cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ribosomal Protein S1(RpsA) of Buchnera aphidicola, the Endosymbiont of Aphids: Characterization of the Gene and Detection of the Product

Buchnera aphidicola is a prokaryotic endosymbiont found in specialized cells of the aphid Schizaphis graminum. Many of the previously cloned B. aphidicola genes are preceded by a poor ribosome-binding site. Ribosomal protein S1 (RpsA) allows the translation of messenger RNAs that lack or have a poor ribosome binding site. We have cloned and sequenced a 4.5-kilobase (kb) B. aphidicola DNA fragment containing four open reading frames corresponding to aroA-rpsA-himD-tpiA. The deduced amino acid sequence of B. aphidicola RpsA was 75% identical to that of the Escherichia coli protein. The major difference was in the number of basic amino acids, which were present in higher numbers in B. aphidicola RpsA. Antiserum to E. coli RpsA was prepared and used to detect B. aphidicola RpsA in cell-free extracts of aphids. During the first 12 days of aphid growth there is a slight decrease in the amount of RpsA per unit of aphid weight. The three additional genes found on the 4.5-kb DNA fragment encoded for proteins involved in aromatic amino acid biosynthesis (aroA), DNA bending (himD), and carbohydrate metabolism (tpiA). The presence of these genes in B. aphidicola is additional evidence of its similarity to free-living bacteria.
Sharing a multicultural course design for a marriage and family therapy programme: one perspective

The marriage and family therapy (MFT) field has made tremendous progress in acknowledging the importance of multicultural training. Nevertheless, multiculturally committed MFT trainers still struggle with issues of multicultural course design and delivery. In a subject so controversial and which requires a great deal of experience and skills to teach, little has been done in terms of sharing different multicultural course designs and working towards their implementation in MFT programmes. This paper presents a prototype curriculum of an introductory course in multiculturism in counselling for marriage and family therapy students with the overall goal of making trainees more multiculturally aware. It includes a few examples of strategies designed to aid the continuing infusion of multiculturalism into MFT programmes.
Earnings distribution in the USSR, 1968–1976: Comments on the notes of Nove and McAuley

MICHAEL Ellman1 and Alec Nove2 present decile ratios of earnings of Soviet wage earners and salaried workers for the post-war period to 1976 and comment on the increase in inequality between 1968 and 1976 these decile ratios show. Both Nove and McAuley3 offer some speculations, particularly concerning who were the gainers. Although I have previously presented and analyzed these data on the change in the distribution of earnings,4 a few comments in these pages may help to clarify the picture. My main points are that the low point in the decile ratio of 2-83 in 19685 should not be taken as the end of a trend toward equality and that it is risky to extrapolate the upward trend to 1976, when the decile had risen to 3-35 (see Table 1), beyond that year, as the USSR was then in the midst of the second post-war wage reform. The 1968 decile ratio reflects the extraordinary increase of 50% in the minimum monthly wage-from 40 to 60 roubles-throughout the economy, all at once, on 1 January 1968. This meant a sharp contraction in the wage scales and, in effect, the (temporary) elimination of the first three wage grades (usually out of six) in most consumer goods
Single site electronic spectroscopy of free base chlorin in an n-octane crystal at 5 K

Abstract Single site fluorescence and absorption spectra of free base chlorin in an n -octane crystal at 5 K are reported. The vibrational frequencies of the ground and excited states, Q y , Q x and B, have been determined from the spectra. Evidence is found for a possible nπ ∗ state just below the Q x transition and for resonant vibronic interference between the Q x state and an underlying state's vibronic manifold. The Soret region has no structure and also shows signs of a lower energy nπ ∗ state.
Line search termination criteria for collinear scaling algorithms for minimizing a class of convex functions

Many successful quasi-Newton methods for optimization are based on positive definite local quadratic approximations to the objective function that interpolate the values of the gradient at the current and new iterates. Line search termination criteria used in such quasi-Newton methods usually possess two important properties. First, they guarantee the existence of such a local quadratic approximation. Second, under suitable conditions, they allow one to prove that the limit of the component of the gradient in the normalized search direction is zero. This is usually an intermediate result in proving convergence. Collinear scaling algorithms proposed initially by Davidon in 1980 are natural extensions of quasi-Newton methods in the sense that they are based on normal conic local approximations that extend positive definite local quadratic approximations, and that they interpolate values of both the gradient and the function at the current and new iterates. Line search termination criteria that guarantee the existence of such a normal conic local approximation, which also allow one to prove that the component of the gradient in the normalized search direction tends to zero, are not known. In this paper, we propose such line search termination criteria for an important special case where the function being minimized belongs to a certain class of convex functions.
Age-related changes in the clinical and electrophysiologic characteristics of patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: Comparative study between young and elderly patients

