cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In Situ Assessment of Structural Timber: State-of-the-Art, Challenges and Future Directions

Timber is one of the oldest structural materials and has been traditionally used in all parts of the world. Pressures on environmental sustainability lead to revitalization of timber as a modern, highly environmentally friendly and sustainable material. This new interest also sparks the attention of the research and engineering community in the structural applications involving timber. A number of techniques can be used to evaluate health, deterioration and extent of potential damage of historic structures and their components. Because timber is a natural, biodegradable, hygroscopic, and inhomogeneous material, its interaction with the environment presents challenges not normally encountered in materials typically studied by engineers. In addition, high variability of properties even within individual species makes it difficult to make inferences on properties of the investigated systems or even individual components. This requires a multidisciplinary approach and broad knowledge of disciplines spanning from biology and plant anatomy to mechanical properties and statistics. This paper will discuss some of the methods that can be deployed to evaluate historic timber and their drawbacks and limitations. Future directions and needs will be addressed in the last part of the presentation.
Why relatively fewer people died? The case of Bangladesh's Cyclone Sidr

Cyclone Sidr, a Category IV storm, struck the southwestern coast of Bangladesh on November 15, 2007 killing 3,406 people. Despite a similar magnitude, Sidr claimed far fewer lives than Cyclone Gorky, also a Category IV storm, which struck Bangladesh in 1991 causing an estimated 140,000 fatalities. The relatively low number of deaths experienced with Sidr is widely considered the result of Bangladesh government’s efforts to provide timely cyclone forecasting and early warnings, and successful evacuation of coastal residents from the projected path of Cyclone Sidr. Using information collected from both primary and secondary sources, this study identified several other reasons for the unexpectedly lower mortality associated with Cyclone Sidr relative to Cyclone Gorky. Fewer casualties may be attributed to a number of physical characteristics of Cyclone Sidr, such as duration of the storm and storm surge, landfall time and site, varied coastal ecology, and coastal embankment. This article recommends improvements to the cyclone warning systems, establishment of more public cyclone shelters, and implementation of an education campaign in coastal areas to increase the utilization of public shelters for future cyclone events.
How consistent is your web design

Previous studies have indicated that when interfaces are designed consistently with regards to structure and physical attributes, higher performance and lower error rates are achieved than when interfaces are designed inconsistently. The objective of the current study was to develop a methodology to measure all aspects of computer interface consistency and assess the impact of linguistic inconsistency of interface design on user performance. Based on the background literature, seven factors were identified as affecting overall consistency. Based on this identification, a structured questionnaire of 125 items was developed and a factor analysis was conducted which reduced the number of items in the questionnaire to 94 and identified the following nine factors which contribute to consistency: text structure, general text features, information representation, lexical categories, meaning, user knowledge, text content, communicational attributes and physical attributes. A series of four experiments were conduc...
Beyond self‐interest: a model of public attitudes towards waste facility siting

Abstract This study examines the attitudinal and demographic determinants of public preferences towards siting solid waste disposal facilities in the United States. Survey data is collected from a random sample of 400 individuals selected from the population of the State of Connecticut. A logit statistical model of public preferences towards siting is created. The results are consistent with previous research indicating the importance of variables reflective of self‐interest motivations, such as perceptions of costs and benefits, in influencing attitudes. However, it is also revealed that more longstanding values, in addition to narrowly defined personal costs and benefits, influence siting preferences. These include widely‐shared norms concerning need for the facility and the appropriate sphere of government influence. Effective, efficient and equitable siting policy must consider and respond to these additional public motivations.
LOW LEVEL FORMATION OF POTENT CATALYTIC IGG FRAGMENTS MEDIATED BY DISULFIDE BOND INSTABILITY

Abstract A highly purified preparation of a monoclonal antibody to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) was analysed by gel filtration. Three peaks of VIP hydrolysing activity were observed, corresponding to the 150 kDa tetramer IgG, 80 kDa dimer of the heavy and light chains (H-L dimer) and 25 kDa L chain monomer. The hydrolytic activity of all three peaks was removed by adsorption on immobilized anti-mouse IgG. The specific activities (CPM hydrolysed/μg protein) of the H-L dimer and the L chain monomer were more than 30-fold greater than of intact IgG. The presence of small amounts of the antibody fragments in unreduced IgG preparations was confirmed by electrophoresis of overloaded radiolabeled and unlabeled IgG preparations. Increased levels of the fragments were evident after prolonged incubation of a dilute solution of 125I-IgG at 37°C. Iodoacetamide, a sulfahydryl alkylating reagent, suppressed the production of IgG fragments. Incubation of 125I-labeled L chain with unlabeled IgG resulted in incorporation of small amounts of the radioactivity into disulfide bonded 150 kDa IgG tetramer and 50 kDa L chain dimer fractions. These observations implicate disulfide reduction and exchange reactions as the mechanism underlying formation of the IgG fragments. Like the antibody fragments found in unreduced IgG, the L chain monomer and non-covalently associated H-L dimer isolated from reduced and alkylated IgG were capable of hydrolysing VIP. Hydrolysis of VIP by the recombinant L chain subunit was inhibited by excess IgG, suggesting that high affinity VIP binding by IgG limits its hydrolysis by the L chain. These observations sugest that small amounts of high activity antibody fragments may contribute to the catalytic characteristics of the anti-VIP IgG preparation.
Synthesis of glucose 6-phosphate by a 1,3-diphosphoglycerate-glucose phosphotransferase activity of liver microsomes

