cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endocannabinoid‐dependent plasticity at GABAergic and glutamatergic synapses in the striatum is regulated by synaptic activity

Long-term depression (LTD) at striatal synapses is mediated by postsynaptic endocannabinoid (eCB) release and presynaptic cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R) activation. Previous studies have indicated that eCB mobilization at excitatory synapses might be regulated by afferent activation. To further address the role of neuronal activity in synaptic plasticity we examined changes in synaptic strength induced by the L-type calcium channel activator 2,5-dimethyl-4-[2-(phenylmethyl)benzoyl]-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylic acid methyl ester (FPL 64176, FPL) at glutamatergic and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic synapses in the striatum. We found that the basic mechanisms for FPL-mediated eCB signaling are the same at glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. FPL-induced LTD (FPL-LTD) was blocked in slices treated with the CB1R antagonist AM251 (2 µm), but established depression was not reversed by AM251. FPL-LTD was temperature dependent, blocked by protein translation inhibitors and prevented by intracellular loading of the anandamide transporter inhibitor VDM11 (10 µm) at both glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. FPL-LTD at glutamatergic synapses required paired-pulse afferent stimulation, while FPL-LTD at GABAergic synapses could be induced even in the absence of explicit afferent activation. By evaluating tetrodotoxin-insensitive spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents we found that neuronal firing is vital for eCB release and LTD induction at GABAergic synapses, but not for short-term depression induced by CB1R agonist. The data presented here suggest that the level of neuronal firing regulates eCB signaling by modulating release from the postsynaptic cell, as well as interacting with presynaptic mechanisms to induce LTD at both glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses in the striatum.
Dependence of the Performance of Single Photon Avalanche Diodes on the Multiplication Region Width: Temperature and Field Effects

In this paper we report new theoretical results on the dependence of the performance of SAM SPADs on the width of the MR by comparing the effects of field-assisted dark carriers with temperature-assisted dark carriers as the width is varied. This sheds light on the characteristic difference in the performance between low-temperature operation and room-temperature operation. Furthermore, we introduce in our study the crucial role played by the location of the carriers within the different layers of the SPAD. We assume that photogenerated carriers are created in the absorber at random locations according to a uniform probability density; similarly, dark carriers are generated randomly in the MR and the absorber according to a uniform probability density in each layer. We consider SPADs with InP hole-injection MRs and InGaAs or InGaAsP absorbers. We use the recursive dead-space multiplication theory to calculate the generalized breakdown probability for all carriers generated in the SPAD according to a field-dependent spatial distribution of carriers (Hayat et al., 2003).
THE ROLE OF GENDER IN JUDICIAL CAMPAIGNS: NORTH CAROLINA TRIAL COURT RACES

Women comprise an increasing percentage of the legal profession, and their access-to state judgeships is affected by their ability to compete in state judicial elections. This study draws upon the 1998 North Carolina District Court races to examine the impact of gender upon judicial campaigns. This study provides a comparative analysis of how women candidates and men candidates compete in judicial campaigns. Its findings suggest that, although women judicial candidates experienced little or no difficulty in financing their judicial campaigns, they might nevertheless have to confront other barriers to becoming trial court judges.
Changes in pathologic outcomes and operative trends with robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

Introduction: We hypothesized that there is a reverse stage migration, or a shift toward operating on higher-risk prostate cancer, in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). We therefore evaluated the stage of disease at the time of surgery for patients with prostate cancer at a large tertiary academic medical center. Materials and Methods: After institutional review board approval, we reviewed all patients that had undergone robotic prostatectomy. These patients were separated into three categories: An early era of 2005-2008, intermediate era of 2009-2010, and a current era of 2011-2012. Results: A total of 3451 patients underwent robotic prostatectomy from 2005 to 2012. The proportion men with clinical T1 tumors declined from 88.3% in the early era to 72.2% in the current era ( P P P = 0.0002). From the early to the current era, the proportion of patients with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) low risk prostate cancer decreased, while those with NCCN intermediate and high-risk disease increased. The proportion of pathologic T3 disease increased from 15.5% in the early to 30.6% in the current era ( P P = 0.0002). Conclusions: We have demonstrated a reverse stage migration in men undergoing robotic prostatectomy. Despite the increasing proportion of men with extra-capsular disease undergoing RALP, the surgical margin status has remained similar. This could reflect both the changing dynamics of the population opting for surgery as well as the learning curve of the surgeons.
Personal violence (suicide and homicide) in South Africa

An examination of recent suicide and homicide rates in the United States and South Africa showed quite similar patterns, with whites having higher rates of suicide and nonwhites having higher rates of homicide. In recent years, suicide rates for white males have risen in South Africa while remaining stable in the United States. In contrast, homicide rates have risen for nonwhites in South Africa.
Joint Occurrence of a Lichen Depsidone and Its Probable Depside Precursor

