cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chlorine chemistry in diffuse interstellar clouds

The results of recent observations of the column densities of chlorine species in diffuse interstellar clouds are inconsistent with the column densities predicted by model calculations. The use of new atomic and molecular data fails to decrease the discrepancy. It is speculated that the exothermic reaction Cl(+) yields HCl(+) + H may not be rapid at the low temperatures prevailing in diffuse interstellar clouds.
Private Equity in the 21 st Century: Cash Flows, Performance, and Contract Terms from 1984-2010

Using detailed quarterly cash ow data for a large sample of private equity funds from 1984-2010, we examine cross-sectional and time-series cash ow performance of private equity funds across a range of asset classes, including venture capital, buyout, real estate, distressed debt, and funds-of-funds. Our data also include key features of the management contracts, specically carried interest, management fees, and general partner capital commitments, allowing us to investigate the determinants of contractual terms and to link contractual terms to performance. The data reveal important facts about the private equity market in the 21 st century. On average, our sample private equity funds have outperformed the S&P 500 on a net-of-fee basis by about 15%, or about 1.5% per year. Performance varies considerably across fund types and over time. Larger funds require larger percentage capital commitments from the general partners (GPs), consistent with concerns about GP incentives in large funds. Larger funds also charge lower management fees, and obtain higher carried interest, consistent with learning about GP ability. Management fees, but not carried interest, are higher during fundraising boom periods, even controlling for fund size, suggesting that the xed/variable mix of GP compensation shifts toward xed components during fundraising booms, consistent with increased GP bargaining power in booms. In marked contrast to the mutual fund literature, there is no relation between management fee and carry terms and net-of-fee performance, suggesting that GPs with higher fees earn them in the form of higher gross-of-fee performance. There is some evidence that funds with lower GP capital commitments outperform. Conclusions about private equity performance over time dier markedly depending on whether performance is measured in absolute terms (IRR) or adjusted for the performance of the S&P 500 (PME). In particular, funds raised during hot markets underperform in terms of IRR, but not in terms of PME. Capital calls and distributions are both more likely and larger when public equity valuations rise and when liquidity conditions tighten. During the nancial crisis and ensuing recession of 2007-2009, the component of calls unexplained
A Review of “Agenda Setting in the U.S. Senate: Costly Consideration and Majority Party Advantage”

There is a tension between the conventional wisdom about Senate parties and certain empirical realities. Most accounts of Senate parties suggest that majorities lack meaningful agenda control, give...
Practical modelocked fiber lasers

Summary form only given. Researchers have often had a love/hate relationship with the fiber laser. On the one hand the laser was efficient compact, inexpensive, and capable of producing very clean short pulses. On the other hand they often needed constant adjustment, seemed to operate based on "hidden variables" and often had a random pulse distribution for harmonic mode-locking. These characteristics have led some researchers to abandon them as yet another perpetual technology of the future. This tutorial will hopefully convince the sceptic that fiber lasers have indeed become practical sources. It will cover the wide variety of modelocking mechanisms which can be used in fiber lasers, comparison between the techniques and a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of each method. A number of examples of fiber laser designs that are rugged, stable and commercially available will be presented.
Echicetin: A Snake Venom Protein That Inhibits Binding of von Willebrand Factor and Alboaggregins to Platelet Glycoprotein Ib

Echicetin, a new protein isolated from Echis carinatus venom by reverse phase and ion exchange chromatography specifically inhibited agglutination of fixed platelets induced by several platelet glycoprotein Ib (GPIb) agonists, such as bovine von Willebrand factor (vWF), alboaggregins, and human vWF in the presence of botrocetin. Unlike alboaggregins, echicetin bound to GPIb but did not induce agglutination of washed or fixed platelets. In contrast to disintegrins, it did not block adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation in the presence of fibrinogen. The apparent molecular weight of echicetin measured on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis was 26 Kd under nonreducing conditions. On reduction, echicetin showed 16 and 14-Kd subunits suggesting that the molecule is a dimer. Reduced echicetin retained its binding activity and its inhibitory effect on the agglutination of fixed platelets induced by bovine vWF. 125I-echicetin bound to fixed platelets with high affinity (kd = 30 +/- 1.8 nmol/L) at 45,000 +/- 2,400 binding sites per platelet. The binding was selectively inhibited by a monoclonal antibody to the 45-Kd N-terminal domain of platelet GPIb, but not by monoclonal antibodies to other regions on GPIb. Binding of 125I-bovine vWF to fixed platelets was strongly inhibited by echicetin. In contrast, bovine vWF showed a much weaker inhibitory activity on binding of 125I-echicetin to platelets. The half life of echicetin in blood was approximately 170 minutes with no detectable degradation. Echicetin significantly prolonged the bleeding time of mice, suggesting that it may inhibit vWF binding to GPIb in vivo as well as in vitro.
Cultural Ideals, Feminine Behavior and Family Control

