cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
External antennal morphometry of Trichoplusia Ni (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)*

Abstract A detailed morphometric analysis of the antennae of male and female Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) is presented, based on light and scanning electron microscopic observations. These measurements of general antennal dimensions and the number, distribution, dimensions, and surface features of the antennal sensilla are applied in the consideration of olfactory transduction processes and in the derivation of a mathematical representation of the antennal surface. The surface area and the number of sensilla on the antennal flagellum are found to vary with the weight of the pupa and adult moth. The long Type 1 sensilla trichodea are hypothesized to be innervated by pheromone-sensitive olfactory cells on the basis of morphological comparisons with sensilla of other insects.
Analyzing stability in wide-area network performance

The Internet is a very large scale, complex, dynamical system that is hard to model and analyze. In this paper, we develop and analyze statistical models for the observed end-to-end network performance based on extensive packet-level traces (consisting of approximately 1.5 billion packets) collected from the primary Web site for the Atlanta Summer Olympic Games in 1996. We find that observed mean throughputs for these transfers measured over 60 million complete connections vary widely as a function of end-host location and time of day, confirming that the Internet is characterized by a large degree of heterogeneity. Despite this heterogeneity, we find (using best-fit linear regression techniques) that we can express the throughput for Web transfers to most hosts as a random variable with a log-normal distribution. Then, using observed throughput as the control parameter, we attempt to quantify the spatial (statistical similarity across neighboring hosts) and temporal (persistence over time) stability of network performance. We find that Internet hosts that are close to each other often have almost identically distributed probability distributions of throughput. We also find that throughputs to individual hosts often do not change appreciably for several minutes. Overall, these results indicate that there is promise in protocol mechanisms that cache and share network characteristics both within a single host and amongst nearby hosts.
Fatty acid acylation of platelet proteins

Abstract A variety of fatty acids can become covalently attached to platelet proteins by thioester linkage. These fatty acids include palmitate, myristate, stearate, arachidonate, and eicosapentaenoate. More than 20 platelet proteins can be acylated by fatty acids. Several of the acylated platelet proteins have been identified, including glycoprotein lbβ, glycoprotein IX, P-selectin, G-protein α subunits, and CD9. This report reviews the fatty acid acylation of platelet proteins.
“We gotta make up our minds”: Waiting for lefty, workers' theatre performance and audience identification

Waiting for Lefty sits uneasily at the peak of the American workers’ theatre movement of the 1930s. Odets crafted a play that relied a great deal on previous labor dramas and theory, but he diluted many of his sources in issues presented and in methods of performance. In this article, I place Lefty in its times theatrically and examine how, during its performance, Odets addressed his audience members; how he indoctrinated them into the issues of the labor movement; and how he created a labor hall in the theatre, transforming not just the space, but the audience, too. However, after the performance, after creating a workers’ community in the theatre space, Odets left his audience with no direction from which to enact radical change.
Perinatal outcomes in euploid pregnancies with 'double-positive' first trimester prenatal screening for trisomy 18 and 21

Perinatal outcomes in euploid pregnancies with ‘double-positive’ first trimester prenatal screening for trisomy 18 and 21
High-density charge storage on molecular thin films - candidate materials for high storage capacity memory cells

High storage capacity memory cells were fabricated by integrating organic molecules, with dimension ∼1 nm, into flash memory devices. The stored charge within the molecules was directly probed using Kelvin force microscopy, revealing strong confinement of stored charge over time. Molecular memories with increased storage capacity were achieved via addition of dopant molecules.
Ground-State, Mode-Dependent Vibronic Coupling in Some Simple, Cyanide-Bridged Transition-Metal Donor-Acceptor Complexes

Patterns of the shifts in bridging cyanide-stretching frequencies have been examined in several fully saturated, μ-cyano, bi- or trimetallic transition-metal donor−acceptor (D/A) complexes. An earlier (Watzky, M. A.; et al. Inorg. Chem. 1996, 35, 3463) inference that the bridging ligand nuclear and the D/A electronic coordinates are entangled is unequivocally demonstrated by the 32 cm-l lower frequency of νCN for (NH3)5Cr(CNRu(NH3)5)4+ than for the cyanopentaamminechromium(III) parent. This contrasts to the 41 cm-1 increase in νCN upon ruthenation of (NH3)5RhCN2+. More complex behavior has been found for cis and trans trimetallic, donor−acceptor complexes. The symmetric combination of CN- stretching frequencies in trans-CrIII(MCL)(CNRuII(NH3)5)25+ complexes (MCL = a tetraazamacrocyclic ligand) shifts 100−140 cm-1 to lower frequency, and the antisymmetric combination shifts less than about 30 cm-1. This contrast in the shifts of the symmetric and the antisymmetric combinations of the CN stretches persists ...
ZnO particulate matter requires cell contact for toxicity in human colon cancer cells.

