cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigating the momentum balance of a plasma pinch: An air-side stereoscopic imaging system for locating probes

The momentum balance of a plasma pinch in the Reconnection Scaling Experiment (RSX) is examined in three dimensions using several repositionable, insertable probes. A new camera-based system described here triangulates the locations of the probe tips so that their measurements are spatially registered. The optical system locates probes to within ±1.5 mm of their absolute 3D position in the vessel and to within ±0.7 mm relative to other probes, on the order of the electron inertial length (1−2 mm).
Raman Vibrational Evidence for the Presence of Conjugated Regions in Individual Micron Diameter Polystyrene Particles Irradiated with Visible Radiation

Micron diameter particles containing or composed solely of polystyrene have been reported to become highly fluorescent shortly after immobilization in a visible optical trap (488.0 nm). It has been proposed that extensive regions of conjugation in the polymer backbone are responsible for this emission. Raman spectroscopic evidence is described in this report that confirms the presence of polymer backbone conjugation. In some experiments Raman signals were enhanced by incorporating silver nanoparticles into the micron-diameter polystyrene particles by photoreduction of silver ion. By monitoring the intensity changes of the C−H and CC stretching regions while an individual particle is immobilized in the optical trap, the generation of extensive conjugation regions can be observed over time. In addition, the presence of the silver nanoclusters increased the rate and magnitude of the reactions that lead to polystyrene conjugation.
The N-terminal Extension of Gαq Is Critical for Constraining the Selectivity of Receptor Coupling

Characteristically, an individual member of the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors can interact only with a limited number of the many structurally closely related G protein heterotrimers that are expressed within a cell. Interestingly, the N termini of two G protein α subunits, Gαq and Gα11, differ from those of other α subunits in that they display a unique, highly conserved six-amino acid extension. To test the hypothesis that this sequence element is critical for proper receptor recognition, we prepared a Gαq deletion mutant (−6q) lacking these first six amino acids. The −6q construct (or wild type Gαq as a control) was coexpressed (in COS-7 cells) with several different Gi/o- or Gs-coupled receptors, and ligand-induced increases in inositol phosphate production were determined as a measure of G protein activation. Whereas these receptors did not efficiently interact with wild type Gαq, most of them gained the ability to productively couple to −6q. Additional experiments indicated that the observed functional promiscuity of −6q is not due to overexpression (as compared with wild type Gαq) or to a lack of palmitoylation. We conclude that the N-terminal extension characteristic for Gαq/11 proteins is critical for constraining the receptor coupling selectivity of these subunits, indicative of a novel mechanism by which the fidelity of receptor-G protein interactions can be regulated.
Engineering Functional Antithrombin Exosites in α1-Proteinase Inhibitor That Specifically Promote the Inhibition of Factor Xa and Factor IXa

We have previously shown that residues Tyr-253 and Glu-255 in the serpin antithrombin function as exosites to promote the inhibition of factor Xa and factor IXa when the serpin is conformationally activated by heparin. Here we show that functional exosites can be engineered at homologous positions in a P1 Arg variant of the serpin α1-proteinase inhibitor (α1PI) that does not require heparin for activation. The combined effect of the two exosites increased the association rate constant for the reactions of α1PI with factors Xa and IXa 11–14-fold, comparable with their rate-enhancing effects on the reactions of heparin-activated antithrombin with these proteases. The effects of the engineered exosites were specific, α1PI inhibitor reactions with trypsin and thrombin being unaffected. Mutation of Arg-150 in factor Xa, which interacts with the exosite residues in heparin-activated antithrombin, abrogated the ability of the engineered exosites in α1PI to promote factor Xa inhibition. Binding studies showed that the exosites enhance the Michaelis complex interaction of α1PI with S195A factor Xa as they do with the heparin-activated antithrombin interaction. Replacement of the P4-P2 AIP reactive loop residues in the α1PI exosite variant with a preferred IEG substrate sequence for factor Xa modestly enhanced the reactivity of the exosite mutant inhibitor with factor Xa by ∼2-fold but greatly increased the selectivity of α1PI for inhibiting factor Xa over thrombin by ∼1000-fold. Together, these results show that a specific and selective inhibitor of factor Xa can be engineered by incorporating factor Xa exosite and reactive site recognition determinants in a serpin.
Real-time oceanographic model systems: Present and future applications

Recent developments in instrumentation, telecommunication, and computer technologies, combined with advanced numerical modeling and forecasting techniques, now provide a capability for disseminating accurate forecasts of oceanographic parameters to a growing maritime user community. Real-time measurements can: (1) provide immediate oceanographic information to the user; (2) form the basis for more accurate forecasts; and (3) drive numerical hydrodynamic models to provide even broader marine information services. For the commercial shipping industry, real-time model systems represent an important step beyond reliance on classical tide predictions; making maximum use of available channel depths leads to safer and more economical commerce. Real-time/ forecast circulation will make navigation safer at key locations, and will increase the success of search and rescue operations and the clean-up of oil spills and other hazardous materials. Real-time dynamical model forecasting itself represents an important interpretative physical tool which can increase our understanding of the geophysical phenomena that affect the maritime community everyday. Uses for sophisticated real-time model systems, like uses for satellite imagery, will continue to develop.
Arrayed cellular microenvironments for identifying culture and differentiation conditions for stem, primary and rare cell populations

