cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Algorithms for recognition of regular properties and decomposition of recursive graph families

This paper focuses on two themes within the broad context of recursively definable graph classes. First, we generalize the series-parallel operations and establish exactly how far they can be extended subject to some consistency conditions. We show explicitly how Halin graphs are included in the extension. Second, for recursively constructed graphs in general, we construct a predicate calculus within which graph problems can be stated and for those so stated, a linear time algorithm exists and can be automatically generated. We discuss some issues related to practical automatic generation.
Structural Origin of Gap States in Semicrystalline Polymers and the Implications for Charge Transport

We quantify the degree of paracrystalline disorder in the \ensuremath{\pi}-\ensuremath{\pi} stacking direction of crystallites of a high performing semicrystalline semiconducting polymer with advanced x-ray line-shape analysis. Using density functional theory calculations to provide input to a simple tight-binding model, we obtain the density of states of a system of \ensuremath{\pi}-\ensuremath{\pi} stacked polymer chains with increasing amounts of paracrystalline disorder. We find that, for an aligned film of PBTTT, the paracrystalline disorder is 7.3%. This type of disorder induces a tail of trap states with a breadth of \ensuremath{\sim}100 meV as determined through calculation. This finding agrees with previous device modeling and provides physical justification for the mobility edge model.
Emulsions of long-chain fatty acids as fruit sizing and ripening agents for gibberellin-A3-treated rabbiteye blueberries (Vaccinium virgatum Aiton syn. V. ashei)

Abstract Some rabbiteye blueberry cultivars (Vaccinium virgatum Aiton syn. ashei) lose ≤67% of their berries to a floral polymorphism (z1-5) that reduces male and female function by deforming corollas, stamens, and pistils. These deformities give flowers an asymmetric shape, and if severe enough, could cause sterility. Overcoming sterility and associated yield loss in ‘Premier’ flowers was possible with two applications of an exogenous plant growth regulator (PGR), 250 ppm gibberellin-A3 (GA). Interestingly, the dual emulsifier and surfactant chosen for our GA dips, 0.5% coconut oil soap, behaved like a PGR by inducing adventitious embyony, possibly apomixis. Resulting berries were 20–25% heavier and matured 7–14 days earlier. Fruit sets as high as 80–90% stemmed from the emulsion's GA ingredient. Yet, the heaviest seed-rich berries either resulted from cross-pollinated flowers or from unpollinated ones treated with GA/coconut oil soap emulsion (hereafter known as the emulsion). A second greenhouse experiment incorporated chemical dips containing four concentrations of coconut oil soap, five component fatty acids with medium length to long-chain aliphatic tails (C10–C18), and three new cultivars. Again, these replicated trials achieved similar results. GA stimulated high fruit set, while coconut oil soap plus its component long-chained fatty acids produced heavier faster growing berries for unpollinated blooms of ‘Austin’, and ‘Prince’. ‘Tifblue’ flowers however yielded seedless fruit, indicating genotypic sensitivities to exogenous GA.
Determination of intramolecular δ13C from incomplete pyrolysis fragments. Evaluation of pyrolysis-induced isotopic fractionation in fragments from the lactic acid analogue propylene glycol

Intramolecular carbon isotope ratios reflect the source of a compound and the reaction conditions prevailing during synthesis and degradation. We report here a method for determination of relative ...
a Numerical Solution of the Two Dimensional Steady-State Turbulent Transfer Equation

Abstract In the finite-difference formulation of the two dimensional steady-state turbulent diffusion equation for solving evaporation problems, two difficulties arise caused by the automatic satisfaction of one of the boundary conditions at the surface and by the infinite size of the solution domain. A general numerical scheme is developed to overcome these difficulties by the use of appropriate transformations. The results of some numerical experiments show that the longitudinal diffusion term is usually negligible and that, with suitable parameters for roughness and stability, power laws can be as useful for practical solutions as the more complicated logarithmic law.
National Institute of Standards and Technology high-accuracy cryogenic radiometer

A high-accuracy cryogenic radiometer has been developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to serve as a primary standard for optical power measurements. This instrument is an electrical-substitution radiometer that can be operated at cryogenic temperatures to achieve a relative standard uncertainty of 0.021% at an optical power level of 0.8 mW. The construction and operation of the high-accuracy cryogenic radiometer and the uncertainties in optical power measurements are detailed.
Growth responses of age 0 white perch and yellow perch from field-enclosure experiments

In this paper, we investigate the potential for competition between age 0 white perch Morone americana and yellow perch Perca flavescens in field-enclosure experiments. In 1986 and 1987, different densities of white perch and yellow perch were stocked into cages in the western basin of Lake Erie and their growth responses determined. Fish were weighed and measured pre- and post-stocking. In 1986 when fish were food-limited, individual growth of both species were negatively affected by increased total fish density; yellow perch to a greater extent. In 1987, experiments were carried out later in the year at lower temperatures. Yellow perch were shown to feed and continue to grow at lower water temperatures than white perch. We conclude that competition in summer may be mitigated in the fall because of differences in thermal optima between these two species.
Prolactin in CSF selectively increases dopamine turnover in the median eminence

