cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polyene-resistant mutants of Aspergillus fennelliae: identification of sterols

Four mutants strains of Aspergillus fennelliae resistant to various polyene antibiotics have been analyzed for their sterol content. The mutant strains contained Delta(7,22,24(28))-ergostatrien-3beta-o1 and Delta(7,22)-ergostadien-3beta-o1 as the major sterols, whereas the wild types contained ergosterol, indicating that the mutants contain metabolic blocks for C(5)-C(6) dehydrogenation and C(24)-C(28) reduction in the biosynthesis of ergosterol. Revertant sectors arising from the mutant colonies contained either more Delta(7,22)-ergostadien-3beta-o1 than the parent mutant strain or showed the reappearance of ergosterol. The revertant sectors also showed lower resistance to amphotericin B and a higher rate of sporulation than the parent mutant strain. These results confirm our previous observations that the presence of ergosterol is directly related to the drug susceptibility and the normal rate of sporulation in this species.
Historiography of the Iranian revolutionary movement, 1977–79

MORE THAN FIFTY BOOKS, AND MORE THAN 100 ACADEMIC ARTICLES, HAVE appeared in English alone dealing in significant part with the Iranian revolutionary movement. This impressive output, published in just 15 years, does not reflect a similarly copious wealth of source materials. In fact, the study of the Iranian revolutionary movement is largely, one might argue, sound and fury, a lot of grand theorizing lacking a solid empirical basis. No work on the Iranian revolution has made systematic use of all forms of primary evidence that are currently available, though some are more thorough than others.' This paper discusses Western historiography of the Iranian revolutionary movement of 1977-79, which led to the fall of the Pahlavi regime in February 1979.2 It does not attempt to cover works on the post-revolutionary period, after the fall of the shah. In addition, it does not deal specifically with individual secondary works on the Iranian revolution. Instead, it examines the available primary sources and the implications of these sources for the study of the revolutionary movement. This approach is based on the hypothesis that sources shape our analysis in important ways, and vice versa. For instance, the use of Central Bank data will help support an economic approach to the revolution; the use of U.S. government documents may lead to an international-pressure argument; the use of texts by leading revolutionaries may be conducive to an explanation privileging ideology. The currently available evidence may be divided into two broad categories: contemporaneously produced material and post-hoc material. Within the contemporaneous category there are three primary producers of the historical record: journalists, both Iranian and foreign; government officials, both Iranian and foreign (primarily from the United States); and Iranian oppositionists, who produced a prodigious quantity of pamphlets and other writings during the course of the rev-
Phase Transformations in Dicalcium Silicate: I, Fabrication and Phase Stability of Fine‐Grained β Phase

Fine-grained β-Ca2SiO4 containing small amounts of sodium was fabricated as an analogue to tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (TZP) in order to study the stress-induced β→γ transformation. This avoided the problems associated with the fabrication and evaluation of composites containing β-Ca2SiO4. The microstructure of dense β-Ca2SiO4 exhibited severe intergranular strains and twin-terminating microcracks as seen by TEM. The β-phase twin widths were quantitatively correlated with grain sizes giving an average ratio of 0.04. Stress-induced transformation was observed on ground surfaces but not on fracture surfaces. The stress–strain behavior and the mechanical properties were consistent with stress-induced microcracking and microcrack coalescence. The elastic modulus of fully dense β phase was estimated to be 123 GPa.
The Reduction Principle for Recombination Under Density-Dependent Selection

In diploid random mating populations with constant viability selection, genetic modifiers of recombination, introduced near equilibria that exhibit genetic association, invade if they reduce recombination. In this study we combine ecological and standard populations genetics in a haploid multilocus model that includes density-dependent regulation of population size and weak density-dependent differential selection among the multilocus genotypes. An allele that affects recombination among the genes contributing to the ecological selection, introduced near a stable equilibrium of the ecological-genetic system, invades if it reduces a weighted average of the recombination rates among pairs of loci under selection. This generalizes the Reduction Principle for the evolution of recombination (M. W. Feldman and U. Liberman, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA83, 4824-4827, 1986; L. A. Zhivotovsky, W. M. Feldman, and F. B. Christiansen, Theor. Popul. Biol.44, 225-245, 1993). It is also shown that the stronger the extent of density-dependence, the weaker the selection for reduced recombination.
A solution to the thermo-elastic interface crack branching in dissimilar anisotropic bi-material media

