cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contextual Effects of Redistricting on Old and New Voters: Sometimes Newcomer Ignorance Can Mean Electoral Bliss for the Incumbent

Research directed at the effects of congressional redistricting on individual voters mainly has centered on transplanted constituents’ lesser tendency relative to that of retained constituents to back the incumbent. Differences in the impacts that district-level (i.e., contextual) factors have on the two types of voters, however, have been slighted. In this study, we find that campaign spending affects transplanted and retained voters commensurately, but that the effects of district partisan homogeneity in raising the odds of a pro-incumbent vote and of member ideological extremity in decreasing these odds are only exerted on retained constituents. The explanation seems to be that information conveyed by candidate spending, which only emerges over the duration of the campaign, is equally accessible to new and old constituents alike, whereas old constituents have had longer opportunity to process information about district partisanship and incumbent ideology. From the reelection perspective of incumbents who represent districts with unfriendly partisanship or who have extreme ideology, the non-responsiveness of new constituents to these latter two contextual factors is therefore an electoral asset, implying that such members, contrary to the congressional norm, should favor large-scale transfusions of new constituents at redistricting time.
Multi-homotopy class optimal path planning for manipulation with one degree of redundancy

Abstract Redundant manipulators have an infinitely large set of joint paths that yield a desired end-effector path in the task space. A unique joint path can be obtained by minimizing a global cost function. Prior optimal control methods minimize a global cost function to find a local minimum within a homotopy class. Many possible locally optimal joint paths are in different homotopy classes. This paper presents an algorithm that effectively searches the solution space and finds many locally optimal paths in all relevant homotopy classes. The path with the lowest cost is very likely the globally optimal path. The algorithm is demonstrated in a case study for which the globally optimal path would be impossible to find using traditional methods.
Using conversational agents to foster young children's science learning from screen media

My dissertation project leverages an intelligent conversational agent embodied in an on-screen character to add social contingency into children's science video watching experiences. This conversational agent has been developed in an iterative process and embedded in a new PBS KIDS science show, "Elinor Wonders Why." My research aims to understand the design, feasibility, and promise of virtual conversation with media characters in young children's informal science learning through video watching.
Single‐center pediatric experience with venetoclax and azacitidine as treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia

Background The BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (ven) has revolutionized the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly adults, leading to its recent FDA approval for this population in combination regimens. Although extensive data exist for adult myeloid malignancies, there are limited preclinical data on the efficacy and/or dosing of venetoclax for pediatric myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or AML and thus little information to guide use of this regimen in pediatric patients. Our objective was to describe our single-center experience with venetoclax in combination with the hypomethylating agent 5-azacitidine (aza) in pediatric patients with MDS or AML. Procedure We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients treated at Children's Hospital Colorado prior to March 2020 with at least one cycle of ven/aza. Patients were included if between the ages of 1 and 25 years with a diagnosis of high-grade MDS or AML. AML patients had relapsed or primary refractory disease or were deemed poor candidates for standard chemotherapy. Results Eight patients received ven/aza, two for high-grade MDS and six for AML. Ven/aza was well tolerated by all patients. The most common adverse events seen with this regimen were gastrointestinal and hematologic. Morphologic responses were seen in six patients including both patients with MDS. All four AML responders became minimal residual disease negative. Three responders have thus far proceeded to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant following ven/aza. Conclusions Our clinical experience suggests that ven/aza is a safe and promising regimen that should be further explored with late-phase clinical trials.
A Simulator for Trading Traffic Privileges by Selfish Driving Cars

Connected autonomous vehicles are an important class of cyber-physical systems that are expected to have a major impact on society. Connectivity and autonomy in next-generation automobiles can be leveraged to improve safety and efficiency of our transportation systems. This paper presents a novel approach for incorporating individual driving preferences of vehicles in a computational framework to allow dynamic assignment and transfer of right-of-way privileges between cars as they navigate contested road segments. Dynamic priorities based on time of arrival estimates and positions in queues are used to unambiguously identify the owners of right-of-way privileges to conflict zones at any given time. A mechanism for transferring the privileges from a unique rightful owner to another car, possibly incentivized by using a shared currency, is proposed. A simulation framework using MATLAB® is developed to enable rigorous study of this mechanism across tens of thousands of simulations.
The use and efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in children and adults with pilocytic astrocytoma.

