cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lithium-7 NMR studies of macrobicyclic complexes in ambient temperature molten salts

Abstract Complexation of the Li+ ion by macrobicyclicdiazapolyoxa ligands (cryptands) was studied in a 45:45 mol% aluminum(III) chloride-N-(n-butyl)pyridinium chloride mixture at 40°C. Lithium-7 NMR measurements at this temperature and a field strength of 42.28 kG, showed that the exchange of the Li+ ion between the “free” and complexed sites is slow, and separate resonance signals were observed for the free and complexed Li+ ion. Conditional formation constants were obtained from the integrated areas of the resonance lines; the complex stabilities were found to decrease in the order C221·Li+ > C222·Li+ > C222B·Li+. In the case of the C222·Li+ complex, a decomplexation rate constant of ∼ 5 × 102 s−1 was obtained at the coalescence temperature of 40°C. Solid state 7Li NMR spectra were obtained for the C211·LiAlCl4 and C222B·LiAlCl4 complexes, in the static and magic angle spinning modes. These measurements indicate that the electric field gradient at the 7Li nucleus in these complexes is small, yielding narrow resonance lines in the MAS mode.
Symbolic differentiation of factorized polynomials with repeated roots and the identification of their loci

The mathematical apparatus of algebraic combinatorics is excellently suited to the investigation of symbolic differentiation of analytic functions. In particular, the relationship between the algebraic roots of polynomials and those of their derivatives remains an important topic with wide applications to various branches of pure and applied mathematics. In this paper, a methodology inspired by combinatorial theory is employed to derive analytic expressions for the k-th derivative q(k) of factorized polynomial functions with repeated roots \((x^{\xi} - a_{1})^{\alpha_{1}} (x^{\xi} - a_{2})^{\alpha_{2}} \cdots (x^{\xi} - a_{n})^{\alpha_{n}}\), where ξ∈ℝ∗, ai, αi∈ℝ and i=1,…,n. It is shown that these derivatives are generating functions for classes of integer sequences whose properties are employed to develop a binary tree algorithm that is suitable for the symbolic evaluation of q(k). Compared to the application of Faa di Bruno’s famous differentiation formula for composite functions and to other existing methods for symbolic differentiation, the algorithm is superior because it does not involve finding integer partitions, which is an NP-complete problem. Mathematical identities that relate this topic to other branches of mathematics (e.g. to statistics via the multinomial distribution and multinomial coefficients) are derived and, in addition, a method for identifying the loci of the roots of polynomial derivatives is outlined. The practical significance of these contributions lies in their applicability to various areas of engineering and physics.
Signal transduction and phosphatidylinositol turnover in plants

Transduction of light and hormone signals in plants may utilize a mechanism similar to one widely used in animal systems, that of accelerated phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover. The elements of this central mechanism and consequences of the acceleration as well as recent evidence for its operation in plants are described.
Strategies for targeted tumor assessment and elimination: the physician-scientist and the blossoming of molecular medicine in urologic oncology.

Abstract To realize its full potential in treating urologic malignancies, molecular medicine in the post-genomic era requires the science of molecular biology to become a great force of change directed to the critical health questions confronting the clinician. The clinician-scientist is the linchpin to convert an exploratory, reactive stance to a predictive and efficacious paradigm in treating urologic malignancies. The explosion of basic and translational discoveries will demand a “systems biology” approach at the fingertips of the future clinician, and realize the dream of proactive and highly adaptable “engineered” response to the very complex “survival” biology of urologic tumors. To arm our clinicians of tomorrow, the physician-scientists of today need resources, time, and a nurturing environment to ask great questions, and, thus, to solve the problem of cancer.
Targeting Survivin expression induces cell proliferation defect and subsequent cell death involving mitochondrial pathway in myeloid leukemic cells.

Survivin, a member of inhibitor of apoptosis family of proteins, plays important roles in both cell proliferation and cell death. We previously observed that Survivin is overexpressed in leukemic cell lines and blasts from patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). To understand the roles of Survivin in AML and search for new approaches to the treatment of AML, we inhibited Survivin expression in HL-60 cells with a Survivin antisense oligonucleotide (sur-AS-ODN) (ISIS 23722). This blocked significant numbers of HL-60 cells in G 2 /M phase, and halted cell proliferation at 24 hrs and progressing over time. There was only a slight increase in the number of apoptotic cells at 24 hrs compared with cells treated with nonsense oligonucleotide (NS-ODN). At 48 hrs, however, there were significant increases in sub-G 1 phase and annexin V + cells, suggesting that cell division defects caused cell death. This was supported by the finding that a reduction in the Survivin protein by sur-AS-ODN in cells under serum-free medium did not induce G 2 /M block and cell death compared to cells treated with NS-ODN. The formation of polyploid cells was observed 48 hrs after sur-AS-ODN treatment, as was the activation of caspase 3, which suggested that apoptotic cell death had occurred. The mitochondrial release of cytochrome C and Smac and the nuclear translocation of the apoptosis-inducing factor were also detected. Our results suggest that Survivin is essential for cell cycle progression in leukemic cells. Reduced Survivin expression causes a cell-cycle defect that leads to cell death through a mitochondrial pathway. This finding has potential utility for therapy of patients with AML.
Conservation of Angular Momentum in Mie Scattering

