cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal fluctuations of microbial communities within the crop growing season

Abstract Soil microbial communities maintain many ecosystem functions including decomposition and symbiotic nutrient uptake. Prior field studies have focused on either geospatial or relatively large-time scale trends in these communities. Whereas, their small-time scale (e.g., weekly) dynamics in agricultural fields have largely been overlooked. Our objective was to determine the effects and characteristics of short-time scales on five phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) microbial groups throughout the whole growing season, while under two soil disturbance levels. The microbial community groups included total microbial abundance (TMA), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), total fungi, actinomycetes, and total bacteria. The fungal to bacterial ratio (F:B) was also determined. Soils were sampled twice per week from planting to harvest during two consecutive growing seasons (N = 62) and analyzed for microbial abundances and chemical and physical properties. The study was conducted at an on-farm site with a corn [Zea mays] – soybean [Glycine max] – wheat [Triticum aestivum] rotation and two soil disturbance levels [high (chisel plow) and low (shallow vertical till)] using a randomized complete block design. Data analysis included 1) spatial and temporal coefficients of variations, 2) a mixed linear model to test for time and disturbance level effects, and 3) a Fourier analysis to detect and characterize cyclical patterns via autocorrelation spectral densities. The Fourier analysis also included cross spectral densities and phase lags with a large suite of soil chemical, soil physical, and weather states. Temporal variations of microbial communities were one to threefold greater than their spatial variations. Significant time effects were observed for TMA, AMF, and bacteria, where these communities behaved as sine and consine functions over time. However, strong cyclical patterns were above white noise levels at the experimental plots level for all microbial groups during each growing season. Cross spectral densities indicated that bacteria and actinomycetes tended to cycle at short and long periods (biweekly to whole season) associated with soil physical and weather states, whereas TMA, AMF, fungi, and F:B cycles at long periods (bimonthly to whole season) associated with soil chemical states. These microbial communities in a field setting clearly undergo cyclical patterns over small periods with some modulations from soil disturbance levels, fertilization, and microtopography. Further research on these cyclical and cross-correlated dynamics is warranted to determine the magnitude of influence on ecosystem services and crop productivity.
Relationship between cognitive functioning and frailty in older breast cancer survivors.

Abstract Introduction The relationship between cognitive function and frailty in older, long-term breast cancer survivors was examined. Materials and methods Breast cancer survivors who were diagnosed and treated at 60 years of age or above and were 5–15 year disease-free survivors and non-cancer controls matched on age and education were evaluated with neuropsychological tests and the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment which was used to assess frailty based on a deficit accumulation frailty index (DAFI). Results Unadjusted regression analyses revealed that cancer survivors scored significantly lower on the Language (P = 0.015), Attention, Processing Speed, Executive Function (APE) (P = 0.015), and Learning and Memory (LM) (P = 0.023) domains compared to controls. However, only the LM domain remained significantly different (P = 0.002) in the adjusted analysis. Survivors had significantly higher DAFI scores compared to controls (p = 0.006) and significantly more survivors were categorized as pre-frail or frail (35%) compared to controls (23%, P = 0.009). Increasing frailty scores were associated with worse cognitive performance across all domains (all Ps ≤ 0.004). For the LM domain, there was a significant interaction (P = 0.019) between DAFI score and survivorship vs control status. Survivors demonstrated a significant linear decline in LM scores as DAFI scores increased, whereas controls demonstrated comparable scores between the robust and pre-frail DAFI groups, demonstrating decline in the frailty group only. Conclusion Older, long-term breast cancer survivors had lower cognitive performance and higher levels of frailty compared to controls. For the Learning and Memory domain, the decline in performance began in the pre-frail range for survivors, but not controls.
A Scaffolded Approach to Laboratory Report Writing for Non-Major and Introductory Physics Classes

Laboratory report assignments for non-major and introductory classes can be challenging because the students are unfamiliar with the type of technical writing required and the subject matter. These issues for the student make the grading for the instructor difficult and time consuming. Determining the level of detail to require, the format, and how to distribute the grading between good writing and physics knowledge is a difficult balancing act. Many courses use laboratory reports to assess if a student can communicate scientific concepts effectively so ignoring the writing issues is not an option, but many students have no experience reading technical documents, let alone writing them. Furthermore, the students need to understand the scientific concepts to effectively communicate them. In this article, a method for providing a scaffolded approach to lab reports is given. This approach aims to provide the student with some much needed examples of technical writing while they are new to the laboratory environment and the course material. A sample lab report template was provided with key information and conclusions removed. As the course continued, the students were required to do an increasing amount of independent writing while the provided content was slowly decreased. By the end of the course the students submitted full independently written lab reports.
Contemporary Trends of Clinical Outcomes in Primary Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation and Postprocedure High-Risk Categories.