Abstract The natural history of patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome remains an intriguing question with respect to clinical decision-making, since serial electrophysiologic data spread over several decades in the same patient are not avaliable in the literature. To study the age-related changes in WPW syndrome, we compared two separate groups of patients referred to this Medical Center for electrophysiologic studies because of a clinical presentation with significant arrhythmias. An elderly group of 42 patients aged 50 years or more were compared with a younger group of 51 patients aged 15 to 30 years. The groups were comparable in terms of clinical presentation, including the number of patients who had reported syncopal eplsodes and those requiring cardioversion of their tachyarrhythmias. Baseline electrophysiologic variables such as sinus rate; sinoatrial conduction time; corrected sinus node recovery time; AH interval; and effective refractory periods of the right atrium, atrioventricular (AV) node, and right ventricular muscie, were significantly greater in the elderly group. Similarly, the anterograde effective refractory period of the bypass tract, the shortest atrial pacing cycle length with 1:1 anterograde conduction via the bypass tract, retrograde effective refractory period of the bypass tract, the shortest ventricular pacing cycle length with 1:1 retrograde conduction via the bypass tract, the shortest consecutive preexcited R-R interval during atrial fibrillation, and the cycle length of orthodromic atrial ventricular reciprocating tachycardia were significantly greater in the elderly group. Although such an electrophysiologic milleu in the elderly group could be interpreted as more berign compared with the younger group of patients and thus conductive to less malignant tachyarrhythmias on a theoretical basis, both groups in fact had a comparable clinical profile including frequency of syncope and direct-current cardiovaerslon. This could in part be due to the fact that the difference in the effective refractory period between the AV node and the bypass tract were comparable between the groups. Thus it is concluded that the management of WPW syndrome in symptomatic elderly patients should be as aggressive as in the younger patients, and radiofrequency or surgical ablation may have to be considered as the initial management option in these elderly patients.
Temperature dependence of nuclear quadrupolar relaxation rate in liquid metals

Abstract Two recent theories of nuclear quadrupolar relaxation rates W 1 Q in liquid metals are reviewed. One is the classical motion approach, where motions of the ions in a liquid metal are accounted for by the introduction of the two and three particle correlation function in terms of the translational and diffusive motions. The second and perhaps more rigorous approach starts out with the dynamic interference function of the van Hove-type. These two theories have been utilized to investigate the temperature dependence of W 1 q in liquid Ga 69 , In 115 , and Hg 201 , and calculated results are compared with the recent experimental measurements. It has been found that for the temperature range studied, the calculated W 1 q changed in agreement with the experimental results when the dynamic theory (Warren theory) was used, but some disagreement occurs with the classical theory (Sholl theory). Two main points emerge from the present study. One is that in these liquid metals the temperature dependence of W 1 q mostly comes from the translational, diffusive motion of the single ion rather than the change in the collective motion or the structure itself. Second, the theory worked out in the momentum space can account for the temperature dependence better than the corresponding theory worked out in real space by avoiding some obvious assumptions.
Astrobiology and green chemistry: a new pedagogical connection

Various pedagogical approaches are needed to introduce astrobiology into the chemistry curriculum. We are developing a new approach in which we connect green chemistry with astrobiology. Green chemistry is chemistry which is environmentally friendly. One obvious way for the organic chemistry to be environmentally friendly is to use water as solvent, instead of more toxic organic solvents. Another approach is to run so-called solventless reactions. For example, as the solid materials are mixed together, the melting point of the mixture is lower than the melting points of its individual components (the principle of the mixed-melting point). In some cases the entire mixture may melt upon mixing. The reactions would then occur in a viscous semi-solid state. An additional approach is to run the reactions by utilizing enzymes or man-made protein mimics as catalysts instead of toxic catalysts, such as those based on the transition metals. These and some other known examples of green chemistry have a great potential for astrobiology. The astrobiological reactions typically occur in water (e.g. prebiotic soup), in the solid mixtures (e.g. on the meteors), and may be catalyzed by various short peptides. The connection between the green chemistry principles and astrobiology represents a new pedagogical approach for infusion of astrobiology into the organic chemistry.
Infants′ Sensitivity to Phonotactic Patterns in the Native Language

Abstract There is increasing evidence that during the latter half of their first year, infants begin learning about the organization of sound patterns in their native language. The present study investigated whether American infants are sensitive to the frequency with which certain phonetic patterns appear in English words. Two types of lists of monosyllables were presented using the headturn preference procedure. High-probability lists contained items with phonetic patterns that occur frequently in English words. Low-probability lists were composed of items with phonetic patterns that appear infrequently in English words. Nine-month-olds, but not 6-month-olds, listened significantly longer to the high-probability lists. A follow-up experiment indicated that the 9-month-olds′ preference for the high-probability lists occurs even when the lists are matched in terms of vowel quality. We discuss the implications of this preference for frequently appearing phonetic patterns for word recognition and the development of the mental lexicon.
Evaluation of the fertilizer value and nutrient release from corn and soybean residues under laboratory and greenhouse conditions

