cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neurobiology of Older Age Bipolar Disorder

Insight into the neurobiology of Older Age Bipolar Disorder (OABD) has been aided by the development of innovative neuroimaging methods that allow us to measure changes in brain structure, function, and chemistry. Neuroimaging studies in OABD show gray matter volume reductions, increases in white matter hyperintensities, and neurochemical alterations. These alterations have led to the notion that age-related effects may interact with bipolar disorder to accelerate brain changes, a process known as neuroprogression. Neuroprogression may serve as model to understand longitudinal changes in brain function associated with pathophysiology of OABD. Better characterization of pathophysiological processes such as oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction could lead to more biologically informed interventions for late-life bipolar disorder.
STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS IN SEVERAL GROUPS OF COMPOUNDS EVALUATED FOR NEMATICIDAL ACTIVITY

Data on the relationships between chemical structure and nematicidal activity are sparse. Evaluation programs are assigned low priorities relative to herbicide and insecticide research, and frequently, data are not reported because they are regarded as proprietary. One important result is that nematicidal activity is regarded in an oversimplified perspective; it is seen as residing principally in short-chain halogenated alkylating agents and in a number of cholinesterase-inhibiting carbamates and organophosphates. Evaluation data obtained for several groups of analogs are reported here to help expand knowledge of relations of nematicidal activity to chemical structure as determined in in vitro tests vs. Panagrellus redivivus , a saprophyte and a sensitive indicator of nematicidal activity. In this test, DD mixture, a commercial standard, is lethal at 40 ppm, and the LD 95 is 36 ppm. In a group of 53 bromoacetates, two thirds of the esters showed LD 95 95 at 20 ppm. The free acids were least active, and esterification or conversion to the nitrile or amide increased activity. Activity ranked as methyl ester or nitrile > amide, > ethyl and propyl esters > free acids; and iodine substituents > bromine > chlorine. In a group of 20 secondary and tertiary alkyl amides and amines, insect growth regulators, high activity was observed in straight chain C 11 to C 15 compounds, fewer of the amides being as active as the amines. Among the amides, 11 and 12 carbon dimethyl amides were most active, being lethal at 5-10 ppm. Out of 13 saturated amines, one was lethal at 95 0.5 - 1.0 ppm) but activity fell off rapidly with changes in chain length (C 10 , C 11 , C 13 analogs with LD 95 of 20-40 ppm).
Small-Scale Woodland Reduction Practices Have Neutral or Negative Short-Term Effects on Birds and Small Mammals

ABSTRACT Woodland reduction has been underway for decades to improve habitat for certain wildlife species, increase forage for livestock, improve watershed function and reduce soil erosion, and increase plant community heterogeneity. Land managers have implemented a variety of techniques to reduce woodlands. Yet most studies on outcomes are observational and focus on plant communities; fewer studies experimentally compare the relative effects of woodland reduction methods on wildlife. We conducted an experiment to evaluate the effects of three mechanical tree removal methods on habitat use by native birds and abundance of small mammals in the first 2 yr after treatment. Located in the Piceance Basin, Colorado, United States, this study consisted of seven replicated 1-ha stands of pinyon-juniper woodland treated with chaining, roller-chop, hydro-ax, as well as untreated plots (n = 28 plots). We found no differences in initial bird habitat use or small mammal abundance among the woodland reduction treatment...
Evolving one-dimensional transient jet modeling by integrating jet breakup physics:

High-speed optical measurements of unsteady liquid fuel jets under engine-like conditions have shown that the initial penetration of the jets does not follow the behavior predicted by previously in...
The effect of concept congruence on preference for culturally diverse apparel products

ABSTRACTThe global market for designer apparel, especially the American market, is attractive to include in Asian designers’ internationalisation strategies. In an effort to identify factors that may impact acceptance of Asian designers’ culturally inspired work in the United States (US), one of the most challenging and largest apparel markets in the world, this study explored the effect of consumers’ perceptions of self- and product-concept congruence on their attitudes and intention to purchase Asian designers’ apparel products. Results suggest that US females whose self-concept is consistent with the product-concept will be likely to have a positive attitude towards that product and, consequently, to intend to purchase that product. Managerial implications suggest that Asian designers entering the American market could target consumers by designing communication efforts to appeal to Americans who share personality characteristics similar to their Asian designs.
Discovering relationships between nuclear receptor signaling pathways, genes, and tissues in Transcriptomine

