cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feeling the vibes: chordotonal mechanisms in insect hearing

To hear, insects use diverse external structures, which transform acoustic signals to mechanical ones, coupled to astonishingly uniform mechanosensory transducers, the chordotonal organs. New evidence showing that chordotonal organs and vertebrate auditory hair cells are developmentally related and that chordotonal organs and insect bristle organs are mechanistically related suggests that all these ciliated mechanoreceptors may be derived from the same ancestral molecular mechanotransduction complex. Identification of these elusive molecules will settle this issue.
Four paradigms of information systems development

Developing computer-based information systems necessarily involves making a number of implicit and explicit assumptions. The authors examine four different approaches to information systems development.
Communal nesting patterns in mice implicate MHC genes in kin recognition

HOUSE mice (Mus musculus domesticus) form communal nests and appear to nurse each other's pups indiscriminately. Communal nesting probably functions to reduce infanticide1, but it also makes females vulnerable to exploitation if nursing partners fail to provide their fair share of care. Kinship theory predicts that females will preferentially form communal nests with relatives to minimize exploitation and further increase inclusive fitness2–4. Here we provide evidence from seminatural populations that females prefer communal nesting partners that share allelic forms of major histocompatibility complex genes. Such behaviour would lead to the selection of close relatives as communal nesting partners5–7. Although criteria for the demonstration of kin recognition are currently embroiled in controversy8,9, this is the first vertebrate study to meet Grafen's restrictive requirements8,10: discrimination is based on genetic similarity at highly polymorphic loci, incidental correlations due to relatedness are experimentally controlled, and strong reasons exist for expecting the assayed behaviour to be kin-selected.
Glycosylation of the Major Outer Capsid Protein of Bluetongue Viruses

The major outer capsid protein, VP5, of five US bluetongue viruses, was found to be glycosylated. Enzymatic removal of the carbohydrate moiety did not affect the electrophoretic mobility of VP5 in SDS-PAGE, indicating the presence of only short and possibly unbranched oligosaccharide chains. The surface accessibilities and immunogenic specificities of two conformational-dependent antigenic epitopes on VP5 of BTV were not affected by deglycosylation. Selective binding of those lectins which have well-defined sugar specificities suggests that the potential short N-linked carbohydrate chain present on BTV VP5 might be composed of sialic acid alpha(2-6)-N-acetylgalactosamine-beta(1-3)-galactose-beta(1-4)-N- acetylglucosamine-beta(1-2)-mannose-N-acetylglucosamine-Asn. In accordance with the standard nomenclature, BTV-VP5 should now be termed GP5 due to the presence of the carbohydrate moiety.
Interaction of the precursor to mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase and its presequence peptide with model membranes.

Abstract The possible contribution of the mature portion of a mitochondrial precursor protein to its interaction with membrane lipids is unclear. To address this issue, we examined the interaction of the precursor to mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase (pmAAT) and of a synthetic peptide corresponding to the 29-residue presequence peptide (mAAT-pp) with anionic phospholipid vesicles. The affinity of mAAT-pp and pmAAT for anionic vesicles is nearly identical. Results obtained by analyzing the effect of mAAT-pp or full-length pmAAT on either the permeability or microviscosity of the phospholipid vesicles are consistent with only a shallow insertion of the presequence peptide in the bilayer. Analysis of the quenching of Trp-17 fluorescence by brominated phospholipids reveals that this presequence residue inserts to a depth of approximately 9 A from the center of the bilayer. Furthermore, in membrane-bound pmAAT or mAAT-pp, both Arg-8 and Arg-28 are accessible to the solvent. These results suggest that the presequence segment lies close to the surface of the membrane and that the mature portion of the precursor protein has little effect on the affinity or mode of binding of the presequence to model membranes. In the presence of vesicles, mAAT-pp adopts considerable α-helical structure. Hydrolysis by trypsin after Arg-8 results in the dissociation of the remaining 21-residue C-terminal peptide fragment from the membrane bilayer, suggesting that the N-terminal portion of the presequence is essential for membrane binding. Based on these results, we propose that the presequence peptide may contain dual recognition elements for both the lipid and import receptor components of the mitochondrial membrane.
Acoustic navigation and communication for High‐Latitude Ocean Research Workshop

Recent community reports on autonomous platforms and Arctic observing [U.S. National Science Foundation, 2002; Proshutinsky et al., 2004; Rudnick and Perry, 2003] identify the development of under-ice navigation and telemetry technologies as one of the critical factors limiting the scope of high-latitude measurement efforts. Advances in autonomous platforms (profiling floats, drifters, long-range gliders, and propeller-driven vehicles) promise to revolutionize ocean observations, providing unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution for both short-duration process studies and multiyear efforts designed to quantify long-timescale environmental changes. This new generation of platforms facilitates access to logistically difficult regions where weather and remoteness challenge conventional techniques, making them attractive for polar regions. These platforms could provide persistent, high-resolution, basin-wide sampling in ice-covered regions and operate near the critical ice-water interface.
Regulation of trehalose synthesis in the silkmoth Hyalophora cecropia: the role of magnesium in the fat body.