We show that the spin angular momentum carried by the incident wave is distributed between spin and orbital momentum of the wave scattered from a spherically symmetric scattering potential resulting in a spiral power flow.
Porphyrin Amphiphiles as Templates for the Nucleation of Calcium Carbonate

The processes of biogenic crystal growth are of interest both to derive an understanding of the biochemistry for the development of mesoscopic structures and as an inspiration to devise new strategies for materials fabrication.1 Template-mediated nucleation of calcite, a predominant polymorph in these structures, has been investigated using either proteins2,3 or simple monofunctional amphiphiles.4-6 Model studies with small amphiphilic molecules at compressed Langmuir interfaces, pioneered by Mann et al.,4 have yielded important insights on the molecular recognition affecting the nucleation process of the inorganic phase. However, the morphological control mechanisms and numerous subtleties associated with protein templates remain unknown at the molecular level. We have synthesized amphiphilic tricarboxyphenylporphyrin iron(III) μ-oxo dimers, surface films of which mimic several aspects of nucleation and growth of calcium carbonate observed with native biological templates: (1) highly oriented crystals have been obtained; (2) self-assembly of the template occurs with no external mechanical forces to modulate crystal growth or morphology; (3) highly patterned excavations resulting in “chiral” crystals are observed. The porphyrin presents a semirigid surface array of carboxylate groups7 intermediate in complexity between protein matrices and simple molecules. This approach could delineate the effects of cooperativity2 and spatial-stereochemical effects,8 and, especially, determine what minimal structure is required to mimic the controlled nucleation observed in biological systems. Monolayers of the μ-oxo iron(III) porphyrin dimer 17b were formed at the air/water interface using a solution of 1 in 3:1 chloroform/methanol (1 mg/mL) to spread the film. Isotherms obtained over a supersaturated calcium bicarbonate subphase by compression produced a limiting area of 56-58 A2/porphyrin (Figure 1), corresponding to an approximately vertical orientation of the porphyrin plane at the interface.7,9 A limiting area of only 46-48 A2/molecule (Figure 1) was obtained over distilled, deionized water. The higher limiting area in the presence of calcium ions is indicative of strong cation binding to the anionic template.5 The total Ca concentration was estimated by EDTA titrimetric analysis to be ∼9 mmol dm-3.
Exploiting heterogeneous multicore-processor systems for high-performance network processing

In this paper, we examine two network-processing appliances, i.e., the IBM Proventia® Network Intrusion Prevention System and the IBM WebSphere® DataPower® service-oriented architecture appliance, and the specific requirements they pose on emerging heterogeneous multicore-processor systems. We first describe the function and architecture of these applications. Next, we describe the computational requirements imposed on the applications as a result of the expectation that they operate at the maximum transmission rate on high-speed networks (i.e., on networks at speeds greater than 10 Gb/s) with minimal latency. Given that next-generation systems will provide on-chip and off-chip hardware acceleration functions, we identify and quantify the functions that can be offloaded onto hardware accelerators to provide latency reduction by more efficient execution, increased concurrence, or both. Referring to models of specific hardware accelerators, we estimate and quantify the impact on the performance of the applications. We conclude with a discussion of the modifications to these applications that are required to exploit the large number of hardware threads and accelerators available on emerging multicore-processor systems.
Photonic band-gap structures of core-shell simple cubic crystals from holographic lithography

We report the investigation of photonic band-gap properties of a core-shell simple cubic structure (air core with a dielectric shell) using a two-parameter level-set approach. The proposed structure can be obtained by partially backfilling high refractive index materials into a polymeric template fabricated by multibeam interference lithography. We find that the shell formation in the inverted simple cubic structure increases the complete photonic band-gap width by 10%–20% in comparison to that of a completely filled structure. The band gap between the fifth and sixth bands begins to appear at a refractive index contrast of 2.7. This study suggests the importance to investigate the core-shell formation in three-dimensional photonic crystals through backfilling, which may offer an additional control over their photonic band-gap properties.
The genetic basis of parallel and divergent phenotypic responses in evolving populations of Escherichia coli

