cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of ELISA conditions on detection of serological relationships among luteoviruses

Three variations in the ELISA procedure were used in an attempt to understand the basis for serological relationships among three isolates of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV-RPV-I from Illinois, BYDV-RPV-N from New York and BYDV-PAV from Illinois), beet western yellows virus (BWYV) and soybean dwarf virus (SDV). Detection of serological relationships was dependent on the state of the virus particle (e.g. dissociated or intact) and the method of detection (e.g. direct or indirect). In indirect ELISA, where virus particles were dissociated due to incubation in a high pH buffer, all five virus isolates were serologically related. In double antibody sandwich (DAS) ELISA, identification of serological relationships was based on detection of epitopes associated with intact virus particles, which resulted the detection of fewer serological relationships. Direct ELISA showed, depending on the Ig, that the state of the virus particle and/or the method of detection did effect the ability to detect some serological relationships.
Blood group antigens and the population genetics of Macaca mulatta on Cayo Santiago I. Genetic differentiation of social groups

The red blood cell phenotypes for eight polymorphic loci were determined for 293 free-ranging Macaca mulatta living on Cayo Santiago; this number represents the total population of the island, disposed in four social groups plus peripheral males. The rhesus population shows significant genetic heterogeneity over blood group systems (loci) and social groups. No particular genetic locus or social group is solely responsible for the genetic heterogeneity observed. The distributions of genotypes for two loci (G and H) do not deviate significantly from Hardy-Weinberg expectations within social groups or in the population as a whole. Correction of the equilibrium expectations for the effect of population subdivision yields no statistically significant results. Overall, the results suggest that the interaction of a variety of processes (random genetic drift, founder effect, migration and selection) may be responsible for the diversity observed. These data, combined with those from further studies, may allow an application of behavioral and genetic knowledge to the study of microevolutionary processes among nonhuman primates.
Unilateral Cortical Activity in Newborn Humans: An Early Index of Cerebral Dominance?

Spectral analyses show unilateral photic driving in newborn human infants to bilateral repetitive visual stimulation. Results are interpreted as evidence of dominance in the right hemisphere for rhythmic visual stimuli and lack of interhemispheric integration.
Integrated information distribution systems: their implication for medical media.

This article will describe and discuss much of the new media technology on the market or on the drawing boards that will represent the next step in the evolution of medical information distribution.
The not-quite non-atomic game: Normal approximation

Measure games with a large number of players are frequently approximated by nonatomic games. In fact, however, while it is true that values of large measure games will, under certain reasonable circumstances, converge to the value of a non-atomic game, it is also true that this convergence is quite slow. Using the multi-linear extension and the central limit theorem, we obtain an approximation which (because it is based on the normal distribution) we call the normal approximation. We show that, for two examples with several hundred and several thousand players respectively, the normal approximation is much better than the non-atomic approximation.
Eutrophication, Silica Depletion, and Predicted Changes in Algal Quality in Lake Michigan

Accelerated eutrophication stimulated by pollution inputs is causing silica depletion in the surface waters of Lake Michigan during summer stagnation. Limitation of the reproduction of the presently dominant phytoplankton organisms, which require silica, may lead to drastic and, on the whole, undesirable changes in the ecosystem.
Gender Differences in the Longitudinal Predictors of Adolescent Dating Violence

Abstract Background. Adolescent dating violence is a public health problem. The public health approach to prevention is to identify predictors of problem behaviors and develop interventions to eliminate or reduce those predictors with the intention of altering the chain of causation. Longitudinal data are preferred for identifying predictors of behavior but all dating violence studies have used cross-sectional data. We use longitudinal data to examine predictors of adolescent dating violence from several domains guided by an ecological perspective. Methods. Eighty percent (N = 1,965) of the 8th- and 9th-graders in one county completed baseline questionnaires in school and 90% (N = 1,759) of those adolescents completed questionnaires again 1 1 2 years later. Proportional odds models were used to identify cross-sectional correlates and longitudinal predictors of dating violence perpetration that occurred between baseline and follow-up. Results. Most of the study variables were correlated with dating violence in cross-sectional analyses. Having friends who are victims of dating violence, using alcohol, and being of a race other than white predicted dating violence perpetration by females. Holding attitudes that are accepting of dating violence predicted dating violence perpetration by males. Conclusion. The findings suggest that intervention strategies should vary for males and females and that when basing interventions on cross-sectional findings, scarce resources may be stretched to address persons who may not truly be at risk of beginning to perpetrate dating violence.
Patient Teaching to Promote Behavioral Change