The aim of this study was to understand the use of chemotherapy (CMT) and radiotherapy (RT) in pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) and their impact on overall survival (OS). Data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) for patients with non-metastatic WHO grade I PA from 2004 to 2014 were analyzed. Pearson’s chi-squared test and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the distribution of demographic, clinical, and treatment factors. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to account for differences in baseline characteristics. Kaplan–Meier analyses and doubly-robust estimation with multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling were used to analyze OS. Of 3865 patients analyzed, 294 received CMT (7.6%), 233 received RT (6.0%), and 42 (1.1%) received both. On multivariate analyses, decreasing extent of surgical resection was associated with receipt of both CMT and RT. Brainstem tumors were associated with RT, optic nerve tumors were associated with CMT. Cerebellar tumors were inversely associated with both CMT and RT. Younger age was associated with receipt of CMT; conversely, older age was associated with receipt of RT. After IPTW, receipt of CMT and/or RT were associated with an OS decrement compared with matched patients treated with surgery alone or observation (HR 3.29, p < 0.01). This is the largest study to date to examine patterns of care and resultant OS outcomes in PA. We identified patient characteristics associated with receipt of CMT and RT. After propensity score matching, receipt of CMT and/or RT was associated with decreased OS.
Going Green: A Systematic Review of Proenvironmental Empirical Research in Behavior Analysis

The world is now believed to be operating in a no-analogue state, exceeding the norms of any point in documented history. Substantial disturbance of our natural environmental systems threatens life on Earth. Innovation and change are critical. Social science has historically played a vital role in amassing a body of knowledge implicating potential avenues for change. As a field, behavior analysis must keep pace with this ongoing sustainability agenda. The goal of the present review is to provide a summary of empirical works published by behavior analytic outlets to date focused on target variables of interest regarding environmental sustainability. We examined 50 experiments in their historical context and with respect to various methodological qualities. Results reveal a renewed interest in this area by behavior analysis within the most recent 5 years. We then address gaps in the literature and the means by which new efforts might be maximally contributive toward the advancement of global sustainability.
'Because Everybody is so Different': a qualitative analysis of the lived experiences and information needs of rectal cancer survivors.

Objective To (1) characterise (A) the lived experiences and (B) information needs of patients with rectal cancer; and (2) compare to the perceived lived experiences and information needs of colorectal surgeons. Design We conducted 1-hour semistructured qualitative interviews, dual independent transcript coding and thematic analysis. Setting/participants Interviews included rectal cancer survivors (stages I–III), some accompanied by caregivers, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and experienced colorectal surgeons. Results We performed 25 interviews involving 30 participants, including 15 patients with 5 caregivers, plus 10 physicians. Two major themes emerged. First, patients reported major impacts on their lives following rectal cancer, including on their everyday lives and leisure activities; identity, self-confidence and intimacy; mental health, especially anxiety. These impacts were mediated by their medical experiences, lifestyle and attitudes. Second, the diversity of effects on patients’ lives means that care, counselling and information needs should be personalised for a better medical experience and outcomes. Surgeons did not report knowledge of the full range of patient experiences and reported limited counselling in key areas, particularly concerning intimacy and mental health. Conclusion Rectal cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship dramatically affect all people, regardless of which surgical treatment they undergo. Effects are varied and necessitate customised care, counselling and information, which surgeons are not currently providing. Because rectal cancer affects every part of patients’ lives, they need holistic support and information. Patients would benefit from substantial support after treatment as they establish a new normal.
An Industry View of Plastics in the Environment

The title of this paper is meant to emphasize that there is no single monolithic industry viewpoint. Perhaps this diversity is most evident in considering plastics with accelerated degradation. We will later refer to the merits of plastics characteristic resistance to degradation in landfill operations. Many plastics formulations have already been announced which show some acceleration of degradation on exposure to terrestrial UV, IR, moisture, some combination thereof, and also to certain bacteria and fungi in soil. Claims have been made for plans to develop commercially one or more varieties. One has appeared in this country, with undocumented claims for so-called Food and Drug Administration “approval” since it does contact food. If FDA’s recent proposal requiring environmental impact statements (for food additives, including food packaging) becomes regulation, with review by the Environmental Protection Agency, there will clearly be needed explicit analysis of the real significance to the environment.
Sulforaphane improves MARCO expression, bacterial clearance and survival in post-influenza bacterial pneumonia (145.1)

Mechanisms that increase susceptibility for post-influenza bacterial pneumonia include down-regulation of the alveolar macrophage (AM) scavenger receptor MARCO by interferon-γ (IFN-γ), leading to d...
Use of a Genetic Algorithm to Analyze Robust Stability Problems

This note resents a genetic algorithm technique for testing the stability of a characteristic polynomial whose coefficients are functions of unknown but bounded parameters. This technique is fast and can handle a large number of parametric uncertainties. We also use this method to determine robust stability margins for uncertain polynomials. Several benchmark examples are included to illustrate the two uses of the algorithm. 27 refs., 4 figs.
Connection between plant zeros and H ∞ controller order reduction

The phenomenon of H∞ controller-pole/plant-zero cancellation is analyzed. Symmetrical descriptor form formulae for the H∞ central controller are derived and are used to prove controller-pole/plant-zero cancellation in H∞ design. It is also shown that these particular controller poles are not controllable/observable from the auxiliary compensator/free parameter. This fact is then exploited to find an auxiliary compensator which will produce an internal pole-zero cancellation of so within the H∞ controller, reducing the order of the controller without affecting the closed loop H∞ norm.
Theophylline Toxicity and Viral Infections

