cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mathematics Anxiety and Achievement among Japanese Elementary School Students.

This study focused on the incidence, correlates, and effects of mathematics anxiety among Japanese children. A translation of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale for Elementary School Students (MARS-E) was completed by 154 fifth- and sixth-grade students. Factor analysis identified four dimensions of math anxiety, and factor scores were computed. Measures of correlation revealed a number of significant relationships between MARS-E scores and classroom achievement grades, gender, and class. Comparison of mean factor scores for each dimension and the three independent variables revealed significant differences among low, middle, and high achievers. Findings are compared with those of a study of American children, and methodological issues are discussed.
Wavelet-Based Interpolation Point Selection for Multi-Shifted Arnoldi

As process technology continues to scale into the nanoscale regime and overall system complexity increases, the reduced order modeling of on-chip interconnect plays a crucial role in determining VLSI system performance. In this paper, we develop an adaptive wavelet interpolation method based on Krylov subspace techniques to generate reduced order interconnect models that are accurate across a wide-range of frequencies. We dynamically select interpolation points by applying an inexpensive Haar wavelet transform and performing irregular sampling in the frequency domain. The results indicate that our method provides greater accuracy than multi-shift Krylov subspace methods with uniform interpolation points.
Technetium-99m labeled myocardial perfusion imaging agents

99m Tc labeled myocardial perfusion tracers have significantly advanced the field of noninvasive diagnostic evaluation and risk stratification of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease by providing comprehensive information about myocardial perfusion and function from a single study. Of various currently available invasive and noninvasive test modalities, myocardial perfusion imaging provides the most powerful prognostic information that is incremental to the information obtained from invasive evaluation. Future research should focus on the development of perfusion tracers that linearly track myocardial blood flow over a wide range and have minimal splanchnic uptake. Availability of an effective attenuation and scatter correction program would further elliminate some of the current limitations of this technique.
The Image Tube In Ultra-High-Speed Frame And Streak Photography

In the original Daguerreotype photo-graphic process which was described in 1839, the exposure-time requirement was 20 minutes. Since that time, a great deal of progress has been made in reducing the time of exposure for the recording of images. Highlights of the historical record of high-speed photography are shown in Fig. 1.© (1974) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Surgical therapy for the short bowel syndrome

The introduction of total parenteral nutrition has resulted in more patients surviving massive intestinal resection. Long-term parenteral nutrition is expensive, has potential complications, and causes inconvenience for the patient. Therefore, interest persists in surgical therapy for the short bowel syndrome. The goals of surgical therapy in the short bowel syndrome are to slow intestinal transit, increase the area of absorption, and reduce gastric hyperacidity. Patients with sufficient absorptive area, but rapid intestinal transit, benefit from antiperistaltic segments or colon interposition. Intestinal valves yield inconsistent results. Recirculating loops are associated with prohibitive morbidity and mortality. Experience with intestinal pacing is limited. Patients with dilated bowel segments may benefit from intestinal tapering or lengthening. Growing neomucosa holds promise but has not been evaluated clinically. Recent improvement in the results of intestinal transplantation in animals may warrant clinical trials. The efficacy of H2 receptor antagonists makes procedures for reducing gastric hyperacidity less necessary. None of the operations to treat the short bowel syndrome are sufficiently safe and effective to recommend their routine use. Operations should be performed only on selected patients to achieve specific goals. Although investigation continues, our emphasis should continue to be conservation of as much of the intestine as possible when massive resection is necessary.
Small-molecule diversity using a skeletal transformation strategy

[reaction: see text] We describe a short synthetic sequence resulting in >4000 skeletally diverse small molecules that have three distinct skeletal frameworks among other unique structural features. The sequence entails skeletal transformations pioneered by Winterfeldt and co-workers. We use epoxide ring openings and subsequent functionalizations that provide, e.g., spirocyclic oxazolidines, Lewis acid catalyzed Diels-Alder reactions of a steroid-derived diene that afford stable and isolable ring B adducts, and subsequent retro-Diels-Alder fragmentations that yield 14-membered paracyclophanes.
When women evaluate women, nothing succeeds like success: The differential effects of status upon evaluations of male and female professional ability

Male and female subjects evaluated articles supposedly written by either a male or a female author of high or low professional status. Although evaluations by the male subjects appeared to be only slightly affected by the status variable, female subjects exhibited a complex reaction to the status variable and gave their most favorable evaluations to the high status woman and their least favorable evaluations to the low status woman. An evaluation-attribution hypothesis is presented to explain this response pattern. The significance of this response pattern for women who are attempting professional success and for the perception of female professional role models is discussed.
An Experimental Investigation of the Thermally Induced Flow Oscillations in Two-Phase Systems

