is described for investigating submicrosecond lipid dynamics in DPPC model bilayer systems occurring below the lipid phase transition. Time-resolved fluorescence emission anisotropy decay profiles, measures as a function of increasing temperature toward the lipid-phase transition temperature (T(C)), for coronene-labeled DPPC small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs), are best described in most cases by three rotational decay components (phi(i = 3)). We have interpreted these data using two dynamic lipid bilayer models. In the first, a compartmental model, the long correlation time (phi(N)) is assigned to immobilized coronene molecules located in "gel-like" or highly ordered lipid phases (S-->1) of the bilayer, whereas a second fast rotational time (phi(F) approximately 2–5 ns) is associated with probes residing in more "fluid-like" regions (with corresponding lower ordering, S-->0). Interests here have focused on the origins of an intermediate correlation time (50–100 ns), the associated amplitude (beta(G)) of which increases with increasing temperature. Such behavior suggests a changing rotational environment surrounding the coronene molecules, arising from fluidization of gel lipid. The observed effective correlation time (phi(EFF)) thus reflects a discrete gel-fluid lipid exchange rate (k(FG)). A refinement of the compartmental model invokes a distribution of gel-fluid exchange rates (d(S,T)) corresponding to a distribution of lipid order parameters and is based on an adapted Landau expression for describing "gated" packing fluctuations. A total of seven parameters (five thermodynamic quantities, defined by the free energy versus temperature expansion; one gating parameter (gamma) defining a cooperative "melting" requirement; one limiting diffusion rate (or frequency factor: d(infinity))) suffice to predict complete anisotropy decay curves measured for coronene at several temperatures below the phospholipid T(C). The thermodynamic quantities are associated with the particular lipid of interest (in this case DPPC) and have been determined previously from ultrasound studies, thus representing fixed constants. Hence resolved variables are r(O), temperature-dependent gate parameters (gamma), and limiting diffusion rates (d(infinity)). This alternative distribution model is attractive because it provides a general probe-independent expression for distributed lipid fluctuation-induced probe rotational rates occurring within bilayer membranes below the phospholipid phase transition on the submicrosecond time scale.
Combined wheel torque and steering control based on model predictive controller using a simplified tyre model

This paper presents a vehicle chassis control system based on a model predictive control method that controls both front steer and wheel torques at each wheel and is developed to enhance vehicle yaw motion and the ability to track the desired trajectory. A computationally efficient simplified non-linear tyre model, which is easy to implement in the control algorithms, is used along with an 8 degree of freedom (DOF) vehicle model. The performance of this controller is compared to that based on the well known Magic Formula tyre model. The effectiveness and limitations of the proposed controller are discussed through simulation.
High-pressure phases in shock-induced melt veins of the Umbarger l6 chondrite: Constraints of shock pressure

We report a previously undocumented set of high-pressure minerals in shock-induced melt veins of the Umbarger L6 chondrite. High-pressure minerals were identified with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using selected area electron diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Ringwoodite (Fa30), akimotoite (En11Fs89), and augite (En42Wo33Fs25) were found in the silicate matrix of the melt vein, representing the crystallization from a silicate melt during the shock pulse. Ringwoodite (Fa27) and hollandite-structured plagioclase were also found as polycrystalline aggregates in the melt vein, representing solid state transformation or melting with subsequent crystallization of entrained host rock fragments in the vein. In addition, Fe2SiO4-spinel (Fa66-Fa99) and stishovite crystallized from a FeO-SiO2-rich zone in the melt vein, which formed by shock melting of FeO-SiO2-rich material that had been altered and metasomatized before shock. Based on the pressure stabilities of the high-pressure minerals, ringwoodite, akimotoite, and Ca-clinopyroxene, the melt vein crystallized at approximately 18 GPa. The Fe2SiO4-spinel + stishovite assemblage in the FeO-SiO2- rich melts is consistent with crystallization of the melt vein matrix at the pressure up to 18 GPa. The crystallization pressure of ~18 GPa is much lower than the 4590 GPa pressure one would conclude from the S6 shock effects in melt veins (Stffler et al. 1991) and somewhat less than the 25-30 GPa inferred from S5 shock effects (Schmitt 2000) found in the bulk rock.