cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatially non-uniform field response in arrays of silicon quantum dots: DFT computation

We use Density Functional Theory (DFT) combined with the many body perturbation theory to calculate spatially non-uniform field response in several hydrogen-passivated silicon nanosystems, such as Si29H36 quantum dots (QDs) with crystalline and amorphous structures, the quasi-one dimensional (1-D) arrays constructed from these QDs. We model response to a spatially non uniform time dependent electric field that vanishes on every other QD. Current density induced by such electric field configurations serves as a characteristic of QD coupling in the arrays and, in particular, of the inter QD exciton transport. We observe rapid decay of the QD-QD coupling with the increase of inter QD separation and its complete diminishing at the QD-QD distance comparable with the size of the QD.
An Undergraduate Research Mentoring Model in Digital Signal and Image Processing

This work presents a research-mentoring framework to train undergraduate students in a hands-on setting in the area of digital signal and image processing (DSIP). It is intended to encourage undergraduate students to pursue research and to add to their knowledge in information technology and enhance their active-learning and problem-solving skills.
Familial risk assessment for early-onset coronary heart disease.

Purpose: We examined the performance of a familial risk assessment method that stratifies risk for early-onset coronary heart disease by considering the number of relatives with coronary disease, degree of relationship, lineage, and age at diagnosis. Methods: By using data from the HealthStyles 2003 survey, we assessed the associations between familial risk and early-onset coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and obesity. By using area under the curve statistics, we evaluated the discriminatory ability of various risk assessment models. Results: Of 4035 respondents, 60% were female and 72% were white, with a mean age of 48.8 years. After adjustment for demographics, strong and moderate risk were significantly associated with approximately a five- and twofold risk of early-onset coronary disease, respectively. After adjustment for demographics and personal history of cardiovascular disease, strong familial risk was also significantly associated with diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and obesity. A risk assessment model that included familial risk, demographics, and personal history of diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and obesity was most optimal with an area under the curve statistic of 87.2% Conclusions: Familial risk assessment can stratify risk for early-onset coronary heart disease. Several conditions associated with increased familial risk can be prevented. These results have important implications for risk assessment and risk-reducing interventions.
Cardiopulmonary function in very preterm lambs during liquid ventilation.

Summary: Cardiopulmonary function was evaluated in very preterm lambs (106 ± 0.7 S.E. days gestation, 1.66 ± 0.12 S.E. kg birth weight) during fluorocarbon ventilation. Lambs were delivered by cesarean section after epidural anesthesia. Indwelling arterial, venous, and tracheal cannulae were placed before clamping the cord. Lambs were then mechanically ventilated with oxygenated fluorocarbon for approximately 2 h. During this period it was possible to maintain adequate gas exchange and stable cardiac function. Transpulmonary pressure, liquid flow, and tidal volume tracings enabled determination of lung compliance, CL = 0.58 ± 0.12 S.E. ml · cmH2O · kg-1, inspiratory resistance, R1 = 3600 ± 604 S.E. cmH2O · liter−1 · sec−1, and expiratory resistance, RE = 4034 ± 2183 S.E. cmH2O/liter/sec. Lung compliance of the 106-day-old fluorocarbon-filled lung is similar to the more mature 138-143-day-old air-filled lung in preterm lambs. Based on the data presented herein we have extended the viability of the preterm lamb to the limit of pulmonary capillary development rather than that of the pulmonary surfactant system.
New hotspotting software available

A new software package for use in “hotspotting” has been released and is available without charge to help clarify the method and stimulate plate motion research. Hotspotting was introduced by Wessel and Kroenke [1997a] as a new geometric technique and immediately generated much interest [e.g., Schneider, 1997; Stein, 1997]. The method involves drawing crustal flowlines back in time from seamount locations. Because seamount ages are not used, one can include all available seamounts. If hotspots are stationary, if the stage rotations are accurate, and if the seamounts were indeed formed at hotspots, then these flowlines will intersect at the hotspot locations.
Professional Concerns of Beginning Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

The professional concerns of beginning teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing were examined. Five first-year teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students served as participants. Two of the participants were itinerant teachers; three taught in self-contained classrooms. Participants were selected from programs serving deaf and hard of hearing students in rural and urban areas of the midwestern and southwestern United States. To interview the study participants, the researcher used an in-depth phenomenological method employing semi-structured questions and guided by a constructivist paradigm. Data were analyzed using qualitative analysis strategies (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992; Miles & Huberman, 1994). Results showed that concerns of beginning teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students are specific to service delivery models and geography. Participants provided specific recommendations for addressing the concerns of beginning teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students.
A binary linear transformation for redundancy reduction

By using a linear transformation matrix consisting of only ± 1's prior to encoding a set of dependent signals a substantial improvement in encoding efficiency can be obtained in many interesting cases.
Boundary layer effects of interlaminar stresses adjacent to a hole in a laminated composite plate