An experimental study on the onset of thermally induced two-phase flow oscillations has been carried out in a uniformly heated boiling channel using Freon-113 as the operating fluid. The effects of inlet subcooling, system pressure, inlet and exit restrictions, and inlet velocity have been studied. The experimental data have been compared with the equilibrium as well as the nonequilibrium theory including the effect of subcooled boiling. It has been found that the effect of thermal nonequilibrium should be included in a theoretical model for accurate prediction of the onset and the frequency of thermally induced flow oscillations. A simplified stability criterion has also been presented and compared with the experimental data.
Contrasting Carbon Dioxide Inputs and Exchange in Three Adjacent New England Estuaries

Four surveys of the adjacent Cocheco, Bellamy, and Oyster estuaries reveal spatial heterogeneity with respect both to river-born carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes and CO2 exchange with the atmosphere (−17 to 51 mmol m−2 day−1), a finding partially explained by CO2 inputs from contributing watersheds. Nonuniform nutrient and organic carbon loading from upstream rivers and within the estuaries is considered as a mechanism resulting in the variability between estuaries. Conditions during the surveys included spring river runoff and phytoplankton blooms, drought with baseline river flow, and a historic flood which led to a large CO2 release to the atmosphere. This study highlights the variability of CO2 transport and release found between proximate estuaries over a wide range of flow conditions.
Conserved scalar fluxes measured in a turbulent nonpremixed flame by combined laser Doppler velocimetry and laser Raman scattering

Abstract This paper presents a new combined laser Doppler velocimetry-laser Raman scattering (LDV-Raman) apparatus which simultaneously measures velocity and scalars. Measurements in a ducted nonpremixed turbulent flame using this apparatus are presented and compared with previous LDV-Mie and LDV-Rayleigh measurements. A partial equilibrium numerical model of the hydrogen flame herein investigated predicts the major species to be at their equilibrium concentration while radical species, such as hydroxyl, can have mean concentrations that are three times greater than their equilibrium concentrations.
Affinity of anti-peptide antibodies measured by resonance energy transfer.

Because of the increasing use of monoclonal anti-peptide antibodies we have undertaken to formulate a general method for the measurement of intrinsic association constants characterizing complex formation between peptide and antibody. The method is based on the phenomenon of resonance energy transfer between tryptophan-excited antibody and an appropriate fluorophor conjugated to the amino terminus of the peptide. The fluorophor we have employed is 8-(2-N-succinylaminoethylamino)-1-naphthalene-sulfonic acid with an absorption maximum at 344 nm and an emission maximum at 500 nm. The model peptide used was the sequence corresponding to residues 48–60 of the regulatory subunit of aspartyltranscarbamoylase. Three IgG and two IgM affinity-purified monoclonal anti-peptide antibodies were used in the fluorescence titration experiments. A maximum value of 2.1 × 106 M−1 was found for the IgG antibodies and a maximum of 2.7 × 104 M−1 for the IgM antibodies. These limited results suggest similar behavior for the anti-peptide B cell response with respect to affinity maturation as observed for other specificities. In particular it is likely that the IgM affinities are restricted to the potential available in the germline repertoire of variable region genes and, therefore, express only germline affinities.
Introspection-Based Verification and Validation

Future missions of deep-space exploration will require an on-board computational capability that can support autonomy and enhanced science processing. The integration of emerging commodity multi-core technology into space-borne systems can provide the required performance; however, protecting such systems against faults has become a critical research issue. In this paper we present an approach to fault tolerance based on a newly developed introspection framework that supports runtime monitoring of program execution and feedback-oriented recovery. We discuss the relationship of this approach to traditional Verification and Validation (V&V) and propose methods for the automatic generation of assertions from static and dynamic analysis.
An oligonucleotide microarray to characterize multidrug resistant plasmids

Many of the Enterobacteriaceae carry multiple drug resistance (MDR) genes on large plasmids of replicon type Inc A/C and Inc H1. It is important to understand the transmission of these MDR plasmids because the genes they carry can affect the outcome of antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this study was to design a microarray with oligonucleotide probes for every gene in the six Inc A/C and one Inc H1 plasmids of interest while representing all redundant sequences only once. The microarray is printed in triplicate with 493 unique oligonucleotide probes 70 nucleotides in length. Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli control strains and test plasmids (in the parent strain and transformed into a known E. coli background strain) were hybridized to the plasmid microarray. This hybridization arrays presents a rapid and cost effective method for high-density screening of isolates to evaluate the gene content of Inc A/C and H1 plasmids and will show how plasmids can change content with transmission.
A high-affinity subtype-selective agonist ligand for the thyroid hormone receptor