During the larval-pupal transformation of the cecropia silkmoth, the concentration of magnesium in the fat body declines from about 40 to 20 mEq/I cell water, while intracellular trehalose drops to a similar extent. Among fullygrown larvae and early pharate pupae, the hemolymph trehalose level (which is close to the fat body trehalose level in these stages) is correlated with the concentration of magnesium in the fat body but not with that in the hemolymph. Injection into larvae, of sufficient magnesium chloride to double the magnesium content in the hemolymph, did not lead to elevated magnesium in the fat body. It is concluded that the concentration of magnesium in the fat body is regulated independently from that in the hemolymph. Since the trehalose phosphate synthetase is activated by magnesium, the concentration of magnesium in the fat body may play a significant role in regulating the rate of synthesis, and hence the steady state level, of trehalose.
Leatherback turtle movements, dive behavior, and habitat characteristics in ecoregions of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.

Leatherback sea turtles, Dermochelys coriacea, are highly migratory predators that feed exclusively on gelatinous zooplankton, thus playing a unique role in coastal and pelagic food webs. From 2007 to 2010, we used satellite telemetry to monitor the movements and dive behavior of nine adult and eleven subadult leatherbacks captured on the Northeast USA shelf and tracked throughout the Northwest Atlantic. Leatherback movements and environmental associations varied by oceanographic region, with slow, sinuous, area-restricted search behavior and shorter, shallower dives occurring in cool (median sea surface temperature: 18.4°C), productive (median chlorophyll a: 0.80 mg m−3), shallow (median bathymetry: 57 m) shelf habitat with strong sea surface temperature gradients (median SST gradient: 0.23°C km−1) at temperate latitudes. Leatherbacks were highly aggregated in temperate shelf and slope waters during summer, early fall, and late spring and more widely dispersed in subtropical and tropical oceanic and neritic habitat during late fall, winter and early spring. We investigated the relationship of ecoregion, satellite-derived surface chlorophyll, satellite-derived sea surface temperature, SST gradient, chlorophyll gradient and bathymetry with leatherback search behavior using generalized linear mixed-effects models. The most well supported model showed that differences in leatherback search behavior were best explained by ecoregion and regional differences in bathymetry and SST. Within the Northwest Atlantic Shelves region, leatherbacks increased path sinuosity (i.e., looping movements) with increasing SST, but this relationship reversed within the Gulf Stream region. Leatherbacks increased path sinuosity with decreasing water depth in temperate and tropical shelf habitats. This relationship is consistent with increasing epipelagic gelatinous zooplankton biomass with decreasing water depth, and bathymetry may be a key feature in identifying leatherback foraging habitat in neritic regions. High-use habitat for leatherbacks in our study occurred in coastal waters of the North American eastern seaboard and eastern Caribbean, putting turtles at heightened risk from land- and ocean-based human activity.
Analysis of Blunt Trailing Edge Airfoils

The adoption of blunt trailing edge airfoils for the inner regions of large wind turbine blades has been proposed. Blunt trailing edge airfoils would not only provide increased structural volume, but have also been found to improve the lift characteristics of airfoils and therefore allow for section shapes with a greater maximum thickness. Limited experimental data makes it difficult for wind turbine designers to consider and conduct tradeoff studies using these section shapes. This lack of experimental data precipitated the present analysis of blunt trailing edge airfoils using computational fluid dynamics. Several computational techniques are applied including a viscous/inviscid interaction method and several Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes methods.Copyright © 2003 by Standish and van Dam
A new undergraduate laboratory course in magnetic design

This paper presents a set of new laboratory experiments developed in conjunction with an undergraduate course in magnetic design. The course has recently been reintroduced as a technical elective course where students learn the basics of inductor and transformer design. Five new laboratory experiments have been developed to cover magnetic concepts and to provide students with the hands-on experience in designing and building magnetic components. The paper presents an overview of the course, and highlights the new lab experiments in the course.
Fos expression in the brain induced by peripheral injection of CCK or leptin plus CCK in fasted lean mice