Arrayed cellular microenvironments for identifying culture and differentiation conditions for stem, primary and rare cell populations
A framework for the value of information in inventory replenishment

Abstract Technological advances and changes in supply chain management practices have combined to draw attention to the value of information sharing in inventory replenishment. Academic research has produced seemingly conflicting results due to differences in the type of information that is shared, the supply chain structure, and the selection and parameterization of performance goals. This research provides a framework to help explain apparent differences in the extant literature. Our purpose is to understand what determines the value of information. With this specific view, we establish a set of research questions and suggest directions for future research. We introduce a research framework organized around the current literature and established theory. This framework is then evaluated by collectively classifying and coding results from the literature. Using a split-sample, least squares regression analysis, our results provide tentative empirical evidence that supports the framework, but also indicate that there are additional complex relationships among modeling parameters and assumptions that present opportunities for future research.
Social organization of a stable natal group of captive Guyanese squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus sciureus).

Socioecological models suggest competition for food, foraging efficiency, predation, infanticide risk, and the costs of dispersal regulate primate social structure and organization. Wild populations of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri spp.) appear to conform to the predictions of the predation/competition socioecological model (Sterck et al. in Behav Ecol Sociobiol 41:291–309, 1997) and the dispersal/foraging efficiency model (Isbell in Kinship and behavior in primates. Oxford University, New York, pp 71–108, 2004). However, squirrel monkeys in captivity are reported to maintain patterns of social behavior observed in their wild conspecifics despite different food distribution, predation risk, and dispersal options. This behavioral similarity suggests squirrel monkeys’ social behavior has limited flexibility to respond to environmental changes. In this study, we experimentally evaluated the flexibility of social behavior within a captive group of S. sciureus. First, we determined whether dominance and affiliative relationships observed under normal laboratory conditions (with abundant, widely distributed, food; no dispersal option; and no predators) better matched published reports of relationships among wild conspecifics or the predictions of the predation/competition model. Second, we made preferred food items defensible to determine whether dominance interactions would become more frequent and linear, as predicted by the model. The model correctly predicted rates of dominance behavior in both conditions and a linear hierarchy in the defensible food condition but did not predict the consistent affiliative relationships and linear dominance hierarchy observed in normal lab conditions. Although hierarchies were linear and male dominant, manipulating food distribution changed the dominant individual within each sex. Our findings suggest interaction rates adapt more rapidly than social structure to environmental changes in Saimiri and recommend caution in interpreting tests of socioecological models.
Manifold parametrizations by eigenfunctions of the Laplacian and heat kernels

We use heat kernels or eigenfunctions of the Laplacian to construct local coordinates on large classes of Euclidean domains and Riemannian manifolds (not necessarily smooth, e.g., with (alpha) metric). These coordinates are bi-Lipschitz on large neighborhoods of the domain or manifold, with constants controlling the distortion and the size of the neighborhoods that depend only on natural geometric properties of the domain or manifold. The proof of these results relies on novel estimates, from above and below, for the heat kernel and its gradient, as well as for the eigenfunctions of the Laplacian and their gradient, that hold in the non-smooth category, and are stable with respect to perturbations within this category. Finally, these coordinate systems are intrinsic and efficiently computable, and are of value in applications.
Impossibility of a Defocusing Quadrupole-Lens System

It is proven that in an orthogonal quadrupole system a beam entering parallel to the optic axis is necessarily brought to at least one point or line focus.
The SFT property does not imply finite dimension for power series rings

Abstract In this paper we give an example to show that if R is finite-dimensional and has the SFT property, then R〚t〛 is not necessarily SFT, nor finite-dimensional.
On the relation between continuum plasticity and dislocation theories

Abstract A theory of elastic-plastic flow based upon dislocation mechanics is presented. The logical structure of the theory parallels the Green-Naghdi plasticity theory, thereby permitting direct interpretation of the classical continuum plasticity assumptions in terms of dislocation mechanics. Thermodynamical restrictions derivable from the Clausius-Duhem inequality are discussed in terms of dislocation motion.
Expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 on high endothelial venules and on non-lymphoid antigen handling cells: interdigitating cells, antigen transporting cells and follicular dendritic cells.