Abstract Background: Thyroid hormones regulate many different physiological processes in different tissues in vertebrates. Most of the actions of thyroid hormones are mediated by the thyroid hormone receptor (TR), which is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription regulators. There are two different genes that encode two different TRs, TRa and TRβ, and these two TRs are often co-expressed at different levels in different tissues. Most thyroid hormones do not discriminate between the two TRs and bind both with similar affinities. Results: We have designed and synthesized a thyroid hormone analog that has high affinity for the TRs and is selective in both binding and activation functions for TRβ over TRα. The compound, GC-1, was initially designed to solve synthetic problems that limit thyroid hormone analog preparation, and contains several structural changes with respect to the natural hormone 3,5,3′-triiodo-l-thyronine (T 3 ). These changes include replacement of the three iodines with methyl and isopropyl groups, replacement of the biaryl ether linkage with a methylene linkage, and replacement of the amino-acid sidechain with an oxyacetic-acid sidechain. Conclusions: The results of this study show that GC-1 is a member of a new class of thyromimetic compounds that are more synthetically accessible than traditional thyromimetics and have potentially useful receptor binding and activation properties. The TRβ selectivity of GC-1 is particularly interesting and suggests that GC-1 might be a useful in vivo probe for studying the physiological roles of the different thyroid hormone receptor isoforms.
Differentiation of tyrosinase and laccase using 4-hexyl-resorcinol, a tyrosinase inhibitor

Abstract Crude extracts of Agaricus bisporus and partially purified mushroom tyrosinase contained tyrosinase and laccase activities. 4-Hexylresorcinol (4HR) and salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) inhibited tyrosinase, but not laccase when selective substrates for tyrosinase and laccase were used in enzyme assays. Partially purified laccase from Pyricularia oryzae did not exhibit tyrosinase activity, nor was it inhibited by 4HR or SHAM. Both 4HR and SHAM selectively inhibited tyrosinase isoforms separated by native electrophoresis. At low concentrations, 4HR was a selective inhibitor of tyrosinase and could differentiate between tyrosinase and laccase activities.
Freeze‐Fracture of physiologically identified neuromuscular junctions from single frog muscle fibers

We developed a technique for freeze-fracturing single physiologically identified neuromuscular junctions. This technique permits direct comparison of quantal content with morphological variables such as active zone length per unit terminal length for the same cell. The technique was developed to elucidate the structural basis for variability in transmitter release at the neuromuscular junction. The procedures were as follows: (1) record quantal content by conventional intracellular recordings; (2) mark cells for identification by fluorescent dye injection; (3) fix and stain endplate cholinesterase; (4) glycerinate and remove single fibers from the muscle; (5) draw endplate morphology; (6) freeze-fracture single muscle fibers; (7) examine in a transmission electron microscope; and (8) photograph and measure nerve terminal membrane ultrastructure. We found that approximately 15% of freeze-fractured single muscle fibers exhibited nerve terminal active zones. To demonstrate the usefulness of this technique, physiological and morphological information from an identified junction is presented. Freeze-fracture of identified cells has several advantages over thin sections, which cannot accurately show such things as active zone length, spacing, or intramembrane particles. This technique also has applications to the study of active zone ultrastructure in situations where neurotransmitter release is known to differ from normal levels. In addition, direct correlations between membrane structure and function can be studied in other preparations by this method.
Improving safety in radiation oncology.

As a radiation oncologist, I am proud of the importance our specialty has historically placed on quality assurance and patient safety. Accordingly, I view the events of the last year as a reminder of its importance to our field and an opportunity for us to update our approach to these issues. Dr Marks and his co-authors should be commended for producing such a comprehensive and thoughtful review on the subject.1 In this commentary, I would like to highlight some of the issues that I feel are particularly worthy of future action. The article appropriately starts with a comprehensive review of existing data on error rates in radiation oncology. I found the relative paucity of these data and the nonuniform manner in which they have been collected striking. Contrast these data with the number of reports on the treatment of prostate cancer with radiation therapy using the consensus definition of prostate specific antigen failure published in a single month! If we are going to have a clear understanding of the magnitude of the problem and where we need to intervene (and if the intervention was successful), then we need better error and near-miss reporting data collection and reporting systems at both the national and departmental levels. I agree wholeheartedly with the authors' suggestion that such systems will allow for greater awareness across the specialty of serious, (but sometimes very rare) events, and for local improvements, respectively. It will also greatly facilitate safety-related research in radiation oncology.
Faster Interprotein Electron Transfer in a [Myoglobin, b5] Complex with a Redesigned Interface

Direct measurements of electron transfer (ET) within a protein-protein complex with a redesigned interface formed by physiological partner proteins myoglobin (Mb) and cytochrome b(5) (b(5)) reveal interprotein ET rates comparable to those observed within the photosynthetic reaction center. Brownian dynamics simulations show that Mb in which three surface acid residues are mutated to lysine binds b(5) in an ensemble of configurations distributed around a reactive most-probable structure. Correspondingly, charge-separation ET from a photoexcited singlet zinc porphyrin incorporated within Mb to the heme of b(5) and the follow-up charge-recombination exhibit distributed kinetics, with median rate constants, k(f)(s) = 2.1 × 10(9) second(-1) and k(b)(s) = 4.3 × 10(10) second(-1), respectively. The latter approaches that for the initial step in photosynthetic charge separation, k = 3.3 × 10(11) second(-1).
Modeling of Rate Error in Interferometric Fiber-Optic Gyroscopes Due to Stress Induced by Moisture Diffusion