There is ongoing concern regarding the toxicity of nanoparticles with sizes less than 100 nm as compared to larger particles of the same nominal substance. Two commercial ZnO types, one sold as a 8−10 nm powder and the other described as −325 mesh (<44 μm) powder, were evaluated in human colon-derived RKO cells. The powders had a volume-to-surface area ratio equivalent to 40 and 330 nm spheres, respectively. Both materials formed micrometer-sized agglomerates in cell culture media. The nanosized ZnO was more cytotoxic than the micrometer-sized ZnO with LC50 values of 15 ± 1 and 29 ± 4 μg/cm2, respectively. Transfer of Zn from the solid phase to the cell culture media in the presence of RKO cells was time- and concentration-dependent. However, direct particle−cell contact was required for RKO cell cytotoxicity, and the toxicity of particles was independent of the amount of soluble Zn in the cell culture media. The mechanism of cell death includes the disruption of mitochondrial function. Robust markers of ...
Coagulation of fish proteins from frozen fish mince wash water by ohmic heating

A batch-type ohmic heating device was developed to investigate the possibility of coagulating fish proteins from frozen fish mince wash water. At constant voltage (90 VAC), the temperature of wash water samples was raised to different set points (40, 50, 60, 70, and 80C, respectively). Effect of heating on coagulation of proteins and removal of COD, TS, and TSS was investigated. When the temperature reached 70C, 33.0%, 59.3%, 33.3%, and 92.1% protein, COD, TS, and TSS, respectively, were removed from the wash water. Holding samples at constant temperatures for longer time periods did not improve solids removal, except at 40C. The highest heating temperature for effective coagulation of proteins and removal of solids is 70C. The relationship between heating temperature and heating time followed a second order polynomial model. Apparent electrical conductivity and energy consumption increased linearly with the heating temperature. At the early stage of heating, almost all electric energy was converted to heat energy. As the temperatures rose, energy efficiency began to decrease linearly with the temperature. Overall energy efficiency was above 86%.
The new Caribbean complexity: Mobility systems, tourism and spatial rescaling

The Caribbean region is being respatialized, rescaled and reterritorialized in the face of contemporary processes of neoliberal development, shifting mobilities and spatial restructuring. Drawing on the field of mobilities research, this paper argues that new transregional approaches to spatial dynamics are needed to describe the complex, polymorphic, and multiscalar geographies in the neoliberalizing Caribbean. It first analyzes how new spatializations of Caribbean mobilities are part of larger transnational processes of urban restructuring. It then examines how neoliberalizing policies have promoted the ‘opening’ of once publicly owned infrastructures such as ports, airports, and telecommunications, contributing to a rescaling of Caribbean territoriality. Finally it considers how tourism mobilities associated with the cruise ship industry and private luxury property developments facilitate interlocality competition and outside access to the region while circumscribing local access and mobility rights. The paper proposes a postcolonializing island studies that recognizes the complexity of contemporary Caribbean rescaling and the subtle ways in which modernized built environments and infrastructures of mobility and connectivity contribute to the weakening of island-state sovereignty, territorial integrity and democratic citizenship.
Extending concurrency of transactional memory programs by using value prediction

Transactional Memory (TM) is an optimistic speculative synchronization scheme that provides atomic execution for a region of code marked as a transaction by the programmer. TM avoids many of the problems associated with lock-based synchronization and can make writing parallel programs relatively easier. Programs with critical sections that are not heavily contended benefit from the optimistic nature of TM systems. However, for heavily contended critical sections, performance can degrade due to conflicts leading to stalls and expensive rollbacks. In this paper, we look into the nature of the shared data involved in conflicts for TM systems. We find that most transactions have conflicts around a few shared addresses, and shared-conflicting data is often updated in a predictable manner by different transactions. We propose using a memory-level value predictor to capture this predictability for such data structures and increase overall concurrency by satisfying loads from conflicting transactions with predicted values, instead of stalling. In this paper, we present one possible design and implementation of a TM system with a value predictor. Our benchmark results show that the value predictor can capture this predictable behavior for most benchmarks and can improve performance of TM programs by improving concurrency and minimizing stalls and rollbacks.
Wide temperature range gain-coupled 1300 nm DFB lasers exhibiting reduced sensitivity to back reflections

Gain coupled DFB lasers that operate over the -40/spl deg/C to +85/spl deg/C temperature range have been characterised for reflection sensitivity. Spectral and polarisation immunity has been observed up to -14 dB optical return loss over the entire temperature range. The lowest threshold current for uncooled DFBs of only 17 mA at 85/spl deg/C is reported.
Linear and circular polarized laser radiation in optical third harmonic generation

Abstract Theory shows that linear polarized laser radiation produces a third harmonic in an isotropic medium while circular polarized radiation does not. Experimental confirmation of this effect has been obtained and possible applications are mentioned.
Modeling turnpike frontend system: a model-driven development framework leveraging UML metamodeling and attribute-oriented programming

