cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimating bounded rationality and pricing performance uncertainty

Abstract This paper estimates bounded rationality in two outcome, strictly competitive, extensive form games of perfect information without chance moves. In the baseline sessions, the average subject can reason effectively to about rank 6. Twelve percent of these subjects have a perfect bound on their ability to achieve the substantively rational outcome: they win all simpler games and they lose all games more complicated than the estimated rationality bound. Most subjects do not have accurate expectations about their performance against a procedurally rational opponent. Usually, they value the games at more than they are likely to earn if they actually play them.
Modified Semantic Differentials To Evaluate Formal Organizational Structures

A modified semantic differential is a valuable instrument for getting qualitative evaluations in numerical form. It can measure attitudes about certain aspects of formal organization structure like span of supervision and shared authority. ABCA members may find numerous uses for the semantic differential in business communication research.
Relationship between boundary layer heights and growth rates with ground-level ozone in Houston, Texas

Measurements and predictions of ambient ozone (O3), planetary boundary layer (PBL) height, the surface energy budget, wind speed, and other meteorological parameters were made near downtown Houston, Texas, and were used to investigate meteorological controls on elevated levels of ground-level O3. Days during the study period (1 April 2009 to 31 December 2010 for measurements and 15 April 2009 to 17 October 2009 for modeled) were classified into low (LO3) and high ozone (HO3) days. The majority of observed high HO3 days occurred in a postfrontal environment. Observations showed there is not a significant difference in daily maximum PBL heights on HO3 and LO3 days. Modeling results showed large differences between maximum PBL heights on HO3 and LO3 days. Nighttime and early morning observed and modeled PBL heights are consistently lower on HO3 days than on LO3 days. The observed spring LO3 days had the most rapid early morning PBL growth (~350 m h−1) while the fall HO3 group had the slowest (~200 m h−1). The predicted maximum average hourly morning PBL growth rates were greater on HO3 (624 m h−1) days than LO3 days (361 m h−1). Observed turbulent mixing parameters were up to 2–3 times weaker on HO3 days, which indicate large-scale subsidence associated with high-pressure systems (leading to clear skies and weak winds) substantially suppresses mixing. Lower surface layer ventilation coefficients were present in the morning on HO3 days in the spring and fall, which promotes the accumulation of O3 precursors near the surface.
Visual accessibility of ramps and steps

The visual accessibility of a space refers to the effectiveness with which vision can be used to travel safely through the space. For people with low vision, the detection of steps and ramps is an important component of visual accessibility. We used ramps and steps as visual targets to examine the interacting effects of lighting, object geometry, contrast, viewing distance, and spatial resolution. Wooden staging was used to construct a sidewalk with transitions to ramps or steps. Forty-eight normally sighted subjects viewed the sidewalk monocularly through acuity-reducing goggles and made recognition judgments about the presence of the ramps or steps. The effects of variation in lighting were milder than expected. Performance declined for the largest viewing distance but exhibited a surprising reversal for nearer viewing. Of relevance to pedestrian safety, the step up was more visible than the step down. We developed a probabilistic cue model to explain the pattern of target confusions. Cues determined by discontinuities in the edge contours of the sidewalk at the transition to the targets were vulnerable to changes in viewing conditions. Cues associated with the height in the picture plane of the targets were more robust. Language: en
Experimental and modeling study of diauxic lag of Pseudomonas denitrificans switching from oxic to anoxic conditions

We have shown that Pseudomonas denitrificans undergo a diauxie when switching from dissolved oxygen to nitrate as terminal electron acceptor. The length of time under aeration significantly affected the length of the diauxic lag, whereas the presence or absence of nitrate in the culture under aeration had a marginal effect. Nitrate consumption was very low during the lag period and then increased rapidly, coinciding with exponentially increasing biomass concentrations. Biochemical rate expressions that account for enzyme synthesis and activity in response to culture conditions and enzyme specific levels were developed. The new model successfully predicts the different lengths of diauxic lags observed in the experiments as well as the growth pattern and nitrate uptake.
Influence of film thickness and cross-sectional geometry on hydrophilic microchannel condensation

Condensation in hydrophilic microchannel is strongly influenced by the channel cross-sectional geometry and the condensing surfaces hydrophobicity, which govern the evolution of the liquid film. This work makes progress on studying the relationship between channel geometry and condensation through flow regime visualizations, film-thickness measurements with optical interferometery, and temperature profile measurements with heat flux distribution construction. The hydrophilic microchannels have aspect ratios ranging from 1 to 5 and hydraulic diameters from 100 μm through 300 μm. The experimental measurement qualitatively matches the prediction of previous theoretical models accounting for the surface tension effect, which highlights the importance of surface tension force and channel geometry in the microchannel condensation. Pressure drop and mean heat flux measurements show that a larger channel is favorable for minimizing the pressure drop, while a smaller channel size and higher aspect ratio are desirable for maximizing the mean heat flux. The optimization of the channel geometry for a given application lies in the trade-off between these two factors.
Effects of percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty on left ventricular mass and volume