We previously developed a web tool, Transcriptomine, to explore expression profiling data sets involving small-molecule or genetic manipulations of nuclear receptor signaling pathways. We describe advances in biocuration, query interface design, and data visualization that enhance the discovery of uncharacterized biology in these pathways using this tool. Transcriptomine currently contains about 45 million data points encompassing more than 2000 experiments in a reference library of nearly 550 data sets retrieved from public archives and systematically curated. To make the underlying data points more accessible to bench biologists, we classified experimental small molecules and gene manipulations into signaling pathways and experimental tissues and cell lines into physiological systems and organs. Incorporation of these mappings into Transcriptomine enables the user to readily evaluate tissue-specific regulation of gene expression by nuclear receptor signaling pathways. Data points from animal and cell model experiments and from clinical data sets elucidate the roles of nuclear receptor pathways in gene expression events accompanying various normal and pathological cellular processes. In addition, data sets targeting non-nuclear receptor signaling pathways highlight transcriptional cross-talk between nuclear receptors and other signaling pathways. We demonstrate with specific examples how data points that exist in isolation in individual data sets validate each other when connected and made accessible to the user in a single interface. In summary, Transcriptomine allows bench biologists to routinely develop research hypotheses, validate experimental data, or model relationships between signaling pathways, genes, and tissues.
Emulating batteries with deferrable energy demand

We investigate the ability of a collection of deferrable energy loads to behave as a battery; that is, to absorb and release energy in a controllable fashion up to fixed and predetermined limits on volume, charge rate and discharge rate. In a previous paper, we derived upper bounds on the parameters of the batteries that can be emulated, and showed that there is a fundamental trade-off between the abilities of collective load to absorb and release energy at high rates. Here, we introduce a novel class of dynamic priority-driven feedback policies that balance these abilities, and characterize the batteries that they can emulate.
Army Primary Standards Laboratory Uncertainty Analysis for a 50 GPM Positive Displacement Piston Prover

This paper is a detailed uncertainty analysis for a 50 gallon per minute (gpm) positive displacement piston prover operated by the Liquid Flow Laboratory of the Army Primary Standards Laboratory (A...
Event monitoring: Can we detect more than one event at a time?

Abstract A prior study by Wu and Wolfe found that the capacity for event monitoring (e.g. did an item change its state?) is more limited than for classic multiple object tracking. That limited capacity, K, could arise from either of two situations. It could be that people can detect K events simultaneously or it could be that they can successfully detect just one event at a time while monitoring K out of a total of N items. In the three different experiments of the present study, observers were asked to monitor a set of moving objects while watching for two critical events occurring in that set. Observers’ performance can be well described by a model that includes an ability to detect two changes at once. Our results suggest that the capacity for event monitoring is further limited when tracking an additional event, but within the monitored set, people can detect at least two events simultaneously.
Physiological and Transformational Analyses of Lipoxygenases

Lipoxygenases (LOXs) represent a group of polyunsaturated fatty acid oxidases that are apparently ubiquitious in eukaryotic organisms. There are a growing number of reports of the presence of this enzyme in various human and other animal tissues. The list of plants containing active LOXs also continues to expand.
The effects of high pressure on the alpha /ai beta transformation in plutonium

Abstract The volume change during the β → α transformation in plutonium varies linearly with pressure according to the relationship Δ V V = 9.2−0.17 P , where Δ V V is the per cent change in unit volume and P is the applied pressure. The temperature hysteresis associated with the α /ai β transition is shown to be a function of internal transformation stress and applied pressure, decreasing from its maximum of 55° K at atmospheric pressure to 5° K at 25 kbar. The heat of transformation calculated from the Clausius Clapeyron equation and P-V-T data remains constant to pressures of 60 kbar.
Writing Changes and Perceptions After Traumatic Brain Injury: “Oh, by the way, I can't write”

Purpose Language and cognitive disruptions following traumatic brain injury (TBI) can negatively affect written expression and may result in increased difficulty achieving academic, vocational, soc...
“Peace of Mind”, An Experiential Safety Framework for Automated Driving Technology Interactions

Current automated driving systems assume drivers continuously monitor the vehicle. Meanwhile, fully automated vehicles aim at not requiring human intervention for their safely operation. The industry is currently debating how these novel systems can be certified under functional safety standards. In this paper, we argue that the current safety picture is not comprehensive enough, since it alienates users. We propose experiential safety as a complement to existing functional safety and to develop a framework for experiential safety interactions between the user and automation in automated driving environments. To support the experiential safety design model, we provide an overview of the user-centered research on experiential automation safety, which includes results from online surveys, personal interviews, and gamified group workshops. We explore current user behaviors by focusing on what makes them feel safe as drivers and passengers, and how unexpected events and automation responses might impact their perception of safety. Among the highlighted results, we show how mismatched expectations and unexpected behaviors from autonomous vehicles can lead to frustration and compromised trust. We also show how automation feedback to the user can generate stress and anxiety if not properly configured and how a cooperative relationship between automation and the driver leads to more satisfying driving experiences. Finally, we present guidelines for the experiential safety to be applied by automotive engineers and designers in their development of automated driving technologies.
Finding the Middle Ground: A Proposed Solution to the Net Neutrality Debate