Abstract The α-methyltyrosine-induced decline of dopamine was increased in the median eminence of rats at 16 but not at 2 hours after the start of intraventricular injections of 0.2–2 μg of rat prolactin. Intraventricular injections of prolactin did not alter the α-methyltyrosine-induced decline of dopamine in the striatum or olfactory tubercle. These results suggest that prolactin in the cerebrospinal fluid can selectively increase the activity of tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons.
Formation of colloidosomes by adsorption of small charged oil droplets onto the surface of large oppositely charged oil droplets

Abstract This article describes the formation, stability and properties of oil-in-water emulsions consisting of large oil droplets with small oil droplets adsorbed to their surfaces. These “colloidosomes” were formed by mixing an oil-in-water emulsion containing relatively large anionic droplets (d32∼0.6 μm, β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg)–pectin coated, pH 4) with another oil-in-water emulsion containing relatively small cationic droplets (d32∼0.2 μm, β-Lg coated, pH 4). The ζ-potential, mean particle diameter and microstructure of the resulting composite emulsions were then measured. The ζ-potential of the particles went from negative (−30 mV) to positive (+25 mV) as the concentration of small cationic droplets was increased, indicating that they adsorbed to the surface of the large anionic droplets until they eventually saturated the surface. The composite emulsions were unstable to droplet aggregation at intermediate small droplet concentrations due to bridging flocculation and also at high small droplet concentrations possibly due to depletion flocculation. Nevertheless, relatively stable colloidosomes could be made over a range of small droplet concentrations, which consisted of large droplets surrounded by small droplets.
C-Type natriuretic peptide: a potential urinary biomarker for renal remodeling and fibrosis during aging

Background Renal aging is characterized by structural changes in the kidney, including fibrosis, which are often accompanied by reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and elevated urinary protein excretion (UPE) that likely contributes to increased risk of kidney failure, cardiovascular disease and mortality in the elderly. Importantly a recent study, using biopsy in healthy kidney donors across six decades of life, demonstrated the presence of preclinical agerelated nephropathy which was otherwise undetectable using conventional clinical tests including GFR and UPE. Although, there are a number of biomarkers for renal disease and injury, there are few which target early renal remodeling prior to the onset of symptoms during natural aging. C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is highly expressed in renal cells, is potently anti-fibrotic, inhibits renal mesangial matrix accumulation and may play a role in podocyte-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) integrity. Since aging is associated with altered renal structure and function that may contribute to the development of kidney and heart failure, we sought to determine if CNP might serve as a urinary biomarker for global renal remodeling as a compensatory renal response to injury induced by aging.
Uroporphyrinogen synthase in human blood: developmental studies.

Abstract Uroporphyrinogen synthase (URO-S), the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of porphobilinogen to uroporphyrinogen I, has been measured in whole blood lysates by a fluorometric microassay. Cord and fetal bloods have 3 and 6 times the specific activity, respectively, of adult control subjects. The three groups seem to present a similar genetic heterogenity with ratios of highest to lowest URO-S specific activity close to 2. These results establish normal ranges for URO-S activity in human blood, which may be useful for the early detection of carriers of a gene for acute intermittent porphyria.
Template-free synthesis of the nanoporous nickel phosphate VSB-5 under microwave irradiation

The nanoporous nickel phosphate VSB-5 has been synthesized without seeding by using inorganic bases instead of the reported template molecule, 1,3-diaminopropane. This synthesis demonstrates that large-pore metal phosphates may be synthesized without template molecules and the synthesis method can be very simple, inexpensive, and environmentally benign.
Arsenic emissions and control gold roasting operations

Abstract Since arsenic is a significant compound of ores processed in the nonferrous metals industry, it is of interest to characterize and evaluate control strategies which have demonstrated the potential for lowering the emission rates of arsenic and other hazardous effluents from smelter operations. The Campbell Red Lake Mines Gold Smelter at Balmerton, Ontario, Canada, has developed and implemented a successful control strategy for arsenic emissions from a nonferrous smelting operation. The control system was designed and installed by Hatch Associates, Toronto, Canada. The Red Lake smelter uses cyclones and a hot electrostatic precipitator to recover metal values from roaster dusts with subsequent air quenching to condense (or desublime) arsenic trioxide which is recovered in a low-temperature baghouse. This paper is a review of a test program conducted at Red Lake designed to characterize the control systems and to evaluate the potential for transferring the technology to smelting operations in the United States.
Direct imaging of surface cusp evolution during strained-layer epitaxy and implications for strain relaxation.