Abstract An interface crack or delamination may often branch out of the interface in a laminated composite due to thermal stresses developing around the delamination/crack tip when the media is exposed to heat flow induced by environmental events such as a sudden short-duration fire. In this paper, the thermo-elastic problem of interface crack branching in dissimilar anisotropic bi-media is studied by using the theory of Stroh’s dislocation formalism, extended to thermo-elasticity in matrix notation. Based on the complex variable method and the analytical continuation principle, the thermo-elastic interface crack/delamination problem is examined and a general solution in compact form is derived for dissimilar anisotropic bi-media. A set of Green’s functions is proposed for the dislocations (conventional dislocation and thermal dislocation/heat vortex) in anisotropic bi-media. These functions may be more suitable than those which have appeared in the literature on addressing thermo-elastic interface crack branching in dissimilar anisotropic bi-materials. Using the contour integral method, a closed form solution to the interaction between the dislocations and the interface crack is obtained. Within the scope of linear fracture mechanics, the thermo-elastic problem of interface crack branching is then solved by modelling the branched portion as a continuous distribution of dislocations. The influence of thermal loading and thermal properties on the branching behavior is examined, and criteria for predicting interface crack branching are suggested, based on the extensive numerical results from the study of various cases.
Multicode Sparse-Sequence CDMA: Approach to Optimum Performance by Linearly Complex WSLAS Detectors

This paper investigates the performance-complexity tradeoff of the wide-sense likelihood ascent search (WSLAS) detectors in large multicode sparse-sequence CDMA. It is illustrated that when each sequence has sparsely only 16 nonzero chips, in a channel load up to 1.05 bits/s/Hz and a broad SNR region, the linearly complex WSLAS detectors can achieve the benchmark optimum BER while the complexity is significantly reduced from 0.5 times bit number to a constant less than 30 additions per bit by the sequence sparsity. The evaluation result of multiuse efficiency also shows that the sparse sequences of 16 nonzero chips can already provide a sufficient degree of freedom.
A further contribution to the phycomycete flora of Great Britain

This continuation of an earlier study of the Phycomycetes of Great Britain has been confined largely to soil inhabitants. Collections were made from over ninety different sites in England, Wales and Scotland. Forty-three different species were identified and partial information on a number of others was obtained. Three are considered new species.
Can color-space transformation improve color computations other than von Kries?

Three-dimensional objects in an image, which appear with shading and cast shadows, can be difficult to recognize as single entities, and there can also be problems recognizing the colors of the objects independent of the spectrum of illumination. The removal of shading and cast shadows has often been done in remote sensing by the band-ratio algorithm. A ratio of red to green bands cancels variations of incident light intensity between different points on the same matte object. Finlayson et al. showed that, for physically reasonable illuminant and reflectance spectra, von Kries adaptation gives exact color constancy if a particular linear transformation on the color-matching functions is performed prior to adaptation. The present paper extends this approach to band ratios, and also to the related color-constancy model of Judd (which subtracts the white-reflectance chromaticity instead of dividing by the white-reflectance tristimulus values as von Kries adaptation does). In both cases, invariance requires the illuminant basis functions to be metameric (up to a scale factor) -- with respect to the reference white in the case of Judd adaptation, and with respect to all reflectances in the case of band ratios. The von Kries theory thus seems unique among the simple processing methods.
Static consistency checking for verilog wire interconnects: using dependent types to check the sanity of verilog descriptions

The Verilog hardware description language has padding semantics that allow designers to write descriptions where wires of different bit widths can be interconnected. However, many of these connections are nothing more than bugs inadvertently introduced by the designer and often result in circuits that behave incorrectly or use more resources than required. A similar problem occurs when wires are incorrectly indexed by values (or ranges) that exceed their bounds. These two problems are exacerbated by generate blocks. While desirable for reusability and conciseness, the use of generate blocks to describe circuit families only makes the situation worse as it hides such inconsistencies making them harder to detect. Inconsistencies in the generated code are only exposed after elaboration when the code is fully-expanded.In this paper we show that these inconsistencies can be pinned down prior to elaboration using static analysis.We combine dependent types and constraint generation to reduce the problem of detecting the aforementioned inconsistencies to a satisfiability problem. Once reduced, the problem can easily be solved with a standard satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solver. In addition, this technique allows us to detect unreachable code when it resides in a block guarded by an unsatisfiable set of constraints. To illustrate these ideas, we develop a type system for Featherweight Verilog (FV), a core calculus of structural Verilog with generative constructs and previously defined elaboration semantics. We prove that a well-typed FV description will always elaborate into an inconsistency-free description. We also provide a freely-available implementation demonstrating our approach.
Big-eyed, wide-eyed, sad-eyed children: Constructing the humanitarian space in social justice documentaries

AbstractWith increased media access to global events, humanitarian advocates within the Western elite have illuminated subaltern populations—those who are cut off from mobility as a result of economics, race, gender, and class. The space in which this subaltern population becomes visible is often the result of Western mediation of events that are defined as newsworthy by mainstream media or of strategic value to private advocacy groups.In this article I explore the neo-colonialism of mediation in the use of images of and produced by children in Born Into Brothels: The Children Of Calcutta's Red Light District (Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski, 2004), Invisible Children (Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole, 2003), and Shake Hands With The Devil (Peter Raymont, 2004). Despite the intention of the filmmakers, their position of privilege does not consistently provide a perspective from which the representation of the other is acknowledged or challenged.
Cortical responses to local electrical stimulation of retina