An examination of female behavior in Latin America reveals how social circumstances operate as intervening variables between asserted family ideals and values and real behavior among both lower and upper class women. Considering the emphasis in Latin America on a family system based on male "honor" and female purity one would expect the practice of early marriage female seclusion and traditional female roles which allow no alternatives to marriage and childrearing such as education and employment. Instead a look at statistics from some Latin American countries shows a pattern of late marriage illegal sexual unions high illigitimacy broad education and widespread female employment outside the home in both professional and nonprofessional jobs. By way of contrast statistics from several countries in the Middle East which share many similar cultural ideals with the Latin Americans show how most normative expectations regarding the female role are being met. 2 factors have been signaled out as weaking the authority of the family in Latin America as an agent of social control and thereby thwarting the institutionalization of normative behavior: the Spanish conquest and the role of the Catholic clergy. The Spanish conquest brought about deep ethnic cleavages and prevented the social and cultural integration of the native population into the dominant system of norms. The Spaniards regarded the native women as plunder. The marriage bond lost its significance and with it the prestige and authority of family members. The Catholic clergy helped to liberate middle and upper class women from the authority of male family members. This was done by providing alternatives to women in the form of education and social work within the church which lead eventually to professional jobs within general society. In both cases "situational circumstances" created a range of alternative patterns of behavior to the single traditional role prescribed by culture and family ideals.
Public Enterprise Efficiency: The Case of the New York Canals

A random effects stochastic frontier variable cost function is estimated for the Erie Canal and nine interconnected lateral canals in New York, covering the period 1837–1881. Variable costs are 50 % above least cost for the Erie and 42 % above across all the 10 canals. Inefficiency does not vary over time in response to numerous changes in canal administrative structures and personnel or the advent of railroads. The canal system was plagued by documented waste, fraud and mismanagement throughout its history. A privatized, price capped Erie Canal was proposed in 1817, but rejected on political grounds.
Micropulse slippage and optical mode distortion in the Boeing APLE amplifier

Abstract In the Boeing Average Power Laser Experiment (APLE), the free electron laser (FEL) oscillator produces short optical pulses for input to the amplifier section. Micropulse slippage can become significant in the amplifier, competing with the effects of high gain and optical mode distortion. A two-dimensional simulation is used to study pulse slippage, and a three-dimensional simulation is used to study mode distortion. A four-dimensional simulation is used to simultaneously study these effects, and to look at the sensitivity of the efficiency to changes in various FEL parameters. We find that high gain and mode distortion effects dominate the pulse slippage effects. The amplifier is fairly insensitice to beam quality degradation and changes in the initial optical field, but a significant improvement in efficiency could be achieved by shortening the electron pulse.
Stack filters: relating fuzzy theory to mathematical morphology and order statistics

ABSTRACT Fuzzy theory, is a controversial, subjective generalization of conventional set theory enjoying great commer-cia! success in control and signal processing. In this paper, we show that stack filters, already related to morphology,require slight modification to implement basic fuzzy operators. This paper therefore provides a fast errorless methodfor implementation of the basic fuzzy operations. 2. INTRODUCTION Mathematical morphology has proven to be an effective means for processing and analyzing images and signals. Because stack filters compose multiple (positive) Boolean filters, they are ideal for implementing morphologyThe reason for this is that Boolean filters can be represented as a sum-of-products (SOP) or product-of-sums (POS.A sum (product) of Boolean variables, ORing (ANDing) the variables, results in a binary maximum (minimum) of thevariables. Realizing morphological operations as stack filters offers a highly parallel architecture which has proveneffective for such order statistic filters as the median.Fuzzy theory is now established at giving mathematical measures to a wide variety of ambiguous phenomena.The outstanding feature of fuzzy sets is the ability to express the non-statistical uncertainty in human thinking andsubjectivity in a comparatively undistorted manner. Fuzzy methods are most closely associated with control applica-tions. Fuzzy theory has also been applied to just about every image processing function, at every hierarchical level.Successful applications of fuzzy theory in the area of signal processing are numerous and ever increasing.Fuzzy set theory, like mathematical morphology, is also based to a large extent, on maximum and minimumoperations. For this reason, the new fuzzy stack filter implementation is conceivable and can serve to relate the fuzzytheory with morphology. A potential problem with this implementation, that of the fuzzy complement, can beresolved through rerouting. Composite fuzzy membership functions can be calculated to arbitrary precision, given thenecessary constituent membership functions.
The pediatrician's concept of the normal adolescent