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)1 has been implicated in the development of germinal center reactions in vitro, and the present study was undertaken to determine the distribution of ICAM-1 in active germinal centers in vivo and in murine secondary lymphoid tissues in general. Anti-ICAM-1-specific monoclonal antibodies were used in conjunction with immunohistochemistry at both the light and ultrastructural levels of resolution. Examination of cryostat sections of lymph nodes, spleens, and Peyer's patches revealed that anti-ICAM-1 distinctly labeled cells in the light zones of germinal centers, a few cells in the T cell zones (e.g. paracortex of lymph nodes), cells in the sinus floor of the subcapsular sinuses of lymph nodes, and high endothelial venules (HEV). Ultrastructural studies revealed that the cells labeling with anti-ICAM-1 in germinal centers were follicular dendritic cells (FDC) which appeared to have more ICAM-1 than any other cell type. The surfaces of well-developed, intricate, convoluted FDC processes were intensely labeled even under conditions where B cells appeared negative. Interdigitating cells (IDC) were also labeled as were certain endothelial cells in the HEV. The cells in the subcapsular sinus floor labeling with anti-ICAM-1 were the “antigen transporting cells” (ATC) that carry antigen-antibody complexes into lymph node follicles. We suspect ATC are FDC precursors which mature into FDC in the follicles. Interestingly, FDC, IDC, and ATC are 3 important accessory cells known to handle antigens in specific compartments of lymphoid tissues. The marked localization of this adhesion molecule on these critical antigen handling cells supports the concept that ICAM-1 is important in providing the intercellular adhesion necessary for optimal initiation of immune responses in vivo.
Benz[j]aceanthrylene: a novel polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with bacterial mutagenic activity.

Abstract Initial studies on the mutagenicity and metabolism of a novel cyclopenta-PAH, benz[j]aceanthrylene, are reported in the Salmonella bacterial system. The spectrum of activity of benz[j]aceanthrylene over the 5 Ames tester strains is similar to that of benzo[a]pyrene, and the dose-response curves for strain TA98 are comparable. Like other biologically active PAH, benz[j]aceanthrylene is a frame-shift mutagen requiring metabolic activation. An interesting feature of the S9 dependence of activity is the low concentration (≅10-fold smaller than for benzo[a]pyrene) at which optimal activity is observed. The 1,2-dihydro-1,2-diol (product of metabolism of the cyclopenta-ring) appears to be the predominant metabolite, and implicates the 1,2-oxide as the ultimate mutagenic species.
Pictures, repetition, and young children’s oral prose learning1

A question of contemporary interest to educational researchers-and one of potential practical significance to educators-is whether pictures can be used to facilitate children's learning. Although the answer to this question has been overwhelmingly affirmative in laboratory tasks designed by psychologists to measure children's simple associative learning and recall (cf. Levin, 1976; Reese, 1970), evidence pertaining to the efficacy of pictures has been less con-
The nature of active sites on catalytic alumina: Information from site poisoning by sulfur-containing molecules

Abstract The natures of low-temperature ( cis/trans rotation in olefins, but have virtually no effect on sites that promote deuterium exchange reactions of olefins and aromatics. Sulfur dioxide, on the other hand, affects neither type of site at 25 °C, but is “lethal” to both types when absorded at 400 °C. The results have been correlated with those of previous infrared, EPR, and selective poisoning studies. Olefin isomerization sites on alumina have a surface density of ≈5 × 10 13 /cm 2 and consist of certain exposed Al 3+ ions at the surface, but may require the presence of adjacent O 2− ions. Deuterium exchange sites are much less numerous (0.3–0.8 × 10 13 /cm 2 ) and are associated with a very small fraction of highly energetic surface O 2− ions. At 25 °C, the two types of sites apparently operate simultaneously but independently of each other.
Set the Pace: Nutrition Education DVD for Head Start Parents.

Young children's dietary intake is important for ideal growth and development; however, many children still consume diets low in fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown that children's food-related knowledge, preferences, and consumption are learned at an early age and reflect those of their parents. Mothers influence their children's diet through modeling eating behaviors and practices. Nutrition education for parents is an enabling factor to modify the parental feeding and eating behaviors, consequently affecting their children's eating habits. Video has been used successfully as a nutrition education venue. In a recent evaluation of a Food StampOffice Resource Kit, the video portion was most often recalled. Short videos have also been used successfully within the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program as a method of modeling food-related behavior. The Set the Pace DVD was developed for parents and guardians of preschool children in Head Start to complement existing teachers' nutrition training modules. Using the Social Ecological Model (SEM) as a guide, project developers recognized that the material needed to go beyond the individual. In the SEM outlined by
The Baldwin-Lomax model for separated and wake flows using the entropy envelope concept

Implementation of the Baldwin-Lomax algebraic turbulence model is difficult and ambiguous within flows characterized by strong viscous-inviscid interactions and flow separations. A new method of implementation is proposed which uses an entropy envelope concept and is demonstrated to ensure the proper evaluation of modeling parameters. The method is simple, computationally fast, and applicable to both wake and boundary layer flows. The method is general, making it applicable to any turbulence model which requires the automated determination of the proper maxima of a vorticity-based function. The new method is evalulated within two test cases involving strong viscous-inviscid interaction.
Wildfire and spruce beetle outbreak: simulation of interacting disturbances in the central Rocky Mountains.