Abstract Nurses are taught that patient teaching is an essential component of their professional role. This article describes the research on which effective patient teaching should be based. Nurs Outlook 2000;48:281-7.
Nonlinear Optical Properties of Threefold Coordinated Paramagnetic Si Centers: An ab Initio Time-Dependent Hartree−Fock Study on SiH3 Radical†

Static and dynamic (hyper)polarizabilities of SiH3 radical have been calculated by ab initio time-dependent unrestricted Hartree−Fock method with the use of a double-ζ plus polarization basis set. ...
Finite element simulation of planar instabilities during solidification of an undercooled melt

Abstract Two-dimensional finite element solutions for planar solidification from an undercooled melt are presented. These simulations are based on the transient heat equation in both solid and liquid and show the onset and propagation of both stable and unstable numerical waveforms which reproduce those predicted in the continuum analysis with fidelity. The inherent instabilities associated with the freezing process dictate a more comprehensive treatment of the interfacial temperature than that specified in stable Stefan-type problems. Herein, we apply radiation-type boundary conditions on the interface that incorporate temperature effects associated with curvature and interfacial kinetics. The interfacial temperature depression due to curvature is the primary restraining factor during dendritic growth. Its numerical representation requires special care to avoid fatal discretization error; additionally, curvature must be treated implicitly within the thermal iteration and within the time step to overcome otherwise severe time-step constraints. The numeric simulations of anisotropic ice show similar waveform patterns at the onset of the instability to those of isotropic cases. However, as the amplitude of the waveform increases significant lengths of interface become orientated along the C axis where interfacial kinetics inhibit growth. This alters the interface shape by elongating the dendrite finger.
Solid phase synthesis and characterization of two canine gut gastrin-releasing peptides.

Two canine gastrin-releasing peptides originally isolated from gut tissue extracts have been synthesized by solid phase methodology and purified by preparative reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The synthetic gastrin-releasing peptides GRP1-27 and GRP 5-27 were characterized with regard to homogeneity and composition using nine different RP-HPLC systems, mass spectroscopy, amino acid analysis, Edman degradation, methionine oxidation, and peptide mapping with tryptic, Staph. aureus V8 protease and cyanogen bromide cleavage (the latter two systems performed only with GRP 1-27). Although a scarcity of the natural products prevented quantitative biological comparison of the synthetic and natural peptides, they were found to elute identically on RP-HPLC co-chromatography and similar dose dependent biological potencies were observed in canine antral muscle tissue contraction experiments. Indeed, all the peptides containing the bombesin-like car-boxyl terminal decapeptide sequence studied to date have similar biological activities.
Caregiver-assisted coping skills training for lung cancer: results of a randomized clinical trial

Abstract Context Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States and is associated with high levels of symptoms, including pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, and psychological distress. Caregivers and patients are adversely affected. However, previous studies of coping skills training (CST) interventions have not been tested in patients with lung cancer nor have systematically included caregivers. Objectives This study tested the efficacy of a caregiver-assisted CST protocol in a sample of patients with lung cancer. Methods Two hundred thirty-three lung cancer patients and their caregivers were randomly assigned to receive 14 telephone-based sessions of either caregiver-assisted CST or education/support involving the caregiver. Patients completed measures assessing pain, psychological distress, quality of life (QOL), and self-efficacy for symptom management; caregivers completed measures assessing psychological distress, caregiver strain, and self-efficacy for helping the patient manage symptoms. Results Patients in both treatment conditions showed improvements in pain, depression, QOL, and self-efficacy, and caregivers in both conditions showed improvements in anxiety and self-efficacy from baseline to four-month follow-up. Results of exploratory analyses suggested that the CST intervention was more beneficial to patients/caregivers with Stage II and III cancers, whereas the education/support intervention was more beneficial to patients/caregivers with Stage I cancer. Conclusion Taken together with the broader literature in this area, results from this study suggest that psychosocial interventions can lead to improvements in a range of outcomes for cancer patients. Suggestions for future studies include the use of three-group designs (e.g., comparing two active interventions with a standard-care control) and examining mechanisms of change.
Evoked-response forward-masking functions in chinchillas with noise-induced permanent hearing loss.