Abstract Extensive cortical excitation from punctiform photic stimuli has been difficult to interpret because of intraoptic diffusion of light. Direct electrical stimulation of the exposed retina was thus used in this attempt to determine the degree of spatial elaboration of stimuli in the retinocortical system. Multichannel CRO recording from cortex and optic tract show two types of response in anesthetized or “midpontine” animals. The “early” response is identical in form to potentials elicited by optic tract stimuli, but has a latency of 2 to 5.3 msec, depending upon distance of intraretinal conduction. Constancy of timing in the cortical spike sequence despite varying arrival latencies shows that this well-known series of spikes is not generated as a consequence of conduction velocity differences in optic nerve fibers. Early potentials can be highly restricted in cortical location and, save for their predominance in the lateral dorsal region of marginal gyrus, generally conform in distribution to Talbot and Marshall's scheme of retinocortical topographical relations. “Late” responses are complex, but most are similar to photically elicited responses in form and latency. Their threshold is usually lower than that for early responses. Their cortical distribution for a given retinal locus greatly exceeds that of the early response, sometimes including ipsilateral cortex even to stimulation of nasal retina.Since optic tract potentials continue for over 100 msec after the 1-msec retinal pulse, it is possible that some of the spatial elaboration of the late response occurs in the retina.
Lossless multiports with terminations in synthesis problems

Use of lossless multiports with terminations in the synthesis of multivariable positive real functions is discussed. An example is included to illustrate the exploitation of the degrees of freedom in multiterminated-lossless-multiport synthesis.
Silent, but deadly - eliminating reservoirs of latent HIV

Abstract HIV treatment with highly active anti-retroviral therapy cannot eliminate latent reservoirs of HIV. In a recent paper, Root and Hamer describe a novel targeting mechanism for killing HIV-infected cells. They show that 5-helix (a gp41-binding protein) fused to a Pseudomonas exotoxin fragment can selectively kill cells displaying envelope proteins on their surface from a broad range of HIV strains.
Design of double negativity elastic metamaterial

A metamaterial model that possesses simultaneously negative effective mass density and negative effective Young’s modulus is proposed in this study. Dispersion curves and dynamic responses of the m...
Determination of vibrational level spacings of van der waals molecules from the Lennard-Jones potential☆

Abstract An approximate expression for the eigenvalues for van der Waals molecules by use of the Lennard-Jones (12-6) potential in the WKB approximation is presented. The expression is applied to the rare gas molecules. Ar 2 , Kr 2 , and Xe 2 by fitting the potential function to the observed potential parameters. Calculated results of vibrational energy spacings for these molecules agree well with the experiment and other calculations which are based on numerical integration of the Schrodinger equation. For Xe 2 , the energy spacing expression is used to determine the thermodynamic functions of the van der Waals bond.
Decreased affinity for a chemotactic factor in stored granulocyte concentrates

Previous studies in this laboratory demonstrated decreased migration of neutrophils after storage for 24 hours at room temperature. The current work was undertaken to identify a possible mechanism for decreased migration after storage. Initial studies ruled out the possibility that chemotaxis was decreased due to impaired ability to sense a chemotactic factor gradient since chemokinesis was decreased in addition to chemotaxis. Dose-response curves to the synthetic chemotactic agent Formyl-Methionyl-Leucyl-Phenylalanine (FMLP) showed decreased response to submaximal chemokinetic stimuli in stored neutrophils. This suggested the possibility of altered FMLP receptor binding in stored neutrophils. Neutrophil FMLP receptors were measured in 11 fresh and stored granulocyte concentrates. Although there was a small increase in total FMLP receptors per neutrophil after storage, the affinity of FMLP receptors in fresh neutrophils was significantly greater than that in neutrophils stored 24 hours at room temperature. Thus, decreased migration toward submaximal chemotactic stimuli in stored neutrophils may be due to altered membrane FMLP binding. However, decreased migration of stored neutrophils to maximal stimuli cannot be explained by altered FMLP binding affinity.
Would Students Prefer to Eat Healthier Foods at School

BACKGROUND: This study sought to elucidate students' perceptions of school food environments and to assess correlations between perceptions and purchasing and consumption behaviors at school. METHODS: Seventh and ninth graders (n = 5365) at 19 schools in multiethnic, low-income California communities participating in the Healthy Eating Active Communities program completed questionnaires assessing their attitudes and behaviors regarding school food environments during spring 2006. RESULTS: Most students (69%) reported that fresh fruit was important to be able to buy at school; more than chips (21%), candy (28%), or soda (31%). Reported importance of food offerings was correlated with the consumption of those items. Most students did not perceive foods/beverages offered at school to be healthy; fewer than a quarter reported eating fruits or vegetables (FV) at school. Students eating school lunch were more than twice as likely to consume FV, though if they also purchased from competitive venues, their consumption of candy, chips, and soda was similar to their peers who purchased only competitive foods. CONCLUSION: Students report healthy foods to be important to be able to buy at school, but do not perceive their school food environment to be healthy and consume more unhealthy foods at school. Students served healthy items via school lunch are more likely to consume them; however, they also purchase and consume unhealthy items if available. Findings suggest that modifying school food environments to facilitate consumption of healthy foods and limit unhealthy foods will better match students' preferences and could lead to improved dietary intake.
Getting stripes: Educational achievement and study strategies used by sergeant promotional candidates