Abstract 1. 1. Glucose 6-phosphate can be synthesized directly from 1,3-diphosphoglycerate and glucose in a reaction catalyzed by a liver and kidney microsomal enzyme whose properties resemble those of glucose-6-phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.9) with its accompanying inorganic pyrophosphate-glucose phosphotransferase activity. 2. 2. Specifically labeled radioactive 1,3-[1-32P]diphosphoglycerate has been prepared and used to show that it is exclusively the acid anhydride phosphate on C-1 of that compound that is transferred to glucose. 3. 3. The possibilities that, in the system used, the glucose 6-phosphate synthesis occurs indirectly from 1,3-diphosphoglycerate by way of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase-catalyzed ATP formation or by way of phosphoglucomutase phosphorylation have been eliminated. 4. 4. Enzymatically catalyzed hydrolysis of 1,3-diphosphoglycerate occurs at 30°C and pH 6.0 in addition to the appreciable spontaneously occurring hydrolysis of the compound. 5. 5. The enzyme activity, like that of glucose-6-phosphatase and related enzyme activities, is greatly increased by pretreatment of the microsomes at about pH 10 or by detergent pretreatment. 6. 6. In activated preparations the pH optimum of the phosphotransferase reaction was 5.2–5.3 and the K m = 1.4 mM for 1,3-diphosphoglycerate and 0.08 M for glucose. 7. 7. Under comparable conditions, 1,3-diphosphoglycerate was 30–50% as effective a donor as PPi in the synthesis of sugar phosphates. Other sugars and sugar alcohols, as well as glycerol can be enzymatically phosphorylated by 1,3-diphosphoglycerate, the relative extent of phosphorylation of each acceptor compound being approximately the same as is observed with PPi as phosphate donor. The enzyme was unable to catalyze the phosphorylation of creatine with either PPi or 1,3-diphosphoglycerate as donor. 8. 8. PPi glucose (glycerol) phosphotransferase was found to be unable to catalyze the introduction of a second phosphate group into glycerol 3-phosphate or glucose 1-phosphate.
ForestSim Model of Impacts of Smallholder Dynamics: Forested Landscapes of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Many forested landscapes in the United States contain a large number of small private landowners (smallholders). The individual decisions of these smallholders can collectively have a large impact on the structure, composition, and connectivity of forests. While models have been developed to try to understand this large-scale collective impact, few models have incorporated extensive information from individual decision-making. Here we introduce an agent-based model, infused with sociological data from smallholders, overlaid on a GIS layer to represent individual smallholders, and used to simulate the impact of thousands of harvesting decisions. Our preliminary results suggest that certain smallholder characteristics (such as relative smallholder age and education level as well as whether a smallholder is resident or absentee) and information flow among owners can radically impact forests at the landscape scale. While still in its preliminary stages, this modeling approach is likely to demonstrate in detail the consequences of decision-making due to changing smallholder demographics or new policies and programs. This approach can help estimate the effectiveness of programs based on landscape-scale programmatic goals and the impact of new policy initiatives.
Toxicity of cycads

This is a review of the literature on the use of cycads as food and medicine, with special attention to their toxic properties. In the tropics and subtropics, where the plants are indigenous, their toxicity has long been known. Both gastrointestinal and neurological effects have been reported. Although several toxic components of the plants have been investigated, none has yet been shown to be responsible for specific effects. No lesion has been demonstrated to account for the progressive and apparently irreversible posterior paralysis which reputedly follows consumption of the plants by cattle. Current interest in the toxicity of the cycads has been stimulated by recognition of the high incidence of neurological diseases in an area of the world where they are used as food.
Space-charge-limited current flow through semi-insulating gallium arsenide

Abstract The d.c. current-voltage characteristics for space-charge-limited current flow through the bulk of unintentionally doped semi-insulating GaAs with electron-injecting source contact is derived. The one-dimensional analysis provides a complete analytical expression covering the ranges of dominant space charge contribution by free electrons, and by acceptors, respectively, and of quasi-thermal free electron concentration. Simple approximate analytical expressions are given covering more limited current ranges.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF RELATIVISTIC ATOMIC STRUCTURE CALCULATIONS