The response of left ventricular (LV) geometry to altered loading conditions after mitral valvuloplasty has been incompletely described. Therefore, 15 patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis were studied using quantitative 2-dimensional echocardiography a mean of 1 ± 2 months before and 11 ± 5 months after percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty. Mitral valve area (Gorlin) increased in all patients, from 1.0 ± 0.3 to 1.9 ± 0.5 cm2 (p < 0.01). Mitral regurgitation (1+/4+) developed in 3 patients, and increased by 1 grade in 1 patient as a consequence of mitral valvuloplasty. After valvuloplasty, there were significant increases in LV end-diastolic volume (69 ± 22 to 82 ± 26 ml, p < 0.01), stroke volume (34 ± 13 to 46 ± 19 ml, p < 0.05) and mass (181 ± 46 to 200 ± 42 ml, p < 0.005). LV end-systolic volume and ejection fraction did not change significantly. LV mass-to-volume ratio was unchanged (5.6 ± 1.5 to 5.8 ± 1.4 g/ml, p = not significant). Quantitatively similar results were obtained when these changes were indexed to body surface area. Thus, successful mitral valvuloplasty was associated with significant increases in LV end-diastolic volume and mass. These findings suggest that increased preload may be a stimulus to myocardial growth.
MOSFET channel length: extraction and interpretation

This paper focuses on MOSFET channel length: its definition, extraction, and physical interpretation. After a brief review of the objectives of channel length extraction and previous extraction methods, the principle and the algorithm of the latest "shift and ratio" (S&R) method are described. The S&R method allows the channel mobility to be an arbitrary function of gate voltage and, at the same time, provides a way to determine the threshold voltage of short-channel devices independent of their parasitic resistances. Accurate and consistent results are obtained from nMOSFET and pMOSFET data down to 0.05 /spl mu/m channel length. By applying the S&R method to model generated current-voltage (I-V) curves, it is shown that the extracted channel length should be interpreted in terms of the injection points where the MOSFET current spreads from the surface layer into the bulk source-drain region. This implies significant degradation of short-channel effects (SCE's) if the lateral source-drain doping gradient is not abrupt enough. Several remaining issues, including errors due to channel-length-dependent mobilities, difficulties with lightly-doped drain (LDD) MOSFET's, and interpretation of capacitance-voltage (C-V) extracted channel lengths, are discussed.
Production of Muscular Weakness in Rats by a Creatine Analogue

IN an effort to clarify the role of abnormal creatine metabolism in producing muscular dystrophy a search for an antimetabolite to creatine has been made. If a specific defect in either the synthesis or utilization of creatine could be produced by an antimetabolite, it would then be possible to assess the change in muscle structure and metabolism which results from impaired creatine metabolism.
Elective transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation for portal decompression in the immediate pretransplantation period in adult living related liver transplant recipient candidates: preliminary results.

PURPOSE To evaluate (i) the efficacy of purposeful creation of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) before transplantation to optimize potential living related liver transplantation (LRLTx) and (ii) the efficacy of TIPS creation in this setting in reducing perioperative resource utilization. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective review was performed of the records of patients who underwent adult LRLTx with or without preoperative TIPS creation from October 2003 through April 2005. Patients were evaluated for preoperative parameters (Child-Pugh class, Model for End-stage Liver Disease score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation [APACHE] II score, and coagulation parameters), intraoperative parameters (blood transfusion requirements and operative time), and postoperative parameters (intensive care unit stay, hospital stay, and 30-day repeat operation and mortality rates). Comparison between the two treatment groups was made with the MannWhitney U test. Within the TIPS group, comparison of blood transfusion requirements was performed by one-way analysis of variance based on the degree of portosystemic gradient reduction after TIPS creation. RESULTS Sixteen patients were included in the TIPS group, and 12 patients were included in the group without TIPS. Median time between TIPS and transplantation was 2 days. There was no statistical difference in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative parameters between groups except for the APACHE II score ( P CONCLUSIONS Newly created TIPS do not interfere with the intraoperative technical and perioperative clinical aspects of adult LRLTx. Preoperative TIPS creation before transplantation may reduce the postoperative morbidity and mortality seen in liver transplant recipients who have a greater APACHE II score at the outset of treatment.
"Insight" in pigeons: absence of means-end processing in displacement tests.

