cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of Epidermal Growth Factor receptor-mediated mitogenic signaling in response to Transforming Growth Factor α and Epidermal Growth Factor in cultured fetal rat hepatocytes

We compared the ability of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) and Transforming Growth Factor alpha (TGF alpha) to transduce a mitogenic signal via their common receptor, the EGF receptor, in primary cultures of fetal rat hepatocytes. Mitogenic potency, measured as DNA synthesis, was similar in response to EGF and TGF alpha although signal initiation, measured as EGF receptor tyrosine phosphorylation, was more than 3-fold higher in response to EGF compared to TGF alpha. Downstream signal transduction events including Shc tyrosine phosphorylation, Shc/Grb2 complex formation and MAP kinase activation were similar in response to EGF and TGF alpha, thus indicating a dissociation between potency for receptor activation versus signal propagation. These data suggest that TGF alpha may preferentially activate an EGF receptor population linked to the Ras/MAP kinase pathway. In contrast, EGF shows no such selectivity, thereby reducing the mitogenic potency of EGF relative to its ability to activate the EGF receptor.
Comparison of CT, PET, and PET/CT for Staging of Patients with Indolent Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Purpose The aim was to investigate the potential impact of positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) as compared to PET and CT on the staging of patients with indolent lymphoma.
A new dual-isotope convolution cross-talk correction method: A TL-201/TC-99m SPECT cardiac phantom study

Simultaneous dual‐isotope SPECTimaging provides a clear advantage in situations where two concurrent metabolic, anatomic, or background measurements are desired. It obviates the need for two separate imaging sessions, reduces patient motion problems, and provides exact image registration between images. However, a potential limitation of dual‐isotope SPECTimaging is contribution of scattered and primary photons from one radionuclide into the second radionuclide’s photopeak energy window, referred to here as cross‐talk. Cross‐talk in both photopeak energy windows can significantly degrade image quality, resolution, and quantitation to an unacceptable level. Simple cross‐talk correction method used in dual‐radionuclide in vitro counting, even applied on a pixel‐by‐pixel basis, does not account for the differences in spatial distribution of the photopeak and cross‐talk photons. Here a new convolution cross‐talk correction method is presented. The convolution filters are derived from point response functions (PRFs) for Tc‐99m and Tl‐201 point sources. Three separate acquisitions were performed, each with two 20% wide energy windows, one centered at 140 keV and another at 70 keV. The first acquisition was done with Tc‐99m solution only, the second with Tl‐201 solution only, and the third with a mixture of Tc‐99m and Tl‐201. The nonuniform RH‐2 thorax–heart phantom was used to test a new correction technique. The main difficulty and limitation of the convolution correction approach is caused by the variation in PRF as a function of depth. Thus, average PRF should be used in the creation of an approximative filter. The results of this study show that simple cross‐talk correction provides Tl‐201 images of poor quality. However, the proposed method, based on convolution technique, improves the quality of the simultaneous Tl‐201/Tc‐99m SPECTimaging.
Habit reversal treatment of thumbsucking.

Abstract About 40% of young children suck their thumbs, an action which is associated with dental problems and for which intra-oral devices have been the most effective treatment. The present study of 30 thumbsucking children evaluated the habit reversal treatment which included competing response training, parental support, and stimulus identification during a single session plus follow-up maintenance by the parent. Habit reversal training reduced thumbsucking by 92% in the first week, 95% in the fourth month, and 89% at the 20-month follow-up. A comparison treatment by a bitter tasting substance produced a reduction of about 35%.
Dynamic inversion with zero-dynamics stabilisation for quadrotor control

For a quadrotor, one can identify the two well-known inherent rotorcraft characteristics: underactuation and strong coupling in pitch-yaw-roll. To confront these problems and design a station-keeping and tracking controller, dynamic inversion is used. Typical applications of dynamic inversion require the selection of the output control variables to render the internal dynamics stable. This means that in many cases, perfect tracking cannot be guaranteed for the actual desired outputs. Instead, the internal dynamics of the feedback linearised system is stabilised using a robust control term. Unlike standard dynamic inversion, the linear controller gains are chosen uniquely to satisfy the tracking performance. Stability and tracking performance are guaranteed using a Lyapunov-type proof. Simulation with a typical nonlinear quadrotor dynamic model is performed to show the effectiveness of the designed control law in the presence of input disturbances.
Positron work function and deformation potential.

