cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Growth of geologic fractures into large-strain populations: review of nomenclature, subcritical crack growth, and some implications for rock engineering

Abstract Several aspects of fracture arrays are reviewed briefly and discussed. The terminology applied to progressive or multi-stage brittle deformation in rock masses is improved by noting fundamental mechanical differences in fracture type and the kinematic coupling between dilatant mixed-mode crack displacements and wing cracks developed at the fracture tips. An array of initially mixed-mode (I–II) cracks will evolve under remote tensile least principal stress and with increasing strain to a dilatant, mode-I crack array oriented approximately perpendicular to the remote tensile stress. This progressive fracture growth thus defeats predictions of fracture-set orientation and displacement based only on a Mohr circle estimate of initial elastic stress (valid in the rock mass only at the earliest stages of fracture nucleation). Slow, subcritical crack growth in rock is associated with distinctive changes in fracture population geometry, as shown by published numerical simulations of fracture–network evolution. An increase in the stress corrosion index promotes joint clustering and significant changes in joint length–frequency that may lead to characteristic differences in the statistics of large-strain fracture populations. These geometric clues can be used to refine estimates of strength and deformability of rock masses and to infer classes of physico-chemical processes acting at the fracture tips during the development of the fracture population.
Effect of molecular structure on polyethylene melt rheology. III. Effects of long-chain branching and of temperature on melt elasticity in shear

The effects of long-chain branching and of temperature on the melt elasticity in shear of polyethylene were investigated using die swell measurements and relating them to recoverable shear strain, normal stress, and shear modulus. Die swell measurements, as a function of shear rate, were obtained for high- and low-density polyethylenes at temperatures ranging from 130° to 225°C. The samples were characterized by GPC and intrinsic viscosity for molecular weight distributions and degrees of long-chain branching. The importance of annealing the extrudates at temperatures above the polymer melting temperature to achieve equilibrium, or strain-free, values of die swell was demonstrated. The effect of long-chain branch was to decrease elastic deformation. At constant shear stress, the melt elasticity of both high- and low-density polyethylene was found to be essentially independent of temperature. Thus, at constant shear rate, elastic deformation decreased with increasing temperature, and it was demonstrated that this decrease could be quantitatively defined in terms of previously determined shear rate–temperature viscosity superposition shift factors.
A negative test of the drive-reduction hypothesis

Abstract A major deduction of the drive-reduction hypothesis of reinforcement was tested. A light which follows the termination of a shock coincides with a condition of drive or need reduction. If drive reduction is a sufficient condition for reinforcement, then the light should become a secondary reinforcing agent by virtue of its association with the drive-reduction event. If it becomes a secondary reinforcing agent, it should be able to reinforce an instrumental act. This sequence of deductions was tested by placing rats in a stock, giving them a brief shock upon the termination of which a light was flashed for one second. After sixty such pairings, subjects were then placed in a Skinner box under operant test conditions; when they pressed the bar a light flashed on. Animals subjected to this training programme were compared for rate of bar pressing with animals subjected to a variety of control conditions. No significant differences were found among the groups, and it was concluded that in so far as t...
Adjustment of a Net Income Function for Opportunity Cost of Postponed Replacement on a Lactation Basis

Abstract Opportunity cost of postponed replacement is the income forfeited by keeping a cow an additional lactation and is estimated by the income produced by an average replacement. We studied the effect of refining estimated net income by calculation of an opportunity cost for each lactation. After edits, the data consisted of records for 2,982,001 Holstein cows from herds classified between 1983 and 1992. Prediction factors were developed for net income and herd life so that opportunity cost could be estimated from cows with shorter herd-life opportunities. Within-herd correlations of net income estimated from 84 mo of opportunity for herd life compared with that predicted from cows alive at 36, 48, 60, and 72 mo were .46, .59, .72, and .76, respectively. Corresponding correlations for predicted herd life totals at the same ages were .28, .36, .41. and .47. Opportunity costs that were specific to lactation-herd-year were $35 higher than opportunity cost from first freshening to all lactations for 84 mo of opportunity. Higher costs reflect phenotypic trends of $31 more net income over 13 fewer d of herd life for cows with 84 mo of herd-life opportunity. Accurate adjustment of net income totals for opportunity cost is necessary when economic weights are developed for traits in the aggregate genotype.
OBRA '87: Has It Resulted in Positive Change in Nursing Homes?

