cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Competitive Interactions and Ecological Strategies of Sarcophagid and Calliphorid Flies Inhabiting Rabbit Carrion

The Calliphoridae (blow flies) and the Sarcophagidae (flesh flies) are families of Diptera containing many necrophagous species which contemporaneously exploit rabbit carrion during the summer season in central California. Calliphorids are the dominant inhabitants, but small populations of sarcophagids regularly occur on carcasses. The various species of flies are known to partition larval food resources, and we examined experimentally the role that interspecific competition plays in determining niche relationships within the fly guild. When calliphorid population density was artificially reduced by selectively interfering with oviposition, sarcophagid population density increased 6-fold. This suggested that competition from calliphorids was the principal factor limiting the population size of sarcophagids. Carcass-exploiting sarcophagids allocate a greater proportion of their resources to nonreproductive activities than do calliphorids. This is evidenced by their ovoviviparous reproductive habit, larger body size, reduced fecundity, delayed age of 1st reproduction and extended development time. The total life history strategy of sarcophagids is geared to the production of a few off-spring which rapidly utilize fresh carrion prior to exploitation, and often overexploitation, by the opportunistic calliphorids.
Limit points of independent copies of sample maxima

Abstract Let {Xn(i),n⩾1}, i=1,2 be two independent copies of a sequence of independent and identically distributed random variables. Let M n i = max 1⩽j⩽n X j (i) . For suitable normalizing constants an and bn, we investigate the set of almost sure limit points of the vector sequence Z n = M n 1 −b n a n , M n 2 −b n a n , n⩾1 and further investigate the limit set for vector subsequences Z n k .
Design of proteins with selected thermal properties

Background: Methods of model protein design have until now been largely ad hoc, yielding sequences that are foldable only at some seemingly arbitrary simulation temperature. But real proteins exist and must fold within an imposed thermal environment. The need exists for a sequence design method based on statistical-mechanical first principles, thus containing a rigorous treatment of folding temperature. Results In this work, we report a method of rational sequence design that takes a target structure and a desired optimal folding temperature T Z and generates a sequence that is predicted to be thermodynamically stable with respect to the target structure at a folding temperature T F ≈ T Z . This ‘cumulant design method' is based on a mean-field high temperature expansion of the molecular partition function. Folding simulations of the designed sequences confirm that sequences designed at T Z do indeed fold optimally when T F ≈ T Z . Conclusions The cumulant method is highly successful in designing model proteins. It also provides some insight into the thermal properties of real proteins, illuminating the features that distinguish thermostable and psychrotropic (cold-loving) sequences from their mesophilic counterparts.
¡De una vez! by SAMANIEGO, FABIÁN, FRANCISCO RODRÍGUEZ, & NELSON ROJAS Student Activities Manual

The article reviews the book "iDe una vez!" by Fabian Samaniego, Francisco Rodriguez and Nelson Rojas and the workbook "Student Activities Manual."
Probiotic mix VSL#3 is effective adjunctive therapy for mild to moderately active ulcerative colitis: a meta-analysis.

Background:VSL#3 is a probiotic mix preparation reported to be effective in the treatment of mild to moderately active ulcerative colitis. We aimed to perform a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of studies on its efficacy.Methods:The searched databases included PubMed, Scopus,
BIRTH, STILLBIRTH AND DEATH REGISTRATION.

W HAT is necessary to secure satisfactory registration? This question has been solved in part by the practical procedure of Illinois which raised its state birth records in degree of completeness from 60 per cent in 1918 to approximately 95 per cent in 1922, when it was admitted into the birth registration area of the United States. The plan has reacted also in the general improvement of the state's mortality records. The first necessity in securing satisfactory registration is an adequate state law, patterned as closely in accordance with the " Model Law" as existing statutes will permit; for only within such an actconcealed perhaps from the casual observer but available to its administratorsare found those far-reaching police powers which, judiciously applied, will bring about a wholesome respect for and careful compliance with the requirements of registration. The second requirement is strict adherence by the registrar to the essential principles of registration as summarized in the Physicians' Pocket Reference to the Interitational List of Causes of Death. It is his duty to keep posted as to occurrences in his district, even to the most isolated parts; to warn those who transgress the law and prosecute the wilful violators. The present Governor of Illinois made birth registration a plank in the platform of his candidacy. After he went into
Dosing Natalizumab Every Other Month Following 2 Years of Monthly Dosing (PD5.003)