Abstract Objective We aimed to analyze trends of 30-day readmission and find high-risk patients associated with increased risk of mortality, resource use, and readmission after primary left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Limited data exist on the contemporary trends of readmission rates and patients at a higher risk of worse outcomes after LVAD implantation. Methods and Results This is a retrospective study of adults from the Nationwide Readmission Database who underwent primary durable LVAD implantation from 2010 to 2018. The main outcomes were 30-day readmission rates and their trends in patients with primary durable LVAD implantation from 2010 to 2018. This study also sought to identify patients at the highest risk for readmission, in-hospital mortality, and resource use. A total of 31,002 adults with primary durable LVAD implantation were included in the present analysis. Overall, 3808 patients (12.3%) died and 27,168 (87.6%) were discharged alive. Of those discharged alive, 8303 patients (30.6%) were readmitted within 30 days. The trend of 30-day all-cause readmission among LVAD implantation patients remained similar from 2010 to 2018 (P = .809). The in-hospital mortality rate during the index hospitalization decreased significantly (P = .014), and the mean cost of an index hospitalization increased (P = .031) during the study period. The patients with post-LVAD in-hospital cardiac, vascular, and thromboembolic complications (ie, high-risk patients) had the highest mortality, resource use, and readmission rates compared with patients without major complications. Conclusions This study found that the readmission rates associated with LVAD implantation did not change from 2010 to 2018 and identified high-risk patients who may benefit from closer monitoring after primary LVAD implantation.
Educating the Post-Fukushima Nuclear Engineer

While the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident shook the community of nuclear engineers, it had a special significance for nuclear engineering students. What were they supposed do? How should they and could they answer questions about nuclear safety? What about their future opportunities? The incident caused many students to question their deepest convictions about all things nuclear and opened up new questions about their social responsibilities. This chapter looks to the history of nuclear engineering education to provide context for the discussions that took place during the summer school. Historically, students have seldom had opportunities to engage the socio-ethical dimensions of their work. The summer school offers evidence that today’s students are actively seeking new analytical skills and different ways to conceptualize the socio-ethical complexity of nuclear engineering problems. Moreover, students are poised to play a key role in shaping much needed curricular reforms.
State of Adenovirus 2 Deoxyribonucleic Acid in the Nucleus and Its Mode of Transcription: Studies with Isolated Viral Deoxyribonucleic Acid-Protein Complexes and Isolated Nuclei

Newly replicated adenovirus 2 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) can be isolated from the nucleus of HeLa cells by a gentle lysis procedure as a fairly homogeneous complex with a sedimentation of 73S. The viral DNA complex can be prepared completely free from host cell DNA. The viral complex is slightly active in ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis in vitro. Treatment of the complex with Pronase and sodium dodecyl sulfate converts the DNA to a form which sediments at 43S. Nuclei isolated from adeno-infected cells synthesize high-molecular-weight virus-specific RNA in vitro. Optimal RNA synthesis requires a divalent cation, preferentially manganese, and relatively high salt concentrations. The synthesis of virus-specific RNA by the isolated nuclei is strongly inhibited by low doses of alpha-amanitine. The latter experimental result is discussed in terms of the polymerase used to transcribe the adenovirus DNA in vivo.
The Composite Neuron: A Realistic One-Compartment Purkinje Cell Model Suitable for Large-Scale Neuronal Network Simulations

We present a simple method for the realistic description of neurons that is well suited to the development of large-scale neuronal network models where the interactions within and between neural circuits are the object of study rather than the details of dendritic signal propagation in individual cells. Referred to as the composite approach, it combines in a one-compartment model elements of both the leaky integrator cell and the conductance-based formalism of Hodgkin and Huxley (1952). Composite models treat the cell membrane as an equivalent circuit that contains ligand-gated synaptic, voltage-gated, and voltage- and concentration-dependent conductances. The time dependences of these various conductances are assumed to correlate with their spatial locations in the real cell. Thus, when viewed from the soma, ligand-gated synaptic and other dendritically located conductances can be modeled as either single alpha or double exponential functions of time, whereas, with the exception of discharge-related conductances, somatic and proximal dendritic conductances can be well approximated by simple current-voltage relationships. As an example of the composite approach to neuronal modeling we describe a composite model of a cerebellar Purkinje neuron.
Automatic Extraction of Buildings and Terrain from Aerial Images

A system has been developed to acquire, extend and refine 3D geometric site models from aerial imagery. The system hypothesizes potential building roofs in an image, automatically locates supporting geometric evidence in other images, and determines the precise shape and position of the new buildings via multi-image triangulation. Model-to-image registration techniques are applied to align new images with the site model, and model extension and refinement procedures are performed to acquire previously unseen buildings and improve the geometric accuracy of the existing 3D models. A correlation-based terrain recovery algorithm provides complementary information about the site, in the form of a digital elevation map.
New Diesel Emission Control Strategy to Meet US Tier 2 Emissions Regulations