Abstract Laboratory and greenhouse studies were conducted on a moderately fertile Taloka (fine, mixed, thermic mollic Albaqualf) silt loam and a low fertility Leadvale (fine‐silty, siliceous, thermic typic Fragiudult) silt loam to evaluate nutrient release and fertilizer value of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Herr.] and corn (Zea mays L.) residues as compared to the inorganic fertilizer 13–13–13–13 (N‐P2O5‐K2O‐S). Residues and the inorganic fertilizer were applied at 50 mg N/kg in a incubation study and at 25 and 50 mg N/kg in a greenhouse study. The incubation study indicted that carbon dioxide (CO2) evolution and nitrogen (N) mineralization followed a identical sequence: soybean > corn residues, similar to residue N concentration and carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio sequence. Application of corn residues produced N immobilization in both soils (‐20 mg N/kg soil), whereas soybean increased inorganic soil N in the Leadvale soil (3 mg N/kg soil) and particularly in the Taloka soil (17 mg N/kg soil). The greenhouse ...
Effect of a Sulfonylurea and Insulin on Energy Expenditure in Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Previous studies demonstrated that administration of insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents tends to produce weight gain in type II diabetic patients. The goal of this study was to determine the potential contribution of changes in metabolic rate and urinary glucose excretion to changes in energy balance associated with treatment with glyburide and insulin. Six obese type II diabetic patients (52-61 yr old; 123-214% of ideal weight) were fed a weight-maintaining diet of fixed composition and caloric content in a Clinical Research Center. The mean fasting plasma glucose concentrations were 10.7 +/- 1.3 (+/- SE) mmol/L before treatment, 7.9 +/- 1.4 mmol/L at the end of 2 weeks of glyburide treatment, and 5.2 +/- 0.3 mmol/L at the end of 2 weeks of insulin treatment. Urinary glucose excretion decreased from 48 +/- 19 g/day before treatment to 20 +/- 9 g/day at the end of glyburide treatment and 2 +/- 1 g/day at the end of insulin treatment. Neither treatment affected mean postabsorptive resting metabolic rate (untreated 4.86 +/- 0.50 kJ/min; glyburide-treated, 4.63 +/- 0.45 kJ/min; insulin-treated, 4.70 +/- 0.46 kJ/min) or postprandial resting metabolic rate (untreated, 5.71 +/- 0.55 kJ/min; glyburide-treated, 5.60 +/- 0.39 kJ/min; insulin-treated, 5.70 +/- 0.51 kJ/min). However, the two patients with the largest decreases in urinary glucose excretion also had decreases in energy expenditure. These data indicate that many obese type II diabetic patients could have significant weight gain from reduced energy losses alone.
Competing drug-drug interactions among multidrug antiretroviral regimens used in the treatment of HIV- infected subjects: ACTG 884.

Objective To evaluate the steady state concentrations of saquinavir, ritonavir, nelfinavir, delavirdine, and adefovir in six different three- and four-drug combination regimens. Design Randomized, partially double-blinded, multicenter study in a population of indinavir-experienced subjects with virologic failure. The first seven subjects enrolled in each of the six treatment arms from 10 participating sites were entered into this pharmacokinetic evaluation. Setting Multicenter study of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). Patients HIV-infected subjects. Interventions A 12-hour pharmacokinetic study was conducted after 2 weeks of drug administration. Main outcome measures Area under the concentration-time curve with statistical comparisons to evaluate the effect of the second protease inhibitor and the effect of the non-protease inhibitors. Results There was no difference in saquinavir concentrations according to whether the second protease inhibitor was ritonavir or nelfinavir. Saquinavir concentrations in the groups receiving the combination of delavirdine plus adefovir dipivoxil were reduced by approximately 50% compared with those receiving delavirdine. Delavirdine concentrations were reduced by approximately 50%, in the delavirdine plus adefovir dipivoxil arms compared with the delavirdine arms. Conclusions Saquinavir concentrations were significantly lower in the arms containing the combination of delavirdine and adefovir dipivoxil compared with the arms containing delavirdine. Delavirdine concentrations were significantly lower when coadministered with adefovir dipivoxil. These drug-drug interactions were not expected, the mechanism(s) is (are) not clear, and additional studies are warranted. This study illustrates the need to understand more fully the pharmacokinetic characteristics of complex combination antiretroviral regimens prior to use in patient management.
1460 INDOMETHACIN RESPONSE IN PRETERM INFANTS WITH SEVERE RDS TREATED WITH HUMAN SURFACTANT (HS)