Evoked-response forward-masking functions were measured by chronic electrodes in the inferior colliculus of the chinchilla before and after exposure to an intense tone that produced a permanent hearing loss. Before exposure, the forward-masking time constants ranged from 50 to 90 ms. After exposure, the forward-masking time constants increased significantly in the region of hearing loss, but not in regions where hearing was normal. The effect of the hearing loss on the time course of forward masking was most pronounced once the hearing loss exceeded 20–25 dB. These physiological changes in the evoked-response forward-masking functions appear to parallel those observed psychophysically in human listeners.
Spectral holography for imaging through scattering media

Absorbers were imaged through a highly scattering material by application of spectral holography. A broad-spectrum source forms the spectral hologram of light transmitted by a diffuser, and computer processing reconstructs a series of images of the diffuser as it would have appeared with scattered light that traveled different path lengths. One of these reconstructed images is certain to be an image formed with first-arriving light and is therefore an image of the diffuser as seen with the least-scattered light. Experimental results present an image of an absorber hidden by a diffuser in which the gating was done by computer.
a Posteriori Tests of One-Equation les Modeling of Rotating Turbulence

Eight subgrid-scale (SGS) models were evaluated using two flow configurations: homogeneous decaying turbulence, and rotating turbulence forced at large or intermediate scales. Testing was performed for the first configuration through a systematic comparison between direct numerical simulation results and large eddy simulation results of many characteristics, including resolved kinetic energy, SGS energy production, molecular dissipation, and kinetic energy spectrum. The new models, which are based on dynamic structure model and satisfy the consistency of material frame indifference with the SGS stress, showed more accurate results than traditional models. In the forced testing, the new models were better able to capture essential features of rotating turbulence, including cyclonic/anti-cyclonic asymmetry, quasi-2D at large scales, and reverse kinetic energy transfer from small to large scales.
Effects of Healthcare Reforms on Coverage, Access, and Disparities: Quasi-Experimental Analysis of Evidence from Massachusetts

Background The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has been controversial. The potential impact of national healthcare reform may be considered using a similar set of state-level reforms including exchanges and a mandate, enacted in 2006 in Massachusetts. Purpose To evaluate the effects of reforms on healthcare access, affordability, and disparities. Design Interrupted time series with comparison series. Setting/participants Longitudinal survey data from 2002 to 2009 from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System including 178,040 nonelderly adults residing in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Analysis was conducted from January to August 2010. Intervention Massachusetts 2006 healthcare reform, which included an individual health insurance mandate. Main outcome measures Being uninsured, having no personal doctor, and forgoing care because of cost, evaluated in Massachusetts and four comparison states before (2002–2005) and after (2007–2009) the healthcare reform. Effects on disparities defined by race, education, income, and employment also were assessed. Results Living in Massachusetts in 2009 was associated with a 7.6 percentage point (95% CI=3.9, 11.3) higher probability of being insured; 4.8 percentage point (–0.9, 10.6) lower probability of forgoing care because of cost; and a 6.6 percentage point (1.9, 11.3) higher probability of having a personal doctor, compared to expected levels in the absence of reform, defined by trends in control states and adjusting for socioeconomic factors. The effects of the reform on insurance coverage attenuated from 2008 to 2009. In a socioeconomically disadvantaged group, the reforms had a greater effect in improving outcomes on the absolute but not relative scale. Conclusions Healthcare reforms in Massachusetts, which included a health insurance mandate, were associated with significant increases in insurance coverage and access. The absolute effects of the reform were greater for disadvantaged populations. This is important evidence to consider as debate over national healthcare reform continues.
PULMONARY EMPHYSEMA--PREVENTION AND CARE.

SUMMARY The consistent theme of the panel in relation to emphysema is to think of treatment of this disease in physiologic terms. Airway obstruction is a fundamental factor in both treatment and prevention. The importance of bronchospasm, retained secretions, mucosal and occult pulmonary edema all have their effects on heart failure, the elimination of carbon dioxide, the overdistended lung, and the "conditioning" of a patient … factors of special consideration by the individual members of the panel. The diagnosis of occult heart failure involves awareness that the usual symptoms of pulmonary edema may not be easily detected. However, compensation of the circulatory element can be quite effective in overall therapy. The specific determination of overdistention of the lungs from emphysema, localized or generalized, can determine possible surgical approaches to this disease. An understanding of the importance of carbon dioxide elimination can offer incentive and understanding of the physiologic management of ventilation in emphysema. Much consideration has been given to the correlation of the recent pathologic concepts of centrilobular and panlobular emphysema. Attempts to correlate the physiologic findings with these concepts have offered difficulties. Finally, consideration of methods for the early detection of this disease as a possible means of preventing lung tissue destruction suggest that the same therapeutic measures for airway obstruction are equally effective in prevention. It is important for all physicians to get the concept of emphysema as a disease which can start with a chronic productive cough. When a patient comes in with such a cough, regardless of its etiology, cigarettes, sinusitis, chronic bronchitis or any of the other common causes, this is the time to start prevention of emphysema, for this is how emphysema starts.
Knowing the child consumer: historical and conceptual insights on qualitative children's consumer research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer a selective and necessarily truncated history of the place and use of qualitative approaches in the study of children's consumption in order to provide some depth of understanding regarding differences between and commonalities of approaches employed by academic market researchers, social science researchers and, to a lesser extent, market practitioners.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines key research statements about children's consumption beginning in the 1930s to ascertain the underlying conception of the child informing the work.Findings – It is argued that there has been a displacement of psychologically oriented, developmental conceptions of the child with sociological and anthropological conceptions resulting in an acceptance of the child as a more or less knowing, competent consumer. This shift has become manifest in a rise and acceptance of qualitative research on children's consumer behaviour by social science and marketing academics a...
Federal-funds-rate volatility and the reserve-maintenance period