We have directly imaged the evolution of surface cusps during strained-layer epitaxy. The cusps arise naturally as a result of gradients in the surface chemical potential. High stress concentrations at the cusp tip have important implications for strain relaxation in the film via dislocation nucleation.
Collapse of diseased arteries with eccentric cross section

The mechanism of atherosclerotic plaque rupture is not fully understood. Mechanical stress may be one of the factors contributing to the instability of the fibrous plaque cap. The existence of a severe stenosis may lower the transmural pressure enough to cause the collapse of arteries leading to high concentrated compressive and tensile stresses. This study presents quantitative estimates of the stresses and deformations in the collapsed thick-walled artery. The results of large deformation finite element calculations identify the locations of the high stress concentrations and their magnitudes which cannot be precisely predicted under a thin-wall assumption. The maximum compressive stress calculated reached 80% of the Young's modulus for fairly small negative transmural pressures. Results are useful to predict likely locations of the plaque cap rupture due to compressive stresses. The tube law of area as a function of transmural pressure showed a large discrepancy from a thin-wall calculation. The buckling pressure calculated for the outer-to-inner wall surface radius ratio of 1.60 was nearly 30% lower than that of the elastic thin-wall buckling theory. An increase in eccentricity further reduced this buckling pressure. The results indicate that a thick plaque which is eccentric increases the likelihood of collapse of stenotic arteries.
Optimal univariate microaggregation with data suppression

Microaggregation is a disclosure limitation method that provides security through k-anonymity by modifying data before release but does not allow suppression of data. We define the microaggregation problem with suppression (MPS) to accommodate data suppression, and present a polynomial-time algorithm, based on dynamic programming, for optimal univariate microaggregation with suppression. Experimental results demonstrate the practical benefits of suppressing a few carefully selected data points during microaggregation using our method.
Visualization of epithelial morphology using autofluorescence microscopy under ultraviolet excitation

Epithelial microstructures related to early stage carcinoma are currently invisible to traditional white light endoscopy. We recently demonstrated that autofluorescence microscopy under ultraviolet excitation can visualize superficial microstructures without the use of contrast agents, sectioning methods, or tissue preparation. Spectroscopic analysis allowed a better understanding of autofluorescence signal characteristics at the microscopic level and the mechanism for achieving high quality imaging of the superficial epithelial layer with conventional wide-field microscopy. The designing parameters for the adaptation of this technology into an endoscope probe for real-time in vivo microscopy are tested using a bench-top prototype system. This approach may provide a powerful tool for the detection and staging of carcinomas.
Mechanics of crack curving and branching — a dynamic fracture analysis

A comparative study on crack curving and branching criteria in dynamic fracture mechanics shows that the criteria based on “advanced cracking” concept correlated best with available experimental data. The crack branching criterion requires as a necessary condition, a critical dynamic stress intensity factor, K Ib, and a sufficient condition involving the crack curving criterion. The criteria are used to predict crack curving and crack branching in dynamic photoelastic experiments involving Homalite-100 and polycarbonate fracture specimens, as well as bursting steel and aluminum pipes.
Potency after permanent prostate brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer.

Abstract Purpose: The evaluation of potency preservation after treatment of localized prostate cancer with transperineal permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB) and the efficacy of sildenafil were studied. Methods and Materials: This study comprised 482 patients who were able to maintain an erection suitable for intercourse before treatment from a cohort of 1166 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with PPB. All patients have been followed prospectively, and actuarial analysis was performed to assess potency preservation over time. Patients treated with sildenafil were evaluated as to its efficacy. Results: The median follow-up of this cohort was 34 months (6–92), with a median age of 68 years (47–80). Potency was preserved in 311 of the 482 patients, with a 5-year actuarial potency rate of 52.7%. The 5-year actuarial potency rate for patients treated with PPB as monotherapy was 76%, and, for those treated with combination external beam radiotherapy (EBT) + PPB, 56% (p = 0.08). Patients treated with neoadjuvant androgen deprivation (NAAD) + PPB had a 5-year potency rate of 52%, whereas those with combination EBT + PPB + NAAD had a potency rate of 29% (p = 0.13). Cox regression analysis identified that pretreatment use of NAAD and patient age predicted for impotence (p = 0.0001 and 0.04, respectively). Of 84 patients treated with sildenafil, 52 had a successful outcome (62%). The response to sildenafil was significantly better in those patients not treated with NAAD (p = 0.04). Conclusions: The actuarial potency rates at 5 years for patients treated with PPB are lower than generally acknowledged, except for those patients treated with PPB as monotherapy. Patients who received sildenafil exhibited improved potency in a majority of cases.
"WEAPONS EFFECT" WITHOUT DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS

In a study to replicate the “weapons effect” (enhancement of aggression by the presence of weapons) under conditions which would minimize demand characteristics and determine the effects of weapon orientation, angered and non-angered subjects (n = 72) viewed slides of weapons pointing toward or away from them or neutral slides. Aggressive behavior was greater for those subjects who viewed slides of weapons than those who viewed neutral slides.
Suitability of stages of female Encarsia pergandiella [Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae] for development of conspecific male hyperparasites