We previously reported a synergistic interaction between leptin and cholecystokinin (CCK) to reduce food intake through CCK-A receptors in lean mice fasted for 24 h. To identify the activated neuronal pathways, we investigated changes in Fos expression in brain nuclei 2 h after single or combined intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of leptin (120 microg/kg) and sulfated CCK-8 (3.5 microg/kg) in male lean mice (C57BL/6) fasted for 24 h using immunohistochemistry for Fos, the protein product of the early gene, c-fos. Leptin did not increase Fos expression in the brain compared with vehicle-treated mice. CCK increased the numbers of Fos-positive neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS)/area postrema (AP), central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and, to a smaller extent, in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) (5.2-, 2.3- and 0. 3-fold respectively). Injections of leptin-CCK further enhanced Fos expression by 40% in the PVN compared with that induced by CCK alone, but not in the other nuclei. Devazepide (a CCK-A receptor antagonist, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) prevented the increase in Fos expression induced by leptin-CCK in the PVN and by CCK alone in the PVN, CeA and NTS/AP. These results indicate that in fasted mice, i.p. injection of CCK increases Fos expression in specific brain nuclei through CCK-A receptors while leptin alone had no effect. Leptin in conjunction with CCK selectively enhanced Fos expression in the PVN. The PVN may be an important site mediating the synergistic effect of leptin-CCK to regulate food intake.
Prokaryotic Cytokinesis: Little Rings Bring Big Cylindrical Things

Summary At the division site, most bacteria assemble filaments of the tubulin homolog FtsZ that recruit other proteins into a functional divisome. A recent study describes the in vitro assembly of the divisome component SepF into small rings that organize FtsZ filaments into microtubule-like structures, possibly facilitating efficient septal growth and cytokinesis.
Compact fluorescence sensors based on III nitrides

Significant efforts have been made lately towards transforming the large and costly laboratory fluorescence measurement systems to compact portable fluorometers based on solid-state light emitting diodes (LEDs) and photodiodes. UV/blue LEDs and filtered Si photodiodes have been employed for characterization of various compounds including live bacteria populations by using fluorescent proteins. To take advantage of the high temperature and chemical stability of the III nitride materials it would be beneficial to use them for fabrication of all sensor components including the wavelength-selective features. In this work we fabricated multi-wavelength fluorescence sensor devices using only III nitride-based components. These devices were tested for fluorescence measurements of fluorescein, chlorophyll, aromatic hydrocarbons, and E.coli bacteria.
Efficient Dynamic Programming Search Algorithms for Phrase-Based SMT

This paper presents a series of efficient dynamic-programming (DP) based algorithms for phrase-based decoding and alignment computation in statistical machine translation (SMT). The DP-based decoding algorithms are analyzed in terms of shortest path-finding algorithms, where the similarity to DP-based decoding algorithms in speech recognition is demonstrated. The paper contains the following original contributions: 1) the DP-based decoding algorithm in (Tillmann and Ney, 2003) is extended in a formal way to handle phrases and a novel pruning strategy with increased translation speed is presented 2) a novel alignment algorithm is presented that computes a phrase alignment efficiently in the case that it is consistent with an underlying word alignment. Under certain restrictions, both algorithms handle MT-related problems efficiently that are generally NP complete (Knight, 1999).
Low-power-consumption and high-gain CMOS distributed amplifiers using cascade of inductively coupled common-source gain cells for UWB systems

A distributed amplifier with new cascade inductively coupled common-source gain-cell configuration is presented. Compared with other existing gain-cell configurations, the proposed cascade common-source gain cell can provide much higher transconductance and, hence, gain. The new distributed amplifier using the proposed gain-cell configuration, fabricated via a TSMC 0.18-mum CMOS process, achieves an average power gain of around 10 dB, input match of less than -20 dB, and noise figure of 3.3-6.1 dB with a power consumption of only 19.6 mW over the entire ultra-wideband (UWB) band of 3.1-10.6 GHz. This is the lowest power consumption ever reported for fabricated CMOS distributed amplifiers operating over the whole UWB band. In the high-gain operating mode that consumes 100 mW, the new CMOS distributed amplifier provides an unprecedented power gain of 16 dB with 3.2-6-dB noise figure over the UWB range
Roles of LPA in ovarian cancer development and progression

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a bioactive phospholipid, stimulates survival, proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells through the activation of G-protein-coupled plasma membrane receptors. LPA and its receptors are aberrantly expressed in ovarian cancer, with high levels predominantly found in malignant ascites and in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients. LPA signals multiple intracellular pathways, such as Ras/MEKK1-MAPK and PI3K/Akt, to promote growth factors and protease expression, and induce angiogenesis and tumor cell invasion through the extracellular matrix and across the basement membrane. Only a small portion of this intricate lipid-signaling cascade has been characterized thus far. We believe that elucidation of this complex transduction network will provide further opportunities to understand the mechanism of ovarian carcinogenesis, invasion and metastasis.
Cross- and Iso- oriented surrounds modulate the contrast response function: The effect of surround contrast

The detectability and appearance of visual targets can be modulated by surround stimuli. In this study we asked how cross- and iso-oriented surrounds modulate contrast detection and discrimination in foveal vision. We systematically measured the Threshold-versus-Contrast (TvC) functions over a wide range of pedestal and surround contrasts. Our results show that cross-oriented surrounds lower the contrast threshold over the entire range of pedestal and surround contrasts, but iso-surround modulation of the TvC function is dependent on the relative contrast, being facilitative when the surround/pedestal contrast ratio Csur/Cped 1. Data fitting indicates that cross-surround modulation (facilitation) is mainly due to improved gain, except at very low and high surround contrasts. Iso-surround modulation on the other hand is more complicated, probably reflecting more than one surround process as determined by the relative contrast.
Modeling normal aging bone loss, with consideration of bone loss in osteoporosis.