Over the last several years, the debate over Internet regulation has become an extremely important and divisive political and policy debate, referred to colloquially as net neutrality. The applicable regulatory framework has shifted several times starting with the light-touch Title I, shifting to the tougher Title II, then reverting to Title I again. Despite an abundance of discourse and an official FCC record that included an unprecedented 22 million comments, no proposed solutions have succeeded in gaining bipartisan support. To do that, this Paper proposes two mechanisms to augment the current Title I regulatory framework. First, the FTC should adopt a mandatory pre-agreement filing so that when ISPs wish to enter into vertical agreements, the FTC is notified and has an ex ante chance to challenge the agreements that the agency believes will be anticompetitive. Second, the FTC should install a special administrative law judge to hear only net neutrality-related cases, so if the government wishes to bring a case alleging an ISP’s anticompetitive activity, or if the parties to an agreement wish to dispute the challenge, it can be litigated in a timely and efficient manner. This hybrid of ex ante and ex post regulation will provide firms the incentives to innovate and enter procompetitive agreements, while protecting consumers from realizing the harms stemming from any anticompetitive activity.
Reversal of Experimental Parkinsonism in African Green Monkeys Following Fetal Dopamine Neuron Transplantation

The motor abnormalities and progressive debilitation associated with Parkinson’s disease has been linked to depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the nigrostriatal system of the brain (12). Supplementation of brain dopamine by administration of the precursor substance L-dopa significantly improves the motor symptoms of the disease, and has been the preferred treatment for the past 20 years (16). However, chronic L-dopa administration often yields negative side-effects (3), and the benefit of the drug diminishes as the disease progresses (7,24).
Independent estimate of asteroid 433 Eros' spin state using surface Doppler from the NEAR-Shoemaker mission

Abstract This paper demonstrates the viability of using Doppler collected from an asteroid's surface to precisely estimate the asteroid's rotation state. This technique is applied to archived data from the NEAR-Shoemaker mission. At the end of the NEAR mission, the spacecraft landed on asteroid 433 Eros, and 50 h of two-way Doppler data was subsequently received through the DSN. This data was originally used to determine the landing location of the spacecraft but was never incorporated into estimates of Eros' rotation state. The surface Doppler yields a precise estimate of Eros', with an estimated right ascension of 11.364 ± 0.001° and declination of 17.234 ± 0.001°. No wobble greater than 0.001° has been detected. Additionally, the body-fixed landing location of the NEAR spacecraft is also re-estimated purely from the Doppler data. The estimated landing location shows good agreement with the candidate site determined by the navigation team. When the spacecraft is constrained to lay on the highest resolution shape model, the most precise estimate of the landing location is achieved which is latitude = 41.28 ± 0.40° S, East longitude = 80.34 ± 0.05° W, radius = 6.57 ± 0.04 km.
MUON SPIN PRECESSION FREQUENCY EXTRACTION AND DECAY POSITRON TRACK FITTING IN RUN 1 OF THE FERMILAB MUON \MakeLowercase{$g-2$\xspace} EXPERIMENT

One of the few indications for new physics is the discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental values for the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. There is a discrepancy of 3 to 4 standard deviations between theory and the last experimental measurement made at Brookhaven National Laboratory in 2001, which measured the muon magnetic anomaly $a_{\mu}$\xspace to 540 parts per billion (ppb). This discrepancy has been consistent for many years with ever improving theoretical calculations. In order to resolve or confirm this discrepancy experiment E989, Muon $g-2$\xspace, is underway to measure $a_{\mu}$\xspace to 4 times higher precision at \SI{140}{ppb}. In Run~1 E989 gathered its first production data, consisting of approximately \SI{8e9}{} decay positrons above an energy threshold of \SI{1.7}{\GeV}. This dissertation describes the experimental measurement, the detectors, the precession frequency extraction, and the track fitting of decay positrons in Run~1. The track fitting is done using a $\chi^{2}$\xspace minimization algorithm to fit tracks propagated within a Geant4 reconstruction simulation including error propagation. The precession frequency is extracted using an analysis technique called the Ratio Method. The Ratio Method takes the ratio of time-shifted decay positron spectra in order to remove the decay exponential along with slowly varying effects in the data. Precession frequency extraction analyses for four near-final Run~1 datasets are presented with full systematic error evaluations. The total Run~1 precession frequency error determined in this analysis is \SI{469.4}{ppb}, where the error is statistics dominated. Combined with the expected error in the magnetic field measurement of \SI{140}{ppb}, the expected final error on $a_{\mu}$\xspace for Run~1 of E989 is $\mathcal{O}(\SI{500}{ppb})$, comparable to the previous measurement.
Hadley cell expansion in CMIP6 models

