cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Storage of light energy by photoelectron transfer across a sensitized zeolite-solution interface

A COMMON strategy for storage of solar energy involves the photoexcitation of a donor molecule D followed by electron transfer to an acceptor A. To exploit this strategy in a practical context, a way must be found to impede the back-reaction in which the electron is transferred from A to D (ref. 1). Previous attempts to achieve long-lived charge separation have involved the use of D–A combinations held in well defined geometries by spacer groups2,3 or immobilized on supports such as porous media4–12. Immobilization of the redox species poses problems, however, for their subsequent separation in order to reclaim the stored energy. Here we report a system that achieves efficient D–A electron transfer, a slow back-reaction and easy separation of the products. We trap the photosensitizer donor, trisbipyridine ruthenium(II), in the supercages of zeolite Y, and use as the acceptor a neutral, zwitter-ionic viologen in the surrounding solution. Electron transfer from the ruthenium centre to the viologen is mediated by N,N′-tetramethylene-2,2′-bipyridinium ions loaded into the zeolite by ion exchange. Isolation of the donor within the zeolite from the acceptor in the solution outside makes the photochemically generated products easily accessible. Practical utilization of this trimolecular redox assembly will, however, require improvement of the quantum yield.
Emergence, persistence, and organization of rill networks on a soil-mantled experimental landscape

Soil erosion remains a critical concern worldwide, and predicting the occurrence, location, and evolution of rills on hillslopes and agricultural landscapes remains a fundamental challenge in resource management. To address these questions, a relatively large soil-mantled experimental landscape was subjected to continuous rainfall and episodes of base-level lowering to force the development of a rill network system, and high-resolution digital technologies were used to quantify its evolution over time and space. These results show that waves of degradation and landscape incision occurred in response to base-level lowering, where headcut development and its upstream migration produced a fourth-order rill network. Stream order indices derived for this incised rill network confirm that this pattern emerges relatively early in time, and it remains relatively unchanged despite continued application of rainfall and additional base-level lowering. Using the same digital technologies, a surface drainage system was defined and mapped on the landscape prior to any soil erosion and rill development, and similar network indices also were derived. These results show that network characteristics and organization of this surface drainage system, as well as its location in space, were in very close agreement with the subsequent incised rill network following base-level lowering. It is demonstrated here that rill networks formed in this experiment are strongly conditioned by surface drainage patterns prior to any significant soil erosion and that the location of rill networks can be accurately delineated through analysis of the high-resolution digital terrain.
Caught in the Web: the public interest and the battle for control of China’s information superhighway

Analyses the evolution of China’s telephone and cable systems, in terms of the public interest, discussing current bureaucratic conflicts and policy debates over convergence, and construction of an independent broadband cable network. Looks in depth at China’s problems and the different problems for its citizens with regard to poverty levels and access to the Web.
Establishing and maintaining wireless communication coverage among multiple mobile robots using a radial basis network controller trained via reinforcement learning

For a wirelessly-connected multi-robot system operating in a realistic environment, the wireless communication condition among mobile robots is generally unstable and fluctuating due to the signal loss, attenuation, multi-path fading and shadowing. This paper presents a decentralized control strategy, using the technique of reinforcement learning artificial neural network, to learn and approach a desired wireless communication coverage in a realistic environment for a team of collaborative mobile robots. A reinforcement learning neural network, based on the radial-basis function, is designed for each robot to learn the control law of maintaining the wireless link quality in a target environment and applied to the multi-robot deployment process to form communication coverage. The learning process of a robot is carried out through consecutive interactions between the controller and environment to establish the relationship between the wireless link quality and robot motion decision. In several environments simulated with the probabilistic log-distance path loss model, the simulation results show that the proposed reinforcement learning neural network based control approach leads to a desired and reliable multi-robot wireless communication coverage.
Organ detection in abdominal computerized tomography scans: Application to the kidney

Abstract Two approaches to organ detection in abdominal computerized tomography scans, one local and one global, are developed. The first involves a boundary-delineating algorithm which operates homogeneously on entire images and coordinates the use of multiple local criteria for advanced edge detection. The second involves an iterative, adaptive boundary-delineating algorithm suitable for single organ detection and amenable to the incorporation of organ-specific knowledge. Regional results of the first (global) algorithm can initialize the second (local) algorithm. Algorithms are tested on mathematical phantoms prior to application on clinical patient data.
Effect of sodium butyrate in combination with X0irradiation, chemotherapeutic and cyclic AMP stimulating agents on neuroblastoma cells in culture

Sodium butyrate, X-irradiation, chemotherapeutic agents and cyclic AMP-stimulating agents caused reduction in the cell number (due to cell death and reduction in cell division) when added individually to mouse neuroblastoma cells in culture. However, the combination of sodium butyrate with X-irradiation, chemotherapeutic and cyclic AMP-stimulating agents produced a greater reduction in the cell number than that produced by the individual agents.
Large Scale Urban Contaminant Transport Simulations With Miles