Electron and positron chemical potentials at a given crystal volume are obtained from first-principles density-functional calculations. The calculated chemical potentials are used to obtain the positron work function and deformation potential. The results are compared with previous calculations for several simple metals, and with experimental measurements of aluminum and copper.
The Modulation of Progesterone Concentration in the Myometrium of the Pregnant Rat by Changes in Cytoplasmic “Receptor” Protein Activity1

The authors have previously reported that radio—labeled progesterone injected into the rat in mid—pregnancy is taken up by the myometrium at a concentration which exceeds that of the plasma. In addition, it was shown that in the pregnant rat near term this myometrial uptake of progesterone is no longer evident. Measurement of the progesterone—receptor activity in the myometrial cytoplasm, by sucrose density gradient analysis, indicated that the binding activity which is demonstrable in mid—pregnancy is markedly diminished near term. In the present experiments, the concentration of cytoplasmic progesteronereceptor sites in the myometrium has been measured, by multiple equilibrium dialysis, throughout the course of pregnancy, and the previously observed changes have been quantitatively denned. It has previously been shown by other investigators that the concentration of endogenous progesterone in rat myometrium exceeds that of the plasma in the first two—thirds of pregnancy, and that this difference in conc...
California Farmin': Promise and Reality

Beasts of the Field:. Narrative History of California Farmworkers, 1769–1913. Richard S. Street. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2004. Photographing Farmworkers in California. Richard S. Street. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2004.
Expression of galectin-3 modulates T-cell growth and apoptosis

Galectin-3 is a member (if a large family of beta-galactoside-binding animal lectins. It has been shown that the expression of galectin-3 is upregulated in proliferating cells, suggesting a possible role for this lectin in regulation of cell growth. Previously, we have shown that T cells infected with human T-cell leukemia virus type I express high levels of galectin-3, in contrast to uninfected cells, which do not express detectable amounts of this protein. In this study, we examined growth properties of human leukemia T cells transfected with galectin-3 cDNA, and thus constitutively overexpressing this lectin. Transfectants expressing galectin-3 displayed higher growth rates than control transfectants, which do not express this lectin. Furthermore, galectin-3 expression in these cells confers resistance to apoptosis induced by anti-Fas antibody and staurosporine. Galectin-3 was found to have significant sequence similarity with Bcl-2, a well-characterized suppressor of apoptosis. In particular, the lectin contains the NWGR motif that is highly conserved among members of the Bcl-2 family and shown to be critical for the apoptosis-suppressing activity. We further demonstrated that galectin-3 interacts with Bc1-2 in a lactose-inhibitable manner. We conclude that galectin-3 is a regulator of cell growth and apoptosis and it may function through a cell death inhibition pathway that involves Bcl-2.
Noncooperative price taking in large dynamic markets

This chapter discusses noncooperative price taking in large dynamic markets. Cournot's proposition that large markets are competitive is reconciled with the possibility of equilibrium involving strategic interaction among firms. It is shown that, except when extraordinarily precise information is available, firms in a market with many agents are not visible enough for the equilibrium described by Stigler to be sustained. This result is proved by studying two formal representations of markets with many agents. One of these representations involves initially choosing a particular market, with finitely many participants, and then forming a sequence of increasingly large markets by adjoining at each stage a new copy of the original one. The result of this procedure is called a sequence of replica markets. All of the markets in the sequence have the same statistical characteristics, the ratio of firms to consumers is constant, and they all share the same competitive market-clearing prices. The other representation of markets with many agents exploits the fact that, if counting measure on the set of agents in a market is normalized to make the set into a probability space, then a description of agents' characteristics and actions is mathematically a random vector defined on the sample space of agents.
Contact sensitization to 2-monomethylol phenol in phenol formaldehyde resin as an example of the recognition and prevention of industrial dermatoses.

Summary The investigation of a recent case of dermatitis in the formaldehyde resin industry is reported as an example of the recognition and prevention of industrial dermatoses. Attention is drawn to the potential significance of 2-monomethylol phenol (2-MMP) as a contact sensitizer in phenol formaldehyde resins.
Shear Cracking of Prestressed Girders with High Strength Concrete

Prestressed concrete (PC) is the predominant material in highway bridge construction. The use of high-strength concrete has gained wide acceptance in the PC industry. The main target in the highway industry is to increase the durability and the life-span of bridges. Cracking of elements is one aspect which affects durability. Recently, nine 7.62 meter long PC I-beams made with different concrete strength were designed according to a simple, semi-empirical equation developed at the University of Houston (UH) (Laskar et al., ACI Journal 107(3): 330–339, 2010). The UH Method is a function of shear span-to-depth ratio (a/d), concrete strength $$ \sqrt {{f}_{c}' } $$ , web area $$ b_{w} d $$ , and amount of transverse steel. Based on testing these girders, the shear cracking strength of girders with different concrete strength and different shear span-to-depth ratio was investigated and compared to the available approaches in current codes such as ACI 318-11 (2011) and AASHTO LRFD Specifications (2010).
Term limits: Evidence of careerism and socialisation in the us house of representatives

This paper uses voting behaviour on term limits in the US House of Representataives to explore the complex nature of theories of socialisation and careerism. Far from being separate theories, this paper finds much in common between socialisation and careerism. Voting behaviour on term limit measures suggests that both socialisation and careerism are evident. Like socialisation, careerism is found to comprise a dynamic quality whose strength increases with seniority. However, the effects of careerism are thought to be more pronounced across policies than they are for socialisation since the effects of socialisation depend upon measures having both radical policy implications and radical institutional implications.
Public opinion analysis regarding the uses of master settlement agreement (MSA) funds.