This study examines perspectives of a broad group of nursing home employees, regulators, advocates, and professional associations to describe progress made since the 1990 implementation of the Nursing Home Reform legislation (OBRA '87) and to determine whether the legislation is perceived as effecting positive change for nursing home residents. Interviews were conducted with 132 professional and non-professional staff in six states and 56 residents. Important issues about nursing home staffing and quality of care are explored. In general, OBRA '87 is viewed as positive, with all groups of respondents indicating that nursing staff or quality have not deteriorated; administrators, licensed nurses, and certified nursing assistants indicate the quality of nursing care provided and the nursing staff levels have improved since OBRA '87 implementation. Regulators agree that quality of nursing care has improved, but nursing home advocates, regulators, and professional association staff indicate mostly no change or no opinion. There is a danger in interpreting that quality and staffing are adequate from these results. While both may have improved, they may not be adequate.
Persistence of Steinernema carpocapsae and S. glaseri (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) as Measured by Their Control of Black Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Larvae in Bentgras

A field study was done to evaluate persistence of the entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) and S. glaseri (Steiner) in controlling black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), larvae in creeping bentgrass, Agrostis palustris Hudson. Bentgrass plots were baited with black cutworms on several dates following nematode application. Mortality of black cutworms in plots treated with nematodes was significantly greater than in untreated plots at 1 d after treatment. S. carpocapsae provided a slightly higher level of black cutworm control than S. glaseri. Persistence of nematodes was lost 8 d after nematode application in the field. Laboratory bioassays with black cutworm and greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella (L.), larvae using soil cores extracted from field plots confirmed field results. The nematode’s ability to recycle in an insect cadaver and reinfest a newly introduced insect host was not observed in this study.
CO2 laser induced sparks in molecular gases

Abstract A halo of fluorescence surrounding sparks produced in gases such as SiF 4 , CF 4 , BF 3 , CCl 2 F 2 , and hydrocarbons by the output of a TEA CO 2 laser, has been investigated. It is concluded that the fluorescence results from molecular dissociation at the plasma—neutral gas boundary.
EMDR: Why the controversy?

Eye-movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been widely supported in the literature for its effectiveness in treating Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a variety of other diagnoses and symptoms. The variable findings regarding whether its effects are for reasons unique to this treatment, however, have become the focus of extensive discussion and debate. The following article reviews the studies targeting this question, and proceeds to consider why these studies’ findings, and other findings in the EMDR literature, vary so vastly. Implications of the EMDR controversy for the process of psychological research at large are considered.
Antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected infants: progress and pitfalls.

Objective: To assess the feasibility and impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) started in vertically HIV-1-infected infants less than 3 months of age. Design: A multicentre, phase I/II, non-randomized, open-label study (PENTA 7). Methods: Adverse events, plasma HIV-1 RNA, CD4 cell counts, CD4 cell percentage (CD4%) and clinical progression were recorded at baseline and prospectively to 72 weeks in order to assess the toxicity, tolerability and efficacy of a combination of stavudine, didanosine and nelfinavir. Selection of genotypic resistance was also investigated. Results: Twenty infants, of whom only three had Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stage B, initiated HAART at median age 2.5 months (range, 0.9-4.7) with median HIV-1 RNA concentration 5.5 log 10 copies/ml (range, 3.2-6.8) and CD4% 33% (range, 11-66). Median follow-up was 96 weeks (range, 60-144). At week 72, 11 infants were still taking the original treatment. Few adverse events were reported related to treatment, all minor and causing treatment interruption in only three infants. No AIDS-defining events occurred; one child died of non-HIV-related causes (prematurity). All but two had CD4% > 25% at 72 weeks; however, 14 infants had virological failure and six acquired resistance mutations. Conclusions: Early treatment with stavudine, didanosine and nelfinavir was well tolerated and associated with good clinical and immunological outcomes at week 72. However, a high rate of virological failure with emergence of genotypic resistance is of great concern. More palatable drug combinations for infants and closer drug monitoring are required.
Structure of maltoheptaose by difference Fourier methods and a model for glycogen

Abstract The structure of the glucose heptamer, maltoheptaose, has been determined by difference Fourier analysis at 0.25 nm resolution through its binding to phosphorylase a . It is a left-handed helical structure, with 6.5 glucose residues per turn and a rise per residue of 2.4 A. The molecule shows short-range order when no protein is present to stabilize its conformation in solution. With one exception, the individual torsion angles between sugar residues vary over a narrow range and preserve a good O (2) O (3′) hydrogen bond. The length of an individual chain for glycogen can be extrapolated from the maltoheptaose data and agrees well with the size for glycogen predicted by the Whelan model.
ANTERIOR/POSTERIOR INFLUENCES ON NEURAL CREST-DERIVED PIGMENT CELL DIFFERENTIATION

The neural crest of vertebrate embryos has been used to elucidate steps involved in early embryonic cellular processes such as differentiation and migration. Neural crest cells form a ridge along the dorsal midline and subsequently they migrate throughout the embryo and differentiate into a wide variety of cell types. Intrinsic factors and environmental cues distributed along the neural tube, along the migratory pathways, and/or at the location of arrest influence the fate of neural crest cells. Although premigratory cells of the cranial and trunk neural crest exhibit differences in their differentiation potentials, premigratory trunk neural crest cells are generally assumed to have equivalent developmental potentials. Axolotl neural crest cells from different regions of origin, different stages of development, and challenged with different culture media have been analyzed for differentiation preferences pertaining to the pigment cell lineages. We report region-dependent differentiation of chromatophores from trunk neural crest at two developmental stages. Also, dosage with guanosine produces region-specific influences on the production of xanthophores from wild-type embryos. Our results support the hypothesis that spatial and temporal differences among premigratory trunk neural crest cells found along the anteroposterior axis influence developmental potentials and diminish the equivalency of axolotl neural crest cells.
Giant flexoelectricity in polyvinylidene fluoride films