Airborne contaminant transport in cities presents challenging new requirements for computational fluid dynamics. The unsteady flow involves very complex geometry and insufficiently characterized boundary conditions, and yet the challenging and timely nature of the overall problem demands that the turbulence be included efficiently with an absolute minimum of extra memory and computing time requirements. This paper describes the monotone integrated large eddy simulation methodology used in NRL’s FAST3D-CT (CT is contaminant transport) simulation model for urban CT and focuses on critical validation issues that need to be addressed to achieve practical predictability. Progress in validation studies benchmarking with flow data from wind-tunnel urban model simulations and actual urban field studies are reported. Despite inherent physical uncertainties and current model tradeoffs, it is clearly possible to achieve some degree of reliable prediction.
Development of an Automated Requirements Management System for the Space Station Freedom Program

The Automated Requirements Management System, which is being developed to support traceability and documentation of Space Station Freedom requirements, is described. The objectives of requirements management are validation and verification. Other benefits include comprehensive analytical capabilities, commonality and timeliness of requirements information availability across the program, and the reduction of information duplication and overlap.
Serum high density lipoprotein and its relationship to cardiovascular disease risk factor variables in children--the Bogalusa heart study.

Serum high density lipoprotein is increasingly recognized as a negative risk for cardiovascular disease. The distribution and interrelationship of serum lipids, lipoproteins, anthropometric measurements and blood pressures were determined in some 5,000 children. Children had mean±S.D. α-lipoprotein cholesterol levels (mg/100 ml) of 36±15 at birth, 51±22 at 6 mo, 53±18 at 1 yr, 60±19 at preschool age (21/2−51/2 yr) and 68±22 at school age (5–14 yr), reflecting a sharp increase in α-lipoprotein between birth and school-age years, when these levels remained relatively stable through age 14. Although white children tended to have higher levels of total cholesterol and α-lipoprotein at birth than black children, during childhood this trend was reversed and the differences were pronounced in school-age children (p<0.0001). Unlike in adulthood, boys had slightly higher levels of α-lipoprotein than girls. The α-lipoprotein was negatively correlated with pre-β-lipoprotein and to a lesser extent with β-lipoprotein classes. There was an inverse relationship between α-lipoprotein and obesity with a consistently significant relationship (p<0.01) in older children (10–14 yr). Children with higher levels of α-lipoprotein have lower levels of blood pressure, β-lipoprotein and a lower obesity index.
Child Behavioral Distress During Invasive Oncologic Procedures and Cardiac Catheterization With the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit • 55

Child Behavioral Distress During Invasive Oncologic Procedures and Cardiac Catheterization With the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit • 55
Emergency department evaluation of geriatric patients with acute cholecystitis.

Objective: To estimate the frequency of abnormal clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, and diagnostic imaging studies in the ED assessment of elderly (≥65 yr) patients with acute cholecystitis, and to compare these factors in the young-old (65–74 yr), middle-old (75–84 yr), and old-old (≥85 yr) population groups. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed by review of ED records, hospital charts, and surgical operative reports of consecutive elderly ED patients determined at surgery to have acute cholecystitis. Records were reviewed between April 1990 and April 1995 at a large Midwestern tertiary care facility with 65,000 annual ED patient visits. Clinical signs and symptoms were compared in the young-old, middle-old, and old-old population groups. Results: Of the 168 patients reviewed, 141 (84%) had either epigastric or right upper quadrant abdominal pain, and 8 (5%) had no pain whatsoever. Only 61 patients (36%) had back or flank pain radiation. Ninety-six (57%) experienced nausea, 64 (38%) had emesis, and 13 (8%) had visible jaundice. Ninety-four (56%) patients were afebrile and 69 (41%) had no increase of white blood cell count. Twenty-two (13%) patients had no fever and all tests were normal. No statistical difference was noted in any symptom or laboratory factor for the 3 age groups, except jaundice was more common among the patients aged ≥85 years. Ultra-sonography was diagnostic for 91%, and CT was beneficial for only 1 patient. Eight patients had normal results on their ultrasonographic and CT studies. Conclusion: Classic symptoms and abnormal blood test results are frequently not present in geriatric patients with acute cholecystitis. Increasing age does not appear to affect the clinical and test markers used by clinicians to diagnose this illness. A high degree of awareness is essential for correct diagnosis of acute cholecystitis in geriatric patients.
Joint occurrence of depression and aggression in children and adults with mental retardation.