Abstract Objectives . In the present research, we assessed the relationship between characteristics of the residents of Long Beach, California, a typical city in America, and their opinions regarding the uses of master settlement agreement (MSA) funds. Methods . The statistical analyses used in the present research included univariate frequency distributions, cross-tabulations, and classification and regression trees. Results . The results indicate that the majority of Long Beach residents share the opinion that the MSA funds should be allocated to health programmes. They do not, however, feel that these funds need to be earmarked solely for smoking prevention or cessation. Conclusions . Due to state budget deficits, legislators may strongly advocate for the MSA funds to be used for non-health purposes. Our findings provide support for community advocates who wish to bring the current uses of MSA funds and tobacco taxes to the forefront of national and international public debate.
Experimental evidence for direct nutrient assimilation by the lophophore of articulate brachiopods

The uptake of inorganic and non-nutritive organic molecules has been compared with uptake of nutritive molecules by the articulate brachiopod Terebratalia transversa (Sowerby). Only minimal uptake of Na214CO3 and 14C-urea was observed, while 14C-glucose was concentrated extensively. After administration of a dilute solution of 14C-glucose over timed intervals, whole organ counts and autoradiographs showed that labelled material was accumulated along the exposed ciliated epidermal tissue of the lophophore and mantle and concentrated along the peritoneal lining of the coelom even before appearing in the gastrointestinal tract. The presence or absence of bacteria had little discernible effect upon extent and rate of uptake. The uptake experiments suggest that the lophophore not only creates an inhalent and exnalent current as is common in other filter-feeders, but also appears to be adapted for extraction of dilute nutrients in seawater. This ability of the lophophore to extract nutrients may help explain the evolutionary trend of the lengthening of the articulate lophophore and the reduction of the intestine to a short blind-ended gut.
Climate Stability and Policy

Starting in the 1980s and culminating in the Kyoto accords of 1997, followed by the awarding of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore and the United Nation’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), international attention has been focused on the dangers of global warming owing to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. In this essay, however, I will argue that humanity faces a much greater danger from the glaciation associated with the coming of the next Ice Age, and that the carbon dioxide increases that we have seen during the past two hundred years are not sufficient to avert such glaciation and its associated disruptions to the biosphere and civilization as we know it. Such conflicting considerations have obvious implications for the formulation of public policy regarding human attempts to manage climate change. During most of the Phanerozoic eon, which began about a half-billion years ago, there were few glacial intervals until the late Pliocene 2.75 million years ago. Beginning at that time, the Earth’s climate entered a period of instability with the onset of cyclical ice ages. At first these had a 41,000 year cycle, but about 1 million years ago the period lengthened to 100,000 years, which has continued to the present [1]. Over this period of instability the climate has been extraordinarily sensitive to small forcings,* whether due to Milankovitch cycles, solar variations, aerosols, or albedo variations driven by cosmic rays. The current interglacial has lasted for some ten thousand years—about the duration of past interglacials—and serious policy considerations arise as it nears its likely end. It is extremely unlikely that the current rise in carbon dioxide concentration—some 30% since 1750, and projected further increase over the next few decades—will significantly postpone the next glaciation. Figure 1 shows the representation from Wikipedia [2] of temperature over the Phanerozoic derived from the available proxy data.
Assessing the Potential Sediment-Related Impacts of Hydropower Development in the Mekong River Basin

Hydropower potential has remained mostly untapped for many years in the Mekong/Lancang River Basin, which drains land in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Currently the basin is undergoing extensive hydropower development that will likely result in altering its natural flow and sediment regimes. This in turn could significantly disrupt as many as 32 delicate and productive ecosystems throughout the region. Within the Mekong basin, the Se San, Sre Pok and Se Kong sub-basins (collectively called the “3S” basin) are a particularly important set of adjacent, transboundary watersheds with respect to biodiversity and ecological productivity, and serve as an important source of flow and sediment to the lower mainstream Mekong River. Currently, 19 hydropower projects are in operation or are under construction in the 3S basin, but this number could reach 41 by 2020 (with an installed capacity of just over 6,300 MW). Studies on potential impacts of reservoirs in the 3S basin are limited, and extensive research is still required to better understand the potential disruption of the sediment regime, which will impact (1) hydropower output and reliability; (2) the geomorphologic makeup of the system, and (3) the health and productivity of the region’s exceptionally biodiverse ecosystems. The work to be presented includes the development of a sediment accounting tool for the Mekong basin applied to the 3S basin. This tool is a daily time-step mass-balance simulation model of flow and sediment to predict in relative terms the spatial and temporal accumulation and depletion of sediment in tributary reaches and in reservoirs under different operating policies. Discussion will include use of the model to identify reservoirs that could significantly alter the natural sediment regime, and for which improved sediment and flow management practices could have a positive impact. Relative tradeoffs between hydropower production and sediment regime alteration will be discussed for different operating policies.
A powerful procedure for optimizing AGP states