Complete medical assessment of an adolescent requires understanding of the normal psychological state, including self-image. To determine the pediatrician's knowledge about the self-image of normal adolescents, 33 house staff and 36 attending pediatricians in a major teaching center completed the Offer Physician-Adolescent Questionnaire (OPAQ), a scale that measures adult perceptions of adolescent self-image. Forty-one male and 28 female pediatricians completed the 50-item questionnaire as they believed a "mentally healthy, well-adjusted adolescent" would. Pediatricians' responses did not differ by sex, age, or status as resident or attending. Percentage endorsements for each item were converted to standard scores for 11 scales. The scale scores were then compared with previously established norms for healthy adolescents and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Pediatricians accurately predicted the normal adolescent responses for only two scales: vocational and educational goals and superior adjustment. Pediatricians responded more positively than the adolescents to items on the idealism scale. For the remaining eight scales, the pediatricians responded more negatively than did normal adolescents and teens with cystic fibrosis. The pediatricians' view of normal adolescent self-image seems to be more pessimistic than what adolescents report. Language: en
Organosulfur compounds as pre-exposure therapy for threat agents

A series of symmetric (Ar-S-S-Ar) and unsymmetric (Ar-S-S-CH 2 CH 2 NH 3 +Cl - ) disulfides have been prepared and evaluated as potential cyanoprotective agents. Target compounds have been prepared by known methods and/or methods developed by us specifically for this program, e.g. reaction of a thiol with 2,2'-dithiobis(benzothiazole) (BT-S-S-BT) followed by reaction with a second thiol. Both 4-methoxyphenyl disulfide and 2-aminoethyl-4-methoxyphenyl disulfide hydrochloride are cyanoprotective against 2-LD 50 of injected cyanide. Evaluation of both symmetric and unsymmetric related disulfides indicates that structural requirements for cyanoprotective activity are stringent and strongly suggest that protection is enzyme mediated. In addition to cyanoprotective action, initial results suggest that unsymmetric disulfides may evolve into effective antimustard agents.
Excess of over in the proton sea quark distribution

Abstract Muon-hydrogen and -deuterium deep inelastic scattering measurements find an excess of d and u sea quarks. We offer an explanation of this excess in terms of pion cloud effects and place limits on the pion-nucleon vertex function.
Regeneration of Amputated Zebrafish Fin Rays from De Novo Osteoblasts

Determining the cellular source of new skeletal elements is critical for understanding appendage regeneration in amphibians and fish. Recent lineage-tracing studies indicated that zebrafish fin ray bone regenerates through the dedifferentiation and proliferation of spared osteoblasts, with limited if any contribution from other cell types. Here, we examined the requirement for this mechanism by using genetic ablation techniques to destroy virtually all skeletal osteoblasts in adult zebrafish fins. Animals survived this injury and restored the osteoblast population within 2 weeks. Moreover, amputated fins depleted of osteoblasts regenerated new fin ray structures at rates indistinguishable from fins possessing a resident osteoblast population. Inducible genetic fate mapping confirmed that new bone cells do not arise from dedifferentiated osteoblasts under these conditions. Our findings demonstrate diversity in the cellular origins of appendage bone and reveal that de novo osteoblasts can fully support the regeneration of amputated zebrafish fins.
Are drug-eluting stents safe in the long term?

The use of drug-eluting stents has become widespread globally. However, in the last 2 years concerns have been raised regarding their long-term safety.[1][1],[2][2] Recent registry studies and meta-analyses seem to have provided reassuring results about the long-term rates of death and myocardial
Archives, War, and Memory: Building a Framework

Archives, often targeted for destruction in war, are also given meaning in these conflicts. Institutions with an archival function (archives, museums, and libraries) are destroyed, but new repositories are often created in their place. War even provides an impetus for the creation of new documentary forms. This essay explores archives within the framework of memory studies, specifically that part focusing on war. Drawing on the growing rich scholarly literature on war memory, this essay addresses the implications for understanding archives, in the context of documenting, remembering, and forgetting, and in how memorials, from cemeteries to uses of new technologies, influence our understanding of archives and the archival function. In efforts to destroy archives as symbols of society and culture, we can begin to gain a new and different sense of the value of archives. This essay begins to lay out a framework for valuing archives that extends outside of the traditional notions of archives.
Flavor quality and texture of modified fatty acid high monoene, low saturate butter

Abstract The fatty acid composition of milk was modified by feeding cows 1.7 kg/day of calcium salts of high oleic sunflower oil. Unsalted butter was prepared from modified and normal milk. Triangle tests were used to compare sensory properties of the butters. The melting behavior was examined using the solid fat index over the temperature range 10 to 38 °C. An Instron cone penetrometer was used to measure hardness at 10 °C. The modified butter had increased monoenes and decreased saturates, with little difference in polyunsaturates, compared with normal butter. The Instron penetrometer indicated that modified butter was softer than normal butter (1.2 ± 0.2 kg for modified and 3.4 ± 0.3 kg for normal). The solid fat index curve was lower (less solid) for modified butter, but melting occurred at the same temperature as for normal butter (38 °C). There was no difference in flavor or oxidative stability, measured by the anisidine value, between normal and modified butters. Butter that is softer than normal and has a nutritionally favorable fatty acid composition can be produced by feeding cows calcium-protected high oleic sunflower oil.
Rational and Modular Design of Potent Ligands Targeting the RNA that Causes Myotonic Dystrophy 2