We were most interested in the article by Kraemer et al1 concerning altered theophylline clearance in asthmatic patients during an influenza B outbreak. We have studied two compliant asthmatic patients who had sudden changes in theophylline clearance at the time of symptomatic viral infections. The first patient was a steroid-dependent asthmatic child who was maintained on 10.54 mg/kg/dose of Theo-Dur for six months with theophylline levels in the therapeutic range of 10 to 20 µg/ ml.
Do Policy-Makers Earmark to Constrain their Successors? The Case of Environmental Earmarking

This paper examines whether legislators earmark funds in order to constrain the spending of future legislators with different preferences. Specifically, panel data is used to estimate the probability a new environmental earmarking law is passed as a function of Democrats holding and subsequently losing majority control of the government. The results of this study do not support this hypothesis. In fact, Democrats with a large majority who subsequently lose this majority power following the next election are found to be less likely to earmark funds for the environment. One possible explanation for this finding may be that competing forces make it more difficult for Democrats to pass legislation earmarking funds for the environment in the years before losing power, even if they have an increased incentive to do so. However, further results of this paper do not support this hypothesis. Rather, the evidence suggests Democrats do not earmark strategically.
The Woodcock-Johnson III tests of cognitive abilities in cognitive assessment courses.

Publisher Summary This chapter explains the assessment courses of cognitive abilities by using the Woodcock–Johnson tests of cognitive. The primary goal in this chapter is to help instructors of cognitive assessment to incorporate the new Woodcock–Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities in their courses. Although the chapter believes that the WJ III poses some training challenges, it also notes that most of these challenges are also posed by other cognitive ability tests. The chapter is intended to illustrate some of the challenges and opportunities that the WJ III provides to professional educators. Specifically, it notes that the WJ and WJ-R were underrepresented relative to other tests of cognitive ability in cognitive assessment courses. The review suggests that this underrepresentation had less to do with particular weaknesses or problems, and more to do with historical effects. Moreover, it highlights some particular scoring challenges and unique features of the WJ III that require attention in cognitive assessment courses. Although cognitive tests are only one part of a comprehensive assessment, tests often have significant influence in the outcomes and dispositions associated with assessments. This chapter concludes that well-trained examiners are more likely to ensure that assessment produces beneficial effects for the examinee.
Chapter 12 Proterozoic terranes and continental accretion in Southwestern North America

Publisher Summary It is generally agreed that significant portions of the Appalachian and Cordilleran orogenic belts in North America are composed of accreted terranes. Despite limited exposure, the geological and geochemical studies of Proterozoic supracrustal successions in southwestern North America suggest that much of this region also comprises accreted terranes that were added to North America during the Early and Middle Proterozoic. Similar terranes were accreted to Archean crust in Scandinavia at about the same time. Several terms have been used for the segments of continental crust associated with continental accretion, and because they may be used in different ways in this chapter, it is important to define the terms. “Terrane” follows the conventional usage of Jones et al . and Coney (1989) and refers to a fault-bounded segment of continental crust with a distinctive assemblage of rocks and a tectonic history different from surrounding terranes. A “superterrane” (or composite terrane) results from the amalgamation of two or more terranes prior to final accretion with a continent, and an “overlap assemblage” is an assemblage of supracrustal rocks that overlaps older terrane boundaries.
Diagonalized dynamics of robot manipulators

A diagonal equation /spl nu//spl dot/+C(/spl theta/, /spl nu/)=/spl epsiv/ for robot dynamics is developed by combining mass matrix factorization results with classical Lagrangian mechanics. The nonlinear Coriolis term C(/spl theta/, /spl nu/) depends on the joint angles /spl theta/ and the rates /spl nu/ and does no work. The total joint rates /spl nu/=m*(/spl theta/)/spl theta//spl dot/ are related to the relative joint-angle rates /spl theta//spl dot/ by a linear spatial operator m*(/spl theta/) mechanized by a base-to-tip spatially recursive algorithm. >
WHEN JAIL FAILS: AMENDING THE ASFA TO REDUCE ITS NEGATIVE IMPACT ON CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED PARENTS

The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) requires states begin termination proceedings when a child resides in foster care for fifteen out of the last twenty-two months. Many states interpret this to mean that an incarcerated parent is unfit when they leave their child in foster care just because they are separated from their children. Parents and children can still have meaningful relationships even when separated. Thus, parental unfitness should depend on many factors such as the relationship with the child, age of the child, and ability to provide support for the child—not just the time spent away from the child. This Note advocates for the amendment of ASFA to include factors courts should consider when terminating the parental rights of incarcerated parents and encouraged states to focus not on a time frame for termination, but rather consideration of circumstances relevant to each individual family. States should incorporate the factors into their state laws. Further, states should actively work with prisoners and their children to help maintain contact and if possible, reunify families after incarcerations. These services will help prevent the need for termination after a parent completes their sentence and will help to reduce recidivism.
Megakaryocytes maintain homeostatic quiescence and promote post-injury regeneration of hematopoietic stem cells

