cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute systemic inflammation transiently synchronizes clock gene expression in equine peripheral blood.

Peripheral clocks receive timing signals from the master mammalian pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and function to adaptively anticipate daily changes that influence local physiology. Evidence suggests that peripheral immune activation may act as a resetting signal for circadian clocks in peripheral tissues. We wished to investigate whether acute systemic inflammation could synchronize clock gene expression in equine peripheral blood, a tissue that does not normally oscillate in this species. We report that in vivo administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in significant upregulation of the core clock genes Per2 and Bmal1 in equine blood, in association with an acute rise in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α and core body temperature compared to vehicle-treated control animals. Furthermore, co-administration of LPS and phenylbutazone, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) known to inhibit prostaglandin (PG) E2 synthesis in the horse, prevents both the febrile response and the synchronized increase in clock gene expression. However, the rise in Per2 and Bmal1 expression cannot be replicated in equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) ex vivo by treatment with PGE2, LPS or a heat shock mimicking the in vivo febrile response. These results may suggest an indirect communication pathway between immune modulators and the molecular machinery of cell clocks in peripheral blood. This potential immune feedback regulation of an equine peripheral clock implies a role for the circadian system in contributing to innate immune reactions and maintaining homeostasis in a tissue that acts as the first line of defense during an infectious challenge.
Objective analysis for coastal regimes

Abstract Statistical interpolation of coastal oceanic fields is addressed within the general framework of Gauss–Markov estimation. Computation of the prior covariance of the field to be estimated is posed as a stochastically-forced differential equation subject to coastal boundary conditions with inhomogeneous, anisotropic parameters. Solution is readily implemented in standard finite element methodology. Examples illustrate the method for idealized one-dimensional situations. Analysis of real biological data from Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bay is shown, using a covariance function derived from velocity and diffusivity fields computed with a hydrodynamic model. The procedure defaults to standard OA methods using distance-based covariance functions, far from boundaries and inhomogeneities.
Interactions of proteins and cholesterol with lipids in bilayer membranes.

Abstract Mixtures of lipids and proteins, the ATPase from rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum, were studied by freeze-fracture electron microscopy and by measurement of the amount of fluid lipid with the spin label 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO). In dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine vesicles the protein molecules were randomly distributed above the transition temperature, T t , of the lipid and aggregated below T t . For mixtures af dimyristoyl and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine the existence of fluid and solid domains was shown in the temperature interval predicted from earlier TEMPO measurements. When protein was incorporated into this lipid mixture, freeze-fracture particles were randomly distributed in fluid lipids, or aggregated when only solid lipids were present. In mixtures of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine with cholesterol the protein was distributed randomly above the transition temperature of the phosphatidylcholine. Below that transition temperature the protein was excluded from a banded phase of solid lipid in the case of 10 mol% cholesterol. In mixtures containing 20 mol% cholesterol, protein molecules formed linear arrays, 50–200 nm in length, around smooth patches of lipid. Phase diagrams for lipid/cholesterol and lipid/protein systems are proposed which account for many of the available data. A model for increasing solidification of lipid around protein molecules or cholesterol above the transition temperarture of the lipid is discussed.
The Case for Economic History

A LATE-COMER to the family of sciences, economic history has been disavowed by historians and economists alike. Its scientific character is still a matter of controversy. It is not history, claim the former. Nor is it economics, echo the latter. At best, they will call it a bad compromise of a bad history and an equally bad theory. Is this treatment justified? No science is born into maturity. Historiography, the Nestor of the social sciences, can look back upon a continuous tradition of more than 2,000 years. And it took nearly two centuries to develop the tools of modern economic research. But it is hardly half a century since Schmoller and Sombart wrote their books and Ashley came to Harvard to occupy the first chair in economic history ever established. Economic history did not have the time to accumulate a fund of knowledge comparable to that of its wealthy parent-sciences. But this deficiency is self-eliminating with time. There is, however, another difficulty, more important because it is permanent. It is not the youth of economic history but its very character which makes it a stepchild of the social sciences. It is handicapped with regard to both the high degree of factual accuracy required by historians and the equally high degree of theoretical accuracy required by economists. If economics is the science which describes and explains the ways and means by which modern man makes his living, i.e. the conditions of production, distribution, and consumption of wealth; and if history is that branch of knowledge which describes and explains the course of human events in the past; then the task of economic history is to describe and explain the conditions under which man has made his living in the past. In other words, economic history takes its subject matter from economics, and its methods of documentation and interpretation from history. As far as this definition goes, economic history stands on an equal footing with her sister branches such as political, legal, military, diplomatic, religious, aesthetic history etc. They all take their subject matter from their respective discipline and their methods from history.'
Favorable tectonic belts for granitic uranium deposits: Pan-Africa and the southern Appalachians