Pleiotropy plays a central role in theories of adaptation, but little is known about the distribution of pleiotropic effects associated with different adaptive mutations. Previously, we described the phenotypic effects of a collection of independently arising beneficial mutations in Escherichia coli. We quantified their fitness effects in the glucose environment in which they evolved and their pleiotropic effects in five novel resource environments. Here we use a candidate gene approach to associate the phenotypic effects of the mutations with the underlying genetic changes. Among our collection of 27 adaptive mutants, we identified a total of 21 mutations (18 of which were unique) encompassing five different loci or gene regions. There was limited resolution to distinguish among loci based on their fitness effects in the glucose environment, demonstrating widespread parallelism in the direct response to selection. However, substantial heterogeneity in mutant effects was revealed when we examined their pleiotropic effects on fitness in the five novel environments. Substitutions in the same locus clustered together phenotypically, indicating concordance between molecular and phenotypic measures of divergence.
Revised earthquake hazard of the Hat Creek fault, northern California: A case example of a normal fault dissecting variable-age basaltic lavas

Normal faults in basalt have distinctive surface-trace morphologies and earthquake evidence that provide information about the slip behavior and earthquake potential. The 47-km-long Hat Creek fault in northern California (USA), a useful case example of this fault style, is a segmented fault system located along the western margin of the Modoc Plateau that is a regional earthquake hazard. In response to interaction with sporadically active volcanic systems, surface ruptures have progressively migrated westward since the late Pleistocene, with older scarps being successively abandoned. The most recent earthquake activity broke the surface through predominantly ca. 24 ka basaltic lavas, forming a scarp with a maximum throw of 56 m. Past work by others identifi ed 7‐8 left-stepping scarp segments with a combined length of 23.5 km, but did not explicitly address the throw characteristics, fault evolution, slip history, or earthquake potential. We address these defi ciencies in our understanding of the fault system with new fi eld observations and mapping that suggest the active scarp contains 2 additional segments and is at least 6.5 km longer than previously mapped, thus increasing the knowledge of the regional seismic hazard. Our work details scarp geomorphic styles and slip-analysis techniques that can be applied to any normal-faulted basalt environment. Applied to the Hat Creek fault, we estimate that a surface-breaking rupture could produce an earthquake of ~Mw (moment magnitude) 6.7 and a recurrence interval of 667 ± 167 yr in response to a rapid slip rate in the range 2.2‐3.6 mm/yr, creating a moderate risk given a lack of historical earthquake events.
Performance limitations of an analog method for solving simultaneous linear equations.

The limitations inherent in a recently proposed analog method for solving simultaneous linear equations are examined, and methods for overcoming some of these limitations are discussed. In its original form the method requires that all eigenvalues of the matrix of coefficients lie in a unit circle centered on (1,0) in the complex plane. Proper scaling of the matrix and the data vector extends this region to the entire right half of the complex plane (neglecting the effects of noise). A modification of the algorithm is described that allows the region to be further extended to the entire complex plane. If the product of the gains in the forward and feedback-branches is not unity, the solution produced by the algorithm is shown to be in error. Finally, the effects of noise, which is inevitably significant in any analog realization of the algorithm, are examined. Noise is found to produce a limiting mean square error of the solution, thus preventing perfect convergence to the ideal solution vector. A procedure for determination of when to stop the iteration is proposed.
Radiofrequency resonance heating near medical devices in magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a desirable diagnostic modality because of its excellence soft-tissue imaging capability. Patients with implanted medical devices are presently denied access to this modality due to adverse interaction of the device with the electromagnetic fields of the MRI system. These adverse interactions include heating near the tissue–electrode interface due to the radiofrequency (RF) field. The purpose of this work is to develop a basic model of the resonance to further explain the mechanism of RF heating in MRI near implanted medical devices. The work will concentrate on simplified structures that can be well understood from an analytical approach. The relationships shown in the simplification can then be extended to the more complex geometry of an implanted lead. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:299–302, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27332
On Science and Human Science: A Conversation with Marilyn M. Rawnsley

Jacqueline Fawcett and Marilyn M. Rawnsley discuss contemporary issues in nursing science and the discipline of nursing as a whole, including the connections between science, natural science, human science, and nursing science.
Analysis of the Mortality Experience amongst U.S. Nuclear Power Industry Workers after Chronic Low-Dose Exposure to Ionizing Radiation

Abstract Howe, G. R., Zablotska, L. B., Fix, J. J., Egel, J. and Buchanan, J. Analysis of the Mortality Experience amongst U.S. Nuclear Power Industry Workers after Chronic Low-Dose Exposure to Ionizing Radiation. Radiat. Res. 162, 517–526 (2004). Workers employed in 15 utilities that generate nuclear power in the United States have been followed for up to 18 years between 1979 and 1997. Their cumulative dose from whole-body ionizing radiation has been determined from the dose records maintained by the facilities themselves and the REIRS and REMS systems maintained by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy, respectively. Mortality in the cohort from a number of causes has been analyzed with respect to individual radiation doses. The cohort displays a very substantial healthy worker effect, i.e. considerably lower cancer and noncancer mortality than the general population. Based on 26 and 368 deaths, respectively, positive though statistically nonsignificant associations were seen f...
Evolutionary Relationships of the Deep-Sea Pearleyes (Aulopiformes: Scopelarchidae) and a New Genus of Pearleye from Antarctic Waters