Multiple bone marrow stromal cell types have been identified as hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-regulating niche cells. However, whether HSC progeny can serve directly as HSC niche cells has not previously been shown. Here we report a dichotomous role of megakaryocytes (MKs) in both maintaining HSC quiescence during homeostasis and promoting HSC regeneration after chemotherapeutic stress. We show that MKs are physically associated with HSCs in the bone marrow of mice and that MK ablation led to activation of quiescent HSCs and increased HSC proliferation. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis revealed that transforming growth factor β1 (encoded by Tgfb1) is expressed at higher levels in MKs as compared to other stromal niche cells. MK ablation led to reduced levels of biologically active TGF-β1 protein in the bone marrow and nuclear-localized phosphorylated SMAD2/3 (pSMAD2/3) in HSCs, suggesting that MKs maintain HSC quiescence through TGF-β-SMAD signaling. Indeed, TGF-β1 injection into mice in which MKs had been ablated restored HSC quiescence, and conditional deletion of Tgfb1 in MKs increased HSC activation and proliferation. These data demonstrate that TGF-β1 is a dominant signal emanating from MKs that maintains HSC quiescence. However, under conditions of chemotherapeutic challenge, MK ablation resulted in a severe defect in HSC expansion. In response to stress, fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) signaling from MKs transiently dominates over TGF-β inhibitory signaling to stimulate HSC expansion. Overall, these observations demonstrate that MKs serve as HSC-derived niche cells to dynamically regulate HSC function.
Bulk inversion asymmetry enhancement of polarization efficiency in nonmagnetic resonant-tunneling spin filters

We analyze the effect of bulk inversion asymmetry (BIA) on the efficiency of nonmagnetic heterostructure resonant tunneling spin filters grown along $[001].$ We show that when only structural inversion asymmetry (SIA) is taken into account, the theoretical upper limit of current spin polarization for the Rashba effect resonant tunneling spin filter with a one-sided collector geometry is $2/\ensuremath{\pi}(\ensuremath{\approx}63.7%),$ independent of the direction of the one-sided collector. When both SIA and BIA effects are included, we can significantly enhance or degrade current spin polarization from the SIA-only value by varying the collection angle, with the best and worst directions, respectively, being $[110]$ and $[11\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}0]$ (or vice versa, depending on the relative sign between the SIA and BIA coefficients). We can similarly improve the spin filtering efficiency of Rashba effect resonant tunneling spin filters that rely on the use of a lateral electric field in the emitter region to induce spin polarization, simply by applying the field along $[110]$ (or $[11\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}0]).$
Marshaling the evidence for greater regulation and control of tobacco products: A call for action.

Cigarette smoking remains the greatest single cause of preventable death in contemporary society. The health consequences of tobacco use have been documented in thousands of studies. We are at a critical juncture in U.S. tobacco control history. The nation is poised on the brink of momentous changes in the health care system and in public policy regulating the use and marketing of tobacco products. This article will make four recommendations to help us capitalize on these changes.
Genetic transformation of the blue-green bacterium, Anacystis nidulans

Evidence is presented which confirms the existence of genetic transformation in the blue-green bacterium, Anacystis nidulans. This process has been demonstrated for three mutations: streptomycin resistance, a phenylalanine requirement and an ornithine requirement. The optimal conditions under which transformation occurs are also investigated, and the potential of this system for genetic mapping is discussed.
Semi-plenary multi-agent control with multi-resolution sensing over networks: A semidefinite programming approach

This semi-plenary is about the systematic design of networked multi-agent systems at fast time scales, and finds its basis in mathematically grounded questions about collaboration and control in such dynamical systems. It is inspired from a practical perspective by recent advances in sensing, computing and networking hardware that make reconfigurable multi-agent systems both technologically and economically feasible on a widespread scale. Examples of such systems include satellite formations, consumer robotics, and more generally networked subsystems of mobile sensors and actuators that cooperate to achieve some aggregate functionality. There are many shared design challenges associated with these types of systems, and the talk will focus on three specific connected issues: distributed control over graphs; tools for switched hybrid dynamics; and network latency and multi-resolution sensing for control. The technical setting for the talk is the framework of convex optimization, and the results presented lead directly to implementable analysis and design algorithms via semidefinite programs (SDPs). A portion of the presentation will involve describing the experimental multi-vehicle testbed, HoTDeC, which consists of wirelessly linked miniature hovercraft and wheeled robots capable of onboard multi-modal sensing, and interaction with the Internet and a vision-based sensor network.
Syntactic frames in fast mapping verbs: effect of age, dialect, and clinical status.