Objective: Can natalizumab be dosed every other month without resulting in a recurrence of MS-related disease activity. Background Investigators have attempted to mitigate the risk of natalizumab-related progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy by withholding natalizumab for up to 6 months in patients who have been exposed to the monoclonal antibody for over a year. When natalizumab was held for 3 months or more, patients developed clinical relapses or MRI evidence of renewed inflammation of the central nervous system. As an alternative to being off natalizumab for an extended period, we evaluated the possibility of dosing natalizumab every other month after a patient had been on drug for 2 years or more. Design/Methods: 42 patients with relapsing-remitting MS who had been on natalizumab for a minimum of 2 years were switched to an every 8 week dosing schedule. Prior to that, patients had to have been relapse-free and free of any new FLAIR or gadolinium-enhancing lesions over the previous year. Patients underwent MRI scanning and evaluation of their EDSS every 6 months for a minimum of 2 years. The primary endpoint of the study was to determine the proportion of relapse-free patients after 24 months of every 8 week dosing. A secondary endpoint was to determine the proportion of patients who re-developed MRI evidence of inflammatory disease. Results: Three patients were unable to tolerate dosing of natalizumab every 8 weeks. All 3 reported worsening MS-related fatigue, in the absence of a bona fide relapse, that required redosing of natalizumab every 4 weeks. In contrast, 39 of the original 42 patients (93%) had no clinical relapses or changes on their MRI scans over the course of 2 years. Conclusions: Dosing of natalizumab every 8 weeks in patients who have been previously exposed to the medication for over 2 years does not result in clinical relapses or changes on MRI. Disclosure: Dr. Tornatore has received personal compensation for activities with Novartis, Biogen Idec, Teva Neuroscience and Genzyme Corporation as a participant on an advisory board. Dr. Erwin has nothing to disclose.
Reliability of mass spectrometric techniques for tissue gas analysis.

Abstract Chronic, long-term studies to measure normal tissue gas tensions using the Medspect system were felt to be inaccurate because of difficulties in maintaining calibration of the system and because implantation of the catheter causes an ischemic, anoxic wound and foreign body reaction, which alters the tissue concentration of oxygen and may result in decreased diffusion into the sampling membrane.
Viruses of White Clover in Pastures of Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont

ABSTRACT Incidence of six viruses was tested in white clover from 28 rotationally grazed pastures of Pennsylvania (PA), New York (NY), and Vermont (VT). Each of 17 PA pastures was sampled fall 1994...
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Construction Information Management System Implementation: Case Study

AbstractIn construction projects, construction managers spend a significant portion of their time gathering project data, assessing production rates, communicating with project participants, and tracking project quality. Executing those tasks manually reduces efficiency and can result in less effective project management operations. In order to improve efficiency of information process flow, various types of construction information management systems (CIMSs) have been introduced to construction projects. However, due to the difficulty of tracking fragmental and illusive data, measuring the cost and benefit of the implementation and evaluating the trade-off remain a challenge for construction practitioners. This paper’s contributions to the body of knowledge include (1) proposing a framework to assess tangible and semitangible or intangible costs and benefits of innovative construction technology application, (2) determining costs and benefits of the use of CIMSs by conducting a product-specific case stud...
The effects of social context and size of injury on perceptions of a harm-doer and victim

To examine the effects of the social context of a harm-producing action and the magnitude of harm on evaluations of a harm-doer and victim, 80 female subjects read scenarios that described either a cooperative or competitive interaction in which either mild or severe harm occurred. Ratings of the “aggressor” and “victim” revealed that the harm-doer was evaluated more negatively under competitive rather than cooperative conditions, but was perceived as most aggressive and potent when a severe injury occurred in a cooperative rather than competitive setting. A “just world” effect also occurred in which the victim was derogated when his injury was severe and the context was competitive.
Pretreatment of guayule biomass using supercritical carbon dioxide-based method

Guayule, a desert shrub harvested for commercial production of hypoallergenic latex and resins constitutes <20% of the biomass. Converting the remaining bagasse to biorefinery feedstock for value-added products is an optimal economic option. A supercritical CO(2)-based process had been developed previously for resin extraction. In this study, the feasibility of including a supercritical CO(2)-based bagasse pretreatment method was evaluated. The pretreatment involved: adding water to the bagasse, raising system temperature, pressurizing using supercritical CO(2), holding the system for a period of time, and exploding the bagasse. The pretreated biomass was subjected to enzyme hydrolysis. The yields of released sugars were used as pretreatment effectiveness indicators. Supercritical method outperformed other methods and gave much higher overall sugar yields for guayule (as high as 77% for glucose and 86% for total reducing sugars through both pretreatment and hydrolysis, as compared to 50% for glucose and 52% for total sugars with the dilute-acid pretreatment and 36% for glucose and 52% for total sugars with the delignification pretreatment). The enzymatic hydrolyzates were tested on the cellulase-producing fungus Trichoderma reesei Rut C-30. No inhibitory/toxic effects were apparent in terms of cell growth, sugar consumption, and cellulase and xylanase production. The supercritical CO(2)-based method was found to be very promising for pretreatment of waste biomass as the feedstock for subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation to produce value-added bioproducts.
The colonization of the Bahama archipelago: A reappraisal