Abstract Recent studies have shown that giant flexoelectricity may exist in certain elastomers with bent-core molecular structures, which contradicts the previous theoretical estimation that the flexoelectric coupling is small in those materials. In this Letter, we report an analogous phenomenon, i.e., the giant direct flexoelectric effect, observed in a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film. Our experimental studies indicate that such an enhanced flexoelectric effect might be induced by the interaction between the energy couplings of the apolar and the polar molecular structures of the polymer film under elastic deformation.
How rational we

How rational people are is a question of interest to social sciences, public policy, and all educated persons. The answer depends, in part, on how widely or narrowly one defines the term. Wide definitions tend to make the term tautological. By narrow definitions, the recent evidence that people act rationally is not overwhelming and evidence that they frequently act on impulse or out of habit, considerable. This points to a binary approach, one that will take into account both kinds of behavior. The specific ways the two approaches may be combined are beginning to be discerned.
Packetization of JPEG2000 codestreams

We introduce techniques that improve the error resilience of JPEG2000 against packet losses. The presented methods operate on JPEG2000 codestreams and consider the properties of different codestream segments. Experiments indicate that error resilience of JPEG2000 codestreams against packet losses can be improved significantly using these techniques. The performance of the proposed methods compares favorably with existing algorithms.
Reconditioning of extinguished fear after a one-year delay

After fear-conditioning (light-shock) trials in one side of a two-compartment apparatus, subjects learned in the absence of shock to jump a hurdle to the other (safe) side, thereby escaping the fear-eliciting stimuli. Speed of hurdle jumping increased to a maximum and then gradually decreased until a strict extinction criterion was reached. Then a single reconditioning trial led to the reemergence of hurdle jumping. Speed of responding was at a high level immediately and then gradually declined until the extinction criterion was met once again. One year later, without further fear conditioning, 2 of the subjects were given hurdle-jumping training until responding ceased. The subsequent administration of one fear-reconditioning trial led to an immediate recovery of rapid hurdle jumping followed by a gradual decrease in speed, just as had occurred a year before. These findings demonstrate that the reconditioning effects may be observed when a year has elapsed since original conditioning.
Interaction of the Integrin β1 Cytoplasmic Domain with ICAP-1 Protein

Abstract In a yeast two-hybrid screen, a protein named ICAP-1 (β1 integrin cytoplasmic domain associated protein) associated with the integrin β1 cytoplasmic tail but not with tails from three other integrin β subunits (β2, β3, and β5) or from seven different α subunits. Likewise in human cells, ICAP-1 associated specifically with the β1 but not β2, β3, or β5 tails. The carboxyl-terminal 14 amino acids of β1 were critical for ICAP-1 interaction. ICAP-1 is a ubiquitously expressed protein of 27 and 31 kDa, with the smaller form being preferentially solubilized by Triton X-100. Phosphorylation of both 27- and 31-kDa forms was constitutive but was increased by 1.5–2-fold upon cell spreading on fibronectin, compared with poly-l-lysine. Also, ICAP-1 contributes to β1 integrin-dependent migration because (i) ICAP-1 transfection markedly increased chemotactic migration of COS7 cells through fibronectin-coated but not vitronectin-coated porous filters, and (ii) support of β1-dependent cell migration (in Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with various wild type and mutant β1 forms) correlated with ICAP-1 association. In summary, ICAP-1 (i) associates specifically with β1 integrins, (ii) is phosphorylated upon β1 integrin-mediated adhesion, and (iii) may regulate β1-dependent cell migration.
Spectra of porphyrins

Abstract The review opens by presenting the absorption spectra for three series of porphyrins derived from the basic skeleton: (a) compounds obtained by simple substitution; (b) compounds obtained by reduction of one or more pyrrole rings; and (c) compounds obtained from fusion of aromatic rings onto the basic skeleton. The spectra are discussed in terms of a four orbital model—that is intensity changes and energy shifts are related to the properties of two top filled and two lowest empty pi orbitals. Emission spectra of metal porphyrins are then discussed, three metal series being distinguished: (1) In closed shell metals, the continuous enhancement of phosphorescence at the expense of fluorescence is attributed to spin-orbit coupling. (2) In paramagnetic metals, observed effects are attributed to the existence of a state at the same energy as the usual triplet but with multiplicity the same as the ground state; its intensity is ascribed to exchange interactions. (3) In diamagnetic metals with unfilled d shells, peculiar emission properties are attributed to enhanced spin orbit coupling due to low lying metal triplets. The review closes by discussing n-π transitions and triplet-triplet spectra.
Turbulence Effect on Slope Stability of an Earthen Levee Strengthened by HPTRM Under Overtopping Conditions