Purpose To investigate children’s performance on a fast mapping task. Possible effects across age, dialect group, and clinical status were explored. Method Participants between the ages of 4 and 9 ...
Doppler Imaging of Two Zero-Age Main-Sequence Stars in the Pleiades: HII 686 and HII 3163

Maximum entropy image reconstruction (Doppler imaging) is applied to HII 686 (K4 V, v sin i = 64 km s-1) and HII 3163 (K0 V, v sin i = 70 km s-1), two zero-age main-sequence stars of the Pleiades cluster. Their surface temperature distributions are determined in order to study the nature of magnetic activity in ultrafast rotators of known evolutionary status. Specific intensity line profiles used in the Doppler imaging (DI) algorithm are synthesized. The sensitivity of the reconstructions to the choice of input stellar and atomic data is investigated. The quality of the fit to the average disk-integrated line profile is found to be more important to DI analysis than the exact parameters used to generate the fit when the shape of the disk-integrated line profile is dominated by rotational broadening. Fifteen absorption lines are used to generate 15 individual reconstructions of each Pleiades target. Averaging reduces noise in the reconstructions. However, simulations reveal that spurious features tend to cluster systematically at subobserver longitudes and can therefore persist in the images even after averaging several reconstruction together. Such "phase-ghosting" becomes more severe as the signal-to-noise ratio decreases and does not appear to depend on the spot morphology. HII 686 shows one predominant feature at 77° latitude, which is 860 K cooler than the surrounding photosphere. HII 3163 shows a predominant feature centered at approximately 70° latitude, which has two temperature minima (780 K cooler than the photosphere) separated by approximately 130° in longitude. However, photometric observations suggest that this double-lobed morphology is a consequence of poor phase sampling. One temperature minimum located midway in longitude better reproduces the observed light curve. We are unable to make any reliable detections of low-latitude features on the surface of either star. The results are discussed in light of recent theoretical observations and existing image reconstructions of similar objects. No correlations are found among reconstructions that could be attributed to line characteristics: equivalent width, excitation potential, or depth of formation. This is also true for the Li I and K I resonance lines. Despite their temperature sensitivity, they yield results that are consistent with those determined from lines that are not temperature sensitive. For each object, the chromospheric residual emission (Hα, Ca II 8498 A) is measured as a function of rotational phase. Maximum emission does not consistently occur at the phase of spot transit.
Resolution of enantiomers of hydroxyeicosatetraenoate derivatives by chiral phase high-pressure liquid chromatography.

Abstract A new method was developed for analyzing the steric configuration of hydroxyeicosatetraenoates (HETEs) and other hydroxy fatty acids. Racemic HETE methyl esters were reacted with either benzoyl or naphthoyl chloride in pyridine and the resulting aromatic ester derivatives purified by reversed phase HPLC and subsequently chromatographed on a chiral stationary phase HPLC column [(R)-(−)-N-3,5-dinitrobenzoyl-α-phenylglycine)]. In contrast to the enantiomers of the underivatized HETE methyl esters which were only partially resolved, the enantiomers of their aromatic ester derivatives were completely separable on this chiral phase. Chiral HETEs can be retrieved from the aromatic derivatives by alkaline hydrolysis. Thus, this method has both analytical and preparative applications.
Charge-Transfer Excitons in DNA

There have been a number of theoretical treatments of excitons in DNA, most neglecting both the intrachain and interchain wavefunction overlaps of the electron and hole, treating them as Frenkel excitons. Recently, the importance of the intrachain and interchain coupling has been highlighted. Experiments have shown that in (dA)n oligomers and in duplex (dA)n·(dT)n, to be abbreviated (A/T), where A is adenine and T is thymine, the exciton wavefunction is delocalized over several bases. In duplexes it is possible to have charge-transfer (CT) excitons. Theoretical calculations have suggested that CT excitons in DNA may have lower energy than single chain excitons. In all the calculations of excitons in DNA, the polarization of the surrounding water has been neglected. Calculations have shown, however, that polarization of the water by an excess electron or a hole in DNA lowers its energy by ∼1/2 eV, causing it to become a polaron. It is therefore to be expected that polarization charge induced in the surroun...
Adaptive optimization and the harvest of biological populations

Abstract Adaptive management of renewable biotic resources accounts explicitly for uncertainties in system responses to management and recognizes the importance of reducing uncertainties while pursuing other management goals. An adaptive approach to the harvest of wildlife populations that are subject to (1) uncontrollable environmental variation, (2) uncertainties about the appropriate characterization of resource dynamics, (3) limitations on the controllability of harvest rates, and (4) uncertainties as to population status, expressed as sampling variation in the monitoring of populations and habitats, is described. Adaptive management is framed in terms of maximizing long-term harvest value against a background of various kinds and degrees of uncertainty, with an emphasis on structural uncertainty. By an appropriate extension of the “system state,” adaptive optimization can be defined in terms of Markov decision processes. Solution algorithms are described for systems that are subject to structural uncertainty and are either partially or completely observable. Adaptive optimization is illustrated with an example in waterfowl harvest management that incorporates uncertainty in the relationship between harvest rates and survivorship.
Possible Impacts of Projected Temperature Change on Commercial Fruit Production in the Great Lakes Region