To determine whether the early improvement in very preterm infants with severe RDS receiving human surfactant (HS) treatment was related to decrease in ductal left-to-right shunting, we studied 9 infants treated with HS within 6 hours after birth (B.W. x 957 Gm.; G.A. x 27 wks.) and compared them to 11 controls (B.W. x 1038 Gm.; G.A. 27.2 wks.). All 9 HS treated infants showed marked left-to-right PDA shunting when studied with 2D echo/Doppler prior to, 1-4 hours after HS. Control infants were also studied at comparable times and all demonstrated ductal flow by 10 hours after birth. Infants were then treated with IV indomethacin. There was a decrease in ductal flow in all infants receiving HS at 6-12 hours with 7/8 HS-treated patients having evidence of ductal closure (no reverse flow in the pulmonary artery and no PDA seen) at 18-24 hours after HS. All control infants continued to demonstrate some evidence of ductal shunting until the second day with ductal closure occurring in 7/11. Thus early treatment of RDS with HS appears to augment response of the ductus to indomethacin in very small preterm infants with severe RDS, and may be contributory to their ventilatory improvement. (HD 16292)
High-speed spectral nanocytology for early cancer screening

High-throughput partial wave spectroscopy (HTPWS) is introduced as a high-speed spectral nanocytol- ogy technique that utilizes the field effect of carcinogenesis to perform minimally invasive cancer screening on at- risk populations. HTPWS uses fully automated hardware and an acousto-optic tunable filter to scan slides at low magnification, to select cells, and to rapidly acquire spectra at each spatial pixel in a cell between 450 and 700 nm, completing measurements of 30 cells in 40 min. Statistical quantitative analysis on the size and density of intra- cellular nanostructures extracted from the spectra at each pixel in a cell yields the diagnostic biomarker, disorder strength (Ld). Linear correlation between Ld and the length scale of nanostructures was measured in phantoms with R 2 ¼ 0.93. Diagnostic sensitivity was demonstrated by measuring significantly higher Ld from a human colon cancer cell line (HT29 control vector) than a less aggressive variant (epidermal growth factor receptor knockdown). Clinical diagnostic performance for lung cancer screening was tested on 23 patients, yielding a significant differ- ence in Ld between smokers and cancer patients, p ¼ 0.02 and effect size ¼ 1.00. The high-throughput perfor- mance, nanoscale sensitivity, and diagnostic sensitivity make HTPWS a potentially clinically relevant modality for risk stratification of the large populations at risk of developing cancer. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a
Relationships of slice shear force and Warner-Bratzler shear force of beef strip loin steaks as related to the tenderness gradient of the strip loin

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of steak location within a strip loin and USDA quality grade on muscle fiber angle, slice shear force (SSF), and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and to determine the relationship between SSF and WBSF. Steak location influenced both SSF and WBSF values, as steaks from the anterior portion were typically tenderer than steaks from the posterior end. Although there is some discrepancy between the two shear force methods, both agree that at least the first 5 anterior-most steaks are comparable. Muscle fiber angle was affected by steak position within the strip loin, as the fiber angle shifted between steaks 7 and 8. Quality grade had a significant effect on beef tenderness for both SSF and WBSF. Finally, there was a strong relationship between lateral SSF and average WBSF (r = 0.64), which are currently the most commonly used measurements for instrumental tenderness.
MEMS-Based Nanomechanics: Influence of MEMS Design on Test Temperature

Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices based on electro-thermal actuation have been used over the past few years to perform tensile tests on nanomaterials. However, previous MEMS designs only allowed small (e.g., <100 nm) total displacement range without a significant increase in temperature near the nanospecimens (<20°C), thereby limiting the design of the load sensor or the range of nanomaterials to test. Here we characterize the thermo-mechanical behavior of three MEMS devices, using optical displacement measurements, micro-Raman temperature measurements, and finite element modeling. We observe the increase in temperature near the nanospecimen gap per displacement of thermal actuator to linearly decrease with the distance between nanospecimen gap and thermal actuator. We also present a MEMS device that can provide up to 1.6 μm of total displacement with less than 10°C increase in temperature near the nanospecimens, more than one order of magnitude improvement with respect to previously published MEMS material testing setups. This MEMS device can be used for accurate, temperature-controlled tensile testing of nanocrystalline metallic nanobeams.
A new method for manipulating transgenes: engineering heat tolerance in a complex, multicellular organism.