Abstract An eigenfunction expansion is developed for the determination of the three-dimensional stress field in the neighborhood of the intersection of the free edge of a hole and an interface in a laminated composite plate. For transversely Isotropic laminae, the stress field is shown to possess a weak singularity whose strength depends on the material constants, the liber orientations of the two adjacentlaminae as well as the polar angle gq. Results for [0% 90], [0 %70], [0 %45]. And [0% 20] are presented and the best and worst fiber orientations are identified. Finally, the interlaminar stresses are computed and the variation as a function of the angle θ is identified. The circumferential stress σ 00 is shown to possess a sinall jump across the interface. Results for its behavior in the interior of each layer are also given.
The effect of enzymic modification on the foaming, water absorption and baking quality of defatted soya flour

Summary Defatted soya flour slurries were treated for 0,5,10,15 and 30 min with papain at 50°C and tested for whipability, water absorption and baking quality at replacement levels in wheat flour of 10,20 and 30% (w/w). When whipped, all modified suspensions showed volume increases exceeding 250% with lower stability ratings than the unmodified samples. The 30 min enzyme treated product exhibited excellent water absorption. Use in bread resulted in a depression of loaf volume, development of a granular texture, off-colour and flavour. As was expected, all favourable characteristics decreased upon increasing the percentage of soya product in the dough formulation. Loaf volumes of breads containing 10% modified soya flour (MSF) ranged from 444 to 527 cc; with 20% MSF between 374 and 428 cc, and with 30% MSF between 383 and 409 cc. Loaf volume of all wheat flour bread was 861cc. Hunter colour difference meter readings indicated samples at all replacement levels, regardless of the enzyme modification time, exhibited higher levels of visual lightness than all wheat flour bread. All experimental breads exhibited a higher level of yellow tones and lower level of green tones compared to the all wheat flour bread.
Hydrocephalus after intraventricular hemorrhage: the role of thrombin

Previous studies demonstrated that thrombin is an important factor in brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage. This study investigated the effect of thrombin on hydrocephalus development in a r...
Angularly resolved coherent Raman spectroscopy (ARCS)

Abstract This new crossed beam configuration produces an angularly separated Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman spectrum, eliminating the need for a spectrometer. Since one of the driving laser beams is always linearly opposed to the dye laser, it may also be used as a dye pump and the experiment performed within the dye cavity for efficient laser energy utilization. With this arrangement, a broad bandwidth dye laser produces a several wavenumber resolution spectrum from a small volume with relatively simple alignment. The spectrum is scanned by varying the incidence angle of the probe beam or taken is a single pulse using a fan shaped probe beam.
Adult human saphenous vein endothelial cells: assessment of their reproductive capacity for use in endothelial seeding of vascular prostheses.

Abstract Autogenous endothelial seeding (AES) of vascular prostheses (VP) using venous endothelial cells (EC) reduces platelet-VP interactions and improves patency rates in small caliber VP in dogs. To conserve patients' veins for use in coronary or limb bypass surgery, human trials of AES should require proof that adequate numbers of EC with the growth capacity to cover VP can be harvested from acceptably small pieces of peripheral vein. EC were isolated from excess saphenous vein segments remaining after coronary bypass surgery by filling veins with 0.1% CLS II collagenase at 37°C for 15 min and removing EC by flushing the veins with culture medium. EC were cultured on fibronectin-coated dishes in medium 199 with 30% human serum and 300 μg/ml of endothelial cell growth factor. These cells grew to form confluent monolayers, and were identified as EC by tests for factor VIII antigen. Veins from 53 patients with a mean age of 55.8 ± 9.8 (SD) years yielded vein segments with an average area of 1.9 ± 0.6 cm2, from which an average of 5.3 ± 2.8 × 104 cells were removed per cm2 of vein area. EC in culture underwent 14.3 ± 1.4 population doublings with an average population doubling time of 1.8 ± 0.3 days (N = 14 cultures), which allowed an 100-fold increase in cell number to occur in 11 to 12 days. These data suggest that the EC available from small vein segments in adult humans have the growth capacity to cover areas comparable in size to the luminal areas of VP commonly used in arterial surgery.
Magnetic Nanoparticles for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