Infrequent large-scale natural disturbance regimes are an integral component of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) forests of the central Rocky Mountains. Wildfires, bark beetle outbreaks, winds,...
Scintillation Reduction Method for Photometric Measurements

We explore the reduction of scintillation via differencing signals from binary stars. Theory has been extended to include temporal and angular separation effects simultaneously. For meter-class telescopes, scintillation for a 2'' binary is reduced by greater than a factor of 3. Aperture averaging for differential scintillation had a D-1.4±0.1 dependence for exposure times ≤0.25 s versus D-1.1±0.1 for absolute scintillation. For 1.5 m diameter telescopes, the influence of binary separation on differential scintillation for θ < 5'' went as θ0.6 for instantaneous scintillation and rose slightly with exposure time. If the deconvolution problem can be solved, differencing signals from binary stars offers the potential for increased photometric accuracy.
Solutions of the Kirkwood-Salsburg equation for particles with finite-range nonpairwise repulsion

For a system of classical particles interacting via stable pairwise integrable and positive many-body (nonpairwise) finite-range potentials, we prove the existence of a solution of the symmetrized Kirkwood-Salsburg equation.
Sex-specific effects of corticosterone on hippocampally mediated learning in young rats.

Abstract Glucocorticoids administered during development can have lasting consequences on learning performance and brain development. Whereas most studies administer glucocorticoids to the young rat during the so-called stress-hyporesponsiveness period (SHRP), we examined the effects of corticosterone pellets implanted at the conclusion of the SHRP on two forms of eye blink conditioning (EBC). Analysis of blood samples indicated that pellets implanted on Day 15 released the bulk of the corticosterone before Day 21. In tests of EBC beginning on Day 28, corticosterone-treated males, but not females, showed impaired performance in the hippocampally mediated “trace” version of the EBC paradigm. There were no effects of corticosterone on the “delay” version of the task. These results are consistent with earlier findings that the hippocampus is particularly sensitive to elevated glucocorticoid levels. Moreover, the findings suggest that glucocorticoids administered after the SHRP may produce subtle effects on learning performance akin to those that have been reported in children.
Weight regain in U.S. adults who experienced substantial weight loss, 1999-2002.

Background Relatively few studies have focused on who is at risk for weight regain after weight loss and how to prevent it. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and predictors of weight regain in U.S. adults who had experienced substantial weight loss. Methods Data were analyzed from the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). This study examined U.S. adults aged 20–84 years who were overweight or obese at their maximum weight (body mass index ≥25) and had experienced substantial weight loss (weighed 10% less than their maximum weight 1 year before they were surveyed) ( n =1310). Results Compared to their weight 1 year ago, 7.6% had continued to lose weight (>5%), 58.9% had maintained their weight (within 5%), and 33.5% had regained weight (>5%). Factors associated with weight regain (vs weight maintenance or loss) included Mexican American ethnicity (versus non-Hispanic white) (odds ratio [OR]=2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.3–3.1), losing a greater percentage of maximum weight (≥20% vs 10% to 10 years) (OR=2.1; 95% CI=1.2–3.7), reporting greater daily screen time (≥4 hours vs 0–1 hour) (OR=2.0; 95% CI=1.3–3.2), and attempting to control weight (OR=1.8; 95% CI=1.1–3.0). Finally, weight regain was higher in those who were sedentary (OR=1.8; 95% CI=1.0–3.0) or not meeting public health recommendations for physical activity (OR=2.0; 95% CI=1.2–3.5). Conclusions How to achieve the skills necessary for long-term maintenance of weight loss in the context of an obesogenic environment remains a challenge.
Atomic limit and polarons in conducting molecular crystals

The macrocyclic donor, D = 1,4,5,8,9,12,13,16-octamethyltetrabenzporphinato nickel (II), forms two mixed-valence complexes D+γ (I-3)γ, with γ = 0.36 and 0.97, that combine high electric conductivity σ(T) with a nearly Curie-law magnetic susceptibility. These molecular conductors are the first clear realizations of the partly-filled (γ < 1) atomic limit of the Hubbard models, when the bandwidth 4|t| is small compared to on-site correlations U. Single crystal epr and σ(T) data on γ = 0.36 crystals are interpreted as correlated motion of localized D+ polarons on a one-dimensional …D+γD+γ… stack.
Metaphors in Social Studies Instruction

Abstract Metaphorical thinking can help eliminate some of the confusion over explanatory models in the social sciences and, necessarily, social education by bridging the gap between differing disciplines. Metaphors imaginatively used join two separate thoughts or domains in a single word or phrase that enables individuals to “see” interactions in a new way; to construct, as well as to interpret, a meaningful reality. In the hands of effective instructors metaphorical language can foster critical awareness, expression and problem solving by students, though it must be recognized that if misused they can mislead rather than inform.
Moving Elementary Educators Beyond Laissez-Faire Discussion Toward a Commitment to Social Justice: Lesson Plans for the Dialectic of Freedom