A physiologically based model of normal bone loss in human aging is presented. The model is a modification of an existing physiologically based model of body and bone growth from birth to maturity. To account for loss of bone after peak bone mass is reached between ages 25 and 30 years, a slow first-order loss of bone is incorporated into the existing model. The rate constants for this first-order loss are the same for men and women but differ with the type of bone, being 3%/decade for cortical bone and 7‐11%/decade for trabecular bone. In women, a 10-year period of more rapid loss of both cortical and trabecular bone is superimposed on the slow loss, beginning at the time of menopause. The superimposed loss occurs at the same relative rate in cortical and trabecular bone. Alterations in parameter values allow simulation of bone mass in osteoporotic men and women. The model is calibrated to quantitative estimates of cortical and trabecular bone mass as functions of age; in particular, to data sets of fractional vertebral bone volume as functions of age, and it is compared to the International Commission on Radiological Protection trend curves for skeletal mass in men and women to age 60. It is also applied to the question of whether loss of bone in women after menopause could create a hazard related to the return to blood of lead previously stored in bone. In agreement with observations made during 1976 ‐1980, the model simulates an increase due to bone resorption of approximately 1 mg/dl in blood lead concentration in a postmenopausal (60-year-old) woman compared with a premenopausal (50-year-old) woman with typical lifetime ambient lead exposure.
Combinatorial chromatin modification patterns in the human genome revealed by subspace clustering

Chromatin modifications, such as post-translational modification of histone proteins and incorporation of histone variants, play an important role in regulating gene expression. Joint analyses of multiple histone modification maps are starting to reveal combinatorial patterns of modifications that are associated with functional DNA elements, providing support to the 'histone code' hypothesis. However, due to the lack of analytical methods, only a small number of chromatin modification patterns have been discovered so far. Here, we introduce a scalable subspace clustering algorithm, coherent and shifted bicluster identification (CoSBI), to exhaustively identify the set of combinatorial modification patterns across a given epigenome. Performance comparisons demonstrate that CoSBI can generate biclusters with higher intra-cluster coherency and biological relevance. We apply our algorithm to a compendium of 39 genome-wide chromatin modification maps in human CD4(+) T cells. We identify 843 combinatorial patterns that recur at >0.1% of the genome. A total of 19 chromatin modifications are observed in the combinatorial patterns, 10 of which occur in more than half of the patterns. We also identify combinatorial modification signatures for eight classes of functional DNA elements. Application of CoSBI to epigenome maps of different cells and developmental stages will aid in understanding how chromatin structure helps regulate gene expression.
On the speed and accuracy of object recognition when using imperfect grouping

This paper analyzes the improvements that can be gained in object recognition through the use of simple, imperfect grouping techniques. We consider, in particular, the pose clustering method of object recognition. Simple grouping techniques are described that determine pairs of points that are connected in the image edge map. We show that such grouping techniques can considerably improve both the speed and accuracy of object recognition. Experiments are described that demonstrate the improvements in performance.
Is There a Fly in the “Systematic Review” Ointment?

Briner and Rousseau’s (2011) characterization of a systematic review as a penultimate procedure for evidence-based practice in applied psychology is misleading in that a systematic review is likely to unnecessarily discard useful data leading to potentially erroneous conclusions that can adversely affect workers, organizations, and the public. Furthermore, although there is much to like about Briner and Rousseau’s identification of shortcomings in some current efforts to generate cumulative knowledge within practice-oriented domains of applied psychology, their discussion confounds the usefulness of meta-analysis as a research methodology with researchers’ use of meta-analytic methods. This distinction between methodology and methodologist is important, as current meta-analytic methodology, along with some of the recommendations in Briner and Rousseau’s commentary, has considerable potential for advancing evidence-based practice beyond that of the so-called systematic review. More specifically, in their unbridled statements that a systematic review is more practically useful than a meta-analysis, Briner and Rousseau asserted that metaanalysis (a) can only answer questions addressed many times over by researchers and (b) cannot address questions that arise from practice problems. Their statements
Exposing Digital Forgeries From JPEG Ghosts

When creating a digital forgery, it is often necessary to combine several images, for example, when compositing one person's head onto another person's body. If these images were originally of different JPEG compression quality, then the digital composite may contain a trace of the original compression qualities. To this end, we describe a technique to detect whether the part of an image was initially compressed at a lower quality than the rest of the image. This approach is applicable to images of high and low quality as well as resolution.
Amygdaloid lesion-induced obesity: relation to sexual behavior, olfaction, and the ventromedial hypothalamus