Nanotechnology is evolving as a new field that has a potentially high research and clinical impact. Medicine, in particular, could benefit from nanotechnology, due to emerging applications for noninvasive imaging and therapy. One important nanotechnological platform that has shown promise includes the so-called iron oxide nanoparticles. With specific relevance to cancer therapy, iron oxide nanoparticle-based therapy represents an important alternative to conventional chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. Iron oxide nanoparticles are usually composed of three main components: an iron core, a polymer coating, and functional moieties. The biodegradable iron core can be designed to be superparamagnetic. This is particularly important, if the nanoparticles are to be used as a contrast agent for noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Surrounding the iron core is generally a polymer coating, which not only serves as a protective layer but also is a very important component for transforming nanoparticles into biomedical nanotools for in vivo applications. Finally, different moieties attached to the coating serve as targeting macromolecules, therapeutics payloads, or additional imaging tags. Despite the development of several nanoparticles for biomedical applications, we believe that iron oxide nanoparticles are still the most promising platform that can transform nanotechnology into a conventional medical discipline.
A test of the numerical accuracy of some matrix inversion algorithms commonly used in least squares programs

In recent years a number of investigations of the accuracy of least squares programs found gross numerical inaccuracies in many programs. Apparently those programs employing elimination algorithms for matrix inversion fared the poorest. Our findings do not support this conclusion. Our findings demonstrate that elimination algorithms, when used for solving least squares problems, are not intrinsically unstable. A brief discussion of an appropriate strategy to follow for estimating least squares coefficients is included.
Characterization of T cell receptors engineered for high affinity against toxic shock syndrome toxin-1.

Superantigens, including bacterial enterotoxins, are a family of proteins that bind simultaneously to MHC class II molecules and the Vβ regions of T cell receptors. This cross-linking results in the activation of a large population of T cells that release massive amounts of inflammatory cytokines, ultimately causing a condition known as toxic shock syndrome. The staphylococcal superantigen toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) is a causative agent of this disease, but its structure in complex with the cognate T cell receptor (human Vβ2.1) has not been determined. To understand the molecular details of the interaction and to develop high affinity antagonists to TSST-1, we used directed evolution to generate a panel of high affinity receptors for TSST-1. Yeast display libraries of random and site-directed hVβ2.1 mutants were selected for improved domain stability and for higher affinity binding to TSST-1. Stability mutations allowed the individual Vβ domains to be expressed in a bacterial expression system. Affinity mutations were generated in CDR2 and FR3 residues, yielding improvements in affinity of greater than 10,000-fold (a KD value of 180 pmol). Alanine scanning mutagenesis of hVβ2.1 wild-type and mutated residues allowed us to generate a map of the binding site for TSST-1 and to construct a docking model for the hVβ2.1–TSST-1 complex. Our experiments suggest that the energetic importance of a single hVβ2.1 wild-type residue likely accounts for the restriction of TSST-1 specificity to only this human Vβ region. The high affinity mutants described here thus provide critical insight into the molecular basis of TSST-1 specificity and serve as potential leads toward the development of therapeutic agents for superantigen-mediated disease.
Adverse Selection as a Barrier to Entry in the Banking Industry

Banks offering credit to borrowers are faced with uncertainty about their creditworthiness. If banks obtain information about borrowers after lending to them, they are able to reject riskier borrowers when refinancing. Potential entrant banks will face an adverse-selection problem stemming from their inability to distinguish new borrowers from old borrowers who have been rejected by their previous bank. We analyze the effects of asymmetric information on the market structure of the banking industry. We characterize the equilibrium under Bertrand competition with two banks, and show than an equilibrium where a third bank enters does not exist (blockaded entry).
Numerical modeling of one-dimensional enclosed homogeneous and heterogeneous deflagrations

Abstract The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of several finite difference techniques in modeling unsteady homogeneous and heterogeneous flames in closed combustors. The problem of propagation of a pre-mixed homogeneous flame and a heterogeneous flame in air-fuel droplet-fuel mixture is formulated. The governing equations have been solved using five different numerical techniques, an explicit method, an iterative implicit method without any formal linearization, an iterative implicit method with quasi-linearization, a non-iterative time-linearization block implicit scheme, and an operator-splitting method. The results are obtained in terms of the profiles of gas and liquid phase properties at different instances of time as the flame traverses the combustor. From these results, the relative efficiency and accuracy of each of the numerical techniques are discussed.
Almost Periodic Solutions of Certain Differential Equations with Piecewise Constant Delays and Almost Periodic Time Dependence

Abstract We give conditions for the existence, uniqueness, and certain stability properties of almost periodic solutions of certain hybrid delay differential equations with almost periodic time dependence.
On the validity of indeterminate factor scores

A partition of the vector space of all deviation score vectors for fixed sample size N is used to show that the (indeterminate) factors of the factor model can always be constructed so as to predict any criterion perfectly, including all those that are entirely uncorrected with the observed variables.
Wifredo Lam: Return to Havana and the Afro‐Cuban tradition

(1987). Wifredo Lam: Return to Havana and the Afro‐Cuban tradition. Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas: Vol. 20, No. 37, pp. 22-30.
Predicting die-level process variations from wafer test data for analog devices: A feasibility study