We present a powerful iterative algorithm for optimizing the geminal coefficients of an antisymmetrized geminal power (AGP) wavefunction. The algorithm is based on the lowest eigenvector of a matrix closely related to the Hessian of the problem. This matrix can be derived either by using Euler's theorem or by utilizing a unitary group approach. Two important features of the scheme are that it will always converge towards a minimum and that in the neighborhood of a minimum it is comparable to a quadratically convergent Newton-Raphson method.
A Comparison of High School Teachers’ Instructional Postures in Regular Classrooms and in Computing Environments

ABSTRACT High school teachers' classroom behaviors were observed and compared with their behaviors in the computing environment to determine whether or not the computer might act as a catalyst to promote facilitative behavior in teachers. No significant difference was found in terms of increased facilitative behavior in computer classrooms. However, female teachers adopted more facilitative postures in the computing environment than did male teachers, and the teachers with the greatest number of years of experience in teaching with computers appeared to exhibit more directive postures in both the regular and computing setting than did teachers with fewer years of experience. Implications of this for teacher education are discussed.
Effects of age on Meissner corpuscles: a study of silver-impregnated neurites in mouse digital pads.

Investigation focused on finding qualitative and quantitative evidence of age-changes in the quantity of neural surface within Meissner corpuscles. These mechanoreceptors were studied in 53 mice (nine age-groups) ranging from 1.7 to 24 months old. Forepaw digital pads were formalin-fixed and frozen-sectioned parallel to each digit and perpendicular to the skin. Serial sections were then silver-impregnated to allow light microscopic examination of the neurites (axons) in corpuscles. From young (1.7–7 months) to middle age (9–15 months), neurites became more coarse, tortuous, ramified, varicose, and thus more complex. At old age (18–24 months), neurites seemed attenuated and showed more of an irregular winding, twisted, or tangled pattern with less parallel orientation to the skin surface than the regular spiraled, looped, or arched pattern typical at young and middle ages. Corpuscle size appeared greatest at middle age, smallest at young age. Dermal papillae not occupied by corpuscular neurites were most abundant at old age. The number of corpuscles per area and neurites per corpuscle decreased significantly with age, whereas the number of neurite bifurcations per corpuscle increased significantly. Morphometric analysis of neurites projected by a camera lucida onto a planimeter showed that the length of neurites meandering through a fixed interval of tissue increased significantly until age 12 months–evidence of increased tortuosity; the area of neurites measured within the same fixed interval, and the area of neurite terminals changed significantly as inverse parabolic functions of age–evidence of increased volume until middle age, which decreased thereafter. The general trend of these changes implied growth at young age and atrophy at old age. Morphologic changes occurring mostly until middle age increased the surface area of each neurite, presumably to compensate for loss of neural surface caused by decreased number of corpuscles and neurites. However, this proposed compensatory response was lost after middle age as indicated by the morphologic changes thereafter.
Crystal structure of murine cyclophilin C complexed with immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A

Cyclophilin is a cellular receptor for the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA). Cyclophilin C (CyPC) is highly expressed in murine kidney, making it a potential mediator of the nephrotoxic effects of CsA. The structure of murine CyPC complexed with CsA has been solved and refined to an R factor of 0.197 at a 1.64-A resolution. Superposition of the CyPC-CsA structure with the unligated cyclophilin A (CyPA) revealed significant migration of three loops: Gln-179 to Thr-189, Asp-47 to Lys-49, and Met-170 to Ile-176. The proximity of the loop Gln-179 to Thr-189 to the CsA binding site may account for the unique binding of a 77-kDa glycoprotein, CyPC binding protein (CyCAP), to CyPC. The binding of CsA to CyPC is similar to that of CsA to human T-cell cyclophilin A (CyPA). However, the conformation of CsA when bound to CyPC is significantly different from that when bound to CyPA. These differences may reflect conformational variation of CsA when bound to different proteins. Alternatively, the previous CyPA-CsA structure at low resolution may not provide sufficient details for a comparison with the CyPC-CsA structure.
Execution Drafting: Energy Efficiency Through Computation Deduplication