The aim of this study was to establish a fully capable diesel exhaust treatment system (4-way catalyst system) based on a catalyzed diesel particulate filter (cDPF) and a Lean NOx trap (LNT) for meeting US Tier 2 emissions. In this study, two modified combustion technologies, LTC (Low Temperature Combustion) and PCCI (Premixed Controlled Compression Ignition), were used and improved to achieve high catalyst bed temperatures and to provide rich exhaust gas with low smoke to utilize a 4-way catalyst system. The LTC operation area was expanded to both lower and higher loads using a dual loop EGR system (high-and low-pressure-loop EGR). The effect of air-fuel ratio, injection timing, and intake manifold temperature on combustion stability and soot emissions of LTC were investigated. PCCI, characterized by increased and advanced pilot injection, combined with retarded main injection timings and without EGR was used to achieve low-smoke, rich combustion at medium loads. The effect of pilot and main injection timing, quantity, injection pressure, and EGR rate were investigated to reduce smoke. For the evaluation, a PSA DW10 diesel (4-cylinder, 2000cc) was used and NOx and CO 2 emissions were examined at five points representative of the FTP 75 test cycle. This study confirmed that LTC and PCCI can facilitate high NOx conversion efficiency with low engine-out smoke, sufficient combustion stability and minor fuel penalty at five FTP 75 representative points (BMEP: 0 to 8.2 bar). Estimated FTP 75 NOx emissions were 0.012 g/mile (fresh catalyst), and estimated CO 2 emissions were 1.7% above the baseline. The method to maintain very high catalyst temperatures and provide slightly rich gases was also examined for simultaneous DPF regeneration and LNT desulfation.
The effects of affective and cognitive elaborations from Facebook posts on consumer attitude formation

This research investigates the effects of affect and cognition in consumers' information processing of branded content on Facebook pages. A model was suggested to delve into the elaboration process leading to consumer attitude formation. A 2 (purchase-decision involvement: low versus high) × 2 (product categories: hedonic versus utilitarian) × 2 (sources of Facebook posts: brand posts versus consumer posts) between-subjects experiment was conducted online. The validated model demonstrates the main effects that affective elaboration significantly supersedes cognitive elaboration in forming attitudes toward the posts and attitudes toward the brand. Post hoc analyses show further evidence of the interaction effects that affective elaboration is the dominant influencer when consumers process brand-related information in Facebook posts across situations. Theoretical implications for future research and managerial suggestions for social media marketing are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Partnership Performance in Supply Chains - the Impact of Collaboration

This study investigates the performance consequences of collaboration in supply chain partnerships, and also investigates whether environmental uncertainty affects the degree to which collaboration is desirable. With a sample drawn from international subsidiaries of Nordic multinational corporations (MNCs), the authors find that collaborative partnerships contribute to increased levels of partnership performance both in terms of relationship effectiveness and in terms of cost reduction benefits. The moderating effect of environmental uncertainty, however, had no impact on the relationship between collaboration and performance. The implications of these findings for academics and practitioners are discussed.
The dispersal patterns and behaviour of North Sea cod (Gadus morhua) studied using electronic data storage tags

The migratory behaviour of adult cod was studied using electronic data storage tags (DSTs). Fifty-eight cod were externally tagged with LOTEK LTD-100 DSTs and released off Lowestoft in March and April 1999. Twenty-two tags were returned by March 2000. Individuals demonstrated significant shifts in behaviour patterns that were associated with migration and residence on feeding grounds. During migration, individuals were very active and utilised a large vertical range. In contrast, individuals demonstrated low activity and a much reduced vertical range whilst on summer feeding grounds. Use of the Tidal Location Method showed that individuals dispersed to feeding grounds in the central and southern North Sea. Our results demonstrate that individual-based studies of fish behaviour can provide information relevant to fisheries management.
Bad Leaders/Misleaders

Although we need the good witness of others to form our best selves, an argument can be made that we need to study the dark side of the equation as well. The understanding and analysis of bad leaders/misleaders is an important component of leadership studies. However, we argue that bad leaders should never be defined as leaders. Leadership aims at the good of its communities, while misleaders do not. Ethics, therefore, is not only essential to the practice of leadership but to the very meaning of the term.
Free radicals and antioxidants

Various normal reactions and functions generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other compounds that are characterized by their high potential for causing oxidative damage to the body's DNA, proteins, membranes, and other components. Their high and unspecific reactivity gives them the power to modify most biological macromolecules and disrupt their structure. These relentless attacks are thought to be a major cause for progressive functional decline with aging and major chronic diseases of adulthood including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. Nonetheless, some ROS are of vital importance for signaling and immune defense, and their elimination would probably be harmful. Several enzymecatalyzed reactions detoxify ROS and various redox-active metabolites provide additional protection. To a large extent, ROS are the non-stoichiometric byproducts of oxidative phosphorylation. When an electron in the respiratory chain moves to oxygen instead of the next acceptor in line, superoxide anion forms. Another major source of ROS is the breakdown of purine nucleotides in peroxisomes. The main characteristic of ROS is their high reactivity with low specificity. They oxidize and crosslink proteins, fragment DNA and alter its bases, and disrupt membranes by oxidizing their fatty acids.
Static growth of mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa selects for non-mucoid variants that have acquired flagellum-dependent motility.