Abstract The day-to-day changes in the federal funds rate affects all banks, in particular those banks who execute their single federal funds transaction through larger correspondent banks. This paper's stochastic equilibrium model discusses how a major determinant of that behavior—the bank's reserve-maintenance period—molds the interday pattern of federal-funds-rate volatility. In particular, the model explains why the volatility of the federal funds rate increases from the beginning to the end of that period. While Spindt and Hoffmeister (1988) tried to explain that increases in terms of transaction-cost avoidance, this paper's model demonstrates that rational expectations alone will generate this effect. It also shows that lengthening the reserve-maintenance period increases federal-funds rate volatility on the last day of the period.
The HNF-3alpha transcription factor is a primary target for retinoic acid action.

We have previously demonstrated that gene expression of the hepatocyte nuclear factor 3alpha (HNF-3alpha) transcription factor is activated during retinoic-acid-induced differentiation of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells (A. Jacob et al. (1994). Nucleic Acids Res. 22, 2126-2133). We have extended these studies and now show that HNF-3alpha mRNA is induced approximately 6 h after addition of retinoic acid to the cells, peaks at 1 day postdifferentiation, and then declines to undetectable levels. Furthermore, HNF-3alpha induction occurs in the absence of de novo protein synthesis, suggesting that it is a primary target for retinoic acid action. In order to corroborate this hypothesis, we have mapped the cis-acting HNF-3alpha promoter site that mediates the retinoic acid response. DNA sequence analysis indicates that the HNF-3alpha promoter contains an authentic retinoic acid response element (RARE) of the DR5 class. As expected, this element is able to confer retinoic acid responsiveness to a heterologous promoter. In addition, the HNF-3alpha-specific RARE is able to interact with various retinoic acid receptor heterodimers of the RAR/RXR type. Since HNF-3alpha is induced early during mammalian neurogenesis, our data shed new light on the connection between retinoic-acid-mediated HNF-3alpha activation and establishment of the neuronal phenotype.
Faculty Perceptions of Institutional Commitment to the Scholarship of Engagement.

This study examined social perceptions that full-time faculty hold about their institutional commitment to the scholarship of engagement. The Sample included full-time faculty (n = 274) serving in member institutions of the Association of Reformed Institutions in Higher Education (ARIHE) in the United States. Two primary research questions were explored. The first examined social perceptions in 3 categories: faculty colleagues, institutional mission, and faculty reward system. Strong (positive) perceptions were reported for faculty colleagues and institutional mission, but not faculty reward system. The second examined social perceptions based on 7 independent variables. Results of analysis found significance (p < 0.05) with faculty workload requirements.
STEP: A spatio-temporal mobility model for humans walks

The movement of people is by-products of spatial and temporal correlations. People go to a place at a certain time with a purpose and they meet because they are in the same place at the same time. Extracting and representing the statistical features of spatio-temporal correlations inherent in human mobility is the goal of this paper. Most of the existing human mobility models focus on representing only the spatial features of human mobility (e.g., where and how they visit) and devote less attention to representing the temporal features (when they visit). This paper shows through GPS experiments simultaneously tracking the movement of about 200 students in two university campuses that many existing models cannot capture the temporal features and their correlations with the spatial features, and proposes a new mobility model called spatio-temporal mobility model (STEP) that aims to remedy this deficiency. The paper reports a work-in-progress for evaluating the performance of STEP and the other mobility models in representing inherent spatio-temporal features of human mobility such as the inter-contact times and diffusion speeds which are captured in the GPS experiments.
Electric load forecasting: A multi-agent systems approach

While electrification of the transportation system will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our dependency on imported oil, the growing number of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) can also impose a significant new load on electric grids. In this paper, we develop an agent-based behavioral transportation model of PHEVs for the purpose of electric load forecasting in large urban areas. This model is intended to simulate the temporospatial dynamics of PHEVs' behavior due to the changes in a multitude of internal PHEV-related transportation attributes. The results from simulations highlighted the inverse correlation between PHEVs' charging time and peak electric load consumption. The proposed model did not attempt to fully explain the very complex behavior of PHEV agents within the transportation infrastructure, but was rather developed to provide a theoretical foundation to investigate any emergent temporospatial outcomes. The developed model is capable of incorporating external attributes such as collisions, and weather conditions for any future research.
The role of heterochrony in the origin of a novel bauplan: Evolution of the ophidian skull