Among the relativistic atomic structure theories developed in the last two decades, two methods - multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) and relativistic many-body perturbation theory (RMBPT) - have extensively been applied to calculate spectroscopic properties of neutral atoms as well as highly charged ions. The strengths and weaknesses of these methods are discussed with some examples. The MCDF method is based on the shell structure familiar to atomic physicists, and hence intuitively easier to understand. On the other hand, the RMBPT method is more systematic in introducing correlation and relativistic corrections and logically simpler to include quantum electrodynamic (QED) corrections and higher order relativistic effects than the MCDF method. A recent development in extensive relativistic configuration interaction is also described.
Nanomechanical Effect of Enzymatic Manipulation of DNA on Microcantilever Surfaces

Microcantilevers functionalized with DNA incorporating a Hind III restriction endonuclease site were digested with Hind III to produce DNA with a single-stranded end on the cantilever surface. Ligase was then used to link a second DNA molecule with a compatible end to the DNA on the cantilever. Nanomechanical motion of the cantilever was monitored throughout the digestion and ligation. Fluorescently labeled DNA was used to confirm that ligation and digestion occurred. The DNA was attached to the silicon side because Hind III and DNA ligase both require dithiothreitol to retain their activity. We therefore avoided the possibility that thiolated DNA on the gold side of the cantilever would be displaced by thiol-containing compounds in solution. Our results show that any natural DNA containing a restriction endonuclease site could be digested and attached to a cantilever functionalized with a compatible DNA. Our results also show that the ligated DNA can be removed, regenerating the cantilever for future use.
Borrelia burgdorferi malQ mutants utilize disaccharides and traverse the enzootic cycle.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, cycles in nature between a vertebrate host and a tick vector. We demonstrate that B. burgdorferi can utilize several sugars that may be available during persistence in the tick, including trehalose, N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), and chitobiose. The spirochete grows to a higher cell density in trehalose, which is found in tick hemolymph, than in maltose; these two disaccharides differ only in the glycosidic linkage between the glucose monomers. Additionally, B. burgdorferi grows to a higher density in GlcNAc than in the GlcNAc dimer chitobiose, both of which may be available during tick molting. We have also investigated the role of malQ (bb0166), which encodes an amylomaltase, in sugar utilization during the enzootic cycle. In other bacteria, MalQ is involved in utilizing maltodextrins and trehalose, but we show that, unexpectedly, it is not needed for B. burgdorferi to grow in vitro on any of the sugars assayed. In addition, infection of mice by needle inoculation or tick bite, as well as acquisition and maintenance of the spirochete in the tick vector, does not require MalQ.
Empty freight car dispatching model under freight car pool concept

Abstract In the last few years, growing attention has been given to the cost savings potential of the specialized freight car pool concept. Under this concept, a fleet of single-purpose freight cars are pooled at many loading points, and the cars emptied at unloading terminals can be sent back to any loading point in order to reduce empty car miles and time. As part of a continuing effort to improve the car dispatching method for this concept, this paper offers an improvement to the traditional linear programming transportation problem approach, incorporating daily variations of empty car supply and demand characteristics in the model. The proposed method, therefore, allocates cars between supply and demand points with the dispatching date specified, enabling the dispatcher to make daily car disposition decisions. It can incorporate both the travel distance cost and inventory cost of empty cars at terminals in the objective. If the holding of empty vehicles at the terminals for future dispatch is allowed, the problem is structured as a transshipment problem in which the overnight storage is the transshipment point.
Diet and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Review of Patient-Targeted Recommendations

Patients have strong beliefs about the role of diet in the cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and in exacerbating or alleviating ongoing symptoms from IBD. The rapid increase in the incidence and prevalence of IBD in recent decades strongly suggests an environmental trigger for IBD, one of which may be dietary patterns. There are several pathways where diet may influence intestinal inflammation, such as direct dietary antigens, altering the gut microbiome, and affecting gastrointestinal permeability. However, data that altering diet can change the natural history of IBD are scarce, and evidence-based dietary guidelines for patients with IBD are lacking. Patients, therefore, seek nonmedical resources for dietary guidance, such as patient support groups and unverified sources on the Internet. The aim of this review is to identify patient-targeted dietary recommendations for IBD and to critically appraise the nutritional value of these recommendations. We review patient-targeted dietary information for IBD from structured Internet searches and popular defined diets. Patient-targeted dietary recommendations focus on food restrictions and are highly conflicting. High-quality dietary intervention studies are needed to facilitate creation of evidence-based dietary guidelines for patients with IBD.
The Factor Structure and Age-Related Factorial Invariance of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS)

