cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Roles for Loop 2 Residues of α1 Glycine Receptors in Agonist Activation

The present study tested the hypothesis that several residues in Loop 2 of α1 glycine receptors (GlyRs) play important roles in mediating the transduction of agonist activation to channel gating. This was accomplished by investigating the effect of cysteine point mutations at positions 50–60 on glycine responses in α1GlyRs using two-electrode voltage clamp of Xenopus oocytes. Cysteine substitutions produced position-specific changes in glycine sensitivity that were consistent with a β-turn structure of Loop 2, with odd-numbered residues in the β-turn interacting with other agonist-activation elements at the interface between extracellular and transmembrane domains. We also tested the hypothesis that the charge at position 53 is important for agonist activation by measuring the glycine response of wild type (WT) and E53C GlyRs exposed to methanethiosulfonate reagents. As earlier, E53C GlyRs have a significantly higher EC50 than WT GlyRs. Exposing E53C GlyRs to the negatively charged 2-sulfonatoethyl methanethiosulfonate, but not neutral 2-hydroxyethyl methanethiosulfonate, positively charged 2-aminoethyl methanethiosulfonate, or 2-trimethylammonioethyl methanethiosulfonate, decreased the glycine EC50 to resemble WT GlyR responses. Exposure to these reagents did not significantly alter the glycine EC50 for WT GlyRs. The latter findings suggest that the negative charge at position 53 is important for activation of GlyRs through its interaction with positive charge(s) in other neighboring agonist activation elements. Collectively, the findings provide the basis for a refined molecular model of α1GlyRs based on the recent x-ray structure of a prokaryotic pentameric ligand-gated ion channel and offer insight into the structure-function relationships in GlyRs and possibly other ligand-gated ion channels.
MORAL DISCOURSE AND DESCRIPTIVE PROPERTIES

I discuss a strategy for grounding ethical naturalism propounded by Frank Jackson and more recently by Allan Gibbard: that the undisputed supervenience of the moral upon the natural (or descriptive) entails that moral properties are natural (or descriptive) properties. I show that this strategy falls foul of certain indubitable constraints governing natural kinds; and I then rebut some objections. The upshot is that no viable strategy for supporting ethical naturalism is to be found along these lines. This result has additional consequences, both for Jackson's attempt to accommodate ethical discourse into the natural world, and for Gibbard's purported ‘meta-ethical synthesis’.
Interaction of water with the clean and oxygen pre-covered Ir(111) surface☆

Abstract Adsorption and reaction of water on the clean and oxygen modified Ir(1 1 1) single crystal surfaces have been studied using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and molecular beam reactive scattering (MBRS) techniques under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. Water dissociates on the clean Ir(1 1 1) surface with a probability (estimated based on production of hydrogen) which decreases from ∼0.016 to 0.004 ± 0.0015 with increasing water coverages from 0.34 to 2.59 monolayer. Scattering experiments performed at various surface temperatures in the limit of zero coverage yield water dissociation probabilities in the range of ∼0.0005–0.012 (300–900 K) with an uncertainty expressed as ±20% of the dissociation probability. The apparent activation energy for water dissociation on clean Ir(1 1 1) is estimated to be ∼170 ± 5 kJ/mol employing MBRS techniques, which probably cannot be applied to TPD measurements with higher water coverages. We speculate that water dissociation occurs on the defects of the Ir(1 1 1) surface. Using isotopically labeled reactants, a strong interaction between adsorbed water and oxygen was found on Ir(1 1 1), indicated by a new water desorption feature at 235 K and scrambled oxygen and water desorption products.
Monitoring and reporting hospital-acquired conditions: a federalist approach.

Background Serious adverse events that occur in hospitals rank as a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Many states operate reporting systems to monitor and publicly report serious adverse events, a subset that falls under Medicare’s Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs).
Delayed ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. Complications and functional results.

In patients with chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC), ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) can be performed either at the time of colectomy or as a delayed procedure after total abdominal colectomy and ileostomy. There has been debate as to whether delayed IPAA results in superior functional results, since patients are frequently steroid-free and have little evidence of active disease. To assess this, we analyzed 95 patients who had undergone total abdominal colectomy, either with ileostomy and Hartmann's procedure or with ileorectostomy, 2-183 months prior to IPAA. Postoperative complications and functional results were compared with those of 776 CUC patients who underwent IPAA at the time of abdominal colectomy. Indications for prior colectomy included toxic megacolon (40 percent), failed medical therapy (36 percent), other reasons (e.g., iatrogenic perforation, cancer) (6 percent), and reasons unclear (18 percent). Nineteen percent of delayed-IPAA patients were taking steroids at the time of pouch construction. Follow-ups were similar in the two groups. The incidence of septic and obstructive complications after delayed IPAA vs. IPAA at the time of colectomy were 10.5 percent vs. 5.4 percent and 6.5 percent vs. 14.5 percent, respectively. There were no significant differences in postoperative functional results between the two groups. Delayed IPAA confers no advantage over IPAA performed at the time of colectomy in terms of functional outcome. Delayed IPAA was associated with a significantly higher rate of septic complications but a lower incidence of postoperative obstruction.
Pricing and market segmentation using opaque selling mechanisms