Abstract The transition from a lizard-like skull to an ophidian skull is characterized by two divergent trends: 1) reduction of the chondrocranium, middle ear, circumorbital bones, upper temporal arcade, and connections among bones of the snout, palate and jaws, and 2) increased ossification of the braincase and dermal roofing bones. Examination of the temporal sequence of chondrocranium and osteocranium development in lepidosaurian embryos shows that some of these changes entail loss of features ossifying late in ontogeny. These changes are consistent with the hypothesis of heterochrony affecting late stage ossification, and have important functional implications. For example, the reduction of late-appearing connections among palatal, snout and jaw bones allows unilateral movement during swallowing, a mechanism unique to snakes. In contrast, changes that occur early in ontogeny, such as reduction of the chondrocranium, are not easily accounted for by such a simple model. Unfortunately, the causal processes underlying the temporal patterns of change described are not known. The occurrence of similar trends among diverse groups of lizards suggests that morphological change in squamate reptiles has been constrained by a common developmental program.
Focal Adhesion Kinase Regulation of Mechanotransduction and its Impact on Endothelial Cell Functions

Vascular endothelial cells lining the blood vessels form the interface between the bloodstream and the vessel wall and as such they are continuously subjected to shear and cyclic stress from the flowing blood in the lumen. Additional mechanical stimuli are also imposed on these cells in the form of substrate stiffness transmitted from the extracellular matrix components in the basement membrane, and additional mechanical loads imposed on the lung endothelium as the result of respiration or mechanical ventilation in clinical settings. Focal adhesions (FAs) are complex structures assembled at the abluminal endothelial plasma membrane which connect the extracellular filamentous meshwork to the intracellular cytoskeleton and hence constitute the ideal checkpoint capable of controlling or mediating transduction of bidirectional mechanical signals. In this review we focus on focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a component of FAs, which has been studied for a number of years with regards to its involvement in mechanotransduction. We analyzed the recent advances in the understanding of the role of FAK in the signaling cascade(s) initiated by various mechanical stimuli with particular emphasis on potential implications on endothelial cell functions.
West-directed flow of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet across Eastern Basin, Ross Sea during the Quaternary

Abstract Detailed seismic–stratigraphic correlations and contour mapping (time-structure and time-thickness) of near-surface units in Eastern Basin, Ross Sea, outer continental shelf suggest that strata outcropping at Ross Bank were deposited as a terminal moraine in association with west-directed advance of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet grounding zone from Marie Byrd Land. During the grounding event, there was a major shift from west-directed ice sheet flow to north-directed ice stream flow. Seismic correlation to age control at DSDP Leg 28 sites 271 and 272 suggests a pre-Last Glacial Maximum Quaternary age for this major grounding event.
Exosomes/microvesicles: mediators of cancer-associated immunosuppressive microenvironments

Cancer cells, both in vivo and in vitro, have been demonstrated to release membranous structures, defined as microvesicles or exosomes, consisting of an array of macromolecules derived from the originating cells, including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. While only recently have the roles of these vesicular components in intercellular communication become elucidated, significant evidence has demonstrated that tumor exosomes can exert a broad array of detrimental effects on the immune system-ranging from apoptosis of activated cytotoxic T cells to impairment of monocyte differentiation into dendritic cells, to induction of myeloid-suppressive cells and T regulatory cells. Immunosuppressive exosomes of tumor origin can be found within neoplastic lesions and in biologic fluids from cancer patients, implying a potential role of these pathways in in vivo tumor progression and systemic paraneoplastic syndromes. Through the expression of molecules involved in angiogenesis promotion, stromal remodeling, signaling pathway activation through growth factor/receptor transfer, chemoresistance, and genetic intercellular exchange, tumor exosomes could represent a central mediator of the tumor microenvironment. By understanding the nature of these tumor-derived exosomes/microvesicles and their roles in mediating cancer progression and modulating the host immune response will significantly impact therapeutic approaches targeting exosomes.
Fatigue crack growth under mixed-mode I and II loading

Mixed-mode fatigue crack growth has been studied using four point bend specimens under asymmetric loads. A detailed finite element analysis provides the stress intensity factors for curved cracks under different mixed-mode load conditions. Both fatigue crack growth direction and crack growth rate are studied. The maximum tangential stress and the minimum strain energy density criteria were found to provide satisfactory predictions of the crack growth directions. An effective stress intensity factor was used to correlate the fatigue crack growth rates successfully. It is found that the use of mode I fatigue crack growth rate properties results in a conservative crack growth rate prediction for mixed-mode load conditions.
Repeatability of baseline corticosterone concentrations