There has been an increased interest in the structure of and relations among executive functions.The present study examined the factor structure as well as age-related factorial invariance of the Delis—Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS), a widely used inventory aimed at assessing executive functions. Analyses were first conducted using data provided in the D-KEFS technical manual and were then replicated in an independent sample of male early adolescents aged 11 to 16 years. Results revealed a three-factor solution best fit the data across groups and samples; measurement properties appeared to be invariant across age groups for certain loadings and variant for others. The three factors were labeled Conceptual Flexibility, Monitoring, and Inhibition. These findings provide better understanding of the measurement properties of the D-KEFS and contribute to the larger literature on the structure of measures intended to assess executive functions.
New Perils for the Contract Ethnographer

The conditions of contract research may lead some workers to ignore publication rights of colleagues whose reports are of limited circulation. This type of activity may occur and be downplayed when it does occur because contract research is conducted outside the traditional academic environment. The businesslike environment, “inhuman” deadlines, and pressures to “produce” may generate abuses. Contract research, however, must be bound by the same rigorous ethical standards as research done in the traditional academic environment if free exchange of ideas and information is to occur. ETHNOGRAPHIC EVALUATION; ETHICS; CONTRACT RESEARCH; PUBLICATION PROTOCOL; SCHOOL ETHNOGRAPHY.
A Proposal for a New Editorial Policy in the Social Sciences

Abstract “… there's this desert prison, see, with an old prisoner, resigned to his life, and a young one just arrived. The young one talks constantly of escape, and, after a few months, he makes a break. He's gone a week, and then he's brought back by the guards. He's half dead, crazy with hunger and thirst. He describes how awful it was to the old prisoner. The endless stretches of sand, no oasis, no signs of life anywhere. The old prisoner listens for a while, then says, ‘Yep. I know. I tried to escape myself, twenty years ago.’ The young prisoner says, ‘You did? Why didn't you tell me, all these months I was planning my escape? Why didn't you let me know it was impossible?’ And the old prisoner shrugs, and says, ‘So who publishes negative results?’” (Hudson, 1968, p. 168)
New directions in cyberbullying research

This introduction provides an overview of the special issue of the Journal of School Violence. We present a rationale for the need for new directions in cyberbullying research, and include a brief overview of the state of scholarship on this topic. We then include a brief outline of the articles included in the special issue, and point out how they address novel questions and use innovative methods to answer those questions.
Possible role of adenosine in the CNS effects of ethanol

The ability of adenosine to modify the CNS effects of acute and chronic ethanol was studied by using theophylline, an adenosine antagonist, and dipyridamole, a blocker of adenosine reuptake. We also studied the binding characteristics of adenosine using crude membranes of whole brain. Theophylline pretreatment prior to acute ethanol administration markedly reduced the duration of ethanol-induced sleep and similarly decreased the intensity and duration of motor incoordination. In chronic ethanol treated mice the effect of theophylline on ethanol-induced hypnosis and motor incoordination was similar to the acute experiment. Dipyridamole markedly prolonged the duration of ethanol-induced hypnosis and potentiated the motor incoordination produced by acute ethanol. However, in chronic ethanol treated mice dipyridamole was not able to potentiate the motor incoordinating effect of ethanol although it was able to prolong ethanol hypnosis similar to the results obtained in the acute ethanol study. Neither drug had any effect on ethanol-induced hypothermia, in either the acute or chronic studies. After 10 days of ethanol ingestion the adenosine dissociation constant was unchanged whereas the number of brain adenosine receptors was increased 28% although the increase did not reach statistical significance. The number of adenosine receptors was reduced 40% at 24 and 48 h after withdrawal and returned to prewithdrawal levels at 72 h. The dissociation constant was reduced at 24 and 48 h but by 72 h had returned to prewithdrawal levels. The marked changes in adenosine binding characteristics as well as the modification of some CNS effects of ethanol by drugs which influence either adenosine binding to its receptor or the availability of adenosine suggests that adenosine may be involved in the expression of some of the CNS effects of ethanol.
Institutionalized Knowledge Challenges in Pesticide Governance: The End of Knowledge and Beginning of Values in Governing Globalized Environmental Issues

This paper looks at the particular challenges that cross-level interdependence has for the use of knowledge in decision-making for environmental governance. Analytical questions surrounding knowledge generation, use, and flow and the role of institutions in shaping these arise in a multi-level context. By using results from a study on pesticide use in developing countries, some of the particular challenges in relying on scientific knowledge for governance of globalized environmental issues are illustrated. The case involves a situation with significant mismatches between access to and need for knowledge by decision-makers at the different governance levels. The exploration of various strategies to address such mismatches allow discussions not only on the role of knowledge and institutional design but also their limitations and how more inclusive values would serve a system of multilayered governance.
Kinetics of lithium efflux through the (Na,K)-pump of human erythrocytes