It is important to evaluate the slope stability of levees during the hurricane overtopping involving storm surge and wind generated wave conditions. The effect of turbulence on the slope stability of an earthen levee strengthened by high performance turf reinforcement mat is investigated in this study for the cases including storm surge, wave overtopping, and combined storm surge and wave overtopping conditions. The turbulence is treated as a random shear force starting from the front of the crest and moving to the toe of the landside of the earthen levee. In addition, the shear stress produced by the wave is also considered. The results show that turbulence has strong influence on the slope stability in the storm surge and combined storm surge and wave overtopping conditions. It is found that the peak turbulent force has much stronger effect on the factor of safety than the peak wave force in the case of a small peak wave force.
Comments on stratospheric dust

Recently, two separately observed enhancements of stratospheric dust concentrations have been detected by Kinsell Coulson and Thomas Defoor with ruby lidar and sun photometers at the NOAA Geophysical Monitoring for Climatic Change (GMCC) Observatory on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. The popular press has referred to the two episodes as the ‘mystery cloud’ (the source of the dust has not been definitively identified but is presumed to be volcanic) and the ‘monster cloud.’ Representative highlights of the observations at Mauna Loa are given here. The figure shows plots of stratospheric dust profiles as the ratio of (Rayleigh + Mie)/Rayleigh scattering observed by lidar. The bottom plot (a) represents data from December 30, 1981, showing a rather clean stratosphere but with some dust above 18 km. The middle plot (b) shows the first lidar observation of the ‘mystery cloud’ on January 28, 1982. The upper plot (c) shows the first lidar observation of the ‘monster cloud’ on April 9, 1982. Note the different ordinate scale on this plot. Other observations at Mauna Loa suggest that both clouds were over Hawaii several days before being positively detected by lidar.
A reassessment of the D.C. gun law : Some cautionary notes on the use of interrupted time series designs for policy impact assessment

Interrupted time series designs are commonly used to assess the impact of gun control legislation, as well as other legal and policy changes. Three common problems in the use of these designs — (1) selection of an appropriate control series, (2) specification of the intervention model, and (S) specification of the time series studied — raise questions about the validity of the conclusions reached in research on the impact of gun control. We illustrate these problems with a critical reassessment of Lofrin et al.'s (1991) evaluation of the 1976 District of Columbia Gun Law. We then use monthly homicide data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Center for Health Statistics to illustrate how careful consideration of these three design issues results in a significantly different conclusion about the effectiveness of the District of Columbia Gun Law. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3053963
Genomic and cDNA structures of the gene encoding the chicken ZF5 DNA binding protein

Genomic and cDNA clones encoding the chicken ZF5 transcription factor were isolated and sequenced. Conceptual translation of the cDNAs indicates that chicken ZF5 has five zinc fingers at its C-terminal end and a POZ/BTB protein-interaction domain at its N-terminal end. These two functional domains are more than 99% identical in amino acid sequence between the chicken and mouse proteins, whereas the region separating the POZ/BTB and DNA binding domains is only 74% identical. The entire 458 amino acid open reading frame is contained within a single exon, except for the initiator methionine codon which alone is supplied from an upstream exon by mRNA splicing.
Excretion and toxicity of gold-iron nanoparticles.

Abstract Though gold nanoparticles have been considered bio-inert, recent studies have questioned their safety. To reduce the potential for toxicity, we developed a nanoclustering of gold and iron oxide as a nanoparticle (nanorose) which biodegrades into subunits to facilitate rapid excretion. In this present study, we demonstrate acid and macrophage lysosomal degradation of nanorose via loss of the near-infrared optical shift, and clearance of the nanorose in vivo following i.v. administration in C57BL/6 mice by showing gold concentration is significantly reduced in 11 murine tissues in as little as 31days ( P From the Clinical Editor The potential toxicity of nanomaterials is a critically important limiting factor in their more widespread clinical application. Gold nanoparticles have been classically considered bio-inert, but recent studies have questioned their safety. The authors of this study have developed a clustering gold and iron oxide nanoparticle (nanorose), which biodegrades into subunits to facilitate rapid excretion, resulting in reduced toxicity.
Transport pathways for clearance of human Alzheimer's amyloid β-peptide and apolipoproteins E and J in the mouse central nervous system

Amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) clearance from the central nervous system (CNS) maintains its low levels in brain. In Alzheimer's disease, Abeta accumulates in brain possibly because of its faulty CNS clearance and a deficient efflux across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). By using human-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, we measured a rapid 30 mins efflux at the BBB and transport via the interstitial fluid (ISF) bulk flow of human-unlabeled Abeta and of Abeta transport proteins, apolipoprotein E (apoE) and apoJ in mice. We show (i) Abeta40 is cleared rapidly across the BBB via low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP)1 at a rate of 0.21 pmol/min g ISF or 6-fold faster than via the ISF flow; (ii) Abeta42 is removed across the BBB at a rate 1.9-fold slower compared with Abeta40; (iii) apoE, lipid-poor isoform 3, is cleared slowly via the ISF flow and across the BBB (0.03-0.04 pmol/min g ISF), and after lipidation its transport at the BBB becomes barely detectable within 30 mins; (iv) apoJ is eliminated rapidly across the BBB (0.16 pmol/min g ISF) via LRP2. Clearance rates of unlabeled and corresponding 125I-labeled Abeta and apolipoproteins were almost identical, but could not be measured at low physiologic levels by mass spectrometry. Amyloid beta-peptide 40 binding to apoE3 reduced its efflux rate at the BBB by 5.7-fold, whereas Abeta42 binding to apoJ enhanced Abeta42 BBB clearance rate by 83%. Thus, Abeta, apoE, and apoJ are cleared from brain by different transport pathways, and apoE and apoJ may critically modify Abeta clearance at the BBB.
Exposures of Homarus americanus Shell to Three Bacteria Isolated from Naturally Occurring Epizootic Shell Disease Lesions

ABSTRACT Epizootic shell disease (ESD) is an emerging form of shell disease of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) that has had detrimental effects on the fishery in southern New England. Three bacteria commonly isolated from lesions of wild lobsters with ESD—a novel Aquimarina sp. (A. ‘homaria’ I32.4), a novel Rhodobacteraceae species (‘Thalassobius’ sp. I31.1) and a Pseudoalteromonas sp. (Pseudoalteromonas ‘gracilis’ ISA7.3)—were applied directly to normal and abraded juvenile lobster carapaces, and then monitored for persistence over time and for the development of shell-disease lesions at 3 different temperatures (10°C, 15°C, and 20°C). Without abrasion of the carapace, no lesions developed in the exposures. After abrasion and exposure with a pure culture of A. ‘homaria’ I32.4, lesions developed at all 3 temperature and A. ‘homaria’ was detected in the lesions of all animals tested. Surprisingly, ‘Thalassobius’ sp. I31.1 also colonized these lesions. A coexposure with all 3 bacteria also demonst...
Hydrogen absorption in Th(Ni, Al)5 ternaries

Abstract Hydrogen absorption in the system ThNi5−xAlx (x = 0 − 3) was studied. It was observed that ThNi4Al and ThNi3Al2 absorb hydrogen extensively (to ThNi4AlH2.5 and ThNi3Al2H2.7) whereas ThNi5 and ThNi2Al3 are essentially inert to hydrogen at pressures up to 100 atm. The theory of Miedema accounts for the behavior of the alloys with x = 0,1 and 2 but not for the behavior of ThNi2Al3. Results for the latter suggest that the presence of Ni in the 3g sites is necessary for hydrogen absorption. Some suggestions are offered as to why this may be necessary.
Performance analysis of mobile backbone topology synthesis algorithm for wireless ad hoc networks

In this paper, we present a scalable fully distributed version of a mobile backbone network topology synthesis algorithm (MBN-TSA) for constructing and maintaining a dynamic backbone in mobile wireless ad hoc networks. The following features induce the key advantages offered by the algorithm: a. The MBN-TSA algorithm presented here is designed to adapt to realistic behavior of wireless environment. The backbone layout is dynamically formed and locally modified. b. A control mechanism, employing the BN/spl I.bar/Neighbor/spl I.bar/Limit threshold as a key parameter, is introduced to improve the stability of the MBN structure. c. Analytical results show that the MBN-TSA has very little control overhead: time complexity of the order of O(1) and message complexity of the order of O(1) per node. By carrying out extensive simulations, we demonstrate the performance features of the MBN-TSA and the throughput improvement using our on-demand MBN based protocol when compared to AODV.
Income inequality in tourism services-dependent counties

Income inequality has been increasing across the USA, but little is known about income inequality in tourism services-dependent counties. Using data from the 1990 and 2000 US Population and Housing Census, this study examines the patterns and trends of income inequality for tourism services-dependent counties. The analysis reveals that in the US tourism services-dependent counties have greater income inequality than non-tourism services-dependent counties. Furthermore, inequality has increased faster in tourism services-dependent counties than for the nation as a whole. Among tourism services-dependent counties, ski resort, coastal ocean resort, and South Appalachian mountain resort counties manifest the highest income inequality. In contrast, income inequality of northwoods lakes/second home areas and northeast mountains/lakes/second home areas is relatively low. The need for additional research on economic inequality in tourism services-dependent areas is also discussed.
Rebuttal to “comments on ‘some evidence against the existence of the liquid–liquid transition. III. The evaluation of the TLL event by differential scanning calorimetry’ ”