One major assumption for endocrine studies is that hormone titers are consistent within an individual so that if hormone titers are low relative to the cohort on one day, they are relatively low compared to the cohort on other days. This is an especially important assumption for most field studies where researchers may have access to an individual animal only once. We used a laboratory study with captive house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to test this assumption using glucocorticoid titers. Baseline corticosterone titers were measured five different times for each bird under six different experimental conditions: during both day and night while birds were held on a short day photoperiod (11L, 13D), a long day photoperiod (19L, 5D), and while birds were undergoing a prebasic molt. Although the variation within an individual was often larger than the variation between individuals, the relative ranks of birds compared to their cohort were consistent during the night in all three conditions. In contrast, during the day the relative ranks of birds compared to their cohorts were only consistent on short days; on long days and during molt there was no significantly consistent ranking among individuals. Furthermore, the overall rank of an individual in its cohort was often different during the day and night. These data indicate that it is not always a good assumption that birds can be categorized as individuals with higher and lower titers, which will complicate analyses of the causes of interindividual variation.
Roadrunners: Energy Conservation by Hypothermia and Absorption of Sunlight

Roadrunners sunning in artificial sunlight consume oxygen at standard (basal) levels at ambient temperatures as low as 9.0°C. Energy savings of sunning roadrunners averaged 551 calories per hour. In the dark, birds may undergo hypothermia. Hypothermic roadrunners can elevate their body temperatures to normal levels by sunning, at reduced metabolic cost.
Floral color change in Viola cornuta L. (Violaceae): a model system to study regulation of anthocyanin production

Abstract Open flowers of Viola cornuta (Violaceae) cv. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (YTT) undergo a striking color change from white to purple over 5–8 days. In this paper we describe the physiological and biochemical bases of the color change, and examine possible environmental signals that influence anthocyanin expression. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used to identify malvidin as the major anthocyanidin and myricetin as the major copigment in YTT. The amount of malvidin increases as color appears, while the myricetin concentration remains constant. A slight decrease in petal pH values as the flowers age is not sufficient to cause a color change. Comparison of emasculated and intact flowers shows that the presence of pollen on the stigma is necessary to produce the color change. YTT flowers exposed to light change color while those maintained in darkness do not. Applying an ethylene inhibitor, silver thiosulphate, does not prevent color change. The increase in malvidin over time suggests that anthocyanin synthesis is upregulated by proximate triggers such as pollination and light. YTT presents an excellent model system for the study of anthocyanin regulation because it is a floriferous annual, the appearance of color is easily triggered, and only one anthocyanin is involved.
Immediate and delayed punishment of human behavior by loss of reinforcement

Abstract Young adult humans pressed a key to obtain money. When responding was punished by presentation of a stimulus signifying that money was lost, response frequencies decreased and response latencies increased. Since these changes did not increase relative earnings, the aversive properties of loss of reinforcement were manifested independently or reinforcement gain. When loss punishment was delayed for either 10, 20, or 40 sec the extent of suppression was found to vary inversely with the response-punishment interval. Subsequent manipulations indicated that the effectiveness of delayed punishment was increased when the response also produced immediate conditioned punishment, i.e., a stimulus paired with the delayed loss stimulus. Instructions about the response-punishment contingency had similar effects. The findings were consistent with animal studies of delayed shock punishment, insofar as a similar delay-of-punishment gradient was observed, and with studies of delayed positive reinforcement, insofar as mediation through conditioned punishment (or instructions) increased the effectiveness of delayed punishment.
Origins of subjective probability

Abstract A geometric model of cognitive structure was proposed and its implications for non-frequentistic subjective probabilities were investigated in an empirical, subjective estimation task. The basic idea was that distance relations in the cognitive structure can generate subjective probabilities that meet the formal requirement of a probability measure. These probabilities have certain consistency properties that are analogous to those possessed by frequentistic probability. The implications of this geometrical interpretation were discussed. The conlusion is that the results suggest interrelationships among our present classifications of subjective probability that may allow our theories the comprehensiveness they lack at present.
The crystallization of polymethylene copolymers; morphology

Abstract The morphology of a series of melt-crystallized, random copolymers of CH2 units with small mole percentages of CHR co-units, where R=n·C3H7 or CH3, has been investigated. At concentrations greater than two per cent n-C3H7 and 5·9 per cent CH3 co-unit, spherulites characteristic of the homopolymer are not evident even at 450X magnification under the polarizing microscope. The absence of spherulites is attributed to the growth of crystallites in which a given copolymer chain may participate only once, leading to a suppression of lamellar crystal growth.
Adapting Web Page Tables on Mobile Devices