The relationship between aggression and depression was evaluated for 528 adults, adolescents and children, who were rated on either the adult or child versions of the Reiss instruments for dual diagnosis (Reiss 1988; Reiss & Valenti-Hein 1990). Criterion levels of depression were evident in about four times as many aggressive as nonaggressive subjects. Anger was significantly associated with both aggression and depression. Although anger may play a mediational role in the correlation between aggression and depression, in this study there was a significant correlation even after the effects of anger were held constant. The findings provide an initial step toward improving diagnostic specificity when evaluating aggressive behaviour in people with mental retardation. Language: en
Intrusive-limit deflagrations in confined porous energetic materials

The deflagration of confined porous energetic materials is generally accompanied by an increasing pressure difference, or overpressure, between the burned gaseous products outside the porous solid and the unburned reactants deep within the pores of the material. Although for sufficiently small overpressures the overall structure of the combustion wave possesses a gaseous preheat region between the material surface and the gaseous reaction zone, at higher overpressures and/or sufficiently large surface reaction rates, there is a tendency for the surface temperature to approach the burned-gas temperature, causing the gaseous preheat region to disappear and the reaction zone to lie in the vicinity of the material surface. In this burning regime, there is a single merged reaction-zone structure in which both solid-surface and distributed gas-phase reactions occur. A large-activation-energy analysis of this wave structure is presented, complementing a previous study of the present model that assumed a positive standoff distance between the gaseous reaction zone and the solid material. An expression for the burning rate is derived, showing the expected transition from weak to strong pressure sensitivity in the burning-rate response as the over-pressure increases and convective preheating of the material begins to play a greater role. A fit of this burning-rate formula to relevant data for cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine C 4 H 8 N 8 O 8 , at less than 100% theoretical maximum density indicates reasonably good agreement with experimental results.
An ecdysteroid-inducible Manduca gene similar to the Drosophila DHR3 gene, a member of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily.

Using cDNAs for the human retinoic acid receptor α (hRARα) and Drosophila hormone receptor 3 (DHR3), we isolated a cDNA encoding a member of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily from the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. Sequencing showed that this cDNA is most closely related to DHR3 (97 and 68% amino acid identity in the DNA and ligand binding regions, respectively) followed by hRARα (65 and 20% identity, respectively) and therefore is named MHR3. The cDNA hybridized to two mRNAs (3.8 and 4.5 kb) found in the epidermis during the ecdysteroid rises for the embryonic, larval, and pupal molts. Culture of fourth instar larval epidermis with 4 μM 20-hydroxyecdysone (2 μg/ml 20HE) caused the appearance of MHR3 mRNA within 3 hr and maximal expression by 6 hr; after 12 hr continuous exposure to 20HE, the mRNA level declined. The 4.5-kb mRNA appeared first, both were present in equal amounts by 12 hr, and by 20 hr the predominant transcript was 3.8 kb. Similar 20HE-induced expression was seen in epidermis explanted 1 day after the onset of wandering, although with a slower time course. The induction was largely independent of protein synthesis, but the subsequent decline required protein synthesis as is typical of the “early” puffs in Drosophila. Continuous exposure to 20HE was necessary for MHR3 expression; in its absence, the mRNA declined with a half-life of 2 hr. Thus, MHR3 is an ecdysteroid-inducible DNA binding protein that likely is a transcription factor involved in the cascade of gene activation and inactivation caused by ecdysteroids during the insect molt.
Locally disordered lattices in strong ac electric fields.

We develop a formalism to study the role of local defects in tight-binding systems in the presence of a strong external ac electric field. It is found that the appearance and disappearance of localized states, as well as their localization lengths, can be controlled by the amplitude or frequency of the driving field. The theory is illustrated by numerical model calculations for imperfect semiconductor superlattices in far-infrared laser fields.
Cryptic diversity and biogeographical patterns within the black salamander (Aneides flavipunctatus) complex

Author(s): Reilly, SB; Wake, DB | Abstract: Aim: Phylogeographical structure in the black salamander (Aneides flavipunctatus) was inferred using two independent genetic datasets. Concordance between the datasets was sought in order to evaluate earlier suggestions of species-level breaks and evidence of vicariance and long-term isolation within the complex. We hypothesized that major phylogeographical breaks would either correspond to current tectonic plate boundaries or to historical geological processes. Location: North-western California and southern Oregon (USA). Methods: Three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes were sequenced for 240 black salamanders from 136 localities, and up to 13 nuclear DNA loci were sequenced for 145 black salamanders representing 93 localities. Phylogenetic analysis of our mitochondrial dataset was performed to recover major lineages, while spatial clustering analysis of our nuclear dataset was utilized to identify points of concordance with our mtDNA phylogeny. Levels of gene flow were estimated for all contact zones. Results: Our mitochondrial phylogeny recovered four major lineages. Cluster analysis of our nuclear dataset is consistent with a four-population scheme, with the boundaries matching those of the mtDNA lineages. Gene flow across a contact zone in southern Humboldt between two of the populational units is extremely limited (2Nm l 1). In what is identified as the Central Core population, two distinctive subpopulations were delineated based on nuclear data, but mitochondrial data are discordant. Main conclusions: The Aneides flavipunctatus complex comprises at least four species-level units. Two of the boundaries between these units are associated with current tectonic plate boundaries. The contact zone between our Northwest and Central Core populations lies adjacent to the Mendocino Triple Junction (MTJ), where the Humboldt and North American plates meet, while the area separating the Santa Cruz and Central Core populations corresponds to the boundary between the Pacific and Humboldt tectonic plates. The phylogeographical break within the Central Core population lies in a region in which uplift occurred that is associated with the historical position of the migrating MTJ.
Habituation of aggressive behavior in mice: A parametric study