Abstract Granitic uranium deposits can be considered on the basis of two ideal models (Rossing and Bokan Mountain) that apparently were formed in different tectonic environments. It is possible to relate these models to various deposits or potential deposits found in Pan-African belts and the southern Appalachians. Considerable evidence suggests that Pan-African belts may be considered a uranium province, although similar evidence has not yet been found in the southern Appalachians. Some granitic rocks in certain tectonic belts of the southern Appalachians, however, hold promise as areas for future uranium exploration. In particular, peralkaline and peraluminous granitic rocks of the Raleigh-Kiokee, Inner Piedmont, and eastern Blue Ridge belts, in addition to those in the Grandfather Mountain Window, appear promising. These belts seem to provide the most promising tectonic environments in which granitic uranium deposits can occur.
A new method for isolation of human monocytes

Abstract A technique for obtaining purified suspensions of human blood monocytes is described. Purified monocyte monolayers (⩾95% monocytes) were prepared and then recovered into suspension by exposure to 30 mM lidocaine. Recovery of monocytes from adherent monolayers was quantitative and no significant loss of viability occurred. Once lidocaine was removed from cell suspensions, function of purified monocytes was equivalent to monocytes in the original unpurified cell preparations. This technique should be of value in future studies of human monocytes.
Use of the Sinus P Wave in Diagnosing Electrocardiographic Limb Lead Misplacement not Involving the Right Leg (Ground) Lead

No general approach has been established for the diagnoses of the various types of electrocardiograms of limb lead misplacement not involving the right leg (ground) lead. We have developed a 3-step algorithm for such differential diagnosis that can be applied without having to rely on the comparison with a reference electrocardiogram. It is based on the observation that the frontal plane sinus P vector loop is almost invariably inscribed counterclockwise. The 5 types of electrocardiograms of limb lead misplacement can be differentiated according to the P wave axis, the location of the lead aVR in the electrocardiogram, and specifically any apparent reversal of the direction of inscription of the frontal plane P vector loop due to lead misplacement. Characteristic limb lead P wave patterns provide 6 signs capable of inferring from the electrocardiogram alone the direction of inscription about 94% of the time. P wave axis itself is diagnostic in an additional 4%.
Development of a computerised cancer data management system at the Mayo Clinic.

Abstract A multidisciplinary team was assembled to design a cancer data management system that would meet the storage, retrieval and analysis needs of Mayo's clinical trials of anti-tumour drugs. To fulfill these requirements, a computerised data entry and retrieval system was developed, the primary patient health record used by the oncologists was redesigned and the clerical procedures and work flow within the Cancer Center Statistics Office were reorganised. The end result of this project is a system that has: (1) enabled Mayo to meet its reporting requirements as a Comprehensive Cancer Center; (2) provided the statisticians and the physicians with the capacity to perform more detailed and accurate analyses of clinical trials; (3) reduced the clerical effort needed for preparing reports and analyses; (4) provided the potential for expansion to meet the growing requirements of the future and (5) attained that often elusive goal of computer systems—user satisfaction.
Natural Subjects: Nature and Political Community

Environmental political theory poses new challenges to our received political concepts and values. Increasingly, we are reconceptualising nature as a subject rather than solely an object of politics. On one front, we are being challenged to think of natural entities as subjects of justice - as bearers of rights or interests that the political system should accommodate. On a second front, we are being challenged to see nature as a subject of power, constructed and ordered through scientific and political practice. These reconceptualisations have significant implications for our political practices and institutions.
Spectral contributions to the benefit from spatial separation of speech and noise.

Speech recognition in noise improves when speech and noise sources are separated in space. This benefit has two components whose effects are strongest in different frequency regions: (1) interaural...
Social choice rules with vetoers

Abstract For social choice rules with vetoers, we determine a lower bound on the number of profiles at which an arbitrary pair of alternatives must be socially indifferent.
Prevention of Abnormal Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Transport and Protein Expression in Post-infarction Heart Failure Using 3,5-Diiodothyropropionic Acid (DITPA)