This paper examines the link between higher education and performance on the written portion of the promotional process for the rank of police sergeant. The results indicate test scores correlate positively with educational achievement. However, this effect is strongly related to the number of different study methods candidates use when preparing for the test. While a college degree appears useful in promotional competition, candidates who lack such a formal credential can mitigate its advantage by relying upon multiple study methods.
Facial paralysis rehabilitation: retraining selective muscle control

Traumatic facial paralysis can be improved with surgical techniques but alone will not restore full function. EMG sensory (bio) feedback can, however, facilitate rehabilitation. Four cases are described using a combined treatment technique of EMG, behavioural modification and specific action exercises. Retraining of eyelid control was also accomplished. Standardized evaluation methods are described. All four patients showed improvement, despite the failure of traditional retraining methods.
Hardware support for controlled interaction of guaranteed and best-effort communication

Real-time communication typically consists of guaranteed packets that must satisfy their delivery deadlines and best-effort packets that can tolerate occasional deadline misses for improved average latency. This paper presents hardware techniques for supporting the coexistence of these two traffic classes in real-time point-to-point networks. A careful selection of routing and switching techniques, coupled with fine-grain arbitration between traffic classes, can allow network adapters to support the diverse performance requirements of best-effort and guaranteed communication. Cycle-level simulations of SPIDER (Scalable Point-to-point Interface DrivER), a network adapter for point-to-point distributed systems, demonstrate the utility of supporting multiple low-level communication policies for different classes of traffic. >
Adjustment for local ancestry in genetic association analysis of admixed populations

Motivation: Admixed populations offer a unique opportunity for mapping diseases that have large disease allele frequency differences between ancestral populations. However, association analysis in such populations is challenging because population stratification may lead to association with loci unlinked to the disease locus. Methods and results: We show that local ancestry at a test single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may confound with the association signal and ignoring it can lead to spurious association. We demonstrate theoretically that adjustment for local ancestry at the test SNP is sufficient to remove the spurious association regardless of the mechanism of population stratification, whether due to local or global ancestry differences among study subjects; however, global ancestry adjustment procedures may not be effective. We further develop two novel association tests that adjust for local ancestry. Our first test is based on a conditional likelihood framework which models the distribution of the test SNP given disease status and flanking marker genotypes. A key advantage of this test lies in its ability to incorporate different directions of association in the ancestral populations. Our second test, which is computationally simpler, is based on logistic regression, with adjustment for local ancestry proportion. We conducted extensive simulations and found that the Type I error rates of our tests are under control; however, the global adjustment procedures yielded inflated Type I error rates when stratification is due to local ancestry difference. Contact:mingyao@upenn.edu; chun.li@vanderbilt.edu. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Opposite Changes in GABAA Receptor Function in the CA1‐3 Area and Fascia Dentata of Kindled Rat Hippocampus

Muscimol-stimulated radiotracer 36 Cl - uptake in synaptoneurosomes was used to investigate the function of the GABA A receptor complex in the CA1-3 area and fascia dentata (granular and molecular layers and hilus) of rats kindled by stimulation, twice a day, of the Schaffer collateral fibers. Two kindled groups were studied: (a) 24 h after the last generalized tonic-clonic seizure [fully kindled (FK) stage] and (b) 28 days after the last generalized seizure (long-term stage). Synaptoneurosomes were prepared in parallel from subslices of the CA1-3 area and fascia dentata. In FK animals, the muscimol-stimulated 36 Cl - uptake was significantly reduced by 21% in the CA1-3 area in comparison with nonstimulated controls, whereas a significant increase of 29% was found in the fascia dentata. Significant changes were no longer present at 4 weeks after the last generalized seizure. The observed changes in muscimol-stimulated 36 Cl - uptake at the FK stage closely parallel the recently observed changes in [ 3 H]muscimol binding in the CA1 area and fascia dentata. These results indicate that kindling causes a transiently decreased GABA A receptor-mediated function in the CA1-3, in contrast to an increased GABA A receptor-mediated function in the fascia dentata
Advances in Energetic Short-Pulse Fiber Lasers

Energetic short-pulse fiber lasers feed or drive many applications at LLNL, including petawatt lasers and Compton-scattered gamma-ray sources. We present challenges and advances in scaling fiber lasers to the millijoule range.
Reply to G. Bogani et al