It is proposed here that readily observable viscous deformation is the common underlying phenomenon which is reflected in several kinds of evidence advanced for the existence of a liquid–liquid transition TLL. These include flow temperature Tf measurements, microscope hotstage coalescence, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. A DSC peak observed at Tg in high-molecular-weight bulk-polymerized poly(methyl methacrylate) is discussed in terms of the presence of conformations of low entropy.
Neural Basis of a Pollinator’s Buffet: Olfactory Specialization and Learning in Manduca sexta

Pollinators exhibit a range of innate and learned behaviors that mediate interactions with flowers, but the olfactory bases of these responses in a naturalistic context remain poorly understood. The hawkmoth Manduca sexta is an important pollinator for many night-blooming flowers but can learn—through olfactory conditioning—to visit other nectar resources. Analysis of the flowers that are innately attractive to moths shows that the scents all have converged on a similar chemical profile that, in turn, is uniquely represented in the moth‘s antennal (olfactory) lobe. Flexibility in visitation to nonattractive flowers, however, is mediated by octopamine-associated modulation of antennal-lobe neurons during learning. Furthermore, this flexibility does not extinguish the innate preferences. Such processing of stimuli through two olfactory channels, one involving an innate bias and the other a learned association, allows the moths to exist within a dynamic floral environment while maintaining specialized associations.
Growth of a Bacterium that Apparently Uses Arsenic Instead of Phosphorus is a Consequence of Massive Ribosome Breakdown

A recent study (Wolfe-Simon, F., Switzer Blum, J., Kulp, T. R., Gordon, G. W., Hoeft, S. E., Pett-Ridge, J., Stolz, J. F., Webb, S. M., Weber, P. K., Davies, P. C., Anbar, A. D., and Oremland, R. S. (2011) Science 332, 1163–1166) described the isolation of a special bacterial strain, GFAJ-1, that could grow in medium containing arsenate, but lacking phosphate, and that supposedly could substitute arsenic for phosphorus in its biological macromolecules. Here, we provide an alternative explanation for these observations and show that they can be reproduced in a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli. We find that arsenate induces massive ribosome degradation, which provides a source of phosphate. A small number of arsenate-tolerant cells arise during the long lag period prior to initiation of growth in +As/−P medium, and it is this population that undergoes the very slow, limited growth observed for both E. coli and GFAJ-1. These results provide a simple explanation for the reported growth of GFAJ-1 in arsenate without invoking replacement of phosphorus by arsenic in biological macromolecules.
Radiologic findings in acute urinary tract obstruction

Acute urinary tract obstruction, a common disease in daily practice, often requires performance of emergency intravenous urography (IVU). However, the spectrum of urographic abnormalities seen with acute obstruction has not been thoroughly addressed. The purpose of this study was to explore the IVU findings in patients with acute urinary tract obstruction. Records of 380 patients who underwent IVU in our hospital during a 6-mo period were reviewed for IVU evidence of acute urinary tract obstruction. Of the 380 patients, 53 (14%; 39 men, 14 women; average age = 43 yr) had acute urinary tract obstruction. All obstructions except one were located in the lower one-third of the ureter. The causes of acute urinary obstruction included ureteral stones in 34 (64%), ureteral edema or lucent stones in 16 (30%), neoplasms in 2 (4%), and inflammatory disease in 1 (2%). Abnormal radiologic findings were hydroureter in 46, nephropyelographic delay in 36, hydronephrosis in 35, interureteric ridge edema in 11, persistent dense nephrogram in 6, urine extravasation in 5, vicarious excretion in 1, striation in 1, and stricture in 1. Radiographic results were normal in one patient. The most common clinical indications of acute ureteral obstruction are flank pain and hematuria, and calculi are the major cause. In one-third of patients, radiopaque calculi are not detectable with IVU during acute urinary tract obstruction. A careful and thorough evaluation of the IVU should be performed in patients with clinical indications of acute urinary obstruction.
Concatemerization and packaging of bacteriophage T7 DNA in vitro: determination of the concatemers' length and appearance kinetics by use of rotating gel electrophoresis