Abstract A number of colonization models have been proposed to explain the prehistoric peopling of the Bahamas archipelago from the Greater Antilles. Each varies in respect to place of origin, timing of migration and settlement, routes of movement, intentionality, settlement permanency and causal agents. The paper summarizes the evidence for each of the models. A new model which suggests that late Ostionan Ostionoid people from northern Cuba colonized the central Bahama archipelago circa ad 600–900 is presented. This model incorporates the articulation of palaeoclimatic push factors, economic pull factors, ease of transport factors and shallow bank navigation.
Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Flutter Using Large‐Tip Electrode Catheters

The use of large-tip ablation catheters in both animal and clinical studies has been documented in work conducted over the last 10 years. These studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the use of 8- and 10-mm tip ablation catheters in the treatment of type I isthmus-dependent atrial flutter. Shorter procedure times are reported with the larger-tip ablation catheters compared to standard 4- or 5-mm tip ablation catheters, with comparable or greater efficacy, no significant increase in complications, and an improved quality of life. Larger-tip ablation electrodes do require the use of higher-power radiofrequency generators up to 100 W. The benefits of large-tip ablation catheters are thus well documented for the treatment of type I isthmus-dependent atrial flutter.
Alternative methods for waste paper disposal

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytic model which can be applied to the disposal of various components of municipal waste. Utilizing data from the City of Philadelphia, this paper examines the generators of used newsprint; the interactions between incineration, landfill, and the beneficial extraction of the caloric content of paper for steam generation: and the feasibility of recycling. The social cost issue is considered in light of present City disposal practices Finally, an attempt is made to derive optimal collection and disposal policies for FY 1976 as functions of various model parameters. The paper concludes that the construction of a steam generation plant is a viable alternative to present disposal practices for a range of processing costs.
Glycan specificity of the Vibrio vulnificus hemolysin lectin outlines evolutionary history of membrane targeting by a toxin family.

Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are a class of pathogen-secreted molecules that oligomerize to form transmembrane channels in cellular membranes. Determining the mechanism for how PFTs bind membranes is important in understanding their role in disease and for developing possible ways to block their action. Vibrio vulnificus, an aquatic pathogen responsible for severe food poisoning and septicemia in humans, secretes a PFT called V. vulnificus hemolysin (VVH), which contains a single C-terminal targeting domain predicted to resemble a β-trefoil lectin fold. In order to understand the selectivity of the lectin for glycan motifs, we expressed the isolated VVH β-trefoil domain and used glycan-chip screening to identify that VVH displays a preference for terminal galactosyl groups including N-acetyl-d-galactosamine and N-acetyl-d-lactosamine. The X-ray crystal structure of the VVH lectin domain solved to 2.0A resolution reveals a heptameric ring arrangement similar to the oligomeric form of the related, but inactive, lectin from Vibrio cholerae cytolysin. Structures bound to glycerol, N-acetyl-d-galactosamine, and N-acetyl-d-lactosamine outline a common and versatile mode of recognition allowing VVH to target a wide variety of cell-surface ligands. Sequence analysis in light of our structural and functional data suggests that VVH may represent an earlier step in the evolution of Vibrio PFTs.
Comparison of methods for estimating the spread of a non-indigenous species

Aim To compare different quantitative approaches for estimating rates of spread in the exotic species gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L., using county-level presence/absence data and spatially extensive trapping grids.
11E-0 Improve MBVD Model to Consider Frequency Dependent Loss for BAW Filter Design

With today's Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) technology, the BAW resonator has always some undesired modes such as lateral mode and gasket (border edge overlap) mode. The existing modified Butterworth-Van-Dyke (MBVD) model cannot model the loss due to these spurious modes, which results in the failure of predicting filter passband slope distortion. This paper has expanded the current MBVD model to overcome this limitation by modifying its parameters to be frequency dependent. It also discusses how the new frequency dependent MBVD model has been made to be scalable to resonator sizes, thus enabling its use for filter design and optimization.
Interest Niches and Policy Bandwagons: Patterns of Interest Group Involvement in National Politics

Using data from more than 19,000 reports filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, we analyze the distribution of lobbying on a random sample of 137 issues and find a tremendous skewness. The median issue involved only 15 interest groups, whereas 8 of the issues involved more than 300 interest groups. The top 5% of the issues accounted for more than 45% of the lobbying, whereas the bottom 50% of the issues accounted for less than 3% of the total. This distribution makes generalizations about interest group conflict difficult and helps explain why many scholars have disagreed about the abilities of lobbyists to get what they want. We also confirm and expand upon previous findings regarding the tremendous predominance of business firms in the Washington lobbying population.
Visualization and interactive analysis of blood parameters with InfoZoom