Abstract Evidence from the kinetics of transport supports the hypothesis that cellular Li, Lic, interacts with the internal aspect of the (Na,K)-pump as a congener of Na, Lic and Nac compete for the same sites on the internal aspect of the pump. Lic promotes Na-activated K influx and Nac promotes Li-activated K influx. Cellular K inhibits Li-activated K influx, indicating that the interaction of Kc with the internal aspect of the pump is qualitatively different from the interaction with either Nac or Lic. The Hill coefficients for Na-promoted and Li-promoted K influx are similar and are both greater than unity, indicating the same number of multiple intracellular sites per pump for the two cations. The stoichiometry of coupling between efflux and K influx is also similar for Na and Li, and is close to 3 Na or 3 Li to 2 K. The Li-activated K influx appears to be independent of the residual Na which remains in cells prepared in Na-free solutions.
Response of Urban and Non-Urban Land Cover in a Semi-Arid Ecosystem to Summer Precipitation Variability

ABSTRACT Vegetation response to precipitation variability is an important climate-ecosystem-hydrology feedback. Anthropogenic impacts coupled by changes in seasonal and annual precipitation patterns can have a dramatic and large spatial effect on ecosystem structure and functioning, especially in water limited environments. While the natural Sonoran Desert is water limited, Phoenix metropolitan area is constantly being irrigated to support human activities. The aim of this research is to study how urban areas differ from their natural surroundings ecosystems in their phenology and response to summer water inputs. Rain use efficiency (RUE), inter-annual and intra-annual vegetation phenology, and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) of the two land-cover types and their response to summer precipitation have been analyzed. In addition, a soil water balance model is used to simulate the Horton index (H) as a measure land-cover response to climate variability. Results show that the urban environment has a...
Capaciflector sensor data interpretation using the constrained deconvolution algorithm

The Capaciflector, a capacitive proximity sensor, is being developed by NASA for collision avoidance. Capaciflector provides a single output value as measure of altered base frequency. This value is a characteristic of an external object in the sensor's field of view. An attempt is made to use the Capaciflector for imaging with operating range from 1 to 2 inches. By positional arangement of sensors in a grid pattern and electronic activation of sensors over the grid one at a time an object characteristic image is obtained. The article describes the Capaciflector experimental imaging system and preliminary results obtained by the system.
Active Principles of the Neurohypophysis of Cold-Blooded Vertebrates: Pharmacological Evidence for the Presence of Arginine Vasotocin and Oxytocin in Neurohypophysial Extracts from Cold-blooded Vertebrates

Active Principles of the Neurohypophysis of Cold-Blooded Vertebrates: Pharmacological Evidence for the Presence of Arginine Vasotocin and Oxytocin in Neurohypophysial Extracts from Cold-blooded Vertebrates
A time-distribution study of doline collapse: Framework for prediction

A temporal analysis of doline collapse on the Western Highland Rim (Tennessee) indicated one approach to estimating the probability of collapse in areas where the geologic and hydrologic criteria associated with collapse have been identified. The distribution of collapse was examined for trend, autocorrelation, and goodness of fit.
Design of antithrombotic agents: An introduction

A brief overview of the control of hemostasis is presented that relates physiologically important functions and interactions of the proteins discussed in this volume, i.e.: factor Xa, thrombin, antithrombin III, protein C, protein S, thrombomodulin, ADP receptor, thrombin receptor and fibrinogen receptor.
Consuming a Western diet for two weeks suppresses fetal genes in mouse hearts.

Diets high in sugar and saturated fat (Western diet) contribute to obesity and pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome. A common physiological response to obesity is hypertension, which induces cardi...
Emerging roles for RGS proteins in cell signalling

Regulators of G-protein signalling (RGS proteins) are a family of highly diverse, multifunctional signalling proteins that share a conserved 120 amino acid domain (RGS domain). RGS domains bind directly to activated Galpha subunits and act as GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) to attenuate and/or modulate hormone and neurotransmitter receptor-initiated signalling by both Galpha-GTP and Gbetagamma. Apart from this structural domain, which is shared by all known RGS proteins, these proteins differ widely in their overall size and amino acid identity and possess a remarkable variety of structural domains and motifs. These biochemical features impart signalling functions and/or enable RGS proteins to interact with a growing list of unexpected protein-binding partners with diverse cellular roles. New appreciation for the broader cellular functions of RGS proteins challenges established models of G-protein signalling and serves to identify these proteins as central participants in receptor signalling and cell physiology.
Two dimensional multiple scattering in an absorbing medium: Preliminary experiments

Abstract Described in this paper are preliminary experimental results which characterizes two-dimensional multiple scattering with absorption. Parameters basic to the experiment are derived and the experiments used for their determination are discussed. Comparisons between theory and experiment are only fair.
Regulation of expression of arylphorin and female-specific protein mRNAs in the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta☆