This study investigates the evolutionary relationships among species in the family Scopelarchidae with molecular (eight genes) and morphological data. A new genus of pearleye is diagnosed, Lagiacrusichthys, new genus, from a previously described species (Benthalbella macropinna) distributed in Antarctic waters. The diagnosis of Lagiacrusichthys is based on molecular and anatomical information, including a highly reduced dorsal fin (5–6 rays) and a long anal fin (35–39 rays). The results represent the most taxonomically comprehensive molecular and total evidence hypotheses of the evolutionary relationships of the pearleyes to date (13 of 18 species), and these frameworks are used to comment on the historical biogeography of this widespread group. It is inferred that the pearleyes likely first evolved in central-tropical waters, with two independent invasions into Antarctic waters.
A Silicon Microseparator based Pervaporation Process for Separation of Ethanol/Water Mixtures using a Polymer Membrane

Abstract The selective removal of water from ethanol through pervaporation was demonstrated in a microchannel device using a commercial membrane. Photolithography and dry etching techniques were employed for fabrication of the microseparator with hydraulic diameters of 30 µm to 80 µm. Experiments conducted at 90°C and 2–3 Torr, with Reynolds Numbers ranging from 8 to 91, resulted in an average water and ethanol permeance of 1.2×10−3 and 8×10−5 cm3/cm2 · s · cmHg respectively. A mass transfer analysis involving Sherwood correlations was used to calculate the theoretical boundary layer resistance. The comparison of overall mass transfer coefficient with the boundary layer coefficients suggests that the membrane was the dominant resistance for this system.
PROMOTION OF SEED SET IN YELLOW STAR‐THISTLE BY HONEY BEES: EVIDENCE OF AN INVASIVE MUTUALISM

We examined the role of nonnative honey bees (Apis mellifera) as pollinators of the invasive, nonnative plant species yellow star-thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), both introduced to the western United States in the early to middle 1800s. Using four different treatments (three exclosure types) at flower heads, we observed visitation rates of different pollinators. Honey bees were the most common visitors at each of three transects established at three study locales in California: University of California at Davis, Cosumnes River Preserve, and Santa Cruz Island. A significant correlation existed between honey bee visitation levels monitored in all these transects and the average number of viable seeds per seed head for the same transects. Selective exclusion of honey bees at flower heads using a 3 mm diameter mesh significantly reduced seed set per seed head at all locales. Seed set depression was less dramatic at the island locale because of high visitation rates by generalist halictid bees Augochlorella ...
Selective expression of CD44, a putative prostate cancer stem cell marker, in neuroendocrine tumor cells of human prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND Hormonal therapy is effective for advanced prostate cancer (PC) but the disease often recurs and becomes hormone-refractory. It is hypothesized that a subpopulation of cancer cells, that is, cancer stem cells (CSCs), survives hormonal therapy and leads to tumor recurrence. CD44 expression was shown to identify tumor cells with CSC features. PC contains secretory type epithelial cells and a minor population of neuroendocrine cells. Neuroendocrine cells do not express androgen receptor and are quiescent, features associated with CSCs. The purpose of the study was to determine the expression of CD44 in human PC and its relationship to neuroendocrine tumor cells. METHODS Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were performed to study CD44 expression in PC cell lines, single cells from fresh PC tissue and archival tissue sections of PC. We then determined if CD44+ cells represent neuroendocrine tumor cells. RESULTS In human PC cell lines, expression of CD44 is associated with cells of NE phenotype. In human PC tissues, NE tumor cells are virtually all positive for CD44 and CD44+ cells, excluding lymphocytes, are all NE tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS Selective expression of the stem cell-associated marker CD44 in NE tumor cells of PC, in combination with their other known features, further supports the significance of such cells in therapy resistance and tumor recurrence. Prostate 69: 787–798, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Analysis of multiframe target detection using pixel statistics

Current track-before-detect (TBD) algorithms are developed and analyzed using a path statistic for each potential object trajectory. However this path statistic does not characterize overall performance gain. We propose a pixel-based statistic. This allows the TBD approach to be characterized as an image enhancement algorithm with detection gains compared with single frame detections. It is shown that for the TBD approach to have superior detection over single frame detection the target signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) must be greater than a threshold SNR in order to overcome the uncertainty in the target path. Tradeoffs are made for a class of velocity constrained target paths in terms of the detection gain with respect to the maximum target velocity and number of frames integrated. >
Why Do People Become Modern? A Darwinian Explanation

A procession of cultural changes, often referred to as “modernization,” is initiated as a society undergoes economic development. But cultural change continues to be rapid in societies that industrialized several generations ago. Much of the change in both developed and developing societies is a progressive abandonment of the norms, values, and beliefs that encourage behavior consistent with the pursuit of genetic fitness. The kin influence hypothesis suggests that these changes are part of a cultural evolutionary process initiated by the replacement of largely kin-based communities with social groups consisting largely of non-kin. Kin have an interest in encouraging one another to behave in ways consistent with the pursuit of reproductive success, and a high level of social exchange between kin will tend to maintain norms that prescribe such behaviors. When social exchange between kin is reduced, these norms begin to relax. Cross-national comparisons of measures that reflect attitudes and behavior support the hypothesis by showing that cultural differences between countries can be substantially explained by their position on a cultural continuum that begins with social networks widening so that they become less kin-based.
Causes of Burnout in SLD Teachers