This paper describes and empirically evaluates a new model-driven development framework, called Modeling Turnpike (or mTurnpike). It allows developers to model and program domain-specific concepts (ideas and mechanisms specific to a particular business or technology domain) and to transform them to the final (compilable) source code. By leveraging UML metamodeling and attribute-oriented programming, mTurnpike provides an abstraction to represent domain-specific concepts at the modeling and programming layers simultaneously. The mTurnpike frontend system transforms domain-specific concepts from the modeling layer to programming layer, and vise versa, in a seamless manner. Its backend system combines domain-specific models and programs, and transforms them to the final (compilable) source code. This paper focuses on the frontend system of mTurnpike, and describes its design, implementation and performance implications. In order to demonstrate how to exploit mTurnpike in application development, this paper also shows a development process using an example DSL (domain specific language) to specify service-oriented distributed systems.
Increased Type I Procollagen mRNA in Airways and Pulmonary Vessels after Vagal Denervation in Rats

To test the hypothesis that increased airway strain resulting from lung denervation initiates a fibroproliferative response in the airways, we compared the transcriptional expressions of α1(I)-procollagen and tropoelastin in the lungs of rats subjected to unilateral vagal denervation, unilateral vagal denervation combined with ipsilateral phrenectomy, or thoracotomy without denervation (controls). We found increases in α1(I)-procollagen messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs) in the submucosa of the airways and the adventitia of airways and pulmonary vessels of the denervated lungs in 31% of the rats subjected to unilateral denervation (with and without phrenectomy), and in none of the controls. The increased transcripts were associated with collagen deposition in the peribronchial and perivascular tissue, and occasionally with cell proliferation leading to occlusion of the airway and vascular lumina. Unilateral phrenectomy did not decrease the frequency with which production of Type I procollagen was upregul...
Is Taste Altered in Patients with ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative neurological disease that affects the motor systems in patients but also may affect some sensory systems. Some ALS patients report taste changes that may decrease their oral intake and nutritional status. This study examined whether focal taste damage occurs in ALS patients compared to age/gender-matched adult healthy controls. An abbreviated Spatial Taste Test was administered to the fungiform and circumvallate papillae. Compared to healthy controls, ALS patients exhibited significantly lower taste intensities across the four basic tastes and significantly lower taste intensities at both the fungiform and vallate papillae, but no significant difference in whole mouth taste intensities. Seven out of nine ALS patients with self reported altered taste had tongue fasciculations, involuntary movements within the tongue dorsum due to lower motor neuron impairment (a common sign of bulbar ALS). Additionally, for patients taking riluzole taste perception at the fungiform papillae appears to be further reduced relative to the vallate papillae. This study suggests ALS decreases taste at both the fungiform and vallate papillae. In addition, riluzole may further damage the chorda tympani. Further studies need to be conducted to examine the etiology for taste loss.
Alterations in sperm DNA methylation patterns at imprinted loci in two classes of infertility

Objective To evaluate the associations between proper protamine incorporation and DNA methylation at imprinted loci. Design Experimental research study. Setting Research laboratory. Patient(s) Three populations were tested—abnormal protamine patients, oligozoospermic patients, and fertile donors. Intervention(s) The CpG methylation patterns were examined at seven imprinted loci sequenced: LIT1, MEST, SNRPN, PLAGL1, PEG3, H19, and IGF2. Main Outcome Measure(s) The DNA methylation patterns were analyzed using bisulfite sequencing. The percentage of methylation was compared between fertile and infertile patients displaying abnormal protamination. Result(s) At six of the seven imprinted genes, the overall DNA methylation patterns at their respective differentially methylated regions were significantly altered in both infertile patient populations. When comparing the severity of methylation alterations among infertile patients, the oligozoospermic patients were significantly affected at mesoderm-specific transcript ( MEST), whereas abnormal protamine patients were affected at KCNQ1, overlapping transcript 1 (LIT1), and at small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide N (SNRPN) . Conclusion(s) Patients with male factor infertility had significantly increased methylation alteration at six of seven imprinted loci tested, with differences in significance observed between oligozoospermic and abnormal protamine patients. This could suggest that risk of transmission of epigenetic alterations may be different with diagnoses. However, this study does not provide a causal link for epigenetic inheritance of imprinting diseases, but does show significant association between male factor infertility and alterations in sperm DNA methylation at imprinted loci.
Characterization of Conifers and Their Products by Optical Atomic Spectrometry

AbstractConifers are primarily evergreen trees that are widely distributed; admired for their beauty; used as biomonitors for elements; processed for lumber, paper, fuel, and other products; and employed for food and medicinal products. Optical atomic spectrometry includes the widely used elemental analysis techniques of atomic absorption, atomic emission, and atomic fluorescence. This review considers applications of optical atomic spectrometry for conifers and their products. The goal is to assemble these diverse applications to assist analytical chemists and associated scientists in the development of methodology. The conclusion summarizes these studies and forecasts future developments.
Comparison of Faculty and Student Ownership and Use of Technology