A methodology to predict the process e-test parameters corresponding to each die (even in regions of the die where e-test structures are not available) from die test measurements for analog/RF systems is developed. The methodology provides diagnosis of process variations with higher spatial resolution in volume manufacturing over other techniques due to the availability of manufacturing test data at every die site on the wafer as opposed to measurements of e-test parameters at only specific wafer locations. Manufacturing test data for each die is mapped to spatially interpolated e-test data using regression analysis tools. The resulting mapping function can be used to predict the implicit e-test parameter values for each die from its manufacturing test measurements. In addition, the proposed methodology provides guidance regarding which e-test parameters need to be controlled more accurately in comparison to other parameters for high device yield (i.e. the critical e-test parameters). Data collected from 4 different lots and 108 wafers for an analog device currently in production was used to demonstrate the proposed concept and feasibility of the proposed methodology for identifying the critical e-test parameters is presented.
Effects of dose and route of exposure on dioxin disposition

Abstract The absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of 2,3,7,8-tetrabromodibenzo- p -dioxin (TBDD) was studied in male F344 rats. Oral absorption was dose-dependent. Absorption of 1 nmol/kg by both the oral and intratracheal (itr) routes was 〉80%, whereas only 〉12% was absorbed through the skin. Tissue distribution was dependent on dose, time, and route of exposure. Liver:fat ratios of 3.4, 2.9, 2.0, and 1.5 were observed 3 days after iv, oral, itr, and dermal administration, respectively, of 1 nmol/kg. Liver:fat ratios were 0.2 and 2.6 by 56 days after 1 and 100 nmol/kg iv, respectively. Dose-dependent elimination in urine and feces was observed beginning 3 weeks after iv administration. However, auto-induction of dioxin metabolism did not occur in vivo when evaluated by biliary excretion of [ 3 H]TBDD or [ 3 H]TCDD in pretreated and naive rats. Dose-response profiles for TBDD induction of hepatic cytochromes CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 indicated the latter to be a more sensitive response. Finally, comparison of the dose-response behavior for TBDD induction of hepatic CYP1A2 with hepatic concentrations of TBDD suggests that induction of CYP1A2 alone does not account for nonlinearities in dioxin disposition exemplified by dose-related increases in the ratio of dioxin concentrations in liver and fat.
Using Calcitriol Conjugated Quantum Dots to Target Inflammatory Breast Cancer Tumors and Metastasis In Vivo

Calcitriol is the active form of Vitamin D3. Epidemiological data show that women with Vitamin D deficiency at the time of breast cancer diagnosis are 94% more likely to experience cancer spread and 73% more likely to die over the next 10 years, compared to women with adequate Vitamin D levels. Since vitamin D deficiency is especially common in African American and obese women, this observation may partially explain the relatively poor clinical outcome experienced by these patients [2]. Although current treatments for IBC are very aggressive and include surgery and radiation, IBC is still the most deadly breast cancer and has a survival rate of only 40% past 5 years. Novel treatments are desperately needed [3]. Current limitations for the use of calcitriol as a treatment for IBC and non-IBC breast cancer is that high concentrations of calcitriol must be delivered to the tumor. This is even more complicated for IBC, since the tumor rapidly metastasizes and disseminates trough the lymphatic system. We successfully designed Mucin-1 (MUC-1) antibody-calcitriol conjugated Quantum Dots (MC-QDs) that infiltrate the lymphatic system and also accumulate at the original and distant tumor sites. using this approach we analyzed the distribution and accumulation of MC-QDs in vivo in an inflammatory breast cancer mouse model over 4 days using an IVES Lumina system. After 4 days, organs were extracted and accumulation of nanoparticles was analyzed. using quantitative image analysis we showed that the MC-DS accumulate at the tumor site as well as at the metastasized organs and tissues. The obtained data suggest that quantum dots can be used to image drug-tumor interactions in vivo and to deliver therapeutics to the tumor and metastasized sites as well.
Factors that affect maternal insulin resistance and modify fetal growth and body composition.

Fetal growth is multifactorial and can be altered by a variety of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. The maternal, placental, and fetal contribution to growth must all be considered. Of particular interest are maternal metabolic regulation and the availability of nutrients to the developing fetus. Weight gain, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance occur as a normal adaptation to pregnancy. Obesity and underlying insulin resistance among women of reproductive age are rapidly increasing, and the contribution of pregnancy on this abnormal metabolic background poses additional maternal and fetal challenges. Many components of the metabolic syndrome have been associated with changes in fetal growth, including obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance or glucose intolerance. Additional factors affect fetal growth and include diet, exercise, and smoking. In this review, we briefly discuss the importance and descriptions of fetal growth, followed by a discussion of several of the extrinsic and in...
Reduced Staphylococcus aureus proliferation and biofilm formation on zinc oxide nanoparticle PVC composite surfaces.