The understanding of functional relations between action and consequence is a critical component of intelligence. To examine this linkage in pigeons, we investigated their understanding of the relations of the elements tested in an extension of Kohler’s box stacking task to this species. In the experiments, the pigeons had to move a spatially displaced box under an out-of-reach target. Experiment 1 successfully replicated and extended the previous finding showing that when separately trained to move a box and stand on it to peck the target, pigeons can synthesize these behaviors to solve the single-box displacement problem quickly on their first attempt. Experiment 2 tested whether pigeons, when given a simultaneous choice between two boxes with identical reinforcement histories, would selectively choose the box with the correct functional affordance (i.e., permitting standing) to solve the problem rather than a non-functional one. Their extensive, equivalent, and undirected behavior in moving both boxes during these tests suggests the pigeons did not possess a means–end understanding of the functional properties of the boxes. Instead, their results were consistent with an analysis of their earlier synthetic behavior as being due to the temporal and spatial relations of the physical elements in the task and their prior learned behaviors.
Rates of fixation by lightning of carbon and nitrogen in possible primitive atmospheres.

A thermochemical-hydrodynamic model of the production of trace species by electrical discharges has been used to estimate the rates of fixation of C and N by lightning in the primitive atmosphere. Calculations for various possible mixtures of CH4, CO2, CO, N2, H2, and H2O reveal that the prime species produced were probably HCN and NO and that the key parameter determining the rates of fixation was the ratio of C atoms to O atoms in the atmosphere. Atmospheres with C more abundant than O have large HCN fixation rates, in excess of 10 to the 17th molecules/J, but small NO yields. However, when O is more abundant than C, the NO fixation rate approaches 10 to the 17th molecules/J while the HCN yield is small. The implications for the evolution of life are discussed.
INFER: An expert system for automatic analysis of scanner data

Abstract Scanner technology has resulted in the problem of “too much” data. Marketing managers in packaged goods companies are inundated with 100 to 1,000 times more bits of data than what they had access to even a few years back. In this paper, we report our approach and experiences in developing a prototype expert system, called infer, that helps translate large quantities of marketing data into meaningful insights for managerial actions. The system automates data interpretation by employing a knowledge base of simple data interpretation techniques often used by analysts. The system generates a summary report useful for management decision making.
Laser-Induced Fluorescence Multicomponent Analysis in Full Spectra and Their Fourier Transforms by Principal Component Regression

Laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS) has been used to analyze two- and three-component systems. Equations describing the fluorescent emission process have been incorporated into the Beer's law absorption analog to make multicomponent analysis applicable to LIFS. Principal component regression (PCR) has been employed to predict concentrations of components having severe peak overlap. Results obtained from using a pulsed nitrogen laser and a cw argon-ion laser as excitation sources are compared in order to elucidate some of the important features in applying fluorescence for multicomponent analysis. Furthermore, PCR analysis was also applied to Fourier transformed fluorescence spectra with the use of only 8 and 16 Fourier terms for prediction. The improvements from the Fourier processing are 50.1% and 19.8% in a two-component system, and 22.4% and 8.3% in a three-component system, for cw and pulsed laser excitation, respectively. The time required for calibrating with the Fourier transformed fluorescence spectral data is dramatically reduced to 67 s compared to 551 s for wavelength domain data. Multicomponent analysis of the four dyes (FITC, NBD, TMRITC, T.RED) and dye-amine conjugates used in fluorescence-based DNA sequencing, as well as the analysis of a highly overlapped polyaromatic hydrocarbon (pyrene, anthracene, fluoranthene) system is demonstrated. Standard error of prediction (SEP) values for cross-validation calculation of all training sets were <5%. When applied to time-resolved fluorescence measurements, multicomponent analysis can provide an alternative means of resolving fluorescence peak overlap output as numerical representations, especially in mixtures where components have similar fluorescence lifetimes and overlapped spectra.
Evidence for isoelectronic Sn for Ge substitution in crystalline and glassy Ge Se 2

Ternary alloy glasses ${\mathrm{Ge}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sn}}_{x}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ in the low-Sn-concentration range $0.002lxl0.010$ have been prepared and crystallized by heating to the crystallization temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{cryst}}$. M\"ossbauer spectroscopy is used to follow changes in bonding chemistry of the Sn dopant on crystallization of the glasses. Polymorphous crystallization of these Sn-poor glasses leads to the formation of tetrahedral Sn as in $\mathrm{Sn}{({\mathrm{Se}}_{\frac{1}{2}})}_{4}$ local unit and octahedral Sn as in a $c\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{n}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{e}$ phase but not as in a $c\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{n}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ phase. The latter crystalline phase is found when sputtered amorphous Sn${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ films are crystallized. The tetrahedral Sn site observed in the glasses, as in the corresponding crystals, can therefore not come from an amorphous Sn-rich tetrahedral Sn${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ phase but must come from Sn replacing Ge sites in a tetrahedral Ge${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ phase. A lower limit to the solubility of Sn at Ge in $c\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{G}\mathrm{e}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ is placed at 0.2 at.% while in the glasses it is substantially larger and is conservatively placed at 3 at.%. These results demonstrate that the two sites provide evidence for broken chemical order in $g\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$.
SU‐E‐E‐01: Hands‐On Treatment Planning Education for Medical Physics Students and Radiation Oncology Residents