Abstract G. D. Pennock, P. H. Spooner, C. E. Summers and S. E. Litwin. Prevention of Abnormal Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Transport and Protein Expression in Post-infarction Heart Failure Using 3,5-Diiodothyropropionic Acid (DITPA).Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (2000) 32, 1939–1953. Heart failure of diverse causes is associated with abnormalities of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+transport. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the thyroid hormone analogue, 3,5-diiodothyropropionic acid (DITPA), prevents abnormal Ca2+transport and expression of SR proteins associated with post-infarction heart failure. New Zealand White rabbits were randomly assigned to circumflex artery ligation or sham operation, and to DITPA administration (3.75 mg/kg/day) or no treatment in a two-by-two factorial design. After 3 weeks, echo-Doppler and LV hemodynamic measurements were performed. From ventricular tissue, single myocyte shortening and relaxation were determined, and Ca2+transport was measured in homogenates and SR-enriched microsomes. Levels of mRNA and protein content were determined for the SR Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a), phospholamban (PLB), cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR-2) and calsequestrin. The administration of DITPA improved LV contraction and relaxation and improved myocyte shortening in infarcted animals. The improvements in LV and myocyte function were associated with increases in Vmaxfor SR Ca2+transport in both homogenates and microsomes. Also, DITPA prevented the decrease in LV protein density for SERCA2a, PLB and RyR-2 post-infarction, without measurable changes in mRNA levels. The thyroid hormone analogue, DITPA, improves LV, myocyte and SR function in infarcted hearts and prevents the downregulation of SR proteins associated with post-infarction heart failure. The specific effects of DITPA on post-infarction SR Ca2+transport and the expression of SR proteins make this compound a potentially useful therapeutic agent for LV systolic and/or diastolic dysfunction.
ISO 9000 prescribes a framework for quality

All over the world, electrotechnical companies are facing increasing competition in the marketplace. The key to success is higher quality products and services, and many companies are adopting the ISO 9000 series of international quality standards. In the electronics and power industries, suppliers such as Philips, IBM, Siemens, ABB and HP have already implemented the standards in most of their development sites. Recently, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) notified its software development contractors that ISO 9000 certification will provide them with a substantial competitive edge in winning new contracts. This article describes how ISO 9000 software processes were implemented at the Cadence India Engineering Center and defines the benefits gained by the company from the perspectives of its management, employees and customers. Benefits of well-defined processes in term of quality and cycle-time are very apparent and process maturity is a key to achieving positive cultural change.
LXXV. On charging through ion absorption and its bearing on the earth's permanent negative charge

(1903). LXXV. On charging through ion absorption and its bearing on the earth's permanent negative charge. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science: Vol. 6, No. 35, pp. 589-598.
Some Investigations on the Growth of Dialister pneumosintes

Summary A convenient double bottle vessel is described for the culture of strictly anaerobic bacteria. With D. pneumosintes, about 90 mg dry weight of cells accumulated in about 80 h at 37°; in such conditions the generation time as assessed both by decimal dilution counts and by accumulation of deoxyribonucleic acid was about 2 h.
Dynamic, Non-Preemptive Priority Queues with General, Linearly Increasing Priority Function

This paper considers a single server queueing system that services customers from P non-preemptive priority classes. We assume independent identically distributed exponential interarrival and general service times for each class of customer. We also assume that a customer's priority in the queue is determined not only by its class, but also by the length of time it has spent in the queue; the priority for each class can be a general linearly increasing priority function. Our development gives an expression for the expected waiting time of each customer class, and gives bounds on this expression. We demonstrate the calculation of the bounds by several numerical examples, and discuss the sensitivity of the bounds to priority function parameters and system utilization. We also show that, even under the most conservative assumptions, the bounds are remarkably tight. Furthermore, for the special case of an M/M/1 system with identical service time distributions, these bounds can be substantially improved if the ordinal ranking of expected waiting times is known a priori. The results of this research enable systems designers to anticipate and consequently to control system behavior for systems with general linearly increasing priority disciplines.
The nature of partner relationship and AIDS sexual risk-taking in gay men

Abstract This study examined the importance of the nature of the relationship between sexual partners in predicting types of sexual practices for 293 gay and bisexual men. Demographics, personal beliefs, substance use, and variables from the health belief model, theory of self-efficacy, and theory of reasoned action were used to predict sexual behaviors. Sexual practices varied by type of partner relationship and duration, with a higher probability of risky behaviors occurring with primary partners than with non-primary partners; relationship status also moderated the effects of safer sex partner norms and denial on sexual risk-taking. In addition, men who were younger, had less education, and used alcohol or drugs prior to sex engaged in higher risk behaviors. This study indicates that a more comprehensive assessment of dimensions of partner relationship will lead to greater understanding of sexual risk-taking.
Automated Standard Cell Library Analysis for Improved Defect Modeling