Lesions of the amygdala have long been known to produce hyperphagia and obesity in cats, dogs, and monkeys, but only recently have studies with rats determined that the effective site is the posterodorsal amygdala (PDA)-the posterodorsal medial amygdaloid nucleus and the intra-amygdaloid bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. There is a sex difference; female rats with PDA lesions display greater weight gain than male rats. In the brains of female rats with obesity-inducing PDA lesions, there is a dense pattern of axonal degeneration in the capsule of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) and other targets of the stria terminalis. Transections of the dorsal component of the stria terminalis also result in hyperphagia and obesity in female rats. Similar to rats with VMH lesions, rats with PDA lesions are hyperinsulinemic during food restriction and greatly prefer high-carbohydrate diets. The PDA is also a critical site for some aspects of rodent sexual behavior, particularly those that depend on olfaction, and the pattern of degeneration observed after obesity-inducing PDA lesions is remarkably parallel to the circuit that has been proposed to mediate sexual behavior. Medial amygdaloid lesions disrupt the normal feeding pattern and result in impaired responses to caloric challenges, and there is evidence that these behavioral changes are also due to a disruption of olfactory input. With its input from the olfactory bulbs and connections to the VMH, the PDA may be a nodal point at which olfactory and neuroendocrine stimuli are integrated to affect feeding behavior.
Poster abstract: A distributed algorithm to compute spatial skyline in wireless sensor networks

Spatial skyline queries can be used in wireless sensor networks for collaborative positioning of multiple objects. However, designing a distributed spatial skyline algorithm in resource constrained wireless environments introduces several research challenges: how to combine multi-dimensional data, (e.g. distances to multiple events) to compute the skylines efficiently, accurately, quickly, progressively, and concurrently while dealing with the network and event dynamics. We address this challenge by designing Distributed Spatial Skyline (DSS) algorithm. DSS is the first distributed algorithm to compute spatial skylines. In a network of 554 nodes, DSS reduces the communication overhead by up to 91% over a centralized algorithm with 100% accuracy.
Corneal Hydrops in Terrien's Marginal Degeneration

We present four cases of Terrien's marginal degeneration that developed spontaneous ruptures in Descemet's membrane resulting in corneal hydrops. In all cases, the hydrops was characterized by a clear intracorneal pocket of aqueous humor rather than by stromal clouding. In two cases, the pocket extended peripherally to form a conjunctival filtering bleb. Although a lamellar corneal patch graft was used in one case for severe astigmatism, hypotony, and impending perforation, most cases were merely observed without treatment.
Specificity and cooperativity at β-lactamase position 104 in TEM-1/BLIP and SHV-1/BLIP interactions.

Establishing a quantitative understanding of the determinants of affinity in protein-protein interactions remains challenging. For example, TEM-1/β-lactamase inhibitor protein (BLIP) and SHV-1/BLIP are homologous β-lactamase/β-lactamase inhibitor protein complexes with disparate K(d) values (3 nM and 2 μM, respectively), and a single substitution, D104E in SHV-1, results in a 1000-fold enhancement in binding affinity. In TEM-1, E104 participates in a salt bridge with BLIP K74, whereas the corresponding SHV-1 D104 does not in the wild type SHV-1/BLIP co-structure. Here, we present a 1.6 A crystal structure of the SHV-1 D104E/BLIP complex that demonstrates that this point mutation restores this salt bridge. Additionally, mutation of a neighboring residue, BLIP E73M, results in salt bridge formation between SHV-1 D104 and BLIP K74 and a 400-fold increase in binding affinity. To understand how this salt bridge contributes to complex affinity, the cooperativity between the E/K or D/K salt bridge pair and a neighboring hot spot residue (BLIP F142) was investigated using double mutant cycle analyses in the background of the E73M mutation. We find that BLIP F142 cooperatively stabilizes both interactions, illustrating how a single mutation at a hot spot position can drive large perturbations in interface stability and specificity through a cooperative interaction network.
Extreme value FEC for reliable broadcasting in wireless networks

The advent of practical rateless codes enables implementation of highly efficient packet-level forward error correction (FEC) strategies for reliable data broadcasting in loss-prone wireless networks, such as sensor networks. Yet, the critical question of accurately quantifying the proper amount of redundancy has remained largely unsolved. In this paper, we exploit advances in extreme value theory to rigorously address this problem. Under the asymptotic regime of a large number of receivers, we derive a closed-form expression for the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the completion time of file distribution. We show the existence of a phase transition associated with this CDF and accurately locate the transition point. We derive tight convergence bounds demonstrating the accuracy of the asymptotic estimate for the practical case of a finite number of receivers. Further, we asymptotically characterize the CDF of the completion time under heterogeneous packet loss, by establishing a close relationship between the data broadcasting and multi-set coupon collector problems. We demonstrate the benefits of our approach through simulation and through real experiments on a Tmote Sky sensor testbed. Specifically, we augment the existing Rateless Deluge software dissemination protocol with an extreme value FEC strategy. The experimental results reveal reduction by a factor of five in retransmission request messages and by a factor of two in total dissemination time, at the cost of a marginally higher number of data packet transmissions in the order of 5%.
Training Robust Decision Making in Immersive Environments