Two non-cross-hybridizing cDNA clones were isolated from a λgt11 cDNA library prepared from Day 2 fifth instar female fat body of Manduca sexta and shown by hybrid selection to code respectively for the two storage proteins arylphorin and female-specific protein (FSP). Analysis of the developmental expression of arylphorin showed its presence during the feeding phases of the penultimate (fourth) and final (fifth) larval instars and its absence during the molt. Abdominal ligation of larvae followed by infusion of Grace's medium showed that this amino acid-rich medium was able to maintain arylphorin expression in fourth instar larvae, but not continued high expression in fifth instar larvae. This nutrient medium however was sufficient to allow initiation of expression in newly ecdysed fifth larval abdomens. Infusion of 5 μg 20-hydroxyecdysone (20HE) caused a significant reduction of arylphorin RNA in ligated fourth larval abdomens, whereas 50 μg was required in Day 2 fifth larval abdomens to suppress this RNA. Thus, both the lack of incoming nutrients and the rising titer of ecdysteroid contribute to the loss of arylphorin mRNA at the molts and at wandering. By contrast, FSP mRNA was first detected in females on Day 2 of the fifth instar, but not in males until wandering, and then was present throughout the prepupal period. In females allatectomy caused the precocious appearance of FSP mRNA which was prevented by application of 10 μg methoprene, a juvenile hormone analog. Expression of FSP mRNA in males however appeared to be independent of hormonal milieu.
“Everyone called me grandma”: Public housing demolition and relocation among older adults in Atlanta

Over the last few decades public and political dissatisfaction with public housing projects and an increasing emphasis on poverty deconcentration has led to the demolition of public housing in cities across the country. A significant body of literature has examined experiences of relocation from public housing and their implications for the well-being of individuals and communities. While much of this literature has focused on young or middle-aged adults and children, older adults have also been affected by demolition and relocation. The displacement of older adults raises a new set of age and life-course specific concerns for the well-being of this population. In this paper, we analyze the relocation narratives of 25 former public housing residents in Atlanta, Georgia. Our analysis focuses on the loss of geographically rooted communities of kinship, support and belonging that many participants, particularly those who have aged in place, attribute to their former developments. Participants describe many material and psychosocial benefits associated with living in communities that were “like families” and where they often held important roles as respected elders. While some were satisfied with their moves, others describe the dispersal of these “families” as a deeply felt loss. While some were able to draw on support from children and grandchildren in their new homes, others describe experiences of profound isolation after relocation.
A comparison of two sequential geomagnetic polarity transitions (upper Olduvai and lower Jaramillo) from the Southern Hemisphere

Abstract Two normal to reverse (N to R) geomagnetic polarity transitions were obtained from a Southern Hemisphere deep-sea sediment core (35.91°S, 59.97°E). The upper Jaramillo reversal was continuously sampled by taking 0.5 cm thick samples across 55 cm of section, and the upper Olduvai reversal was sampled in a similar manner across 60 cm. Both records are characterized by full normal and reverse polarity directions which are in very good agreement with those predicted by axial dipole fields for the core site latitude. Each record also exhibits a zone yielding intermediate directions. Because of a large increase in both the within-level and the between-level scatter in the upper Jaramillo transition zone, it is not considered to represent an accurate record of the geomagnetic field. The upper Olduvai transition, however, appears to be a more coherent record. It is characterized by directions that shallow early in the reversal but then rapidly steepen to nearly vertical, upward directions. The declinations do not change until the inclinations have passed through the vertical. The total directional change occurs within a broad NRM intensity minimum. The virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) path calculated for this record is not longitudinally constrained but instead exhibits a westward progression through the reversal. When considered together with the lower Jaramillo transition previously reported from this core, these records constitute a set of sequential Southern Hemisphere transitions. A number of striking similarities exist in the two records such as steep, upward directions and a shallowing which occurs between the near vertical and the full polarity directions. The results of zonal harmonic modeling of these records are consistent with the idea of a standing field which persisted across both the upper Olduvai and lower Jaramillo reversals.
Methodological and Theoretical Considerations for a Cross-Cultural Investigation of Children's Humor

Abstract Cette etude traite des problemes methodologiques poses par les recherches inter-culturelles sur l'humour. L'A. presente un modele de developpement du sens de l'humour chez l'enfant et propose des hypotheses verifiables concernant les similitudes et differences existant dans l'humour enfantin. Il cherche a isoler les mecamsmes cognitifs qui jouent un role important dans le processus de la reaction d'humour et, parallelement, examine les caracteristiques specifiques des stimuli declenchant cette reaction. L'assimilation imaginaire d'information par l'enfant est supposee agir de facon primordiale dans l'humour qui, dans toutes les cultures, est base sur l'existence de contrastes dans le stimulus. Une attention particuliere est consacree aux elements de base permettant de prevoir les similitudes et differences de l'attitude des enfants a l'egard de l'humour dans diverses cultures.
Rapid, sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) foi serum amyloid A (apoSAA) in human plasma and tissue culture fluids1