Interferometric fiber-optic gyroscopes exhibit time-dependent rate error patterns during operation due to environmental stress on the fiber coil. Short-term errors, equilibrating on the order of minutes to several hours, are attributed to nonreciprocity due to thermal gradients. Long-term rate errors, equilibrating on the order of days to weeks, have not been thoroughly addressed. In this study, we show that diffusion of moisture into or out of a sense coil can cause long-term rate errors. To calculate this effect, we measured the effect of moisture on the mechanical properties of the optical fiber coating. Using these data, we modeled diffusion in a sense coil with finite-element analysis. The rate error is calculated with an integral that is similar to that used by Shupe and others. A variation in water concentration in the coil due to diffusion causes changes in the properties of the fiber coating. This in turn produces nonreciprocal stresses on the waveguide and leads to a rate error.
Countering the Quetta Shura: a viable strategy to US policy in Afghanistan

The US strategy in Afghanistan has fallen short of neutralizing the insurgency that threatens the future stability. The primary insurgency's leadership council, the Quetta Shura, has effectively managed influence through a shadow government and superior tactics in recruiting marginalized tribal leaders, leading to a questionable outcome once Coalition forces withdraw in 2014. This article summarizes the threat posed by the Quetta Shura, coinciding with the deficiencies in the current US policy, and recommends a more viable strategy conducive to the current circumstances, based on historical and cultural precedence. Coalition forces have put a great amount of time, money, and effort into establishing a more stable Afghanistan. The USA needs a more aggressive strategy to counter the aspirations of the insurgency, thereby giving the Afghans the opportunity to further progress in the future. Under the current circumstances and policies, a peaceful transition after the Coalition withdrawal is becoming more unl...
Orientation Dependence of Nonlinearity and Hysteresis in PZN-4.5%PT Single Crystals I: Unipolar Response

Relaxor ferroelectric crystals exhibit excellent electromechanical properties as well as strong anisotropy. In this study, compressive stress and electric field are applied to relaxor single crystals [Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3]0.955–[PbTiO3]0.045 (PZN-4.5%PT) in a series of crystal orientations between h001i and h111i, and the corresponding strain and electric displacement are measured. It is found that as the angle of the orientation cut is rotated from h001i to h111i, the piezoelectric coefficient d33 drops and hysteresis loss increases dramatically. The piezoelectric coefficients, remnant strain, and remnant electric displacement are modeled using a volume averaging of crystal variant volume fractions.
Correlation between the protein and mRNA levels for myosin light chains and tropomyosin subunits during chick fast muscle development in vivo.

Abstract Using myosin light chains and tropomyosin subunits as representative myofibrillar proteins, we have characterized their isoprotein forms and also correlated them with the accumulation of the corresponding mRNAs during development of a fast muscle in chicken, viz, pectoralis. Both slow and fast myosin light chain isoforms, except fast myosin light chain LC3, and the two subunits of tropomyosin are present in early embryonic muscle. During development, the slow myosin light chains and β-tropomyosin appear in reduced amounts in pectoralis muscle and finally they disappear in adult muscle. Translation studies with total cellular RNA from developing muscle indicates that while the protein levels of the above isoforms, in general, correlate with the accumulation of corresponding mRNAs, for LC3, additional post-transcriptional control appears to modulate the expression of this isoprotein skeletal muscle development in vivo.
Multilayer fiber optic sensors for in situ gas monitoring in harsh environments

Abstract This paper reports the fabrication and test of multilayer fiber optic sensors (FOSs) for hydrogen gas monitoring at high temperature. The FOS is a long-period fiber grating (LPFG) coated with a proton-conducting SrCe 0.8 Zr 0.1 Y 0.1 O 2.95 (SCZY) nanocrystalline thin film and a chemically inert and thermally stable nanoporous silicalite protective layer. The multilayer sensors were tested for their responses to the variation of H 2 partial pressure at 500 °C. The sensor's H 2 -sensitivity increased with increasing the thickness of the SCZY sensing film and decreased with the thickness of the silicalite film. The silicalite overcoat had no appreciable influence on the sensor's response time because of the fast diffusion of the small H 2 molecules in the zeolitic channels. Because of the uniform subnanometer sized pore opening, the silicalite layer is inaccessible to any fine particles or large contaminating molecules. The multilayer FOS is thus potentially useful for in situ H 2 monitoring in the dusty syngas streams from coal or biomass gasification.
Study of Far-Infrared Excitations in Metamagnetic Fe Cl 2 · 2 H 2 O

