cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Messenger RNA differntial display strategies in birds and amphibians

As an inroad to the discovery of genes involved in important biological activities, various techniques have been developed for detecting genes based on their expression levels. Arbitrary amplification of different messenger RNA (mRNA) populations and their comparison on display autoradiograms made mRNA differential display one of the most straightforward approaches to identification of differentially regulated mRNAs. Over the past decade this strategy has been employed in many in vitro and in vivo systems. The use of the method in bird and amphibian model systems is reviewed here, emphasizing several unique combinations of model system and design of differential display screen.
Integration of ultrasound findings and a clinical score in the diagnostic evaluation of pediatric appendicitis.

Objective To determine the predictive value of ultrasonography (US) for appendicitis in children when combined with clinical assessment based on the Pediatric Appendicitis Score (PAS). Study design Observational study of children aged 3-18 years who had an US examination for possible appendicitis. A PAS was calculated on the basis of historical elements, examination, and laboratory studies and was used to classify patients into 3 risk groups (low, medium, high). The predictive value of the PAS for appendicitis was calculated and stratified by the result of the US (positive, negative, or equivocal). Results A total of 728 children with a median age 11.7 (IQR 7.8-14.9) years were studied; 29% had appendicitis. The negative predictive value of US decreased with increasing PAS-based risk assignment: low risk 1.00 (95% CI, 0.97-1.00), medium risk 0.94 (0.91-0.97), and high risk 0.81 (0.73-0.89). With increasing PAS, the positive predictive value increased: low risk 0.73 (0.47-0.99), medium risk 0.90 (0.82-0.98), and high risk 0.97 (0.95-1.0). Among children with equivocal ultrasound results, the proportion with appendicitis ranged from 0.09 (0.0-0.19) for low-risk patients to 0.47 (0.33-0.61) among for high-risk patients. Conclusion Ultrasound findings in children with possible appendicitis should be integrated with clinical assessment, such as a clinical score, to determine next steps in management. Rates of false-negative US increase with increasing PAS, and false-positive US results occur more often with lower PAS. When discordance exists between US results and the clinical assessment, serial examinations or further imaging are warranted.
A BETTER WORLD IS POSSIBLE? ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

Dorothy Holland and Jean Lave (eds.) 2001. History in Person: Enduring Struggles, Contentious Practice, Intimate Identities. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press. Miranda Joseph 2002. Ag...
Organization of the ribosomal RNA genes of Dictyostelium discoideum. Mapping of the transcribed region.

We mapped the transcribed region of the ribosomal RNA genes and determined the scheme for processing of the 36S rRNA precursor. Four of the repeated fragments seen in an Eco RI digestion of nuclear DNA code for rRNA: bands V, VII, IXa and IXb. The 17 S rRNA gene was shown by hybridization to recombinant plasmids (rRNA genes, pMB9) to be located in bands V and VII. Similarly, the 26 S rRNA gene was shown to cover the other end of band VII and all of bands IXa and IXb. Electron microscope mapping, using R-loops and the T4 gene 32 protein procedure, showed that the transcribed spacer between the 17 S and 26 S genes is 1 kilobase long. The 5·8 S rRNA gene is located within 200 nucleotides of the 26 S rRNA gene in the transcribed spacer region. We also derived a processing scheme for the rRNA including mapping of the external transcribed spacer. The 36 S initial transcript is split into the 28 S and 21 S molecules. The 28 S nuclear rRNA gives rise to the 26 S and 5·8 S species and contains little transcribed spacer. The 21 S is processed to the 17 S mature species, with some of the transcribed spacer at the 5′ end of the transcript. The 17 S species was found to be at the 5′ end of the 36 S precursor and the 26 S rRNA was located at the 3′ end.
AIDS and ‘dirt’: Reflections on the ethics of ritual cleanliness

AIDS and the responses and attitudes it evokes surpass the analytic abilities of standard bioethics. These responses and attitudes are explored in terms of literary and anthropological categories, such as dirt, disorder, pollution and ritual cleanliness. Implications for medical education are suggested.
An MSD-based method for the detection of chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and chlorinated dibenzofurans in fish

Abstract A stream-lined method for the detection of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in fish samples is described. The samples were mechanically blended with anhydrous sodium sulphate and then packed in a glass column. The lipid fraction was eluted from the column with dichloromethane. The described extraction technique recovered 13 C-labelled surrogate spikes as effectively as a method based on acidic digestion and liquid phase extraction. Lipids were removed from the fish extracts by size exclusion chromatography followed by chromatography on a mini acid/base silica column. The extract was further enriched by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on basic alumina and activated carbon. The analytes were identified and quantified by gas chromatography combined with mass selective detection. Two sets of fish samples (n = 16 & n = 6) were used to evaluate the method: surrogate recoveries ranged from 67.5% to 75.5%, and analytical precision ranged from 13.9 to 26.4%. Tritiated 2,3,7,8-T 4 CDD was used to conveniently trouble shoot the method.
Simulation of the pressure and temperature folding/unfolding equilibrium of a small RNA hairpin.