The study investigated self-reported causes of stress of specific learning disabilities (SLD) teachers. Six job-related factors of stress were identified by a majority of the 173 subjects survey. It was concluded that many SLD teachers experience stress related to occupational activities. A further question explored the relationship of stress to the characteristics of age, sex, years of teaching experience, highest degree, and level of teaching. Results shewed a significant association only between educational background and one stress factor.
Generating contextually appropriate intonation

One source of unnaturalness in the output of text-to-speech systems from the involvement of algorithmically generated default intonation contours, applied under minimal control from syntax and semantics. It is a tribute both to the resilience of human language understanding and to the ingenuity of the inventors of these algorithms that the results are as intelligible as they are. However, the result is very frequently unnatural, and may on occasion mislead the hearer. This paper extends earlier work on the relation between syntax and intonation in language understanding in Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG). A generator with a simple and domain-independent discourse model can be used to direct synthesis of intonation contours for responses to data-base queries, to convey distinctions of contrast and emphasis determined by the discourse model.
ORIENTATION BY BULK MESSENGER SENSORS IN AQUATIC VERTEBRATES

All higher animals have evolved sense organs to detect minute amounts of chemicals in their environments. The stimuli they perceive affect their behavior in various ways: in locating of food, in orientation in home ranges or territories, in detection of the opposite sex, and even in the recognition of individuals of the same species. Among some fishes, the chemical sense organs are extremely well developed. The olfactory acuity of the eel (Anguilla anguilla) is such that the animal has been trained to respond to beta phenylethyl alcohol in a solution of 1.77 X 103 molecules per cubic centimeter of water (Teichmann, 1962). This, as the late Dr Teichmann so vividly stated, corresponds to a cubic centimeter of scent being dispersed in 58 times the water volume of the Lake of Constance. At this dilution, only two molecules at best would have been at one time in the nose of his small experimental eels, which had a nasal volume of only one cubic millimeter. Other fishes, however, do not appear to use their noses at all; the stickleback, for example, is anosmic. The other chemical sense, taste, is also very acute. It has been established that certain minnows have thresholds for taste several orders of magnitude lower than for humans (Glaser, 1966). Other fishes, which have many more taste sensors than these minnows, are believed to have taste thresholds that come close to olfactory ones. Sensory acuity is often reflected in the anatomy of the receptor organ. The fishes best able to smell have the olfactory epithelium thrown into the largest number of folds (e.g. the eel, FiGURE 1) and have well developed mechanisms to insure the passage of water over the receptor surfaces. Those best able to taste possess a large number of typical vertebrate taste buds (FIGURE 2) distributed all over their bodies, including the tail. In addition to large numbers of receptor cells for bulk messengers and related to the acuity of performance of smell and taste orientation, there are various adaptations that allow a fish to make comparisons of scent or taste substance concentrations in space and/or time. The hammerhead shark (FIGURE 3), for instance, bears its two nares at the extremities of its peculiarly broadened, wedge-shaped head. Directional detection of scent to the right and left of this shark is further enhanced by its sinuous swimming movements.
Selective CC chemokine receptor expression by central nervous system-infiltrating encephalitogenic T cells during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a CD4+ T cell disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by mononuclear cell infiltration, demyelination, and paralysis. Recent studies describing the relationship of chemokine expression with development of clinical disease have led to the hypothesis that distinct chemokine receptors corresponding to specific ligands are expressed by CNS-infiltrating antigen-specific encephalitogenic T cells as well as host-derived bystander T cells and monocytes. In an effort to study encephalitogenic T cell chemokine receptor expression, we examined CC chemokine receptor expression from resting, activated, and CNS-isolated CD4+ T cells. CCR1, CCR2, CCR3, CCR5, CCR6, CCR7, and CCR8 mRNA is expressed by normal CD4+ T cells. In vitro activated T cells expressed CCR1, CCR2, CCR3, CCR5, CCR6, CCR7, and CCR8 mRNA as well as CCR4. After EAE induction, CCR1 mRNA was expressed by donor-derived encephalitogenic and host-derived CD4+ T cells isolated only from CNS and not from spleen. In vivo neutralization of the CCR1 ligand, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (CCL3), resulted in less encephalitogenic CD4+ T cell CNS infiltration. These results demonstrate the importance of CC chemokine receptor expression by CD4+ encephalitogenic T cells for CNS infiltration and subsequent disease development. J. Neurosci. Res. 66:705–714, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A Test of Neutral Molecular Evolution Based on Nucleotide Data