Most ligands targeting RNA are identified through screening a therapeutic target for binding members of a ligand library. A potential alternative way to construct RNA binders is through rational design using information about the RNA motifs ligands prefer to bind. Herein, we describe such an approach to design modularly assembled ligands targeting the RNA that causes myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2), a currently untreatable disease. A previous study identified that 6′-N-5-hexynoate kanamycin A (1) prefers to bind 2×2 nucleotide, pyrimidine-rich RNA internal loops. Multiple copies of such loops are found in the RNA hairpin that causes DM2. The 1 ligand was then modularly displayed on a peptoid scaffold with varied number and spacing to target several internal loops simultaneously. Modularly assembled ligands were tested for binding to a series of RNAs and for inhibiting the formation of the toxic DM2 RNA-muscleblind protein (MBNL-1) interaction. The most potent ligand displays three 1 modules, each separate...
Kinetic properties of the arginine kinase isoenzyme of Limulus polyphemus

Abstract A number of kinetic properties of the negative and neutral arginine kinases isolated from the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus , were studied. The two arginine kinase forms show very similar kinetic properties. Both require a divalent cation such as Mg 2+ or Mn 2+ for activity. Ca 2+ is about 40% as active as Mg 2+ while Zn 2+ , Cu 2+ , Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ are not activators. High concentrations of free Mg 2+ will inhibit both enzymes. Optimal enzyme activity is observed in the forward reaction when the concentration of free Mg + is 1 m m . Other nucleoside triphosphates can substitute for ATP as substrates in the forward reaction. The order of decreasing V is ATP > 2′dATP ⋙ ITP > GTP for both forms. Neither d -arginine nor l -argininic acid will act as substrates for either isoenzyme, but both compounds are competitive inhibitors with respect, to l -arginine. l -Canavanine is a substrate for both forms, but its optimal velocity is much less than that observed with l -arginine. l -Canavanine shows sigmoid kinetics with both forms. The results of initial velocity studies of the forward reaction indicate that the mechanism for both forms is of the random order rapid equilibrium type similar to that observed with rabbit muscle creatine kinase and Panulirus longipes arginine kinase. Isotope-exchange measurements made with the negative form were also consistent with this mechanism. Although no catalytic basis for a functional difference between the two forms was found, it is possible that in vitro differences in stability may reflect stabilities in vivo and thus provide a basis for regulating arginine kinase levels in various tissues thereby giving a selective advantage to species having both forms.
Modulation of spacing and magnetic properties of iron oxide nanoparticles through polymer-mediated bricks and mortar self-assembly

Polymer-mediated “bricks-and-mortar” self-assembly of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles allows modulation of the structure and magnetic properties of the resulting nanoparticle assemblies. Noncovalent assembly of thymine-functionalized nanoparticles using diaminotriazine-functionalized polystyrene provides extended aggregates featuring enhanced ordering relative to control samples of unassembled particles. In addition, the polymer-assembled aggregates feature increased interparticle spacing arising from the polymer “mortar”. The enhanced ordering and increased spacing provided by the polymer-mediated assembly alters the strength of interparticle coupling, as manifested by characteristic changes in the magnetic properties of the assemblies.
To Open Minds: Chinese Clues to the Dilemma of Contemporary Education

Prologue: A Long March to Creativity * An American EducationAt Midcentury Conflicting Messages in the American Atmosphere Imprinted on Cambridge Resisting Professionalization Two Sort of Careers: Project Zero and the VA Hospital An International and Interdisciplinary Turn * China Experiences First Visit to China The First U.S.-China Arts Education Conference The China Project Three Educational Experiments, with an Unscheduled Trip to Taiwan At LastOur Chinese Mission Accomplished A Gadflys View of Some Chinese Arts Classes Fitting the Key in the Slot: Five Perspectives on China * Reflections Reflections in a Professional Key Reflections in a Personal Key
Effect of orchiectomy upon chemical constituents of blood in young mature males, with special reference to sustained increase in the level of serum inorganic phosphorus.

Nine young adult males were studied for periods as long as two years before surgical castration and four years after removal of the testes. Thus control and experimental data were referable to the same individuals. The subjects were young mature males, apparently normal with regard to sexual maturation, and in good health throughout the study. Orchiectomy was carried out for medico-legal reasons, not as a therapeutic measure because of illness such as prostatic cancer. Therefore these data, unlike those in most previous attempts to assess the effects of castraction (1, 2), are not complicated by the lowering of ketosteroid titers that accompanies aging (3–10) or disease (11).
Selection of the automated thresholding algorithm for the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer Radiometric Camera-by-Camera Cloud Mask over land