This paper describes the application of the data analysis tool InfoZoom to a database containing the results of blood examinations for about 400 patients with a suspect of thrombosis. The main goal was to find correlations between the measurements and the occurrence of a thrombosis. No automatic method for data mining is used. Instead, InfoZoom uses a novel technique to display data sets as highly compressed tables which always fit completely onto the screen. The user can interactively explore animated tabular views of the data. In this way, the user gets a feeling of the data, detects interesting knowledge, and gains a deep understanding of the data set.
Communes and Changing Family Norms Marriage and Life-Style Choice Among Former Members of Communal Groups

This article examines attitudes and behaviors regarding marriage, parenting, and lifestyle among former members of communal groups. A follow-up sample of 635 individuals who lived in a variety of communes in the early 1970s was restudied using personal interviews and self-administered questionnaires. Ex-commune members are less likely to have married than others in their age group. Sizable proportions currently live in multi-adult households. The vast majority of respondents hold open the possibility of collective living some time in the future. Attitudes show continuity of ideological criticisms of traditional life styles and a commitment to emotional openness and negotiated role relations within the family. Findings support a cohort-historical explanation of the commune movement. Communal experimentation was both a manifestation of and a contributor to the larger process of family change.
The CO‐dispersion index for the measurement of fiber type distribution patterns

There is a need for a practical and statistically manageable quantitative index of fiber type co-dispersion in skeletal muscle to allow investigation of the distribution of motor units in normal muscle and their rearrangement in pathological states. A new measure for this purpose, the Co-Dispersion Index (CDI), is introduced. This measure is based on contingency table analysis of nearest-neighbor relationships between muscle fibers. The CDI has a continuous range of values from -1 to +1, in which larger negative values indicate a greater tendency toward regular intermixing of fibers of different types, and larger positive values a greater segregation of fiber types. CDI evaluation overcomes the limitations of previously published quantitative methods for co-dispersion measurement and is well correlated with subjective human estimates of fiber type grouping.
Using Open Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings as a Teaching Strategy for Undergraduate Nursing Students

This article describes how nursing student participation in an open Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting along with journaling about the students' experiences can be used as teaching strategies to enh...
A support vector machine approach to unintentional vehicle lane departure prediction

Advanced driver assistance systems, such as unintentional lane departure warning systems, have recently drawn much attention and R & D efforts. Such a system may assist the driver by monitoring the driver or vehicle behaviors to predict/detect driving situations (e.g, lane departure) and alert the driver to take corrective action. In this paper, we show how the support vector machine (SVM) methodology can potentially provide enhanced unintentional lane departure prediction, which is a new method relative to literature. Our binary SVM employed the Radial Basis Function kernel to classify time series of select vehicle variables. The SVM was trained and tested using the driver experiment data generated by VIRTTEX, a hydraulically powered 6-degrees-of-freedom moving base driving simulator at Ford Motor Company. The data that we used represented 16 drowsy subjects (three-hour driving time per subject) and six control subjects (20 minutes driving per subject), all of which drove a simulated 2000 Volvo S80. The vehicle variables were all sampled at 50 Hz. There were a total of 3,508 unintentional lane departure occurrences for the drowsy drivers and only 23 for four of the six control drivers (two had none). The SVM was trained by over 60,000 time series examples (the actual number depended on the prediction horizon) created from 50% of the lane departures. The training data were removed from the testing data. During the testing, the SVM made a lane departure prediction at every sampling time for every one of the 22 drivers (over 6.8 million predictions in total). The overall sensitivity and specificity of the SVM with a 0.2-second prediction horizon for the 22 drivers were 99.77465% and 99.99997%, respectively. The SVM predicted, on average 0.200181 seconds in advance, lane departure correctly for all the control drivers, but missed 4 of the 1,758 and gave false positives for another 2 for the drowsy drivers. For the prediction horizon of 0.4s, there was 1 false positive case for the control subjects, and the false negative and false positive cases rose substantially to 10 and 137 for the drowsy drivers, respectively.
Comparative genomics reveals evidence of marine adaptation in Salinispora species.