We report molecular dynamics simulations of the equilibrium folding/unfolding thermodynamics of the RNA tetraloop in explicit solvent. A replica exchange molecular dynamics study of the r(CGUUGCCG) oligomer that forms a hairpin is performed for 226 ns per replica, using 52 replicas. We are able to show the unbiased folding of all replicas starting from extended conformations. The equilibrium pressure−temperature free energy of folding, ΔG(P,T), is calculated from the averaged energy, pressure, and specific volume change upon folding of the oligomer as a function of T at constant volume. We find that this oligomer is destabilized by increasing hydrostatic pressure, similar to the behavior of globular proteins.
Particles' transport in a single fracture under variable flow regimes

Abstract A mathematical model to account for non-laminar terms, during simulated transports in fractured rocks has been developed. The relevant conceptual model consists of a two dimensional grid block equivalent to a variable fracture plane. The block aperture variability is expressed by means of stochastic procedures, based upon some characteristics of fractured media. One of them, e.g. the equivalent hydraulic aperture, may be estimated by means of the results of field tests. The solution of Navier–Stokes and Darcy–Weisbach's equation for steady state flow between two parallel plates with constant aperture allows the systems of equations under respetively, laminar and non-laminar conditions, to be wirtten. The flow model is a standard finite-difference method with a modified version of Darcy's equation to account for non-laminar terms that are important at high water velocity. To simulate solute transports, the particle tracking technique was applied.
DIFFUSION PROCESSES FOR INTEGRATED WAVEGUIDE FABRICATION IN GLASSES: A SOLID-STATE ELECTROCHEMICAL APPROACH

Abstract The process of solid-state film ion exchange (Ag + -Na + ) in glass substrates for the fabrication of integrated, optical waveguides has been investigated as a solid-state electrochemical process. The ion exchange process is initiated by establishing a space-charge distribution in the more mobile charge carrier. The space charge establishes an intense electric field that drives oxygen to the surface to fuel dopant oxidation and subsequent diffusion. A one-dimensional model is presented in space-charge effects in glass having charge-blocking and permeable electrodes. The model results show that the rate-limiting step for initiating Ag + diffusion in glass is the motion of oxygen ions towards the silver anode to form a layer of silver oxide. The predictions of oxygen diffusion time compare favorably with the “dead times” in the current vs time curves observed during the ion exchange process. The dead time corresponds to the period of negligible diffusion of silver into glass and formation of a stable oxide layer. This was experimentally confirmed by Rutherford backscattering analysis. The variation of maximum diffusion current as a function of applied voltage and temperature was also studied and a theoretical electrochemical treatment is presented.
Solution of linear integral equations by Gregory's method

Two techniques for using Gregory's method to solve Fredholm integral equations of the second kind are described. Since the kernel function is allowed to be mildly discontinuous, Volterra integral equations of the second kind can be solved in the same manner. Some numerical examples are given.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and the risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in men with prostate cancer.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) accomplished by either a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, GnRH antagonist, or bilateral orchiectomy is a common treatment for prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men. Given that most men diagnosed with prostate cancer will not die as a direct result of their prostate cancer, competing health risks are an important consideration. Several adverse metabolic effects of ADT have recently been described. The potential benefits of ADT in any given clinical setting must therefore be weighed against the potential harms. In October 2010, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a safety announcement warning about increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease due to GnRH agonist treatment, though these effects likely would result from any intervention that causes castrate testosterone levels. This commentary briefly summarizes the existing literature and provides perspective on its application to clinical practice. We advocate the adapted use of existing guidelines designed to manage the risks for diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the general population.
Gauge-invariant perturbations of Reissner-Nordström black holes

We present the details of previously published results on the stability of the Reissner-Nordstr\"om family of black holes and discuss, in some detail, the reduction techniques which were used to simplify the perturbation problem. We develop the Hamiltonian formalism for the perturbations of an arbitrary static solution of the Einstein-Maxwell equations (with vanishing magnetic field) and show explicitly that the perturbed constraints are the generators of the coordinate and electromagnetic gauge transformations of the canonical perturbation variables. We show that the perturbed constraints have vanishing Poisson brackets with one another and use this result as the basis for our reduction technique. The canonical transformations which accomplish the reduction and the perturbation Hamiltonian are given explicitly for the Reissner-Nordstr\"om problem. We include a stability result for the (odd- and even-parity) $L=1$ perturbations which were not previously considered.
Messenger RNA for Interferon Production.