A chemical race of the lichen Cetraria ciliaris Ach., known to produce the depside olivetoric acid, contains the corresponding depsidone, physodic acid, as well. Physodic acid may form by an intramolecular coupling of olivetoric acid.
Characteristics of Breastfeeding Practices Among US Mothers

OBJECTIVES. Although much has been published about breastfeeding rates, little is known about how breastfeeding is practiced in the United States. We describe the distributions and characteristics of practices related to common advice about breastfeeding during the infant9s first year of life. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS. Participants in the 2005–2007 Infant Feeding Practices Study II received monthly questionnaires during their infants’ first year of life. Among breastfeeding respondents, we investigated patterns and trends in types of breastfeeding (supplementing with formula or not, and at the breast or not) and maternal report of infant feeding behaviors corresponding to common breastfeeding advice on frequency, duration, and intervals of feedings. RESULTS. More than half of the breastfeeding mothers fed their infants nothing other than breast milk until 4 months of age. Formula supplementation declined from 42% at 1 month to 15% at 1 year; adding other foods/liquids increasingly surpassed supplementing with formula beginning at 5 months of age. Six percent of the mothers reported that the only breast milk the infant was fed was expressed, rather than at the breast. Frequency of breast milk feedings per day declined from 8 at 1 month to 3.5 at 1 year. Reported feeding durations of CONCLUSIONS. Exclusive breastfeeding was common up to 4 but not to 6 months of age. Breastfeeding with only expressed milk was rare. Considerable variation existed in maternal report of practices that correspond to common breastfeeding advice. More research is needed to better understand how these variations relate to breastfeeding outcomes and the role of common breastfeeding advice in infant feeding decisions.
An evaluation of energy-saving technologies for residential purposes

Energy-saving technologies have become more readily available for residential purposes. Such technologies can be classified into two broad categories: energy generation systems and consumption reduction solutions. In the first half of this paper, we analyze the feasibility of renewable energy generation systems at home. Our results indicate that although renewable energy can possibly fulfill a significant portion of a household's electricity demand, the costs involved will be a strong barrier to their adoption. Typically, it would take upwards of 10 years to realize a return on the initial investment in installing such systems. This strengthens the argument for government subsidies until manufacturing processes become mature enough to enable cheaper solutions. A more direct method of reducing home electricity costs would be to reduce consumption. In the second half of this paper, we analyze a simple means towards consumption reduction - switching to energy-efficient light bulbs. Our calculations indicate that compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are four times less expensive to run than incandescent light bulbs. This takes into account both the unit cost and the runtime cost of the light bulbs. The use of CFLs, coupled with a smart lighting system that automatically shuts off when not in use, may allow up to 83% reduction of household electricity consumption on lighting (or around 7% reduction of total electricity consumption at home).
A digital programmer for use with audio tape decks

A flexible inexpensive programming device for use with a magnetic tape deck is described. The programmer provides independent control for up to 15 different experimental events. It can be constructed from digital ICs for less than $50 and may be used with an inexpensive tape deck. A general-purpose transistor switch is also described.
Studies on rabbit lymphocytes in vitro. V. The induction of blast transformation with sheep antisera to rabbit IgG subunits.

The addition of sheep antisera to rabbit IgG or to rabbit IgG subunits (L chain, H chain, Fab piece, Fc piece) to in vitro cultures of rabbit peripheral lymphocytes may induce up to 80–90% of the small lymphocytes to transform into immature "blast" cells. As many as 1 x 107 molecules of antibody may be required to stimulate each cell. It is concluded that each peripheral lymphocyte carries the antigenic specificities of the entire IgG molecule and thus could carry, and may produce specific antibody molecules. Such a conclusion supports the theory that the small lymphocyte may be the site of specific recognition of antigens in the primary response.
Performance assessment of an LCOS-based head-up display

The development of a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) projector based Head-Up Display (HUD) is nearing completion and the first products are being readied for Flight Test. Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics (RCFD) has reported previously on the designs, performance requirements, and measured performance of two prototype versions, as well as the potential benefits of the technology and the technical challenges remaining. 1 This paper reviews some of the key performance requirements, enabling technologies, and preliminary measured results from the first pre-production units. There is also a comparison of the LCOS projector based HUD to two evolving digital HUD technologies.
Measuring hardware efficiency by distribution of resources within a single program

A view of efficiency is proposed which tries to account for how much resource is used in the actual problem solution and how much in the control of the instruction stream. Analyses are performed to determine the effects of two architectural modifications -- cache memory and memory mapped registers -- on the efficiency of a simple list merging process.
Numerical Simulations of the Marine Stratocumulus-Capped Boundary Layer and Its Diurnal Variation