Computation is increasingly moving to the data enter. Thus, the energy used by CPUs in the data centeris gaining importance. The centralization of computation in the data center has also led to much commonality between the applications running there. For example, there are many instances of similar or identical versions of the Apache web server running in a large data center. Many of these applications, such as bulk image resizing or video Transco ding, favor increasing throughput over single stream performance. In this work, we propose Execution Drafting, an architectural technique for executing identical instructions from different programs or threads on the same multithreaded core, such that they flow down the pipe consecutively, or draft. Drafting reduces switching and removes the need to fetch and decode drafted instructions, thereby saving energy. Drafting can also reduce the energy of the execution and commit stages of a pipeline when drafted instructions have similar operands, such as when loading constants. We demonstrate Execution Drafting saving energy when executing the same application with different data, as well as different programs operating on different data, as is the case for different versions of the same program. We evaluate hardware techniques to identify when to draft and analyze the hardware overheads of Execution Drafting implemented in an Open SPARC T1 core. We show that Execution Drafting can result in substantial performance per energy gains (up to 20%) in a data center without decreasing throughput or dramatically increasing latency.
Bayesian Analysis of a Bivariate Normal Distribution with Incomplete Observations

Abstract We consider the problem of drawing inferences on the difference of the population means when an incomplete sample from a bivariate normal population is available. Whereas Mehta and Gurland [7] have considered this problem from the sampling theory point of view, we tackle here the same problem from a Bayesian approach.
The Effect of Chondroitinase on Nerve Regeneration Following Composite Tissue Allotransplantation

Purpose To improve the degree of functional return and sensibility provided by composite tissue allotransplantation, enhanced nerve regeneration is essential. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans are found in the extracellular matrix of nerves and inhibit regenerating axons after injury. Treatment with chondroitinase to remove chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans has been shown to improve nerve regeneration in isolated nerve graft and transection-and-repair models. This study assesses the efficacy of chondroitinase as a neurotherapeutic agent in the setting of composite tissue allotransplantation. Methods Adult Lewis rats received either orthotopic hind limb transplants from Brown Norway rat donors (n = 12) or sciatic nerve transection and repair (n = 6). Following approximation of the sciatic nerve, half the animals received intraneural injections of chondroitinase in saline and the other half received intraneural injections of saline alone. Five weeks after transplantation, we killed the animals and analyzed nerves with nonbiased quantitative nerve histomorphometry. One day after transection and repair, we killed animals and harvested sciatic nerves for immunohistochemical staining of cleaved chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans epitope and laminin. We used unpaired t -tests for statistical analysis. Results Distal to the suture line, chondroitinase-treated animals demonstrated statistically greater total number of fibers and nerve density compared with controls. There were no statistically significant differences in fiber number or nerve density proximal to the suture line or in fiber widths. We observed staining of cleaved chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan epitopes only in treated animals, with no differences observed in the degree of laminin staining. Conclusions Intraneural injection of chondroitinase cleaved inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans without disrupting proregenerative laminin and resulted in enhanced nerve regeneration after composite tissue allotransplantation. Studies at later time points are needed to assess whether this enhanced nerve regeneration will produce improved functional return. Clinical relevance This study identifies a promising therapeutic agent that has the potential to enhance nerve regeneration and functional outcomes for patients undergoing composite tissue allotransplantation.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall: CO2 concentration and tree size affect drought tolerance

A major concern in recent years has been the widespread tree mortality seen in many parts of the world associated with droughts and heat waves (Hartmann 2011). Although rising temperatures and shifting precipitation regimes are expected to cause more of these mortality events, the associated rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations could improve tree water use efficiency, thus mitigating the effect of heat and drought on trees. In this issue, Warren et al. (2011) report the opposite— elevated CO2 concentrations promoted greater senescence in temperate trees (Liquidambar styraciflua, sweetgum) experiencing a severe summer drought when compared with ambient CO2 conditions. Stands exposed to elevated CO2 had greater root standing biomass and lower stomatal conductance (gs) than ambient stands, which should increase water uptake ability and soil moisture, respectively, thereby improving drought tolerance. However, trees in high-CO2 plots were hit harder by the drought: they shed more foliage and had lower modeled net photosynthetic rates during the drought than trees from ambient CO2. The paper synthesizes a wide range of data across a number of scales, including leaf-level gas exchange, branch hydraulics, stem sap flow, fine root dynamics and standlevel biomass estimates, to provide a multi-faceted picture of how carbon and water fluxes were affected by this climatic event. The results also concur with another recent report, where Populus deltoides grown at elevated CO2 for 3 years were more susceptible to water stress, and shed more total leaf area during a drought, than trees from ambient CO2 (Bobich et al. 2010). Could rising CO2 actually increase the susceptibility of forests to droughts? A reduction in gs at elevated CO2 is a common response across many species, with an average decrease of 22% (Ainsworth and Rogers 2007), leading to the expectation
Chromosomal Translocations in Childhood Leukemia: Natural History, Mechanisms, and Epidemiology