Inductive fault analysis techniques examine the physical geometry of a design to identify potential defect sites. Since traditional methodologies for test generation, fault simulation, and diagnosis rely on logic-level models of the circuit under test, the behavior of a circuit node within a standard cell is not easily modeled since it does not always map directly to a logic-level signal. A significant percentage of defects, however, involves these internal nodes and therefore cannot be ignored. Also, due to the potentially complex behavior of feedback bridges, many defects that cause structural feedback are ignored. We propose a methodology to create a mapping between the physical nodes of a standard cell and the logic level. By identifying appropriate fault activation and error propagation conditions for each internal node, accurate fault models can be formulated. We also describe a strategy for modeling feedback bridges that enables the use of traditional test tools.
3D human modeling using virtual multi-view stereopsis and object-camera motion estimation

This paper presents a method for multi-view 3D modeling of human bodies using virtual stereopsis. The algorithm expands and improves the method used in [5], but unlike that method, our approach does not require multiple calibrated cameras and/or carefully-positioned turn tables. Instead, an algorithm using SIFT feature extraction is employed and an accurate motion estimation is performed to calculate the position of virtual cameras around the object. That is, by employing a single pair of cameras mounted on a same tripod, our algorithm computes the relative pose between camera and object and creates virtual cameras from the consecutive images in the video sequence. Besides not requiring any special setup, another advantage of our method is in the simplicity to obtain denser models if necessary: by only increasing the number of sampled images during the object-camera motion. As the quantitative results presented here demonstrate, our method compares to the PMVS method, while it makes it much simpler and cost-effective to implement.
Biomedical Imaging Research Opportunities Workshop II: Report and Recommendations

1 From the Dept of Radiology, Vanderbilt Univ Medical Ctr, RR-1223, MCN, 1161 21st Ave South, Nashville, TN 37232-2675 (C.L.P.); Dept of Radiology, Univ of Michigan Health Systems, Ann Arbor (H.P.C.); Dept of Radiology, Univ of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Ctr, Houston (J.G.G.); Dept of Radiology, Univ of Chicago, Ill (M.L.G.); Dept of Radiology, Duke Univ Medical Ctr, Durham, NC (J.A.I.); Dept of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hosp, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass (F.A.J.); Dept of Radiology, Univ of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester (K.K.); Imaging Sciences Program, NIH, Bethesda, Md (K.C.P.L.); Dept of Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif (M.M.G.); Dept of Radiology, Stanford Univ School of Medicine, Calif (S.N.); Diagnostic Radiology Dept, NIH, Bethesda, Md (R.M.S.); and Inst for Technology Assessment and Dept of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hosp, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Dept of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass (G.S.G.). Supported in part by grants from NIBIB (1 R13 EB003553-01) and the Whitaker Foundation.Received Nov 4, 2004; revision requested Dec 13; revision received Jan 23, 2005; accepted Feb 1. Address correspondence to C.L.P. (e-mail: leon.partain@vanderbilt.edu).
Assessment of a sampling method for measuring safety-critical software reliability

The paper addresses the issue of using sampling to assess the reliability of safety-critical software. Several factors are considered, such as the number of test cases required, modifications in the program, determining the operational profile, generating test cases, and checking the correctness of the output. The problems are classified into two broad categories: those that can be overcome via advances in technology and those that are more fundamental in nature. The general conclusion is that, in principle, a combination of testing and verification will be successful in measuring ultrahigh software reliability. >
Modeling restrictive processes that involve blocking requests

A decomposition method is given for showing restrictiveness that supports shared resource handling. The author splits a process into two subprocesses representing the server and client. The client process may request information and block until the information is sent. The server process will provide information when requested. This kind of method supports a natural way of expressing models using a shared resource such as file system. The author presents both the theoretical basis for the method as well as how it can be practically applied. >
An improved residue number system digital-to-analog converter

A new technique for Residue Number System (RNS) Digital-to-Binary or Digital-to-Analog conversion based on the Chinese Remainder Theorem allows conversion with only one level of ROM and one level of Adders. The ROM's are small (e.g., 256 x 8) and the Adders use standard binary adders. Compared to previous Chinese Remainder Theorem or Mixed-Radix-Conversion Techniques, the new technique offers conversion times which are independent of the number of Residue Number System moduli and conversion times are usually much faster than competative techniques. The new technique also allows for rounding or truncation to fewer bits and sign-detection by simple modifications to the procedure. These modifications yield particularly simple and fast hardware.
The role of Spadefoot Toad tadpoles in wetland trophic structure as influenced by environmental and morphological factors

Larval amphibians reach high densities in playa wetlands in the Southern Great Plains (SGP), USA, and thus may influence the entire structure and function of these ecosystems. We investigated wheth...
Endogenous and exogenous opiates modulate the development of parent-infant attachment

in addition to endogenously produced opiates, which are part of normal affiliative neurocircuitry and attachment formation, exogenous opiates – such as drugs of addiction and abuse – may affect affiliation. we consider possible modulatory effects of such exogenous opiates on the development of early parent–infant attachment from both parents' and infants' perspectives.
Leader Succession and Socialization: A Synthesis