Background: Actinobacteria represent a consistent component of most marine bacterial communities yet little is known about the mechanisms by which these Gram-positive bacteria adapt to life in the marine environment. Here we employed a phylogenomic approach to identify marine adaptation genes in marine Actinobacteria. The focus was on the obligate marine actinomycete genus Salinispora and the identification of marine adaptation genes that have been acquired from other marine bacteria. Results: Functional annotation, comparative genomics, and evidence of a shared evolutionary history with bacteria from hyperosmotic environments were used to identify a pool of more than 50 marine adaptation genes. An Actinobacterial species tree was used to infer the likelihood of gene gain or loss in accounting for the distribution of each gene. Acquired marine adaptation genes were associated with electron transport, sodium and ABC transporters, and channels and pores. In addition, the loss of a mechanosensitive channel gene appears to have played a major role in the inability of Salinispora strains to grow following transfer to low osmotic strength media. Conclusions: The marine Actinobacteria for which genome sequences are available are broadly distributed throughout the Actinobacterial phylogenetic tree and closely related to non-marine forms suggesting they have been independently introduced relatively recently into the marine environment. It appears that the acquisition of transporters in Salinispora spp. represents a major marine adaptation while gene loss is proposed to play a role in the inability of this genus to survive outside of the marine environment. This study reveals fundamental differences between marine adaptations in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and no common genetic basis for marine adaptation among the Actinobacteria analyzed.
Detecting population stratification using related individuals

Although identification of cryptic population stratification is necessary for case/control association analyses, it is also vital for linkage analyses and family-based association tests when founder genotypes are missing. However, including related individuals in an analysis such as EIGENSTRAT can result in bias; using only founders or one individual per pedigree results in loss of data and inaccurate estimates of stratification. We examine a generalization of principal-component analyses to allow for the inclusion of related individuals by down-weighting the significance of individual comparisons.
Empirical relation of margin to gap and linewidth in AC plasma panel

The method and results of second order multivariable regression analysis on a large sample of panels are presented. Plots relate margin to gap, linewidth, and manufacturing tolerances within a panel.
Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumors (ATRT): Improved Survival in Children 3 Years of Age and Older With Radiation Therapy and High-Dose Alkylator-Based Chemotherapy

Purpose To describe clinical features, therapeutic approaches, and prognostic factors in pediatric patients with atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) treated at St Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH). Patients and Methods Primary tumor samples from patients diagnosed with ATRT at SJCRH between July 1984 and June 2003 were identified. Pathology review included histologic, immunohistochemical analysis, and fluorescence in situ hybridization for SMARCB1 (also known as hSNF5/INI1) deletion. Clinical records of patients with pathologic confirmation of ATRT were reviewed. Results Thirty-seven patients were diagnosed with ATRT at SJCRH during the 19-year study interval. Six patients were excluded from this clinical review based on pathologic or clinical criteria. Of the remaining 31 patients, 22 were younger than 3 years. Posterior fossa primary lesions and metastatic disease at diagnosis were more common in younger patients with ATRT. All patients underwent surgical resection; 30 received subsequent c...
Utility-Enhancing Consumption Constraints

The Greek poets and philosophers, united in a belief that men and women perceive the world around them very poorly, for this reason describe much of human behavior as fumbling for happiness in the dark. By contrast, perception failure is anathema to the modern tradition, as even the most innocent sort plays havoc with modern preference axioms.
Photocatalytic properties of free and oxide-supported MoS2 and WS2 nanoparticles synthesized without surfactants

Abstract MoS 2 and WS 2 are narrow bandgap semiconductors that become photocatalytically active when dispersed on the nanometer scale. Surfactant-free nanoparticles of MoS 2 and WS 2 were synthesized by thermally decomposing the metal hexacarbonyls in the presence of co-dissolved sulfur. The nanoparticles exhibit a size-dependent shift in their threshold UV–visible absorption. A significant fraction of the nanoparticles is 10–20 nm in diameter. Free unsupported MoS 2 and WS 2 nanoparticles catalyzed the photodegradation of acetone in an aqueous solution under visible light of wavelength ≥ 400 nm. These nanoparticles did not disperse in the solutions due to hydrophobicity. Water dispersible MoS 2 and WS 2 were prepared by synthesizing them in the presence of high surface silica or titania (anatase) to produce oxide-supported nanoparticles (1 wt%). These silica- and titania-supported MoS 2 and WS 2 nanoparticles catalyzed the photodegradation of methylene blue under irradiation of wavelength ≥ 400 nm.
Processing of Advanced Ceramic Composites

The field of ceramic composites is reviewed as an outstanding example of where more sophisticated chemistry can aid ceramic processing. Processes reviewed, mostly from work of the author and colleagues, include use of solution, polymer and high temperature chemistry, e.g. in sol-gel, polymer pyrolysis, solid state, and chemical vapor deposition processes. Future needs and opportunities for chemistry in ceramic processing are also discussed, e.g. coating part or all the matrix or its precursor onto the particulates or fibers of the resultant composite.
Sequence effects of small amplitude cycles on fatigue crack initiation and propagation in 2024-T351 aluminum

Damage contributions from small amplitude cycles for 2024-T351 aluminum are studied experimentally in both low- and high-cyclic fatigue (LCF and HCF) regimes. The small amplitude cycles correspond to 100% and 50% of the endurance limit. Two sequences (constant amplitude to block loads, or vice versa) with varying cutoff points during the sequencing are studied. Results indicate that small amplitude cycles could contribute significantly to the accumulated damage. The damage contribution is analyzed in terms of crack initiation and propagation lives. In general, block-to-constant sequencing affects mostly the initiation, while constant-to-block sequencing affects both initiation and propagation lives.
Evaluating the role of CD4‐lymphocyte counts as surrogate endpoints in human immunodeficiency virus clinical trials