AbstractThis article presents and offers rationale for two lesson plans/assignments for use with prospective and practicing elementary educators studying Maxine Greene’s The Dialectic of Freedom. The ultimate goal is to move our students, most of whom are white and middle-class, to a commitment to pursue social justice through their work with children. The author argues that her elementary education students both at Colgate University and now at SUNY Binghamton are marginalized in most assigned readings of critical theory and even feminist poststructuralist text, by convoluted language and the lack of any stated appreciation for their love of children, however initially romanticized. She proposes that a (currently) missing discourse of spirituality, modelled in The Dialectic of Freedom, might well prove to be the key to engaging the hearts and minds of our elementary education students whose work with young people increasingly requires the same complex classroom practice of the unknowable Elizabeth Ellswo...
What's in a name? eNOS and anaphylactic shock.

In this issue of the JCI, a study by Cauwels and colleagues suggests a central role for eNOS, the endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase, as a mediator of anaphylaxis (see the related article beginning on page 2244). Why is an enzyme originally described as a physiological mediator of vascular homeostasis implicated in the spectacular vascular collapse that is characteristic of anaphylaxis? And is the eNOS involved in anaphylaxis necessarily exerting its effect solely in the vascular endothelium, or might this “endothelial enzyme” actually be playing a more fundamental role in an entirely different tissue? After all, what’s in a name?
Triazamethylenemethane complexes of zirconium and tantalum

Abstract Addition of [Li 2 (THF) 4 ][C(NPh) 3 ] ( 2 ) to a THF solution of Cp * ZrCl 3 (Cp * =C 5 Me 5 ) yields, after recrystallization in Et 2 O, the zwitterionic species Cp * [C(NPh) 3 ]ZrCl 2 Li(Et 2 O)(THF) ( 3 ). Treating 3 with excess methylaluminoxane (MAO) affords a homogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalyst for ethylene polymerization. Addition of LiNPh 2 to 3 allows for Cl substitution to give the new product Cp * [C(NPh) 3 ]Zr(NPh 2 )ClLi(THF) 2 ( 4 ). A single crystal diffraction study of 4 reveals that the [C(NPh) 3 ] ligand is η 2 -bound. The group 5 complex Cp * [C(NPh) 3 ]TaMe 2 ( 5 ) was prepared by addition of 2 to Cp * TaMe 2 Cl(OSO 3 CF 3 ). The X-ray diffraction structure of 5 shows that the [C(NPh) 3 ] ligand is η 2 -bound to tantalum and that, when compared to 4 , there is less electron delocalization across the inner core of [C(NPh) 3 ].
Quantitative Analysis Using Directly Coupled Supercritical Fluid Extraction-Capillary Gas Chromatography (SFE-GC) With a Conventional Split/Splitless Injection Port

Description de la technique pour l'extraction rapide et l'analyse d'echantillons mouilles, de grands echantillons (15 g) et pour l'extraction et le dosage de composes aromatique polycycliques (PAM) a partir de materiaux references (sediments marins), d'hydrocarbures et de mousse de polyurethanne
Cholinesterase activity of whole blood from healthy and schizophrenic individuals.

THE results of work presented here were obtained in connexion with a programme of Rh determination of the employees in the Veterans Administration Hospital when a concurrent analysis of their blood cholinesterase activity was being made. As a corollary to the examination of difference of blood cholinesterase activity between normal and schizophrenic individuals, a statistical assessment of the influence of age, sex, and race on the cholinesterase activity was also performed. This communication was prompted partly by the need for additional information concerning cholinesterase activity of whole blood in schizophrenics and partly by the controversy raised by the data and interpretation obtained from a small number of patients by Rubin1, suggesting that “acetyl cholinesterase inbalance may be a biochemical concomitant of the so-called ‘functional psychosis’.” This work received immediate criticism2 which was then answered by Rubin3 without, however, additional supporting evidence. Recently, Ellman4 found no difference on the basis of erythrocyte acetylcholinesterape levels between healthy and mentally ill persons. The available results on serum cholinesterase activity in mental diseases are equally at variance with one another5,6. Of interest is the extensive work of Kalow et al.1 on a genetic approach to the correlation of human serum cholinesterase to various factors.
A software solution for dynamic stack management on scratch pad memory

In an effort to make processors more power efficient scratch pad memory (SPM) have been proposed instead of caches, which can consume majority of processor power. However, application mapping on SPMs remain a challenge. We propose a dynamic SPM management scheme for program stack data for processor power reduction. As opposed to previous efforts, our solution does not mandate any hardware changes, does not need profile information, and SPM size at compile-time, and seamlessly integrates support for recursive functions. Our technique manages stack frames on SPM using a scratch pad memory manager (SPMM), integrated into the application binary by the compiler. Our experiments on benchmarks from MiBench [15] show average energy savings of 37% along with a performance improvement of 18%.
Nest site and weather affect the personality of harvester ant colonies