Abstract Background :Heat-shock proteins (hsps) are thought to protect cells against stresses, especially due to elevated temperatures. But while genetic manipulation of hsp gene expression can protect microorganisms and cultured metazoan cells against lethal stress, this has so far not been demonstrated in multicellular organisms. Testing whether expression of an hsp transgene contributes to increased stress tolerance is complicated by a general problem of transgene analysis: if the transgene cannot be targeted to a precise site in the genome, newly observed phenotypes may be due to either the action of the transgene or mutations caused by the transgene insertion. Results: To study the relationship between heat tolerance and hsp expression in Drosophila melanogaster , we have developed a novel method for transgene analysis, based upon the site-specific FLP recombinase. The method employs site-specific sister chromatid exchange to create an allelic series of transgene insertions that share the same integration site, but differ in transgene copy number. Phenotypic differences between members of this series can be confidently attributed to the transgenes. Using such an allelic series and a novel thermotolerance assay for Drosophila embryos, we investigated the role of the 70 kD heat-shock protein, Hsp 70, in thermotolerance. At early embryonic stages, Hsp70 accumulation was rate-limiting for thermotolerance, and elevated Hsp70 expression increased survival at extreme temperatures. Conclusion: Our results provide an improved method for analyzing transgenes and demonstrate that, in Drosophila , Hsp70 is a critical thermotolerance factor. They show, moreover, that manipulating the expression of a single hsp can be sufficient to improve the stress tolerance of a complex multicellular organism.
Trajectories of inflammatory markers and cognitive decline over 10 years

We aimed to examine trajectories of inflammatory markers and cognitive decline over 10 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association between interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) trajectory components (slope, variability, and baseline level) and cognitive decline among 1323 adults, aged 70–79 years in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. We tested for interactions by sex and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. In models adjusted for multiple covariates and comorbidities, extreme CRP variability was significantly associated with cognitive decline (hazard ratio [HR] 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1–2.3). This association was modified by sex and APOE e4 (p < 0.001 for both), such that the association remained among women (HR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.1, 3.0) and among those with no APOE e4 allele (HR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.5). There were no significant associations between slope or baseline level of CRP and cognitive decline nor between interleukin-6 and cognitive decline. We believe CRP variability likely reflects poor control of or greater changes in vascular or metabolic disease over time, which in turn is associated with cognitive decline.
Objective Bayesian Analysis of Spatially Correlated Data

Spatially varying phenomena are often modeled using Gaussian random fields, specified by their mean function and covariance function. The spatial correlation structure of these models is commonly specified to be of a certain form (e.g., spherical, power exponential, rational quadratic, or Matern) with a small number of unknown parameters. We consider objective Bayesian analysis of such spatial models, when the mean function of the Gaussian random field is specified as in a linear model. It is thus necessary to determine an objective (or default) prior distribution for the unknown mean and covariance parameters of the random field. We first show that common choices of default prior distributions, such as the constant prior and the independent Jeffreys prior, typically result in improper posterior distributions for this model. Next, the reference prior for the model is developed and is shown to yield a proper posterior distribution. A further attractive property of the reference prior is that it can be used...
Do Functional Foods Have a Role in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

The role of statins in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well established. As the use of statins gains popularity and becomes more common in the general population, questions regarding the role of a healthy diet in the prevention of CVD have been raised. In a recent study, Ferenczi et al1 wrote that increased CVD risk factors associated with a typical fast food meal (ie, a 7-oz hamburger with cheese and a small milkshake) could be neutralized with a starting dose of statins. This conclusion prompted media headlines that proclaimed, “Forget healthy eating – order a double McStatin.”2 It was suggested that fast food restaurants, such as McDonald's, could offer statins to go with their meals, alongside condiments like ketchup, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. However, no single drug or combination of drugs can completely counteract the wide range of harmful effects caused by poor eating habits. An unhealthy diet not only raises total and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), but also increases blood sugar and blood pressure and leads to obesity. These risk factors have long-term consequences on cardiovascular as well as cancer morbidity and mortality. Articles see p 589 and p 596 Prevailing dietary recommendations focus on reducing and eliminating unhealthy food components, such as saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugar. This is an important way to improve overall diet quality, but there is also increasing interest in finding potentially beneficial ingredients for disease prevention. In particular, emerging evidence indicates that certain foods or their components might mitigate disease risk and promote general health and well-being. Common ingredients that have been studied include soluble fiber (from oats and psyllium); long-chain omega-3 fatty acids; plant sterols or phytosterols; polyphenols (from dark chocolate, red wine, green tea, or extravirgin olive oil); isoflavones from soy; Chinese red-yeast …
Labor Market Incorporation of Immigrants in Japan and the United States: A Comparative Analysis

The most commonly used model of labor market incorporation among immigrants in the United States analyzes their earnings largely as a function of human capital variables such as education, language competence, age, length of residence and employment experience in the receiving country. However, such a simple model is not necessarily cross-culturally applicable and may lose much of its explanatory power in other societies, where immigrants encounter different labor market conditions. This paper estimates multivariate models of wage determination among samples of foreign workers interviewed in 1996 in San Diego County, California, and the Japanese industrial city of Hamamatsu. In contrast to San Diego, the standard measures of achieved human capital do not significantly influence immigrant wages in Hamamatsu. Instead, ascribed human capital (e.g., gender, ethnicity) has a much greater impact on immigrant wages in Japan than in the United States. Although the use of social networks by immigrants to find jobs has a significant impact on wages in both countries, the effect is positive in Hamamatsu, whereas it is negative in San Diego. The paper draws on data from ethnographic studies in Japan and California to suggest explanations for these divergent results. More generally, the paper illustrates the importance of reception contexts (host societies) in determining labor market outcomes for immigrant workers.
Blowing Smoke in Yellowstone: Air Quality Impacts of Oversnow Motorized Recreation in the Park

Snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park has been shown to impact air quality, with implications for the safety and welfare of Park staff and other Park resource values. Localized impacts have been documented at several high-use sites in the Park, but the broader spatial variability of snowmobile emissions and air quality was not understood. Measurements of 87 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were made for ambient air sampled across the Park and West Yellowstone, Montana, during 2 days of the 2002–2003 winter use season, 1 year before the implementation of a new snowmobile policy. The data were compared with similar data from pristine West Coast sites at similar latitudes. Backward trajectories of local air masses, alkyl nitrate-parent alkane ratios, and atmospheric soundings were used to identify the VOC sources and assess their impact. Different oversnow vehicle types used in the Park were sampled to determine their relative influence on air mass pollutant composition. VOCs were of local origin and demonstrated strong spatiotemporal variability that is primarily influenced by levels of snowmobile traffic on given road segments at different times of day. High levels of snowmobile traffic in and around West Yellowstone produced consistently high levels of benzene, toluene, and carbon monoxide.
Would Fred Sanger Get Funded Today

Fred Sanger developed technologies that won him two Nobel Prizes and revolutionized biological research. Yet, in spite of this record, the question has been raised as to whether, in the current scientific climate, he might be unsuccessful in obtaining a grant because of a productivity that would be viewed as too limited. In imagining how a National Institutes of Health study section today might treat a proposal from Sanger to sequence DNA, we can ask whether there are lessons from his career that suggest changes to the grant review process.
Neutral Axis of Full-size Lumber With Multiple Knots

The neutral axis (NA) for a beam with isotropic, homogeneous material coincides with the geometrical centroid of the cross section. For wood beams, it is often assumed that the NA is at the centroid of the beam as well. Wood, however, is neither isotropic nor homogeneous. A multitude of anatomical features such as grain direction, grain pattern, knots, and so on provide wood with its orthotropic properties and in turn cause deviations in the location of the NA from the centroid of the beam. Knowledge of the true location of the NA would help one gain a better understanding of the mechanical behavior of wood beams. The objective of this study was to continue developing a protocol to optically analyze the NA in wood beams. Moreover, this study characterized the changes in the location of the NA with the presence of single and multiple knots in the beam. To characterize the location of the NA and its subsequent movement due to the presence of knots, a digital image correlation technique was applied to full-size lumber beams, which were loaded in flexure. The NA location was determined using longitudinal strain plots. The location and move- ment of the NA varied greatly between specimens and was affected by different patterns and types of knots in those specimens. In this testing, the average location of the NA in a nominal 2 � 4 clear beam was 50.7 % of the depth above the tension side. With multiple knots, the results revealed more complex, qualitative behav- ior. In some beams the knots in tension and the knots in compression had very nearly equal effects on the NA and, in fact, offset each other with very little movement in the local location of the NA. In other cases, when the knots were placed close together longitudinally, the NA showed little to no movement. This work marks significant progress in developing a protocol for optically understanding the effect of knots on the NA and can be used for other beam sizes and species.
Reliability Aspects of a Floating Gate E2 PROM

This paper has discussed a number of E2PROM failure mechanisms for both erase/write cycling and data retention. It has been shown that Fowler-Nordheim tunneling used for programming does not affect data retention. Erase/write cycling has been shown to degrade device margins by only a small amount and is easily guardbanded. Erase/write cycling does contribute to a significant portion of the observed failure rate due to oxide breakdown under high field operation. Defect related charge loss has been shown to be similar to that observed in EPROMs. Finally, it has been shown that E2PROMs can perform reliably in applications requiring up to 10,000 erase/write cycles per byte.
FProlog: A language to integrate logic and functional programming for automated assembly

In this paper, we present FProlog, a programming language designed to act as the top level in a robot assembly system. FProlog is a logic programming language, with the ability to interface with LISP. This allows the use of a logic programming environment to construct assembly plans, while using LISP programs to interface with vision systems, world modeling systems, robot manipulators, etc. FProlog differs from hybrid logic programming languages, such as LOGLISP, in that FProlog may invoke functional programs as goals, and functional programs may invoke FProlog's inference engine. Also, FProlog differs from traditional robot assembly languages, such as AUTOPASS, in its generality, and therefore its ability to interface with many different subsystems. As a demonstration of the applicability of FProlog, we also present an FProlog program which is used as the top level in a robot assembly system which performs a version of the blocks world experiment.
Disposition of Inhaled Particles and Gases