In human immunodeficiency virus clinical trials, the CD4-lymphocyte count has been regarded as a promising surrogate endpoint for clinical efficacy measures such as time to opportunistic infection and survival time. In the present paper, we test this hypothesis according to a criterion proposed by Prentice. This criterion requires the surrogate variable to capture the entire effect of treatment on the clinical endpoint, and it is satisfied if the hazard rate of the clinical endpoint is not affected by treatment among patients with the same preceding history of the surrogate variable. We analyse data from two completed zidovudine trials using the Cox regression model with the CD4-lymphocyte count as a time-varying covariate. The results indicate that the CD4-lymphocyte count captures part of the relationship between zidovudine and time to a first critical event but does not fulfil the Prentice criterion.
Environmental science, environmentalism and governance

Most environmental scientists care about the state of nature. They are concerned about loss of biodiversity, degradation of ecosystems services and threats to sustainability. Do such concerns and the values they reflect make an environmental scientist an environmentalist? Should they be environmentalists?
Brain Myosin V Is a Synaptic Vesicle-associated Motor Protein: Evidence for a Ca2+-dependent Interaction with the Synaptobrevin–Synaptophysin Complex

Brain myosin V is a member of a widely distributed class of unconventional myosins that may be of central importance to organelle trafficking in all eukaryotic cells. Molecular constituents that target this molecular motor to organelles have not been previously identified. Using a combination of immunopurification, extraction, cross-linking, and coprecipitation assays, we demonstrate that the tail domain of brain myosin V forms a stable complex with the synaptic vesicle membrane proteins, synaptobrevin II and synaptophysin. While myosin V was principally bound to synaptic vesicles during rest, this putative transport complex was promptly disassembled upon the depolarization-induced entry of Ca2+ into intact nerve endings. Coimmunoprecipitation assays further indicate that Ca2+ disrupts the in vitro binding of synaptobrevin II to synaptophysin in the presence but not in the absence of Mg2+. We conclude that hydrophilic forces reversibly couple the myosin V tail to a biochemically defined class of organelles in brain nerve terminals.
Complexity of pairwise shortest path routing in the grid

In parallel and distributed systems many communications take place concurrently. The efficient delivery of all the messages depends on the routing algorithms as well as the underlying interconnection network topology. The grid is a planar network topology that lends itself for efficient VLSI implementation and therefore is of interest for theoretical analysis. Frequently, networks and switches achieve high performance by delivering the messages through shortest paths. In addition, network fault tolerance improves through insuring that the traversed paths are both edge and/or node disjoint. The edge disjoint criterion is useful when network links are the predominant constraint, and the node disjoint criterion becomes important when switches are the fault tolerant bottleneck. Because the latter necessarily implies the former, it is apparent that node disjointness contributes to fault tolerance and enhanced performance. In this paper, we examine the k-pairwise node and edge disjoint shortest paths problem in the undirected graph topology of the grid. Herein it is shown that the k-pairwise node as well as the k-pairwise edge disjoint shortest paths decision problems are NP-hard, and remain NP-hard even for many different restrictions on the problem. We also discuss polynomial time algorithms for restricted versions of our problems.
Numerical simulation of cableguns using MACH2

A radiation-driven ablation model was developed for the MHD code MACH2 to provide a numerical simulation for cableguns. Ablation from the insulator surface is driven by radiation from an optically thin gray gas in the computational domain adjacent to the insulator surface. Two parameters required for the model-specific opacity and vapor layer transmissivity-were determined from baseline experiments. Using these parameter values, numerical simulations for five additional cablegun configurations were compared with experimental measurements obtained using a two-beam laser interferometer. Equations of state models for copper-Teflon and polyethylene plasmas were calculated for use in these simulations. Comparisons were made for radial profiles of electron density, plume velocity, and plume width. Based on the results obtained in this study, it appears that MACH2 simulations can be used to provide reasonable estimates of cablegun plume properties that are difficult or impossible to obtain experimentally, such as the spatial flow details inside the cavity or the temporal distribution of mass loss.
Phosphorylation of β-adrenergic receptor leads to its redistribution in rat heart during sepsis