Technology is an integral part of life on college and university campuses and its use impacts both education and libraries. A survey was conducted at the University of Central Missouri to determine ownership and usage patterns of the campus community. Unlike other similar studies, faculty was also surveyed. The results of this survey show that faculty and students across a broad age range own multiple technologies and are comfortable using them for both personal and educational reasons. Demographic trends identified related to age and gender were unexpected.
On the theory of control of microbial growth kinetics by limiting nutrient concentrations

Abstract Some formulations relating nutrient concentration to nutrient transport and to nutrient-limited growth rate are derived. Experimental examples are given in which transport restricts maximal growth rate in some cases and does not affect it in others. It is demonstrated that normal variations in cell yield from substrate consumed at various growth rates can generate curvature in growth kinetic curves unrelated to saturation phenomena. Nutrient uptake and growth rate versus concentration curves are diagrammed for a range of situations, and the kinetic constants for these curves are discussed. The definition of a previously introduced term, the affinity, is sharpened and literature values compiled. It is suggested that this is one of the more useful kinetic constants for describing the kinetics of aquatic microbial processes.
Ointment‐based mechlorethamine treatment for mycosis fungoides

The treatment of skin disease with topical mechlorethamine has been restricted because of the frequent development of contact dermatitis. A series of 43 patients with mycosis fungoides in Stages 1A (17), IB (22), II (2), and III (2) were treated with an ointment-based mechlorethamine, prepared by an anhydrous method. Complete clearing occurred in 26 patients over a 42-month evaluation period. The incidence of contact dermatitis was very low. Only 1 of 31 patients exposed to mechlorethamine for the first time, and only 3 of 12 patients with a history of previous hypersensitivity to mechlorethamine, developed contact dermatitis to the ointment-based mechlorethamine. Cancer 52:22140-2219, 1983.
Sensory processing in internationally adopted, post-institutionalized children.

Background/Methods: Sensory processing capacities of 8‐12-year-old internationally adopted (IA) children who experienced prolonged institutional care (> 12 months with 75% of pre-adoption lives in institutional care) prior to adoption into family environments (PI) were compared to a group of IA children who were adopted early (< 8 months) predominantly from foster care with little or no institutional experience (EA/FC) and another group of non-adopted (NA) children raised by their birth parents in the United States. All children had estimated IQs within the normal range and did not evidence major neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, Down’s syndrome). Sensory processing was evaluated with a commonly used parent-report measure and a laboratory assessment. Results: Children who had experienced prolonged institutionalization showed higher levels of reactivity to sensation and displayed both more aversion and approach to sensory stimuli than the other groups. The comparison groups (EA/FC & NA) did not differ on any of the sensory processing measures. Conclusions: These results suggest that early institutional rearing which typically involves both sensory and social deprivation is associated with problems in sensory modulation capacities. Keywords: Institutional care, early deprivation, international adoption, sensory processing. Abbreviations: PI: post-institutionalized; EA/FC: early adopted-foster care; NA: non-adopted controls; IA: internationally adopted; SSP: Short Sensory Profile; SMD: sensory modulation disorder. Institutionally-reared infants are often deprived of social nurturance as well as sensory and physical experiences critical for development (Gunnar, Bruce, & Grotevant, 2000; Rutter, Kreppner, & O’Connor, 2001). Deprivation of sensory experience and caregiver support may impair the development of the child’s ability to modulate her/his responses to the environment which is a building block for self-regulatory abilities associated with learning, social development, and mental health (Casler, 1965; DeGangi, Breinbauer, Doussard Roosevelt, Porges, & Greenspan, 2000). The few studies examining sensory processing in children adopted from institutions have described a broad range of disruptions (Cermak & Daunhauer, 1997; Lin, Cermak, Coster, & Miller, 2005). Extant studies, however, have lacked appropriate comparison groups and have relied heavily on parent reports. Use of parent reports may overestimate sensory difficulties in postinstitutionalized (PI) children as parents appear to report more behavior problems for adopted than for birth children (e.g., Brand & Brinich, 1999). Thus, examination of the sensory processing problems of PI children requires a comparison group of adopted children without substantial institutional care histories and the use of objective indices of sensory responses along with parent-report data. Providing these data and comparisons were the goals of the present report. Long-term effects of institutionalization
Multiple cholinergic nicotinic receptor genes affect nicotine dependence risk in African and European Americans