Leader succession research presents intriguing evidence that leader succession affects school performance. Organizational socialization provides equally tantalizing evidence that leaders are shaped in their organizations. Socialization illuminates processes through which the outcomes of succession can be improved by successors and their superiors. The dynamic interactions among social and personal factors examined by socialization theories, however, are underemphasized by traditional succession frameworks. This omission leaves important gaps in knowledge about leader succession processes and outcomes. A synthesis of traditional succession and socialization research frameworks provides an enriched view of leader succession that can be applied to the study of principal succession, role change, and reform in schools. The literature in organizational socialization and professional socialization applicable to this synthesis is reviewed and compared with earlier succession reviews. Research issues raised by the...
Relationship between Opioids and Prostaglandins in Hypoxia-Induced Vasodilation of Pial Arteries in the Newborn Pig

Previously, it has been observed that methionine enkephalin and leucine enkephalin contribute to hypoxia-induced pial artery dilation in the newborn pig. It has also been observed that the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin attenuates hyp- oxic hyperemia in piglets. The present study was designed to determine the relation- ship between opioids and prostaglandins in hypoxia-induced pial artery dilation. New- born pigs equipped with closed cranial windows were used to measure pial artery diameter and collect cortical periarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for assay of opioids and prostaglandins. Hypoxia-induced artery vasodilation was mildly attenu- ated during moderate hypoxia (Pa,, -- 35 mm Hg), while this response was blunted during severe hypoxia (Pa,, = 25 mm Hg) by indomethacin, 5 mg/kg iv (23% 2 1% vs 18% f 1% and 33% f 2% vs 21% f 2% for moderate and severe hypoxia in the absence and presence of indomethacin, respectively). Hypoxic dilation was accom- panied by increased CSF prostaglandin E2 (PGE,) concentration (1 260 f 37 vs 1734 A 67 and 1256 f 33 vs 2859 f 189 pg/ml for moderate and severe hypoxia, respectively). Similar changes in CSF 6 keto PGF,, concentration during hypoxia were also ob- served. Topical PGE, (10,100 ng/ml) increased CSF methionine enkephalin (874 A 35, 1290 f 44, and 1791 f 143 pglml for control, 10 and 100 ng/ml PGE,, respectively). Similar increases in CSF methionine enkephalin concentration were observed for topical PGI,. Additionally, these two prostaglandins also increased CSF leucine en- kephalin concentration. Furthermore, while indomethacin had no effect on the release of CSF methionine enkephalin during moderate hypoxia, it attenuated the release of this opioid during severe hypoxia (786 2 27 and 2633 f 74 vs 781 f 51 and 2467 f 52; 926 f 15 and 3489 f 156 vs 898 f 11 and 231 4 A 124 pg/ml for control and moderatel severe hypoxia before and after indomethacin, respectively). Similar effects of indo- methacin on hypoxic release of leucine enkephalin were also observed. These data indicate that prostaglandins contribute to hypoxic pial dilation. Additionally, these data show that prostaglandins release the opioids methionine enkephalin and leucine enkephalin. Finally, these data suggest that elevated prostaglandin concentra- tions during severe hypoxia release opioids which in turn contribute to hypoxic pial dilation. (P.S.E.B.M. 1996, Vol 2121
Resistive and conductive tube boundary condition models for material wire-shaped scatterers

An equivalent boundary condition model is introduced for computing the scattering by material wire-shaped scatterers which are either dielectric or magnetic, but not both simultaneously. While the methodology for numerically computing the scattering by perfectly conducting thin-wire scatterers has been developed for decades, no simple model for material scatterers with large length-to-radius ratios (wire shapes) has been available. This new model can be easily integrated into existing thin-wire computer codes while adding virtually no computational burden. Validating results are shown using comparisons of the full-wave scattering from a number of thin wire-shaped dielectric and magnetic structures with this new equivalent boundary condition model. It is demonstrated that this model is, in essence, an extension of the internal impedance expression for a conducting wire (developed over 50 years ago) to simple-material wire-shaped scatterers possessing a very wide range of material parameters.
Vasopressin and aggression in cross-fostered California mice (Peromyscus californicus) and white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus).