Two direct binding enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for human acute phase serum amyloid A isoforms (apoSAA1 and apoSAA2) are described, a single antibody method for serum and plasma samples and a double antibody method for tissue culture supernatants. Both methods employ polyvalent, monospecific rabbit anti-human apoSAA antiserum that does not react with constitutive apoSAA in plasma or tissue culture samples. In the presence of 3M KBr, pH 9.6, all apoSAA isoforms are passively adsorbed to microtiter plate wells in quantities proportional to their concentrations. The absolute concentrations of total acute phase apoSAA isoforms in samples can be determined from a standard curve constructed from samples of known apoSAA concentration incubated at the same time. For clinical evaluation of serum and plasma specimens, apoSAA is bound to microtiter wells at ambient temperature (∼25°C) after which its concentration is determined directly with horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated anti-apoSAA immunoglo...
Lipid risk factors and the regression of atherosclerosis

Angiographically monitored clinical trials of antilipidemic therapy have demonstrated that the progression of atherosclerosis may be slowed or even reversed. The clinical benefit observed in these trials strengthens the rationale for aggressive therapy in patients with known atherosclerotic disease. Additionally, these trials have provided further insight on the basis of clinical events and the risk factors associated with progression.
Conservation Program Participation and Adaptive Rangeland Decision-Making

This paper analyzes rancher participation in conservation programs in the context of a social-ecological framework for adaptive rangeland decision-making. We argue that conservation programs are best understood as one of many strategies of adaptively managing rangelands in ways that sustain livelihoods and ecosystem services. The framework hypothesizes four categories of variables affecting conservation program participation: operation/operator characteristics, time horizon, social network connections, and social values. Based on a mail survey of California ranchers, multinomial logit models are used to estimate the impact of these variables on different levels of rancher involvement in conservation programs. The findings suggest that ranchers with larger amounts of land, an orientation towards the future, and who are opinion leaders with access to conservation information, are more likely to participate in conservation programs.
Scanning electron microscope–cathodoluminescence analysis of quartz reveals complex growth histories in veins from the Butte porphyry copper deposit, Montana

Scanning electron microscope–cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) analysis of quartz reveals textures that cannot be observed using optical microscopy or backscattered electrons. These cryptic textures yield insight into timing and physical conditions of quartz growth, especially in environments with multiple quartz-precipitation events. Hydrothermal quartz from quartz-sulfide veins in the porphyry copper deposit in Butte, Montana, was analyzed by SEM-CL, revealing the following textures: euhedral growth zones, wide nonluminescing bands that cut across multiple quartz grains, rounded luminescent quartz grain cores with euhedral overgrowths, nonluminescing ‘‘splatters’’ of quartz connected by networks of cobweb-like nonluminescing quartz in otherwise luminescent quartz, concentric growth zones, and wide nonluminescent grain boundaries. These textures indicate that many veins have undergone fracturing, dilation, growth of quartz into fluid-filled space, quartz dissolution, and recrystallization of quartz. Precipitation and dissolution textures indicate that early quartz-molybdenite veins formed as a result of pressure fluctuations between lithostatic and hydrostatic at high temperatures, and later pyrite-quartz veins formed near hydrostatic pressure in response to temperature decrease through and beyond the field of retrograde quartz solubility.
Effects of computation speed on the stability of a self-controlling process

In this paper we consider the impact of the speed of the processor on the stability of the adaptation process. The problem is investigated on a case study that involves a real-time system for monitoring illuminations of multiple emitters by one receiver mounted on a moving platform. This is a self-controlling system whose goal is to schedule the receiver so that the uncertainty about the times of illuminations of radars in the direction of the platform is minimized. The system has several controllers and a scheduler which are using the same computer as the computation resource. This paper demonstrates the effects of computation time on a real time self-controlling system and shows the changes in stability of the system under high computation loads.
Stochastic dynamics of the midlatitude atmospheric jet

Abstract The innate tendency of the background straining field of the midlatitude atmospheric jet to preferentially amplify a subset of disturbances produces a characteristic response to stochastic perturbation whether the perturbations are internally generated by nonlinear processes or externally imposed. This physical property of enhanced response to a subset of perturbations is expressed analytically through the nonnormality of the linearized dynamical operator, which can be studied to determine the transient growth of particular disturbances over time through solution of the initial value problem or, alternatively, to determine the stationary response to continual excitation through solution of the related stochastic problem. Making use of the fact that the background flow dominates the strain rate field, a theory for the turbulent state can be constructed based on the nonnormality of the dynamical operator linearized about the background flow. While the initial value problem provides an explanation f...
Quality of life valuations of mammography screening