The role of receptor phosphorylation on the redistribution of beta-adrenergic receptors (beta-ARs) in rat hearts during different phases of sepsis was investigated. Sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Changes in the distribution of beta-ARs in the sarcolemmal and light vesicle fractions were studied using (-)-[4,6-propyl-3H]dihydroalprenolol ([3H]DHA). Phosphorylation of beta-ARs was studied by perfusing hearts with [32P]H3PO4 followed by identification of the phosphorylated beta-ARs with immunoprecipitation using anti-beta 1-AR antibody. The results show that septic rat hearts exhibit an initial hypercardiodynamic (9 h after CLP; early sepsis) and a subsequent hypocardiodynamic (18 h after CLP; late sepsis) state. [3H]DHA binding studies show that, during early sepsis, the maximum binding capacity (Bmax) was increased by 26% in sarcolemma but was decreased by 30% in light vesicles, whereas, during late sepsis, the Bmax was decreased by 39% in sarcolemma but increased by 31% in light vesicles. These data indicate that beta-ARs in the rat heart were externalized from light vesicles to sarcolemma during early sepsis but were internalized from surface membranes to intracellular sites during late sepsis. The immunoprecipitation studies reveal that the externalization of beta-ARs during early sepsis was coupled with a concomitant decrease (-28.5 to -30.6%, P < 0.01) in the receptor phosphorylation, whereas the internalization of beta-ARs during late sepsis was accompanied by a simultaneous increase (30.3 to 33.8%, P < 0.01) in the receptor phosphorylation. Because the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of beta 1-ARs regulate their functional coupling and may reflect their subcellular distribution, it is suggested that the increase in receptor phosphorylation seen in late sepsis leads to the receptor internalization observed in late sepsis; similarly, externalization of (dephosphorylated) receptors in early sepsis may give rise to the apparent decrease in sarcolemmal receptor phosphorylation observed during this interval.
Attitudes of Consumers of Physical Therapy in California Toward the Professional Image of Physical Therapists

The purpose of this study was to identify attitudes of California physical therapy consumers toward the professional image of physical therapists. Attitudes toward the professional image of physicians were elicited for comparative purposes. Independent variables were selected to determine their influence on the perceived professional images. The results indicated that consumers viewed physical therapists as possessing four of the five criteria of professionalism; the exception was autonomy of judgment. No significant difference existed between the consumer views of the professional image of physical therapists and the professional image of physicians. A significant relationship existed between the variable of age and the criteria of perceived autonomy of judgment of physical therapists and physicians. Older consumers believed physical therapists and physicians possess less autonomy of judgment than younger consumers believed. The majority of physical therapy consumers perceived physical therapists and physicians as having equally high professional status.
Relationships, Development, and Psychopathology

Interpersonal relationships are pivotal for studying psychopathology in general and developmental psychopathology in particular. This is so at multiple levels of analysis, from defining psychopathology, to describing preconditions and contexts, and to understanding its origins and nature.
Maximizing Net Power in Circular Turns for Solar and Autonomous Soaring Aircraft

This study investigates maximizing net power input from a solar-photovoltaic array and/or a thermal updraft while performing constant bank angle, circular flight-path turns (that is, an orbit). The process inputs are the aircraft sink polar (or, equivalently, the power required curve), the date, the time, the location, and the flight altitude. A solar insolation model is combined with a best-turn performance calculation to determine the bank angle that maximizes power input from a solar-photovoltaic array at varying sun elevation angles. In general, for low sun elevation angles, the maximum net power gain from solar input and drag output is found at higher bank angles and shows 15% (absolute) gain over the limiting case of wings-level orbits in the same conditions. For high sun elevation angles, the maximum net power is found at low bank angles. The break point between high and low sun elevation angles varies with aircraft parameters and is approximately 25 deg for the example aircraft in this paper. The ...
Cavemander: an approach and software platform for building command and control applications in cave

Command and control systems play a vital role in displaying information about various operational situations, thus helping decision makers to thoroughly understand them and make related decisions in a timely and correct manner. In military operations, pictures of such situations have been traditionally displayed on large tactical boards and/or vertical maps. Although for several decades computers have been used to replace these traditional displays, the pictures of the situations have largely been presented on 2D media only, such as on PC monitors or wall screens. Due to several recognized advantages of 3D visualizations, combined with the power of immersion in virtual worlds, we believe that in command and control applications 3D immersive environments such as the CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment (in short, CAVE) could significantly improve the understanding of the situation and the decision-making performance of the commanders. This dissertation investigates existing solutions for developing software for CAVE and proposes a new approach and related toolset for creating command and control applications in CAVE. CAVEMANDER, the proposed approach and its related supporting software tools, is aimed at improving the development of command and control applications for CAVE and consists of a new software engineering method encompassing the necessary construction steps and related artifacts as well as a set of software resources (a software platform) composed largely of reusable code. CAVEMANDER's advantages are demonstrated on a command and control application in the area of military training, an application instantiated in scenarios that can test the ii trainees skills for command and control, including planning and testing, information interpretation, and failure investigation. Although command and control systems are mainly associated with military applications, future research can expand the scope of CAVEMANDER to support applications in other domains, such as fighting wildfires, conducting search and rescue missions, and coordinating planet expeditions. In summary, the work described here is aimed at filling the existing research and development gap in building CAVE-based command and control applications. Future work could encompass new simulation applications, enhanced features and new software components, usability studies, and automated code generation.
Corporate Responses to Increased Disclosure Requirements