To examine how developmental experiences alter neural pathways associated with adult social behavior, we cross-fostered pups between the more aggressive and monogamous California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) and the less aggressive and polygamous white-footed mouse (P. leucopus). Cross-fostered males became more like their foster parents when tested as adults. Male white-footed mice became more aggressive only in an aggression test in a neutral arena, whereas the territorial California mice became less aggressive in resident-intruder aggression test, as measured by attack latency. Only the species that displayed a change in resident-intruder aggression showed a change in arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels: cross-fostered California mice had significantly lower levels of AVP-immunoreactive (AVP-ir) staining than controls in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and a nonsignificant trend toward lower levels in the medial amygdala (MA). Neither species showed changes in AVP-ir staining in a control area, the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The changes in AVP-ir staining in the BNST and SON may not be caused by stress because cross-fostering was not associated with changes in adult plasma concentrations of two steroid hormones, corticosterone and testosterone, that have been associated with stress-related alterations in AVP pathways. These results suggest that manipulating the early parental environment can directly alter both a neurotransmitter system and species-typical patterns of social behavior, but that these effects may vary between species and under different social contexts.
Abdominal stretch reception in Dipetalogaster maximus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Abstract Each half abdominal segment in 5th-instar larvae of the giant bloodsucking reduviid, Dipetalogaster maximus, contains 3 stretch receptor neurones, one associated with the tergosternal muscles, one with the ventral intersegmental muscles and one with the dorsal intersegmental muscles. Each of the three receptors respond phasically to the onset of stretch in its respective muscle group, but none show persistent activity upon prolonged stretch. By contrast, stretch of the main abdominal nerves (which run between the thoracic ganglion and the ventral intersegmental muscles of each abdominal segment) is accompanied by a prolonged and sustained pattern of discharge by an as yet unidentified neurone, the rate of discharge being proportional to the degree of stretch. In life, the abdominal nerves become stretched to about 145% of their resting length when the larva takes a bloodmeal. Thus it appears that in Dipetalogaster stretch of the abdominal nerves themselves is the only mechanism for stretch reception after a blood meal.
Lesions of the Skin and Superficial Tissue at Breast MR Imaging

Although numerous studies have outlined the benefits of contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for the detection of breast parenchymal findings, the assessment of lesions of the skin and superficial tissue at breast MR imaging has largely been overlooked. Such lesions, both benign and malignant, are commonly encountered at breast MR imaging, and their detection and diagnosis are often imperative. These lesions include superficial, locally extensive, inflammatory, and recurrent breast cancers; iatrogenic changes; sebaceous cysts; and less prevalent diseases such as granulomatous mastitis and angiosarcomas, among others. As MR imaging continues to be used with increasing frequency in both the screening and diagnostic settings, these lesions will be encountered more often; consequently, a better understanding of which lesions may be ignored and which require further evaluation will become increasingly important. Frequently, MR imaging alone may not clearly indicate the cause of lesions of the breast skin and superficial tissue. However, radiologists should thoroughly assess such lesions, taking into consideration the spectrum of possible causes. Mammography, ultrasonography, consultation with clinicians or dermatologists regarding physical examination findings, and, when necessary, correlation with pathologic findings in biopsy specimens may be used in conjunction with MR imaging to establish both the importance of these lesions and their definitive diagnoses.
Effects of Genotype × Environment Interaction on Agronomic Traits in Soybean

Genotype x environment interaction influences the market value of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] protein, oil, and fatty acid traits. The objectives of this research were (i) to evaluate agronomic trait performance and stability of soybean genotypes in individual environments and across environments; and (ii) to evaluate the relationship of test environments for selecting superior genotypes within the mega-environment for soybean production in the southern region of Wisconsin. A total of 68 soybean genotypes were selected from University of Wisconsin soybean evaluation trials and grown at four locations in 2003 and 2004. Soybean genotypes, grown in trials with conventional and Roundup Ready herbicide treatments were analyzed for yield, protein, oil, and the fatty acid components palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. Repeatability estimates among genotypes ranged from 0.27 to 0.98 with yield and the fatty acid component linolenic acid being the most sensitive to environment effects. Superior genotypes could be consistently selected for yield, protein, oil, and fatty acid components using biplot analysis and stability estimates. Among locations in the southern region in Wisconsin, Arlington provides unique information for soybean fatty acid evaluations, but similar information about soybean yield, protein, and oil with Janesville or Lancaster. So, if soybean fatty acid is not important then Arlington could be dropped as a test site.
A multiple scattering solution for the effective permittivity of a sphere mixture

A recursive algorithm for calculating the exact solution of a random assortment of spheres is described. In this algorithm, the scattering from a single sphere is expressed in a one-sphere T matrix. The scattering from two spheres is expressed in terms of two-sphere T matrices, which are related to the one-sphere T matrix. A recursive algorithm to deduce the (n+1)-sphere T matrix from the n-sphere T matrix is derived. With this recursive algorithm, the multiple scattering from a random assortment of N spheres can be obtained. This results in an N/sup 2/ algorithm rather than the normal N/sup 3/ algorithm. As an example, the algorithm is used to calculate the low-frequency effective permittivity of a random assortment of 18 dielectric spheres. The effective permittivity deviates from the Maxwell-Garnett result for high contrast and high packing fraction. With a high packing fraction, dielectric enhancement at low frequency is possible. >
Single or multi-channel vaginal cuff high-dose-rate brachytherapy: Is replanning necessary prior to each fraction?