SummaryData have been presented which suggest that in the system of Chick-ungunya virus in chick embryo cells, the messenger RNA for interferon production is made available just shortly before 11/2 hours after infection.
Exploring laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for nuclear materials analysis and in-situ applications

Abstract Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been used to determine the limits of detection of strontium (Sr) and cesium (Cs), common nuclear fission products. Additionally, detection limits were determined for cerium (Ce), often used as a surrogate for radioactive plutonium in laboratory studies. Results were obtained using a laboratory instrument with a Nd:YAG laser at fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm, frequency doubled to 532 nm with energy of 50 mJ/pulse. The data was compared for different concentrations of Sr and Ce dispersed in a CaCO3 (white) and carbon (black) matrix. We have addressed the sampling errors, limits of detection, reproducibility, and accuracy of measurements as they relate to multivariate analysis in pellets that were doped with the different elements at various concentrations. These results demonstrate that LIBS technique is inherently well suited for in situ analysis of nuclear materials in hot cells. Three key advantages are evident: (1) small samples (mg) can be evaluated; (2) nuclear materials can be analyzed with minimal sample preparation; and (3) samples can be remotely analyzed very rapidly (ms-seconds). Our studies also show that the methods can be made quantitative. Very robust multivariate models have been used to provide quantitative measurement and statistical evaluation of complex materials derived from our previous research on wood and soil samples.
Using an Interpreter as Cofacilitator

This article describes an ongoing group for Cambodian refugee elder women. The group was facilitated by a White licensed clinical social worker who spoke only English and a bilingual, Cambodian interpreter. The interpreter interpreted for the members and the English speaking facilitator but also was a cofacilitator performing assessments of group dynamics, interventions, and actively facilitated alongside the licensed clinical social worker. This model is different than how interpreters are traditionally used. Challenges, strengths, and the dynamics of this model are discussed.
Canine Mast Cell Tumors

Despite the fact that the mast cell tumor is a common neoplasm of the dog, we still have only a meager understanding of its etiology and biologic behavior. Many of the published recommendations for treatment are based on opinion rather than facts derived from careful studies and should be viewed with some skepticism. Because of the infrequent occurrence of this tumor in man, only a limited amount of help can be expected from human oncologists; therefore, burden of responsibility for progress in predicting behavior and developing treatment effective for canine mast cell tumors must fall on the shoulders of the veterinary profession.
Measurements and calculations of the influence of thin inhomogeneities on charged particle beams

The predictions of an analytic technique for calculating fluence and dose distributions beneath thin inhomogeneities are presented for a number of structures, including a rectangular cavity or bar, a cylinder, a disk, and an angled or diffuse edge. Experiments with both electrons and protons for several geometries are presented and compared with predictions based on this technique. We offer some clinical guidelines for avoiding large perturbations due to scattering effects.
Educational and Screening Campaigns to Reduce Deaths from Melanoma

Many deaths of melanoma can be prevented through identification and screening of persons at greatest risk of disease. Herein, we discuss various strategies to reduce avoidable mortality—including targeted screening of persons with changing moles and middle-aged and older men of lower socioeconomic status. We also propose the framework for a randomized screening trial for melanoma.
Effect of Body Size on Growth, Survival, and Chemical Composition of Atlantic Salmon Fed Soy Lecithin and Choline

Abstract A nutritional study consisting of four feeding experiments was conducted in which Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were first fed experimental diets at swim-up (0. 18 g) and at weights of 1.0, 1.7, and 7.5 g. The objectives of the study were to (1) determine if the size at which Atlantic salmon are first fed lecithin affects their growth, survival, and body composition, and (2) compare the responses of Atlantic salmon to different sources of dietary lecithin. Fish fed 4% commercial food-grade lecithin (i.e., 100% soy lecithin) or 8% feed-grade lecithin (i.e., a corn–soy lecithin mixture containing over 50% corn lecithin and 5% insoluble impurities) from swim-up grew faster than fish fed no lecithin but fed sufficient choline. Although fish fed supplemental lecithin from swim-up grew equally well regardless of source and level of lecithin, they grew almost 50% faster than fish fed the basal diet with no supplemental lecithin or choline. Fish started on the experimental diets at 1.0 and 1.7 g grew fas...
The ionization of a low-density intercloud medium by a single O star