Abstract Commercial fruit production is a primary revenue source for many locations within the Great Lakes region. Projected climate change may have a profound impact on this highly climate sensitive activity, which owes its existence to the moderating influence of the Great Lakes. Downscaled daily maximum and minimum temperature series provided by the U.S. National Assessment were utilized to evaluate 1) possible changes in the frequency and timing of several agronomically-relevant temperature threshold events and 2) potential interactions between crop phenology and a commercially-important insect pest ( Cydia pomonella (L.)). The analyses are for the two future decades of 2025 to 2034 and 2090 to 2099. The assessments for 2025 to 2034 suggest that fruit-growing areas in the Great Lakes region will experience a moderate increase in growing season length and seasonal heat accumulation and a decrease in the frequency of freezing temperatures. In addition, important growth stages will occur earlier in the calendar year than at present. Very large changes in the temperature threshold parameters are projected for 2090 to 2099. However, it is unclear for both assessment decades whether fruit production will be more or less susceptible to damage from cold temperatures after critical growth stages are reached. Projected warming may also result in increases in the number of generations per season of a primary insect pest and the number of necessary pesticide applications.
+Tip-Kinesin Complexes Steer Microtubule Growth In Vitro

Proper microtubule orientation in neurons is essential for targeting intracellular cargo to their correct destinations. However, the mechanisms by which uniform neuronal-microtubule organization is established and maintained are poorly understood. In vivo imaging in Drosophila dendrites showed that microtubules growing into branch points were consistently directed towards the cell body, thus maintaining their minus-end out orientation. RNAi knockdown experiments established that proper microtubule steering required EB1, APC and kinesin-2. Further two-hybrid assays indicated that APC interacts with both EB1 and the kinesin-2 subunit KAP3, forming a +TIP-kinesin complex. These findings led to the hypothesis that kinesin, concentrated at the plus-tips of growing microtubules by EB1, bends the growing microtubule by walking along static microtubules present at junctions. However, this mechanical role of EB1 is not consistent with the rapid kinetics reported for EB1 dissociating from growing microtubule plus-ends. To elucidate the minimum requirements for microtubule steering and investigate the mechanical activities of EB1 and kinesin during steering, we observed encounters between dynamic growing microtubule plus-ends and the lattice of stable microtubules on glass surfaces. To reconstitute +TIP-kinesin complexes in vitro, purified EB1 and kinesin were linked together through the Rapamycin-induced heterodimerization of FKBP-FRB. From gel filtration, the binding ratio of EB1 to kinesin ranged from 1.5:1 to 2:1. Under TIRF microscopy, EB1-kinesin complexes moved along microtubules and preferentially accumulated at growing microtubule plus-ends, indicating that association with EB1 promotes the localization of kinesin to growing plus-ends. More importantly, when +TIP-kinesin complex was present, the growing microtubules were bent and directed toward the plus-ends of immobilized microtubules, demonstrating that the +TIP-kinesin complex is sufficient to steer microtubule growth. We conclude that EB1 can localize kinesin to growing microtubule plus-ends and EB1 binding to microtubule plus-ends is sufficiently strong to steer microtubule growth.
Contribution of receptacles from the fucoidAscophyllum nodosum to the detrital pool of a north temperate estuary

The fucoid brown algaAscophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis annually produces lateral reproductive branches (i.e. receptacles) approximately equal in weight to its vegetative thalli. The receptacles are shed within a single month during the spring. The estimated total input of receptacles to the detrital pool within the Great Bay Estuary System of New Hampshire-Maine, U.S.A., is 445 g dry wt·m−2·yr−1. Decomposition rates were rapid with only 50% or less of the original litter remaining after 50 days. Nitrogen and phosphorus flux from the litter bags varied with environmental conditions and habitats.
DNA-DEPENDENT FORMATION OF THE SYNAPTINEMAL COMPLEX AT MEIOTIC PROPHASE

Evalaution of microsporocytes cultured during discrete periods of meiotic prophase in the presence of deoxyadenosine, an inhibitor of DNA synthesis, indicate that: (1) late leptonema or early zygonema DNA synthesis is required to initiate the formation of the synaptinemal complex; (2) DNA synthesized during late zygonema is necessary for the disjunction of the paired homologs at diplonema; and (3) DNA synthesis in pachynema is a requisite for normal anaphase II separation of sister chromatids.
Arithmetic properties in pullbacks

Let I be an ideal of a domain T, let φ:T→E:=T/I denote the canonical projection, let D be a domain contained in E, and let R=φ−1(D). We characterize when R is a Prufer domain, a Bezout domain, a Prufer v-multiplication domain, a v-domain, and a GCD-domain (sometimes with an additional hypothesis on I).
Photorefractive Polymers and Their Applications