Encarsia pergandiella Howard females develop as primary parasitoids of immature whiteflies, whereas ♀♀ develop as secondary parasitoids on ♂♂ of their own species or on other primary whitefly parasitoids. In this experiment, maleE. pergandiella development was examined in the laboratory at 24°C, using different stages of immatureE. pergandiella females [enclosed within the cuticle ofTrialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood)] as hosts. Unmated adult femaleE. pergandiella were caged individually for 24 h on leaves of plants with either 5-day (early to late 3rd instar larval), 7-day (late 3rd instar to prepupal), or 9-day (pupal) hosts. In a control treatment, hosts were allowed to complete development without exposure to unmated adult females. Subsequent emergence of ♂♂ (hosts) and ♀♀ from all treatments was recorded daily.
Role for CCR5Δ32 Protein in Resistance to R5, R5X4, and X4 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in Primary CD4+ Cells

CCR5Δ32 is a loss-of-function mutation that abolishes cell surface expression of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coreceptor CCR5 and provides genetic resistance to HIV infection and disease progression. Since CXCR4 and other HIV coreceptors also exist, we hypothesized that CCR5Δ32-mediated resistance may be due not only to the loss of CCR5 function but also to a gain-of-function mechanism, specifically the active inhibition of alternative coreceptors by the mutant CCR5Δ32 protein. Here we demonstrate that efficient expression of the CCR5Δ32 protein in primary CD4+ cells by use of a recombinant adenovirus (Ad5/Δ32) was able to down-regulate surface expression of both wild-type CCR5 and CXCR4 and to confer broad resistance to R5, R5X4, and X4 HIV type 1 (HIV-1). This may be important clinically, since we found that CD4+ cells purified from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of individuals who were homozygous for CCR5Δ32, which expressed the mutant protein endogenously, consistently expressed lower levels of CXCR4 and showed less susceptibility to X4 HIV-1 isolates than cells from individuals lacking the mutation. Moreover, CD4+ cells from individuals who were homozygous for CCR5Δ32 expressed the mutant protein in five of five HIV-exposed, uninfected donors tested but not in either of two HIV-infected donors tested. The mechanism of inhibition may involve direct scavenging, since we were able to observe a direct interaction of CCR5 and CXCR4 with CCR5Δ32, both by genetic criteria using the yeast two-hybrid system and by biochemical criteria using the coimmunoprecipitation of heterodimers. Thus, these results suggest that at least two distinct mechanisms may account for genetic resistance to HIV conferred by CCR5Δ32: the loss of wild-type CCR5 surface expression and the generation of CCR5Δ32 protein, which functions as a scavenger of both CCR5 and CXCR4.
Can School Oversight Adequately Assess Department Outcomes?: A Study of Marketing Curriculum Content.

In this article, the authors examine the key factors that influence student choice of a business major and how business schools can help students make that choice more realistically. Investigating students at a regional university, the authors found that whereas those with better quantitative skills tended to major in accounting or finance, those with weaker quantitative skills tended to major in marketing and management. For adherence to the requirements for expanded assurance of learning (outcomes assessment) included in AACSB International's eligibility standards (2003), the authors suggest that schools of business provide their students with a clear statement of the opportunities and requirements in each business major.
Effect of preinjection of Crassostrea virginica with bacteria on subsequent chemotactic response by its hemocytes

Abstract It has been demonstrated that hemocytes collected from the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica, 2 hr postchallenge with live Bacillus megaterium are significantly less chemotactic to this bacterium. Since chemotaxis between hemocytes and non-self materials is an integral part of the cellular internal defense mechanism in mollusks, this finding may be important in our understanding of reduced cellular reactions in prechallenged animals.
A spindle checkpoint arrest and a cytokinesis failure by the dominant-negative polo-box domain of Plk1 in U-2 OS cells

Polo kinases play critical roles for proper M-phase progression. They are characterized by the presence of two regions of homology in the C-terminal non-catalytic domain, termed polo-box 1 (PB1) and polo-box 2 (PB2). Here we demonstrate that both PB1 and PB2 are required for targeting the catalytic activity of Plk1 to centrosomes, midbody, and kinetochores. Expression of either kinase-inactive PLK1/K82M or the C-terminal plk1 Delta N induced a pre-anaphase arrest with elevated Cdc2 and Plk1 activity. Prophase-arrested cells exhibited randomly oriented spindle structures, whereas metaphase cells exhibited aberrant bipolar spindles with Mad2 localization at kinetochores of misaligned chromosomes. Microtubule nucleation activity of centrosomes was not compromised. In vivo time-lapse studies revealed that expression of plk1 Delta N resulted in repeated cycles of bipolar spindle formation and disruption, suggestive of a defect in spindle stability. A prolonged arrest frequently led to the generation of micronucleated cells in the absence of sisterchromatid separation and centrosome duplication, indicating that micronucleation is not a result of accumulated cytokinesis failures. Interestingly, bypass of the mitotic arrest by dominant-negative spindle checkpoint components led to a failure in completion of cytokinesis. We propose that, in mammalian cells, the polo-box-dependent Plk1 activity is required for proper metaphase/anaphase transition and for cytokinesis.
Modified Dartos Pouch Orchiopexy