The ionization structure of hydrogen in a cloud-containing low-density gas surrounding an O star is calculated, emphasizing how UV photons cause the ionization of hydrogen in regions which are totally obscured from the star by neutral clouds. Particular consideration is given to the ionization of such obscured regions by diffuse Lyman continuum radiation produced when H(+) recombines directly to the ground state. The assumed physical structure of the cloud-containing neighborhood of an O star is discussed, a method is outlined for expressing the emission and absorption properties of the neutral clouds and their shadows in terms of effective volume emissivities and absorption coefficients on a line of sight, and equations of radiative transfer are derived for diffuse and stellar radiation in a cloud-containing H II region. Reradiation of Lyman continuum photons from the ionized boundary layer of a neutral cloud or shadow is analyzed. The expected emission measure across a large cloud-containing H II region is determined and found to compare well with that obtained from observations of H-alpha emission around runaway O stars. It is shown that the hydrogen in cloud shadows may be completely ionized by diffuse radiation within approximately half the Stroemgren radius, depending on the extent of that radius, the average frequency of the Lyman continuum radiation from the star, and the average cloud size.
Elder Respect among American College Students: Exploration Of Behavioral Forms

This study explored the ways in which college students conveyed elder respect. Based on data from a questionnaire survey of 521 subjects, 12 forms of elder respect, ranging from care respect to celebratory respect, were measured. Of these forms, six--acquiescent respect, care respect, linguistic respect, salutatory respect, consulting respect, and presentational respect--were frequently practiced. This study provides insights as to how younger adults in American culture exhibit elder respect. A typology of the forms signifying elder respect among the young American adults is presented. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Influence of arsenic vapor pressure during copper diffusion on deep level formation in silicon-doped gallium arsenide

The effect of arsenic vapor pressure during copper diffusion on deep level formation in silicon-doped gallium arsenide has been studied using photoinduced current transient spectroscopy. From the findings, models for the copper-related complexes in GaAs are identified. Capping effect of deposited copper layer is investigated. Deep levels with activation energies of 0.14 eV, 0.32 eV, and 0.45 eVhave been identified, which are attributed to CuGa, SiGa CuGa complex, and VAsCuGaVAs complex, respectively.
The effect of pulsed HIFU on the porosity and permeability of collagen gels: An in vitro study

Pulsed HIFU is hypothesized to alter permeability of the extracellular matrix by altering the collagen network. In this study, the ability of HIFU to disrupt the extracellular matrix, particularly Type I collagen, in vitro, was investigated in order to enhance the drug delivery to highly collagenous tumors. This was tested in vitro in two ways, first using dye penetration, and second, by confocal reflection microscopy. Based on the analyses, it was concluded that there was at least a three-fold increase in porosity of the collagen gels after HIFU treatment.
Thigh abscess mistaken for sarcoma following transobturator tape: A case report and literature review

A 44-year-old female, 1 year status-post ObTape transobturator mid-urethral sling, was evaluated by orthopaedic oncology and urology for persistent thigh pain and a left thigh mass. Multiple muscle biopsies were inconclusive, raising concern for inflammatory sarcoma. After serial debridements of the thigh abscess, sling material was found in the obturator space, which gave the diagnosis. Health care providers, both gynecologic and nongynecologic, need to be aware of serious complications of transobturator slings that may present in atypical ways.
Flash-Induced Oxygen Evolution in Photosynthesis: Simple Solution for the Extended S-State Model that includes Misses, Double-Hits, Inactivation, and Backward-Transitions

Flash-induced oxygen evolution in higher plants, algae, and cyanobacteria exhibits damped period-four oscillations. To explain such oscillations, Kok suggested a simple phenomenological S-state model, in which damping is due to empirical misses and double-hits. Here we developed an analytical solution for the extended Kok model that includes misses, double-hits, inactivation, and backward-transitions. The solution of the classic Kok model (with misses and double-hits only) can be obtained as a particular case of this solution. Simple equations describing the flash-number dependence of individual S-states and oxygen evolution in both cases are almost identical and, therefore, the classic Kok model does not have a significant advantage in its simplicity over the extended version considered in this article. Developed equations significantly simplify the fitting of experimental data via standard nonlinear regression analysis and make unnecessary the use of many previously developed methods for finding parameters of the model. The extended Kok model considered here can provide additional insight into the effect of dark relaxation between flashes and inactivation.
Depressive symptomatology, perceptions of attractiveness, and body image in children

Fifty-seven children, aged 9-12 completed the Children's Depression Inventory, rated their bodies on dimensions of attractiveness, effectiveness and vulnerability, and rated themselves and three other children on global attractiveness. Dysphoria was significantly correlated with both measures of dissatisfaction of own attractiveness. No significant correlations occurred between CDI scores and effectiveness or vulnerability. Stepwise regression showed dysphoria to be predicted by dissatisfaction with the body's attractiveness and by age with the former being the most powerful. No subject differences were found on rating the attractiveness of other children. Results are compared to research with adult subjects.
Hardware support for floating point map function generation