In opaque selling certain characteristics of the product or service are hidden from the consumer until after purchase, transforming a differentiated good into somewhat of a commodity. Opaque selling has become popular in service pricing as it allows firms to sell their differentiated products at higher prices to regular brand loyal customers while simultaneously selling to non-loyal customers at discounted prices. We develop a stylized model of consumer choice that illustrates the role of opaque selling in market segmentation. We model a firm selling a product via three selling channels: a regular full information channel, an opaque posted price channel and an opaque bidding channel where consumers specify the price they are willing to pay. We illustrate the segmentation created by opaque selling as well as compare optimal revenues and prices for sellers using regular full information channels with those using opaque selling mechanisms in conjunction with regular channels. We also study the segmentation and policy changes induced by capacity constraints.
Open source software and software patents: A constitutional perspective

Imagine if each square of pavement on the sidewalk had an owner, and pedestrians required a license to step on it. Imagine the negotiations necessary to walk an entire block under this system. That is what writing a program will be like if software patents continue. The sparks of creativity and individualism that have driven the computer revolution will be snuffed out. Imagine if each square of pavement on the sidewalk had an owner, and pedestrians required a license to step on it. Imagine the negotiations necessary to walk an entire block under this system. That is what writing a program will be like if software patents continue. The sparks of creativity and individualism that have driven the computer revolution will be snuffed out.—Richard Stallman and Simson Garfinkel (1992) This article highlights the vulnerability of the open source software movement to patent infringement lawsuits. With the number of patents on software algorithms predicted to exceed 100,000 this year, it is now virtually impossible to write any computer program, however trivial, that does not violate one or more patents. This paper argues that this situation is not only ludicrous, but it is contrary to any reasonable reading of the Constitution’s intentions with respect to the protection of intellectual property. In addition, the patentability of software algorithms stems from the U.S. Supreme Court’s failure to grasp one of the most fundamental concepts of computer science. From this error stems a long, dysfunctional chain of legal reasoning and patent policies, the effect of which has been to transform the mental reasoning processes, abstract knowledge, and scientific truths of computing into patentable subject matter. The result poses a potentially catastrophic threat not only to the open source software movement and the emerging industry of electronic commerce, but more fundamentally, to the very existence of the sciences of computing, without which further U.S. technological leadership will be impossible to sustain.
Subclinical Lumbar Polyradiculopathy, Polyneuritis and Ganglionitis in Aged Wild and Exotic Mammalians

Subclinical lumbar polyradiculopathy was present in the intradural dorsal and ventral nerve rootlets of 19 aged individuals of the following wild and exotic mammalian species: woodrat, raccoon, mink, lynx, reindeer, red deer, musk ox, scimitar-horned oryx, Arabian oryx, hybrid waterbuck, Persian onager, Przewalski's wild horse, Malayan sun bear, Asian elephant, East African river hippopotamus, vervet monkey and rhesus monkey. It was characterized by mild to severe multifocal ballooning of myelin sheaths. Occasionally, ballooned myelin sheaths contained thin strands of myelin and macrophages surrounding distorted axons. Additionally, a mild incidental lymphocytic polyneuritis was present in intradural nerve rootlets of the Malayan sun bear, and a moderate lymphocytic spinal ganglionitis in the East African river hippopotamus.
Radio Telemeters for Temperature and Biopotentials

Abstract TWO physiological parameters of special interest to environmental researchers are body temperature and biopotentials that relate to heart action. It is frequently desirable to be able to measure these variables from a relatively unrestrained and free-moving subject. Although biotelemetry radio receivers and associated recording equipment are commercially available, it is usually necessary for the researcher to fabricate the radio telemeters for specific applications. Previous work by Reece and Deaton (1968 Reece and Deaton (1969) describes a short-range, amplitude-modulated radio transmitter for temperature and a longer-range, frequency-modulated transmitter also for temperature. Both transmitters are based on circuits by Mackay (1965). Frequency-modulated radio transmitters for biopotentials have been described by Deboo et al. (1965), Stattleman and Buck (1965), and for temperature by Fryer et al. (1966). The purpose of this paper is to describe a frequency-modulated radio transmitter which, with simple modifications, can be used for either body temperature or biopotentials. The transmitters are designed…
Martian Surface Paleotemperatures from Thermochronology of Meteorites

The temporal evolution of past martian surface temperatures is poorly known. We used thermochronology and published noble gas and petrographic data to constrain the temperature histories of the nakhlites and martian meteorite ALH84001. We found that the nakhlites have not been heated to more than 350°C since they formed. Our calculations also suggest that for most of the past 4 billion years, ambient near-surface temperatures on Mars are unlikely to have been much higher than the present cold (<0°C) state.
Iso-immunization in the rabbit with antibody-coated erythrocytes.