We thank Bogani et al for their review of our article and their interesting comments. As we reported in our study, serous histology was associated with a lower response to therapy. The patients with grade 3 histology, however, were more likely to have a clinical benefit than patients with serous cancers (50% v 11%; P .018). The difference between grade 3 cancers was not statistically different from grade1 and 2 cancers (65%). In addition, we are not aware of existing data showing that patients with pretreated, recurrent endometrial cancer have a worse prognosis on the basis of histology. Our group has previously reported on single-agent activity with everolimus. The clinical benefit rate was 21%, and no patients demonstrated an objective response. Ma et al from the National Cancer Institute of Canada reported the single-agent activity of letrozole in a similar cohort to be 9.4%. Although cross-trial comparisons are not favored, the clinical benefit rate and response rate (40% and 32%, respectively) in this current study is favorable compared with the single-agent activity. In our trial, we also demonstrated a relatively favorable toxicity profile. We agree that there are alternatives for patients with recurrent endometrial cancer, particularly if they do not have systemic disease. Specifically, our exclusion criteria included patients who have isolated recurrences (vaginal, pelvic, or paraaortic) that are amenable to potentially curative treatment with radiation therapy or surgery. Unfortunately, patients with recurrent endometrial cancer often do not have curative disease, and we need to increase the successful treatment options. Our current randomized phase II trial of everolimus and letrozole or hormonal therapy (NCT02228681) will certainly help to determine if mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition should be used as an alternative to hormonal therapy in the management of this disease.
Contrasting visual frames of our times: A framing analysis of English- and Arabic-language press coverage of war and terrorism

By operationalizing visual frames in terms of the human-interest vs technical frame and the anti-war vs the pro-war frame, and exploring the use of two sets of framing devices: graphic portrayal and emphasis, this framing analysis of 1387 photographs examined contrasting visual narratives employed by English- and Arabic-language transnational press in covering the 9/11 attack and the Afghan War. For the English-language newspaper, the International Herald Tribune, the frames emphasized the human suffering of 9/11 and de-emphasized the civilian casualties and moral guilt of implementing military force in Afghanistan by focusing more on a pro-war frame that showed the complex military high-tech operations and patriotic pictures. For the Arabic-language newspaper, Al-Hayat, the frames focused less on the victims and more on the material destruction of 9/11 and humanized the victims of the Afghan War. Furthermore, it focused on an anti-war frame by running visuals of anti-war protests and emphasizing graphic ...
The Membrane and Lipids as Integral Participants in Signal Transduction: Lipid Signal Transduction for the Non-Lipid Biochemist.

Reviews of signal transduction have often focused on the cascades of protein kinases and protein phosphatases and their cytoplasmic substrates that become activated in response to extracellular signals. Lipids, lipid kinases, and lipid phosphatases have not received the same amount of attention as proteins in studies of signal transduction. However, lipids serve a variety of roles in signal transduction. They act as ligands that activate signal transduction pathways as well as mediators of signaling pathways, and lipids are the substrates of lipid kinases and lipid phosphatases. Cell membranes are the source of the lipids involved in signal transduction, but membranes also constitute lipid barriers that must be traversed by signal transduction pathways. The purpose of this review is to explore the magnitude and diversity of the roles of the cell membrane and lipids in signal transduction and to highlight the interrelatedness of families of lipid mediators in signal transduction.
Truthful spectrum auctions with approximate revenue

In cellular networks, a recent trend is to make spectrum access dynamic in the spatial and temporal dimensions, for the sake of efficient utilization of spectrum. In such a model, the spectrum is divided into channels and periodically allocated to competing base stations using an auction-based market mechanism. An “efficient” auction mechanism is essential to the success of such a dynamic spectrum access model. Two of the key objectives in designing an auction mechanism are “truthfulness” and revenue maximization. In this article, we design a polynomial-time spectrum auction mechanism that is truthful and yields an allocation with O(1)-approximate expected revenue, in the Bayesian setting. Our mechanism generalizes to general interference models. To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first work to design a polynomial-time truthful spectrum auction mechanism with a performance guarantee on the expected revenue. We demonstrate the performance of our designed mechanism through simulations.
Qualification High Voltage Testing of Short Triax HTS Cables in the Laboratory

In order to qualify the electrical insulation design of future HTS cables installed in the electric grid, a number of high voltage qualification tests are generally performed in the laboratory on either single-phase model cables and/or actual three-phase cable samples. Prior to installation of the 200-m Triax HTS cable at the American Electric Power Bixby substation near Columbus, Ohio, in September, 2006, such tests were conducted on both single-phase model cables made at ORNL and tri-axial cable sections cut off from cable made on a production run. The three-phase tri-axial design provides some specific testing challenges since the ground shield and three phases are concentric about a central former with each phase separated by dielectric tape insulation immersed in liquid nitrogen. The samples were successfully tested and qualified for partial discharge inception, AC withstand, and lightning impulse where voltage is applied to one phase with the other phases grounded. In addition one of the phase pairs was tested for dc withstand as a ldquoworst caserdquo scenario to simulate the effect of VLF (Very Low Frequency) tests on the actual cable installed at the Bixby site. The model and prototype cables will be described and the high voltage test results summarized.
Multifunction Algebras and the Provability of PH