Purpose: We aim to supplement the didactic education of medical physicsgraduate students with a laboratory course on treatment planning systems (TPS.) TPS are ubiquitous in clinical practice and research. Physicists are responsible for development, commissioning, maintenance and QA of these increasingly complex systems.Oncologists rely on physicist expertise for the safe and efficacious TPS use. Hands‐on training has been limited due in part to access to clinical TPS. Methods: A teaching laboratory was developed to train medical physicsgraduate students with 6 workstations running commercially available TPS. An upper level special topics graduate course was designed around the laboratory. It has a clinical focus and is structured by disease site to reinforce physics topics with practical relevance. Commissioning and dose algorithms are taught after students have system familiarity, enabling less software focus and greater understanding using plans to illustrate the effects of beam model parameters. Results: Based on student evaluations and enrollment, the class is a success. Our initial class had 11 students, and in 4 years it has doubled in size. It has become a popular staple of our graduate curriculum. The average student evaluation score (out of 5) of lecture and lab respectively are 4.74 and 4.52. These are among the highest for our department. Improvements in content and structure have been made each year based on student feedback. Additions included exercises on a third TPS and physician‐taught clinical lectures to complement disease sites. Conclusions: This course will be a regular timetable offering. This innovative approach has been so well received so we are expanding this model to radiation oncology residents. An RSNA Education Grant has been applied for. Just as graduate students have honed their skills using the lab, medical residents will benefit from simulation exercises involving radiotherapy field design, optimization and dose evaluation.
Nylon single crystals

Several polyamides crystallize from dilute glycerin solution as single crystals and spherulites possessing a lamellar structure. The crystal of nylon 6 are rhombohedral and thicken by spiral growth of lamellae from screw dislocations. Electron diffraction patterns indicate that the molecules are folded within the lamellae, which are 50–100 A. thick. The single-crystal electron diffraction spacings correspond to those of the high-temperature crystalline modification as determined by x-ray diffraction. The unit cell, however, does not show the hexagonal symmetry generally ascribed to the high-temperature lattice. Spherulites of nylon 6 are composed of fragmented lamellae in which the molecules are folded and are in the low temperature crystalline lattice. Preparations of nylon 66 and 610 contain structures consisting of single-crystal lamallae rolled or folded together. These structures also thicken by spiral growth of the lamallae from screw dislocations. The molecules are folded and are in the low-temperature lattice, although there is some evidence of the high-temperature modification with nylon 610.
Practical pathology of aging mice

Old mice will have a subset of lesions as part of the progressive decline in organ function that defines aging. External and palpable lesions will be noted by the research, husbandry, or veterinary staff during testing, cage changing, or physical exams. While these readily observable lesions may cause alarm, not all cause undue distress or are life-threatening. In aging research, mice are maintained until near end of life that, depending on strain and genetic manipulation, can be upwards of 33 months. Aging research has unique welfare issues related to age-related decline, debilitation, fragility, and associated pain of chronic diseases. An effective aging research program includes the collaboration and education of the research, husbandry, and veterinary staff, and of the members of the institution animal care and use committee. This collaborative effort is critical to humanely maintaining older mice and preventing excessive censorship due to non-lethal diseases. Part of the educational process is becoming familiar with how old mice appear clinically, at necropsy and histopathologically. This baseline knowledge is important in making the determination of humane end points, defining health span, contributing causes of death and effects of interventions. The goal of this paper is to introduce investigators to age-associated diseases and lesion patterns in mice from clinical presentation to pathologic assessment. To do so, we present and illustrate the common clinical appearances, necropsy and histopathological lesions seen in subsets of the aging colonies maintained at the University of Washington.
Synchronized dissemination framework for supporting high-quality tele-immersive shared activity

My Ph.D. thesis aims to develop a synchronized dissemination framework for supporting high-quality tele-immersive shared activity (TISA). Synchronization in TISA is complicated by (a) the multi-modal, bandwidth-savvy and timing-dependent media streaming over shared network resources, and (b) the delay-sensitive and interaction-critical nature of TISA in the real two-site and multi-site applications. This paper provides an outline of my thesis which includes four major contributions: (1) proposing a generalized layered framework for multi-stream synchronization sourced at one or multiple sites, (2) presenting an adaptive media packet scheduling scheme based on multi-stream timing correlations under Internet dynamics, (3) proposing a synchronized multicast topology based on diverse user interests, and (4) studying human subjective satisfactions to guide the system adaptation. This study is expected to output research results significant for next-generation systems, where timing-dependent media multi-modality is critical.
Subcortical Discrimination of Unperceived Objects during Binocular Rivalry