Abstract Conventional particulate zinc oxide (ZnO) is a known antibacterial agent. Studies have shown that reducing the size of ZnO particles to nanoscale dimensions further enhances their antibacterial properties. Polymers, like all biomaterials, run the risk of harboring bacteria which may produce an antibiotic-resistant biofilm. The addition of ZnO nanoparticles to form a polymer composite material may thus reduce undesirable bacteria activity. The purpose of the present in vitro study was to investigate the antibacterial properties of ZnO nanoparticles when incorporated into a traditional polymeric biomaterial. For this purpose, Staphylococcus aureus were seeded at a known cell density onto coverslips coated with a film of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with varying concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles. Samples were cultured for 24 or 72 h. Methods of analysis, including optical density readings and crystal violet staining, indicated a reduced presence of a biofilm on ZnO nanoparticle polymer composites compared to pure polymer controls. Live/dead bacteria assays provided images to confirm the reduced presence of active bacteria on samples with zinc oxide nanoparticles. Conditioning of the cell culture medium by the composites was also investigated by measuring concentrations of elemental zinc (Zn2+) and bacteria growth in the presence of conditioned medium. This study demonstrated that the development of ZnO polymer composites may improve biomaterial effectiveness for numerous applications, such as endotracheal tubes, catheterp and implanted biomaterials, which are prone to bacterial infection.
Health literacy and functional health status among older adults.

Background Individuals with limited health literacy have less health knowledge, worse self-management skills, lower use of preventive services, and higher hospitalization rates. We evaluated the association between health literacy, self-reported physical and mental health functioning, and health-related activity limitations among new Medicare managed care enrollees. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 2923 enrollees was conducted in Cleveland, Ohio; Houston, Tex; Tampa, Fla; and Fort Lauderdale–Miami, Fla. Health literacy was measured using the short form of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. We used outcome measures that included scores on the physical and mental health functioning subscales of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, difficulties with instrumental activities of daily living and activities of daily living, and limitations because of physical health and pain. Results After adjusting for the prevalence of chronic conditions, health risk behaviors, and sociodemographic characteristics, individuals with inadequate health literacy had worse physical function (67.7 vs 78.0, P P Conclusion Among community-dwelling older adults, inadequate health literacy was independently associated with poorer physical and mental health.
Identification of Species in the Botryosphaeriaceae Family Causing Stem Blight on Southern Highbush Blueberry in Florida

ABSTRACT Stem blight of southern highbush blueberry (SHB) results in premature plant mortality and has been identified by Florida blueberry growers as the economically most important disease for the industry. In 2007, plants with stem blight and dieback symptoms were sampled at 4-month intervals from two farms located in Alachua and Polk Co., FL. In all, 30 cane samples (stem blight) and 30 crown segments (dieback) were collected at each sample date and each location. In total, 360 samples were collected; fungal species in the family Botryosphaeriaceae were isolated from 85% of the samples. Based on morphology and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region and elongation factor 1-α (EF1-α) sequences, two dominant species recovered from SHB in Florida were identified: Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Neofusicoccum ribis. Species isolation was independent of location, symptom type, and time of year. Additional samplings are needed to investigate population change over multiple years and in ...
A network of heterochronic genes including Imp1 regulates temporal changes in stem cell properties

Stem cell properties change over time to match the changing growth and regeneration demands of tissues. We showed previously that adult forebrain stem cell function declines during aging because of increased expression of let-7 microRNAs, evolutionarily conserved heterochronic genes that reduce HMGA2 expression. Here we asked whether let-7 targets also regulate changes between fetal and adult stem cells. We found a second let-7 target, the RNA binding protein IMP1, that is expressed by fetal, but not adult, neural stem cells. IMP1 expression was promoted by Wnt signaling and Lin28a expression and opposed by let-7 microRNAs. Imp1-deficient neural stem cells were prematurely depleted in the dorsal telencephalon due to accelerated differentiation, impairing pallial expansion. IMP1 post-transcriptionally inhibited the expression of differentiation-associated genes while promoting the expression of self-renewal genes, including Hmga2. A network of heterochronic gene products including Lin28a, let-7, IMP1, and HMGA2 thus regulates temporal changes in stem cell properties. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00924.001.
New functional materials for heavy metal sorption: “Supramolecular” attachment of thiols to mesoporous silica substrates

A new class of sorbent material, which exhibits exceptional metal capture from contaminated natural water, features aromatic thiol ligands reversibly bound to functionalized mesoporous silica through non-covalent interactions and have the potential of being regenerable.
A GRAPH DRAWING AND TRANSLATION SERVICE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Both practitioners and researchers can take better advantage of the latest developments in graph drawing if implementations of graph drawing algorithms are made available on the WWW. We envision a graph drawing and translation service for the WWW with dual objectives: drawing user-specified graphs, and translating graph-descriptions and graph drawings from one format to another. As a first step toward realizing this vision, we have developed a prototype service which is available at .
Building a better frog trap: The benefits of mal-adaptive habitat choice for metapopulations with different life history strategies