Abstract We introduce multifunction algebras B i τ where τ is a set of 0 or 1-ary terms used to bound recursion lengths. We show that if for all l ∈ τ we have l ∈ O (|x|) then B i τ = FP Σ i−1 p (wit, τ ) , those multifunctions computable in polynomial time with at most O (p(l(x))) queries to a Σ i−1 p witness oracle for l ∈ τ and p a polynomial. We use our algebras to obtain independence results in bounded arithmetic. In particular, we show if S 2 i proves Σ j b = PH for some j⩾i then S 2 i ≼ B( Σ i+1 b ) S 2 . This implies if P NP ≠ P NP ( log ) then S 2 1 does not prove the polynomial hierarchy collapses. We then consider a subtheory, Z , of the well-studied bounded arithmetic theory S 2 = ∪ i S 2 i . Using our algebras (mainly the i = 1 variants of our algebras) we establish the following properties of this theory: (1) Z cannot prove the polynomial hierarchy collapses. In fact, even Z+ Π 0 b -consequences of S 2 cannot prove the hierarchy collapses. (2) If Z ⊆ S 2 i for any i then the polynomial hierarchy collapses. (3) If Z proves the polynomial hierarchy is infinite then for all i , S 2 i ⊢ Σ i p ≠ Π i p .
Blazing and grazing: influences of fire and bison on tallgrass prairie stream water quality

AbstractFire and grazers (such as Bison bison) were historically among the most important agents for maintaining and managing tallgrass prairie, but we know little about their influences on water-quality dynamics in streams. We analyzed 2 y of data on total suspended solids (TSS), total N (TN), and total P (TP) (3 samples per week per stream during flow) in 3 prairie streams with fire and bison grazing treatments at Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas (USA), to assess whether fire and bison increase the concentrations of these water-quality variables. We quantified the spatial and temporal locations of bison (∼0.21 animal units/ha) with Global Positioning System collars and documented bison trails, paw patches, wallows, and naturally exposed sediment patches within riparian buffers. Three weeks post-fire, TN and TP decreased (t-test, p < 0.001), but TSS did not change. Bison spent <6% of their time within 10 m of the streams, increased the amount of exposed sediment in the riparian areas, and avoided...
Comparison of radiographic absorptiometry with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and quantitative computed tomography in normal older white and black women

Bone mineral density (BMD) of the phalanges of the hand was measured by the technique of radiographic absorptiometry (RA) in 199 older postmenopausal women previously determined to have normal BMD by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT). The average age of the women was 66.8 +/- 4.9 years, and they were 19.9 +/- 6.7 years postmenopause. In the 54 black women, phalangeal BMD was 11.7% greater than in the 145 white women, a difference comparable to that found using DXA at the radial midshaft, the lumbar spine, and femoral neck. A correlation matrix comparing BMD measured by RA to BMD measured by DXA and QCT indicates that, in general, RA was related to the various DXA and QCT measurement sites as well as these sites were related to each other. When results for RA, DXA, and QCT obtained in our cohort of older women were compared to available reference data for peak adult bone mass, the average difference (SD units) from peak value was greatest for RA (-1.77 radius, -1.24 spine, -2.13 femoral neck, -2.34 QCT spine, and -2.71 phalanges). We conclude that RA is an acceptable measure of phalangeal BMD and that the data in our cohort can serve as reference data for older white and black women aged 55-75 years. Once the ability of RA to predict future fracture occurrence has been demonstrated, it could be rapidly deployed as a low-cost, widely available bone mass measurement technique.
Polarization of fucoid eggs by steady electrical fields

Abstract Pelvetia eggs were exposed to steady electric fields from 5 hr after fertilization until their rhizoids began to grow out some 6 to 10 hr later. Eleven batches of eggs responded by initiating rhizoids towards the positive electrode; two batches responded by growing towards the negative electrode; and three grew towards the negative one in small fields and towards the positive one in higher fields. Polarization, defined as the average cosine of the outgrowth directions, was proportional to field strength up to polarization values of 50% for the positive responses and 75% for the negative ones. A voltage drop of 6 mV/cell induced 10% polarization in the positively galvanotropic batches, while 3 mV/cell did this in the negative ones. We reason that both responses are mediated by faster calcium entry at the future growth point. It is supposed to be faster there in positively galvanotropic eggs because the membrane potential, hence the driving force, is highest; in negatively galvanotropic eggs because depolarization induces an overbalancing increase in calcium permeability there.
Intermittent combination chemotherapy with or without bacillus Calmette-Guérin for treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia of childhood.