Abstract The Radiometric Camera-by-Camera Cloud Mask (RCCM) is archived at the NASA Langley Distributed Active Archive Center as one of the standard products from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) mission. The RCCM algorithm applied over land surfaces uses an Automated Threshold Selection Algorithm (ATSA) to derive thresholds that are applied to a cloud masking test to determine whether a given image pixel is clear or contains cloud. In this article, we established a framework for the selection of ATSA and the cloud masking tests, which is not only suitable for the RCCM over land, but cloud detection for other satellite missions. Using this framework, we have undertaken the largest comparison of existing histogram-based ATSAs (16 in total) and applied them to four cloud masking tests that can be constructed from the MISR radiances, namely the red channel bidirectional reflectance function (BRF), the standard deviation (STDV) of the red channel BRF, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and a parameter D that is constructed by optimizing the information from NDVI and red channel BRF for cloud detection. The cloud masking tests and ATSAs are applied to 35 MISR scenes from six snow-free land surface types. To evaluate their performance, reference cloud masks are constructed for the 35 scenes using interactive, supervised learning, visualization software. Independent of the ATSA and as a single cloud masking test, D performed the best in terms of having the lowest misclassification rate using the best possible threshold, the highest bimodal rate in the shape of the histograms derived from the 35 scenes, and the least sensitivity to errors in the choice of threshold. Of the 16 ATSAs, the methods of Li and Lee [Li, C.H., and Lee, C.K., (1993). Minimum cross-entropy thresholding. Pattern Recognition, 26(4), 617-625.] and Pal and Bhandari [Pal, N. R., and Bhandari, D., (1993). Image thresholding: some new techniques. Signal Processing, 33, 139–158.] performed the best when applied to D , with essentially unbiased performance and a root mean square of 15% when compared to cloud masks using the best possible thresholds. It is recommended that increased performance of the RCCM-land algorithm can be had through an increase in the space–time sampling used to generate histograms of D and the addition of a STDV cloud masking test to improve the detection of small cumulus clouds.
Low-power CMOS-driven transmitters and receivers

Multimode optical transmitters and receivers are demonstrated with record low power consumptions and at data rates up to 20 Gb/s using 90-nm CMOS analog integrated circuits and GaAs-based VCSELs and photodiodes.
Facilitation of paired-associate learning by language context

Subjects learned associations between English words and unfamiliar items (CVC syllables). Control Ss used a traditional paired-associate method; experimental Ss received each pair in a sentence context appropriate for the English word. Learning was facilitated by the language context.
Motivating Technical Writing through Study of the Environment

Today’s engineers must be more than just technically competent. To be successful in our increasingly global economy in which teamwork and interdisciplinary interaction are the norm, engineers must have excellent communication skills. In recognition of industry needs, the San Jose State University College of Engineering redesigned its technical communication course to ensure that students graduate with writing and speaking skills that will transfer readily to their career needs and the global arena. The course aims to motivate students through exploring topics that are meaningful to them and using communication formats that they will see in the workplace. Combining technical communication with study of the environment broadens the course to meet multiple Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology outcomes. This paper describes the course goals, organization, management, selected assignments, and assessment. Assessment data indicate that at the end of the semester students, on average, have gained be...
INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM EMISSION OBSERVATIONS WITH THE COSMIC WEB IMAGER. I. THE CIRCUM-QSO MEDIUM OF QSO 1549+19, AND EVIDENCE FOR A FILAMENTARY GAS INFLOW

The Palomar Cosmic Web Imager (PCWI), an integral field spectrograph designed to detect and map low surface brightness emission, has obtained imaging spectroscopic maps of Lyα from the circum-QSO medium (CQM) of QSO HS1549+19 at redshift z=2.843. Extensive extended emission is detected from the CQM, consistent with fluorescent and pumped Lyα produced by the ionizing and Lyα continuum of the QSO. Many features present in PCWI spectral images match those detected in narrow-band images. Filamentary structures with narrow line profiles are detected in several cases as long as 250-400 kpc. One of these is centered at a velocity redshifted with respect to the systemic velocity, and displays a spatially collimated and kinematically cold line profile increasing in velocity width approaching the QSO. This suggests that the filament gas is infalling onto the QSO, perhaps in a cold accretion flow. Because of the strong ionizing flux, the neutral column density is low, typically N(HI) ~ 10^(12)−10^(15) cm^(−2), and the line center optical depth is also low (typically τ_0 <10), insufficient to display well-separated double peak emission characteristic of higher line optical depths. With a simple ionization and cloud model we can very roughly estimate the total gas mass (log M_(gas) = 12.5 ± 0.5) and the total (log M_(tot) = 13.3± 0.5). We can also calculate a kinematic mass from the total line profile (2×10^(13)M_☉), which agrees with the mass estimated from the gas emission. The intensity-binned spectrum of the CQM shows a progression in kinematic properties consistent with heirarchical structure formation.
Enhanced interspecific territoriality and the invasion success of the spotted tilapia ( Tilapia mariae ) in South Florida