By spatially distributing offspring among several habitat patches in varying environments, an organism can "hedge its bets" to protect against bad conditions in any single patch. This strategy can maintain populations even when some or even all locations are, on average, population sinks. However, species may not have evolved this bet-hedging mechanism, especially when sink environments are anthropogenic "traps" - locations where traditional habitat cues have been altered. Using a model based on the life history of the Cascades frog (*Rana cascadae*), we examine the conditions that maximize growth in an environment with ecological traps created by the introduction of predators. In a temporally stochastic environment, maximum growth rates occur when some juveniles disperse to the trap. We then examine how different life histories and predation regimes affect the ability of an organism gain an advantage by bet-hedging, and find that bet-hedging can be less useful when the ecological trap drives adult, rather than juvenile, mortality.
Dissociation of plasminogen activator from the transformed phenotype in a 5-bromodeoxyuridine dependent mutant of Syrian hamster melanoma cells.

The relationship between plasminogen activator levels and the expression of the transformed phenotype was studied in a 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) dependent mutant of Syrian hamster melanoma cells. In terms of cell morphology and cellular interactions, the BrdUrd dependent cells resemble transformed cells when grown in the presence of BrdUrd but resemble untransformed cells when grown in the absence of BrdUrd. It was found that the BrdUrd dependent cells release significant levels of plasminogen activator only when cultured in the absence of BrdUrd. In the presence of BrdUrd, the release of plasminogen activator by the dependent cells is suppressed, and the decreased level of plasminogen activator released in the presence of BrdUrd seems to be due to decreased production of active enzyme. Growth tests revealed that the BrdUrd dependent cells, when attached to a substrate, required BrdUrd in order to attain high densities. Furthermore, the cells are able to grow well in soft agar only in the presence of BrdUrd. These results suggest that the production and release of high levels of plasminogen activator are not related (either as cause or effect) to the expression of the transformed phenotype in the BrdUrd dependent cells The effect of dog serum (as a plasminogen source) on the BrdUrd dependent cells also was tested. It was found that cells cultured in medium containing dog serum exhibit a morphological alteration, but only in the absence of BrdUrd. The morphological response of the cells to dog serum resembles that previously observed with virus-transformed cells. In the BrdUrd dependent cells, the morphological response to dog serum appears correlated with the release of plasminogen activator but separated from other transformed characteristics.
Finite-element computation of scattering by inhomogeneous penetrable bodies of revolution

This investigation is concerned with the numerical solution of time-harmonic electromagnetic scattering by axisymmetric penetrable bodies having arbitrary cross-sectional profiles and even continuously inhomogeneous consistency. The initiation of this effort involved the discovery and development of the coupled azimuthal potential (CAP) formulation, which is valid in generally lossy isotropic inhomogeneous rotationally symmetric media. Electromagnetic fields in such regions can be represented, using the CAP formulation, in terms of two continuous potentials which satisfy a self-adjoint system of partial differential equations or, equivalently, a variational criterion. Using an optimized variational finite-element algorithm in conjunction with a triregional unimoment method, a versatile computer program is described that provides scattering solutions for each of multiple incident fields impinging upon an arbitrarily shaped inhomogeneous penetrable body of revolution. An extensive evaluation of the accuracy and convergence of the algorithm is presented, which includes comparison of scattering computations and experimental measurements at X -band for several solid and hollow plexiglas bodies of revolution with maximum interior dimensions of over 4 wavelengths.
Scaling shrinkage-based language models

In [1], we show that a novel class-based language model, Model M, and the method of regularized minimum discrimination information (rMDI) models outperform comparable methods on moderate amounts of Wall Street Journal data. Both of these methods are motivated by the observation that shrinking the sum of parameter magnitudes in an exponential language model tends to improve performance [2]. In this paper, we investigate whether these shrinkage-based techniques also perform well on larger training sets and on other domains. First, we explain why good performance on large data sets is uncertain, by showing that gains relative to a baseline n-gram model tend to decrease as training set size increases. Next, we evaluate several methods for data/model combination with Model M and rMDI models on limited-scale domains, to uncover which techniques should work best on large domains. Finally, we apply these methods on a variety of medium-to-large-scale domains covering several languages, and show that Model M consistently provides significant gains over existing language models for state-of-the-art systems in both speech recognition and machine translation.
Pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus of the future.