An algorithm suited for hardware implementation assists in evaluating two-variable floating-point map functions. A map function F(X,Z) is an arbitrary function found in jet engine simulations and other scientific applications. The hardware oriented algorithm involves two stages of processing: preprocessing and run time processing. During preprocessing, breakpoints are analyzed to generate data tables and constants used at run time. At run time, the breakpoint region containing an arbitrary input argument (X/spl nu/,Z/spl nu/), is identified in a small number of steps. The algorithm replaces the general search needed in software routines to identify the breakpoint region. An example describes a straightforward implementation of a map function generator that uses bilinear interpolation.
Prehospital CPR: a review, in perspective.

In this forum, I want to share with you some of our cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) data, as originally presented. Then I would like to critically analyze our data and put it into perspective with published data from other centers. We have published six different papers on CPR with five different principal investigators. [l-6]. However, the three I am going to share with you are the largest ones that have been done. [4-61 Our data base is comprised of paramedic Advanced Life Support (ALS) transports. We generally exclude trauma arrests, poisoning arrests and children. Our system, is a two tiered system with fire department first responders responding to the scene with Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) basic life support in 2 min and paramedic ALS responding in 6 min. The overall save rate for a lo-year period of time (1900 patients1 was 16% [4]. If the patient is lucky enough to be witnessed as having their arrest in front of a paramedic. who can provide ALS, the save rate is 21% [S]. However, when we look at patients that were witnessed by a bystander who had CPR. the patients that were witnessed by a first responder and had CPR, and the patients that were witnessed by a bystander but did not have CPR until the arrival of the ALS system, we find no significant difference in the survival rate (Table I) [4]. Breaking this data down and comparing it as a function of rhythm, we see that controlling for rhythm makes no difference (Table 111[4]. One of the potential flaws of this study is that the ALS response time of patients with CPR was a little longer than for those patients without CPR (3.8 vs. 5.2 min respectively, P < 0.011. When statistically comparing the response times using a linear regression analysis, we found that there was a linear drop with no significant difference between the two slopes (Fig. 1) [4]. Our conclusion then and our conclusion now, remains the same. In an urban paramedic system with a rapid response time and early defibrillation, bystander initiated CPR has been shown not to effect hospital discharge rate. With that in mind, we reviewed our data on neurological outcome in a different study [5]. We analyzed 138 patients who had been transported to six major receiving hospitals. We used the modified Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Categories Scale (CPC) [7] and gathered our data by contacting family, the patient directly or by a medical record review. We found that there was no
Informing policy and programme decisions for scaling up the PMTCT and paediatric HIV response through joint technical missions

Accepted 3 May 2012In 2005, due to slow global progress in the scale-up of prevention ofmother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and paediatric HIV programmes, theInter-agency Task Team (IATT) on the Prevention of HIV infection amongPregnant Women, Mothers, and their Children initiated joint technical missions(JTMs) to countries of high HIV disease burden. The JTMs were intended togalvanize country actions for a more comprehensive response to PMTCT andpaediatric HIV by bringing national and global stakeholders together to reviewnational policies and programmes and develop country-specific recommenda-tions for accelerating scale-up. Between 2005 and 2010, the IATT conductedJTMs in 18 low- and middle-income countries.In 2007, to assess the role played by the missions, a review in the first eightcountries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Coˆte d’Ivoire, India, Malawi, Rwanda,Tanzania and Zambia) that hosted JTMs was undertaken. Country progress wasassessed through desk review and key informant interviews. For each country,documents reviewed included JTM reports, baseline data for PMTCT andpaediatric HIV care and treatment, and 2004 to 2007 trend data on key PMTCTand paediatric HIV indicators. Drawing upon the findings, this paper posits thatJTMs contributed to national scale-up of PMTCT and paediatric HIV programmesthrough strengthening governance and co-ordination mechanisms for theprogrammes, promoting enabling policy environments, and supporting thedevelopment of national scale-up plans, which have been critical for leveragingadditional financial resources for scale-up. Although the impact of the JTMscould be enhanced through greater follow-up and continued targeted assistancein technical areas such as infant and young child feeding, community-basedprogramming and supply chain management, findings indicate that the JTMsare a useful mechanism for informing policy and programme decisions necessaryfor scaling up PMTCT and paediatric HIV responses. Moreover, by bringingstakeholders together around unified action plans, the JTMs created a platformfor common action—a key tenet of the ‘Three Ones’ principles for effective HIV/AIDS responses.Keywords Prevention of mother-to-child transmission, paediatric HIV care and treatment,scale-up, joint technical missions
The wish to be informed of a fatal illness.