Several independent studies show that the chromosome 15q25.1 region, which contains the CHRNA5–CHRNA3–CHRNB4 gene cluster, harbors variants strongly associated with nicotine dependence, other smoking behaviors, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We investigated whether variants in other cholinergic nicotinic receptor subunit (CHRN) genes affect the risk of nicotine dependence in a new sample of African Americans (AAs) (N = 710). We also analyzed this AA sample together with a European American (EA) sample (N = 2062, 1608 of which have been previously studied), allowing for differing effects in the two populations. Cases are current nicotine-dependent smokers and controls are non-dependent smokers. Variants in or near CHRND–CHRNG, CHRNA7 and CHRNA10 show modest association with nicotine dependence risk in the AA sample. In addition, CHRNA4, CHRNB3–CHRNA6 and CHRNB1 show association in at least one population. CHRNG and CHRNA4 harbor single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that have opposite directions of effect in the two populations. In each of the population samples, these loci substantially increase the trait variation explained, although no loci meet Bonferroni-corrected significance in the AA sample alone. The trait variation explained by three key associated SNPs in CHRNA5–CHRNA3–CHRNB4 is 1.9% in EAs and also 1.9% in AAs; this increases to 4.5% in EAs and 7.3% in AAs when we add six variants representing associations at other CHRN genes. Multiple nicotinic receptor subunit genes outside chromosome 15q25 are likely to be important in the biological processes and development of nicotine dependence, and some of these risks may be shared across diverse populations.
Accurate power supply and ground plane pair models [for MCMs]

In this paper, we derive a theory and method for the use of two-dimensional (2-D) discrete transmission lines (TL's) or discrete coupled transmission lines (CTL's) in modeling power supply and ground planes accurately. If the stray coupling between power or local ground and global ground is not significant, the discrete TL's model is used. Otherwise the discrete CTL's model is used. An arbitrarily shaped plane pair is discretized into a 2-D TL or CTL array by an automatic mesh algorithm. The equivalent distributed circuit, including skin loss effect at high frequencies, represents this power ground plane pair. The theory is extended to be applicable to a generic multiple dielectric layer structure. The model computation results are in excellent agreement with S parameter measurements for practical frequency ranges, including the first major resonant nulls and peaks. The null or peak of the S parameter frequency response represents the test port interaction with the resonant standing wave of these planes at that frequency. The resultant S parameter data of these models can be condensed into a simpler N port equivalent circuit to represent a larger hierarchical power and ground plane network for fast simulation.
Edge Weight Regularization over Multiple Graphs for Similarity Learning

The growth of the web has directly influenced the increase in the availability of relational data. One of the key problems in mining such data is computing the similarity between objects with heterogeneous feature types. For example, publications have many heterogeneous features like text, citations, authorship information, venue information, etc. In most approaches, similarity is estimated using each feature type in isolation and then combined in a linear fashion. However, this approach does not take advantage of the dependencies between the different feature spaces. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to combine the different sources of similarity using a regularization framework over edges in multiple graphs. We show that the objective function induced by the framework is convex. We also propose an efficient algorithm using coordinate descent [1] to solve the optimization problem. We extrinsically evaluate the performance of the proposed unified similarity measure on two different tasks, clustering and classification. The proposed similarity measure outperforms three baselines and a state-of-the-art classification algorithm on a variety of standard, large data sets.
Advocating Asymmetry and the POP-1 Paradox: Noncanonical Wnt Signaling in C. elegans

In this issue of Cell , Kidd and colleagues (Kidd et al., 2005) describe their identification of a novel β-catenin that functions in noncanonical C. elegans Wnt signaling pathways to specify the different fates of daughter cells produced by asymmetric cell division.
ERK and AKT Signaling Drive MED1 Overexpression in Prostate Cancer in Association with Elevated Proliferation and Tumorigenicity

MED1 is a key coactivator of the androgen receptor (AR) and other signal-activated transcription factors. Whereas MED1 is overexpressed in prostate cancer cell lines and is thought to coactivate distinct target genes involved in cell-cycle progression and castration-resistant growth, the underlying mechanisms by which MED1 becomes overexpressed and its oncogenic role in clinical prostate cancer have remained unclear. Here, we report that MED1 is overexpressed in the epithelium of clinically localized human prostate cancer patients, which correlated with elevated cellular proliferation. In a Nkx3.1:Pten mutant mouse model of prostate cancer that recapitulates the human disease, MED1 protein levels were markedly elevated in the epithelium of both invasive and castration-resistant adenocarcinoma prostate tissues. Mechanistic evidence showed that hyperactivated ERK and/or AKT signaling pathways promoted MED1 overexpression in prostate cancer cells. Notably, ectopic MED1 overexpression in prostate cancer xenografts significantly promoted tumor growth in nude mice. Furthermore, MED1 expression in prostate cancer cells promoted the expression of a number of novel genes involved in inflammation, cell proliferation, and survival. Together, these findings suggest that elevated MED1 is a critical molecular event associated with prostate oncogenesis.
Periodic McKendrick equations for age-structered population growth

Abstract With the averaged net reproductive rate used as a bifurcation parameter, the existence of a local parameterized branch of time-periodic solutions of the McKendrick equations is proved under the assumption that the death and fertility rates suffers small-amplitude time periodicities. The required linear theory is developed and the results are illustrated by means of a simple example in which fertility varies cosinusoidally in time.
Sub-femtosecond timing distribution of an ultrafast optical pulse train over multiple fiber links