Abstract A high-resolution one-dimensional version of a second-order turbulence radiative–convective model, developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, is used to simulate the diurnal cycle of the marine stratocumulus cloud-capped boundary layer. The fidelity of the model to the underlying physics is assessed by comparing the model simulation to data taken at San Nicolas Island during the intensive field observation (IFO) of the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment (FIRE), conducted during June and July 1987. The model is able to reproduce the observed diurnal cycle of the liquid water content, cloud-base height, radiative heating or cooling rates, and the mean and turbulence variables fairly well. The mechanisms that cause the diurnal variation and the decoupling of the boundary layer are examined. The possible role of an imposed diurnal cycle for the subsidence in inducing the cloud-top diurnal cycle observed during the FIRE IFO is also addressed. Three re...
ATR via coregistration of visual thermal range (VTR)-augmented radar images

A method to automatically detect targets from sets of pixel- registered visual, thermal, and range images is outlined. It uses operations specifically designed to work on the different kinds of images to explore the information given by each of them. Five features are used to distinguish the targets from the clutter; texture, brightness, temperature, surface planarity, and height. We describe two different schemes. The first one involves logically combining the results of individual detectors with binary detection information as output. A morphological operation called `erosion of strength n' is introduced and utilized as a powerful tool for removal of spurious information. The second scheme utilizes the concept of `images of interest' to combine the information provided by the different images. A simple linear combination of these images yields excellent detection results. The success of this scheme supports its suitability for other ATR (Automatic Target Recognition) problems.
Differential effects of several dopamine uptake inhibitors and releasing agents on locomotor activity in normal and in reserpinized mice.

Abstract Several drugs that were potent dopamine uptake inhibitors in vitro (including GBR 13,069 and GBR 13,098, amfonelic acid, mazindol, Win 35,065 and Win 35,482) caused large increases in locomotor activity in normal mice but not in reserpinized mice. Additionally, these drugs given to reserpinized mice prior to the dopamine releasing agent d-amphetamine, were able to prevent the normal increase in activity caused by d-amphetamine. The data demonstrate markedly different in vivo effects of dopamine uptake inhibitors and dopamine releasing agents.
The effect of hearing loss on identification of asynchronous double vowels.

This study determined whether listeners with hearing loss received reduced benefits due to an onset asynchrony between sounds. Seven normal-hearing listeners and 7 listeners with hearing impairment...
A model combining the polar and the sector structured solar magnetic fields

A phenomenological model of the interplay between the polar magnetic fields of the Sun and the solar sector structure is discussed. Current sheets separate regions of opposite polarity and mark the sector boundaries in the corona. The sheets are visible as helmet streamers. The solar sector boundary is tilted with respect to central meridian, and boundaries with opposite polarity change are oppositely tilted. The tilt of a given type of boundary [(+, −) or (−, +)] changes systematically during the sunspot cycle as the polarity of the polar fields reverses. Similar reversals of the position of the streamers at the limbs takes place. If we consider (a) a sunspot cycle where the northern polar field is inward (−) during the early part of the cycle and (b) a (+, −) sector boundary at central meridian then the model predicts the following pattern; a streamer at high northern latitudes should be observed over the west limb together with a corresponding southern streamer over the east limb. The current sheet runs now NW-SE. At sunspot maximum the boundary is more in the N-S direction; later when the polar fields have completed their reversal the boundary runs NE-SW and the northern streamer should be observed over the east limb and the southern streamer over the west limb. Observational evidence in support of the model is presented, especially the findings of Hansen, Sawyer and Hansen and Koomen and Howard that the K-corona is highly structured and related to the solar sector structure.
Temporal Discounting of Reward and the Cost of Time in Motor Control

Why do movements take a characteristic amount of time, and why do diseases that affect the reward system alter control of movements? Suppose that the purpose of any movement is to position our body in a more rewarding state. People and other animals discount future reward as a hyperbolic function of time. Here, we show that across populations of people and monkeys there is a correlation between discounting of reward and control of movements. We consider saccadic eye movements and hypothesize that duration of a movement is equivalent to a delay of reward. The hyperbolic cost of this delay not only accounts for kinematics of saccades in adults, it also accounts for the faster saccades of children, who temporally discount reward more steeply. Our theory explains why saccade velocities increase when reward is elevated, and why disorders in the encoding of reward, for example in Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, produce changes in saccade. We show that delay of reward elevates the cost of saccades, reducing velocities. Finally, we consider coordinated movements that include motion of eyes and head and find that their kinematics is also consistent with a hyperbolic, reward-dependent cost of time. Therefore, each voluntary movement carries a cost because its duration delays acquisition of reward. The cost depends on the value that the brain assigns to stimuli, and the rate at which it discounts this value in time. The motor commands that move our eyes reflect this cost of time.
Polish and former Soviet contributions to CNN World Report before and after massive system changes