The decline of aggression as a result of repeated episodes of fighting may represent a habituation phenomenon. The frequency of biting and sideways threat by male mice toward conspecific intruders declined over ten 5-min confrontations. Aggression returned to about 50% of original levels when a new intruder was introduced. Variations in length or frequency of confrontation indicated that the rate of decline of attack bites and sideways threats depended on these confrontation parameters. The condition that provided the fewest opportunities to fight provided the least decline in the frequency of attack and threat. The frequency of attack bites and sideways threats elicited by the presentation of a new intruder after repeated confrontations was greater than the frequency of attack bite and sideways threat in the last confrontation with the original intruder, when the resident and intruder were relatively inexperienced. Spontaneous recovery of attack and threat occurred but rate of recovery did not depend on confrontation parameters. The results indicate that the decrement of aggression in mice in repeated confrontations may be the result of habituation but fatigue is an important cofactor.
Caregiver Life Satisfaction: Relationship to Youth Symptom Severity Through Treatment

This study utilized the Satisfaction with Life Scale to investigate the life satisfaction of caregivers for youth receiving mental health services (N = 383). Specifically, this study assessed how caregiver life satisfaction relates to youth symptom severity throughout treatment. Hierarchical linear modeling with a time-varying covariate was used to estimate the linear trajectory of caregiver life satisfaction and how it relates to youth symptom severity as rated by caregivers, youth, and clinicians. Results found initial caregiver life satisfaction was inversely related to caregiver and clinician rated youth symptom severity. In addition, subsequent caregiver life satisfaction demonstrated a small but significant relationship to changes in youth symptom severity during treatment where a decrease in youth symptoms corresponded to an increase in caregiver life satisfaction, and vice versa. Caregiver background characteristics related to higher life satisfaction included being (a) married, a birth parent, an...
Geostatistical modelling for spatial interaction data with application to postal service performance

Abstract The geostatistical spatial modelling framework envisions a random spatial process model Y(s) over a region S which is observed at spatial locations, say, s1,s2,…,sn. In the stationary Gaussian case, a mean function and a covariance function fully specify the process. Here, we consider data which, instead, is related to pairs of locations. Such data, denoted by Y(si,sj) for the pair si,sj is customarily referred to as spatial interaction data. We adopt a much broader view of such data but still seek a geostatistical modelling framework. We also wish to accommodate samples of independent but not identically distributed responses at each pair. These responses need not follow a Gaussian model. Our approach is to introduce a hierarchical model capturing spatial interaction at the second stage using a bivariate Gaussian spatial process. Very flexible classes of models result. We illustrate with an application to postal service performance with regard to delivery of priority mail using a designed experiment involving 79,557 letters.
A bacterial enhancer functions to tether a transcriptional activator near a promoter

The nitrogen regulatory protein NtrC of enteric bacteria activates transcription of the glnA gene by catalyzing isomerization of closed complexes between RNA polymerase and the glnA promoter to open complexes. NtrC binds to sites upstream of glnA that have properties of eukaryotic transcriptional enhancers. NtrC-binding sites were found to facilitate open complex formation when these sites and the glnA promoter were located on different rings of a singly linked catenane, but not when the two rings were decatenated. The results provide evidence that NtrC contacts RNA polymerase-promoter complexes in a process mediated by formation of a DNA loop. NtrC-binding sites serve to tether NtrC near the glnA promoter, thereby increasing the frequency of collisions between NtrC and polymerase-promoter complexes.
Does infliximab infusion impact results of operative treatment for Crohn's perianal fistulas?