The root causes of childhood leukemia will be discovered by understanding the mechanism of mutations in the context of the cell of origin and time in life of the child. Molecular studies using archival DNA samples and twins with concordant leukemia have demonstrated that most childhood leukemia translocation subtypes occur before to birth and occur in early progenitors. Translocation breakpoints typically harbor evidence of nonhomologous end-joining repair mechanisms, but in only a few examples are the causative mechanisms of breakage evident, such as V(D)J recombinase gene activation. Epidemiologic differences in the rates of translocations between populations may point to causal clues. Leukemia like all cancers is the product of two or more genetic and/or epigenetic events, and the natural history and mechanisms of these two events are likely independent, resulting in two or more "causes" of leukemia. Complementary mutations include point mutations, deletions, and epimutations, which have distinct associated causal mechanisms.
Marine reserves and optimal harvesting

Advocates of no-take marine reserves emphasize their conservation benefits. Critics counter that reserves would decrease fisheries yield. Analysis of a spatially explicit harvesting model, however, shows that no-take marine reserves are always part of an optimal harvest designed to maximize yield. The optimal harvest generates a spatial source–sink structure with source populations placed in reserves. The sizes and locations of the optimal reserves depend on a dimensionless length parameter. For small values of this parameter, the maximum yield is obtained by placing a large reserve in the centre of the habitat. For large values of this parameter, the optimal harvesting strategy is a spatial ‘chattering control’ with infinite sequences of reserves alternating with areas of intense fishing. Such a chattering strategy would be impossible to actually implement, but in these cases an approximate yet practicable policy, utilizing a small number of reserves, can be constructed.
Regression Parameter Estimation from Panel Counts

This paper considers a study where each subject may experience multiple occurrences of an event and the rate of the event occurrences is of primary interest. Specifically, we are concerned with the situations where, for each subject, there are only records of the accumulated counts for the event occurrences at a finite number of time points over the study period. Sets of observation times may vary from subject to subject and differ between groups. We model the mean of the event occurrence number over time semiparametrically, and estimate the regression parameter. The proposed estimation procedures are illustrated with data from a bladder cancer study (Byar, 1980). Both asymptotics and simulation studies on the estimators are presented.
Calibrating mix models for NIF tuning

Mixing may play a role in early "tuning" implosions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), intended for optimizing target geometry and laser operating parameters prior to the first ignition shots. Turbulent transport models allow mixing to be represented in integrated capsule-plus-hohlraum simulations, so that its effects can be predicted. Such models typically have many adjustable coefficients, so it is important to calibrate the coefficients systematically, whether by comparison to experiments, theory, or detailed higher fidelity simulations. We have begun by comparing to results from high-resolution 2D multimode simulations of a NIF Rev3 CH(Ge) ignition capsule, using the time-varying angle-averaged radial profiles of ion species composition as the calibration reference. 1D implosion simulations are performed with either of two turbulence models, and the models are calibrated so that the 1D composition profiles roughly match the 2D reference profiles at a sequence of five times near the end of the implosion. Details of the reference profiles, however, such as non-monotonicity resulting from structures in the flow, cannot be represented by these models. Parameter searches, besides identifying optimal sets of model coefficients, also exhibit model sensitivity to parameter variations.
Variable selection for non‐parametric quantile regression via smoothing spline analysis of variance

Quantile regression provides a more thorough view of the effect of covariates on a response. Nonparametric quantile regression has become a viable alternative to avoid restrictive parametric assumption. The problem of variable selection for quantile regression is challenging, since important variables can influence various quantiles in different ways. We tackle the problem via regularization in the context of smoothing spline ANOVA models. The proposed sparse nonparametric quantile regression (SNQR) can identify important variables and provide flexible estimates for quantiles. Our numerical study suggests the promising performance of the new procedure in variable selection and function estimation. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
FEMALES RECEIVE A LIFE-SPAN BENEFIT FROM MALE EJACULATES IN A FIELD CRICKET

Mating has been found to be costly for females of some species because of toxic products that males transfer to females in their seminal fluid. Such mating costs seem paradoxical, particularly for species in which females mate more frequently than is necessary to fertilize their eggs. Indeed, some studies suggest that females may benefit from mating more frequently. The effect of male ejaculates on female life span and lifetime fecundity was experi- mentally tested in the variable field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps. In field crickets, females will mate repeatedly with a given male and mate with multiple males. Females that were experimentally mated either repeatedly or multiply lived more than 32% longer than singly mated females. In addition, multiply mated females produced 98% more eggs than singly mated females. Because females received only sperm and seminal fluid from males in the experimental matings, these life-span and fecundity benefits may result from beneficial seminal fluid products that males transfer to females during mating. Mating benefits rather than mating costs may be common in many animals, particularly in species where female mate choice has a larger effect on male reproductive success than does the outcome of sperm competition.
Identification of Carcass and Meat Quality QTL in an F2 Duroc × Pietrain Pig Resource Population Using Different Least-Squares Analysis Models