RECENTLY, Finn et al. have suggested that it may be possible to prevent the antigenic stimulation of Rh-positive fœtal cells in Kh-negative mothers after the cells cross the placental barrier. Their reports confirmed the theory that intact fœtal red cells gain access to the maternal circulation and induce antibody formation and that higher probabilities of Rh iso-immunization occur when significant transplacental haemorrhage has taken place. Their proposal for prophylaxis and the experimental work reported are based on the recognition that ABO incompatibility confers protection against Rh immunization. They reported that the administration of Rh-positive (D) cells to volunteer recipients, followed shortly thereafter by anti-D, results in the rapid disappearance of these cells from the circulation and prevents Rh sensitization. Although the results show that this may obtain in their experiments, we feel that there are certain dangers inherent in their technique which could result in more rapid iso-immunization or a higher probability of iso-immunization.
Under the veneer: Nixon's Vietnam speech of November 3, 1969

(1970). Under the veneer: Nixon's Vietnam speech of November 3, 1969. Quarterly Journal of Speech: Vol. 56, No. 2, pp. 168-178.
Influence of Iron Solute on the Structure of Small‐Angle [001] Twist Boundaries in Magnesium Oxide

The structure of small-angle (001) twist boundaries in pure and Fe-doped MgO was examined by electron imaging techniques in order to study the influence of solute on grain-boundary structure. In addition, the effect of the oxidation state of the Fe on the boundary structure was also examined. The (001) twist boundaries were produced in the form of bicrystals, by the hot-pressing of cleaved single crystals of pure MgO and MgO containing Fe. In pure MgO the (001) twist boundaries produced with small plastic strains are planar and contain a square array of screw dislocations with Burgers vectors of the type ..cap alpha../2(110). In the presence of solute the original interface becomes wavy and dissociates into subboundaries. Distorted hexagonal dislocation networks as well as square arrays of screw dislocations are often observed in Fe-doped MgO. These observations are evidence that (001) twist boundaries in MgO whose production was accompanied by small amounts of plastic deformation undergo a structural transformation induced by the presence of Fe solute. The influence of the Fe oxidation state on boundary structure is less well understood. It appears that when the (001) twist boundaries are produced using crystals containing a substantial amount of Fe/sup 3+/ ions, themore » resulting boundary structure is more likely to contain distorted hexagonal dislocation networks than when the boundary is produced from crystals containing predominantly Fe/sup 2+/ ions.« less
Newton's method for singular nonlinear equations using approximate left and right nullspaces of the Jacobian

The convergence of Newton's method to a solution x* of f(x) = 0 may be unsatisfactory if the Jacobian matrix f'(x*) is singular. When the rank deficiency is one, and a simple regularity condition is satisfied at x*, it is possible to define a bordered system for which Newton's method converges quadratically [Griewank, SIAM Rev. 27 (1985) 537]. In this paper we extend this technique to the case of higher rank deficiencies. We show that if a generalized regular singularity condition is satisfied then one singular value decomposition of f'(x-) for some point x- near x* can be used to form a bordered system for which Newton's method converges quadratically. The theory and method are illustrated by several examples.
Fetal Aortic Valvuloplasty for Evolving Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Postnatal Outcomes of the First 100 Patients

Background—Fetal aortic valvuloplasty can be performed for severe midgestation aortic stenosis in an attempt to prevent progression to hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). A subset of patients has achieved a biventricular (BV) circulation after fetal aortic valvuloplasty. The postnatal outcomes and survival of the BV patients, in comparison with those managed as HLHS, have not been reported. Methods and Results—We included 100 patients who underwent fetal aortic valvuloplasty for severe midgestation aortic stenosis with evolving HLHS from March 2000 to January 2013. Patients were categorized based on postnatal management as BV or HLHS. Clinical records were reviewed. Eighty-eight fetuses were live-born, and 38 had a BV circulation (31 from birth, 7 converted after initial univentricular palliation). Left-sided structures, namely aortic and mitral valve sizes and left ventricular volume, were significantly larger in the BV group at the time of birth (P<0.01). After a median follow-up of 5.4 years, freed...
Fundamentals of scalable high-resolution seamlessly tiled projection system

A seamlessly tiled projection system is composed of multiple projectors, a front or rear projection screen, feedback elements, and tiled image processors. Its seamlessness is achieved through the optical and electronic calibrations. The optical calibration in the components of projectors improves the contrast ratio, brightness, and the overall image quality. The electronic calibration aligns the tiled images, and blends the color between adjacent tiles using a camera feedback system. A front projection system with a 2 X 2 array of SXGA (1280 X 1024) projectors is set up to describe the fundamentals of achieving a scalable, high- resolution, seamlessly tiled projection display.
Valley floor climate observations from the McMurdo dry valleys, Antarctica, 1986–2000