This paper shows that greater disclosure requirements may induce firms to reduce strictly their value relevant disclosures. In the absence of segment reporting requirements, an incumbent firm may voluntarily disclose value relevant information because it can use other, value irrelevant, information to jam proprietary disclosures. However, when required to disclose segment data, the incumbent may have to aggregate proprietary information with other value relevant information to avoid proprietary disclosures. This results in the firm not disclosing value relevant information which it would otherwise have revealed voluntarily. Thus, a standard setter can actually decrease the price efficiency by requiring more disaggregate disclosures.
Collaborative Learning: University Archives and Freshman Composition

Summary The many concerns over the costs and benefits of higher education have created an often intense dialogue across university departmental borders. In response, many departments have moved to collaborative efforts to reinforce the necessity and usefulness of the Liberal Arts curriculum for students. Academic service departments, including archives, seek to have their resources more actively used by the student base. The authors collaborated on an assignment requiring student use of primary source materials held at the Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections. The dialogue this assignment created and the projects it produced was of benefit to all involved: instructors, faculty, and students.
Groin Pain Etiology: Pudendal Neuralgia

Pudendal neuralgia is defined as pain in the area innervated by the pudendal nerve. It is a perplexing condition that is not well researched and also not well recognized by practitioners. A common cause of pudendal neuralgia is pudendal nerve compression or entrapment, which usually occurs after sustaining trauma to the pelvis. There is no single test that can reliably diagnose nerve entrapment, and a diagnosis is commonly made based on excluding other possible causes. There are several treatment options that can provide relief for patients, including lifestyle modifications, pelvic floor physical therapy, nerve blocks, and surgical decompression of the nerve itself. Among patients who are selected for surgical intervention, approximately 70 % experience pain relief.
Relationship of ecosystem primary productivity to species diversity and functional group diversity: evidence from Stipa breviflora grassland in Nei Mongol

Aims The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has been a central issue in ecology. However, this relationship is poorly understood for the Stipa breviflora grassland, which is a major community type of desert steppe in Nei Mongol. With unpredictably fluctuating climate conditions, these desert steppe ecosystems are fragile and provide a unique opportunity to test our current understanding of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This study has two objectives: (1) to examine if species diversity and functional group diversity affect ecosystem primary productivity in the desert steppe of Nei Mongol and (2) to explore how resource supply levels affect the relationship between diversity and productivity. Methods Based on life forms, species were classified into five functional groups: shrub and semishrub, perennial bunchgrass, perennial rhizome grass, perennial forb, and annual and biennial. Species richness and functional group richness were used to represent species diversity and functional group diversity, respectively. Based on the dryness coefficient, 202 sites across the S. breviflora grassland in Nei Mongol were sampled, and divided into two resource supply levels: arid and semiarid zones. In order to tease out the effect of precipitation, partial regression analysis and partial correlation analysis were used for exploring the relationship of ecosystem primary productivity to species richness and functional group richness, respectively. According to the determination coefficient of regression analysis, the effect of resource supply levels on the diversity-productivity relationship was evaluated.Important findings Species richness and ecosystem primary productivity were both positively and linearly correlated with precipitation, but no significant correlation was found between functional group richness and precipitation. Ecosystem primary productivity increased significantly with species richness, but not with functional group richness. Resource supply levels could affect the diversity-productivity relationship in that plant species diversity generally had a weaker effect on ecosystem primary productivity at the lower resource supply level and a stronger effect at the higher resource supply level.
Pavement Performance of Nano-SiO_2 Modified Asphalt Mixture

In order to study the influence and improvement of Nano-SiO2 on pavement performance of base asphalt mixture,the high-temperature stability,low-temperature crack resistance and water stability of Nano-SiO2 modified asphalt mixture are analyzed by rutting test,low-temperature bending test,immersion Marshall test and freeze-thaw split test,and compared with those of base asphalt mixture.On this basis,the SPT test and indirect tensile test are carried out to further verify the improvement of Nano-SiO2 on high and low temperature performance of asphalt mixture.The results show that(1) compared with base asphalt mixture,the high-temperature stability and water stability of Nano-SiO2 modified asphalt mixture have significantly improved,while the low-temperature performance is reduced slightly,but it still can meet the requirement of the low-temperature crack resistance of asphalt pavement.The test results verified that the pavement performance of Nano-SiO2 modified asphalt mixture is excellent,and it is feasible to be used in practical project.