The distribution of ultrafast optical pulse trains across 300 meters of fiber with sub-femtosecond timing jitter and 83 femtoseconds of drift over 25 hours, as measured between the outputs from two independent links, is demonstrated.
The Impact of Metropolitan Residential Segregation on the Employment Chances of Blacks and Whites in the United States

Studies of residential segregation's role in creating employment inequality between blacks and whites have focused on the characteristics of neighborhoods (e.g., mean SES or distance from job cente...
Comparison of the allergenicity and antigenicity of Polistes venom and other vespid venoms

Abstract The crossantigenicity of Polistes venom with other vespid venoms was examined with rabbit and human antisera. Venom preparations from various Polistes species were obtained by electrical stimulation of individual insects and venom sac dissection. Rabbit antibodies were raised to the venom ( P. apachus ) and venom sac extract ( P. exclamans ). Human antisera were obtained from patients allergic to Polistes and other vespid venoms. The venom appeared to be more potent than the venom sac preparations in reactions with rabbit IgG and human IgE antibodies. Among the Polistes species, P. exclamans , P. instablis , and P. apachus venoms showed several lines of precipitation with rabbit antisera, and P. annularis and P. fuscatus venoms only one line, suggesting quantitative or qualitative antigenic differences. In RAST analysis, most sera reacted equally to all Polistes species but occasional exceptions were noted, again suggesting differences in venom allergens. P. exclamans -coupled discs gave the most consistent results. In gel diffusion experiments, there was no crossreactivity between Polistes and yellow jacket venoms and only limited crossreactivity between Polistes and hornet venoms. Patients sensitive to Polistes venom showed varying degrees of reactivity to yellow jacket and hornet venoms in RAST analysis. Patients sensitive to other vespid venoms also showed varying degrees of sensitivity to Polistes venom. Polistes venom appears to contain a genus-unique antigen (allergen). In addition, there appear to be some crossreacting antigens in Polistes and other vespid venoms but to a much lesser degree than found previously in the analysis of the relationship of yellow jacket and hornet venoms.
Influence of Fiber Orientation and Ply Thickness on Hygroscopic Boundary-Layer Stresses in Angle-Ply Composite Laminates

The influence of fiber orientation and ply thickness on hygroscopic boundary-layer stresses in angle-ply composite laminates is studied. Based on the recently developed hygroelasticity theory for anisotropic composites, complete solutions are obtained for the hygroscopic stresses in [θ/-θ/-θ/θ] graphite-epoxy laminates with various fiber orientations and ply thicknesses. Both variables are shown to have significant effects on the develop ment of in-plane and interlaminar hygroscopic stresses. Important parameters characterizing the boundary-layer behavior such as hygroscopic edge stress singularities and stress intensity factors are presented. Hygroscopic boundary-layer widths are determined also for various cases by considering strain energy density distributions along the ply interface.
Pharmacology Training in Nurse Practitioner Programs A Comparative Analysis

The present study was designed to compare the pharmacology training of nurse practitioner programs with medical and dental progranms. In all, 73 schools in 14 states were selected Jbr the study. This sample was composed of 40 nurse practitioner programs, 19 schools of medicine, and 14 schools of dentistry. The major findings were that (1) significan t differences were found among the three sch7ool types on didactic hours spent on basic pharmacologicalprinciples, central nervous system depressants and stimulants, psychopharmacology, drug effects on the nervous system, cardiovascular agent, endocrine agents, chemotherapy, and poisons and antidotes; and (2) no statistically significant differences were found among the t ree schools in ocular pharmacology, respiratory and gastrointestinal tract agents, and drug interactions.
Event History Calendars and Question List Surveys: A Direct Comparison of Interviewing Methods

The research reported in this article provides the first direct experimental comparison between Event History Calendar (EHC; N=309; 84.4 percent response rate) and standardized state-of-the-art question list (Q-list; N=307; 84.1 percent response rate) interviewing methodologies. Respondents and 20 interviewers were randomly assigned to EHC and Q-list interviews that were conducted via telephone in the spring of 1998. All interviews asked for retrospective reports on social and economic behaviors that occurred during the calendar years of 1996 and 1997. Using data from the same respondents collected 1 year earlier on events reported during 1996 as a standard of comparison, the quality of retrospective reports on 1996 events from the 1998 administration of EHC and Q-list interviews was assessed. In comparison to the Q-list, the EHC condition led to better-quality retrospective reports on moves, income, weeks unemployed, and weeks missing work resulting from self illness, the illness of another, or missing work for these reasons in combination with other ones. For reports of household members entering the residence, and number of jobs, the EHC led to significantly more overreporting than the Q-list. Contingent on additional research that examines a wider range of reference periods and different modes of interviewing, the EHC may become a viable and potentially superior method to the Q-list in the collection of self-reported retrospective information.
Multistate Evaluation of an Ultrafiltration-Based Procedure for Simultaneous Recovery of Enteric Microbes in 100-Liter Tap Water Samples