Abstract The authors analyze the content of CNN World Report submissions from Polish and former Soviet states before and after the fall of communist systems of broadcast organization. One clear marker emerged for the dramatic system changes, and that marker was source work. The work of these contributors features significantly more source work after the change to a capitalistic system. Furthermore, the Polish submissions also had more hard news, more stories concerned with issues, fewer stories tagged to specific events, and greater identification of a conflict or problem.
THERMODYNAMIC MEASUREMENTS OF MAGNETIC ORDERING IN ANTIFERROMAGNETIC SUPERLATTICES

Direct measurements of heat capacity from 80 to 540 K of antiferromagnetic superlattices of NiO (high Neel temperature TN ), CoO (low TN ), and MgO (nonmagnetic) are used to study the effect of exchange coupling and layer thickness on magnetic ordering. NiOyCoO superlattices with thin layers show a single heat capacity peak similar to a Ni0.5Co0.5O alloy; with increasing layer thickness, the peak splits into two maxima. Finite size effects are seen in uncoupled NiO and CoO. Observed shifts in TN show the importance of correlation lengths and spin fluctuations in the ordering. [S0031-9007(96)01343-9]
Sex differences in student dominance behavior in female and male professors' classrooms

Measures of verbal participation and interaction among graduate students provided a comparison of male and female dominance behavior in the classroom, and measures of the contextual effect of sex of professor provided further data on the interrelatedness of sex, status, and dominance behavior. Male students were found to exhibit significantly more aggressiveness (interruptive behavior) than female students in both male and female professors' classes, although significantly more male aggressiveness occurred in female professors' classes than in male professors classes. Male students were significantly more assertive (frequency and duration of speech) in female professors' classes only. In student-to-student interaction, aggressiveness was predominantly exchanged between sexes rather than among same-sex members.
Complications in meniscal surgery

Arthroscopic meniscal surgeries are among the most common procedures performed by the orthopedist today. As such, it is in the best interest of all orthopedists to be able to recognize potential complications common with these surgeries so that they can potentially be avoided. This paper first addresses potential complications seen in arthoscopic knee surgeries in general including infection, arthrofibrosis, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and deep venous thrombosis, among others. Other complications are more specific for certain types of meniscal surgery. In meniscal repair, iatrogenic damage to the neurovasculature including the peroneal nerve, the saphenous nerve, and the popliteal artery are a significant concern to both the orthopedist and the patient. Newer all-inside repair techniques promise to minimize these neurovascular risks but have a new set of potential pitfalls. To make an educated decision on which type of repair to perform, the orthopedist must be familiar with the complications associated with each technique. Meniscectomy has a different set of complications, notably late osteoarthritic degenerative changes seen in postmeniscectomy knees. Meniscal transplantation has its own unique pitfalls including allograft extrusion and graft shrinkage. It is our hope that by relaying the potential risks associated with these procedures, the surgeon will be more cognizant of and take steps to minimize the occurrence of these pitfalls.
Physical properties of a radiopaque denture base material.

Physical properties were determied for radiopaque composite denture base materials consisting of poly (methyl methacrylate) as thematrix and 30, 40, and 50% by weight fo a singlane-treated barum fluoride-containing glass powder as the reinforcing filler. Specimens without glass were include for comparision. All of the materials met the requirements of Amerrican ental Association Specification No. 12 for Denture Base Polymer except that t6he material containing 50% glass had less deflection than the minimum required at the 5000-gm load in transverse testing. There was little or no difference among thematerials with respect to hardness, in denation resistance, water sorption, color stability, and resistance to drop impact. Addition of glass of the 30% level decreased the transevers strenght while 50% means with no glass. In general, the addition of glass increased the time to reach only slight effect on densities, and Young's, bulk, shear, and flexural moduli, had only slight effect on solubility and decreased the cold-cure repairability and the coefficient of linear thermal expanision. The solubility of the glass power was aboutfour times that of powdered porcelain teeth after 24 hr, and totaled 0.55% afeter 5 days.
Color me bad: microbial pigments as virulence factors