Purpose Infliximab is an effective treatment for active intestinal Crohn’s disease; however, the efficacy of infliximab in perianal Crohn’s disease is controversial. This study was designed to compare patients with Crohn’s disease who underwent perianal fistula surgery with or without infliximab infusion.
Trait Anger and Music Perception

The Spielberger Trait Anger test was administered to 287 undergraduate college students enrolled in courses in jazz appreciation. The recording of a jazz saxophone improvisation was played for the students, and they were asked to rate its emotion. The mean trait anger score for listeners who rated the music as angry was significantly higher than the mean trait anger score of those who rated it as friendly. A small but significant correlation was found between perceptions of anger in the music and listener scores on the trait anger test. Results suggest that personality may influence perception of emotion in music and that jazz improvisation may not be reliable for communicating emotions because of wide individual differences in how its emotional content is perceived.
Inspection of bridge columns and retaining walls with electromagnetic waves

Determining the health of concrete structural members, such as bridge columns and retaining walls is often difficult because a large portion of the interesting features, including damage are buried underneath the surface. This paper describes a development effort in which high-frequency electromagnetic waves (0.5 to 6 GHz) are used to interrogate reinforced concrete bridge columns, retaining walls and roadways. This technology, often known as ground penetrating radar (GPR), has previously been used to examine roadways and geological formations, primarily with lower frequencies. Rebar locations, concrete degradation and some cracks can be identified. However, most of the presently available GPR systems are bulky and specifically designed for examining horizontal surfaces. It is envisioned to use GPR technology to also examine non-horizontal surfaces, such as columns and walls. A prototype handheld system has been developed and tested on columns and retaining walls in the field as well as in the laboratory. The design of the system, field data compared with visual and historical information, as well as design concepts for an improved system will be presented.
Combination of multiple classifiers using local accuracy estimates

This paper presents a method for combining classifiers that uses estimates of each individual classifier's local accuracy in small regions of feature space surrounding an unknown test sample. An empirical evaluation using five real data sets confirms the validity of our approach compared to some other combination of multiple classifiers algorithms. We also suggest a methodology for determining the best mix of individual classifiers.
High-throughput profiling of point mutations across the HIV-1 genome

The HIV-1 pandemic is not the result of a static pathogen but a large genetically diverse and dynamic viral population. The virus is characterized by a highly mutable genome rendering efforts to design a universal vaccine a significant challenge and drives the emergence of drug resistant variants upon antiviral pressure. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the mutational tolerance of each HIV-1 genomic position is therefore of critical importance. Here we combine high-density mutagenesis with the power of next-generation sequencing to gauge the replication capacity and therefore mutational tolerability of single point mutations across the entire HIV-1 genome. We were able to achieve the evaluation of point mutational effects on viral replicative capacity for 5,553 individual HIV-1 nucleotide positions – representing 57% of the viral genome. Replicative capacity was assessed at 3,943 nucleotide positions for a single alternate base change, 1,459 nucleotide positions for two alternate base changes, and 151 nucleotide positions for all three possible alternate base changes. This resulted in the study of how a total of 7,314 individual point mutations impact HIV-1 replication on a single experimental platform. We further utilize the dataset for a focused structural analysis on a capsid inhibitor binding pocket. The approach presented here can be applied to any pathogen that can be genetically manipulated in a laboratory setting. Furthermore, the methodology can be utilized under externally applied selection conditions, such as drug or immune pressure, to identify genetic elements that contribute to drug or host interactions, and therefore mutational routes of pathogen resistance and escape.
Suppression of competing speech through entrainment of cortical oscillations

People are highly skilled at attending to one speaker in the presence of competitors, but the neural mechanisms supporting this remain unclear. Recent studies have argued that the auditory system enhances the gain of a speech stream relative to competitors by entraining (or “phase-locking”) to the rhythmic structure in its acoustic envelope, thus ensuring that syllables arrive during periods of high neuronal excitability. We hypothesized that such a mechanism could also suppress a competing speech stream by ensuring that syllables arrive during periods of low neuronal excitability. To test this, we analyzed high-density EEG recorded from human adults while they attended to one of two competing, naturalistic speech streams. By calculating the cross-correlation between the EEG channels and the speech envelopes, we found evidence of entrainment to the attended speech's acoustic envelope as well as weaker yet significant entrainment to the unattended speech's envelope. An independent component analysis (ICA) decomposition of the data revealed sources in the posterior temporal cortices that displayed robust correlations to both the attended and unattended envelopes. Critically, in these components the signs of the correlations when attended were opposite those when unattended, consistent with the hypothesized entrainment-based suppressive mechanism.
Radioimmunoassay of Platelet Factor 4 and β-Thromboglobulin: Development and Application to Studies of Platelet Release in Relation to Fibrinopeptide A Generation