[1] Climate observations from the McMurdo dry valleys, East Antarctica are presented from a network of seven valley floor automatic meteorological stations during the period 1986 to 2000. Mean annual temperatures ranged from −14.8°C to −30.0°C, depending on the site and period of measurement. Mean annual relative humidity is generally highest near the coast. Mean annual wind speed increases with proximity to the polar plateau. Site-to-site variation in mean annual solar flux and PAR is due to exposure of each station and changes over time are likely related to changes in cloudiness. During the nonsummer months, strong katabatic winds are frequent at some sites and infrequent at others, creating large variation in mean annual temperature owing to the warming effect of the winds. Katabatic wind exposure appears to be controlled to a large degree by the presence of colder air in the region that collects at low points and keeps the warm less dense katabatic flow from the ground. The strong influence of katabatic winds makes prediction of relative mean annual temperature based on geographical position (elevation and distance from the coast) alone, not possible. During the summer months, onshore winds dominate and warm as they progress through the valleys creating a strong linear relationship (r2 = 0.992) of increasing potential temperature with distance from the coast (0.09°C km−1). In contrast to mean annual temperature, summer temperature lends itself quite well to model predictions, and is used to construct a statistical model for predicting summer dry valley temperatures at unmonitored sites.
Field and laboratory investigations of inactivation of viruses (PRD1 and MS2) attached to iron oxide-coated quartz sand.

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate inactivation of viruses attached to mineral surfaces. In a natural gradient transport field experiment, bacteriophage PRD1, radiolabeled with 32P, was injected into a ferric oxyhydroxide-coated sand aquifer with bromide and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates. In a zone of the aquifer contaminated by secondary sewage infiltration, small fractions of infective and 32P-labeled PRD1 broke through with the bromide tracer, followed by the slow release of 84% of the 32P activity and only 0.011% of the infective PRD1. In the laboratory experiments, the inactivation of PRD1, labeled with 35S (protein capsid), and MS2, dual radiolabeled with 35S (protein capsid) and 32P (nucleic acid), was monitored in the presence of groundwater and sediment from the contaminated zone of the field site. Release of infective viruses decreased at a much faster rate than release of the radiolabels, indicating that attached viruses were undergoing surface inactivation. Dispari...
Solving PDEs with radial basis functions

Finite differences provided the first numerical approach that permitted large-scale simulations in many applications areas, such as geophysical fluid dynamics. As accuracy and integration time requirements gradually increased, the focus shifted from finite differences to a variety of different spectral methods. During the last few years, radial basis functions, in particular in their ‘local’ RBF-FD form, have taken the major step from being mostly a curiosity approach for small-scale PDE ‘toy problems’ to becoming a major contender also for very large simulations on advanced distributed memory computer systems. Being entirely mesh-free, RBF-FD discretizations are also particularly easy to implement, even when local refinements are needed. This article gives some background to this development, and highlights some recent results.
Rapid evolution of RNA genomes

RNA viruses show high mutation frequencies partly because of a lack of the proofreading enzymes that assure fidelity of DNA replication. This high mutation frequency is coupled with high rates of replication reflected in rates of RNA genome evolution which can be more than a millionfold greater than the rates of the DNA chromosome evolution of their hosts. There are some disease implications for the DNA-based biosphere of this rapidly evolving RNA biosphere.
The Pollination Biology of an Annual Endemic Herb, Physaria filiformis (Brassicaceae), in the Missouri Ozarks Following Controlled Burns1

Abstract Physaria filiformis, a threatened species of calcareous glade communities, blooms profusely within the Rocky Barrens Conservation Area (Missouri) under a program of controlled burns. Flowers visited by insect foragers in 2008 and 2009 had a mean > 35 and > 50 germinating grains on their stigmas respectively and a mean of 1.96–2.0 pollen tubes entering their ovaries (mean of 4 ovules/ovary). Results of controlled hand-pollinations conducted in situ in 2009 showed that this species had a negligible rate of self-pollination (mechanical autogamy) and showed classic Brassica-type, early-acting self-incompatibility. Each dissected flower had nectar glands and each seasonal population was visited by insects representing four insect orders; Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. The most commonly collected floral foragers found to carry the pollen of the host flower were male and female native bees representing 38 species in the Andrenidae, Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae and the ...
The meaning of the critical length concept in composites: Study of matrix viscosity and strain rate on the average fiber fragmentation length in short-fiber polymer composites

Computer modeling is used in order to provide a theoretical understanding of the concept of critical length in composites, and of the factors influencing the critical aspect ratio. The effects of interphase and matrix properties have been investigated. We have identified the interphase parameters which minimize the critical length. Contrary to the assumption that the critical aspect ratio is related to interfacial shear strength and fiber strength only, we find a significant dependence on matrix viscosity and strain rate, for fixed interphase properties. We therefore conclude that the fragmentation test, which relates the measured critical aspect ratio to a value for the interfacial shear strength, has to be reinterpreted in terms of more parameters than those simply present in the Kelly-Tyson formalism. Moreover, the significance of the concept of critical length for tailoring mechanical properties of composites needs to be reassessed.
Anti-apoptotic activity of hemagglutinin-33 and botulinum neurotoxin and its implications to therapeutic and countermeasure issues.