Rapid identification of behaviorally relevant objects is important for survival. In humans, the neural computations for visually discriminating complex objects involve inferior temporal cortex (IT). However, less detailed but faster form processing may also occur in a phylogenetically older subcortical visual system that terminates in the amygdala. We used binocular rivalry to present stimuli without conscious awareness, thereby eliminating the IT object representation and isolating subcortical visual input to the amygdala. Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant brain activation in the left amygdala but not in object-selective IT in response to unperceived fearful faces compared to unperceived nonface objects. These findings indicate that, for certain behaviorally relevant stimuli, a high-level cortical representation in IT is not required for object discrimination in the amygdala.
Health Promotion by Social Cognitive Means

This article examines health promotion and disease prevention from the perspective of social cognitive theory. This theory posits a multifaceted causal structure in which self-efficacy beliefs operate together with goals, outcome expectations, and perceived environmental impediments and facilitators in the regulation of human motivation, behavior, and well-being. Belief in one’s efficacy to exercise control is a common pathway through which psychosocial influences affect health functioning. This core belief affects each of the basic processes of personal change—whether people even consider changing their health habits, whether they mobilize the motivation and perseverance needed to succeed should they do so, their ability to recover from setbacks and relapses, and how well they maintain the habit changes they have achieved. Human health is a social matter, not just an individual one. A comprehensive approach to health promotion also requires changing the practices of social systems that have widespread effects on human health.
Stress management for essential hypertension: Comparison with a minimally effective treatment, predictors of response to treatment, and effects on reactivity

Few studies of psychological interventions for essential hypertension have incorporated comprehensive coping skills treatment programs, evaluated the efficacy of such programs against credible, minimally effective controls, examined the effects of these interventions on pressor responses, or clarified the nature of person by treatment interactions. The present study examined the relative effectiveness of multimodal stress management training and a minimally effective treatment control (i.e. GSR biofeedback training) in the treatment of essential hypertensives' blood pressure at rest and in response to simulated stressful interpersonal situations. At the conclusion of an 8 week training period, stress management participants exhibited reliably lower resting diastolic blood pressure and tended to exhibit lower systolic pressure than controls. The former condition maintained their lower pressures through a 6-month follow-up period, but decreases in controls over follow-up rendered the conditions equivalent in blood pressure. No differences between conditions emerged in analyses on pressor responses. Stress management training was somewhat more effective for individuals scoring low rather than high on measures of trait anxiety and irritability.
Old Jokes and New Multiculturalisms: Continuity and Change in Vernacular Discourse on the Yucatec Maya Language

ABSTRACT Much recent literature on indigenous identity politics in Latin America has emphasized the emergence of new discourses on ethnic citizenship. However, the ways in which state-sponsored efforts to validate and revitalize the Yucatec Maya language become relevant to rural Yucatecans reflect far more continuity with older local narratives about the relationship between language use and modernity. Situating contemporary engagements with multicultural language policies within a broader history of locally meaningful language practices complicates the general model of indigenous language communities that has informed many recent studies of Latin American identity politics and reframes scholarly debates that have emphasized contrasts between emergent forms of essentialism or purism and more-traditional means of identity formation. This, in turn, suggests new routes through which multicultural and multilingual policies can be conceptualized for heterogeneous communities of indigenous language speakers.
Reynolds stress measurements within the outlet port of the Penn State LVAD

A laser Doppler anemometer (LDA) was used to measure two components of velocity at 37 locations along the outlet port of a 70-cm/sup 3/ Plexiglas model of the Penn State electric left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The model ventricle was filled with a blood analog fluid and operated at normal physiological conditions. Two hundred and fifty realizations of the velocity components were measured at eight different times during the pump cycle. The collected data were processed to determine mean velocities and Reynolds stresses at each location and cycle time. The results reveal that a regurgitant jet which forms during diastole produces high mean velocities and potentially hemolytic Reynolds stresses. >
Crucial Nesting Habitat for Gunnison Sage-Grouse: A Spatially Explicit Hierarchical Approach

Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) is a species of special concern and is currently considered a candidate species under Endangered Species Act. Careful management is therefore required to ensure that suitable habitat is maintained, particularly because much of the species' current distribution is faced with exurban development pressures. We assessed hierarchical nest site selection patterns of Gunnison sage-grouse inhabiting the western portion of the Gunnison Basin, Colorado, USA, at multiple spatial scales, using logistic regression-based resource selection functions. Models were selected using Akaike Information Criterion corrected for small sample sizes (AICc) and predictive surfaces were generated using model averaged relative probabilities. Landscape-scale factors that had the most influence on nest site selection included the proportion of sagebrush cover >5%, mean productivity, and density of 2 wheel-drive roads. The landscape-scale predictive surface captured 97% of known Gunnison sage-grouse nests within the top 5 of 10 prediction bins, implicating 57% of the basin as crucial nesting habitat. Crucial habitat identified by the landscape model was used to define the extent for patch-scale modeling efforts. Patch-scale variables that had the greatest influence on nest site selection were the proportion of big sagebrush cover >10%, distance to residential development, distance to high volume paved roads, and mean productivity. This model accurately predicted independent nest locations. The unique hierarchical structure of our models more accurately captures the nested nature of habitat selection, and allowed for increased discrimination within larger landscapes of suitable habitat. We extrapolated the landscape-scale model to the entire Gunnison Basin because of conservation concerns for this species. We believe this predictive surface is a valuable tool which can be incorporated into land use and conservation planning as well the assessment of future land-use scenarios. 2011 The Wildlife Society.
Noncovalent Association of Protein and Capsular Polysaccharide on Bacteria-Sized Latex Beads as a Model for Polysaccharide-Specific Humoral Immunity to Intact Gram-Positive Extracellular Bacteria

Intact Streptococcus pneumoniae expressing type 14 capsular polysaccharide (PPS14) and type III S. agalactiae containing a PPS14 core capsule identical to PPS14 exhibit noncovalent associations of PPS14 and bacterial protein, in contrast to soluble covalent conjugates of these respective Ags. Both bacteria and conjugates induce murine PPS14-specific IgG responses dependent on CD4+ T cells. Further, secondary immunization with conjugate and S. agalactiae, although not S. pneumoniae, results in a boosted response. However, in contrast to conjugate, PPS14-specific IgG responses to bacteria lack affinity maturation use the 44.1-idiotype and are dependent on marginal zone B cells. To better understand the mechanism underlying this dichotomy, we developed a minimal model of intact bacteria in which PPS14 and pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) were stably attached to 1 μm (bacteria-sized) latex beads, but not directly linked to each other, in contrast to PPS14–PspA conjugate. Beads coated simultaneously with PPS14+[PspA], similar to conjugate, induced in mice boosted PPS14-specific IgG secondary responses, dependent on T cells and ICOS-dependent costimulation, and in which priming could be achieved with PspA alone. In contrast to conjugate, but similar to intact bacteria, the primary PPS14-specific IgG response to beads coated simultaneously with PPS14+[PspA] peaked rapidly, with the secondary response highly enriched for the 44.1-idiotype and lacking affinity maturation. These results demonstrate that noncovalent association in a particle, of polysaccharide and protein, recapitulates essential immunologic characteristics of intact bacteria that are distinct from soluble covalent conjugates of these respective Ags.
A life-history model of human fitness indicators.

Recent adaptationist accounts of human mental and physical health have reinvigorated the debate over the evolution of human intelligence. In the tradition of strong inference the current study was developed to determine whether either Miller's (1998, 2000a) Fitness Indicator Theory or Rushton's (1985, 2000) Differential-K Theory better accounts for general intelligence (“g”) in an undergraduate university population (N = 192). Owing to the lengthy administration time of the test materials, a newly developed 18-item short form of the Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM-18; Sefcek, Miller, and Figueredo 2007) was used. A significant, positive relationship between K and F (r = .31, p < .001) emerged. Contrary to predictions, no significant relationships were found between “g” and either K or F (r = –.09, p ≥ .05 and r = .11, p ≥ .05, respectively). Though generally contrary to both hypotheses, these results may be explained in relation to antagonistic pleiotropy and a potential failure to derive correc...
Work in progress - learning styles and performance on the dynamics concept inventory

Recently, a great deal of attention has been paid to conceptual knowledge in engineering. Although professors can be quite good at teaching students how to choose the appropriate equation and calculate an answer, often these students do not come away from the course with a deep conceptual appreciation of the material. The current study investigates if certain types of learning styles correlate to student conceptual learning in undergraduate dynamics.
Semantic indexing of multimedia using audio, text and visual cues

We describe methods for automatic labeling of high-level semantic concepts in documentary style videos. The emphasis of this paper is on audio processing and on fusing information from multiple modalities. The work described represents initial work towards a trainable system that acquires a collection of generic "intermediate" semantic concepts across modalities (such as audio, video, text) and combines information from these modalities for automatic labeling of a "high-level" concept. Initial results suggest that multi-modal fusion achieves a 12.5% relative improvement over the best unimodal model.
Simplifying healthful choices: a qualitative study of a physical activity based nutrition label format.