Experimental evidence suggests that transparenchymal suture fixation may risk testicular damage. Even very small sutures can result in inflammation and tubular damage. An alternative to transparenchymal suture fixation of the testis is presented.
Product versus process: representing and appropriating DIY projects online

Despite the growth of online communities for sharing DIY projects, little research has focused on the methods by which project documentation is created and utilized -- that is, what techniques do designers use to document their work, how do they describe their work to others, and how do readers utilize design documentation in the context of their own projects? Through interviews and surveys with authors and readers of Instructables, we describe differences found in the practices of these two types of users in creating and applying design documentation. Based on the results, we identify design opportunities for members of the HCI community developing tools to better support people sharing creative work online.
Honoring the Ancestors: Toward an Afrocentric Theology of Liberation

This article puts forth an argument for Afrocentric orientation in Black theology. First-generation Black theologians used the civil rights and Black power movements as primary sources for a theolo...
Telerobotics: Problems In Display, Control And Communication

An experimental telerobotics (TR) simulation is described suitable for studying human operator (H.O.) performance. Simple manipulator pick-and-place and tracking tasks allowed quantitative comparison of a number of calligraphic display viewing conditions. The Ames-Berkeley enhanced perspective display was utilized in conjunction with an experimental helmet mounted display system (HM0IFIt provided stereoscopic enhanced views. Two degree-of-freedom rotations of the head were measured with a Helmholtz coil instrument and these angles used to compute a directional conical window into a 3-D simulation. The vector elements within the window were then transformed by projective geometry calculations to an intermediate stereoscopic display, received by two video cameras and imaged onto the HID mini-display units (one-inch CRT video receivers) mounted on the helmet. An introduced communication delay was found to oroduce decrease in performance. In considerable part, this difficulty could be compensated for by preview control information. That neurological control of normal human movement contains a sampled data period of 0.2 seconds may relate to this robustness of H.0. control to delay. A number of control modes could be compared in this TR simulation, including displacement, rate iiracceleratory control using position and force joysticks. A homeomorphic controller turned out to be no better than joysticks; the adaptive properties of the H.O. can apparently permit quite good control over a variety of controller configurations and control modes. Training by optimal control example seemed helpful in preliminary experiments.
Theory of learning with constant, variable, or contingent probabilities of reinforcement

The methods used in recent probabilistic learning models to generate mean curves of learning under random reinforcement are extended to the general case in which probability of reinforcement may vary in any specified manner as a function of trials and to cases in which probability of reinforcement on a given trial is contingent upon responses or outcomes of preceding trials.
Prothrombin Activation by Platelet-associated Prothrombinase Proceeds through the Prethrombin-2 Pathway via a Concerted Mechanism

The protease α-thrombin is a key enzyme of the coagulation process as it is at the cross-roads of both the pro- and anti-coagulant pathways. The main source of α-thrombin in vivo is the activation of prothrombin by the prothrombinase complex assembled on either an activated cell membrane or cell fragment, the most relevant of which is the activated platelet surface. When prothrombinase is assembled on synthetic phospholipid vesicles, prothrombin activation proceeds with an initial cleavage at Arg-320 yielding the catalytically active, yet effectively anticoagulant intermediate meizothrombin, which is released from the enzyme complex ∼30–40% of the time. Prothrombinase assembled on the surface of activated platelets has been shown to proceed through the inactive intermediate prethrombin-2 via an initial cleavage at Arg-271 followed by cleavage at Arg-320. The current work tests whether or not platelet-associated prothrombinase proceeds via a concerted mechanism through a study of prothrombinase assembly and function on collagen-adhered, thrombin-activated, washed human platelets in a flow chamber. Prothrombinase assembly was demonstrated through visualization of bound factor Xa by confocal microscopy using a fluorophore-labeled anti-factor Xa antibody, which demonstrated the presence of distinct platelet subpopulations capable of binding factor Xa. When prothrombin activation was monitored at a typical venous shear rate over preassembled platelet-associated prothrombinase neither potential intermediate, meizothrombin or prethrombin-2, was observed in the effluent. Collectively, these findings suggest that platelet-associated prothrombinase activates prothrombin via an efficient concerted mechanism in which neither intermediate is released.
An exact solution for finding minimum recombinant haplotype configurations on pedigrees with missing data by integer linear programming