Abstract Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), produced by Clostridium botulinum are the most toxic substances known to the mankind. BoNTs (seven serotypes, A–G) are produced along with a group of neurotoxin associated proteins (NAPs) in a physiologically coordinated manner, regulated by a common transcription factor for the gene cluster that encodes for the BoNT and NAPs. Hemagglutinin-33 (Hn-33) is a 33 kDa subcomponent of NAPs, which is resistant to protease digestion, and accounts for about half of the NAPs molecules in the BoNT/A complex. Natural exposures to BoNT in food poisoning cases as well as in the medical applications of BoNT as a therapeutic agent, humans are exposed to the BoNT/A complex. The toxin itself is known to block neurotransmitter release from presynaptic nerves, but the effect of NAPs is unexplored. In this article, we report an important observation of the anti-apoptotic effect of Hn-33 in Hn-33-preincubated human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Activity of caspases, which are the central executioners of apoptosis, was substantially (78%) reduced by Hn-33. Degradation of chromosomal DNA, another biochemical hallmark of apoptosis, was blocked in Hn-33 incubated SH-SY5Y cells. Interestingly, purified BoNT/A also showed substantial anti-apoptotic activity. These findings may have significant implications to the use of BoNT as a therapeutic agent, and to devise counter measures to botulinum poisoning.
transatlantic economic relations: continuity amid discord

The European Union (EU) and the United States are the world's largest and most-interconnected economies. In the 1990s, they engaged in a series of joint initiatives designed further to liberalise the transatlantic marketplace through cooperation in trade and regulatory matters, including pursuant to the 1995 New Transatlantic Agenda. From 2000 to 2004, however, political tensions between the US and Europe intensified, as conflicts arose over the war in Iraq, the International Criminal Court, and the Kyoto Protocol, triggering fears that political turmoil could disrupt the mutually beneficial transatlantic economic relationship. Despite the political challenges, the transatlantic economic relationship has demonstrated extraordinary continuity and resilience amid the discord. The US/EU economic relationship has been subject to intensive disputes in areas such as steel, airplanes, and genetically modified foods, but there is little sign that the election of George W. Bush or the 2003 invasion of Iraq was responsible for these tensions, which arose primarily from pre-existing divergent domestic political pressures. This relative insulation of the economic relationship from the dispute over the Iraq war, however, does not imply that power politics is unimportant in the economic realm, and indeed we argue that outcomes in the economic realm are shaped significantly by differences in US and EU market and institutional power in different sectors.
Detection of Third Sound in Liquid Helium Films

A third sound was detected in thin films of liquid helium II. It appears as an oscillation in the thickness of the film, and the predicted velocity is about 50 cm/sec. Velocity variations with film height were measured. Temperature effects were measured at up to 2 deg K. The velocity and amplitude of third-sound decrease with incrcasing temperatures is in qualitative agreement with theory. Since the velocity is comparable with the film transfer critical velocity, it is suggested that the sudden onset of dissipation at the critical velocity arises from third-sound quanta creation. (L.N.N.)
Transumbilical Breast Augmentation Is Safe and Effective

Transumbilical breast augmentation (TUBA) has proved to be safe and effective. This article highlights the advantages, disadvantages, gives an overview of the technique, discusses complications, and provides factual information to counter false negative information about the procedure.
Longitudinal Impact of Attachment-Related Risk and Exposure to Trauma among Young Children after Hurricane Katrina.

Research suggests that young childhood is a dynamic developmental phase during which risks to attachment figures as well as traumatic events may be particularly important. The loss and disruption associated with Hurricane Katrina highlighted the vulnerabilities and special needs of young children exposed to natural disaster. The current study explored ways in which multiple stressors associated with Hurricane Katrina contributed to adverse outcomes. We hypothesize overall decreases in trauma symptoms over time. We further hypothesize that increased attachment and hurricane related risk factors will negatively influence longitudinal symptom patterns. Data was collected from families of preschool-aged children (ages 3–5) during the school year following Hurricane Katrina (2005–2006) and each subsequent school year (2006–2007, 2007–2008, and 2008–2009). Latent growth curve modeling was used to assess trauma symptoms overtime and the effect of risk indices on these trauma symptoms. Results suggest an overall decrease in trauma distress symptoms over time and further indicate that attachment and trauma related risks of caregiver disruption, other non-human losses, trauma prior to and subsequent to the storm, as well as Katrina exposure are significant predictors of symptoms over time. Given the rapid physical, cognitive, and emotional development that occurs in early childhood, these findings support the importance of providing intervention with preschool age children post-disaster. Further, the findings also suggest that a relationship based treatment including both caregiver and child is most likely to be effective.
The American Master Bedroom: Its Changing Location and Significance to the Family