Platelet and fibrinogen survival and turnover studies have shown that platelet activation and fibrin formation may occur to different degrees in different thrombotic disorders. More direct evidence of differential involvement of platelet activation and fibrin formation should be provided by specifically measuring the products of these reactions, i.e. released platelet proteins and fibrinopeptide A. Two platelet proteins, platelet factor 4 (PF4) and beta-thromboglobulin (betaTG), were isolated and characterized, and sensitive and specific radioimmunoassays were developed to measure them. These assays were employed, along with the radioimmunoassay for fibrinopeptide A (FPA), to study the release of PF4 and betaTG in relation to FPA cleavage. PF4 and betaTG were released by ADP and collagen with time course and concentration dependence similar to that of [14C]serotonin release. FPA was not cleaved from fibrinogen during ADP or collagen-induced platelet release. Thrombin caused release of PF4 and betaTG as well as cleavage of FPA. Cleavage of FPA occurred with concentrations of thrombin about 100 times less than did release of PF4 and betaTG, and release of [14C]serotinin required still higher thrombin concentrations. Release of [14C]serotonin and platelet proteins was similar as a function of time. Sodium citrate was found to inhibit platelet release induced by thrombin.
Tissue stores of individual monounsaturated fatty acids and breast cancer : the EURAMIC study

The strongest evidence that monunsaturated fat may influence breast cancer risk comes from studies of southern European populations, in whom intake of oleic acid sources, particularly olive oil, appears protective. No previous study has examined the relation of adipose tissue fatty acid content to breast cancer in such a population. We used adipose biopsies with diverse fat intake patterns gathered in 5 European centers, including southern Europe (Malaga, Spain), to test the hypothesis that stores of oleic acid or other monounsaturates are inversely associated with breast cancer. Gluteal fat aspirates were obtained from 291 postmenopausal incident breast cancer patients and 351 control subjects, frequency-matched for age and catchment area. Logistic regression was used to model breast cancer by monounsaturates, with established risk factors controlled for. Oleic acid showed a strong inverse association with breast cancer in the Spanish center. The odds ratio for the difference between 75th and 25th percentiles was 0.40 (95% CI: 0.28, 0.58) in Malaga and 1.27 (0.88, 1.85) in all other centers pooled, with a peak at 2.36 (1.01, 5.50) for Zeist. Palmitoleic and myristoleic acids showed evidence of an inverse association outside Spain, and cis-vaccenic acid showed a positive association in 3 centers. These data do not support the hypothesis that increasing tissue stores of oleic acid are protective against breast cancer in non-Spanish populations, This finding implies that the strong protective associations reported for olive oil intake in dietary studies may be due to some other protective components of the oil and not to the direct effect of oleic acid uptake. Alternatively, high olive oil intake may indicate some other protective aspect of the lifestyle of these women.
Increased Mars Rover Autonomy using AI Planning, Scheduling and Execution

This paper presents technology for performing autonomous commanding of a planetary rover. Through the use of AI planning, scheduling and execution techniques, the OASIS autonomous science system provides capabilities for the automated generation of a rover activity plan based on science priorities, the handling of opportunistic science, including new science targets identified by onboard data analysis software, other dynamic decision-making such as modifying the rover activity plan in response to problems or other state and resource changes. We first describe some of the particular challenges this work has begun to address and then describe our system approach. Finally, we report on our experience testing this software with a Mars rover prototype.
The growth of Diaspora - A decentralized online social network in the wild

The Diaspora network [1] is a recently launched decentralized online social network with over 216; 000 users as of November 16; 2011. It is a network of independent, federated Diaspora servers that are administrated by individual users who allow Diaspora users' profiles to be hosted on their servers. In this paper we take a first look at the Diaspora network's overall growth in terms of number of users, the topology of its interconnected servers, and the reliability of those servers. We also present a simple analysis to explain the growth of the Diaspora network. Our timely measurement study of a real-world decentralized online social network sheds light on the evolution of such a network in practice, and provides valuable observations and insights that can help the future design and implementation of decentralized online social networking.
Trade Policy, Equipment Investment and Growth in India

The relationship between trade policy and economic performance is one of the oldest controversies in economic development. In this paper, we examine an alternative mechanism through which trade reforms may impact on economic growth to those commonly discussed in the literature. This mechanism builds on the link between equipment investment and growth that has been observed in cross-country data. We argue that that in countries which have had highly restrictive trade policies with respect to capital goods, liberalization measures that specifically target capital goods imports may bring about a fall in the relative price of capital goods, leading to an increase in the rate of investment in equipment. Quantifying the link between trade policy, equipment investment and economic growth in the Indian case, we find strong support for this mechanism.
Relational identities of always-single Japanese women