We study the problem of reconstructing haplotype configurations from genotypes on pedigree data with missing alleles under the Mendelian law of inheritance and the minimum recombination principle, which is important for the construction of haplotype maps and genetic linkage/association analysis. Our previous results show that the problem of finding a minimum-recombinant haplotype configuration (MRHC) is in general NP-hard. The existing algorithms for MRHC either are heuristic in nature and cannot guarantee optimality, or only work under some restrictions (on e.g. the size and structure of the input pedigree, the number of marker loci, the number of recombinants in the pedigree, etc.). In addition, most of them cannot handle data with missing alleles and, for those that do consider missing data, they usually do not perform well in terms of minimizing the number of recombinants when a significant fraction of alleles are missing. In this paper, we develop an effective integer linear programming (ILP) formulation of the MRHC problem with missing data and a branch-and-bound strategy that utilizes a partial order relationship (and some other special relationships) among variables to decide the branching order. The partial order relationship is discovered in the preprocessing of constraints by considering unique properties in our ILP formulation. A directed graph is built based on the variables and their partial order relationship. By identifying and collapsing the strongly connected components in the graph, we may greatly reduce the size of an ILP instance. Non-trivial (lower and upper) bounds on the optimal number of recombinants are introduced at each branching node to effectively prune the search tree. When multiple solutions exist, a best haplotype configuration is selected based on a maximum likelihood approach. Our results on simulated data show that the algorithm could recover haplotypes with 50 loci from a pedigree of size 29 in seconds on a standard PC. Its accuracy is more than 99.8% for data with no missing alleles and 98.3% for data with 20% missing alleles in terms of correctly recovered phase information at each marker locus. As an application of our algorithm to real data, we present some test results on reconstructing haplotypes from a genome-scale SNP data set consisting of 12 pedigrees that have 0.8% to 14.5% missing alleles.
U.S. involvement in IDNDR discussed

The possibility of the U.S. seismological community participating in the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) was discussed at the semiannual meeting of the Committee on Seismology, a committee of the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, held November 7–8 in Washington, D.C. The intent of the IDNDR as viewed by NAS/NRC's U.S. National Committee for the Decade is to reduce future vulnerability to natural disaster by using existing knowledge now, said Stephen Rattien, Executive Director of the Commission on Geosciences. Numerous cases illustrate that lives could have been saved and property damage reduced if existing knowledge had been used in advance of the earthquake. While it is recognized that additional knowledge in selected research areas is badly needed, the most effective way to mitigate future earthquake disasters worldwide is to apply in a practical way what we already know.
Hypersensitive site 7 of the TH2 locus control region is essential for expressing TH2 cytokine genes and for long-range intrachromosomal interactions.

Several regulatory regions are important for the expression of genes encoding T helper type 2 (TH2) cytokines, including TH2-specific DNase I hypersensitivity sites in the TH2 cytokine locus control region. Among these sites, Rad50 hypersensitive site 7 (RHS7) shows rapid TH2-specific demethylation after antigenic stimulation. To investigate the function of RHS7 in TH2 cell differentiation, we have generated RHS7-deficient mice. CD4+ T cells and mast cells showed a notable reduction in TH2 cytokine expression in vitro and TH2 responses in vivo were considerably impaired in RHS7-deficient mice. Deletion of RHS7 did not affect the expression of a linked Rad50 gene, but it did reduce long-range intrachromosomal interactions between the locus control region and promoters of the TH2 cytokine genes. Our findings show that RHS7 is essential for the proper regulation of TH2 cytokine gene expression.
Supporting and sustaining national responses to children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS: Experience from the RAAAP exercise in sub-Saharan Africa.

Abstract The growing number of children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa presents an enormous socioeconomic and public policy challenge. Despite international commitments to increase resource allocation and scale up services and support for AIDS-affected children, families and communities, the national- and sub-national-level state responses have been inadequate. The rapid assessment, analysis and action planning (RAAAP) process for orphans and vulnerable children, conceived in late 2003, was intended as a multicountry incentive to identify and resource immediate actions that can be taken to scale in 16 heavily affected countries. This review of experiences to date with the RAAAP process highlights some key areas of learning, including: (a) fund mobilization has been slow and has reached approximately only one-third of what is required; (b) ownership and integration into development planning of the issue of orphans and vulnerable children at country level has been undermi...
A monolithic electron beam amplified carbon nanotube field emission cell

Abstract This article reports the fabrication and characterization of a CNT field emission cell with a built-in electron beam source for electron excited amplified field emission. A monolithic lateral field emission cell (FEC) with integrated metallic anode was fabricated. Then the field emission behaviors with and without activation of the built-in electron beam were characterized in diode configuration. A high voltage of 1.8 kV was applied to generate the bombarding electron beam on the FEC. The emission current of the FEC increases markedly with the activation of the electron beam source due to impact ionization and direct interaction with the FEC CNT cathode. The emission behaviors were confirmed by F–N plots. It was found that almost 10 times current amplification was achieved. These results demonstrate the feasibility of an electron beam amplified field emission using carbon nanotube emitters.
Factors Influencing Dispersal in Neonate Gypsy Moths (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)