Purpose: Adjuvant high-dose-rate vaginal brachytherapy (VB) is commonly used in endometrial cancer. We evaluated the dosimetric and cost differences of using either a single plan or replan prior to each fraction for single- and multi-channel VB. Methods and Materials: We evaluated 84 fractions from 25 patients at our institution (16 singlechannel patients each 3 fractions; 9 multi-channel patients each 4 fractions). All fractions were preceded by a computed tomographic (CT) simulation scan, after which a unique treatment plan was generated, dose points per International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) 38. We calculated the dose to critical organs based on a decay-and-treat method utilizing the original catheter dwell-times for the initial fraction, and also the interfractional motion of the critical organ points between the initial and the subsequent CT scans. Results: The absolute mean dose difference was 14 cGy for bladder and 15 cGy for rectum between the replan and decay methods for single-channel, and 14 cGy for both organ points for the multi-channel cylinder. The bladder and rectum doses were not found to be significantly different between the replan and decay methods for either single-channel (bladder, P = .08; rectum, P = .19) or multi-channel cylinders (bladder, P = .85; rectum, P = .10). The mean interfractional displacement of the organ points between the initial and subsequent CT scans was 1.10 cm for the bladder and 0.67 cm for the rectum for single-channel, and 0.87 cm and 0.51 cm for multi-channel cylinders. The maximum interfractional motion was seen in the transverse plane for both organ points for both types of cylinders. At our institution, the decay method was 19% and 22% more cost-effective for single-channel and multi-channel cylinders, respectively. Conclusions: Our data show no dosimetric advantage, but higher costs, associated with replanning prior to each fraction for both single- and multi-channel VB. Fractional replanning should not be utilized on a routine basis.
A Bayesian Framework for Storm Tracking Using a Hidden-State Representation

A probabilistic tracking model is introduced that identifies storm tracks from feature vectors that are extracted from meteorological analysis data. The model assumes that the genesis and lysis times of each track are unknown and estimates their values along with the track’s position and storm intensity over time. A hidden-state dynamics model (Kalman filter) characterizes the temporal evolution of the storms. The model uses a Bayesian methodology for estimating the unknown lifetimes (genesis‐lysis pairs) and tracks of the storms. Prior distributions are placed over the unknown parameters and their posterior distributions are estimated using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling algorithm. The posterior distributions are used to identify and report the most likely storm tracks in the data. This approach provides a unified probabilistic framework that accounts for uncertainty in storm timing (genesis and lysis), storm location and intensity, and the feature detection process. Thus, issues such as missing observations can be accommodated in a statistical manner without human intervention. The model is applied to the field of relative vorticity at the 975-hPa level of analysis from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System during May‐October 2000‐02, in the tropical east Pacific. Storm tracks in the National Hurricane Center best-track data (HURDAT) for the same period are used to assess the performance of the storm identification and tracking model.
Audience Perspective in Young Writers’ Composing and Revising

In this study we examined how young writers (5th and 9th grade US students) benefited from perspective-taking experiences as they composed and revised descriptive essays. We investigated the contrasting benefits of three revision conditions that varied in the amount of reader insight they offered. The three conditions were a “feedback only” condition, a “ratingther” condition, and a “reading-as-the- reader” condition. Both the 9th and the 5th graders showed consistent significant improvement under the “reading-as-the-reader” condition, both when revising their essays and when drafting anew. Results suggested that when young writers engage in a task that duplicates their readers’ experiences, they could more accurately revise their descriptive writing to meet their readers’ informational needs.
How well can we estimate areal-averaged spectral surface albedo from ground-based transmission in the Atlantic coastal area?