Increasing numbers of Japanese women remain single after the traditionally “marked” marriageable age of twenty-something. Interpersonal relationships are very important and influential for Japanese women remaining single. I interviewed thirty always-single Japanese women in Japan to examine their interpersonal relationships. Content-analysis of the interview data revealed three themes that relate to the women's interpersonal relationships: family dependency and responsibility, social support, and relationship issues that prevent marriage. These themes suggest that single women's role as a daughter and/or family member, romantic experiences, and relationships with other women influence their identity construction. Women's accounts, moreover, presented various interrelated relationship issues, suggesting the importance of understanding the history and continuity of relationships.
Multiple Ethnicities in Malaysia: The Shifting Relevance of Alternative Chinese Categories

range of uses. No single case can provide material for an exhaustive analysis of the full complexity of the phenomenon, but all contribute pieces to the mosaic, illuminating that complexity. Analyses have been couched in terms of cultural definitions, of perceptual and cognitive categories, of social distance and solidarity of groups, of boundary definition and maintenance, of conflict and competition, of emergent versus conservative qualities of the phenomenon, and so forth-and all hold some validity, for ethnicity is multi-faceted. As A. L. Epstein points out, to define ethnicity exclusively in terms of only one of these many facets-whether its potential as a focus for political mobilization, its contribution to an individual's psychic comfort as a member of a group, or its cultural or linguistic attributes-'is to confuse an aspect of the phenomenon with the phenomenon itself' (1978:96). The present paper examines the shifting relevance of segmentally ordered 'levels' of ethnicity among Chinese in Malaysia, revealing some of the diversity possible among the several related meanings of the single conceptual term 'ethnicity.' 'Subethnic' boundaries separating culturally and linguistically distinct groups within the wider Chinese-Malaysian1 community appear to be declining in salience, at least insofar as such salience is manifested through the use of subethnic categories to The research on which this paper is based was made possible by grants from NIMH, NSF, and the East Asian Research Council and the Clark Fund of Harvard University, which I gratefully acknowledge. 1 The use of the term 'Chinese Malaysian' rather than the more common 'Malaysian Chinese' is intentional, and will persist throughout this paper. It is increasingly accepted that language usage shapes consciousness, and traditional usage often implies definite conservatism, though perhaps subconscious and unintentional. Most, possibly all, of the Chinese of whom I am writing probably prefer to identify themselves politically with Malaysia rather than with China, and thus the ethnic term 'Chinese' is properly an adjective modifying the noun 'Malaysian,' which connotes nationality in the sense of citizenship or political affiliation.
Regulation of intestinal vitamin B2 absorption : Focus on riboflavin uptake by human-derived colonic epithelial NCM460 cells

riboflavin or vitamin b2 (7,8-dimethyl-10-ribitylisoalloxazine) is an essential water-soluble vitamin. Riboflavin is important for normal cell functioning and for cell growth and development. Riboflavin is a major component of coenzymes FAD and flavin mononuclotide (FMN) that play a key role in the
Testosterone Regulates 25-Hydroxycholesterol Production in Testicular Macrophages

Recently, we found that testicular macrophages produce 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) and express 25-hydroxylase, the enzyme that converts cholesterol to 25-HC. In addition, 25-HC may be an important paracrine factor mediating the known interactions between macrophages and neighboring Leydig cells, because it is efficiently converted to testosterone by Leydig cells. The purpose of the present study was to determine if testosterone can regulate the production of 25-HC in rat testicular macrophages, representing a potential negative-feedback loop from Leydig cells. We found that expression of 25-hydroxylase mRNA and production of 25-HC by cultured testicular macrophages were significantly inhibited by testosterone at 10 μg/ml. This dose of testosterone did not have an effect on cell viability and did not change the rate of mRNA degradation in the presence of actinomycin D. These studies indicate that production of 25-HC is negatively regulated by testosterone, which may be representative of a paracrine negative-feedback loop.
Health risk factors and health promoting behavior of medical, dental and nursing students

The assumption of this study is: the preventive care beliefs and practices of health science students stand-out among the general public. To test this assumption, a survey of beliefs, behaviors and disease prevention practices of medical, dental, undergraduate and graduate nursing students in three health science schools was carried out in New Jersey. All students in these three schools were included in the study. A questionnaire which consisted of information on socio-demographic, life style patterns, health risk factors, and preventive cares was used. Results showed that 99% of the students knew their blood pressure, 10% were cigarette smokers and 3% were heavy drinkers. Approximately 68% of the students exercised regularly and 78% of them used seat belts. About 81 and 79% of the female students had regular clinical breast examinations (CBE) and pelvic examinations, respectively. It is worth noting that 10% of medical and dental students had driven an automobile under the influence of alcohol. About 77% of all students did not know their cholesterol levels, and 14% of dental students reported no concern about fat consumption. Only 38% of the female students reported monthly breast self examination (BSE). Over 27% of undergraduate nursing and 14% of all students never had a Papanicolaou (Pap) test. The main reasons for never having a Pap test, CBE, and pelvic examinations were: they did not think it was necessary and they believed that they were not at risk. The major reason for not performing BSE was forgetfulness.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Ohmic and Quasi-Ohmic Contacts to Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Thin Films