When mucoid (alginate-producing) Pseudomonas aeruginosa FRD1 is grown under low oxygen conditions in liquid culture (static), non-mucoid variants appear and eventually predominate. This conversion is not readily observed in aerobic, shaken cultures or static cultures containing the alternative electron acceptor nitrate. In this study, it is shown that the non-mucoid variants that arise under static growth conditions are almost exclusively algT mutants. It has been shown that AlgT not only positively regulates alginate biosynthesis, but also directly or indirectly negatively regulates flagellum synthesis. Indeed, during static growth, conversion to the non-mucoid phenotype is accompanied by the acquisition of flagellum-mediated motility. Surprisingly, by using a reporter gene fusion with the fliC promoter (pfliC::xylE), it was found that fliC expression begins within hours of static growth and is reversible after returning the culture to shaking conditions. The ability of the strain to produce alginate seems to be irrelevant to this phenomenon, as an AlgT+ ΔalgD strain showed identical results. Thus, it is suggested that the first effect of static growth is to induce motility as an adaptive measure in the presence of wild-type algT. This may afford P. aeruginosa the ability to swim towards areas of higher oxygen concentrations. Subsequent to this, algT mutations are likely to secure the motile phenotype.
Leaching and reconstruction at the surfaces of dissolving chain-silicate minerals

THE pathways by which silicate minerals transform to solutes, clays and amorphous solids are relevant to a wide range of natural, industrial and even medical concerns. For example, weathered layers on silicate may have a high sorptive capacity, affecting nutrient and contamination retention in soils; less obviously, such layers on inhaled silicate grains might affect their interaction with lung tissue. Here we report the observation, in dissolution experiments on a range of chain-silicate minerals, of the formation of a near-surface amorphous region enriched in silicon and hydrogen, and depleted in other metals. Raman spectroscopy and ion-beam elemental analysis show that portions of the polymeric silicate anion in this region spontaneously reconstruct to form a network that contains four-member silicate rings and areas of incipient crystallization. If hydrolysable metals interact with the silicate anion during this reconstruction, clays and amorphous products may form directly. This process complements traditional dissolution-precipitation pathways of mineral diagenesis1, as the silicon does not have to be present in solution before being incorporated into a growing secondary phase.
Chigo in the Medieval Japanese Imagination

This article explores the representation of chigo—adolescent males attached to Buddhist temples or aristocratic households who were educated, fed, and housed in exchange for personal, including sexual, services—in medieval Japan. The author discusses how chigo were depicted in historical records, in contemporary short fictional narratives, and in a “Chinese” legend invented by Japanese Tendai monks; the chigo are also compared to the Tang consort Yang Guifei. Fictional and real chigo tend to fall victim to violence, and it is argued that the chigo functions as a surrogate sacrificial victim, a cultural figure whose role is outlined most prominently in the works of Rene Girard.
Landau damping and steepening of interplanetary nonlinear hydromagnetic waves

According to collisionless shock theories, the thickness of a shock front should be of the order of the characteristic lengths of the plasmas (the Debye length, the proton and Larmor radii, etc.). Chao and Lepping (1974), found, however, that 30% of the observed interplanetary shocks at 1 AU have thicknesses much larger than these characteristic lengths. It is the objective of the present paper to investigate whether the competition between nonlinear steepening and Landau damping can result in a wave of finite width that does not steepen into a shock. A heuristic model of such a wave is developed and tested by the examples of two structures that are qualitatively shocklike, but thicker than expected from theory. It is found that both events are in the process of steepening and their limiting thicknesses due to Landau damping are greater than the corresponding proton Larmor radius for both structures as observed at Mariner 5 (nearer the sun than 1 AU) but are comparable to the proton Larmor radius for Explorer (near 1 AU) observations.
Improving the performance of PCA and JPEG2000 for hyperspectral image compression

In our previous paper, it has been demonstrated that principal component analysis (PCA) can outperform discrete wavelet transform (DWT) in spectral coding for hyperspectral image compression and a superior rate distortion performance can be provided in conjunction with 2-dimensional (2D) spatial coding using JPEG2000. The resulting compression algorithm is denoted as PCA+JPEG2000. In this paper, we further investigate how the data size (i.e., spatial and spectral size) influences the performance of PCA+JPEG2000 and provide a rule of thumb for PCA+JPEG2000 to perform appropriately. We will also show that using a subset of principal components (PCs) (the resulting algorithm is denoted as SubPCA+JPEG2000) can always yield a better rate distortion performance than PCA+JPEG2000 with all the PCs being preserved for compression.
Nonaromatic amidine derivatives as acylation catalysts.