A hallmark feature of several pathogenic microbes is the distinctive color of their colonies when propagated in the clinical laboratory. Such pigmentation comes in a variety of hues, and has often proven useful in presumptive clinical diagnosis. Recent advances in microbial pigment biochemistry and the genetic basis of pigment production have sometimes revealed a more sinister aspect to these curious materials that change the color of reflected light by selective light absorbance. In many cases, the microbial pigment contributes to disease pathogenesis by interfering with host immune clearance mechanisms or by exhibiting pro-inflammatory or cytotoxic properties. We review several examples of pigments that promote microbial virulence, including the golden staphyloxanthin of Staphylococcusaureus, the blue-green pyocyanin of Pseudomonas spp., and the dark brown or black melanin pigments of Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus spp. Targeted pigment neutralisation might represent a viable concept to enhance treatment of certain difficult infectious disease conditions.
A theory of timed automata

Alur, R. and D.L. Dill, A theory of timed automata, Theoretical Computer Science 126 (1994) 183-235. We propose timed (j&e) automata to model the behavior of real-time systems over time. Our definition provides a simple, and yet powerful, way to annotate state-transition graphs with timing constraints using finitely many real-valued clocks. A timed automaton accepts timed words-infinite sequences in which a real-valued time of occurrence is associated with each symbol. We study timed automata from the perspective of formal language theory: we consider closure properties, decision problems, and subclasses. We consider both nondeterministic and deterministic transition structures, and both Biichi and Muller acceptance conditions. We show that nondeterministic timed automata are closed under union and intersection, but not under complementation, whereas deterministic timed Muller automata are closed under all Boolean operations. The main construction of the paper is an (PSPACE) algorithm for checking the emptiness of the language of a (nondeterministic) timed automaton. We also prove that the universality problem and the language inclusion problem are solvable only for the deterministic automata: both problems are undecidable (II i-hard) in the nondeterministic case and PSPACE-complete in the deterministic case. Finally, we discuss the application of this theory to automatic verification of real-time requirements of finite-state systems.
High Throughput Screening Methodology to Probe Cell Deformability

Cell and nucleus mechanical properties are implicated in a wide range of biological contexts: for example, the multi-lobed nucleus of neutrophil cells correlates with increased cell deformability; cancer cells show decreased stiffness compared to benign cells. The mechanical properties of cells and nuclei could thus be valuable label-free markers for a cell's physiological state. Most conventional techniques used to study cell mechanics are labor-intensive and limited in throughput - typically < 10-20 cell types can be probed within a reasonable timeframe. Here we introduce a novel high throughput method to probe cell deformability. The device uses filtration to simultaneously probe several hundreds of different cell types; the entire assay is complete within ∼30 min. The key component of the technique is a porous membrane interfacing with a 96- or 384-well plate; cells are placed on top of this membrane; an applied pressure generates physical forces on them, causing the cells to pass through the membrane pores and into the collection well; the number of passaged cells is counted and provides a measure of cell mechanical properties. We characterize the number of passaged cells as a function of initial loading density, pressure amplitude and duration, membrane pore size, and cell deformability; in parallel we develop a theoretical description of cell passage building on theories describing bulk filtration. In proof of concept experiments, we apply the method to probe differentiated versus non-differentiated human promyelocytic leukemia (HL60) cells: a larger number of differentiated, neutrophil-type cells passaged compared to the non-differentiated cells; these results are consistent with previous literature. We also show differences in cell deformability due to cytoskeletal perturbing drugs. These results validate the feasibility of this technique for high throughput screening of cells based on their deformability, for example, against a library of drugs.
Collaborative efforts: An exploratory study of citizen media in China

In the field of citizen media research, considerably less attention has been paid to countries other than the US and those in Western Europe. This article is a case study that focuses on citizen media in Beijing – specifically, the Dazhalan Project. Combining in-depth interviews and textual analysis, the article demonstrates the uniqueness of citizen media under China’s state-party media system. The article also suggests that it was the collaboration among ordinary citizens, professionals and journalists that made it possible for citizen media to influence the mainstream media frame-building process.
Scaling-up Sustainable Livestock Production: Innovation and Challenges for Grass-fed Beef in the U.S.

The U.S. grass-fed beef sector has expanded rapidly in recent years, with the rise of consumer and producer interest in alternatives to conventional beef, with its associated environmental, health, and social costs. A nationwide study of grass-fed beef producer groups focused on scaling-up operations reveals that there are significant obstacles along the supply chain—including on-farm inputs, processing and marketing, and finance capital—to expanding individual operations and the sector overall. Entrepreneurial innovations, discussed here, can meet these challenges to some degree, yet broader, systemic approaches need more attention. Further, the benefits of scale must be weighed against potential drawbacks.
Disruption of glomerular cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in hydrocarbon nephropathy.