The spin-wave spectra in the antiferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic, and ferromagnetic phases of Fe${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$ \ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{} 2${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O have been examined at 2 and 6 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. These spectra are well described by a spin-wave calculation; it is shown that ${g}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}=2.23\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02$, $S=2$, and that the exchange interactions are isotropic. The (large) longitudinal anisotropy is included in the Hamiltonian as a single-ion anisotropy ($D=+9.58\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$), which is shown to make an anomolously large contribution to the spin-wave energies. These results are discussed and interpreted from the point of view of crystal-field theory. In all three metamagnetic phases, the magnetic resonance modes are observed to interact with a field-independent excitation with energy 31.5 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, which is presumably an optical phonon. The measured value of the metamagnetic transition field ${\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{c}2}=45.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5$ kOe compares quite well with Narath's value of 45.6 kOe, but our value of ${\mathrm{H}}_{c1}=35.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5$ kOe is in poor agreement with Narath's 39.2 kOe. Near ${\mathrm{H}}_{c1}$ (the antiferromagnetic-to-ferrimagnetic transition field), the far-infrared spectrum appears to indicate that both antiferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic "domains" coexist over a certain range of field. The temperature dependence and hysteresis of these domains are also described and compared with Tinkham's microscopic description of these transitions.
The description of morphologically stable regimes for steady state solidification based on the maximum entropy production rate postulate

The maximum entropy production rate (MEPR) in the solid–liquid zone is developed and tested as a possible postulate for predicting the stable morphology for the special case of steady state directional solidification (DS). The principle of MEPR states that, if there are sufficient degrees of freedom within a system, it will adopt a stable state at which the entropy generation (production) rate is maximized. Where feasible, the system will also try and adopt a steady state. The MEPR postulate determines the most probable state and therefore allows pathway selections to occur in an open thermodynamic system. In the context of steady state solidification, pathway selections are reflected in the corresponding morphological selections made by the system in the solid–liquid (mushy) zone in order to cope with the required entropy production. Steady state solidification is feasible at both close to, and far from equilibrium conditions. Based on MEPR, a model is proposed for examining the stability of various morphologies that have been experimentally observed during steady state directional solidification. This model employs a control volume approach for entropy balance, including the entropy generation term (Sgen), which depends on the diffuse zone and average temperature of the solid–liquid region within the control volume. In this manner, the model takes a different approach from the successful kinetic models that have been able to predict key features of stable morphological patterns. Unstable planar interfaces, faceted cellular arrays, cell–dendrite transitions, half cells both faceted and smooth, and other transitions such as the absolute stability transition at high solid/liquid velocities are examined with the model. Uncommon solidification morphological features such as non-crystallographic dendrites and discontinuous cell-tip splitting are also examined with the model. The preferred morphological change-direction for the emergence of the stable morphological feature is inferred with the MEPR postulate in a manner analogous to the free energy minimization principle(s) when used for predicting phase stability and metastable phase formation. Aspects of mixed-mode order transformation characteristics are also discussed for non-equilibrium solidification containing a diffuse interface, in contrast to classifying solidification as purely a first order transformation. The MEPR model predictions are shown to follow the experimental transitions observed to date in several historical studies.
Psychological Aspects Of Underwater Vision

In the field of psychology, very few studies have been concerned with the underwater human photo-optical system. The present paper is based upon a review of approximately 300 publications related to the psychological and behavioral analysis of the photo-optical systems of marine and land animals. Some of these publications include discussions of human vision under water and on land. Information obtained from this review can be useful in the planning of needed research programs and in the design of future underwater instrumentation. The present paper concerns the capabilities and limitations in hue and intensity discriminations of various marine and land animals, including man. Emphasis is on the methodological problems in experimental measurement. With respect to animals, instrumental, physiological, and photo-chemical methods are discussed; for humans, psychophysical methods (i.e., methods of limits, of adjustments, and of constant stimuli) are discussed. The major finding of the present review is that marine animals use color and motion stimuli as cues almost exclusively in contrast to land animals who use primarily distance, shape,and size stimuli as cues, although marine and land animals have structurally similar eyes. This dif ference is discussed in relation to a comparison of the perceptual capabilities and limitations of humans in underwater and land situations. Psychological research in this area may help in the development of reliable underwater illumination methods and the design of underwater instrumentation.© (1966) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Family interaction patterns related to child abuse and neglect: Some preliminary findings

The study of child abuse and neglect has suffered from the same sorts of developmental problems which have plagued most areas of behavioral and social science. Chief among these problems has been the tendency to (1) place more emphasis upon what people say about themselves than on what they do; (2) focus on the more obvious if you will, the more colorful and easily noticed aspects of behavior; (3) look for the causes of behavior within the psyches of the actors; (4) use lay definitions of behavior; and (5) rely upon impressionistic accounts of those behaviors.
Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Peptide Drug Quality Control

A liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) method was developed using three peptide drugs: salmon calcitonin, bivalirudin, and exenatide as model systems to assess the suitability of this approach for monitoring peptide drug product quality. Calcitonin and its related impurities displayed linear responses over the range from 0.1 to 10 μM (R 2 values for calcitonin salmon, Glu14-calcitonin, and acetyl-calcitonin were 0.995, 0.996, and 0.993, respectively). Intra-assay precision in terms of relative standard deviation (%RSD) was less than 10% at all tested concentrations. The accuracy of the method was greater than 85% as measured by spiking 0.1, 0.3, and 1% of Glu14-calcitonin and acetyl-calcitonin into a stock calcitonin solution. Limits of detection for calcitonin, Glu14-calcitonin, and acetyl-calcitonin were 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04 μM, respectively, indicating that an impurity present at less than 0.1% (0.1 μM) of the drug product API concentration (107 μM) could be detected. Method validation studies analyzing bivalirudin and exenatide drug products exhibited similar results to calcitonin salmon in regard to high selectivity, sensitivity, precision, and linearity. Added benefits of using LC-HRMS-based methods are the ability to also determine amino acid composition, confirm peptide sequence, and quantify impurities, even when they are co-eluting, within a single experiment. LC-HRMS represents a promising approach for the quality control of peptides including the measurement of any peptide-related impurities. While the development work performed here is focus on peptide drug products, the principles could be adapted to peptide drug substance.
Considerations and pitfalls in phenotyping and reclassification of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

As the clinical and research focus of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) evolves from regarding obstructive lung disease as a single disease entity to recognizing the complexity of disease expression, the importance of COPD phenotyping rises to the forefront. The reclassification of COPD holds both prognostic and therapeutic implications but does not come without issues that may complicate classification efforts. In this review, we discuss the significance of refining the definition of the term phenotype , consider the impact of variations in cohort severity and attribute mix, account for the contrast of longitudinal vs cross-sectional cohort analysis, recognize the differing criteria used to define disease traits along with the nuances of combining cohorts, and identify the interaction of covariates as we advance in the field of COPD phenotyping.
Graph analysis of neuronal interactions for the error-related negativity

The brain is a biological system with dynamic interactions between its sub-systems. The complexity of this system poses a challenge for identifying functional networks underlying observed neural activity. Current imaging approaches index local neural activity very well, but there is an increasing need for methods that quantify the interaction between regional activations. In this paper, we focus on inferring the functional connectivity of the brain based on electroencephalography (EEG) data. The interactions between the different neuronal populations are quantified through a dynamic measure of phase synchrony which is used to form sparsely connected networks that can be evaluated using measures of graph theory. These measures are applied to an EEG study containing the error-related negativity (ERN), a brain potential response that indexes endogenous action monitoring, to determine the organization of the brain during a decision making task and determine the differences between Error and Correct responses from subjects grouped according to an Externalizing Inventory. Results conclude weighted clustering coefficient and binary path length measures demonstrate significant differences between error low externalizers with all other response/externalizer types (error/high, correct/low, and correct/high).
Signs Observed Among Animal Species Infected with Raccoon Rabies Variant Virus, Massachusetts, USA, 1992–2010

We analyzed signs occurring among domestic and wild terrestrial animal species infected with raccoon rabies variant virus (RRV) in Massachusetts, 1992-2010. The clinical sign of aggression was significantly associated with rabid stray cats (odds ratio, OR = 2.3) and RRV affected major wild terrestrial animal species individually, which included raccoons (OR = 2.8), skunks (OR = 8.0), gray foxes (OR = 21.3), red foxes (OR = 10.4), woodchucks (OR = 4.7) and coyotes (OR = 27.6). While aggression is a useful predictor of rabies among wild animals, combinations of other signs such as ataxia, disorientation, and salivation are useful predictors of rabies among domestic animals. Pets reported with multiple clinical signs had significantly higher rabies positive testing result than those reported with single clinical sign (p < 0.001). The result suggested the importance of avoiding aggressive terrestrial wild animals and giving additional attention to pets with multiple clinical signs.
Ego Development and a General Model for Counseling and Psychotherapy.