ABSTRACT The neutral theory of molecular evolution predicts that regions of the genome that evolve at high rates, as revealed by interspecific DNA sequence comparisons, will also exhibit high levels of polymorphism within species. We present here a conservative statistical test of this prediction based on a constant-rate neutral model. The test requires data from an interspecific comparison of at least two regions of the genome and data on levels of intraspecific polymorphism in the same regions from at least one species. The model is rejected for data from the region encompassing the Adh locus and the 5′ flanking sequence of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila sechellia . The data depart from the model in a direction that is consistent with the presence of balanced polymorphism in the coding region.
Image-Guided Radiosurgical Ablation of Intra- and Extra-Cranial Lesions

For decades since its introduction, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) was used only to treat intracranial lesions because intracranial targets could be immobilized and located relative to a rigid metal frame affixed to the patient's head. Lesions outside the head were generally not treated with SRS because it is difficult to immobilize extracranial lesions and to attach stereotactic frames elsewhere on the body. Advances in computerized image guidance and robotics allowed the development of systems, such as the CyberKnife SRS System (Accuray, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA), that could target intracranial lesions without the stereotactic frame. Enhancements have resulted in a radiation delivery system that can accurately deliver high-dose, focal radiation to lesions in the spine, chest, and abdomen, even if they move during respiration. In this review we will describe the technical features of frameless SRS systems and briefly review their application to treating intracranial and extracranial lesions, focusing in particular on spinal lesions.
Influence of Communicative Competence and Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technique on Children's Attitudes toward a Peer Who Uses AAC

The focus of this research was on how components of communicative competence (i.e., response time and need for prompting) and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technique (i.e., nonelectronic communication board vs. static screen voice output device) used by a child who used AAC influenced the self-reported attitudes of peers. Fourth- and fifth-grade children participated in a study in which they observed videotapes of a child using AAC and then completed an attitudinal rating scale, the Assessment of Attitudes Toward Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AATAAC). The children were assigned to one of four videotape conditions, which varied according to the AAC technique used and the child's competence. Results indicated that there was no significant effect of participants' grade level, of the device type used, or of the communicative competence of the child who used AAC on the children's attitudes. Additionally, no significant interactions between variables were found. The only significant...
Observations on Rostral Canal Bones of Two Species of Acipenser (Actinopterygii, Acipenseriformes)

Comparative osteological studies of the sturgeon genus Acipenser are rare. In this paper, the rostral canal bones of Acipenser brevirostrum and Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus are compared and three new osteological features that distinguish these species are described. In lateral view, the jugal bone of adult A. o. oxyrinchus possesses distinct vertical and horizontal arms, whereas that of A. brevirostrum is roughly triangular in shape. The posterior rostral canal bones in A. o. oxyrinchus possess larger and more pointed medial expansions relative to those found in A. brevirostrum. The rostral canal bones immediately lateral to the commissure in adult A. o. oxyrinchus are ornamented with thorn-shaped processes, which differ from the simple Y-shaped tubes found in A. brevirostrum and other taxa examined.
Temporal and Spatial Variations of Hydrometeor Orientations in Thunderstorms

Abstract Changing orientations of hydrometeors due to rapidly changing electric fields in thunderstorms were observed by the 11-cm polarimetric Doppler radar that was operated by the Geophysics Directorate of Phillips Laboratory in Sudbury, Massachusetts. The radar transmitted signals of right circular polarization and received signals of right and left circular polarization in a dual-channel receiver. The effects of electric fields appear as differential attenuation and differential phase shift in propagation that are derivable from the cross-covariance of the two received signals. The data were used initially to investigate time dependence of these effects at the altitudes where they were strongest. The analysis has been extended to examine the spatial structure and temporal variation of the observed effects through most of the vertical extent of the storms. The results illustrate the combined role of hydrometeor microphysics and the electric field in producing the observed differential phase shifts and...
REAL/IZING THE SACRED: SPIRITUAL DIRECTION AND SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM

AbstractWhatever sense we have of how things stand with someone else’s inner life, we gain it through their expressions, not through some magical intrusion into their consciousness. It’s all a matter of scratching surfaces.—Clifford Geertz (Epston, White, and Murray, 1992, p. 96)
Optimization of small reflector antennas for radio astronomy

This paper reports simulated and analytical results for 3.8 m symmetric and offset reflector geometries using a wideband feed and concludes that a significant improvement in performance can be obtained using the offset geometry. These performance improvements are a reduction of spillover noise from 28K to 16 K, and an improvement in the sensitivity figure of merit (Aeff/Tsys) from 0.07 to 0.09 m2/K. Further performance improvement in offset design were achieved using a ground shield, which reduced the spillover noise to 11 K, and adding a dielectric rod within the wideband feed, which illuminated the antenna to improve sensitivity figure of merit from 0.09 to 0.12m2/K The use of a mesh material for the offset reflector surface was also investigated. Using these optimizations, arrays of small offset reflectors can be used in future radio astronomy.
3-methylcholanthrene-induced thyroiditis in buffalo strain rats.