Abstract. In response to increasing greenhouse gases, the subtropical edges of Earth's Hadley circulation shift poleward in global climate models. Recent studies have found that reanalysis trends in the Hadley cell edge over the past 30–40 years are within the range of trends simulated by Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models and have documented seasonal and hemispheric asymmetries in these trends. In this study, we evaluate whether these conclusions hold for the newest generation of models (CMIP6). Overall, we find similar characteristics of Hadley cell expansion in CMIP5 and CMIP6 models. In both CMIP5 and CMIP6 models, the poleward shift of the Hadley cell edge in response to increasing greenhouse gases is 2–3 times larger in the Southern Hemisphere (SH), except during September–November. The trends from CMIP5 and CMIP6 models agree well with reanalyses, although prescribing observed coupled atmosphere–ocean variability allows the models to better capture reanalysis trends in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). We find two notable differences between CMIP5 and CMIP6 models. First, while both CMIP5 and CMIP6 models contract the NH summertime Hadley circulation equatorward (particularly over the Pacific sector), this contraction is larger in CMIP6 models due to their higher average climate sensitivity. Second, in recent decades, the poleward shift of the NH annual-mean Hadley cell edge is slightly larger in CMIP6 models. Increasing greenhouse gases drive similar trends in CMIP5 and CMIP6 models, so the larger recent NH trends in CMIP6 models point to the role of other forcings, such as aerosols.
Portal blood flow in beef steers: comparison of techniques and relation to hepatic blood flow, cardiac output and oxygen uptake.

We compared two techniques for measuring blood flow through portal-drained viscera (PDV) of beef steers and measured portions of cardiac output and total oxygen uptake attributable to PDV and hepatic tissues. Four steers (198 +/- 2 kg), equipped with chronic catheters in appropriate vessels, a transit-time ultrasound probe around the hepatic portal vein and a temporary cardiac output thermodilution catheter, were fed a 60:40 hay: concentrate diet. Treatments, designed to alter blood flow, were: 12 equal meals every 2 h (CNTL); CNTL plus 2 mg clenbuterol in one meal (CLEN); and a 65-h fast (FAST). Blood flow through PDV was measured by dilution of p-aminohippurate (PAH) and transit-time ultrasound. Hepatic blood flow was measured by PAH dilution and cardiac output was measured by thermodilution. Blood flow measured by transit-time ultrasound was consistently slower (45%, P less than .01) than blood flow measured by PAH dilution. Necropsy revealed anatomical constraints that precluded proper placement and function of the flow probes. Cardiac output (liters/h) was greater (P less than .05) for CLEN (3,082) than for CNTL (1,655) or FAST (1,047). Percentage of cardiac output flowing through PDV and hepatic tissues was less (P less than .05) for CLEN (23 and 24%) than for CNTL (31 and 38%) or FAST (32 and 38%). Whole body oxygen uptake (mmol/h) was greatest (P less than .05) for CLEN (4,220), intermediate for CNTL (2,999) and least for FAST (1,965). Percentage of oxygen uptake attributable to hepatic tissues was greater (P less than .05) for FAST (31%) than for CLEN (18%), with CNTL intermediate (24%). Percentage of oxygen uptake attributable to PDV (22%) was not affected (P greater than .05) by treatments.
Journal of crop improvement and the sustainable development goals

(JCI) began its journey in 1997. It has been publishing papers related to sustainability of agriculture in one form or another ever since. Sustainable agricultural systems involve the use of farmin...
Addressing Academic Concerns: A Survey of Primary Care Providers:

Given new clinical recommendations, we sought to better understand the perspectives and practices of primary care providers (PCPs) around pediatric academic concerns. Practicing PCPs were recruited to complete an 8-item self-report survey; 163 PCPs were included in the final analysis. Results indicated that 84% of PCPs perceived their role in addressing patients' academic concerns as highly important; yet there was variability in the frequency with which PCPs reported engaging in activities around these educational needs. There was a significant positive relationship between perception of role importance and engagement in clinical supports. Some differences were present in responses across PCP specialty area. More information about practice differences between provider types, rural versus urban practices, and how perceptions/practices differ based on provider demographics are likely to be useful areas for future consideration. Our findings highlight the need to advance PCP instruction for practical implementation to increase rates of engagement in these activities.
Time-to-arrival estimations to simulated pedestrians

Abstract Driving a vehicle requires individuals’ awareness of their surroundings to prevent collisions with other vehicles, objects, and pedestrians. While previous research has investigated time-to-arrival (TTA) in real-world and simulated driving situations, there is little information on how pedestrian reflectance and time of day impact TTA. The present study investigated how vehicle velocity, viewing time, pedestrian reflectance, and time of day affected individuals’ estimates of TTA. We used recorded driver-perspective footage of a vehicle approaching simulated pedestrians at different velocities during daytime and nighttime. We found that TTA was consistently underestimated, with the most accurate TTA estimates occurring at the lowest vehicle velocity. We also found TTA accuracy was better during daytime conditions. Pedestrian reflectance did not produce a significant main effect, but it did interact significantly with both velocity and time of day. These results suggest that multiple variables are responsible for TTA estimation. A better understanding of what factors may affect TTA estimates helps both researchers who investigate the phenomenon and laypersons who strive for safe driving practices.
Growing Connected: Relational Trust and Social Capital in Community Schools