This article discusses the possible relationship between changes in the master bedroom and parenting values in middle class America. The authors review information from the US homebuilding industry, statistical data on housing trends, literature on the history of the bedroom from the Colonial period to the present, and literature on family sleep practices. The owner's bedroom, one domain among various domains in the home, is an individual-private domain that functions to ensure adult privacy and increase physical barriers between parents and children. The authors contend that changes in the location and function of the master bedroom in the American home over the past centuries reflect the upward social mobility afforded by rising incomes, expansive and undeveloped land, and shared concepts of prestige held by home builders and homeowners. These influences have helped develop a purely American sense of parenting among middle and upper-income families that reflects their individualism. Middle class parents have encouraged more physical distance between themselves and their offspring. Consistent with this trend, they have shown a preference for houses with large master suites that are sometimes located at a distance from other bedrooms in the house. Using a model by Chermayeff and Alexander (1965), the authors examine the relationship between parenting practices and private space, highlighting the implications of this trend for home planners and interior designers.
Difficulties associated with modeling growth in the Atlantic angel shark (Squatina dumeril)

Abstract Several methods were used in an attempt to develop an age and growth model for the Atlantic angel shark (Squatina dumeril). Band counts from vertebral sections, which were fit to the traditional von Bertalanffy growth equation, the Gompertz growth equation, and the two-parameter von Bertalanffy growth equation, did not produce realistic parameter estimates. Additionally, a length-based Bayesian model was applied to fishery-independent length–frequency data, and a full Bayesian model was fitted to length-at-age data to estimate parameters for von Bertalanffy growth equation. Both the length-based and full Bayesian models failed to converge; the length–frequency data showed high bimodality unrelated to season, year, or other factors, and band counts were not predictable by length. Vertebral band counts were not valid for ageing Atlantic angel sharks, and length-based methods, which require normally distributed length–frequencies, were not appropriate for this data set. This study represents the first attempt at modeling age and growth for this species and provides research guidelines for future research initiatives.
Symmetric noise-immune quantum key distribution

We present quantum key distribution schemes that are symmetric (Alice and Bob receive photons from a central source, and thus may have passive setups) and noise-immune (require no alignment) for both polarization and phase qubits
Modeling and Automating Analysis of Server Duty and Client Obligation for High Assurance

In today's distributed service system which is often composed of heterogeneous servers and clients, the assurance of continuous operation of such system relies heavily on two things: the server continues to faithfully fulfill its duties, and the client continues to faithfully fulfill its obligations. However, as the complexity of distributed service system grows, it becomes much harder to correctly identify who is accountable for a service interruption or discontinuation when it occurs. In this paper, we propose an object-oriented approach to model and automate the analysis of server duty and client obligation for achieving high assurance of continuous service. With the formal model of server duty-client obligation interaction string and the use of an Accountability Analysis Engine, the proposed approach can effectively identify the party at fault in either online or offline mode when service interruption or discontinuation occurs.
Left Aortic Arch and Right Superior Vena Cava in Mirror-Image Dextrocardia with Tetralogy

Interesting clinical instruction in mirror-image relationships, especially of major arterial and venous anatomy, was provided by a unique case of tetralogy of Fallot with mirror-image dextrocardia. Besides situs inversus, there was left aortic arch, interruption of the inferior vena cava with right hemiazygous continuation and persistent right superior vena cava which emptied into a giant coronary sinus (mirror-image or right aortic arch and hemiazygous vein draining into a persistent left superior vena cava). Right heart catheterization and caval cannulation at surgery could be achieved only by passage through the coronary sinus.
Deep neural networks with auxiliary Gaussian mixture models for real-time speech recognition

We present a framework that improves real-time speech recognition performance using deep neural networks (DNNs) with auxiliary Gaussian mixture models (GMMs). The DNNs and the auxiliary GMMs share the same hidden Markov model (HMM) state inventory. First, online incremental feature-space adaptation is performed using the GMM acoustic model. The speaker-adapted features are used to improve the recognition performance of both GMM and DNN models. Second, the acoustic scores from GMMs and DNN are combined at the state-level during decoding. Experiments on a large vocabulary speech recognition task show that both approaches improve recognition performance consistently and that the gains are mostly additive, resulting in about 5% relative improvement over the competitive DNN baseline in both Portuguese and English systems.
Endocannabinoid metabolomics: a novel liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry reagent for fatty acid analysis.