I t is well publicized that the United States faces two major demographic changes over the next few decades: the increasing mean age of the population and the increasing overall size of the population (336 million estimated in 2020). The changes will have the greatest impact on health care services provided to the segment of the population over 60 years of age. This will substantially increase the demand for eye care services. Amid the clamor over the need for improved systems to provide quality treatment of age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataract, it is left unsaid that there will be an increase in the number of adults with strabismus seeking care, in part because they seek an improved quality of life. Substantially less has been written about the demands on the pediatric ophthalmic surgeon. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that between 2000 and 2020 the proportion of the population under 20 years of age will fall only slightly, from 28.5% to 27.4%. In discussions about the aging of the U.S. population, it is often forgotten that the population under 20 years is not shrinking but growing. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates growth to be nearly 10%, increasing from 80.5 million in 2000 to 88.9 million persons by 2020. How we will meet these escalating demands for adult strabismus and pediatric ophthalmology services deserves our immediate dialog and planning. This issue of the Journal of AAPOS contains three reports pertaining to supply and demand of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus services. Estes and colleagues evaluated the current distribution of 749 pediatric ophthalmologists who were members of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology (AAPOS) and 227 additional physicians who identified themselves as pediatric ophthalmologists in the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) member database. They made two key observations. First, there is substantial regional variation in the U.S. population, with Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) including from 17.8% to 42.6% in the 0 to 20 years age group. Users of the database should pay particular attention to adjusting the search findings to account for the proportion of the population less than 20 years of
Spectroscopy of reactive potential energy surfaces

This perspective reviews experiments in which spectroscopy rather than scattering is used to probe reactive potential energy surfaces. The application of negative ion photodetachment to the transition state spectroscopy of benchmark reactions is described, followed by a brief description of recent transition state spectroscopy experiment starting from clustered precursor anions that probe the effects of solvation on transition state spectroscopy and dynamics. Experiments on the spectroscopy of open-shell “pre-reactive” complexes are also discussed.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emission in the 15-21 Micron Region

Observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope have drawn attention to spectroscopic structure longward of 15 μm that is associated with objects showing prominent unidentified infrared (UIR) bands in the mid-IR. If polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are indeed responsible for the UIR features, longer wavelength emission arising from out-of-plane PAH skeletal vibrations is required. Here we compare some of the Spitzer spectra with spectra from the Infrared Space Observatory and analyze these data in terms of the PAH model utilizing the spectra of neutral PAHs from the Ames PAH IR spectral database. The 14-21 μm emission spectra from the H II region S106, the young stellar object CD -42°11721, the reflection nebula NGC 7023, and the H2 ridge in LkHα 234 are presented. We show that while the emission in this region can be quite variable, the bulk of these variations can be accommodated by variations in PAH population.
The Religification of Pakistani-American Youth:

This article describes a cultural production process called religification, in which religious affiliation, rather than race or ethnicity, has become the core category of identity for working-class Pakistani-American youth in the United States. In this dialectical process, triggered by political changes following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Muslim identity is both thrust upon Pakistani-American youth by those who question their citizenship and embraced by the youth themselves. Specifically, the article examines the ways in which schools are sites where citizenship is both constructed and contested and the roles that peers, school personnel, families, and the youth themselves play in this construction/contestation of citizenship.
Enhancement of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine neurotoxicity by the energy inhibitor malonate

The acute and long-term effects of the local perfusion of 3,4methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and the interaction with the mitochondrial inhibitor malonate (MAL) were examined in the rat striatum. MDMA, MAL or the combination of MAL with MDMA was reverse dialyzed into the striatum for 8 h via a microdialysis probe while extracellular dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) were measured. One week later, tissue immediately surrounding the probe was assayed for DA and 5-HT tissue content. Local perfusion of MDMA increased DA and 5-HT release but did not produce long-term depletion of DA or 5-HT in tissue. Malonate also increased both DA and 5-HT release but, in contrast to MDMA, produced only longterm depletion of DA. The combined perfusion of MDMA/MAL synergistically increased the release of DA and 5-HT and produced long-term depletion of both DA and 5-HT in tissue. These results support the conclusion that DA, compared with 5-HT, neurons are more susceptible to mitochondrial inhibition. Moreover, MDMA, which does not normally produce DA depletion in the rat, exacerbated MAL-induced DA depletions. The effect of MDMA in combination with MAL to produce 5-HT depletion suggests a role for bio-energetic stress in MDMA-induced toxicity to 5-HT neurons. Overall, these results highlight the importance of energy balance to the function of DA and 5-HT neurons and to the toxic effects of MDMA.
National Identity and Self-Esteem

Is the self-esteem of individuals tied to their nation? If so, is that a good reason to strive for a world of safe, secure nations? Many liberal nationalists answer yes to these questions, but they do so without looking at the large social-psychology literature on groups and self-esteem. We examine the claims of liberal nationalists in light of this literature. The good news is that self-respectWe use the terms self-respect and self-esteem interchangeably. and group identity are strongly connected and can lead people to place collective interests above individual interests. The bad news is that the liberal-nationalist assumption that low-status groups have little self-respect and majority groups have it in abundance is mistaken. Perhaps most worrisome is the competitive nature of collective self-esteem: people feel better when their group does better than others. This competitiveness can lead to outright hostility when groups compete for resources and political power. Self-esteem is clearly an unstable foundation for a liberal nation. Although we do not think that problems caused by national identity and self-esteem can be fully solved, we do suggest ways in which they can be contained.
Synthesis and properties of superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8