Areal-averaged albedos are particularly difficult to measure in coastal regions, because the surface is not homogenous, consisting of a sharp demarcation between land and water. With this difficulty in mind, we evaluate a simple retrieval of areal-averaged surface albedo using ground-based measurements of atmospheric transmission alone under fully overcast conditions. To illustrate the performance of our retrieval, we find the areal-averaged albedo using measurements from the Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR) at five wavelengths (415, 500, 615, 673, and 870 nm). These MFRSR data are collected at a coastal site in Graciosa Island, Azores supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program. The areal-averaged albedos obtained from the MFRSR are compared with collocated and coincident Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) whitesky albedo at four nominal wavelengths (470, 560, 670 and 860 nm). These comparisons are made during a 19-month period (June 2009 - December 2010). We also calculate composite-based spectral values of surface albedo by a weighted-average approach using estimated fractions of major surface types observed in an area surrounding this coastal site. Taken as a whole, these three methods of finding albedo show spectral and temporal similarities, and suggest that our simple, transmission-based technique holds promise, but with estimated errors of about ±0.03. Additional work is needed to reduce this uncertainty in areas with inhomogeneous surfaces.
Counter-ion distribution around flexible polyelectrolytes having different molecular architecture

We explore the monovalent counter-ion distribution around flexible highly-charged polyelectrolytes with different molecular architectures (linear chains, stars, and unknotted and trefoil rings) using molecular dynamics simulations that include an explicit solvent that interacts with the polyelectrolyte. In particular, we find that the molecular topology influences the fraction of counter-ions transiently associating with the polyelectrolyte on a scale of the order of the chain segments, forming a "condensed" counter-ion interfacial layer. As with the hydrogen bonding of water to proteins and other polymers, the persistence time of these interfacial "bound" counter-ions is relatively short, O(1 ps), and we characterize the fluctuations in the number of the counter-ions populating the interfacial layer. We also find that the counter-ions are distributed in a non-uniform fashion on the polyelectrolyte backbone, forming dynamical clusters whose form and average size is sensitive to molecular architecture. In addition, we find that the residual bound counter-ions, not located in either the interfacial layer or the bulk solution, form a diffuse ionic cloud around the polyelectrolyte due to the uncompensated polyelectrolyte charge along the backbone. Generally charge valence strongly influences the extent of the diffuse counter-ion cloud, but in the case of monovalent counter-ions, we find that the size of the diffuse counter-ion cloud nearly coincides with the polyelectrolyte radius of gyration, independent of molecular topology.
Professional Asian Football Leagues and the Global Market

This paper considers the development potential for professional football (soccer) leagues in Asia. This is set in the context of a global market where playing talent is easily bought and sold, and fans are attracted by the highest quality of play which they mostly consume via screens. The paper highlights the relative underdevelopment of Asian leagues given the size and growing economic power of the Asian markets, and suggests some ways in which this might change in the future.
Twelve Year Study of Underground Corrosion of Activated Metals

The subsurface radioactive disposal facility located at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho site contains neutron-activated metals from non-fuel nuclear-reactor-core components. A long-term corrosion study is being conducted to obtain site-specific corrosion rates to support efforts to more accurately estimate the transfer of activated elements in an arid vadose zone environment. The study uses non-radioactive metal coupons representing the prominent neutron-activated material buried at the disposal location, namely, two types of stainless steels, welded stainless steel, welded nickel-chromium steel alloy, zirconium alloy, beryllium, and aluminum. Additionally, carbon steel (the material used in cask disposal liners and other disposal containers) and duplex stainless steel (high-integrity containers) are also included in the study. This paper briefly describes the test program and presents the corrosion rate results through twelve years of underground exposure.
Field Evaluation of Fenitrothion, Permethrin, and Chlorpyrifos for Protecting White Spruce Trees from Spruce Beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) Attack in Alaska

Concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5% permethrin, 0.5 and 1% chlorpyrifos, and 1 and 2% fenitrothion provided acceptable protection for 4 months to white spruce, Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, trees from attack by spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby). At 16 months after application, 0.25% permethrin and 2% fenitrothion still provided adequate protection. Residues from insecticides in a stream adjacent to the treatment site were insignificant from 0 days to 15 weeks after application. Movement of residues from the treated trees into the soil from rain runoff was minimal.
Distribution and abundance of early instar gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) in forests during day and night

Studies were conducted to determine the distribution and abundance of early instar gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), within canopies of codominant Quercus rubra L., Q. alba L., and Q. prinus L. in moderate and dense populations during the day; and to compare the distribution and abundance of early instar gypsy moth within canopies of Q. rubra trees, saplings, and seedlings, and saplings of witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana L., during day and night in a moderate population. Most larvae were observed in the lower canopy of codominant trees in all sites during the day. Variation associated with tree species was not significant at any site. Larval abundance was highly correlated, r2 = 0.992, with preseason egg mass density. No differences in larval abundance or distribution were detected during day and night. More than 80% of all larvae were observed in the lower canopy, understory, and forest floor day and night. The most larvae per 1,000 leaves were detected on seedlings and the least in the upper canopy of codominant trees. The target for the aerial application of insecticides and release of parasitoids occupies a lower vertical position in the forest than was previously thought.