Biological responses following the inhalation of chemical toxicants are dependent upon the disposition of these materials within the respiratory system. This, in turn, depends upon patterns of deposition, i.e., the sites where material carried in the airstream initially contacts epithelial surfaces, and clearance, i.e., the routes via which deposited material is translocated within the respiratory tract. For chemicals which exert their action upon surface contact, initial deposition is the main predicator of toxic response. In many other cases, however, it is the net result of deposition and clearance, namely retention, i.e., the amount of toxicant remaining in the respiratory tract at specific times after exposure, which influences response.
Effect of Intermediate Principal Stress on Overconsolidated Kaolin Clay

The influence of intermediate principal stress on the mechanical behavior of overconsolidated kaolin clay is investigated using three-dimensional true triaxial testing on cubical specimens. A flexible boundary, true triaxial setup with a real-time feedback control system was used to test soil specimens under stress and strain-control modes. Undrained tests on kaolin clay show that the following vary with intermediate principal stress: the stiffness at small strains, excess pore pressure generated during shear, and strength and strain to failure. Failure occurred at peak deviator stress followed by shear band formations and localized bulging. Prior theoretical formulations of bifurcation and undrained instability support these experimental observations. Analysis of data in the octahedral plane indicates that kaolin clay follows a nonassociative flow rule, which is described by a constant third stress invariant failure criterion with von Mises plastic potential surface.
Creating a connected community: lessons learned from the Western new york beacon community.

Introduction: Secure exchange of clinical data among providers has the potential to improve quality, safety, efficiency, and reduce duplication. Many communities are experiencing challenges in building effective health information exchanges (HIEs). Previous studies have focused on financial and technical issues regarding HIE development. This paper describes the Western New York (WNY) HIE growth and lessons learned about accelerating progress to become a highly connected community.
A broad-band millimeter-wave optical modulator using a passively modelocked semiconductor laser with phase noise compensation

A new and simple technique to produce efficient optical modulation at millimeter-wave frequencies by compensating for the phase noise of a 0.85-/spl mu/m passively modelocked semiconductor laser is presented. The passively modelocked laser is intensity modulated with the electrically mixed product of its phase noise and the millimeter-wave information signal. One of the resulting sidebands to the modelocked note is identical to the millimeter-wave frequency information because of the cancellation of the phase noise of the modelocked signal. A carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) of 87 dBc/Hz at 41.9 GHz is demonstrated and it is shown that optical modulation at subcarrier frequencies up to 100 GHz and a CNR of 120 dBc/Hz is possible.
The End of the Securities Fraud Class Action as We Know It

In this article, I argue that securities fraud class actions ("SFCAs ") should not be treated as class actions but rather should be treated as derivative actions. In addition, I argue that such actions should be dismissed unless it appears that insiders (including the company itselj have gained from trading during the fraud period. Both of these conclusions are based on the fundamental argument that (1) securities law seeks to protect the interests of reasonable investors, (2) reasonable investors diversify, and (3) diversified investors are effectively protected against the supposed financial harms of securities fraud by virtue of being diversified, except in cases in which insiders have extracted gains by trading during the fraud period. Only those actions that involve insider trading or the equivalent by directors, officers, or agents of the defendant company (or the company itselJ) cause genuine financial harm to the plaintiff class, because only those actions involve an extraction of wealth from the public market. SFCAs visit serious collateral damage on defendant companies, ultimately reducing investor return. In an action based on failure to disclose bad news, the prospect of payout will cause stock price to fall by more than it otherwise would-even in a perfectly efficient market-and will trigger a positive feedback mechanism that will magnify the potential payout. It is easy to fix the feedback problem. If the case does not involve insider extraction of gains, it should be dismissed. If the case does involve insider extraction of gains, it should be litigated in the name of the corporation, and the corporation should recover any gain extracted by insiders. Treating a securities fraud action as an action by the corporation will make stockholders whole and will avoid collateral damage to the issuer corporation. t Marbury Research Professor of Law, University of Maryland School of Law. Berkeley Business Law Journal Vol. 4.1, 2007
The relationship between software development environments and the software process

The program committee originally planned for this panel session (and this introduction) to provide a summary of the 4th International Workshop on the Software Process. I have taken the liberty of covering a slightly more general view of the relationship between software development environments and the software process.
Univariate Time Series Behavior of Merger Activity and its Various Components in the United States

The paper employs unit-root tests to analyse the time-series properties of merger activity and its various components in the United States during 1973:I-1987: IV. The results indicate that the aggregate merger series is integrated of order one. It contains a large permanent or random-walk component. Economic variables have not succeeded in shifting the merger series other than in a random fashion. However, the time-series properties of the various components of the merger series are not uniform. Horizontal and vertical merger series have unit roots, while the conglomerate merger series is stationary.
Evaluating the Impact of Daily Net Radiation Models on Grass and Alfalfa-Reference Evapotranspiration Using the Penman-Monteith Equation in a Subhumid and Semiarid Climate