Catalytic activity of nonaromatic bicyclic amidines and bicyclic isothioureas in acylation reactions was found to be remarkably dependent on the sizes of both rings. DBN and especially its thia-analogue (THTP) have been identified as highly active acylation catalysts.
Temperature dependent parameters of stability and protection in an adiabatic niobium titanium coil

Experiments were performed to determine temperature-dependent parameters of stability and protection in a small adiabatic niobium titanium test magnet. Quench propagation velocity and minimum quench energy were measured as a function of operating temperature, transport current, and magnetic field. The operating temperature was controlled in an isothermal environment between 4.2 K and approximately 8 K. A computer code was modified to predict the magnet's behavior accurately within the temperature range. The aim was to develop improved analytical models of the effect of temperature parameters on stability in order to expand the understanding of the thermal behavior of adiabatic magnets operating at temperatures up to approximately 100 K.
A Fluorescence Technique to Measure Intracellular pH of Single Neurons in Brainstem Slices

We have developed a technique to measure the pHi of single neurons in brainstem slices using a fluorescence imaging system. Slices were loaded with the pH-sensitive fluorescent dye BCECF and fluorescence was visualized by exciting the slices alternately at 500 and 440 nm. The emitted fluorescence at 530 nm was directed through an MTI GenIISys image intensifier and MTI CCD72 camera. The images were processed by Image-1/FL software. The ratio of emitted fluorescence at excitation wavelengths of 500 and 440 nm was measured and converted to pH by constructing a calibration curve using high K+/nigericin solutions at pH values ranging from 5.8 to 8.6. BCECF-loaded slices showed distinct spheres of intense fluorescence and diffuse background fluorescence. Slices labeled with a neuron-specific antibody, neuron-specific enolase, showed staining that correlated with the spheres of intense fluorescence of BCECF-loaded cells. Slices labeled with a glial-specific antibody, glial fibrillary acidic protein, showed a diffuse, background staining. Neurons that were retrograde-labeled with rhodamine beads fluoresced as large spheres that exactly correlated with the fluorescence from BCECF-loaded cells. Further, large fluorescent spheres had membrane potentials of about −60 mV and generated action potentials. These findings indicate that the large fluorescent spheres are neurons. pHi was measured in these large spheres (neurons) in the dorsal and ventral medullary chemosensitive regions, and was 7.32 ± 0.02 (n = 110) and 7.38 ± 0.02 (n = 85), respectively.
The 18-electron rule and electron counting in transition metal compounds: theory and application

The 18-electron rule and the corresponding methods for counting the total valence electrons of transition metal complexes are among the most useful basic tools in modern inorganic chemistry, particularly in its application to organometallic species. While in its simplest representation, the 18-electron rule is explained in that a closed, stable noble gas configuration of ns 2(n-1)d 10 np 6 is achieved with 18 valence electrons, this does not adequately explain the trends and exceptions seen in practice. As such, this report presents a deeper discussion of the 18-electron rule via molecular orbital models, stressing the roles of both σ- and π-bonding effects. This discussion thus aims to provide a better understanding of the relationship between electron count and stability, while also illustrating which factors can determine adherence (or not) to this commonly utilized rule. Lastly, the two common methods for electron counting (ionic and covalent models) are also presented with practical examples to provide the complete ability to apply the 18-electron rule.
Influence of weight training exercise and modification of hormonal response on skeletal muscle growth.

To investigate the influence of carbohydrate (CHO) consumption on the acute hormonal response, and chronic adaptation to weight lifting exercise, two studies were conducted. Following a four-hour fast, seven young men (21.3 ± 3.5 y) performed (on two occasions) a nine-station weight lifting protocol, completing 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% of IRM (series 1). Randomly assigned, one session included the ingestion of a non-caloric placebo, and the other, a 6% CHO solution. For series 2, two groups of young men (21.3±1.5 y) participated in 12 weeks of progressive resistance weight training. Training for one group included the ingestion of a non-caloric placebo, and the other, a 6% CHO solution. In series 1, weight lifting exercise with CHO ingestion significantly (p
In vivo release of neuroactive amino acids from the inferior colliculus of the guinea pig using brain microdialysis