The usage of PDA and mobile devices has dramatically increased recently. However, mobile devices and PDA devices have a limited screen size, which makes it frustrating to browse tabular data on mobile devices since users have to frequently scroll up and down to find the information of interest. This paper presents an efficient means to present HTML-based tables on mobile devices. Based on the column and row headers, the authors adapt a HTML-based Web table into two adaptive styles. The first style displays all information of a table into a single narrow page to avoid horizontal scrolling; and the second style distributes information to different sub-pages, each of which approximately occupies the whole mobile screen, and thus eliminates scrolling. The approach is empirically evaluated using a controlled experiment. The main conclusions derived from the empirical study are: 1 the adaptive layout styles improves the browsing efficiency for individual subjects as compared to HTML web page style, 2 the single narrow adaptive layout resulted in the improved browsing efficiency compared to the multi-page adaptive layout for one-dimensional HTML web page tables, and 3 the multi-page adaptive layout was more efficient than the single narrow adaptive layout for two-dimensional HTML tables.
U.S. Containerized Grain and Oilseed Exports: Industry Survey

Containerization has evolved from an industry serving niche markets to an industry creating niche market opportunities. Although the grain and oilseed industry is dominated by bulky, homogenized product marketing that is heavily reliant on economies of scale in delivering competitively priced commodities, technological advances, foreign market privatization, and declining global market transaction costs have supported diversification of this industry in niche markets such as small-volume containerized products. The findings of this research suggest that an established and growing U.S. shipper population is active in marketing containerized grains and oilseed products. A survey of shippers suggests that premiums for containerized grain and oilseed products are $5 per hundredweight, compared with premiums for the local bulk counterpart market. The net return to shippers is opaque as business practices and market fundamentals influence the costs associated with delivering the product to a customer overseas v...
Nonlinear aeroelastic characterization of wind turbine blades

A nonlinear aeroelastic characterization of wind turbine blades is performed. A two-dimensional aerodynamic model based on the quasi-steady approximation is coupled with a plunging and pitching bla...
Interactive Video: the Instructional Tool of the '90S:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of a trainee's control over the pace of instruction when using interactive video (IV). The study revealed that the interactive video training program designed for this study was as effective and significantly more efficient than a successful traditional training program commonly used for sanitary food handling and personal hygiene training. Pre- and post-test scores were compared between the control and experi mental groups. In addition, an outcome not originally designed as a part of this study emerged from placing students in small groups as they used the interactive systems. Scores and time to train were analyzed, comparing those who trained individually and those who trained in groups. It was discovered that students grouped on interactive hardware scored higher than those who trained alone.
Realization theory of discrete nonlinear systems: The bounded case

A realization theory is developed for bounded polynomial input/output maps, a class which includes linear, multilinear, and internally-bilinear input/output maps.
Temporal, spatial, and constraint handling in the Conceptual Programming environment, CP

The goal of logic synthesis is to obtain high-quality designs from specifications. Current approaches to logic synthesis often trade off design quality for technology independence. In this paper, we present a model of logic synthesis that uses technology-specific design rules and extends rule-based search to functional decomposition and technology mapping. While this model improves design quality by taking advantage of the target technology, it is not robust to technology changes. To improve robustness, we augment the model with two learning components: one for acquiring rules that make use of physical cells in a technology library, and another for acquiring rules that make use of appropriate design styles. These components are related to work in the learning of macro-operators and explanation-based learning.
A study of some histochemical and phagocytic reactions of the sinus lining cells of the rabbit's spleen.

A correlative study using several techniques known to demonstrate reticuloendothelial (RE) cells was undertaken to determine whether the splenic sinus lining cells of the white rabbit should be classified with that group of cells. Like RE cells throughout the animal body, these cells can be demonstrated by silver precipitation techniques, that is, they are metalophilic. They show strong non-specific esterase enzyme activity but only very slight acid phosphatase enzyme activity and sparingly phagocytize intravenous India ink (carbon), chlorazole black E, and saccharated oxide of iron. These results indicate these cells are reticuloendothelial in nature but are quite inactive when compared to RE cells of the red pulp cords.
Testing the Sorption Hypothesis in Olfaction: A Limited Role for Sniff Strength in Shaping Primary Odor Representations During Behavior