This study used focus groups to pilot and evaluate a new nutrition label format and refine the label design. Physical activity equivalent labels present calorie information in terms of the amount of physical activity that would be required to expend the calories in a specified food item. Three focus groups with a total of twenty participants discussed food choices and nutrition labeling. They provided information on comprehension, usability and acceptability of the label. A systematic coding process was used to apply descriptive codes to the data and to identify emerging themes and attitudes. Participants in all three groups were able to comprehend the label format. Discussion about label format focused on issues including gender of the depicted figure, physical fitness of the figure, preference for walking or running labels, and preference for information in miles or minutes. Feedback from earlier focus groups was used to refine the labels in an iterative process. In contrast to calorie labels, participants shown physical activity labels asked and answered, “How does this label apply to me?” This shift toward personalized understanding may indicate that physical activity labels offer an advantage over currently available nutrition labels.
ZnS, ZnSe, and ZnS/ZnSe Windows: Their Impact On FLIR System Performance

The presence of a solid window at the entrance aperture of an air-borne FLIR can degrade the signal-to-noise ratio as a result of (a) the reduction in target signal-caused by the absorption of radiation by the window and (b) the loss in system detectivity caused by additional quantum noise generated by window-emitted photons. It is also known that, in order to avoid a degradation of the resolution at spatial frequencies of current interest, the window must satisfy specific requirements in terms of its modulation-transfer characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to consider some relevant properties of chemically vapor-deposited ZnS and ZnSe prior to assessing how windows made from these materials may impact the performance of state-of-the-art FLIRs. The degradation in signal-to-noise ratio occurring in the presence of a ZnS window reflects a substantial increase in absorptance/emittance at the long-wavelength end of the FLIR bandpass (8 to 12 iim) and must be attributed to lattice absorption processes, thus imposing intrinsic limitations on the performance, particularly at elevated temperatures. With ZnSe there is essentially no degradation to be anticipated, but since this material is soft, ZnSe windows cannot cope with rain/ice/dust erosions occurring in an operational environment. This emphasizes the need to develop a "new-generation" FLIR window that combines adequate erosion resistance and ZnSe-type optical properties. The present investigation confirms that ZnS/ZnSe laminates represent a highly attractive solution from the point of view of eliminating the loss of sensitivity encountered with ZnS windows in high speed flight.
MECHANISMS OF SUPEROXIDE RADICAL-MEDIATED TOXICITY

Free radicals generated from metabolism of foreign compounds can have extremely detrimental consequences on cell function and survival. Due to their high reactivity, free radicals may potentially perturb a wide spectrum of important cellular macromolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and polysaccharides. Recently, the toxicity of several xenobiotics has been suggested to be mediated by formation of free radicals derived from reduction of molecular oxygen, forming superoxide anion (O(2)) and hydroxyl radical (OH .). For example, the pulmonary toxicity of the bipyridylium herbicide paraquat has been attributed to an enzymatically catalyzed one-electron redox cycling of the parent molecule, resulting in generation of O(2). Examples of other compounds that are subject to redox cycling with associated O(2) formation are those agents containing quinone or aromatic nitro structural elements. An important aspect of free-radical-mediated toxicity is that it is moderated by several cellular defense mechanisms including superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, vitamin E and reduced glutathione. Thus, toxicity mediated by free radical generation may not occur unless defense mechanisms are overwhelmed by radical production.
Tests of models for high-frequency seafloor backscatter

The interaction of high-frequency sound with the seafloor is inherently a stochastic process. Inversion techniques must, therefore employ good stochastic models for bottom acoustic scattering. An assortment of physical models for bottom backscattering strength is tested by comparison with scattering strength data obtained at 40 kHz at three shallow water sites spanning a range of sediment types from fine silt to coarse sand. These acoustic data are accompanied by sediment physical property data obtained by core sample analysis and in situ probes. In addition, stereo photography was used to measure the power spectrum of bottom relief on centimeter scales. These physical data provided the inputs needed to test the backscatter models, which treat scattering from both the rough sediment-water interface and the sediment volume. For the three sites considered here, the perturbation model for scattering from a slightly rough fluid seafloor performs well. Volume scattering is predicted to be weak except at a site having a layer of methane bubbles.
A Parallel Approach in Computing Correlation Immunity up to Six Variables

We show the use of a reconfigurable computer in computing the correlation immunity of Boolean functions of up to 6 variables. Boolean functions with high correlation immunity are desired in cryptographic systems because they are immune to correlation attacks. The SRC-6 reconfigurable computer was programmed in Verilog to compute the correlation immunity of functions. This computation is performed at a rate that is 190 times faster than a conventional computer. Our analysis of the correlation immunity is across all n-variable Boolean functions, for 2 ≤ n ≤ 6, thus obtaining, for the first time, a complete distribution of such functions. We also compare correlation immunity with two other cryptographic properties, nonlinearity and degree.
Andalusi musical origins at the Moroccan‐Algerian frontier: Beyond charter myth