Abstract Microdialysis techniques were used to measure in vivo release of neuroactive amino acids from the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) in anesthetized guinea pigs. Concentric dialysis probes were implanted in the ICC and perfused with Ringer solution of various compositions at a flow rate of 2.0 μl/min. Consecutive 10-min fractions of the dialysate were collected for up to 3 h under different experimental conditions, frozen and assayed for amino acid content by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). There was an initial high outflow of amino acids which declined to stable baseline levels after 2 . Following this stabilization period, perfusion with a medium containing 100 mM KCl produced an increase in the extracellular levels of aspartate (Asp), glutamate (Glu), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine (Gly). Only the increases in GABA and Gly were statistically significant. None of the increases occurred in the presence of 2.0 mM cobalt suggesting the release of amino acids is calcium dependent. Histological examination revealed that tissue damage was minimal and largely confined to the immediate vicinity of the probes. We were also able to show that the blood brainbarrier (BBB) appeared to heal 2 h after probe implantation. Thus, following intravenous injection of [3H]α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), which does not cross the intact BBB, no isotope was recovered in the dialysate. These results demonstrate that microdialysis is a unique and suitable method to monitor changes in the extracellular levels of amino acid neurotransmitters in a central auditory structure. They also provide in vivo data that supports the notion that inhibitory amino acids play a functional role in processing acoustic information in the inferior colliculus.
Estimation of graphical models whose conditional independence graphs are interval graphs and its application to modelling linkage disequilibrium

Estimation of graphical models whose conditional independence graph comes from the general class of decomposable graphs is compared with estimation under the more restrictive assumption that the graphs are interval graphs. This restriction is shown to improve the mixing of the Markov chain Monte Carlo search to find an optimal model with little effect on the haplotype frequencies implied by the estimates. A further restriction requiring intervals to cover specified points is also considered and shown to be appropriate for modelling associations between alleles at genetic loci. As well as usefully describing the patterns of associations, these estimates can also be used to model population haplotype frequencies in statistical gene mapping methods such as linkage analysis and association studies.
Light and fine Structural Studies of Natural and Artificially Induced Egg Growth of Penaeid Shrimp1

Egg differentiation in penaeids induced to undergo gonad maturation by eyestalk ablation has been examined with light and electron microscopes. Controls consisted of both wild brown and white shrimp (Penaeus aztecus and P. setiferus) caught in various stages of ovarian maturation. These animals were sacrificed and ovarian tissues were excised and fixed in a cold (4 C) aldehyde mixture, post-fixed in osmic acid, dehydrated in acetone, and embedded in an epoxy resin. Experimental animals included laboratory-reared, wild immature, and wild mature animals which had resorbed ovarian tissues. These animals were ablated with hot surgical clamps and sacrificed at various time intervals. Tissues were prepared as described for the controls. The development of ova from experimental animals was compared to control animals. In the stages early oocyte, cisternal phase, platelet phase, cortical rod phase, and mature oocyte, the experimental oocytes appeared the same as the control tissues. Though further studies (e.g., biochemical and zygote development) are needed, these preliminary fine structural studies are encouraging. While ablation, a mechanical process, may not be the technique of choice for maturing shrimp, it does indicate that manipulation of the endocrine system will be successful.
Straining and wrinkling processes during turbulence-premixed flame interaction measured using temporally-resolved diagnostics

Abstract The dynamical processes of flame surface straining and wrinkling that occur as turbulence interacts with a premixed flame were measured using cinema-stereoscopic PIV (CS-PIV) and orthogonal-plane cinema-stereoscopic PIV (OPCS-PIV). These diagnostics provided temporally resolved measurements of turbulence–flame interaction at frame rates of up to 3 kHz and spatial resolutions as small as 280 μ m . Previous descriptions of flame straining and wrinkling have typically been derived based on a canonical interaction between a pair of counter-rotating vortices and a planar flame surface. However, it was found that this configuration did not properly represent real turbulence–flame interaction. Interactions resembling the canonical configuration were observed in less than 10% of the recorded frames. Instead, straining and wrinkling were generally caused more geometrically complex turbulence, consisting of large groups of structures that could be multiply curved and intertwined. The effect of the interaction was highly dependent on the interaction geometry. Furthermore, even when the turbulence did exist in the canonical geometry, the straining and wrinkling of the flame surface were not well characterized by the vortical structures. A new mechanistic description of the turbulence–flame interaction was therefore identified and confirmed by the measurements. In this description, flame surface straining is caused by coherent structures of fluid-dynamic strain-rate (strain-rate structures). The role of vortical structures is to curve existing flame surface, creating wrinkles. By simultaneously considering both forms of turbulent structure, turbulence–flame interactions in both the canonical configuration and more complex geometries could be understood.
Quasi-static evaluation of a modular and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Cell