An extensive study of contacts properties to undoped and doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon, undertaken in our laboratory, has shown that ohmicity and contact quality are very dependent on the reactivity of the metal and the quality of the metal / a-Si:H interface. For example, metals such as Sc, Mg or Ti form exceptionally good ohmic (very low barrier height) contacts, while others like Al, Cu, Mo or V form very poor quasi-ohmic contacts (average barrier height) to undoped films. In addition, metals such as Y, Ho, Hf or Er create fair quasi-ohmic (low barrier height) contacts to undoped films, at room temperature. The barrier height and the magnitude of current density can be adjusted to some degree not only by the proper choice of metal work function but also by changing material bulk resistivity or/and interface quality. Consequently, specific attention is devoted to these parameters which not only determine the quality of ohmic contact but also the dominant conduction mechanism across the barrier.
All-optical output-port contention resolution using subcarrier-multiplexing

We demonstrate an all-optical contention resolution technique that preserves the wavelength of two same-wavelength contending incoming 2.5 Gbit/s channels. This is achieved by optically subcarrier-multiplexing one channel to a higher RF frequency beyond the first baseband channel on the same input wavelength. By using narrow (/spl sim/5 GHz) fiber Fabry-Perot filters for demultiplexing we recovered each channel using a baseband receiver with <1 dB power penalty.
Characterizing slopes for torus knots

A slope p/q is called a characterizing slope for a given knot K_0 in S^3 if whenever the p/q–surgery on a knot K in S^3 is homeomorphic to the p/q–surgery on K_0 via an orientation preserving homeomorphism, then K D K0 . In this paper we try to find characterizing slopes for torus knots T_(r,s). We show that any slope p/q which is larger than the number 30(r^(2)-1)(s^(2)-1)/67 is a characterizing slope for T_(r,s). The proof uses Heegaard Floer homology and Agol–Lackenby’s 6–theorem. In the case of T(5,2), we obtain more specific information about its set of characterizing slopes by applying further Heegaard Floer homology techniques.
Spatial diversity and high data rate waveforms-is it worth doing?

In the early days of HF communications, CW and FSK waveforms were the prevalent means for data communications. These tone based signaling methods were very susceptible to frequency selective fading caused by multipath. To improve the reliability of these links, spatial diversity was commonly used. As newer, more robust waveforms were developed for HF, it was felt that spatial diversity was no longer needed. This paper investigates the possible performance improvements of using spatial diversity on modern HF waveforms such as the high data rate waveforms defined in US MIL-STD-188-110B. Several different channel conditions are studied to determine if spatial diversity should perhaps be revisited as a way of further improving the reliability of HF links.
Fatal Cokeromyces recurvatus pneumonia: report of a case highlighting the potential for histopathologic misdiagnosis as coccidioides.

Cokeromyces recurvatus is a dimorphic zygomycete with histologic morphology similar to Coccidioides immitis. A 66-year-old man who was status-post bone marrow transplantation for chronic myelogenous leukemia was hospitalized with new onset rash, nausea, and vomiting and subsequently expired. A sputum culture collected on the day of death revealed heavy growth of C. recurvatus 6 days after collection. At autopsy, microscopic examination of the lungs revealed numerous thick-walled, nonbudding spherules ranging in size from 40 to 80 µm. Initial immunohistochemical staining of the formalin-fixed lung tissue was positive for Coccidioides . Additional immunoperoxidase staining revealed the organisms were consistent with a zygomycete fungus, compatible with C. recurvatus infection. Polymerase chain reaction using panfungal primers was attempted on the formalin-fixed tissue but was inconclusive. This case highlights the potential for misdiagnosing Cokeromyces as Coccidioides when the diagnosis is based on histolo...
Testosterone as a personality variable

This essay describes recent research that has treated testosterone levels as an individual difference variable. We argue that this and similar work broadens our understanding of the person situation interaction.
Identity Expansion and Transcendence

Emerging developments in communications and computing technology may transform the nature of human identity, in the process rendering obsolete the traditional philosophical and scientific frameworks for understanding the nature of individuals and groups. Progress toward an evaluation of this possibility and an appropriate conceptual basis for analyzing it may be derived from two very different but ultimately connected social movements that promote this radical change. One is the governmentally supported exploration of Converging Technologies, based in the unification of nanoscience, biology, information science and cognitive science (NBIC). The other is the Transhumanist movement, which has been criticized as excessively radical yet is primarily conducted as a dignified intellectual discussion within a new school of philosophy about human enhancement. Together, NBIC and Transhumanism suggest the immense transformative power of today’s technologies, through which individuals may explore multiple identities by means of online avatars, semi-autonomous intelligent agents, and other identity expansions.