Although a substantial body of evidence documents the potential effectiveness of the community school strategy, we are still determining why community schools have shown uneven results. To address ...
Millijoule few-cycle pulses from staged compression for strong and high field science

Intense few-cycle laser pulses have a breadth of applications in high energy density science, including particle acceleration and x-ray generation. Multi-amplifier laser system pulses have durations of tens of femtoseconds or longer. To achieve high intensities at the single-cycle limit, a robust and efficient post-compression scheme is required. We demonstrate a staged compression technique using self-phase modulation in thin dielectric media, in which few-cycle pulses can be produced. The few-cycle pulse is then used to generate extreme ultravoilet light via high harmonic generation at strong field intensities and to generate MeV electron beams via laser solid interactions at relativistic intensities.
Transforming Foodways: Changes in Diet, Procurement, Consumption, and Access for Laborers on the Stono Plantation, James Island, South Carolina

The Stono Plantation cultivated produce and cotton for the city of Charleston. The plantation’s labor force was originally comprised primarily of enslaved Africans working on a task system. After e...
Consumers Perception towards Hydroponically Grown Residue-Free Vegetables

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without using soil (i.e. soil less). This technique instead uses a mineral nutrient solution in a water solvent, allowing the nutrient uptake process to be more efficient than using soil. With the advent of civilization, open field soil-based agriculture is facing some major challenges i.e. most importantly decrease in per capita land availability, soil fertility declining, and productivity is not increasing. Further with increased level of fertilizer application, poor soil fertility in some of the cultivable areas, less chance of, frequent drought conditions and unpredictability of climate and weather patterns, river pollution, rise in temperature, poor water management, decline in ground water level and wastage of huge amount of water etc. are threatening food production under conventional soil-based agriculture. Naturally, soil-less culture is becoming more relevant in the present scenario, to cope-up with these challenges. In soil-less culture, plants are raised without soil. Improved space and water conserving methods of food production under soil-less culture have shown some promising results all over the World. The study on ‘Consumer perception towards hydroponically grown vegetables’ is basically conducted to understand if the people of society are aware about the hydroponic technique which is most upcoming technique used in growing vegetables in these days. Many people still follow traditional way of farming but now it’s time to upgrade farming methods to increase production and produce residue free produce. This technique is basically soil-free and chemical-free and very useful for healthy produce without disturbing quality and content of produce. The researchers have personally visited farm and studied about this technique.
Effects Of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy And Elastomeric Materials On Bone Healing

Negative pressure wound therapy has been used to accelerate clinical wound healing, however few have suggested applications for bone healing and potential pathways. In order to modulate the natural...
The epidemiology and pathophysiology of lumbar disc herniations

Abstract Lumbar intervertebral disc herniations are the most common causes for working-age individuals to undergo lumbar spine surgery. Patients with a family history of disc disease or are in physically demanding jobs, or who have certain medical comorbidities such as obesity, are at an increased risk of developing a lumbar disc herniation. Symptomatic herniations present as lumbar radiculopathy from both a mechanical compression and chemical irritation of the nerve root.
Quality Control and Substrate‐Dependent Downregulation of the Nutrient Transporter Fur4

Upon exposure to stress conditions, unfolded cell-surface nutrient transporters are rapidly internalized and degraded via the multivesicular body (MVB) pathway. Similarly, high concentrations of nutrients result in the downregulation of the corresponding transporters. Our studies using the yeast transporter Fur4 revealed that substrate-induced downregulation and quality control utilize a common mechanism. This mechanism is based on a conformation-sensing domain, termed LID (loop interaction domain), that regulates site-specific ubiquitination (also known as degron). Conformational alterations in the transporter induced by unfolding or substrate binding are transmitted to the LID, rendering the degron accessible for ubiquitination by Rsp5. As a consequence, the transporter is rapidly degraded. We propose that the LID–degron system is a conserved, chaperone-independent mechanism responsible for conformation-induced downregulation of many cell-surface transporters under physiological and pathological conditions.
Studies in partially resolved bacteriophage-host systems: VI. The involvement of ribonucleic acid in various aspects of the reproduction of bacteriophage T2

Abstract A variety of inhibitors has been shown to have pronounced effects on the replication of T2 bacteriophage in protoplasts of E. coli B. Ribonuclease applied in 5 or 10 min pulses exerts a maximum effect (40% reduction of burst size) when applied between 5 and 10 min after infection. p -chloromercury benzoate shows a sharp maximum of effectiveness and inhibits the burst completely when added 15 to 20 min after infection. Of a variety of purine and pyrimidine antagonists, 5-fluorouridine and 2′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine showed the most striking effects. The latter compound appears to have a specific inhibitory action on DNA synthesis and the inhibition (some 98%) is essentially completely reversed by thymidine. The action of 5-fluorouridine appears to be considerably more complex. In part its effect is also directly on DNA synthesis and is reversible by thymidine. During the first 10 min of infection, however, this inhibitor, especially when tested in the presence of thymidine, appears to exert its primary effect of RNA synthesis with resulting effects on the synthesis of “early protein” and hence DNA. These effects can be overcome by uridine. A combination of thymidine and uridine completely abolishes the inhibition by 5-fluorouridine even at quite high concentrations. These conclusions have been reached on the basis of measurements of phage yield and also of incorporation of 35 SO 4 and 32 PO 4 into the appropriate macromolecules.
The Scandinavian Suicide Phenomenon—Myth or Reality?