We studied the effects of date of hatch, maternal population quality, larval density, air temperature, and host foliage on the dispersal of neonate gypsy moths, Lymantria dispar (L.), under field conditions. Larval dispersal significantly increased with date by nearly fourfold, but neither maternal population quality nor crowding had a significant effect on dispersal activity. Neither variation in air temperature or length of egg chill were related to the increase in dispersal with date; this trend was best explained by the combined effects of foliar changes during leaf expansion and declines in host quality because of induced plant defenses. Our results indicate that environmental factors in the current generation, such as leaf expansion after budburst, have a much larger influence than maternal population quality on the dispersal of neonate gypsy moths under natural conditions.
A matrix method for multicomponent distillation sequences

We describe a simple-to-use "matrix" method for obtaining all the basic distillation configurations and additional thermally coupled configurations that separate a zeotropic multicomponent feed into essentially pure product streams. This provides an opportunity to rank-list the configurations for a given application subject to criteria of interest. The only information needed to generate the configurations is the number of components in the feed. We have successfully enumerated all the configurations for feeds containing up to eight components. The method can also be used to generate nondistillation and hybrid separation configurations, and even easy-to-retrofit configurations. We illustrate the use of this method by applying it to the highly energy-intensive problem of petroleum crude distillation. We have identified more than 70 new configurations that could potentially have lower heat duty than the existing configuration. A significant number of these could reduce the heat demand by nearly 50%.
Immunocytochemical analysis of estrogen and progestin receptors in uteri of steroid-treated and pregnant cats.

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of estrogen receptors (ER) and progestm receptors (PR) in specific uterine cell populations during various steroid hormone treatment regin-lens, and to determine if ER and PR distribution in the uterus is altered during implantation and the establishment of pregnancy in the cat. The tissues were processed for indirect immunocytochemical localization of receptors using specific monoclonal antibodies against ER and PR. ER were present in the nuclei of all epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts in endometrium obtained from ovariectomized animals, whereas PR were only detectable in the nuclei of stromal fibroblasts. There was an apparent increase in the staining intensity and number of nuclei that stained positively for both ER and PR in all cell populations after 14 days of estradiol treatment. The administration of progesterone for 14 and 21 days, in the presence or absence of continuous estradiol, reduced the apparent intensity of staining and the number of nuclei staining positively for both ER and PR. ER were undetectable in the luminal epithelium, but remained in the glandular epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts, whereas PR were only detectable in stromal fibroblasts. ER and PR localization in the endometrium obtained from estrus animals was similar to that observed in the estradiol-treated animals. A general decrease in intensity of staining for both ER and PR was evident by Day 5 postcoitus in pregnant animals. This decrease in intensity of staining continued until Day 12 postcoitus, when the distributions of ER and PR were similar to those observed in the ovariectomized estradiol-primed, progesterone-treated animals. This same staining pattern was maintained in both the implantation and non-implantation site endometrium during the period of time when the placenta was established. ER and PR were undetectable in all cell populations of the placenta. The nuclei of the myometrial smooth muscle cells in all stages of pregnancy contained ER and PR. This study shows that estradiol and progesterone are the primary regulators of ER and PR expression in uterine cells of the cat, that ER and PR are maintained in the nuclei of specific cell types after long-term exposure to exogenous or endogenous progesterone, and that the process of implantation does not alter the distribution of ER and PR in the pregnant cat uterus.
Degrees of Power and Freedom

Basic concepts in political science have been used in a purely classificatory way ever since Aristotle established the sixfold classification of the forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy, constitutional government, and their respective “perversions”: tyranny, oligarchy, democracy. Similarly, a modern writer distinguishes among four types of political systems: the Anglo-American, the Continental European, the pre-industrial (or partially industrial), and the totalitarian. All these are categorical concepts; a political system is either monarchical or not, either of the Anglo-American or of another type. Such key terms as influence, control, authority, power, and freedom also tend to function categorically: one actor either has or lacks power over some activity of another actor; with respect to one actor, another is either free or unfree to act in a certain way. However, concrete political situations exhibit such characteristics to different degrees. Just as the substances we encounter in nature have varying degrees of hardness (rather than being either hard or soft), so a given political system is more, or less, totalitarian (or of the Anglo-American or of the pre-industrial type) than another. The United States and Soviet Russia have at present more power than any other country, and both are perhaps about equally powerful. Soldiers in general have less freedom than civilians, but they have more than prisoners. There can (or there cannot) be equal freedom for all. Since we do make such assertions, the question arises whether it is possible to give them precise empirical meaning. To do so, we must replace such categorical concepts as power and freedom by the corresponding comparative concepts, e.g., “more power than,” “as much freedom as,” and provide operational definitions for these expressions.
Spirochaeta cellobiosiphila sp. nov., a facultatively anaerobic, marine spirochaete.