During its morphogenesis both in intact infected cells (in vivo) and in lysates of infected cells (in vitro), bacteriophage T7 forms end-to-end concatemers of its mature DNA, a linear, nonpermuted, terminally repetitious DNA. During morphogenesis, in vivo T7 concatemers are packaged in preformed capsids and cut to mature size. In the present study the lengths and appearance kinetics of concatemers formed in vitro from mature T7 DNA have been determined. The following procedures are used here for the first time: (a) 20-35% efficient in vitro concatemerization and packaging of T7 DNA; the mixture used for packaging contained two lysates that together had all T7 gene products, and (b) fractionation of concatemers by rotating gel electrophorsis (RGE), which improves the resolution by length of concatemer-length DNA. Concatemerization at 30 degrees was so fast that some other process must be rate limiting for packaging. The concatemers formed were linear and joined left-end to right-end by complementary base pairing, not by blunt-end ligation. Concatemers formed at 30 degrees were reconverted to mature DNA by packaging in vitro. Reducing the temperature to 0 degrees both slowed concatemerization to the time scale (minutes) needed for control of the extent of concatemerization and reduced packaging to insignificant levels, thereby also uncoupling packaging from concatemerization. At both 30 degrees and 0 degrees bands of discrete-length concatemers were observed by RGE. The lengths were n times the length of mature T7 DNA; n was found to be any integer from 2 to 15. The bands were stronger at 0 degrees than they were at 30 degrees in comparison to a background of heterogeneous DNA. No evidence for the favoring of any value of n was found. In addition, it was found by two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis that a comparatively small amount of circular DNA was produced in vitro.
The limits of Pan-Americanism: the case of the failed 1942 Pan-American Games

Although there had been suggestions to organise Pan-American Games as early as the 1910s, it was during the 1930s that such an event became a certain possibility. The cancellation of the 1940 Olympics due to the Second World War prompted sport officials in different countries of the Americas to vie for the organisation of a hemispheric festival to compensate for the temporal loss of the Olympic gathering. This article studies the failed attempt to organise Pan-American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1942. In doing so, it situates the efforts of Argentine sport leaders within the structure of international sport, the rhetoric of Pan-Americanism and the complex dynamics of US-Argentine relations. The story of the failed 1942 Pan-American Games embodies and represents the limits of Pan-Americanism in the 1940s. It also reveals that these limits would be redefined, in an ironic way, in 1951, when Pan-Americanism through sport was finally made possible at the inaugural Pan-American Games held in Buenos A...
In situ TEM study of Au–Cu alloy nanoparticle migration and coalescence

The diffusion and coalescence of Au–Cu alloy nanoparticles was studied at high magnification using in situ transmission electron microscopy. The particles prepared by physical vapor deposition onto amorphous-C support films had an average composition of Cu–43 at% Au and diameters of 15–50 nm. In the case analyzed, the larger of two nanoparticles remained stationary throughout the coalescence process while a smaller nanoparticle moved toward the larger particle at a temperature of ~573 K. The surface of the small nanoparticle was observed to fluctuate while approaching the larger particle, demonstrating that collective atom process occurs along the particle periphery. The particle also decreased in size during the process, indicating that it was losing mass as well as migrating. Direct evidence of a diffusional flux between particles was observed before the coalescence process. The small nanoparticle coalesced into the large one at a highly accelerated rate compared to its prior migration.
Wave exposure and prey size selection in an intertidal predator

Effects of wave action on feeding rates and prey size selection of the intertidal snail Stramonita (= Thais) haemastoma (L.) common along the Louisiana shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico were studied. In laboratory wave simulators, numbers of oysters eaten and tissue mass consumed were reduced in comparison to controls, but size of prey selected was not affected. Handling times for and profits (g dry tissue/handling time) did not differ between oysters in wave simulators and control aquaria. Over both treatments, smaller oysters had shorter handling times but similar profits as large oysters. In field cage experiments at two exposed and two protected sites, wave exposure actually increased the number of oysters eaten, but not total tissue consumption. Electivity indices suggested this was because snails at exposed sites chose smaller prey. Thus, under laboratory conditions with continuous wave disturbance, feeding rates were reduced, but under variable field conditions snails maintained similar tissue consumption and possibly lowered risk of dislodgement by switching to smaller prey with shorter handling times. Although oyster and barnacle prey were more abundant at an exposed site, snails were significantly smaller than those at a protected site. Along with field results, these data suggest that neither decreased energy intake nor fewer available prey account for smaller predator size at the exposed site. Changes in intertidal predator foraging behavior caused by wave action and the role of prey size vs. profit may affect average predator size and the impact on prey populations.
Another view of conservation genetics

The crisis in species endangerment and extinction continues and all the tools available to identify and overcome the causes of species decline should be used. Obviously, when non-native species, extreme killing and habitat destruction by humans, and so on are the causes, then all efforts should be focused on their control. However, there are an increasing number of instances in which all members of a species are in captivity or there is only one, or a few small wild populations; in such cases, genetic and evolutionary approaches are essential considerations until the causes of decline are overcome and the population numbers have increased [1].
Wideband Near-Field Data Transmission Using Pulse Harmonic Modulation