ABSTRACT: This paper reexamines the “Scandinavian Suicide Phenomenon,” the observation that reported suicides are typically high in Denmark and Sweden and typically low in Norway even though these three countries seem otherwise similar. It has been suggested that in Norway more suicides are reported as accidental death or as death due to unknown causes. This paper explores this possibility by means of a detailed examination of causes of death. Nine other countries are included in the comparisons to facilitate interpretation of the findings. It was found that there were significantly higher rates of accidental and unclassified deaths in Norway than in Denmark or Sweden; if it is assumed that many of these are suicide, this could account for the reported differences in suicide rates.
Delta: a toolset for the structural analysis of biological sequences on a 3D triangular lattice

The lattice approach to biological structural analysis was made popular by the HP model for protein folding, but had not been used previously for RNA secondary structure prediction.We introduce the Delta toolset for the structural analysis of biological sequences on a 3D triangular lattice. The Delta toolset includes a proof-of-concept RNA folding program that is both fast and accurate in predicting the secondary structures with pseudoknots of short RNA sequences.
Wavelet based feature reduction method for effective classification of hyperspectral data

As the number of remote sensing applications grows, more intensive is the demand in computationally effective and accurate procedures for spectral analyses. It is known that the computation cost increases with the number of features used for classification. For the maximum likelihood (ML) classifier, the increase is quadratic. Thus, the dimensionality of the initial data is to be reduced prior to analyzing data. In this paper, we propose a new feature extraction and selection method that combines effectiveness of wavelet multiresolution decomposition and the sequential forward floating feature selection (SFFS) technique. The method is used in a combination with the ML classifier. Experimental results show that the developed framework allows for accurate discriminating among similar land cover classes using only few features selected from the initial set of data.
A framework for predicting delay due to job interactions in a 2-D mesh multicomputer

The authors develop expressions for predicting contention delay for wormhole-routed 2-D mesh multicomputers. The detrimental effect of contention caused by interference within jobs has led them to analyze two different kinds of communication contention. Starting contention occurs when a processor attempts to access the network at the first hop on its route from the source to destination. Intermediate contention has different characteristics, and is the contention facing a communication path as the message arrives at intermediate nodes on its path from its source to destination. They describe how their expressions are developed and relate them to the problem of evaluating interference within a job assigned to a multicomputer. >
Satellite Observations of Oceans and Ice

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses satellite observations of oceans and ice. Data collected by satellite-borne instruments are being employed increasingly in studies of oceans and ice. Indeed, optical and infrared observations are used routinely for projects, such as estimating the edge and condition of the arctic ice pack, but at high latitudes, optical instruments are limited frequently by cloud cover and the long polar night. Consequently, instruments operating in the microwave region have been receiving considerable attention in high latitude studies. By relying on either active probing or on natural emission, these instruments function day or night and by appropriate choice of band are not strongly affected by cloud cover. The significance of microwave remote sensing instruments lies in the promise of regular and routine observations of the polar regions that is on a scale suitable for understanding the role of the polar regions in global processes.
A data-driven approach to model culture-specific communication management styles for virtual agents

Virtual agents are a great opportunity in teaching inter-cultural competencies. Advantages, such as the repeatability of training sessions, emotional distance to virtual characters, the opportunity to over-exaggerate or generalize behavior or simply to save the costs for human training-partners support that idea. Especially the way communication is coordinated varies across cultures. In this paper, we present our approach of simulating differences in the management of communication for the American and Arabic cultures. Therefore, we give an overview of behavioral tendencies described in the literature, pointing out differences between the two cultures. Grounding our expectations in empirical data we analyzed a multi-modal corpora. These findings were integrated into a demonstrator using virtual agents and evaluated in a preliminary study.
Do Muskellunge and Pickerel Interbreed

(1940). Do Muskellunge and Pickerel Interbreed? The Progressive Fish-Culturist: Vol. 7, No. 48, pp. 25-27.
P0robiotics: clinics and/or nutrition