Seventy-four children ranging in age from 6 months to 17.5 years with acute lymphoblastic leukemia newly diagnosed between 1976 and 1979 were entered on a study incorporating intermittent chemotherapy with or without the addition of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). The chemotherapy program consisted of induction with vincristine, dexamethasone, and intrathecal methotrexate, intensification with adriamycin and asparaginase, central nervous system treatment with cranial irradiation and intrathecal methotrexate, and continuation treatment with 5-day courses of combination chemotherapy administered every three weeks. The first phase of continuation therapy incorporated vincristine, adriamycin, 6-mercaptopurine, and dexamethasone. In the second phase, oral methotrexate was substituted for the adriamycin in non-T-cell patients; in T-cell patients, cytosine arabinoside or cyclophosphamide and methotrexate in alternating cycles were substituted for the adriamycin and asparaginase was added. Total duration of therapy was approximately 2.5 years. Connaught BCG was administered by Heaf gun on days 8 and 15 of each 3-week cycle for the first 8 months of treatment in approximately one-third of the patients. Actuarial disease-free survival with a median follow-up of 59 months shows no difference in outcome between the BCG and non-BCG poor-risk patients. However, there is an improvement in disease-free survival of BCG-treated good- and average-risk girls (P = 0.04). While patients were actively receiving BCG there was also a trend toward the development of fewer significant infections than when patients were not receiving BCG (P = 0.85). Toxicities from BCG administration included satellite rashes, local tenderness, lymphadenopathy, secondary infection, and residual scars. Overall disease-free survival by actuarial analysis is 60% at 6 years; for patients with unfavorable prognostic features it is 40%. In this trial the addition of BCG prolonged the disease-free survival of girls with good- and average-risk prognostic features and also may have decreased the susceptibility to infection while it was being administered. However, the benefit does not appear sufficient to warrant its routine use, especially in view of the toxicities encountered.
Input rate flow control for high-speed networks: source vs. switch level performance trade-off

The authors study the queuing performance of source stations and network switches when an input rate flow control mechanism is applied to regulate the traffic flow between source stations and network switches. They demonstrate the ensuing tradeoffs between message delays imposed at the source stations by the use of the flow regulation mechanism and the message delays incurred by messages at the internal switches as effected by the statistical features of the incoming message streams. They examine the increased queue size and message delays incurred at source stations by the employed input rate flow control access mechanism. The statistical behavior of the output traffic from source stations is characterized. The impact of input rate flow control on message delays incurred at the internal network switches is analyzed. Performance curves are presented to illustrate the queuing behavior and message delays at source stations and internal network switches. Using these results, the system designer can properly select the parameters of the flow control scheme. >
Molecular biology of Leishmania.

Leishmania is a trypanosomatid protozoa with a digenetic life cycle. Sandflies inject promastigotes, the free living form present in their salivary glands, into mammals where the parasite colonizes...
Spectacles of Modernity: Transnational Imagination and Local Hegemonies in Neoliberal Buenos Aires

For the first-time visitor, a walk around Buenos Aires can be a bit like entering a parallel universe. Argentina's capital is located deep within South America, far from most major cities11 hours by plane from Chicago, U.S.A., and 14.5 hours from London, England. But it feels much closer. The city's streets are filled with cell phone toting locals decked in the latest U.S. and European fashions. Gleaming skyscrapers tower over grand, Parisian-style boulevards, where sleek, expensive cars cruise through town.
Carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction, through glycosynapse, as a basis of cell recognition and membrane organization

Cell adhesion mediated by carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction (CCI), or cell adhesion with concurrent signal transduction, are discussed in three contexts. 1. Types of cell adhesion based on interaction of several combinations of glycosphingolipids (GSLs) at the surface of interfacing cells (“trans interactio”) are reviewed critically, to exclude the possible involvement of GSL-binding proteins. Special emphasis is on: (i) autoaggregation of mouse teratocarcinoma F9 cells mediated by Le x -to-Le x interaction, in which presence of Le x -binding protein is ruled out; (ii) adhesion of GM3-expressing cells to Gg3-expressing cells, in which involvement of GM3- or Gg3-binding protein is ruled out. 2. Characteristic features and requirements of CCI, as compared with carbohydrate-to-protein interaction (CPI) and protein-to-protein interaction (PPI), are summarized, including: (i) specificity and requirement of bivalent cation; (ii) reaction velocity of CCI as compared to PPI; (iii) negative (repulsive) interaction; (iv) synergistic or cooperative effect of CCI and PPI, particularly GM3-to-Gg3 or GM3-to-LacCer interaction in synergy with integrin-dependent adhesion, or Le x -to-Le x interaction in cooperation with E-cadherin-dependent adhesion. 3. Microdomains at the cell surface are formed based on clustering of GSLs or glycoproteins organized with signal transducers. Among such microdomains, those involved in adhesion coupled with signal transduction to alter cellular phenotype are termed “glycosynaps”. In some glycosynapses, growth factor receptors or integrin receptors are also involved, and their function is modulated by GSLs only when the receptor is N-glycosylated. This modulation may occur in part via interaction of GSLs with N-linked glycans of the receptor, termed “cis interactio”. Published in 2004.
Characterization of micromachined silicon rectangular waveguide at 400 GHz