Environmental conditions and physical constraints both influence an animal’s behavior. We investigate whether behavioral variation among colonies of the black harvester ant, Messor andrei, remains consistent across foraging and disturbance situations and ask whether consistent colony behavior is affected by nest site and weather. We examined variation among colonies in responsiveness to food baits and to disturbance, measured as a change in numbers of active ants, and in the speed with which colonies retrieved food and removed debris. Colonies differed consistently, across foraging and disturbance situations, in both responsiveness and speed. Increased activity in response to food was associated with a smaller decrease in response to alarm. Speed of retrieving food was correlated with speed of removing debris. In all colonies, speed was greater in dry conditions, reducing the amount of time ants spent outside the nest. While a colony occupied a certain nest site, its responsiveness was consistent in both foraging and disturbance situations, suggesting that nest structure influences colony personality. Key words: behavioral syndromes, collective behavior, harvester ant, Messor andrei, nest structure, personality, plasticity, social insects, temperament. [Behav Ecol]
Accounting for subgroup structure in line-transect abundance estimates of false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) in Hawaiian waters.

For biological populations that form aggregations (or clusters) of individuals, cluster size is an important parameter in linetransect abundance estimation and should be accurately measured. Cluster size in cetaceans has traditionally been represented as the total number of individuals in a group, but group size may be underestimated if group members are spatially diffuse. Groups of false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) can comprise numerous subgroups that are dispersed over tens of kilometers, leading to a spatial mismatch between a detected group and the theoretical framework of linetransect analysis. Three stocks of false killer whales are found within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone of the Hawaiian Islands (Hawaiian EEZ): an insular main Hawaiian Islands stock, a pelagic stock, and a Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) stock. A ship-based line-transect survey of the Hawaiian EEZ was conducted in the summer and fall of 2010, resulting in six systematic-effort visual sightings of pelagic (n=5) and NWHI (n=1) false killer whale groups. The maximum number and spatial extent of subgroups per sighting was 18 subgroups and 35 km, respectively. These sightings were combined with data from similar previous surveys and analyzed within the conventional line-transect estimation framework. The detection function, mean cluster size, and encounter rate were estimated separately to appropriately incorporate data collected using different methods. Unlike previous line-transect analyses of cetaceans, subgroups were treated as the analytical cluster instead of groups because subgroups better conform to the specifications of line-transect theory. Bootstrap values (n=5,000) of the line-transect parameters were randomly combined to estimate the variance of stock-specific abundance estimates. Hawai’i pelagic and NWHI false killer whales were estimated to number 1,552 (CV=0.66; 95% CI=479–5,030) and 552 (CV=1.09; 95% CI=97–3,123) individuals, respectively. Subgroup structure is an important factor to consider in linetransect analyses of false killer whales and other species with complex grouping patterns.
Resource-Constrained Load Balancing Controller for a Parallel Database

This brief documents experimental results using a deterministic dynamic nonlinear system for load balancing, previously reported by Tang et al. in a cluster of computer nodes used for parallel computations in the presence of time delays and resource constraints. While previous publications by the authors have provided theoretical analysis of this load-balancing strategy using an idealized model, and have documented experiments using a simulated database, experimental results using a complete database for DNA profiles are documented here. Evaluation of the proposed load-balancing strategy using an actual database was critical because of several characteristics of the database that cannot be accurately captured using either a simulation model or database, including the variation in times required for the database to perform search operations, the time-varying and task-dependent computational load the database imposes upon each node of the parallel computer, and the time-varying network traffic imposed by both the communication of database search requests and results, mixed with the traffic generated by the load-balancing strategy. Although the load-balancing strategy can be represented in a relatively straightforward manner using mathematics, its implementation is by necessity an approximation to its mathematical description. The reported experimental results serve to validate the superiority of using the controller based on the anticipated work loads to a controller based on local work loads, which has been predicted with experiments using a simulated database and documented in prior publications. The experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the load-balancing strategy using an anticipated pattern of work loads and provide support for scalability of the approach.
Path Trajectory Verification for Robot Manipulators in a Manufacturing Environment

AbstractIn a manufacturing environment where a robotic arm is programmed to follow a specified trajectory such as in welding, painting and soldering, it is often the case that the arm reaches a singular configu- ration, where the programme is stopped, the arm is switched to a new configuration and the motion is continued. This difficulty has been a long-standing problem. This paper presents a mathematical formulation for verifying whether a trajectory can be completed, uninterrupted, avoiding halting of a planned path. In some cases, this formulation also allows the selection of an initial configuration to ensure a smooth path trajectory. The paper presents an analytical formulation for determining barriers to motion inside the workspace of manipulator arms. Crossability analysis of the end-effector on a barrier is addressed. A criterion for selecting an initial configuration that would result in an uninterrupted motion is introduced. The mathematical theory is validated through numerical examples of plan...
Double interdigitated array microelectrode-based impedance biosensor for detection of viable Escherichia coli O157:H7 in growth medium.