South Florida’s freshwaters are amongst the most invaded in the world with 34 naturalized fish species. How these non-natives affect the local native fish populations, however, is largely unknown. Native sunfish of the genus Lepomis are important as predators in structuring fish and invertebrate assemblages in the swamps and seasonal wet prairies of the Big Cypress Swamp and Florida Everglades. The spotted tilapia, Tilapia mariae, is a successful West African invader that exhibits territorial and spawning behavior that closely matches that of native Lepomis sunfishes. We tested the hypothesis that Lepomis sunfishes and T. mariae would compete when space was limiting. Additionally, we predicted that T. mariae, because of their aggressiveness, would be more successful in acquiring space. We collected juveniles of both groups from Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, and the South Florida Water Management District canal system for laboratory trials in which likely competitive interactions were staged and observed. T. mariae were bolder and more aggressive than Lepomis sunfishes. T. mariae residents resisted all intruders whereas 30% of Lepomis sunfish residents were ejected. We surmise that these enhanced behaviors of T. mariae are an important component of their success in South Florida. The continued spread of T. mariae populations throughout South Florida into natural habitats suggests an increasing potential to affect the quality of spawning habitat available for Lepomis sunfishes and warrants a renewed focus on T. mariae as a non-native species of special concern.
The sedimentation‐dispersion model for slurry bubble columns

Slurry bubble columns have been widely used in petrochemical and coal conversion industries, and increasingly applied in fermentation and wastewater treatment fields. A slurry bubble column operated under the expanded bed regime is characterized by an axial solids concentration distribution in the column. Quantitative description of this distribution has been based mainly on the sedimentation-dispersion (S-D) model. In this paper, the physical nature of the S-D model in the literature is discussed in light of a rigorous analysis of the axial solids concentration distribution based on a macroscopic balance of the solid phase. General validity of the model for various modes of operation of slurry bubble column systems is also discussed.
Open source computer algebra systems: SymPy

This survey will look at SymPy, a free and open source computer algebra system started in 2005 by the second author (O.C.). It is written entirely in Python, available from http://sympy.org. SymPy is licensed under the "modified BSD" license, as is its beautiful logo designed by Fredrik Johansson.
Chitovibrin: a chitin-binding lectin from Vibrio parahemolyticus.

A novel 134 kDa, calcium-independent chitin-binding lectin, ‘chitovibrin’, is secreted by the marine bacteriumVibrio parahemolyticus, inducible with chitin or chitin-oligomers. Chitovibrin shows no apparent enzymatic activity but exhibits a strong affinity for chitin and chito-oligomers >dp9. The protein has an isoelectric pH of 3.6, shows thermal tolerance, binds chitin with an optimum at pH 6 and is active in 0–4m NaCl. Chitovibrin appears to be completely different from other reported Vibrio lectins and may function to bindV. parahemolyticus to chitin substrates, or to capture or sequester chito-oligomers. It may be a member of a large group of recently described proteins in Vibrios related to a complex chitinoclastic (chitinivorous) system.
Norepinephrine stimulates the production of inositol trisphosphate and inositol tetrakisphosphate in rat aorta.

Summary Norepinephrine stimulated the rapid hydrolysis of [3H]phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate in rat aorta with a maximal decrease of 30% within 60 sec of stimulation. Levels of [3H]phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate returned to control by 5 min despite the continued presence of agonist. Hydrolysis of [3H]phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate occurred concurrently with the formation of inositol phosphates. Inositol-tris and tetrakisphosphate levels were increased within 30 sec of agonist stimulation. Increases in inositol phosphate levels due to agonist were dose-dependent with half-maximal activation at 1 μM norepinephrine.
Cardioresponsive Left Ventricular Assist Device

A gradated cardioresponsive Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) control algorithm was developed in order to improve cardiac reverse remodeling in patients who suffer from late to end-stage heart failure. This algorithm was created to improve physician control of the LVAD as well as improve awareness of the patient's condition. The control algorithm was validated using a mock circulatory system and simulated LVAD.
A clinical trial of adriamycin in the malignant lymphomas.

Adriamycin was administered to 14 patients with far-advanced malignant lymphoma. Objective responses were seen only in those patients who were able to tolerate a complete course of therapy, and included two patients with histiocytic lymphoma and three patients with Hodgkin's disease. The responses were generally of short duration. The major toxic and dose limiting features observed were leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Cardiac toxicity was not seen in this study.
Design – an inappropriate concept in evolutionary theory*

The concept of accident in evolution refers to causes which are stochastic with respect to selective demands arising from the external environment and acting on the organism, while the concept of design refers to causes which meet the requirement of these selective demands. The condition ‘with respect to selective demands’ is generally forgotten so that evolutionary changes are described as being design modifications. Design is an invalid synonym for adaptation. Further it implies a designer and has been used by some authors since before Darwin to argue that design in organisms demonstrates the existence of a designer and hence a plan. Yet if evolution depends on two simultaneously acting causes, one of which is accidental, then the process of evolution and all attributes of organisms are accidental. The concept of design is inappropriate in biology and should be eliminated from all biological explanations.
Isochoric collinearity studies with density dependent mixing rules