Extensive cost, time and effort associated with setting up a production line often inhibits transitioning novel ideas into commercialized products. Sustainable revenue generation in such enterprises requires production in large quantities in order to lower the unit cost, and thus improving the marketability. Although this model has been successful and is being followed by most of the industries today, it also limits the scope for new, non-conventional products; especially in the early stages of development where manufacturing risks are higher. One way of reducing this risk can be through improving the reusability of the manufacturing hardware, thus allowing quick and inexpensive transition among different iterations and even different products with the same set of hardware. In this paper, we present such a novel and revolutionary solution for flexible manufacturing. Consisting of a unique set of hardware and software innovations, our proposed system offers a viable way to low volume manufacturing and low risk prototyping of novel product ideas. Called as the “Modular and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Cell (MRMC)”, this proposed system enables quick and easy setting up of a fully automated robotic manipulation and assembly platform, optimized for specific products. The system relies on a novel and proprietary multifunctional interconnect design, built-in to various hardware modules of the system, and a distributed intelligence based self-locating software architecture to achieve almost any possible assembler configuration that is suitable for a specific set of tasks. Necessary and sufficient precision level is maintained via a novel precision optimized hybrid controller and path planner throughout the automation. Competitive specifications in terms of travel range, resolution, accuracy, repeatability, force output, size, weight, power ratings etc., as compared to standard commercial manipulators, has been experimentally verified for the proposed Modular and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Cell (MRMC).
Seasonal Variation in Chemical Composition of Forage Brassicas. II. Mineral Imbalances and Antiquality Constituents

This paper reports on seasonal variation of Ca/P, K/(Ca+Mg), and (K+Ca)/Mg ratios, and concentrations of thiocyanate (SCN − ) and nitrate (NO 3 − -N) in various Brassica crops. Nitrate toxicity risk may be greater for ruminants grazed on autumn-grown Brassica than those grazed on summer-grown Brassica. Supplementation of P and iodine, controlled intake of Brassica crops, or addition of roughages should reduce concerns about mineral imbalances or antigrowth constituents associated with these forages
High-order harmonic emission from mixed fields

Production of sum-frequency radiation and even'' harmonics from the mixed 1[omega] (1053 nm) and 2[omega] (527 nm) field is observed and compared to measurements of the relative conversion efficiency of the independent fields. By controlling the relative polarization of the two fields, we can control the mixing efficiency and produce coherent extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation polarized orthogonally to the strong driving field. Extension to produce XUV radiation of arbitrary polarization is discussed.
Units of phonological recoding of word-like stimuli used by children and adults

Third-grade, sixth-grade, and coUege-age subjects performed a “same”-“different” task, using a phonological identity criterion for visually presented pseudowords. Consistent with Krueger’s (1978) model of single-glance “same”-“different” judgments, judgments of phonologically matching stimuli were made more quickly and less accurately than were judgments of phonologically nonmatching stimuli, and error rates and RTs were longer for phonologically similar nonmatching pairs than for phonologically dissimilar nonmatching pairs. It was concluded that subjects of all ages tested could process phonologically recoded information in a holistic fashion, and the implications of these conclusions with respect to reading processes are discussed.
A time invariant approach to multirate optimal regulator design

The scope of this paper is to develop a methodology for a time invariant, single rate, approach to optimal multirate regulator design. The proposed method is developed employing a time invariant expanded discrete time model for the multirate system capable of providing all the information between sampling instants needed to compute the corresponding control weighting matrices for each base rate interval and then to accumulate all the control effort at the last base rate sampling interval for which all sampling switches are synchronized. In this way, the design of an optimal multirate regulator reduces to an equivalent single rate design of the same dimensionality as the original sampled system
Smart grid system state measurement estimation over wireless channels

The transmission of delay sensitive smart grid system state measurements over wireless channels is considered. In the system under consideration, remote sensors obtain noisy state measurements and send these measurements over wireless channels to the control center. Our goal is to design transmission schemes that minimize a weighted sum of the square errors of the state measurements estimates. Due to the delay sensitive nature of the state measurements, low complexity memoryless coding and decoding strategies are considered. Optimal power allocation strategy, both over the fading state and over the measurements, are derived. It is shown that if there is only one measurement, the optimal power allocation strategy is a modified version of the well-known water-filling solution: sticky water-filling solution. For the general case, if the observation matrix is a diagonal matrix, the optimal power allocation over time is still sticky water-filling solution. The optimal power allocation over the state measurements is simply to put all available power to the most important measurement according to a criteria to be specified in the paper. For the general observation matrix, an asymptotically optimal power allocation scheme is presented.
Effects of levetiracetam, an antiepileptic drug, on memory impairments associated with aging and Alzheimer’s disease in mice