Inbred adult Buffalo strain male and female rats were given 0.033% 3-methylcholanthrene continuously in the diet. They were killed after 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 52 weeks. The incidence of rats with thyroiditis tended to increase with continued ingestion of the chemical. The lesion was observed earlier in the female than in male rats, and the incidence increased faster with time on the diet. The most striking finding was the severe thyroiditis (as compared with mild or moderate thyroiditis) in most animals, regardless of when they were killed. It is concluded that the lesion develops “suddenly” rather than progressing from mild to moderate, then severe thyroiditis.
Plasma Membrane and Actin Cytoskeleton as Synergistic Barriers to Nanowire Cell Penetration

Nanowires are a rapidly emerging platform for manipulation of and material delivery directly into the cell cytosol. These high aspect ratio structures can breach the lipid membrane; however, the yield of penetrant structures is low, and the mechanism is largely unknown. In particular, some nanostructures appear to defeat the membrane transiently, while others can retain long-term access. Here, we examine if local dissolution of the lipid membrane, actin cytoskeleton, or both can enhance nanowire penetration. It is possible that, during cell contact, membrane rupture occurs; however, if the nanostructures do not penetrate the cytoskeleton, the membrane may reclose over a relatively short time frame. We show with quantitative analysis of the number of penetrating nanowires that the lipid bilayer and actin cytoskeleton are synergistic barriers to nanowire cell access, yet chemical poration through both is still insufficient to increase long-term access for adhered cells.
To Be Young, Gifted and Oppressed: The Plight of the Ethnic Artist

Ethnic voices, when they speak of oppression, state their theme with authority. Eloquent immediacy distinguishes the literary treatment of oppression in Richard Wright's autobiography, Black Boy, and in Chaim Potok's My Name Is Asher Lev, a novel about a talented individualist in the Jewish society which Potok, as rabbi, painter, and writer, knows so intimately.1 The ring of authenticity which informs the experiences lived by the personae in both books is the first of a number of properties these works share.
Fast and efficient online release of N-glycans from glycoproteins facilitating liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry glycomic profiling.

A novel online enzyme reactor incorporating peptide-N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) on a monolithic polymer support has been developed to allow the rapid simultaneous release of both neutral and acidic N-linked glycans from glycoproteins. The PNGase F monolithic reactor was fabricated in a fused silica using glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate polymer. The reactor was coupled to a C8 trap and a porous graphitic carbon (PGC) HPLC-chip. This arrangement was interfaced to an ion trap mass spectrometer for liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analyses. The performance of the PNGase F reactor was optimized using the MS signal for the disialylated biantennary N-glycan derived from fetuin. Optimum conditions for glycan release were attained at room temperature using a loading flow rate of 2 μL/min and a reaction time of 6 min. The loading capacity of the reactor was determined to be around 2 pmol of glycoprotein. The online digestio...
Comparative Economics Systems in the Undergraduate Curriculum: An Update.

ABSTRACTIn this study, the authors report on the status of comparative economics systems in the U.S. undergraduate economics curriculum. The treatment of comparative economics systems topics in introductory courses is examined through a survey of standard textbooks. To evaluate comparative economics systems at the advanced undergraduate level, they rely on survey data, searches of course catalogs, and an evaluation of available textbooks. They find course offerings in comparative economics systems have declined noticeably in the past ten years, with departments shifting to courses that study the economics of specific regions or countries.
Detecting Vanishing Points Using Global Image Context in a Non-ManhattanWorld

We propose a novel method for detecting horizontal vanishing points and the zenith vanishing point in man-made environments. The dominant trend in existing methods is to first find candidate vanishing points, then remove outliers by enforcing mutual orthogonality. Our method reverses this process: we propose a set of horizon line candidates and score each based on the vanishing points it contains. A key element of our approach is the use of global image context, extracted with a deep convolutional network, to constrain the set of candidates under consideration. Our method does not make a Manhattan-world assumption and can operate effectively on scenes with only a single horizontal vanishing point. We evaluate our approach on three benchmark datasets and achieve state-of the-art performance on each. In addition, our approach is significantly faster than the previous best method.
Forensic trajectory modeling of marine oil spills

The authors have attempted to demystify the oil spill modeling process for the forensic investigator by disclosing some of the more practical modeling techniques. In addition, historical overviews of the major advancements in spill modeling are presented as much of the original work is still used in today’s models. The key to identifying the best modeling approach for investigating the movement and behavior of spilled oil is an understanding of the differences between “forecasting” and “hindcasting.” These differences are discussed and include a brief overview of present oil spill modeling capabilities.
Evaluation of Occupational Hazards Control on A New Project of A Equipment Manufacturing Enterprise