Net radiation Rn is the main driving force of evapotranspiration ET and is a key input variable to the Penman-type combination and energy balance equations. However, Rn is not commonly measured. This paper analyzes the impact of 19 net radiation models that differ in model structure and intricacy on estimated grass and alfalfa-reference ET ETo and ETr, respectively and investi- gates how climate, season and cloud cover influence the impact of the Rn models on ETo and ETr. Datasets from two locations Clay Center, Nebraska, subhumid; and Davis, California, a Mediterranean-type semiarid climate were used. Rn values computed from the 19 models were used in the standardized ASCE-EWRI Penman-Monteith equation to estimate ETo and ETr on a daily time step. The influence of seasons on the estimation of Rn and on estimated ETo and ETr was investigated in winter November-March and summer May-September months. To analyze the influence of clouds on the impact of Rn models, relative shortwave radiation Rrs was used as a means to express the cloudiness of the days as: 0 Rrs0.35 for completely cloudy days; 0.35 Rrs0.70 for partially cloudy days; and 0.70 Rrs1.0 for clear sky days. The performances of Rn models showed variations at the same location and between the locations for the same model based on methods used to calculate various model parameters. The most significant impact of Rn on estimated ETo and ETr was related to the methods used to calculate atmospheric emissivity rather than methods used to calculate clear sky solar radiation Rso or cloud adjustment factor f. Rn models that used average air temperature to compute and an estimated f resulted in good performances at both locations. Empirical models that assumed f=1.0 showed poor to average performances at both locations. While model performances varied based on methods used to calculate Rso, f, and , there were significant seasonal variations in performances of models that calculated as a function of actual vapor pressure of the air ea. The seasonal variations in performances of these models were greater under subhumid climate at Clay Center than in semiarid climate at Davis, Calif. The models that calculated as a function of ea performed better under completely cloudy days than on other days, more so at Clay Center. Methods used to calculate have a significant impact on the Rn model performance, especially in unstable climatic conditions such as at Clay Center where there are frequent and rapid changes in climatic variables in a given day and throughout the year. The results of this study can be used as a reference tool to provide practical information on which method to select based on the data availability for reliable estimates of daily Rn relative to the ASCE-EWRI Rn method in subhumid and semiarid climates similar to Clay Center, Neb. and Davis, Calif.
The role of the parafollicular cell of the thyroid gland in the pathogenesis of congenital osteopetrosis in mice.

Congenital osteopetrosis as manifested in the grey-lethal, microphthalmic and osteosclerotic stocks of the house mouse is characterized by an increased rate of bone matrix formation, hyperplasia of the parafollicular cell population of the thyroid gland and hypocalcemia. Osteopetrotic mice were abnormally resistant to the tendencies of parathyroid extract to promote hypercalcemia and to depress osteogenesis. The results of this investigation suggest that the parafollicular cell is the source of an osteoblast-stimulating factor and that an excess of this factor results in osteopetrosis.
Measurement of marine hydrocarbon seep flow through fractured rock and unconsolidated sediment

Abstract Three turbine seep-tents measured gas flux variations including an ejection at one tent. Several conceptual models of hydrocarbon migration were developed from the relationship between fluxes at the tents. (1) A resistor—capacitor network to model oil and gas flux in the seep system including an oil regulator model. (2) A fracture oil-deposition model where oil deposited on fracture walls progressively clogs and then blocks fractures. Also measured were bubble size distributions for minor and major vents that were narrow, and broad, respectively, and varied with time due to oil flux. Very oily bubbles with different trajectories were observed.
The Variable Impacts of Public Housing Community Proximity on Nearby Street Robberies

Objectives: Use crime pattern theory to investigate the proximity effects of public housing communities on robbery crime while taking into account the presence of nearby nonresidential facilities.Method: The study uses data describing 41 Philadelphia public housing communities and their surrounds. Surrounds are defined using two increments of street block-sized buffers. Multilevel models (buffer areas nested around public housing communities) allowing the proximity effect to vary across communities and predicting its shape with public housing level predictors are estimated.Results: The multilevel models show that the shape of proximity effects varies across public housing communities and depends on community size, even after factoring in presence of nonresidential facilities. Spatially, multiple public housing communities close to one another have more intense robbery patterns.Conclusions: Labeling all public housing communities as equally criminogenic robbery exporters is unwarranted. In fact, some commu...
Donor Fragmentation, Aid Shocks, and Violent Political Conflict

Recent debates have focused on the negative role of the proliferation of foreign aid facilities and donor fragmentation for development outcomes and recipient country institutions. This article investigates an overlooked positive side effect of donor proliferation. With an increasing number of donors, exposure to negative aid shocks decreases, as well as the impact of such shocks on violent political conflict. Using data on 106 recipient countries for the years 1970 to 2008 and employing event history and mediation analysis, we find strong evidence that fragmentation significantly reduces the risk for political destabilization associated with aid shocks.