Abstract Emerging evidence suggests that elevated hippocampal activation may be important for disrupting cognitive functions in aged subjects as well as patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Therefore, reducing deleterious overactivity of the hippocampus may have therapeutic benefits. This study was designed to compare the effects of levetiracetam, an antiepileptic drug, on memory deficits associated with normal aging and AD in mouse models. Pretraining administration of levetiracetam ameliorated memory impairments of aged C57BL/6 mice (17–20 months of age) in the contextual fear conditioning paradigm. Acute levetiracetam immediately after training was also efficacious in rescuing contextual memory decline in aged mice, whereas administration at a later posttraining interval (3 h) had no effect. These results suggest that suppressing overexcitation with acute levetiracetam around the time of acquisition or early consolidation may be sufficient to reverse memory decline associated with aging. In contrast, pretraining administration of levetiracetam was not able to rescue memory deficits in 5XFAD transgenic mice harboring amyloid plaque pathologies at moderate (6–8 months old) or massive (12–15 months old) levels, differentiating between normal aging- and AD-related memory impairments in the responsiveness to acute levetiracetam treatment.
Unmasking "John Doe" defendants: the case for caution in creating new legal standards

The rise of the Internet has created the opportunity for individuals inexpensively to publish their views on various issues to a wide audience. While this new avenue for expression is usually used for legitimate ends, it is also frequently used by individuals to disseminate defamatory or otherwise actionable statements under cover of anonymity. As a result, there has been in recent years a great deal of litigation brought by victims of such anonymous statements against the individuals responsible for those statements. A common theme in these so-called "John Doe cases" is that the plaintiff seeks to learn through discovery the identity of the anonymous defendant --- without which the plaintiff is effectively precluded from serving process or asserting its rights.This category of cases has attracted enormous public attention in both general interest and legal publications, substantial litigation resources from public-interest groups such as Public Citizen and the American Civil Liberties Union, and considerable academic, journalistic, and governmental interest. When these suits first became common in the late 1990s, internet service providers routinely identified defendants in response even to non-judicial subpoenas, often without giving the defendant an opportunity to oppose the discovery; even when courts received an opposition, the discovery was almost always granted, usually with little in the way of reasoned analysis. In the past approximately two years, however, opposition has mounted on First Amendment grounds and there has been a substantial shift to the other extreme, with courts erecting walls against disclosure, often in derogation of other core rights.While John Doe cases have thus suddenly become relatively common and have attracted considerable public interest, there has to date been little analysis at the appellate level of the appropriate legal standards to be applied. The first appellate court seriously to attempt to conduct such an analysis was the New Jersey Appellate Division, which on July 11, 2001, issued its decision in Dendrite International, Inc. v. John Doe, along with a companion decision in Immunomedics, Inc. v. Jean Doe. These decisions, which are likely to provide the starting point for much future John Doe analysis, are discussed in the following section.
A forward diversity index

We introduce an indicator to measure the diffusion of scientific research. Consistent with Stirling's 3-factor diversity model, the diffusion score captures not only variety and balance, but also disparity among citing article cohorts. We apply it to benchmark article samples from six 1995 Web of Science subject categories (SCs) to trace trends in knowledge diffusion over time since publication. Findings indicate that, for most SCs, diffusion scores steadily increase with time. Mathematics is an outlier. We employ a typology of citation trends among benchmark SCs and correlate this with diffusion scores. We also find that self-cites do not, in most cases, significantly influence diffusion scores.
Bowel displacement for CT-guided tumor radiofrequency ablation: techniques and anatomic considerations.

Abstract Purpose: To describe safety and efficacy of bowel displacement techniques and determine lesion characteristics that are likely to necessitate bowel displacement. Patients and Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent CT-guided renal tumor radiofrequency ablation (RFA) (January 2006–August 2008) was conducted. Techniques included hydrodissection, additional manual torquing of the RFA probe, and additional angioplasty balloon interposition. The goal was to displace bowel from the probe by at least 10 to 20 mm. Air-filled balloon interposition was intended as a thermal barrier. Pre- and postbowel displacement distances were measured by CT. Saline volumes were recorded. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis was used to determine the influence of laterality, renal location, and morphology of renal lesions on their proximity to the colon and use of bowel displacement techniques. Results: RFA was performed on 57 consecutive patients. Eleven (19%) patients had bowel displacement attem...
Sexual identity scale: A new self-assessment measure

An individual's subjective evaluation of sexual identity differs from objective evaluation by sex role researchers. This study reports initial validity and reliability data on a new measure of self-ascribed sexual identity: the Sexual Identity Scale (SIS). SIS considers four functional sex dimensions on the basis of components described in both sex and age role literature. SIS and two modified Bem Sex Role Inventory instruments—a Masculinity Trait Index (MTI) and a Femininity Trait Index (FTI)—were administered to an adult sample of 380 men and 380 women aged 20–80. Reliability, assessed with LISREL VI and Cronbach's alpha, was found to be high. LISREL VI findings provide construct validity, both convergent and divergent. The nature of association of biological sex and sex trait measures, high interitem SIS correlations, as well as divergence from the modified sex trait indices (MTI and FTI) also support validity. The study's results and implications are discussed.