Ultrafiltration (UF) is increasingly being recognized as a potentially effective procedure for concentrating and recovering microbes from large volumes of water and treated wastewater. Because of their very small pore sizes, UF membranes are capable of simultaneously concentrating viruses, bacteria, and parasites based on size exclusion. In this study, a UF-based water sampling procedure was used to simultaneously recover representatives of these three microbial classes seeded into 100-liter samples of tap water collected from eight cities covering six hydrologic areas of the United States. The UF-based procedure included hollow-fiber UF as the primary step for concentrating microbes and then used membrane filtration for bacterial culture assays, immunomagnetic separation for parasite recovery and quantification, and centrifugal UF for secondary concentration of viruses. Water samples were tested for nine water quality parameters to investigate whether water quality data correlated with measured recovery efficiencies and molecular detection levels. Average total method recovery efficiencies were 71, 97, 120, 110, and 91% for φX174 bacteriophage, MS2 bacteriophage, Enterococcus faecalis, Clostridium perfringens spores, and Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, respectively. Real-time PCR and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) for seeded microbes and controls indicated that tap water quality could affect the analytical performance of molecular amplification assays, although no specific water quality parameter was found to correlate with reduced PCR or RT-PCR performance.
The Benefits of Hedge Funds: Asset Allocation for the Institutional Investor

Academic and practitioner research has previously focused on the performance of various hedge fund strategies as stand-alone investments and as part of traditional stock and bond portfolios. In this article evidence is presented on the actual drivers of return of the various strategies and how traditional style-based performance analysis and asset allocation frameworks (e.g., mean/variance return/risk optimization) can be used to determine the appropriate allocation to hedge funds.
Accelerating SAT solving by common subclause elimination

Boolean SATisfiability (SAT) is an important problem in AI. SAT solvers have been effectively used in important industrial applications including automated planning and verification. In this paper, we present novel algorithms for fast SAT solving by employing two common subclause elimination (CSE) approaches. Our motivation is that modern SAT solving techniques can be more efficient on CSE-processed instances. Empirical study shows that CSE can significantly speed up SAT solving.
Discontinuous Least-Squares Spatial Discretization Schemes for the One-Dimensional Slab-Geometry Sn Equations

We derive three new linear-discontinuous least-squares discretizations for the Sn equations in one-dimensional slab geometry. Standard least-squares methods are not compatible with discontinuous tr...
Ethical Androcentrism and Maternal Substance Addiction: Concerns of a Feminist Ethicist

In this paper, I argue that bioethics suffers from a masculinist approach--what I call "ethical androcentrism." Despite the genesis of other legitimate approaches to ethics (such as feminist, narrative, and communicative ethics), this masculinist tradition persists. The first part of my paper concerns the problem of ethical androcentrism, and how it is manifest in our typical ways of "doing" bioethics (as teachers, ethicists, policymakers, and medical practitioners). After arguing that bioethics suffers from a masculinist ethic, I consider the case of maternal substance addiction to show how this ethic negatively affects the treatment of pregnant addicts. I argue that by treatment maternal substance addiction from an androcentric approach, we fail to serve both pregnant addicts and their fetuses; furthermore, we misrepresent the intentional state of pregnant substance addicts and label them "prenatal abusers." If maternal substance addiction is to be ethically addressed--and if pregnant substance addicts are to be effectively treated--we cannot tacitly accept an androcentric ethic.
Effect of Interferon on Activated Oxygen Production in Human Monocytes in Vitro : Direct Measurement of Phagosomal Activated Oxygens by a New Method Using Luminol-Binding Microspheres

We examined the effects of recombinant human interferon (IFN)-gamma, having Met-Gln at the N-terminal, on the in vitro production of phagosomal and extracellular activated oxygen species by human monocytes after phagocytosis and compared the results with those for natural human IFN-alpha and -beta. The phagosomal production was measured by a new method using luminol-binding microspheres and the extracellular production was measured by two conventional methods using luminol sulution and opsonized zymosan or yeast particles. We also examined the effect of the IFN-gamma on the phagocytic activity of human monocytes by using luminol-binding microspheres. It was found that IFN-gamma remarkably augmented both phagosomal and extracellular production of activated oxygen species after phagocytosis in a dose-dependent fashion. However, IFN-alpha and -beta had a weak effect on the phagosomal production only at the highest dose tested. The natural IFNs also augmented moderately or slightly the extracellular production stimulated by opsonized zymosan but not opsonized yeast particles. IFN-gamma augmented the phagocytic activity of human monocytes. THese results demonstrated that the human monocytes treated with the IFN-gamma actually produced a larger quantity of phagosomal activated oxygen species than those treated with the natural IFNs, and the extracellular production did not always reflect the phagosomal production.
SENSITIVITY OF THE DEPLOYMENT REPEATABILITY OF A PRECISION TELESCOPE MECHANISM