Abstract Collinearity of isochores passing through the cricondentherm (CT) of a mixture has been proven theoretically and demonstrated with experimental data (Rowlinson et al., 1986). Also, recent research has shown that cubic EOS in combination with their standard quadratic MR predict the phenomena of isochoric collinearity at the CT (Barrufet and Eubank, 1987). In addition, several researchers have proposed density dependent MR for use with non—simple mixtures. This work is designed to investigate whether introducing density dependence in the MR used with cubic EOS will affect the prediction of isochoric collinearity at the CT. To accomplish this, the Redlich—Kwong equation of state with recently proposed density dependent mixing rules is used to predict the cricondentherm (CT) of six hypothetical binary mixtures. The slope of the isochore passing through the CT is then calculated on both the two—phase and the single—phase sides of the CT and compared. This check of the physical phenomena of isochoric collinearity at the CT is then compared with similar calculations from the Redlich—Kwong equation of state with van der Waals' mixing rules. The density dependent mixing rules used are found to violate the collinearity constraint at the CT, while use of the quadratic mixing rules do not. The effect of the density dependence in the mixing rules upon predicted quantities and the size of the retrograde region is also observed.
That is not my program: investigating the relation between program comprehension and program authorship

Program comprehension has been an integral part of a wide range of activities including introductory programming courses in colleges, end-user customizations to existing software, and software maintenance. Prior research has highlighted some of the factors that influence this task but has ignored the issue of program authorship. This pilot study explores the relationship between program comprehension and authorship and highlights the factors that are under play. Preliminary investigation has revealed that some of the important factors are - self efficacy, ownership, knowledge organization, existing mental models, access to expert community and cultural support.
Application of a shadow image velocimetry to a ventilated hydrofoil wake

A study is being carried out at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) of the University of Minnesota to develop the necessary algorithms to determine the velocity deficit and bubble size distribution in the bubbly wake behind a ventilated or cavitating hydrofoil. This is done by utilizing background illumination of the bubbly wake. Shadows of the bubbles, cast on a bright background, were collected by a high-speed video camera. For detecting bubble shadows, the image was segmented using an edge detection technique such as Canny algorithm. Then, a curvature profile method was employed to distinguish individual bubbles within a cluster of highly overlapping bubbles. The utilized algorithm was made to detect partly overlapping bubbles and reconstruct the missing parts. The movement of recognized individual bubbles was tracked on a two-dimensional plane within a flow volume. To suppress only high frequency background variations generated by out-of-focus bubbles, a Gaussian low-pass filter was applied in this study. To obtain quantitative results, the wake of a ventilated NACA0015 hydrofoil was next investigated by applying a shadowgraphy technique and the described bubble detection algorithm. Results regarding bubbles’ appearance, their velocity, and void fraction are presented. It was found that most of the bubbles were shaped like a circle and with a radius of 0.22 mm and the bubble’s velocity was dependent of its size. Local void fraction was further analyzed and a possible problem was discussed in the paper.
A Case Study in Three-Dimensional Inverse Methods: Combining Hydrographic, Acoustic, and Moored Thermistor Data in the Greenland Sea

Abstract A variety of measurements, including acoustic travel times, moored thermistor time series, and hydrographic stations, were made in the Greenland Sea during 1988–89 to study the evolution of the temperature field throughout the year. This region is of intense oceanographic interest because it is one of the few areas in the world where open-ocean convection to great depths has been observed. This paper describes how the various data types were optimally combined using linear, weighted least squaws inverse methods to provide significantly more information about the ocean than can be obtained from any single data type. The application of these methods requires construction of a reference state, a statistical model of ocean temperature variability relative to the reference state, and an analysis of the differing signal-to-noise ratios of each data type. A time-dependent reference state was constructed from all available hydrographic data, reflecting the basic seasonal variability and keeping the pertu...
Variation among hexaploid Paspalum dilatatum Poir. regenerants from tissue culture

The common biotype of Paspalum dilatatum Poir. (dallisgrass) is a pentaploid obligate apomict and efforts to improve the grass have not been successful because of its asexual reproduction and irregular meiosis. An apomictic hexaploid biotype, known as Uruguayan dallisgrass, is a new source of genetic variation that may be useful in improving dallisgrass. As with common dallisgrass, improvement of this biotype via conventional breeding methods is difficult because of its apomictic reproduction. However, the use of tissue culture to produce somaclonal variation in the Uruguayan biotype has not been reported, and may offer a means for improving the species. The objectives of this research were to: (i) regenerate plants of Uruguayan dallisgrass through tissue culture, (ii) screen the regenerants for useful agronomic variation and evaluate their forage potential and nutritive value, and (iii) determine the genetic relatedness of the regenerants and their explant sources. In total, 178 plants, selected from 2372 regenerants in preliminary screening, were evaluated for forage nutritive value. Thirty-seven of these were planted into replicated field plot trials at two locations. None of these regenerants were superior to the Uruguayan biotype for forage nutritive value. However, two regenerants, 3440 and 3441, produced more forage than either the Uruguayan or common biotypes in evaluation tests for 3 years at one of the two locations. Data from AFLP analyses indicate genetic variation between two of the Uruguayan accessions and these two regenerants. This variation could account for the differences in forage yield between 3440 and 3441 and the Uruguayan accessions.
Which Risk Dominates the Bond Yield? Empirical Tests from Market Sentiment Perspective