We provide a review and analysis of much of the published literature on decision making that is relevant to the design of immersive environments. This review draws from the basic and applied literature in order to provide insight for the design of such synthetic environments. Included in this review are articles and books cited in other works, and articles and books obtained from an Internet search. Issues discussed are (a) an overview of immersive decision environments; (b) dual-process decision making; (c) training robust intuitive decision making; (d) combining analytical and intuitive processing in immersive environments; and (e) concluding remarks. For the development of robust decision making in immersive environments, intuitive reasoning should be emphasized by creating an immersive situation and by providing for the development of automatic processing through implicit learning, with the latter reinforced by explicit thought processes. Considerations of the literature on decision making will provid...
Symptoms and Experiences in Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema

A heterogeneous group of 146 patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema were asked to rate the frequency with which 89 symptoms and experiences occurred during their breathing difficulties. Normative values and the reported frequency of occurrence for the 11 symptom categories are presented. As expected, symptoms of dyspnea were the most frequently reported during breathing difficulties. In decreasing order, symptoms of dyspnea were followed by symptoms of fatigue, sleep disturbance, congestion, irritability, anxiety, decathexis, helplessness-hopelessness, poor memory, alienation. Separation of the patients into subgroups revealed that women reported more anxiety and helplessness-hopelessness than men. Younger patients reported more irritability and anxiety than older patients. Patients with mixed disease reported more dyspnea than those with chronic bronchitis or emphysema, although patients with emphysema reported more loss of interest in life than patients with chronic bronchitis. Self-ratings of functional incapacitation were clearly related to the symptom reports. Relationships among the symptom categories were discussed, as was the potential usefulness of symptom patterns in exploring coping styles in respiratory disease.
A Mycobacterium ulcerans Toxin, Mycolactone, Causes Apoptosis in Guinea Pig Ulcers and Tissue Culture Cells

Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, a tropical ulcerative skin disease. One of the most intriguing aspects of this disease is the presence of extensive tissue damage in the absence of an acute inflammatory response. We recently purified and characterized a macrolide toxin, mycolactone, from M. ulcerans. Injection of this molecule into guinea pig skin reproduced cell death and lack of acute inflammatory response similar to that seen following the injection of viable bacteria. We also showed that mycolactone causes a cytopathic effect on mouse fibroblast L929 cells that is characterized by cytoskeletal rearrangements and growth arrest within 48 h. However, these results could not account for the extensive cell death which occurs in Buruli ulcer. The results presented here demonstrate that L929 and J774 mouse macrophage cells die via apoptosis after 3 to 5 days of exposure to mycolactone. Treatment of cells with a pan-caspase inhibitor can inhibit mycolactone-induced apoptosis. We demonstrate that injection of mycolactone into guinea pig skin results in cell death via apoptosis and that the extent of apoptosis increases as the lesion progresses. These results may help to explain why tissue damage in Buruli ulcer is not accompanied by an acute inflammatory response.
Interference suppression and multipath mitigation using an adaptive correlator direct sequence spread spectrum receiver

A receive structure that uses an adaptive correlator to both detect the incoming data and compensate for the channel is discussed. This method has been shown to implement a linear minimum mean square estimator of the transmitted data based on the received samples. It is shown that under certain assumptions, the receiver also performs a likelihood ratio test. This receiver structure is shown to be capable of removing single tone interference and compensating for multipath reception. The receiver requires a preamble of known data bits to train the filter, but has the advantage that the spreading sequence does not have to be known a priori. >
Experiments on an Inlet-Airfoil Designed for Heat Exchangers of a High Altitude RPA

This paper first reviews a design method for an efficient inlet-airfoil to be used on the cooling installations of high altitude environmental research aircraft. The design method addresses the primary design requirement for subsonic endurance at high altitude. The flight conditions present an aerodynamically unfavorable combination of low chord Reynolds number (below 500,000) and high subsonic Mach number (up to 0.5). At these flight conditions the inlet-airfoil must meet the heat exchanger cooling flow requirements while maintaining the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil. The design method is closely coupled with not only the aircraft performance requirements but also the characteristic flow physics of low Reynolds number flows. Using a current concept aircraft as a baseline, the method has been used to develop an example design. Next, this paper presents details of the design, construction and geometric validation of a wind tunnel model. Results of wind tunnel testing will be reviewed, which show excellent agreement with computational predictions, using the MSES code. Tests were executed in the ODU 3 by 4 foot low-speed wind tunnel, using specially built endplates. Model lift and pitching moments were estimated from surface pressure distribution; drag by an adaptation of the Betz method.
Relative growth of the limbs and trunk in sifakas: Heterochronic, ecological, and functional considerations