[Objective]To evaluate the occupational hazards control on a new cracking furnace module manufacturing project in a equipment manufacturing enterprise,to control and reduce the effect of occupational hazard on health of workers,to make the concentration(intensity) of occupational hazards in workplace meet the requirements of national occupational health standards,and control and prevent the occurrence of occupational diseases.[Methods]The comprehensive evaluation was performed through collecting relevant material,occupational health field survey,occupational health inspection,the occupational health examination and inspection table methods of assessment.[Results]The major occupational hazards existed in this new project were welding soot,grinding wheel dust,ferric oxide dust,benzene and benzene series,nickel and compounds,manganese and compounds,noise,X-ray radiation,etc.Time-weighted average(TWA) of the iron dust concentration was 13.4(mg/m3) which was more than PC-TWA,concentrations of productive dust and poisons did not exceed the PC-TWA,the measuring noise intensity were not exceed 85 dB(A),NDT room X-ray protection air kerma rates were all lower than 2.5(μGy/h);no suspected occupational patient and occupational contraindication patient were detected by occupational health surveillance.[Conclusion]Occupational hazards control effect of this new project complies with the occupational health requirements,and has basically acquired occupational health conditions of the project completion acceptance.
Maternal high fructose and low protein consumption during pregnancy and lactation share some but not all effects on early-life growth and metabolic programming of rat offspring

Abstract Maternal nutritional stress during pregnancy acts to program offspring metabolism. We hypothesized that the nutritional stress caused by maternal fructose or low protein intake during pregnancy would program the offspring to develop metabolic aberrations that would be exacerbated by a diet rich in fructose or fat during adult life. The objective of this study was to characterize and compare the fetal programming effects of maternal fructose with the established programming model of a low-protein diet on offspring. Male offspring from Sprague-Dawley dams fed a 60% starch control diet, a 60% fructose diet, or a low-protein diet throughout pregnancy and lactation were weaned onto either a 60% starch control diet, 60% fructose diet, or a 30% fat diet for 15 weeks. Offspring from low-protein and fructose-fed dam showed retarded growth ( P P P =.09) and low-protein ( P
Linearizability of Persistent Memory Objects Under a Full-System-Crash Failure Model

This paper provides a theoretical and practical framework for crash-resilient data structures on a machine with persistent (nonvolatile) memory but transient registers and cache. In contrast to certain prior work, but in keeping with “real world” systems, we assume a full-system failure model, in which all transient state (of all processes) is lost on a crash. We introduce the notion of durable linearizability to govern the safety of concurrent objects under this failure model and a corresponding relaxed, buffered variant which ensures that the persistent state in the event of a crash is consistent but not necessarily up to date.
The Hyperspectral Soil Line: a preliminary description

The hyperspectral “soil line” describes the change in brightness of reflected light due to water-enhanced absorption by soil. Thus, the location and orientation of the soil line represents soil reflectance in the 450-950 nm range.
Basic Graph Algorithms

Spatial network queries are used in a wide range of applications, such as road networks, power cables, air transportation, etc. In this chapter, we describe basic network algorithms that are used to design efficient spatial network query processing mechanisms. We start by introducing the basic terminology of the graph theory that will be used in this book. Then we present multiple ways to represent network datasets, followed by a study of network algorithms.
Reinvestigation of Ni 56 decay

In a series of experiments, we have reinvestigated the decay of the doubly magic nucleus $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$, which is believed to be copiously produced in supernovae. We have confirmed its previously known decay scheme and half-life, and have searched for several rare decay modes. We establish an upper limit of 5.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}7}$ for the branching ratio of the second forbidden unique ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\beta}}}^{+}$ decay to the 158-keV level in $^{56}\mathrm{Co}$, leading to a lower limit of 2.9\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{4}$ yr for the half-life of fully ionized $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ nuclei in cosmic rays. We also establish an upper limit of 5.0\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ for the branching ratio of the isospin forbidden Fermi electron capture transition to the 1451-keV level in $^{56}\mathrm{Co}$, which in turn leads to an upper limit of 124 keV for the isospin mixing Coulomb matrix element of the $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ ground state.
Ontological realism and sentential form

The standard argument for the existence of distinctively mathematical objects like numbers has two main premises: (i) some mathematical claims are true, and (ii) the truth of those claims requires the existence of distinctively mathematical objects. Most nominalists deny (i). Those who deny (ii) typically reject Quine’s criterion of ontological commitment. I target a different assumption in a standard type of semantic argument for (ii). Benacerraf’s semantic argument, for example, relies on the claim that two sentences, one about numbers and the other about cities, have the same grammatical form. He makes this claim on the grounds that the two sentences are superficially similar. I argue that these grounds are not sufficient. Other sentences with the same superficial form appear to have different grammatical forms. I offer two plausible interpretations of Benacerraf’s number sentence that make use of plural quantification. These interpretations appear not to incur ontological commitments to distinctively mathematical objects, even assuming Quine’s criterion. Such interpretations open a new, plural strategy for the mathematical nominalist.