This paper adopts the Constant Maturity Treasury (CMT) issuance and the Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) to strip the general credit risk and liquidity risk of bonds. By reclassifying the reinvestment risk as a type of interest risk, we analyze the yield spread of inflation risk and interest rate risk. As TIPS is free of inflation risk, we focus on the source of its unique major risk: interest rate risk. We employ daily data and Granger causality test and Johansen cointegration test to conclude that market sentiment, measured by the Chicago volatility (VIX) series, affects the yield related to interest rate risk significantly. Such impact is persistent in all different term of maturity over 10 years. However, when inflation risk is present, market sentiment fails to dominate the yield spread.
Liquid films in viscous flow

A trace of radioactive material dissolved in a liquid enables the thickness of a moving film to be determined by measurement of the radiation emitted. The method is rapid and accurate and an average thickness is obtained directly even though the surface of the film may be irregular. Six liquids, having viscosities ranging from 0.5 to 20 centipoises were observed in flow down the inner wall of a vertical tube. Liquids having viscosities of about 1 centipoise or less exhibit typical viscous behavior with respect to film thickness even when waves are present. Liquids having larger viscosities give values of the film thickness which are less than for true viscous flow. The departure from normal behavior increases with increasing viscosity and occurs only over the region where the liquid moves in wave flow. Surface tension is not a factor in either wave formation or wave flow. The wave motion appears at flow rates well within the viscous region and occurs when the Froude number exceeds unity. Equations derived for the viscous flow of liquid films on the inner wall of a vertical tube would be required where tube diameter is small or liquid viscosity large. Ordinarily the less complex equations for flow down a flat plate may be used. A theory of flow in the viscous region with waves present is suggested.
Comparative Usage of Science E-book and Print Collections at Texas A&M University Libraries

This study compares usage figures between equivalent e-books and print books owned by the Texas A&M University Libraries in the physical sciences and technology. For NetLibrary, the top 10 science e-books were used over six times more than the print books, and the top 10 chemistry e-books were used over three times more than their print counterparts. For ebrary, the top 17 science e-books were used at least 17 times more than the same print books. In Safari, the top 10 computer science e-books were used 207 times more than their print counterparts. Usage statistics such as these can help librarians make informed e-book purchase decisions, especially in times of retrenchment.
Greening the words: How professional communication assignments can make a difference

While the 2009 president of IEEE believes sustainability can best be addressed by technology offerings from IEEE members, this paper asserts that IEEE-PCS writing teachers and their students also have a role to play in building a sustainable future. Different assignments and methods are used to “infuse” our writing curriculum with sustainability principles. Building on the work of composition theorists and practitioners―including Derek Owen, Dobrin and Weisser, and Goggin and Waggoner — my UCSB Writing colleagues and I have modified the curriculum in engineering, business, and professional writing courses at the lower-division and upper-division levels. Our curriculum asks students to research, analyze, write, and reflect on the concepts and practices of sustainability. Often the combination of “service learning” with sustainability issues helps to provide situations that encourage students to author very practical documents — newsletters, design proposals, project proposals, business plans, and brochures. The paper provides evidence that — for students, faculty and staff, and external community “clients” — writing teaching and learning can contribute to improving our world by addressing sustainability issues.
A system for studying genetic changes in Candida albicans during infection

Candida albicans is a diploid yeast with a dimorphic life history. It exists commensally in many healthy humans but becomes a potent pathogen in immunocompromised hosts. The underlying genetic mechanisms by which C. albicans switches from a commensal to a pathogenic form in the host are not well understood. To study the evolution of virulence in mammalian hosts, we used GAL1 as selectable marker system that allows for both positive and negative selection in selective media. We show that the deletion of one or both copies of GAL1 in the C. albicans genome does not change virulence in a systemic mouse model. We obtained estimates for the frequency of mitotic recombination at the GAL1 locus during systemic infection. Our observations suggest that genetic changes such as mitotic recombination and gene conversion occur at a high enough frequency to be important in the transition of C. albicans from a commensal to a pathogenic organism.
Resolution and the integrality of satisfiability problems

A satisfiability problem can be regarded as a nondisjoint union of set covering problems. We show that if the resolution method of theorem proving is applied to the satisfiability problem, its constraint set defines an integral polytope if and only if the constraint sets of the set covering problems do. In this sense, resolution reduces the integrality question for the satisfiability problem to that for the set covering problem.