The primary claim of probiotics is their beneficial influence on the intestinal ecosystem, which, in turn, may provide protection against gastro-intestinal infections. The positive actions on human health include antagonistic activity against pathogens, anti-allergic effects and other effects on the immune system. In recent years, the concept of probiotics evolved from food with beneficial, even if not clearly established, effects on well-being, to the new area of the nutraceuticals or functional foods. This concept was developed further into the biotherapeutics, which are the clinical applications of probiotic microorganisms originally selected for food use. Whereas several of these health claims remain controversial, well-planned clinical trials increasingly support the claims for some carefully selected probiotic strains. Aim of this review is to provide a first attempt to evaluate these two areas of use of probiotics and to draw a borderline between them. Only a more in-depth knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the probiotic effects will allow a clear discrimination between the food use and the clinical use.
General Amplitude Relations for Transmission Lines with Unrestricted Line Parameters, Terminal Impedances, and Driving Point

Subject to no other restrictions and approximations than those actually implied in the derivation of the transmission-line equations and their application to a terminated line, general expressions in simple form are derived for the current amplitude in, and the potential difference between, the two conductors of a uniform transmission line at any point along its extension. The terminal impedances are assumed to be perfectly general, and the line may be driven by a loosely coupled generator which maintains a sine-symmetrical, a cosine-symmetrical, or an unsymmetrical field along any section of the line. General resonance conditions are obtained and expressions written down for extreme values of the amplitudes. The special cases of low line damping and low over-all damping are considered.
Choice and multiple reinforcers

Pigeons chose between equivalent two-component mixed and multiple terminal-link schedules of reinforcement in the concurrent-chains procedure. The pigeons preferred the multiple schedule over the mixed when the components of the compound schedules were differentiated in terms of density of reinforcement, but the pigeons were indifferent when the components were differentiated in terms of number of reinforcers per cycle. Taken together, these results indicate that a local variable, the interval to the first reinforcer, but not a molar variable, the number of reinforcers, was sufficient to differentiate the components and thereby evoke preference.
Near-tip fields for a crack along an interface between an elastic-ideally plastic crystal and a rigid substrate

Abstract Asymptotic , plane strain stress and deformation fields are derived near the tip of a stationary and a quasistatically growing crack at an interface idealized as being rigid on one side, and single crystal on the other side. The crystalline substrate is assumed to have a limited set of possible slip systems and to have a critical resolved shear stress for plastic flow to occur on each. Two crack orientations with some previous experimental background are considered. One orientation considered is such that the interface crack is parallel to the (001) plane with its tip along [110] and growing along the perpendicular face direction, [Ī10]. The second orientation considers the crack parallel to the prism plane (01l0) of an hcp crystal, with its tip along [2ĪĪ0] and growing in the [0001] direction. For both these orientations, the near-tip stress state is shown to be locally constant within the angular sectors that are stressed to yield levels at a stationary crack tip, and to change discontinuously from sector to sector. Because of the rigid substrate, a family of solutions is possible. Solutions are found that have crack tip stress triaxialities that are almost 40% higher, and some almost 90% lower, than that in the homogeneous material solutions. For the quasi-statically growing crack case, several families of solutions are discovered. All families are characterized by a leading plastic sector, followed by an unloading elastic sector and a subsequent reloading to the plastic state. The extent of these sectors depends upon the shape of the anisotropic yield locus. Two prominent ones are high (Mode I type) and low (Mode II type) crack line stress triaxialities. Families of solutions with both compressive and tensile normal stresses in the wake region are also found. In contrast to works where only isotropic plasticity is considered, the crack line shear does not sweep continuously from — k to k with k being the yield strength in shear, but is restricted to certain discrete values. For both the growing and the stationary crack cases, solutions are obtained for a very limited range of the possible crack line near-tip shear/normal stress ratios.
Limits of binocular fusion in the short wave sensitive ("blue") cones.

Abstract Stereoscopic depth perception is possible when the short wave sensitive (SWS or “Blue”) cones are isolated using a yellow adapting field. We have measured the maximum disparity that can be fused (the diplopia threshold) as a function of the separation between pairs of dots or lines. Under all conditions, these diplopia thresholds are the same for the isolated SWS cones as for the entire visual system. In addition, SWS diplopia thresholds vary as a linear function of dot or line separation, so that they exhibit disparity scaling. Further experiments show that disparity scaling is dependent upon the presence of low spatial frequencies in the stimulus and not upon the retinal eccentricity of stimulation. These data indicate that the SWS cones provide information to the disparity processing system through more than one low spatial frequency channel but not through high frequency ones.
Optimal foraging in patches: a case for stochasticity.