Abstract Double interdigitated array microelectrodes (IAM)-based flow cell was developed for an impedance biosensor to detect viable Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells after enrichment in a growth medium. This study was aimed at the design of a simple flow cell with embedded IAM which does not require complex microfabrication techniques and can be used repeatedly with a simple assembly/disassembly step. The flow cell was also unique in having two IAM chips on both top and bottom surfaces of the flow cell, which enhances the sensitivity of the impedance measurement. E. coli O157:H7 cells were grown in a low conductivity yeast–peptone–lactose–TMAO (YPLT) medium outside the flow cell. After bacterial growth, impedance was measured inside the flow cell. Equivalent circuit analysis indicated that the impedance change caused by bacterial growth was due to double layer capacitance and bulk medium resistance. Both parameters were a function of ionic concentration in the medium, which increased during bacterial growth due to the conversion of weakly charged substances present in the medium into highly charged ions. The impedance biosensor successfully detected E. coli O157:H7 in a range from 8.0 to 8.2 × 108 CFU mL−1 after an enrichment growth of 14.7 and 0.8 h, respectively. A logarithmic linear relationship between detection time (TD) in h and initial cell concentration (N0) in CFU mL−1 was TD = −1.73 log N0 + 14.62, with R2 = 0.93. Double IAM-based flow cell was more sensitive than single IAM-based flow cell in the detection of E. coli O157:H7 with 37–61% more impedance change for the frequency from 10 Hz to 1 MHz. The double IAM-based flow cell can be used to design a simple impedance biosensor for the sensitive detection of bacterial growth and their metabolites.
THE SOCIOLOGY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

▪ Abstract Recent research on entrepreneurship by sociologists has focused on subsectors of the discipline rather than on entrepreneurship as a class. This review draws insights from diverse literatures to develop a sociological perspective on entrepreneurship as a whole. Until recently, the supply-side perspective, which focuses on the individual traits of entrepreneurs, has been the dominant school of research. Newer work from the demand-side perspective has focused on rates, or the context in which entrepreneurship occurs. This review emphasizes this less developed demand-side perspective—in particular, the influence of firms and markets on how, where, and why new enterprises are founded. I take stock of the differences and separation in the two perspectives and argue that sociological frameworks, an embeddedness perspective, institutional and ecological theory, and multilevel models can be used to integrate the two schools and extend their research implications.
Randombred Populations of The Southern Regional Poultry Breeding Project

(1962). Randombred Populations of The Southern Regional Poultry Breeding Project. World's Poultry Science Journal: Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 147-152.
A small size large voltage compliance programmable current for biomedical implantable microstimulators

A new CMOS current source has been described for biomedical implantable microstimulators by utilizing MOS transistors in deep triode region as linearized voltage controlled resistors in order to achieve a large voltage compliance of up to 97% of the supply levels while maintaining high output impedance in the tens of mega-ohm range to keep the desired stimulation current levels constant within 1% of their nominal values irrespective of the site and tissue impedances. The new approach can improve stimulation efficiency, elongate power supply longevity, and save chip area especially when the stimulation current level is high. The current source has been used in a prototype 4-channel wireless stimulator chip fabricated in AMI 1.5-/spl mu/m 2M/2P standard CMOS process. With 5 V supply, each site driver channel provides at least 4.25 V compliance and 10 M/spl Omega/ output resistance while sinking up to 210 /spl mu/A and occupies 0.05 mm/sup 2/ of chip area.
Evaluating the robustness of a biochemical network model

Mathematical models of robust biological systems are expected to be robust against small variations in the model's parameters. In this paper, we investigate the robustness of the model proposed by Laub and Loomis for the molecular network underlying adenosine 3',5'-cycle monophosphate (cAMP) oscillations observed in populations of Dictyostelium cells 4 hours after the initiation of development. This is performed by using bifurcation analysis. In particular, we reduce the problem to study the persistence of the periodic orbit that arises from Hopf bifurcation as one key parameter is varied. By introducing an optimization problem, we determine the maximum allowed parameter variation under which the oscillatory behavior of the system persists. We obtain maximum allowed variation of 0.51% and show that this bound is tight.
Statistical patterns in children's early writing.

Many theories of spelling development claim that before children begin to spell phonologically, their spellings are random strings of letters. We evaluated this idea by testing young children (mean age = 4 years 9 months) in Brazil and the United States and selecting a group of prephonological spellers. The spellings of this prephonological group showed a number of patterns that reflected things such as the frequencies of letters and bigrams in children’s language. The prephonological spellers in the two countries produced spellings that differed in some respects, consistent with their exposure to different written languages. We found no evidence for reportedly universal patterns in early spelling such as the idea that children write one letter for each syllable. Overall, our results reveal that early spellings that are not phonological are by no means random or universal and preserve certain patterns in the writing to which children have been exposed.
Changes in grassland canopy structure across a precipitation gradient