Environmental chemicals play an etiological role in greater than 50% of idiopathic glomerular diseases. The present studies were conducted to define mechanisms of renal cell-specific hydrocarbon in...
Effects of physical activity on strength and skeletal muscle fat infiltration in older adults: a randomized controlled trial

Considerable evidence suggests that the loss of strength and muscle mass appear to be inevitable consequences of aging. Moreover, aging is associated with an increase in body fat. This study examin...
Gender, Immigration, and School Victimization

Abstract Research demonstrates that the psychological well-being, health, and educational progress and success are negatively influenced by school victimization. It is also known that gender, generational status, and race and ethnicity are linked to distinct school experiences for youth. What remains uncertain is how the intersection of gender, generational status, and race and ethnicity are linked to the school victimization of the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population—youth in immigrant families. Logistic regression analyses, drawing on the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, suggest complex results that are relevant to these issues. For example, findings indicate that there is a parallel between assimilation and school victimization, especially for Latina and African American female youth. The implications of the evident gender, generational, and racial and ethnic disparities in school victimization are discussed more generally.
Pulp Reaction to a Resin-Bonded Quartz Composite Material:

Pulp responses induced by a resin-bonded quartz composite material, with and without liners, were compared with those induced by zinc oxide-eugenol at 7, 28, and 84 days after Class V cavity preparations were made in 96 intact dog teeth. Only the unlined composite material elicited a significant inflammatory response.
The Test Matters The Relationship Between Classroom Observation Scores and Teacher Value Added on Multiple Types of Assessment

In this study, we examined how the relationships between one observation protocol, the Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observation (PLATO), and value-added measures shift when different tests are used to assess student achievement. Using data from the Measures of Effective Teaching Project, we found that PLATO was more strongly related to the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9), the alternative assessment used by MET to assess more ambitious outcomes. We also found that the SAT-9 is more instructionally sensitive to the PLATO factor of Cognitive and Disciplinary Demand than the state tests used in MET study. This difference suggests that PLATO factors designed specifically to identify ambitious instructional practices are especially sensitive to which test is used to construct value-added scores.
Use of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor for Therapeutic Angiogenesis

The term “therapeutic angiogenesis” was coined to describe intervention used to treat or prevent pathological clinical situations characterized by local hypovascularity by stimulating or inducing neovascularization.1 Angiogenesis is defined as the formation of new blood vessels from preexisting vessels by the process of cellular outgrowth. Angiogenesis differs from vasculogenesis, which is an embryonic phenomenon in which new blood vessels are formed de novo from blood islands composed of committed stem cells. Therefore, angiogenesis accounts for all new vessel growth after embryonic life and is a normal function of such processes as injury repair and the female reproductive cycle. The angiogenic process requires a concerted series of events. These include the migration and proliferation of endothelial cells in and away from the original microvasculature, the breakdown of basement membranes and the controlled expression of proteolytic enzymes that can degrade extracellular matrices, the reassembly of new extracellular matrix, and endothelial tube formation. Under certain circumstances, insufficient angiogenesis can lead to such problems as ulcers that do not heal and myocardial infarction. Conversely, many pathologies are complicated by unregulated angiogenesis and are typified by cancer, diabetic retinopathy, and atherosclerosis itself (see below). The normal process of angiogenesis is controlled by the balance of proangiogenic and antiangiogenic molecules that are spatially and temporally regulated in vivo (reviewed in Reference 2 and references cited there). In addition to VEGF, proangiogenic molecules include members of the FGF family, transforming growth factor-β, tumor necrosis factor-α, platelet-derived growth factor-BB, and others. These soluble molecules exert their angiogenic stimuli by coupling to cell surface receptor molecules that span the plasma membrane and trigger the requisite functions within endothelial cells through signaling cascades. Recently, much interest has been placed on the role of VEGF (also known as vascular permeability factor) in angiogenesis because the receptors that control the intracellular …
Using Topology of the Metabolic Network to Predict Viability of Mutant Strains

Understanding the relationships between the structure (topology) andfunction of biological networks is a central question of systems biology. The idea thattopology is a major determinant of systems function has become an attractive andhighly-disputed hypothesis. While the structural analysis of interaction networksdemonstrates a correlation between the topological properties of a node (protein, gene)in the network and its functional essentiality, the analysis of metabolic networks fails tofind such correlations. In contrast, approaches utilizing both the topology andbiochemical parameters of metabolic networks, e.g. flux balance analysis (FBA), aremore successful in predicting phenotypes of knock-out strains. We reconcile these seemingly conflicting results by showing that the topologyof E. coli's metabolic network is, in fact, sufficient to predict the viability of knock-outstrains with accuracy comparable to FBA on a large, unbiased dataset of mutants. Thissurprising result is obtained by introducing a novel topology-based measure of networktransport: synthetic accessibility. We also show that other popular topology-basedcharacteristics like node degree, graph diameter, and node usage (betweenness) fail topredict the viability of mutant strains. The success of synthetic accessibilitydemonstrates its ability to capture the essential properties of the metabolic network,such as the branching of chemical reactions and the directed transport of material frominputs to outputs. Our results (1) strongly support a link between the topology and functionof biological networks; (2) in agreement with recent genetic studies, emphasize theminimal role of flux re-routing in providing robustness of mutant strains.
Assessing Barriers to Women's Career Adjustment:

In this article, we overview the literature on women's career barriers and identify potential external, environmental barriers and individual, socialized barriers to women's career adjustment. We d...
Subsonic Compressibility Corrections for Propellers and Helicopter Rotors

The blade element theory is applied to subsonic flow by introducing the linearized compressibility correction, while the firstorder compressibility effect on the axial inflow is obtained from the simple momentum theory. The subsonic compressibility correction for the lightly loaded propeller is found to be expressed in terms of the forward flight Mach Number and the Mach Number based on the rotational speed of the propeller t ip. These relations are di rec t^ applicable to a helicopter rotor in vertical flight and reduce to a simpler form depending only upon the rotational Mach Number at the rotor tip. I t is shown that for the helicopter rotor a satisfactory approximation, for tip Mach Numbers less than 0.8, may be obtained by using the simple Prandtl-Glauert correction with the Mach Number given by the rotational speed at the three-quarter radius.
Spinning Electrons and the Structure of Spectra

RECENTLY Uhlenbeck and Goudsmit (NATURE, February 20, p. 264; see also Naturw., November 20, 1925) have directed attention to the fact that a number of features of multiplet structure and the anomalous Zeeman effect can be described by assuming the electrons in the atom to possess an inherent magnetic moment, pictured as being due to a spinning motion of the electron about an axis of symmetry. This moment must be considered as having a magnitude of 1 or 2 Bohr magnetons (about 10-20 c.g.s. units), depending on what rules one assumes to govern the orientation of the axis with respect to an external magnetic field. The above-named authors discuss the advantages which such a view brings with it, but fail to point out some serious difficulties.
A study of the intrinsic factors which control the initiation of asexual reproduction in the tunicate Amaroucium constellatum

The first part of this study describes the normal pattern in terms of which budding takes place as a colony composed of a large number of zooids is generated from an oozooid. During the time interval which elapses from the formation of a zooid until it reproduces asexually by strobilating, size increase is logarithmic. The length of time which elapses until a given zooid strobilates is correlated with the size of its thoracic region and its prior history. The role of zooid size increase in bringing about the conditions which lead to the initiation of strobilization was examined by irradiating small zooids which had been growing for a short period of time with different dosages of gamma radiation. The dosages of irradiation used slowed down the rate of growth or stopped growth; however, these animals strobilated at the same time that the unirradiated controls strobilated, demonstrating that the initiation of strobilization is not tied to the growth cycle of the zooid. The possible role that organ systems situated in different regions of these animals might have in initiating strobilization was studied by removing parts of zooids at different times during their growth cycle. These experiments demonstrated that a population of cells in the dorsal half of the thorax normally function to inhibit strobilization. Studies in which parts of animals were made to regenerate thereby creating a condition in which different regions of the same zooid were of two different chronological ages demonstrated that the activities of cells in the thoracic region of these animals also regulate the time interval which will elapse until strobilization. These experiments were done by compounding “Siamese twin” zooids with two thoracic regions and showing that the youngest thoracic region controls the timing of strobilization. This work is discussed in relation to experimental work which has been done on other ascidian species and to the suggestions that have been made for the purpose of explaining how asexual reproduction is regulated in tunicates.
Reduced-order Kalman filtering for time-varying systems

Since the classical Kalman filter provides optimal least- squares estimates of all of the states of a linear time-varying system, there is longstanding interest in obtaining simpler filters that estimate only a subset of states. This objective is of particular interest when the system order is extremely large, which occurs for systems arising from discretized partial differential equations.
The Overmathematicization of Economics: Lessons for Business Disciplines

Abstract The literature critical of excessive quantification in economics may hold lessons for the related business disciplines that, in the past, have often been influenced by the intellectual legacy of economics. There is concern that the economics profession is losing good students from liberal arts programs and that there is increasing polarization within the profession. In the long run, this will undermine the effectiveness of the discipline in influencing public policy. Are there similar trends in the related business disciplines? Can the experience of economics with mathematical tools be a precursor to similar trends in finance, management, marketing, and the decision sciences? In this article, we discuss the growing literature that is critical of the current dominant status of mathematics in economics. The lessons learned from the crisis in economics may result in avoidance of repetition of these errors in other business disciplines.
Chlorine-Induced Restructuring of Ag(111) Films Observed by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Abstract The interaction of chlorine (Cl 2 ) with (111)-textured silver films has been studied using variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. Real-time images reveal that Cl 2 adsorption produces a restructured surface consisting of large terraces separated by microfacets. This restructuring occurs at low chlorine exposures ( −7 Torr·S), is observed with a variety of preparation conditions, and is thermally stable up to approximately 830 K. The observed restructuring may partially explain the role of chlorine on the selectivity enhancement observed in the epoxidation of ethylene catalyzed over silver catalysts.
Phase Transitions in Pure Plutonium