For North African devotees of Andalusi music, the story of the repertoire's origins in al-Andalus (medieval Muslim Spain) and its post-1492 transfer to the Maghreb is a central part of the practice. The Andalusi origin narrative, with its attunement to current needs and projection of present onto past, echoes key aspects of Bronislaw Malinowski's “charter myth” hypothesis. Yet ethnographic investigation in Morocco and Algeria suggests that origin narrative goes beyond instrumental need and projection. Drawing on five case studies, I consider the feedback between origin narrative and the practice that it comments on and emerges from. I offer a rereading of Malinowski's charter myth hypothesis that emphasizes the dynamic, varied, and temporally extended nature of the relationship between practice and commentary on practice. [metapragmatics, charter myth, origin narrative, temporality, Andalusi music, North Africa, Spain]
Copoly(arylene ether)s containing pendant sulfonic acid groups as proton exchange membranes

A poly(arylene ether) (PAE) with high fluorine content and a poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PAEN) with high nitrile content, each containing pendant phenyl sulfonic acids were synthesized. The PAE and PAEN were prepared from decafluorobiphenyl (DFBP) and difluorobenzonitrile (DFBN) respectively, by polycondensation with 2-phenylhydroquinone (PHQ) by conventional aromatic nucleophilic substitution reactions. The sulfonic acid groups were introduced by mild postsulfonation exclusively on the para-position of the pendant phenyl ring in PHQ. The membrane properties of the resulting sulfonated copolymers sPAE and sPAEN were compared for fuel cell applications. The copolymers sPAE and sPAEN, each having a degree of sulfonation (DS) of 1.0 had high ion exchange capacities (IECv(wet) (volume-based, wet state)) of 1.77 and 2.55 mequiv/cm3, high proton conductivities of 135.4 and 140.1 mS/cm at 80 °C, and acceptable volume-based water uptake of 44.5−51.9 vol % at 80 °C, respectively, compared to Nafion. The data poin...
‘REAL’ FAMILIES: The violence of love in new media adoption discourse

This essay examines a New York Times special transnational/racial adoption blog series, ‘Relative Choices’, to interrogate how statements of love in adoption discourse engender symbolic violence in order to narrowly define ‘real’ family. The blogs are an important site of inquiry because of the ways in which new technology enables individuals with access to the Internet the ability to contribute to knowledge production. These transnational/racial adoption blog entries generated more than 1000 comments by adoptees, adoptive parents, and interested readers. The statements that emerged from the blogs and comments included denying adoptees' history, claiming the title of ‘real’ parent, and articulating statements of love. This essay complicates new media adoption discourse to show how symbolic discursive violence is hidden and embedded in adoptive family-making.
Heterogony in Dryocosmus (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae)

Laboratory experiments show that adults of Dryocosmus dubiosus (Fullaway) reared from ament galls of the California live oak, Quercus agrifolia Nee, are bisexual. The females from this generation oviposit in the leaf veins of black oaks where they produce an agamic generation of females in characteristic bicornate galls. The females produced in these leaf galls were formerly thought to be Dryocosmus bicornis (McCracken and Egbert), but now must be considered as the agamic generation of D. dubiosus. The agamic generation is composed of two types of females, one producing only males and the other producing only females. Both generations are attacked by the parasite, Torymus fullawayi (Huber).
Within-plant and Within-field Distribution of First-generation European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Egg Masses on Field Corn in Virginia

The oviposition site selection by the European corn borer and the within-field pattern of egg mass distribution were studied on field corn in western Virginia. Nearly all egg masses were found on the lowest six leaves of the plant. The within-field distribution of egg masses was found to be a random distribution, as interpreted from the variance/ mean ratio, the method of Taylor and Green's coefficient of dispersion.
Resistance of Southern Peas to the Cowpea Curculio

Fifty-one cultivars, breeding lines, and plant introductions of Vigna were evaluated for resistance to Chalcodermus Boheman. Results revealed significant differences in degree of susceptibility to this insect. Differences in adult preference were detected, and there was a positive linear relationship between the percentage of damaged pods and number of punctures per pod. A breeding line, Fla. 453–01, was consistently among the least damaged lines, but it sustained 50% pod damage under heavy population pressure. When factors of antibiosis were considered, larval development was found to be significantly impaired in certain lines, notably Ala. 963.8 and Va. 59–119. Considering all criteria, cultivars were more susceptible than most breeding lines and plant introductions.
Tuning stiffness of cell-laden hydrogel via host–guest interactions

We report a dynamic hydrogel system with on-demand tunable matrix stiffness. The hydrogels are formed by thiol–allylether photo-click reaction using thiolated poly(vinyl alcohol) (TPVA), 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol)-allylether (PEG4AE), and mono-functional β-cyclodextrin-allylether (βCDAE). Adamantane-functionalized 4-arm PEG (PEG4AD) is used to stiffen hydrogels, whereas unmodified βCD is used to induce gel softening. The stiffening and softening processes are fully reversible and these hydrogels are ideal for investigating the effect of matrix mechanics on cell fate processes.