We present the first characterization of a micromachined silicon rectangular waveguide at 400GHz. The silicon waveguide has an average loss of 0.086dB/mm for a range of 350-460GHz. The waveguides are formed using well known microfabrication techniques and demonstrate a successful first step towards the use of silicon waveguides as a viable option for THz systems.
A light-hearted look at a lion-hearted organ (or, a perspective from three standard deviations beyond the norm) Part 1 (of two parts) ⋆

Throughout history, the heart has been associated not only with its life-sustaining function but also with its close ties to the human emotions. In this literature and Internet review, we attempt to gather and organize information from both of these perspectives as they relate to the heart in the following 11 categories: (1) fun facts, (2) medical photography, (3) history, (4) languages (etymology), (5) nonmedical English expressions, (6) death, (7) the arts, (8) movie titles, (9) song titles, (10) Shakespeare, and (11) the Bible. Part 1 will cover the first five topics, and Part 2 will cover the last six topics. These data may be useful to those who are engaged in teaching about the cardiovascular system.
The social organization of the kinkajou Potos flavus (Procyonidae)

The social organization of the kinkajou Potos flavus is described from 380 h of observations on habituated, free-ranging animals. Individuals were most often alone while feeding at night, yet they regularly interacted in stable social groups. Four social groups were observed, each consisting of a single adult female, two adult males, one sub-adult and one juvenile. At least one breeding female was solitary and did not reside within a group. Social groups were consolidated primarily at denning sites and large fruiting trees by group feeding, allogrooming and scent marking. However, kinkajous were most often observed solitarily, as social feeding only occurred in 19.6 of total feeding bouts (mainly among males) and individuals rarely travelled together. Although the composition of social groups was polyandrous, males also copulated with non-group females which suggests a promiscuous mating system. Female-biased dispersal and patterns of male association seem to be patrilineal and based on resource defence. The evolution of social organization in the kinkajou is discussed in relation to predation risk, resource availability, and convergence with primates of similar fission–fusion socioecology.
Sn and SnBi Foil as Anode Materials for Secondary Lithium Battery

In order to better understand the cycling mechanism of metal alloy anodes, and to mitigate the capacity fade observed in lithium battery use a study of simple systems was initiated. Tin foil and tin-bismuth mixtures were chosen because there is no need for conductive diluents or binders so that the intrinsic behavior could be observed. A pure tin foil was found to react rapidly with lithium, ≥ 3 mA/cm2, and with no capacity fade for over 10 cycles. This is better than tin powder or electrodeposited tin. After the first cycle, the foil reacts with Li following a stepwise formation of different alloys as dictated by the thermodynamics. Incorporation of bismuth into the foil increased the capacity fade after the first few cycles, with the eutectic composition Sn0.57Bi0.43 having better capacity retention than the Sn0.5Bi0.5 composition. XRD and SEM-EDS shows that bismuth is rejected from the tin rich phase during lithium insertion and is not reincorporated on lithium removal, just as expected from the phase diagram.
The Second Law Quality of Energy Transformation in a Heat Exchanger

This paper presents the entropy generation (irreversibility) concept as a convenient method for estimating the quality of the heat exchange process in heat exchanger analysis. The entropy generation caused by finite temperature differences, scaled by the maximum possible entropy generation that can exist in an open system with two fluids, is used as the quantitative measure of the quality of energy transformation (the heat exchange process). This measure is applied to a two-fluid heat exchanger of arbitrary flow arrangement. The influence of different parameters (inlet temperature ratio, fluid flow heat capacity rate ratio, flow arrangements) and the heat exchanger thermal size (number of heat transfer units) on the quality of energy transformation for different types of heat exchangers is discussed. In this analysis it is assumed that the contribution of fluid friction to entropy generation is negligible.
CSMIP Strong-Motion Instrumentation and Records from the I10/215 Interchange Bridge near San Bernardino

Abstract The 2540‐foot long, multi‐span, curved I10/215 interchange bridge near San Bernardino was extensively instrumented by the California Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (CSMIP) in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The locations of the sensors on this freeway interchange bridge were carefully planned to achieve specific instrumentation objectives. Significant sets of strong‐motion records were obtained from this bridge during the magnitude 7.5 Landers and the magnitude 6.6 Big Bear earthquakes of June 28, 1992. The epicenters of these earthquakes were about 50 and 30 miles (80 and 48 km) from the bridge, respectively. The maximum ground acceleration at the bridge was about 0.10 g for both earthquakes. The relative motion of the deck across the hinges was recorded and is characterized by sharp spikes in the acceleration records with a peak value as high as 0.81 g during the Landers and 1.02 g during the Big Bear earthquake. Without the spikes the peak accele...