Abstract A simple procedure has been successfully developed to synthesize the hybrid rutheno-cuprate superconductor RuSr 2 GdCu 2 O 8 (Ru-1212). A mixture of RuO 2 +2SrCO 3 +GdO 1/2 +2CuO was calcined at 960 °C in air for 40 h with one intermediate grinding, then pelletized and annealed directly at temperatures ranging from 1035 to 1090 °C in flowing oxygen for 15–200 h to achieve superconductivity as high as 35 K. The superconductivity was measured by both AC-susceptibility and four-probe transport methods. The dependence of the zero-resistance T c on annealing temperature and annealing time was thoroughly investigated. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic studies showed that the samples were almost pure Ru-1212 phase.
THE TEXT SYSTEM FOR NATURAL LANGUAGE GENERATION: AN OVERVIEW

Computer-based generation of natural language requires consideration of two different types of problems: 1) determining the content and textual shape of what is to be said, and 2) transforming that message into English. A computational solution to the problems of deciding what to say and how to organize it effectively is proposed that relies on an interaction between structural and semantic processes. Schemas, which encode aspects of discourse structure, are used to guide the generation process. A focusing mechanism monitors the use of the schemas, providing constraints on what can be said at any point. These mechanisms have been implemented as part of a generation method within the context of a natural language database system, addressing the specific problem of responding to questions about database structure.
A mathematical model for the spatio-temporal covariance of the background noise in MEG/EEG recordings

Evoked magnetic and electric fields are contaminated with correlated background noise. When performing statistical tests or applying source localization on the basis of these signals the correlation of the background noise should be accounted for. Due to the large amounts of data this is not straightforward and mathematical models are needed describing the noise. In this paper such a model is derived.
Differential eosinophil and mast cell regulation: mast cell viability and accumulation in inflammatory tissue are independent of proton-sensing receptor GPR65.

Extracellular acidification has been observed in allergic inflammatory diseases. Recently, we demonstrated that the proton-sensing receptor G protein-coupled receptor 65 (GPR65) regulates eosinophi...
Relationship Problems Over the Early Years of Marriage: Stability or Change?

Although couples’ management of differences and problems is widely assumed to be central to the course and outcome of their relationships, some theoretical perspectives hold that marital conflicts increase over the newlywed years, whereas others maintain that couples’ problems remain stable. We tested these opposing views by examining changes in marital problems and marital satisfaction over the first 4 years of marriage in a sample of 169 newlywed couples. Although marital satisfaction declined on average, overall levels of marital problems remained stable. Analyses of 19 specific problems generally revealed considerable stability as well, although husbands and wives rated showing affection as increasingly problematic over time. These findings challenge longstanding assumptions regarding the role of accumulating conflict in marital functioning over time and suggest that specific and overall problems in marriage largely remain stable over the newlywed years. Implications for theory and clinical practice are discussed.
Power systems `2000': hierarchical control strategies

Discusses changes which are likely to occur in the power system control strategies during years 1978 to 2000. Hierarchical decomposition of the system into a multilevel strategy is illustrated. The development of the relationship between the utility and its customers is discussed assuming the wide use of home microcomputers. Controversial issues arising from the advanced computerisation are outlined and the possibility of blackouts in the year 2000 is discussed.
Lower esophageal sphincter monitoring with sphinctometer: in vitro and in vivo studies.

The sphinctometer is a solid-state device system for prolonged ambulatory recordings of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure. The aims of this study were to determine1) the pressure sensit...
The oral manifestations of acquired syphilis. A study of eighty-one cases

Abstract 1. 1. Eighty-one cases of syphilis with oral involvement were studied. 2. 2. The histopathologic nature of oral lesions of syphilis has been discussed; in general, it conforms to luetic lesions elsewhere in the body. 3. 3. Chancres and mucous patches are exceedingly rare. 4. 4. Lesions of tertiary syphilis are uncommon, but not so rare as the primary and secondary lesions. 5. 5. There has been a notable decrease in the incidence of lingual carcinoma in relation to syphilis; this may be associated with the intensive antibiotic therapy of syphilis since 1940. 6. 6. A syndrome of bone abnormalities apparently associated with tertiary syphilis has been presented. It is suspected that the cause of this syndrome has a neurotropic and vascular basis. 7. 7. Although syphilitic osteitis and osteomyelitis of the jaws have been reported, we did not find a single case of either in our series.