Swensen describes a general model within which various techniques of counseling and psychotherapy may be integrated. This model is based on Lewin's formula, B = f (P, E), that is, behavior is a function of the person and the environment. Therapists should assess both the personality of the client and the environment. Client assessment is based on the concept of ego development. The behavior of clients who are at simpler levels of ego development is determined largely by reward and punishment in the environment. As a consequence, professionals should direct therapy with these clients toward changing the reinforcement contingencies in the environment. On the other hand, behavior of clients at more complex levels of ego development is more self-controlled. Therefore, therapy with these clients should concentrate on self-directed and self-controlled change.
Role of Pharmacy Residency Training in Career Planning: A Student's Perspective

Pharmacy students typically become more focused on career planning and assessment in the final year of their PharmD training. Weighing career options in the advanced pharmacy practice experience year can be both exciting and stressful. The goal of this article is to provide a primer on how pharmacy students can assess how a residency can fit into career planning. This article will describe the various career paths available to graduating students, highlight ways in which a residency can complement career choices, review the current state of the job market for pharmacists, discuss the current and future plans for residency programs, and present thoughts from some current and former residents on why they chose to complete a residency. Most career paths require some additional training, and a residency provides appropriate experience very quickly compared to on-the-job training. Alternative plans to residency training must also be considered, as there are not enough residency positions for candidates. Directors of pharmacy must consider several factors when giving career advice on pharmacy residency training to pharmacy students; they should provide the students with an honest assessment of their work skills and their abilities to successfully complete a residency. This assessment will help the students to set a plan for improvement and give them a better chance at being matched to a pharmacy residency.
Evaluating student understanding in a calculus course enhanced by a computer algebra system

ABSTRACT The author carried out an experiment in which two sections of calculus were taught using the same materials, except that one section was enhanced with a computer algebra system, Mathematica. The results indicated that the students in the technology group had advantages to understanding certain key topics in calculus.
Multilayer Relaxation of the Fe(210) Surface

Abstract : Much recent work by low energy electron diffraction (LEED) intensity analysis has established accurately and reliably the relaxations of the surface layers of a number of clean metal surfaces, where the term relaxation refers to rigid translations of the surface layers from their bulk positions without change of the unit cell of the surface mesh. Our work on higher index, less symmetrical, more open surfaces of bcc iron, i.e., Fe?211 , Fe?310 , and Fe?210 , has demonstrated the occurrence of parallel as well as perpendicular relaxations, both of which have damped oscillatory magnitudes, extend deep into the surface, and increased in magnitude with surface openness or roughness. Iron, Reprints. (MJM)
Estimation of guinea pig tracheobronchial transport rates using a compartmental model.

Mucociliary clearance in the tracheobronchial tree of guinea pigs was examined using monodisperse 7.9 μm MMAD polystyrene particles. Animals were exposed for approximately 1 b by inhalation via an intratracheal tube to aerosols tagged with gold-198 and fluorescent dyes. Following exposure, animals were radioactively monitored and sacrificed at predetermined times. The lungs were removed, freeze-dried, sectioned completely, and examined with a fluorescent microscope. Measurements were made of airway diameters where particles were found. An anatomic model for guinea pig lung morphology was used to assign ranges of airway diameters to five zones, which were incorporated into a compartmental model for lung clearance. Kinetic analysis of particle distributions in the zones led to development of first-order equations describing the compartmental clearance. Rate constants obtained from the kinetic analysis were used to estimate mucociliary transport rates in specific bronchial generations, which ranged from appr...
Thermal Characterization of Silicon Carbide Nanowire Films

This paper reports on thermal characterization of SiC nanowire films on alumina substrate. The SiC nanowires films were synthesized via carbothermal reduction by thermal evaporation of silica and graphite powders using a high temperature alumina tube furnace. Structural characterization showed that nanowires have a core-shell structure, with a core of single crystal SiC of ∼50 nm in diameter and an amorphous shell of silicon oxide of ∼10 nm in thickness. Prior thermal measurements as-deposited SiC nanowires were compacted into more dense films via capillary coalescence. The effective thermal conductivity in the direction perpendicular to the film was determined employing a steady-state experimental method in conjunction with one-dimensional heat transfer modeling. Preliminary results suggest that these films have a very low thermal conductivity, in the range of 0.1W/mK. The low thermal conductivity may be due to intrinsic structure of the nanowire film such as porosity and large number of interfaces between the SiC nanowire core and its outer oxide layer as well as thermal contact resistance at nanowires junctions.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Mechanism of DNA synthesis inhibition by arabinosyl cytosine and arabinosyl adenine

1-β-D-ARABINOFURANOSYL CYTOSINE (ara-C) and 9-β-D-arabinofuranosyl adenine (ara-A) are potent antileukaemic and antiviral agents which inhibit DNA replication in various organisms1–3. Two plausible hypotheses for their cytotoxic action centre on the replicative DNA polymerase: in model 1 the triphosphate derivative of ara-C or ara-A inhibits competitively the utilisation of the corresponding deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate in the DNA polymerase reaction, and in model 2 the analogue is incorporated into DNA and this lesion impedes synthesis by, for example, providing a poor primer for further chain elongation. Although both of these effects have been demonstrated in vitro, the target in vivo for the analogues has not been firmly established, in part because metabolites of these drugs inhibit a number of purified nucleic acid enzymes1–4. Bacterial mutants with altered drug sensitivity could be decisive in determining the mechanism of inhibition and are the subject of this report.
Color matching and illumination estimation for urban scenes