Limb, trunk, and body weight measurements were obtained for growth series of Milne-Edwards's diademed sifaka, Propithecus diadema edwardsi, and the golden-crowned sifaka, Propithecus tattersalli. Similar measures were obtained also for primarily adults of two subspecies of the western sifaka: Propithecus verreauxi coquereli, Coquerel's sifaka, and Pro- pithecus verreauxi verreauxi, Verreaux's sifaka. Ontogenetic series for the larger-bodied P. d. edwardsi and the smaller-bodied P. tattersalli were com- pared to evaluate whether species-level differences in body proportions result from the differential extension of common patterns of relative growth. In bivariate plots, both subspecies of P. verreauxi were included to examine whether these taxa also lie along a growth trajectory common to all sifakas. Analyses of the data indicate that postcranial proportions for sifakas are ontogenetically scaled, much as demonstrated previously with cranial dimen- sions for all three species (Ravosa, 1992). As such, P. d. edwardsi apparently develops larger overall size primarily by growing at a faster rate, but not for a longer duration of time, than P. tattersalli and P. verreauxi; this is similar to results based on cranial data. A consideration of Malagasy lemur ecology suggests that regional differences in forage quality and resource availability have strongly influenced the evolutionary development of body-size variation in sifakas. On one hand, the rainforest environment ofP. d. edwardsi imposes greater selective pressures for larger body size than the dry-forest environ- ment of P. tattersalli and P. u. coquereli, or the semi-arid climate of P. u. verreauxi. On the other hand, as progressively smaller-bodied adult sifakas are located in the east, west, and northwest, this apparently supports sugges- tions that adult body size is set by dry-season constraints on food quality and distribution (i.e., smaller taxa are located in more seasonal habitats such as the west and northeast). Moreover, the fact that body-size differentiation occurs primarily via differences in growth rate is also due apparently to differences in resource seasonality (and juvenile mortality risk in turn) be- tween the eastern rainforest and the more temperate northeast and west. Most scaling coefficients for both arm and leg growth range from slight negative allometry to slight positive allometry. Given the low intermembral
Algebraic Extraction of Information from Emulsion Phase Diagrams: Tie Line Equations from Vapor Pressure Measurements

The composition was determined of equilibrium phases in an emulsion with minute solubility of the surfactant and the oil in the aqueous phase using a combination of vapor pressure measurements and an algebraic system to extract information from phase diagrams. The method allowed not only to determine the equilibrium composition of the aqueous phase, which is otherwise difficult to establish experimentally, but also gave a single empirical equation to describe any tie line in the two-phase region.
The Great Recession and Mothers’ Health

We use longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study to investigate the impacts of the Great Recession on the health of mothers. We focus on a wide range of physical and mental health outcomes, as well as health behaviors. We find that increases in the unemployment rate decrease self-reported health status and increase smoking and drug use. We also find evidence of heterogeneous impacts. Disadvantaged mothers-African-American, Hispanic, less educated, and unmarried-experience greater deterioration in their health than advantaged mothers-those who are white, married, and college educated.
The Research on Pulsation of Pump Pressure in Water Mist System

Abstract It is very important to maintain the stability of pump pressure in water mist system for higher fire suppression efficiency. In recent years, the optimization of design of the multi-plunger pump to reduce the pulsation of output pressure is an urgent problem to be solved. In the present study, the flow pulsation and frequency characteristics of multi-plunger canted disc link pump were simulated based on the kinematical equations. The kinetic characteristics of this type of pump were expounded through the calculation results. The effects of plunger number, canted disc dip angle, rotate speed, diameter and location of ball socket reference circle on the flow pulsation and frequency characteristic of the pump were also studied.
Computer-Assisted Imaging

Most biologists interested in morphometric analysis purchase programs to do the work, and a specific knowledge of all the algorithms and statistical calculations behind their operation is not critical. The programs are booted up, the menus are consulted to see what operations are possible, and the operator instructs the computer to perform certain operations from the menu. At the same time, if the operator does not possess knowledge concerning the types of questions that may be asked, the limitations inherent in the sampling techniques being used, and the general underlying assumptions necessary to computer-assisted image analysis, the equipment may not be used to its ultimate capacity. The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview of the capabilities and a few of the shortcomings of computer-assisted image analysis procedures used today. Three texts (Russ, 1986, 1990; Hader, 1991) cover most aspects of the mechanics behind image analysis and address specific applications in great detail. They are recommended reading prior to embarking on a project involving computer-assisted image analysis. The text by Misell (1978) was written prior to most of the computerassisted analysis equipment currently available but deals extensively with principles and methods for image enhancement and analysis not confined to computers.
Writing Useful Instructional Objectives in Physical Education