We have synthesized 4,4-dimethoxyoxazoline derivatives of several fatty acids associated with the endocannabinoid metabolome using tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane in a 1-step reaction by microwave irradiation. The derivatization incorporates a nitrogen into the final product, which allows for improved detection by liquid chromatographymass spectrometry in positive atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mode. Palmitic and oleic acid derivatives show a 200-fold increase in sensitivity compared with the free acids when analyzed in negative-mode APCI. In addition to improving sensitivity, the oxazoline derivatization creates a similar ionization response for the fatty acids tested, which simplifies their quantitation. Fatty acid oxazoline derivatives can be detected using the same conditions optimized for the endocannabinoids, which allows for a simultaneous quantitation of the entire endocannabinoid metabolome.
Modulation spectroscopy with diode lasers: applications in spectroscopy and nonintrusive measurements

Theoretical and experimental results related to wavelength modulation absorption spectroscopy using single-mode diode lasers are presented. This method uses a phase-sensitive detection technique, and the implications of detection at harmonics greater than the commonly used second-harmonic are discussed. It is shown that several advantages accrue with such higher-harmonic detection. Applications of the method in increasing sensitivity to measurements of density and temperature fluctuations; in increasing wavelength resolution of modulation and pressure broadened congested spectra; and in applications for accurate characterization of absorption lines of molecular spectra, are discussed. It is shown that wing structure of absorption lines can be obtained with much more accuracy using higher harmonic detection than either direct absorption or the commonly used second harmonic detection technique. Experimental results obtained are compared to the predictions of the theory developed.
Buddyguard: A buddy system for fast and reliable detection of IP prefix anomalies

Due to operational malpractice or security attacks, an IP prefix (i.e., a block of IP addresses) can undergo many types of routing anomalies. Perhaps the most well-known of such anomalies is prefix hijacking, where an attacker hijacks traffic meant to reach the legitimate user of a prefix. Anomalies can also easily occur through route leaks, which can disrupt traffic for numerous prefixes at once. While various solutions have been proposed to detect such anomalies, these solutions are limited and susceptible to attacker countermeasures. In this paper we present Buddyguard, a new approach to detecting prefix anomalies including prefix hijacking and route leaks. Buddyguard compares the behavior of a monitored prefix with the behavior of a set of numerous buddy prefixes. The system detects anomalies when the behavior of the monitored prefix significantly diverges from that of its buddies. Our evaluation results show that Buddyguard provides fast, accurate and lightweight monitoring of IP prefix anomalies, and its introduction and use of buddy prefixes enables it to be resilient against resourceful attackers.
The Evolutionary Roots of Morality in Theological Perspective

Theological ethics can interpret the relation between evolution and morality in at least three ways. The reductionist approach holds that morality emerges because it is adaptive. The independent approach maintains that morality develops without registering the influence of evolution. Finally, the interdependence position holds that morality reflects the influence of evolution to the extent that the latter shapes human emotional capacities and predispositions, for example, those regarding reciprocity and kin preference. The third approach is more suitable for theological ethics, which attends to ways in which natural desires can be ordered to serve morality, for example, to be habituated to virtue, and to ways in which we must strive to curb or minimize their disruptive effects on human communities.
A Putative Leucine-Rich Repeat Receptor Kinase Involved in Brassinosteroid Signal Transduction

Brassinosteroids are a class of growth-promoting regulators that play a key role throughout plant development. Despite their importance, nothing is known of the mechanism of action of these steroid hormones. We describe the identification of 18 Arabidopsis dwarf mutants that are unable to respond to exogenously added brassinosteroid, a phenotype that might be expected for brassinosteroid signaling mutants. All 18 mutations define alleles of a single previously described gene, BRI1. We cloned BRI1 and examined its expression pattern. It encodes a ubiquitously expressed putative receptor kinase. The extracellular domain contains 25 tandem leucine-rich repeats that resemble repeats found in animal hormone receptors, plant disease resistance genes, and genes involved in unknown signaling pathways controlling plant development.
Hepatocyte iron kinetics in the rat explored with an iron chelator

The hepatocyte metabolism of 59Fe-labelled ferritin, haemoglobin-haptoglobin and transferrin has been examined in rats. All three forms of 59Fe became transiently available to desferrioxamine (DF) at the time they would otherwise have entered storage or alternative pathways of iron metabolism. However, differences in both the patterns of spontaneous 59Fe reutilization by normal and iron deficient rats and the partition of chelate iron excretion between bile and urine, suggested that iron in transit within hepatocytes did not behave as a single common pool. Ferritin 59Fe, entering a pool of non-radioactive iron the size of which is determined by liver iron stores, was chelated predominantly into the bile. Transferrin 59Fe was distinguished by a greater reflux to the erythron in iron deficient rats, and by excretion of a larger proportion of 59Fe chelated by DF in the urine. Haemoglobin-haptoglobin 59Fe followed a metabolic pathway which was relatively independent of both the iron stores and DF. If the heterogeneous behaviour of rat hepatocyte transit iron has a parallel in man, alterations in the size of similar chelatable iron pools could explain the dependence of DF-induced urine and faecal iron excretion on both liver iron stores and the level of erythropoiesis.
Factors responsible for the acquisition of Canadian fiction by U.S. public and academic libraries

Abstract A survey of U.S. libraries owning fiction from Canadian publishers revealed important differences in how Canadian fiction is acquired by U.S. public and academic libraries. Public libraries demonstrated remarkable uniformity in how they acquire Canadian fiction, academic libraries great diversity. The importance of reviews—especially in public libraries and especially reviews in a small core of journals—was confirmed. Other factors contributing to the acquisition of Canadian fiction especially by U.S. academic libraries are described and their impact analyzed. The paper ends with a warning that one must not conclude from these findings that public libraries in general depend uniformly or primarily on reviews for the bulk of their fiction selection. A subsequent study of Ontario public libraries showed this not to be the case.
Affirmative Action and Merit in Public Administration