Abstract Like much mathematical modeling in biology, most optimal foraging theory is developed from deterministic analogs of basically stochastic processes. Unlike other models, however, it cannot depend on laws of large numbers to justify this simplification; ignoring stochasticity can lead to wrong answers. This is demonstrated for a predator searching spatially separated patches of prey; it is shown that the choice of an optimal procedure for deciding when to leave a patch must be based on a stochastic model—a predator whose procedure is based on a deterministic model can do arbitrarily badly by comparison with the stochastic optimizer. A general solution is given, and its complexity suggests some objections to standard optimality arguments, and some possible alternatives.
Expenditure Constraints and Profit Maximization in U.S. Agriculture: Comment

In a recent paper, Lee and Chambers (hereafter LC) developed a theory of expenditure constrained profit maximization. Because some inputs are held fixed in the model, we prefer the terminology short-run expenditure-constrained-profit maximization (SREC). The theory yields two testable hypotheses: (1) if the expenditure constraint is not binding the SREC profit function is linearly homogenous in all prices, and (2) if the expenditure constraint is binding then the sum of the expenditure level and the SREC profit function is linearly homogenous in output prices. These hypotheses are not mutually consistent and thus provide a means of testing for binding expenditure constraints. LC applied their test to U.S. farms and found that "farmers do not face a perfectly elastic supply of funds or credit upon which they can effortlessly draw to finance their production decisions." (LC, p. 865). In the development of the theory, LC assume that the technology is a cone, i.e., there is constant return to scale. However, empirical studies suggest that this frequently is not the case (see Madden or Madden and Partenheimer). In this comment we show that the assumption that the technology is a cone is not necessary for (a) local version of either hypothesis, (b) a global version of the second hypothesis, or (c) if the technology is convex, a global version of the first hypothesis.
Rewriting Codes for Joint Information Storage in Flash Memories

Memories whose storage cells transit irreversibly between states have been common since the start of the data storage technology. In recent years, flash memories have become a very important family of such memories. A flash memory cell has q states-state 0, 1, ..., q-1-and can only transit from a lower state to a higher state before the expensive erasure operation takes place. We study rewriting codes that enable the data stored in a group of cells to be rewritten by only shifting the cells to higher states. Since the considered state transitions are irreversible, the number of rewrites is bounded. Our objective is to maximize the number of times the data can be rewritten. We focus on the joint storage of data in flash memories, and study two rewriting codes for two different scenarios. The first code, called floating code, is for the joint storage of multiple variables, where every rewrite changes one variable. The second code, called buffer code, is for remembering the most recent data in a data stream. Many of the codes presented here are either optimal or asymptotically optimal. We also present bounds to the performance of general codes. The results show that rewriting codes can integrate a flash memory's rewriting capabilities for different variables to a high degree.
On a new condition for physical realizability of planar antennas

The behavior that all physically realizable aperture distributions (tangential electric field in an aperture consisting of holes in a perfectly conducting planar sheet) must have at their edges is shown to be as follows. The components perpendicular and parallel to the aperture edge must each vanish with distance d from the edge as d^{\alpha} , with \alpha = 1 for the perpendicular component and \alpha = 2 for the parallel component. An interesting consequence of this realizability condition is that the pedestal form of edge behavior usually assumed in aperture theory is physically impossible.
A study of the development of lateral motoneurons following myotomectomy

An axiom of the organization of the vertebrate nervous system is the innervation of limb muscle by motoneuroas of the lateral column of the spinal cord aad of axial muscle by cells of the menial motor column. 1 One of these relationships has been studied extensively2 as an avenue for the measurement of the influences exerted by peripherally innervated structures upon the development of specific centers within the CNS . Following addition to, or reduction in, normal limb muscle, 3 the number and size of lateral motor column cells respond appropriately, increasing or decreasing with the periphery. When, under these conditions the mesialcolumnwas quantitated, no signuicant effect was observed. 4 From the developmental point of view, the axial-menial relationship was assumed from indirect evidence . Only recently3 could it be reported that, when the menial column was investigated directly, following unilateral myotomectomy, the resultant reduction in axial muscle was accompanied by significant reducuons is the number and size of menial motoneurons . An average reduction of 4286 in muscle volume
An investigation of diesel soot formation processes using micro-orifices

Soot formation processes of diesel fuel jets were investigated in a constant-volume combustion vessel under heavy-duty, direct-injection (DI) diesel engine conditions using orifice diameters as small as 50 μ m. Soot was measured with line-of-sight laser extinction and planar laser-induced incandescence techniques, and flame liftoff lengths were determined with time-averaged OH chemiluminescence imaging. Results show that as fuel-air mixing upstream of the liftoff length increases, the amount of soot measured within a fuel jet decreases. When the cross-sectional average equivalence ratio at the liftoff length decreases to a value less than approximately 2, soot is no longer formed within the fuel jet. The soot measurements provide direct proof of the link between soot formation and mixing of fuel and air upstream of the liftoff length previously observed using total soot luminosity measurements. The non-sooting conditions were achieved with the 50 μ m micro-orifice at an ambient gas temperature and density of 1000 K and 14,8 kg/m 3 and ambient oxygen concentrations between 21% and 10%. The temperature and density are typical of DI diesel in-cylinder conditions. The lack of soot for the lower oxygen concentration conditions, which have substantially lower flame temperatures, suggests that NO x and soot can potentially be simultaneously reduced with small orifices and exhaust-gas recirculation.