The five solid-solid phase transformations of pure Pu are typically represented in idealized thermal expansion plots as having sharp onsets and finishes with linear expansion behavior between the transitions. These behaviors are in reality less common, and the various transitions may have bursting behavior, curved onsets and finishes, and non-linear thermal expansion. In this presentation we will review the transformation behavior of diverse set of pure Pu types. These types include zone-refined pure Pu, electro-refined pure Pu, pure Pu doped with 1000 appm Ga, and alpha-phase Pu within an as-cast 1.9 atomic. % Ga alloy.
Software Development Tools

Software development tools include pre-imple mentation tools for automated analysis and design of software, post-implementation tools for auto mated verification and validation of software, and the familiar implementation tools such as compilers, text editors, loaders, and diagnostic packages.
An integrated environment for testing mobile ad-hoc networks

Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) has become an increasingly active research area with a plethora of work in ad-hoc routing, media access, and protocols, etc. However, much of the effort so far has been in simulation with only a few systems that have ever been implemented and none that we know have been tried in a scale beyond a dozen nodes. One reason is the high complexity involved in implementing and testing actual ad-hoc networks, and the lack of software tools for doing so. We have thus built an inexpensive and flexible environment to support such tasks and to facilitate network research. The core component is a mobility emulator to test an ad-hoc network of virtually any scale and with any mobility scenario without actually moving the nodes physically.
Segmenting Young Chinese Consumers Based on Shopping-Decision Styles: A Regional Comparison

ABSTRACT This article aims to study the shopping-decision styles of young Chinese consumers, a group that is highly important to marketers due to these consumers' increasing buying power. The article extends past research in consumer shopping-decision styles, using these styles as the basis for market segmentation. Furthermore, the study explores potential regional differences by comparing young consumers from the better-developed coastal region and the less-developed inland region. The results indicate important differences not only among segments within each regional market, but also between the two regions. The findings have strong implications for marketing to young consumers in China.
Immune monitoring using the predictive power of immune profiles

Background We have developed a novel approach to categorize immunity in patients that uses a combination of whole blood flow cytometry and hierarchical clustering.
Outcomes of arterial resection during pancreatectomy for tumor

Objective Arterial resection (AR) during pancreatic tumor resection is controversial. We examined the safety and efficacy of AR during pancreatectomy. Methods We used a prospective institutional database that includes 6522 patients who underwent pancreatectomy from 1970 to 2014; 35 had AR. We performed a 2:1 propensity match for patients without and with AR on the basis of preoperative patient and tumor variables. We then compared operative and postoperative outcomes between matched groups. Results AR included 18 hepatic, 8 celiac, 3 splenic, 3 middle colic, 2 superior mesenteric, and 1 left renal artery. There were 20 primary, 4 vein, and 2 graft reconstructions; 11 were emergent and 24 elective. Before matching, patients with AR were younger (58 ± 2 vs 63 ± 0.2 years old; P = .05), more likely to be of black race (26% vs 9%; P = .003), to have received preoperative chemotherapy (17% vs 2%; P P = .05), more resections that included removal of all macroscopic disease, but microscopic residual tumor remained (31% vs 14%; P = .02), greater blood loss (1285 ± 276 vs 822 ± 16 mL; P = .02), and more frequent cardiac complications (11% vs 4%; P = .03) compared with patients without AR. After propensity matching, baseline patient characteristics were similar between groups. For perioperative outcomes, the groups did not differ in surgical time, blood loss, length of stay, or complications including anastomotic leaks, bleeding, cardiac, infectious complications, or liver infarct or failure (all; P = not significant). Patency was 97% at a mean follow-up of 510 ± 184 days with 1 hepatic artery AR thrombosis. Long-term outcomes were significantly different: patients with AR had a lower rate of local tumor recurrence (20% vs 47%; P = .007) but also lower 1-year (50% vs 87%; P = .002) and median survival (22 ± 18 vs 49 ± 7 months; P = .002). Conclusions AR during pancreatectomy is safe and not associated with increased complications. Although it significantly reduces the risk of local tumor recurrence, AR is associated with worse survival compared with patients who do not undergo AR.