A three-generation resource population was constructed by crossing pigs from the Duroc and Pietrain breeds. In this study, 954 F2 animals were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting carcass and meat quality traits. Based on results of the first scan analyzed with a line-cross model using 124 microsatellite markers and 510 F2 animals, 9 chromosomes were selected for genotyping of additional markers. Twenty additional markers were genotyped for 954 F2 animals and 20 markers used in the first scan were genotyped for 444 additional F2 animals. Three different Mendelian models using least-squares for QTL analysis were applied for the second scan: a line-cross model, a half-sib model, and a combined line-cross and half-sib model. Significance thresholds were determined by false discovery rate (FDR). In total, 50 QTL using the line-cross model, 38 QTL using the half-sib model and 3 additional QTL using the combined line-cross and half-sib model were identified (q < 0.05). The line-cross and half-sib models revealed strong evidence for QTL regions on SSC6 for carcass traits (e.g., 10th-rib backfat; q < 0.0001) and on SSC15 for meat quality traits (e.g., tenderness, color, pH; q < 0.01), respectively. QTL for pH (SSC3), dressing percent (SSC7), marbling score and moisture percent (SSC12), CIE a* (SSC16) and carcass length and spareribs weight (SSC18) were also significant (q < 0.01). Additional marker and animal genotypes increased the statistical power for QTL detection, and applying different analysis models allowed confirmation of QTL and detection of new QTL.
Exceptional accumulation and retention of dimethylsulfoniopropionate by molluscs

Environmental context Animals that eat marine algae strongly affect the rate at which a compound that algae synthesise, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), is converted to the important atmospheric climate gas dimethylsulfide (DMS). In studying the processing of DMSP by algae-eating molluscs, we have discovered that some molluscs accumulate and retain DMSP exceptionally well, but this can be very variable. With this knowledge, investigators will be able to design improved experiments to understand the effects of molluscs on DMS production in local ecosystems. Abstract Molluscs often play major roles in processing phytoplankton-synthesised dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in local ecosystems. We find that some mollusc species retain tissue DMSP exceptionally tightly and exhibit unusually great and statistically non-normal interindividual variation in DMSP accumulation and retention. Individual mussels (Mytilus, Geukensia) living within a single clump, for example, range 6- to 11-fold in tissue [DMSP] and are often non-normal in statistical distribution. These properties cannot be explained by the elevation of the substrate on which the mussels are living or by mussel position in a clump. When mussels (Mytilus edulis) are deprived of DMSP for up to 5 weeks in depuration experiments, some individuals retain high tissue [DMSP], whereas others exhibit reduced [DMSP]. Such interindividual divergence helps explain non-normal distributions of tissue [DMSP] after depuration. We re-analyse published data from which the half-time for tissue DMSP loss during depuration can be calculated. In the only mollusc studied in this way (Haliotis), the half-time is 13–25 times longer than in similar size fish. Besides posing a challenge for DMSP mass balance studies, retention and interindividual variation may point to as yet unknown properties of molluscs: tight retention suggests functional roles for DMSP, and non-normal statistical distributions suggest discontinuities among individuals in DMSP metabolism.
Efficient utilization of transceivers in optical crossconnects

In this paper we present a novel architecture which implements sharing of the transceiver pairs between the regeneration sub-system and the local add-drop subsystem of the optical cross-connect. By making minor changes in the existing architecture we can implement our sharable architecture. We show in our work that a sharable architecture can be used to reduce the blocking probability of add-drop connections and also maintain the necessary grade of service for regeneration connections. We present 3 different sharing schemes in this work. By using a sharable architecture we can reduce the net number of transceivers to achieve a desired blocking probability.
Doing field studies of religious movements: An agenda

Although the social scientific study of religion has seen the accumulation of numerous case studies, comparative work involving substantial numbers of cases is rare. In the absence of an accepted agenda for field research, field studies contain information relevant to the study at hand, but do not add systematically to a cumulative database. By contrast, field studies in anthropology may contain idiosyncratic information relevant to the author's interests, but an existing research agenda defines information researchers are expected to include, which has produced an expanding cross-cultural database. In this paper, we propose elements of a research agenda for the study of religious movements, including information related to movements' organizational history and context, mobilization, organization, governance, and outcomes. While this preliminary agenda is subject to refinement by others, it provides a starting point for the accumulation of comparable cases, and a basis for the comparative study of religious movements.
Population Viabilities and Conservation Implications for Muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides) in Brazil's Atlantic Forest1