Objective To obtain quality-of-life (QOL) valuations associated with mammography screening and breast cancer treatment that are suitable for use in cost-effectiveness analyses. Methods Subjects comprised 131 women (age range 50–79 years) randomly sampled from a breast cancer screening program. In an in-person or telephone interview, women rated the QOL impact of 14 clinical scenarios (ranging from mammography to end-of-life care for breast cancer) using a visual analogue scale anchored by death (0) and perfect health/quality of life (100). Results Women rated the scenarios describing true negative results, false positive results, and routine screening mammography at 80 or above on a scale of 0–100, suggesting that they perceive these states as being close to perfect health. They rated adjuvant chemotherapy (39.7; range 10–90), palliation/end-of-life care (35.8; range 0–100), and recurrence at 1 year (33.0; range 0–95) the lowest, suggesting that these health states are perceived as compromised. Women rated receiving news of a breast cancer diagnosis (true positive) (45.7; range 5–100) and receiving delayed news of a breast cancer diagnosis (false negative) (48.5; range 5–100) as being comparable to undergoing mastectomy (48.3; range 10–100) and radiation therapy (46.2; range 5–100) for breast cancer. Conclusions These data can be used to update cost analyses of mammography screening that wish to take into account the QOL impact of screening.
Leading while being led: developing the developer at a Catholic NGO in Cape Town

The paper uses ethnographic data about the religious ethics undergirding the discourse and practices of development agents at Catholic Welfare and Development (CWD), a faith-based NGO in Cape Town, South Africa. It explores how the dynamic interrelation between faith and ethics permeated the development encounter and produced particular modalities for the ethical/moral development of the subjectivities of CWD's developers. Informed by their own experiences of development, developers attempted to ‘develop’ those they considered to be beneficiaries. The paper argues, and provides evidence to demonstrate that, through the shared experience of development as an interpersonal and intersubjective encounter, both developers and beneficiaries were developed, while they also developed each other. It goes on to suggest that this finding challenges the binary representation of development relationships (developer/beneficiary) and that—despite the asymmetry of the reciprocities involved—it is misleading to think in s...
Small field-of-view star identification using Bayesian decision theory

We describe a simple autonomous star identification algorithm which is effective using a narrow field of view (FOV) (2 deg), making the use of a science camera for star identification feasible. This work extends that of Padgett and Kreutz-Delgado (1997) by setting decision thresholds using Bayesian decision theory. Our simulations show that when positional accuracy of imaged stars is 0.5 pixel (standard deviation) and the apparent brightness deviates by 0.8 unit stellar magnitude, the algorithm correctly identifies 96.0% of the sensor orientations, with less than a 0.3% rate of false positives.
Storied spaces: Cultural accounts of mobility, technology, and environmental knowing

When we think of mobility in technical terms, we think of topics such as bandwidth, resource management, location, and wireless networks. When we think of mobility in social or cultural terms, a different set of topics come into view: pilgrimage and religious practice, globalization and economic disparities, migration and cultural identity, daily commutes and the suburbanization of cities. In this paper, we examine the links between these two aspects of mobility. Drawing on non-technological examples of cultural encounters with space, we argue that mobile information technologies do not just operate in space, but they are tools that serve to structure the spaces through which they move. We use recent projects to illustrate how three concerns with mobility and space-legibility, literacy, and legitimacy-open up new avenues for design exploration and analysis.
Novel software package for cross-platform transcriptome analysis (CPTRA)

Background Next-generation sequencing techniques enable several novel transcriptome profiling approaches. Recent studies indicated that digital gene expression profiling based on short sequence tags has superior performance as compared to other transcriptome analysis platforms including microarrays. However, the transcriptomic analysis with tag-based methods often depends on available genome sequence. The use of tag-based methods in species without genome sequence should be complemented by other methods such as cDNA library sequencing. The combination of different next generation sequencing techniques like 454 pyrosequencing and Illumina Genome Analyzer (Solexa) will enable high-throughput and accurate global gene expression profiling in species with limited genome information. The combination of transcriptome data acquisition methods requires cross-platform transcriptome data analysis platforms, including a new software package for data processing.
Bystander education: Bringing a broader community perspective to sexual violence prevention

Recent research documents the problem of sexual violence across communities, often finding its causes to be embedded in community and cultural norms, thus demonstrating the need for community-focused solutions. In this article we synthesize research from community psychology on community change and prevention with more individually focused studies of sexual violence prevention programs and bystander behavior in emergency and crime situations. The purpose of bringing together this research is to outline a new area of focus for sexual violence prevention: the mobilization of prosocial behavior on the part of potential bystanders. This approach has utility for increasing community receptivity to prevention messages, by decreasing resistance to them, and for increasing the likelihood of community members taking an active role in prevention and intervention. The specific case of sexual violence prevention on college campus communities illustrates this approach. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 61–79, 2004.