A facultatively anaerobic, marine spirochaete, designated strain SIP1T, was isolated from interstitial water from a cyanobacteria-containing microbial mat. Cells of strain SIP1T were 0.3–0.4×10–12 μm in size, helical with a body pitch of approximately 1.4 μm and motile by means of two to four periplasmic flagella (one, or occasionally two, being inserted near each end of the cell). Cells were catalase-negative and used a variety of monosaccharides and disaccharides and pectin as energy sources, growing especially well on cellobiose. Neither organic acids nor amino acids were utilized as energy sources. One or more amino acids in tryptone and one or more components of yeast extract were required for growth. Growth was observed at 9–37 °C (optimally at or near 37 °C), at initial pH 5–8 (optimally at initial pH 7.5) and in media prepared with 20–100 % (v/v) seawater (optimally at 60–80 %) or 0.10–1.00 M NaCl (optimally at 0.30–0.40 M). The products of cellobiose fermentation were acetate, ethanol, CO2, H2 and small amounts of formate. Aerated cultures performed incomplete oxidation of cellobiose to acetate (and, presumably, CO2) plus small amounts of ethanol and formate, but exhibited a Y cellobiose that was only slightly greater than that of cellobiose-fermenting anoxic cultures. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain SIP1T was 41.4 mol%, the lowest among known spirochaetas. On the basis of its 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain SIP1T was grouped among other members of the genus Spirochaeta, but it bore only 89 % similarity with respect to its closest known relatives, Spirochaeta litoralis and Spirochaeta isovalerica, two marine obligate anaerobes. On the basis of its phenotypic properties and phylogenetic position, strain SIP1T represents a novel species of the genus Spirochaeta, for which the name Spirochaeta cellobiosiphila sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SIP1T (=ATCC BAA-1285T =DSM 17781T).
Clinical management of the subfertile stud dog.

Breeders invest a great deal of time and money in developing a stud dog; successful breeding is important in making that investment worthwhile. Subfertility in the stud dog can occur because of lack of libido, inability to breed, or poor semen quality. A detailed history, complete physical examination, and semen evaluation, along with other selected diagnostics can result in successful treatment or management of the subfertile stud dog.
Coherent transient spectroscopy of excitons in GaAs-AlGaAs quantum wells

Coherent transient optical spectroscopy techniques provide a means of studying the relaxation of electronic excitations in solids. Using these techniques the authors examine the relaxation of excitons in GaAs-AlGaAs multiple quantum wells at low temperature. Localization of excitons due to interface disorder results in inhomogeneous broadening of the absorption spectrum and relaxation due to migration between localization sites. The temperature dependence and energy dependence of the relaxation indicate the presence of complex scattering mechanisms. The dependence of the optical response on the polarization of the incident excitation fields is shown to result in a dramatic change of the dephasing and broadening characteristics of the optical response. This response is interpreted in terms of the presence of both localized and delocalized excitons. Mechanisms for the polarization dependence are discussed. >
Distribution of Bacteria in Feces of Swine

A new technique is described for evaluating bacterial cell distribution in fecal samples. Spatial relationships of cells within an area rather than number of cells per unit volume or weight are measured by this technique. Measurements of cell distribution by this method indicated that bacteria occurred in freshly voided swine feces as pure, discrete colonies rather than as single cells distributed randomly or uniformly throughout the sample.
Advances in fast 2D camera data handling and analysis on NSTX

The use of fast 2D cameras on NSTX continues to grow. There are 6 cameras with the capability of taking up to 1–2 gigabytes (GBs) of data apiece during each plasma shot on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). Efficient storage and retrieval of this data remains a challenge. Performance comparisons are presented for reading data stored in MDSplus, using both compressed data and segmented records, and direct access I/O with different read sizes. Encouragingly, fast 2D camera data provides considerable insight into plasma complexities, such as small-scale turbulence and particle transport. The last part of this paper is an example of more recent uses: dual cameras looking at the same region of the plasma from different angles, which can provide trajectories of incandescent particles in 3D. A laboratory simulation of the 3D trajectories is presented, as well as corresponding data from NSTX plasma where glowing dust particles can be followed.
Maintaining embryonic stem cell pluripotency with Wnt signaling

Wnt signaling pathways control lineage specification in vertebrate embryos and regulate pluripotency in embryonic stem (ES) cells, but how the balance between progenitor self-renewal and differentiation is achieved during axis specification and tissue patterning remains highly controversial. The context- and stage-specific effects of the different Wnt pathways produce complex and sometimes opposite outcomes that help to generate embryonic cell diversity. Although the results of recent studies of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in ES cells appear to be surprising and controversial, they converge on the same conserved mechanism that leads to the inactivation of TCF3-mediated repression.