Abstract Muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides) are endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, where an estimated 1200 individuals are distributed unevenly among only 19 populations. Despite the fact that over two-thirds of all muriquis live at low densities in large and protected, undisturbed forests, virtually nothing is known about the demography of these populations. Consideration of the mechanisms underlying the low extinction probabilities simulated for muriquis inhabiting the small, disturbed forest at the Estacao Biologica de Caratinga (EBC), Minas Gerais, where long-term demographic and behavioral studies have been conducted, provides disturbing predictions about the viability of other populations living at lower densities. Local resource competition may be responsible for the female-biased infant sex ratio documented at the EBC under the female-biased dispersal regime exhibited by muriquis. At lower population densities, however, release from competition may lead to male-biased infant se...
Climate-induced changes in lake ecosystem structure inferred from coupled neo- and paleoecological approaches

Over the 20th century, surface water temperatures have increased in many lake ecosystems around the world, but long-term trends in the vertical thermal structure of lakes remain unclear, despite the strong control that thermal stratification exerts on the biological response of lakes to climate change. Here we used both neo- and paleoecological approaches to develop a fossil-based inference model for lake mixing depths and thereby refine understanding of lake thermal structure change. We focused on three common planktonic diatom taxa, the distributions of which previous research suggests might be affected by mixing depth. Comparative lake surveys and growth rate experiments revealed that these species respond to lake thermal structure when nitrogen is sufficient, with species optima ranging from shallower to deeper mixing depths. The diatom-based mixing depth model was applied to sedimentary diatom profiles extending back to 1750 AD in two lakes with moderate nitrate concentrations but differing climate settings. Thermal reconstructions were consistent with expected changes, with shallower mixing depths inferred for an alpine lake where treeline has advanced, and deeper mixing depths inferred for a boreal lake where wind strength has increased. The inference model developed here provides a new tool to expand and refine understanding of climate-induced changes in lake ecosystems.
Scalable Algorithms for Aggregating Disparate Forecasts of Probability

In this paper, computational aspects of the panel aggregation problem are addressed. Motivated primarily by applications of risk assessment, an algorithm is developed for fusing large corpora of internally incoherent probability assessments. The algorithm is characterized by a provable performance guarantee, and is demonstrated to be orders of magnitude faster than existing tools when tested on several real-world data-sets. In addition, unexpected connections between research in risk assessment and wireless sensor networks are exposed, as several key ideas are illustrated to be useful in both fields.
The Value of Community in Creating Quality: A Review of The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods is a welcomed contribution to the ever-expanding qualitative research reference library as it fills the gap such a standard, comprehensive written compendium should address. Benefiting from the contributions of a community of who’s who in the qualitative research world, the two volume work offers its readers easy to read, concise entries of high quality on methodologies, methods, and procedures as well as the evolving contexts in which these studies are conducted and consumed. Key Words: Qualitative Research, Encyclopedia, and Wikipedia When working on a text of my own, reading a student’s paper, or reviewing a journal manuscript, I often find myself flipping among the many books in my study or browsing through the Internet to find a useful definition or explanation of a term or concept to help clarify a thought, guide a discussion, or help traverse a gap in knowledge. Often I become frustrated in this pursuit because the work I access either does not contain the term for which I seek or when I locate the passage, the material is somehow lacking the succinct focus I desired. In these times of discouraged sojourns I have been prone to lament the lack of a definitive encyclopedia of qualitative research, but now thanks to Dr. Lisa Given’s (2008) delightfully edited two volume work from Sage, I am happy to report I lament no more! The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods was just published and it is a welcomed contribution to the ever-expanding qualitative research reference library. It truly fills the gap a standard, comprehensive written compendium should address. The Encyclopedia covers methodologies, methods, theoretical and philosophical perspectives, and important historical and current contexts for understanding the world of qualitative research. In taking this broad view the work serves not only as an introduction to methodology and method, but also to the social, political, and ethical frames within which we conduct and comprehend research. Volume one of the Encyclopedia contains an alphabetized listing of the 500 plus entries and a reader’s guide that breaks down the entries into 16 general topic categories. I found both of these tools to be quite useful in capturing the contents of the work at a glance. Volume two contains a detailed index that not only presents page numbers, but also the volume number in which the page is found. My only major criticism as to the Encyclopedia’s structure is that although a list of contributors appears in volume one, there is no author index so you can not readily find which contributor wrote which sections. So for someone like me who is a fan of certain writers, I have to search around the thousand plus pages to find my favorites’ contributions. Of course you could argue