Within a physical education curriculum, and presented in individual lesson plans, instructional objectives serve several important purposes: they provide a direct link between the curriculum content and procedures for students to master that content; they provide a clear path for assessment — a way to determine whether students have indeed learned what the instructor intended for them to learn; and they provide clear information to the students about where they are headed and what is expected of them. Following Robert Mager's model, well-written instructional objectives have characteristics that enable them to achieve those purposes: they express intended outcomes, they are specific and measurable, and they are focused on the students. In addition to these overall characteristics, this article describes specific elements of useful objectives including performance, conditions and criteria, and provides several examples of instructional objectives within the physical education context.
Constructing energy expenditure regression model using heart rate with reduced training time

Accurate estimation of energy expenditure (EE) is a key enabler for many applications of healthcare and wellness. Heart rate (HR) based EE estimation methods typically require extensive training time to establish a relationship between HR and EE. In this work, we propose a method where just the few most representative EE-HR data pairs are used to train the estimation model. Furthermore, we present a systematical methodology based on the ranking of the correlation coefficients between EE and HR to find the least amount of EE-HR data pairs required for training while satisfying the constraint of estimation accuracy. During the experimental evaluation, while the study participants walk and run on a treadmill, our method is compared to three different training paradigms: training the EE-HR model 1) using all available data collected during the experiment, 2) using the EE-HR data only during speed changes (or during monotonic HR changes) and 3) using the EE-HR data pairs collected during constant speed. The results show that our method could maintain a comparable EE estimation performance as shown by only 2∼4% changes on the coefficient of variation of root-mean-squared error (CV(RMSE)) for the testing dataset while saving nearly 91–97% training time for each individual.
Digital Fabrication and Making' in Education: The Democratization of Invention

A quote often attributed to Seymour Papert states that if a teacher from the 16th century would timetravel to the present, he or she would have no problem entering a school and teaching a class. Historical documents from that time show that he could not be more accurate. The Treviso Arithmetic, from 1478, teaches students how to do multiplication and division using ‘exactly’ the same paper-based algorithms we use today. Several descriptions of 16th century schools and their curricula look strikingly similar to today’s mathematics classes, such as a well-known school in Florence run by Master Francesco Ghaligai in 1519 which had a “...heavy emphasis on memorization and procedures” and a curriculum comprised of units on “multiplication, practice in the use of algorithms, division, fractions, and the rule of three” (Swetz & Smith, 1987).
The Sooty Mold Ascomycete Genus Limacinula

SUMMARYThe taxonomic history of Limacinula and its relationship to Phaeosaccardinula is reviewed. In a monographic study of the genus, six species are recognized: L. anomala, L. butleri, L. javanic...
The Ethics of Using Human Volunteers for High-Risk Research

This issue of JID contains an article by Vallbracht et al. [1] on the mechanism of liver cell damage in hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. This study used an in vitro preparation of HAV-infected fibroblasts derived by liver biopsy performed on two research volunteers. The protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Commission of the University of Tubingen. In a letter to the Editor of JID, Dr. Vallbracht explained that the two volunteers were "adults (one physician and one student) who, in full possession of their intellectual capacities, agreed to liver biopsies after detailed discussion, clearly aware of the purely scientific aspect of the investigation these probands came to the hospital of their own free will for this procedure and therefore were not inpatients put under any type of pressure." The ethics of research with human subjects rest on two essential imperatives: the free and informed consent of the research subject and the evaluation of risks in relation to benefit to subject and to society [2]. In the USA, Institutional Review Boards (IRB) have been established by federal regulation to ensure that these imperatives are heeded [3]. The IRB reviews research protocols and consent forms to ascertain whether full and accurate information is provided to the subjects, whether any coercive features are present, and whether the risks of the research are justified by the potential benefit to the subject or by the importance of the knowledge to be gained. The IRB must also be satisfied that the protocol is scientifically sound, that is, its methods are designed to yield valid information. It is unjustifiable to invite volunteers to accept risks in a poorly designed study. The IRB system has been in place since the early 1970s. It seems to be working well and to be acceptable to researchers. Very few cases of abuse of the rights and welfare of human subjects have been
Parallel algorithm for matrix multiplication based on De Bruijn network

It is necessary to develop parallel matrix multiplication because of serial matrix multiplication costing much memory and time.Many different parallel matrix multiplications have been developed according to different network topologies.De Bruijn network is one of the most attractive network models,which has good parallel computing performance.It is simple to execute parallel matrix multiplication on De Bruijn network and easy to implement.In this paper,De Bruijn network was introduced,and then a parallel algorithm for matrix multiplication based on De Bruijn network was proposed.Its speedup ratio,efficiency and scalability were analyzed.It is proved by experiments and comparison that this algorithm is equal to Cannon's in terms of time complexity.