. In temperate grasslands, the relative importance of above-ground competition for light compared to below-ground competition for water and nutrients is hypothesized to increase with increasing precipitation. Thus, competition for light is likely to exert an increasing influence on canopy structure and species composition as precipitation increases. We quantified canopy structure, light availability and changes in species composition at seven sites across the central grassland region of the United States to determine how these properties change across a precipitation gradient. Across the region, there was a disproportionate increase in leaf area and canopy height with increasing precipitation, indicating that plants become taller and leafier across the gradient. Leaf area index increased by a factor of 12 across the gradient while above-ground net primary productivity increased by a factor of only 5.5. As precipitation increased, there was decreased light availability at the soil surface, increased seasonal variability in light transmission, increased biomass and leaf area at higher canopy layers and an increased proportion of tallstatured species. These observed changes in canopy structure support the prediction that competition for light increases in importance with increasing precipitation.
Fatty acid transport protein 1 and long-chain acyl coenzyme A synthetase 1 interact in adipocytes

The fatty acid transport proteins (FATP) and long-chain acyl coenzyme A synthetase (ACSL) proteins have been shown to play a role in facilitating long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) transport in mammalian cells under physiologic conditions. The involvement of both FATP and ACSL proteins is consistent with the model of vectorial acylation, in which fatty acid transport is coupled to esterification. This study was undertaken to determine whether the functions of these proteins are coordinated through a protein-protein interaction that might serve as a point of regulation for cellular fatty acid transport. We demonstrate for the first time that FATP1 and ACSL1 coimmunoprecipitate in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, indicating that these proteins form an oligomeric complex. The efficiency of FATP1 and ACSL1 coimmunoprecipitation is unaltered by acute insulin treatment, which stimulates fatty acid uptake, or by treatment with isoproterenol, which decreases fatty acid uptake and stimulates lipolysis. Moreover, inhibition of ACSL1 activity in adipocytes impairs fatty acid uptake, suggesting that esterification is essential for fatty acid transport. Together, our findings suggest that a constitutive interaction between FATP1 and ACSL1 contributes to the efficient cellular uptake of LCFAs in adipocytes through vectorial acylation.
RNA interference targeting rye secalins alters flour protein composition in a wheat variety carrying a 1BL.1RS translocation

Abstract Wheat varieties carrying chromosome translocations from rye are part of the international wheat breeding pool despite being associated with defects in dough processing quality. One cause proposed for the quality defects of wheat carrying 1BL.1RS translocations is the presence of the secalins encoded by the Sec1 locus on the short arm of rye chromosome 1. In this report, we decrease the levels of these and related wheat proteins by RNA interference (RNAi). A plasmid designed to down-regulate secalin was introduced by biolistics into ‘Bobwhite’, which carries a 1BL.1RS translocation. Flour proteins of two independent transformants were analyzed in detail by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry. Compared to the parent, the transformants exhibited up to 5.5-fold decreases in the levels of individual secalins, up to 7-fold decreases in the closely related omega gliadins, and lesser decreases in many gamma gliadins, low-molecular-weight (LMW)-glutenins, and farinins. Increased levels were found for nearly all identified alpha gliadins, triticins, and y-type high-molecular-weight (HMW)-glutenins. Flour from the transgenic lines exhibited changes in dough mixing behavior in the 2-g mixograph, including longer development times and greater tolerance to mixing. We conclude that changes in protein composition engineered by this RNAi construct improved dough handling characteristics.
Effects of cocaine on sarcoplasmic reticulum in skinned rat heart muscle

We examined the effects of cocaine on the ability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) to release and accumulate Ca2+ and on the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile proteins using chemically skinned rat left ventricular muscles. The preparations were treated with saponin (40 micrograms/ml for Ca2+ release and uptake studies and 200 micrograms/ml for Ca(2+)-tension experiments). The SR was loaded with 10(-6) M Ca2+ solution; SR Ca2+ release was induced by application of 5 or 25 mM caffeine. The amount of Ca2+ released from the SR was estimated by the area under the caffeine-induced transient contraction. After 1 min of SR Ca2+ loading, simultaneous application of 50 microM cocaine and 5 mM caffeine increased caffeine-induced Ca2+ release by 15.7 +/- 3.1% (P < 0.05). However, when Ca(2+)-loaded preparations were treated with cocaine for 1 min before application of 5 mM caffeine, caffeine-induced Ca2+ release was reduced by 17.1 +/- 3.0% (P < 0.05). When cocaine was applied during the Ca2+ loading periods, the amount of Ca2+ accumulated by the SR (the area under the 25 mM caffeine-induced contraction) increased for both 1-min (10.9 +/- 1.7%, P < 0.05) and 3-min (15.5 +/- 4.4%, P < 0.05) Ca2+ loading periods. Cocaine (50 microM) had no effect on the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile system. We conclude that cocaine at a concentration of 50 microM can directly alter the ability of the SR to release and accumulate Ca2+. These effects of cocaine, especially those on SR Ca2+ release, may play a role in its potential for induction of cardiac toxicity.