Photorefractive polymers exhibit large refractive index changes when exposed to low power laser beams. When the optical excitation consists of two interfering coherent beams, the periodic light distribution produces a periodic refractive index modulation. The resulting index change produces a hologram in the volume of the polymer film. The hologram can be reconstructed by diffracting a third laser beam on the periodic index modulation. In contrast to many physical processes that can be used to generate a refractive index change, the photorefractive effect is fully reversible, meaning that the recorded holograms can be erased with a spatially uniform light beam. This reversibility makes photorefractive polymers suitable for real-time holographic applications. The mechanism that leads to the formation of a photorefractive index modulation involves the formation of an internal electric field through the absorption of light, the generation of carriers, their transport and trapping over macroscopic distances. The resulting electric field produces a refractive index change through orientational or non-linear optical effects. Due to the transport process, the index modulation amplitude is phase shifted with respect to the periodic light distribution produced by the interfering optical beams that generate the hologram. This phase shift enables the coherent energy transfer between two beams propagating in a thick photorefractive material. This property, referred to as two-beam coupling, is used to build optical amplifiers. Hence, photorefractive materials are also playing a role in imaging applications. Discovered and studied for several decades mainly in inorganic crystals and semiconductors, the photorefractive effect has not yet found wide spread commercial applications.
Generalized Gauge Hierarchies

We generalize the analysis of coupling-constant renormalization in unified theories to allow for more than one scale of spontaneous symmetry breakdown between unification and SU(3) \ensuremath{\bigotimes} SU(2) \ensuremath{\bigotimes} U(1). We find a relation between $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{s}$, ${{sin}^{2}\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{W}}$, and the proton lifetime which is independent of the details of the gauge hierarchy and holds in a large class of unified theories.
Thermodynamics of pressure—anesthetic antagonism on the phase transition of lipid membranes: Displacement of anesthetic molecules

Abstract From the depression of the phase-transition temperature of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicle membranes by inhalation anesthetics (halothane, methoxyflurane, enflurane, and chloroform), the apparent partition coefficient, K app , of these drugs between the lipid membrane and water was estimated and the effect of hydrostatic pressure upon the partition was examined. By assuming nonzero partition of anesthetics into the solid-gel membrane, K app is defined as (1 - k ) K , where K is the partition coefficient between the liquid-crystalline membrane and water, and k is the partition coefficient between the liquid-crystalline membrane and the solid-gel membrane. The value of K app was little affected by the change of temperature but was significantly decreased by the high pressure. The high pressure squeezed out the anesthetic molecules from the liquid-crystalline membrane, as evidenced by the decrease of the partition coefficient. The decrement of the number of the anesthetic molecules from that adsorbed at ambient pressure was halothane 10.4 × 10 −2 , chloroform 6.42 × 10 −2 , enflurane 9.58 × 10 −2 , and methoxyflurane 8.45 × 10 −2 % per 1 bar. The volume change due to the transfer of anesthetics from the aqueous phase to the lipid membrane, calculated from the pressure dependence of the apparent partition coefficient, was found to show a large positive value of about 15% of their molal volume. The magnitude of the volume increase is rather large and is difficult to ascribe to the breakage of anesthetic-water contact alone. The volume increase may be caused by the following factors: the structural change of the membrane, the change of the interaction forces between membrane and water due to anesthetic adsorption, the change of interaction between the anesthetics and water, etc. The positive sign indicates that anesthetics must be translocated from the lipid membrane into the aqueous phase by high pressure. Although pressure reversal of anesthesia may be caused mainly by restoration of order in the membrane and by enhancement of the cooperativity of the phase transition, displacement of anesthetics from the binding sites may also contribute to the phenomenon.
In-situ alteration of minerals by acidic ground water resulting from mining activities: preliminary evaluation of method

Abstract The chemical composition of the Cu-mining-related acidic ground water (pH ∼ 3.5 to near neutral) in Pinal Creek Basin, Arizona has been monitored since 1980. In-situ experiments are planned using alluvial sediments placed in the ground-water flow path to measure changes in mineral and chemical composition and changes in dissolution rates of subsurface alluvial sediments. The test results should help refine developed models of predicted chemical changes in ground-water composition and models of streamflow. For the preliminary test, sediment from the depth of the well screen of a newly drilled well was installed in three wells, the source well (pH 4.96) and two up-gradient wells (pHs 4.27 and 4.00). The sediment was placed in woven macrofilters, fastened in series to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes, and hung at the screened level of each well. After interacting with the slowly moving ground water for 48 days, the test sediments were removed for analysis. There was no evidence that any of the materials used were biologically or chemically degraded or that the porosity of the filters was diminished by ferric hydroxide precipitation. These materials included 21-μm-pore (21PEMF) and 67-μm-pore polyester and the 174-μm-pore fluorocarbon Spectra/mesh macrofilters containing the in-situ sediment, the polypropylene (PP) macrofilter support structures, and the Nylon (NY) monofilament line used to attach the samples to the PVC pipe. Based on chemical and mineral composition and on particle-size distribution of the sediment before and after ground-water exposure, the 21PEMF macrofilter was chosen as the most suitable macrofilter for the long-term in-situ experiment. Tests also showed that the PP support structures and the NY monofilament line were sufficiently durable for this experiment.
Search for temperature-related albedo changes in nightside and posteclipse images of Io