This study tests the hypotheses that graduates of master of public administration (MPA) programs are more supportive of affirmative action than are recipients of other graduate degrees and, conversely, that the principle of merit has a negative effect on such levels of support. Results show that type of graduate education has no bearing on levels of support for affirmative action among city managers throughout the United States. City managers' belief in the principle of merit, however, has a negative impact on city managers' attitudes toward affirmative action. The findings bring into question the effectiveness of assimilating professional values through MPA education as well as the problem of competing values within professional codes of ethics.
Coupled finite element and multibody system dynamics modeling of a three-dimensional railroad system

During the last two centuries, railroad vehicles have been an important means of transportation of both people and cargo, due to their economic and comfort advantages. Railroad vehicles are a highl...
A numerical model to simulate precipitate growth and ripening in oxygen-implanted silicon-on-insulator materials

A finite element model was developed to simulate the production of silicon-on-insulator substrates through the technique known as SIMOX. The simulation initiates from an as-implanted distribution of SiO2 precipitates and calculates the time evolution during annealing of the number, size and shape of precipitates, until the eventual formation of the buried oxide layer under a surface-silicon layer. During the evolution, the precipitates can grow, dissolve, merge or split and they can adopt arbitrary shapes under the dynamic interaction of the oxygen concentration annealing and capillary forces. The simulations show that the model reproduces several phenomena observed during the SIMOX process, like Ostwald ripening and the formation of silicon islands.
Behavioral impairments, brain lesions and monoaminergic activity in the rat following recovery from a bout of thiamine deficiency.

Abstract Learning impairments were measured in rats following recovery from a subacute bout of thiamine deficiency. Behavioral training was carried out in an automated T-maze, beginning with paired run spatial delayed non-matching to sample (PR-1), then light-dark discrimination (LD), light-dark discrimination reversal (LD-R), spatial discrimination (SD), spatial discrimination-reversal (SD-R), and finally retraining on the original paired run task (PR-2). Comparable deficits were observed for PR-1 and PR-2, thus demonstrating long-lasting impairment on delayed non-matching to sample. Experimentals performed as well as controls on LD and LD-R. Two experimental animals were unable to perform above chance on the simple SD task. The remaining 15 experimental animals were equivalent to controls on several measures of SD and SD-R performance (errors to criterion, number of animals reaching criterion, correct responses in last 60 trials) although they were significantly worse than controls on both PR-1 and PR-2. Taken together, these results indicate an impairment of representational memory (PR-1, PR-2) with a spared capacity for dispositional memory (LD, LD-R, SD, SD-R) as defined by Thomas and Spafford (Behav. Neurosci., 1984, 98: 394–404). Histological analyses of left hemispheres revealed a high incidence (94%) of thalamic lesions, specifically within the intralaminar nuclei and ventral parts of the mediodorsal nucleus; and an absence of detectable changes in other structures, including the mammillary bodies, hippocampus, cortex, and locus coeruleus. In the right hemispheres, assays of monoamines and metabolites in 17 brain regions showed significant reduction only for norepinephrine in entorhinal cortex. All animals that were selectively impaired on the paired-run task had both the medial thalamic lesions and reduction in entorhinal norepinephrine.
Effect of different processing techniques on motility and acrosomal integrity of cold-stored stallion spermatozoa

Summary Two experiments were conducted to test whether stallionand/or semen processing techniques influenced spermatozoal motility and acrosomal status following cold storage. Ejaculates from each of 18 stallions (N=54) were collected and split. In Experiment I, a skim milk-glucose extender (SKMG) was added to the semen following a 5, 15 or 30 minute delay post-collection. Following each delay, sperm were packaged at a final concentration of 25 million progressively motile sperm per ml (PMS/ml) in a commercially available skim milk-glucose extender (SKMG). In Experiment II, sperm were packaged at concentrations of 25, 50, and 75 million PMS/ml both in the presence and absence of seminal plasma (SP) utilizing SKMG and SKMG plus PBS, respectively. In both experiments, aliquots were cooled, stored, and the percentage of progressively motile and acrosome intact spermatozoa were determined at 24 and 48 hours post-collection. In Experiment 1, delayed dilution resulted in a lower recovery of PMS. In Experiment II, removal of SP resulted in higher percentages of PMS following cold storage. Increasing the concentration of spermatozoa during packaging decreased the percentage of PMS; however, removal of SP reduced the harmful effects on spermatozoa motility. These data suggest that reducing the time that spermatozoa remain in an undiluted state and removal of SP maximize recovery of progressively motile, acrosome-intact spermatozoa. In addition, individualizing the processing techniques for each stallion may enhance spermatozoal survival following cold storage.