The acquisition of sensory information during behavior shapes the neural representation, central processing, and perception of external stimuli. In mammals, a sniff represents the basic unit of odor sampling, yet how sniffing shapes odor representations remains poorly understood. Perhaps the earliest hypothesis of the role of sniffing in olfaction arises from the fact that odorants with different physicochemical properties exhibit different patterns of deposition across the olfactory epithelium, and that these patterns are differentially affected by flow rate. However, whether sniff flow rates shape odor representations during natural sniffing remains untested, and whether animals make use of odorant sorption–airflow relationships as part of an active odor-sampling strategy remains unclear. We tested these ideas in the intact rat using a threefold approach. First, we asked whether sniff strength shapes odor representations in vivo by imaging from olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) terminals during controlled changes in inhalation flow in the anesthetized rat. Second, we asked whether sniff strength shapes odor representations by imaging from ORNs during natural sniffing in the awake rat. Third, we asked whether rats actively modulate sniff strength during an odor discrimination task. We found that, while artificial changes in flow rate can alter ORN responses, sniff strength has negligible effect on odor representations during natural sniffing, and behaving rats do not modulate flow rate to improve odor discrimination. These data suggest that modulating sniff strength does not shape odor representations sufficiently to be part of a strategy for active odor sensing in the behaving animal.
A PARTIAL FOLK THEOREM FOR GAMES WITH UNKNOWN PAYOFF DISTRIBUTIONS

Repeated games with unknown payoff distributions are analogous to a single decision maker's “multi-armed bandit” problem. Each state of the world corresponds to a different payoff matrix of a stage game. When monitoring is perfect, information about the state is public, and players are sufficiently patient, the following result holds: For any function that maps each state to a payoff vector that is feasible and individually rational in that state, there is a sequential equilibrium in which players experiment to learn the realized state and achieve a payoff close to the one specified for that state.
Reversible logic neural networks

Novel reversible neural network (RevNN) architecture is introduced, and a RevNN paradigm using supervised learning is presented. The application of RevNN to multiple-output feedforward plant control is shown. (k,k) reversible circuits are circuits that have the same number of inputs (k) and outputs (k) and are one-to-one mappings between vectors of inputs and outputs, thus the vector of input values can always be uniquely reconstructed from the vector of output values. Since the reduction of power consumption is a major requirement for the circuit design of future technologies such as in quantum computing, the main features of several future technologies will include reversibility, and thus the new RevNN circuits can play an important role in the design of circuits that consume minimal power for applications such as low-power control of autonomous robots.
The Impact of Corruption on Entry Strategy: Evidence from Telecommunication Projects in Emerging Economies

With globalization and the growth in emerging economies, multinational enterprises (MNEs) now frequently confront challenges associated with corrupt governments. Already, a growing body of research has demonstrated that corruption significantly reduces a countrys aggregate inflows of foreign direct investment through its effects on firm performance. We move the analysis of corruption from aggregate financial flows toward managerial theory and practice by examining how firms adjust their strategy for entering foreign markets in corrupt environments and how different types of corruption affect firms choices. Building on institutional theory, we predict that MNEs will respond to pervasive and arbitrary corruption in a host country by selecting particular types of equity and nonequity modes of entry. Using data on 220 telecommunications development projects in 64 emerging economies, we find that firms adapt to the pressures of corruption via short-term contracting and entry into joint ventures. We also find that the arbitrariness surrounding corrupt transactions has a significant impact on firms decisions, in addition to the overall level of corruption. In contrast to extant research, we show that MNEs use nonequity-entry modes or partnering as an adaptive strategy to participate in markets despite the presence of corruption.
WiMAX OFDM for Passive SAR Ground Imaging

Modern communication systems provide myriad opportunities for passive radar applications. Research is introduced here on the passive use of worldwide inoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) ground imaging. The anatomy of the waveform is presented followed by a brief bistatic ambiguity function analysis. The monostatic and bistatic models for OFDM range compression are derived and validated with experimental data. We conclude with SAR imaging results and a discussion on future research.
Effect of Hydrocortisone on the Ability of Thyrotropin to Increase Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis and Iodide Uptake in FRTL-5 Rat Thyroid Cells: Opposite Regulation of Adenosine 3\5'-Monophosphate Signal Action

In FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells, hydrocortisone alters two TSH-increased cAMP-mediated activities in an opposite manner. Thus, in a concentration-dependent fashion, hydrocortisone synergistically enhances TSH-increased thymidine incorporation into DNA, whereas it inhibits TSH-induced iodide uptake. The effect of hydrocortisone on TSH-increased thymidine incorporation is specific, in that it has only a minimal ability by itself to increase thymidine incorporation into DNA and slightly inhibits the activity of insulin or insulin-like growth factor-I. The effect of hydrocortisone on TSH-induced iodide uptake does not result from altered iodide efflux, but, rather, from a decrease in the maximal velocity, not the Km, of iodide influx, i.e. from a decrease in the effective number of iodide porters. The action of a cAMP analog to increase thymidine incorporation into DNA or iodide uptake was also increased or decreased, respectively, by hydrocortisone, whereas hydrocortisone did not diminish the ability of TSH to i...