The aim of this paper is to formulate a method of calculating the repeatability of a mechanism in a highprecision structure. Mechanism repeatability consists of several different factors, including configuration and deformation of the interface, and transmission and sensitivity to load. Of these factors, the load sensitivity is the greatest factor influencing mechanism design. Two conceptual models of mechanisms are examined to determine sensitivity. The sensitivity of a precision latching mechanism is also calculated. These examples suggest: a) that improved repeatability can be achieved through increased mechanism stiffness in the direction of load perturbation and b) that the sensitivity of mechanism position to changes in load can be predicted, if the stiffness properties and load conditions are known. A suggested principal for designing mechanisms with good repeatability is achieving a sensitivity to load perturbations of one or less.
Recent Advances in Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Bypass

There have been numerous recent advances geared specifically toward the practice of pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). These advances include the development of the first oxygenator intended solely for the neonatal CPB patient; pediatric oxygenators with low prime volumes and surface areas, which allow flows up to 2 L/min; pediatric oxygenators with integrated arterial filters; and miniature ultrafiltration (UF) devices, which allow for high rates of ultrafiltrate removal. When used in combination with heart lung machines with mast-mounted pumps, these advances can result in significant decreases in CPB circuit surface areas and prime volumes. This may attenuate CPB-associated hemodilution and decrease or eliminate the need for homologous red blood cells during or after CPB. In addition to these equipment-related advances, changes in myocardial protection strategies and the technique of modified UF as it relates to these advances are discussed.
Relationship between knowledge level of AIDS and route of information communication among female sexual workers

[Objective]To analyze the relationship between knowledge level of AIDS and route of knowledge acquired in order to find some effective methods to transmit knowledge in female sexual workers(FSWs).[Methods]A total of 3 528 FSWs were surveyed with questionnaire,and data collected was analyzed by correlation analysis,ANOVA and multiple linear regression were used to compare the effect of different routes of knowledge acquired.[Results]The average score of knowledge was 19.93 ± 6.187,the most common(69.5%) FSWs acquired knowledge through television and broadcast,the next was health information propaganda column(53.5%);the correlation coefficients between knowledge score and the school curriculum,health books was 0.258 and 0.156 respectively,and the standard regression coefficients of these 2 routes was bigger than others;the outcome of regression analysis showed that the school curriculum,health books,relatives education,newspaper and magazine and health information propaganda column were the main factors influencing knowledge scores;the positive correlation coefficient between knowledge score and route score was 0.197.[Conclusion]The school curriculum,health books,relatives education,newspaper or magazine and health information propaganda column are appropriate to transmit knowledge about AIDS among FSWs,and it is better to combine these different routes of information communication.
Statins and vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis

Abnormal proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a crucial role in athermatous plaque formation and restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Statins are effective in reducing serum cholesterol levels as well as other lipid-unrelated changes, e.g.,inhibition of the proliferation and migration of VSMCs to induce apoptosis.Apoptosis of VMSCs in media adjacent to atherosclerotic lesions may contribute to fibrous cap weakening,thereby leading to plaque unstabilization and clinical adverse events.Some studies suggested that statins stabilize the plaques and are more active against neointima VSMCs than media VSMCs.Thus,statin-induced apopto- sis of the neointima VSMCs may have beneficial effects on prevention of restenosis after PCI.Further studies on the possible mechanisms and rationale for clinical application are essential.
DYNAMIC ESTIMATION OF GEOMECHANICAL PARAMETERS VIA ENSEMBLE KALMAN FILTER COUPLED WITH NUMERICAL ANALYSIS

With respect to the uncertainty process,the ensemble Kalman filter(EnKF) is introduced,the geomechanical deformation is treated as a dynamic stochastic system,and the displacement observation is looked as the output to describe the state of system with ensemble Kalmen filter. Furthermore,it is coupled with numerical modeling to cope with the uncertainty. Thus,the dynamical estimation of geomechanical parameters is performed,the parameter and its uncertainty are simultaneously obtained. The numerical examples show that the can effectively deal with the measured data polluted by noise,and can dynamically tract with the mechanical response of rock/soil mass. Compared with the conventional optimization algorithm,the EnKF shows the better character of real time and reliability because it can provide the inversion results and the posteriori distribution of the priori information together.
A One Health Approach to Influenza Pandemics

Controlling influenza pandemics requires extensive scientific research, both in the laboratory and in the field. Focusing on the experience with influenza A H1N1, H5N1 and H7N9, this chapter sets out a historical framework for implementing the One Health paradigm within the context of interspecies medicine. Effective control and eradication of influenza viruses requires extensive surveillance, improved biosecurity, improved detection devices, new vaccines and monitoring.