Using an image-summing process that increases the visibility of Jupiterlit surface features in Voyager images, we have produced the best-ever violet-filter image of the nightside of Io and the best-ever nightside/dayside brightness ratio map of this jovian moon. The ratio map shows no convincing evidence, on either global or local scales, of diurnal temperature-dependent albedo variations. We have also taken an image-ratioing technique developed by O'Shaughnessy et al. (1989), which those authors applied to Voyager violet-filter observations of one Io eclipse reappearance, and extended it to two other, higher-resolution Voyager posteclipse imaging sequences. In none of three imaging sequences do we find any isolated surface regions that convincingly exhibit posteclipse temperature-related albedo variations. These negative results suggest that on Io, pure cyclo-octasulfur (S8), and transient nighttime or in-eclipse deposits of SO2 frost, are at best limited to isolated areas smaller than the resolution of the images in use (i.e., smaller than a few tens of kilometers in size). Such limits are consistent with (1) the negative results reported by the majority of telescopic observers who have searched for posteclipse brightening of Io, (2) indications that physical processes in the ionian surface environment will change any S8 into other allotropes of sulfur, and (3) suggestions that Io's atmosphere is too thin to allow the deposition of transient, optically thick SO2 frost layers at nighttime or during eclipse.
Sediment accumulation and its effects on a Mississippi River oxbow lake

Recent sediment accumulation rates were measured in Moon Lake, a large (10.1 km2) Mississippi River oxbow lake in northwestern Mississippi. Moon Lake, which receives channeled inflow from an intensively cultivated soybean, rice, and cotton watershed (166 km2) and limited overland flow from surrounding lands, exhibited depositional patterns that were associated with (1) points of inflow, (2) flow patterns, and (3) lake morphology. From 1954 to 1965, 70 percent of the lake bottom experienced accumulation rates greater than 2 cm/yr. Accumulation rates exceeded 4 cm/yr in areas of delta formation. Changes in cropping systems during the 1960s, from cotton to soybeans and rice which require less cultivation, resulted in significantly (a = 0.01) less sediment accumulation during the period 1965- 1982 when 86 percent of the lake averaged less than 2 cm/yr sediment deposition. If current sediment accumulation rates continue, open water habitat in the lake will be reduced by only 3 to 7 percent during the next 50 years.
Honor and Stratification in Pohnpei, Micronesia

This article is an investigation of honor in a Micronesian society, particularly as it is constructed in language. I argue that honor is a set of practices through which people organize positive embodied attitudes about social hierarchy, according particularly high value to acts of self-depletion. A different notion of the self in the Pacific has implications for ideas about the universality of a personal notion of honor and suggests that the common element in Pohnpeian honor and that described for other societies is the link between honor and inequality or stratification, [honor, honorifics, Pohnpei, Pacific Islands, social stratification, language and culture]
Spectral cues for sound localization in cats: A model for discharge rate representations in the auditory nerve

Neural representations of pinna-based spectral cues for sound localization were modeled by simulating auditory nerve discharge rates to noise bursts that had been shaped by filtering properties of the cat's head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) at 179 locations in the frontal field. The auditory nerve model transformed spectral differences between HRTFs into simulated neural rate differences. Linear equations for this transformation were developed from actual auditory nerve responses to a limited subset of HRTF-filtered noise bursts [Rice et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 97, 1764-1776 (1995)]. Signal detection methods were used to investigate simulated neural responses to pairwise changes between HRTFs. The quality of neural representation for these changes, in terms of d' values, declined when the reference HRTF was moved from a central location (0 degree AZ, 0 degree EL) to a large positive azimuth in the horizontal plane (75 degrees AZ, 0 degree EL) or a high elevation in the median plane (0 degree AZ, 75 degrees EL). Most simulated responses exhibited large d' values for comparisons of contralateral versus ipsilateral azimuths, or eccentric versus frontal elevations. This rate information resulted from directionally dependent changes in the overall gain of HRTFs. In addition, fibers with best frequency (BF: the frequency of greatest sensitivity for individual fibers) between 5 and 18 kHz showed large d' values for HRTF contrasts in the immediate frontal field because of the effects of spectral notches (i.e., sharp drops in gain over a narrow frequency range). Spectral notches also played a prominent role in simulations that required identification of HRTF location in the absence of a fixed reference stimulus. These modeling results correspond well with previously described patterns in the cat's localization behaviors.