The Gallup Organization was commissioned to ask a representative sample of the adult population of the United States the question: “If you had a fatal illness would you want to be told about it, or not?” Nine out of ten people interviewed said they would like to be told if they had a fatal illness. While there are some differences by groups, a large majority of all groups would like to be informed. Once people become ill they may have a change in their wish to know about a fatal illness which must be taken into account by the treating physicians.
Improved bounds for sparse recovery from adaptive measurements

It is shown here that adaptivity in sampling results in dramatic improvements in the recovery of sparse signals in white Gaussian noise. An adaptive sampling-and-refinement procedure called distilled sensing is discussed and analyzed, resulting in fundamental new asymptotic scaling relationships in terms of the minimum feature strength required for reliable signal detection or localization (support recovery). In particular, reliable detection and localization using non-adaptive samples is possible only if the feature strength grows logarithmically in the problem dimension. Here it is shown that using adaptive sampling, reliable detection is possible provided the feature strength exceeds a constant, and localization is possible when the feature strength exceeds any (arbitrarily slowly) growing function of the problem dimension.
Perceived disorientation and incidental learning in a Web-based environment: internal and external factors

In a four-factor MANOVA design, this exploratory study experimentally investigated the influence of navigation mode (linear, nonlinear), distracting links (presence, absence), sensation-seeking tendency (high, low), and spatial-synthetic ability (high, low) on perceived disorientation and incidental learning (accuracy of main point, example generation) in web navigation. Seventy-five participants completed a search task to find the location of five sentences within a nine-page web-based passage. Regarding disorientation, a moderately large effect size indicated that those in the linear navigation mode were more disorientated than those in nonlinear navigation mode. Contrary to predictions, there were no effects on disorientation for spatial-synthetic ability and sensation seeking tendency. Regarding incidental learning, example generation was facilitated by sensation seeking tendency and the absence of distracting links; main point score was facilitated by spatial-synthetic ability. Further, a moderately large effect size indicated the role of the nonlinear navigation mode in facilitating higher main point and example generation scores. Disorientation was negatively correlated with both example generation and main point score.
Computer-mediated and face-to-face groups: who makes riskier decisions?

Although a significant body of research has focused on understanding the effect of media differences on group behaviors and processes, little is known about how media differences influence groups' risk-taking behaviors. This study reports on a laboratory experiment designed to understand the effects of the group communication environment (face-to-face or computer-mediated) on group risk-taking behaviors while subjects performed a hidden profile decision-making task. Results indicated that computer-mediated groups make riskier decisions than face-to-face groups, and their decisions shift farther away from the positions held by individual group members prior to interaction than in face-to-face groups. Consistent with prior research, computer-mediated groups reported lower process satisfaction, higher and more even participation, and higher intra-group conflict. Two rival theoretical explanations are put forth as to why computer-mediated groups made riskier decisions.
Episodic Instability in School District Elections.

School board election defeats-and victories-vary in frequency from district to district, but are cyclic, that is, patterned over time.
Evolutionary test data generation: a comparison of fitness functions

Previous research using genetic algorithms to automate the generation of data for path testing has utilized several different fitness functions, assessing their usefulness by comparing them to random generation. This paper describes two sets of experiments that assess the performance of several fitness functions, relative to one another and to random generation. The results demonstrate that some fitness functions provide better results than others, generating fewer test cases to exercise a given program path. In these studies, the branch predicate and inverse path probability approaches were the best performers, suggesting that a two-step process combining these two methods may be the most efficient and effective approach to path testing. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Turbidity Variation by Satellite

N recent years a number of scientists from various disciplines have stated that the Earth's atmospheric mean temperature in this century is directly related to man's actions which have altered the carbon dioxide and particulate matter content of the atmosphere (see for example, Risebrough, Huggett, Griffin, and Goldberg,1 Davitaya,2 Bryson and Wendland,3 Bryson4). This conclusion concerning particulate loading was obtained from 50-year data on urban smokehaze days, turbidity factors from incidence radiation data in Hawaii, dust fall in the Caucasus Mountains in Russia, and the transport of DDT pesticides across the Atlantic Ocean by means of the northeast trade winds. On the other hand, the thesis has been put forward that man's activities have had very little to do with the global increase in dust loading of the atmosphere, but rather that this phenomena is due to natural processes, such as winds over arid land masses and volcanic activity, which has been rapidly increasing over the past quarter of a century (Mitchell,5'6 Manabe and Wetherald7). It has been shown by At water (1970) that the absorption and scattering by aerosols of solar radiation along with the reflective properties of the surface underneath determine the albedo of the region. A change in the albedo, which can be caused by a variance in the particulate loading of the atmosphere, results in atmosphere heating and cooling even at surface levels (McCormick and Ludwig9). Small changes in particulate loading or in the type of partieulate, such that the ratio of absorption to scattering changes, can reverse heating or cooling trends (CharIson and Pilat10). In this Note we direct our attention to the solar radiation absorbed and reflected from the atmospheric particulates over an urban area. Thus, we are primarily concerned with the urban albedo, the feasibility of monitoring this man-made particulate pollution, and the possible long term effects. The addition of particulate loading or a change in the type of particulate will modify the backscattering and absorption of solar radiation, therefore, it will alter the albedo. If we consider the total albedo A in two component parts, we have
Self-referent phenotype matching and long-term maintenance of kin recognition