This paper introduces a new modulation technique, called pulse harmonic modulation (PHM), for wideband, low power data transmission across inductive telemetry links that operate in the near-field domain. The use of sharp and narrow pulses, similar to impulse-radio ultrawideband (IR-UWB) in the far-field domain, leads to significant reduction in the transmitter power consumption. However unlike IR-UWB, where all pulses are the same, in PHM each bit consists of a pattern of pulses with specific time delays and amplitudes, which minimize the intersymbol interference (ISI) across the receiver coil. This helps achieve a high data rate without reducing the inductive link quality factor and selectivity, which are necessary to block interferers. The received signal consists of an oscillation pattern that is amplitude modulated by the amplitude and timing of the successively transmitted pulses to facilitate data demodulation with low bit-error rate (BER). The main application of the PHM is expected to be in the neuroprostheses, such as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) or cochlear/retinal implants, which need to transfer large volumes of data across the skin. It may also be used in short-range proximity-based digital communications with high-throughput wireless devices. This paper describes the PHM theoretical foundation and demonstrates its operation with a proof-of-concept prototype setup, which achieves a data rate of 5.2 Mbps at 1 cm coil separation with a BER of 10- 6 .
AccessEmergency Medicine: A Review

AccessEmergency Medicine from McGraw-Hill is designed to meet the needs of emergency departments with quick information to aid in diagnosing and treating Emergency Department (ED) complaints. Students, clinical instructors, and residents will also find the resource's self-study components and textbooks useful. The resource also contains both live and animated videos of common procedures, cases, a large image library, drug information, and patient education materials.
Dynamical Processes on Desert Pavements and the Healing of Surficial Disturbances

Mature desert pavements are traditionally regarded as hallmarks of stability, but their stability is dynamic, not static. In a study aimed at documenting this dynamic stability and its role in healing surface disturbances, experiments were performed over a 5-yr period on small cleared patches, or plats, on pavement surfaces in Panamint Valley, California. These experiments show that stones from plat edges begin to resurface the clearing at rates of about 1% per year on 40-cm-square plats and 10% per year on 10-cm-square plats. Stones contributing to the regenerated pavement have smaller average diameters than stones on the surrounding pavement. Cavities 5–10 cm deep, formed in mature pavement by removal of embedded boulders, fill by ravel and slope failure. After five years, cavity depth has been reduced by as much as 60%. Forty-year-old boulder cavities are nearly completely refilled and have been repaved by smaller than average pavement stones. Gaps caused by removal of small stones (2–3 cm) have completely healed in 5 yr. Displacement of surface stones by small animals is a major component of the healing process.
Thermogravimetry of the analytical precipitates M2Pb[Co(NO2)6] AND MPb[Co(NO2)6]

Abstract Thermogravimetric studies are reported for analytical precipitates of the types MPb[Co(NO 2 ) 6 ] and M 2 Pb[Co(NO 2 ) 6 ], where M represents the univalent cations NH + 4 , K + , Rb + , Cs + , and Tl + . Compounds of the latter series are consitently more stable to higher temperatures. For either series increasing the radius of M increases thermal stability. Decomposition to temperatures approaching 500°C involves some four separate processes.
Septicemia and subperiosteal cephalhematomas

Summary The clinical courses of 2 infants with recurrent septicemia and meningitis have been described. The condition of the infants deteriorated while they were receiving antibiotics to which the infecting organisms were sensitive. Blood cultures became positive and the patients developed purulent meningitis. Infected cephalhematomas were apparently the foci of these persistent infections. Diagnostic aspiration of subperiosteal cephalhematomas should be considered in the management of infants with clinical septicemia or meningitis.
Global errors of numerical ODE solvers and Lyapunov's theory of stability

The error made by a numerical method in approximating the solution of the initial value problem ˙ x(t) = f (t, x), x(0) = x0, t 0, x(t) ∈ R d varies with the time of integration. The increase of the global error �˜ x(t; h) − x(t)� , where ˜ x(t, h) is an approximation derived by a numerical method with time step h, with time t determines the feasibility of approximating the solution accurately for increasing t. However, the best available theoretical bounds involve the Lipshitz constant and are exponential in t for some problems where the actual increase of global error is only linear in time. Using techniques from Lyapunov’s theory of stability, we prove that the increase of global errors is linear in time for trajectories of dynamical systems which fall into a hyperbolic and attracting cycle or into a hyperbolic and attracting torus, with the flow on the torus being quasi-periodic. The increase is linear for non-linear problems when certain stability properties of the solution can be verified. The error analysis uses a conditioning function E(t) associated with the exact solution, which captures the propagation and accumulation of global errors.
A Two-Site Case Study of Consultation to Develop Supervisory Teams in Child Welfare

This two-site case study describes the development of supervisory teams in two public child welfare agencies, including the consultative assistance provided. Embedded in the New York State Design Team model, supervisory teams provided alignment, coordination, and implementation supports for innovations. At the same time, teams engaged supervisors in organizational improvement planning. Case studies utilizing participant observation methodology provide thick descriptions about the three phases in team development and the consultants' facilitation of these teams. Examples are provided of team-related barriers needing to be addressed. Consultants' roles, responsibilities, and relationships with team members and leaders in the agency also are described.