Photographs taken of the same scene often look very different, due to various conditions such as the time of day, the camera characteristics, and subsequent processing of the image. Prime examples are the countless photographs of urban centers taken throughout history. In this paper we present an approach to match the appearance between photographs that removes effects such as different camera settings, illumination, fading ink and paper discoloration over time, and digitization artifacts. Global histogram matching techniques are inadequate for appearance matching of complex scenes where background, light, and shadow can vary drastically, making correspondence a difficult problem. We alleviate this correspondence problem by registering photographs to 3D models of the scene. In addition, by estimating the calendar date and time of day, we can additionally remove the effect of drastic lighting and shadow differences between the photographs. We present results for the case of urban scenes, and show that our method allows for realistic visualizations by blending information from multiple photographs without color-matching artifacts.
Macrophage exposure to particulate titanium induces phosphorylation of the protein tyrosine kinase lyn and the phospholipases Cγ-1 and Cγ-2

A frequent long-term complication of total joint arthroplasty is aseptic loosening, the end result of wear debris production, synovial macrophage activation, inflammatory mediator release, and osteolysis about the implant-bone or cement-bone interface. To elucidate the mechanisms of particle-induced macrophage activation and mediator production, we studied early signal transduction events using J774A.1 macrophages and 3 microm titanium particles. Treating macrophages with herbimycin A or genistein, two inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), inhibited titanium phagocytosis as well as secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2) in a dose-dependent manner. Both processes therefore depend on a PTK signaling cascade. Specifically, macrophage exposure to titanium-induced phosphorylation of multiple proteins including the Src kinase Lyn and phospholipase Cgamma-1 and Cgamma-2. Phosphorylation peaked within 2 min and returned to baseline within 45 min. Similar but not identical phosphorylation patterns were obtained when cells were stimulated with titanium preincubated with serum or albumin, suggesting distinct signal transduction pathways dependent on particle coating.
Aerial Radiometric and Video Measurements of Whitecap Coverage

This paper presents the results of high-altitude microwave radiometric and video measurements in the presence of breaking waves made during the passage of Hurricane Dean on August 21, 2007, over the Gulf of Mexico. Previous measurements of foam fraction and radiometric brightness temperature have focused on the small scale, in which individual foam patches were of the same scale as the radiometer footprint. To work with data from spaceborne microwave radiometers, which have footprints on the scale of tens of kilometers, the knowledge of how the foam fraction sensitivity of brightness temperature scales when footprints increase from meters to kilometers is necessary. Video images of the sea surface recorded with a high-resolution monochrome digital camera were used to determine the foam fraction. Ocean-surface brightness temperature was measured with the Airborne Polarimetric Microwave Imaging Radiometer (APMIR) of the Naval Research Laboratory at frequencies of 6.6 [vertical and horizontal (VH) polarizations], 6.8 (VH), 7.2 (VH), and 10.7 GHz (V), with full polarimetric brightness temperatures measured at 19.35 and 37.0 GHz. Collocated nearly contemporaneous brightness temperatures were available from WindSat, Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder, and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager satellite radiometer overpasses. Oceanographic and meteorological data were taken from buoys located along the flight track. There was good correlation between brightness temperatures measured with APMIR and satellite-borne radiometers with absolute differences largely within the expected uncertainty of the data. An analysis of the video imagery provided the fractional area coverage of the actively breaking waves on the ocean surface. The increase in brightness temperature from each of the microwave sensors was correlated with the whitecap coverage measured by the camera. The experiment not only serves as an important bridge between measurements made with spatial scales on the order of tens of meters and data collected from satellites with spatial scales of tens of kilometers but also provides guidance for improving future field measurements on this topic.
Reborn a virgin: Adolescents retracting of virginity pledges and sexual histories.

Objectives. We examined retractions of virginity pledges and of sexual histories among adolescents taking part in waves 1 and 2 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.Methods. Logistic regression analyses were used to compare respondents’ reports of virginity pledges and sexual histories at waves 1 and 2.Results. Among wave 1 virginity pledgers, 53% denied having made a pledge at wave 2; after control for confounders, pledgers who subsequently initiated sexual activity were 3 times as likely to deny having made a pledge as those who did not initiate sexual activity (odds ratio [OR] = 3.21; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.04, 5.04). Among wave 1 nonvirgins who subsequently took virginity pledges, 28% retracted their sexual histories at wave 2; respondents who took virginity pledges were almost 4 times as likely as those who did not to retract reports of sexual experience (OR=3.88; 95% CI=1.87, 8.07).Conclusions. Adolescents who initiate sexual activity are likely to recant virginity pledg...