Self-referential phenotype matching, or using one’s own cues as a referent for recognizing kin, is expected in species with multiple paternity or maternity to discriminate among full siblings and halfsiblings, or in nepotistic contexts to accurately assess relatedness. It would also facilitate optimal inbreeding and outbreeding. Self-matching has been predicted for Belding’s ground squirrels, Urocitellus beldingi, yet previous work could not rule out the possibility that animals use family cues rather than or in addition to their own cues for recognition. After hibernation, U. beldingi recognize their littermates but not previously familiar nonkin. Kin templates, including cues of mother and littermates, may be maintained throughout life, or, they may be lost during hibernation with memories of unrelated individuals, in which case self-matching must be used to create a new template in the spring. Using a cross-fostering design, these two possibilities were tested with olfactory discrimination tests after ground squirrels aroused from hibernation. Yearlings recognized their siblings, but not fostermates they had been reared with since birth, demonstrating that kin templates are lost over winter and self-matching is used to recognize kin after hibernation. Results are discussed in terms of plasticity of kin recognition systems, the costs and benefits of maintaining social memories, and the contexts in which templates are updated. 2010 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Accurate discrimination of conspecifics according to genetic relatedness is a crucial prerequisite for nepotistic behaviours and facilitates mate choice to optimize inbreeding versus outbreeding. The adaptive significance of kin recognition in these contexts has been extensively studied (Bateson 1983; Hamilton 1987), yet complementary knowledgeof the proximate mechanisms bywhich animals recognize kin is lacking. Kin recognition is an internal process of assessing genetic relatedness that is inferred by kin discrimination, the observable differential treatment of conspecifics based on cues that vary with relatedness. An understanding of kin recognition involves three components: the production of unique phenotypic cues, or ‘labels’, the perception of these labels and their degree of correspondence with a ‘recognition template’, or a stored representation or memory of these labels (these two components are the mechanism of recognition), and the action taken by an animal as a function of the similarity between its template and an encountered individual (Beecher 1982; Sherman &
Towards automatic bounding box annotations from weakly labeled images

In this work we discuss the problem of automatically determining bounding box annotations for objects in images whereas we only assume weak labeling in the form of global image labels. We therefore are only given a set of positive images all containing at least one instance of a desired object and a negative set of images which represent background. Our goal is then to determine the locations of the object instances within the positive images by bounding boxes. We also describe and analyze a method for automatic bounding box annotation which consists of two major steps. First, we apply a statistical model for determining visual features which are likely to be indicative for the respective object class. Based on these feature models we infer preliminary estimations for bounding boxes. Second, we use a CCCP training algorithm for latent structured SVM in order to improve the initial estimations by using them as initializations for latent variables modeling the optimal bounding box positions. We evaluate our approach on three publicly available datasets.
The Politics of Memory: Native Historical Interpretation in the Columbian Andes.

The Politics of Memory: Native Historical Interpretation in the Columbian Andes. JOANNE RAPPAPORT. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. 240 pp., illustrations, maps. $49.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-521-37345-X.
Perceptions chinoises d’une Europe en crise

S’il est vrai que c’est dans l’adversite qu’on reconnait ses vrais amis, alors on ne peut imaginer meilleure situation que la succession de crises qui secouent l’Union europeenne depuis le debut des annees 2000 pour apprecier la solidite, voire la sincerite du partenariat sino-europeen. L’examen d’une serie d’articles parus dans deux revues tres proches du pouvoir central permet ici d’analyser la variete des perceptions chinoises de l’UE entre 2007 et 2013, et met notamment en lumiere l’ambiguite de la Chine vis-a-vis de son partenaire europeen. Si, a la veille des crises, les analystes chinois s’inquietaient encore de l’emergence d’une « Europe-puissance » capable de faire primer ses interets dans sa relation bilaterale avec la Chine, le vacillement de l’eurozone, largement attribue aux erreurs commises par les dirigeants europeens, a ete accueilli avec une relative serenite. De fait, la fragilisation du modele europeen est vue avant tout dans la perspective d’une evolution des rapports de force qui profite politiquement et economiquement a la Chine.
FURTHER ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS IN AVIAN PREY OF THE PEREGRINE FALCON IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS

A small resident population of peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus anatum) in the Big Bend region of Texas has suffered reproductive failures since 1990. To continue our assessment of the effects of environmental contaminants on the peregrine falcon, we collected representative avian prey species during 2001 at Mariscal Canyon, Big Bend National Park. The avian carcasses were analyzed for inorganic and organochlorine contaminants. Concentrations of Se and Hg were present at high levels (up to 11 and 2.2 mg/g dry weight, respectively) in some avian prey and could be implicated in reproductive failures of the peregrine falcon in Big Bend National Park. All other inorganic elements were below concentrations known to affect reproduction or to be associated with other deleterious effects in birds. Of all the organochlorines analyzed, only DDE and total PCBs were present above detection limits in all species, although at low concentrations. Our study provides further support to the hypothesis that contaminants in potential avian prey of the peregrine falcon in the Big Bend region are implicated in the productivity failures observed in this species since 1990. RESUMEN—Una poblacion pequena del halcon peregrino (Falco peregrinus anatum) residente en la region de Big Bend ha tenido fracasos reproductivos desde 1990. Para continuar nuestra evaluacion de los efectos de los contaminantes ambientales en el halcon peregrino colectamos especies de aves representativas como presa durante el ano 2001 en el canon de Mariscal, en el Parque Nacional de Big Bend, Los cadaveres de aves se analizaron por contaminantes inorganicos y organoclorados. Observamos concentraciones de Se y Hg a niveles elevados (hasta 11 y 2.2 mg/g peso seco, respectivamente) en algunas especies presa y podro ´an estar implicados en los fracasos reproductivos del halcon peregrino en el Parque Nacional de Big Bend. Todos los demas elementos inorganicos se observaron a concentraciones debajo de las que se sabe que afectan la reproduccion o que han sido asociadas con otros efectos daninos en aves. De todos los compuestos organoclorados analizados, solamente DDE y PCBs totales se encontraron por arriba de los lo ´mites de deteccion en todas las especies, pero a bajas concentraciones. Nuestro estudio proporciona apoyo adicional a la hipotesis de que los contaminantes en aves que son presa potencial del halcon peregrino en la region de Big Bend estan posiblemente implicados en los fracasos reproductivos observados en la especie desde 1990.
INTEGRATING DFX TOOLS WITH COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN SYSTEMS

The growing emphasis on environmentally conscious design and manufacturing approaches has placed new burdens on designers. The amount of information available to designers is of great significance in making life cycle assessments on a product. However, well-established commercial CAD systems do not provide means for evaluating most of the different life cycle aspects of the product being modeled. Hence there is a need to have a CAD-environment where the life cycle tools (DFX tools in this work) are integrated with these systems so that life cycle design is made possible. In the research discussed in this paper, the specific focus is to enable the quantification and enhancement of product assemblability, serviceability, recyclability, remanufacturability, de-manufacturability, and life cycle impact during product design. Guidelines for integrating some of the commercially available CAD packages (I-DEAS and Pro/ENGINEER) to these assessment models, and ways to use the input information to some these assessments for making other assessments are developed. A case study is given to illustrate the approach.
Berossus, Manetho, and 1 Enoch In the World Chronicle of Panodorus

At the beginning of the ninth century, George Syncellus, a monk of Constantinople, composed a chronicle of world history which extended from the beginning of the world up to the reign of Diocletian. As the title suggests, the chronicle was an ἐκλογή of excerpts and citations from highly diverse sources. Among other things, these excerpts include kings lists from Africanus' and Eusebius' chronicles, arranged in parallel columns for the sake of comparison, material from various ethnic histories, and several extracts from Jewish and Christian pseudepigrapha. These pseudepigraphic citations are clustered together in the antediluvian portion of his chronicle, and include material from Jubilees, the Life of Adam, the Testament of Adam, and the Jewish pseudepigraphon known as 1 Enoch. The citations from 1 Enoch consist of two large excerpts, both of which Syncellus assigns to the “Book of the Watchers.” Expanding on the Genesis 6 legend of the fall of the sons of God, these excerpts recount the descent of the Watchers from Mt. Hermon, their revelations to and intercourse with the daughters of men, and the subsequent corruption of the earth.