cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dermatoglyphic anomalies in psychometrically identified schizotypic young adults.

Dermatoglyphic anomalies are hypothesized to indicate disruptions in the second trimester of prenatal development, a time period that appears to be critical in the etiology of schizophrenia. The present study examined the presence of dermatoglyphic anomalies in psychometrically identified schizotypic young adults (n=51) and control participants (n=63) selected based upon their scores on the Perceptual Aberration [J. Abnorm. Psychology 87 (1978) 399] and Magical Ideation Scales [J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 51 (1983) 215]. It was hypothesized that schizotypic participants would exhibit higher rates of dermatoglyphic anomalies than control participants. The Perceptual Aberration–Magical Ideation group exhibited lower total and absolute finger ridge counts and less complex pattern types than control participants—findings consistent with anomalies reported in patients with schizophrenia. These findings encourage future examination of these anomalies in individuals at-risk for schizophrenia and related disorders.
Conservation biology for suites of species: Demographic modeling for Pacific island kingfishers

Abstract Conservation practitioners frequently extrapolate data from single-species investigations when managing critically endangered populations. However, few researchers initiate work with the intent of making findings useful to conservation efforts for other species. We presented and explored the concept of conducting conservation-oriented research for suites of geographically separated populations with similar natural histories, resource needs, and extinction threats. An example was provided in the form of an investigation into the population demography of endangered Micronesian kingfishers (Todiramphus cinnamominus). We provided the first demographic parameter estimates for any of the 12 endangered Pacific Todiramphus species, and used results to develop a population projection matrix model for management throughout the insular Pacific. Further, we used the model for elasticity and simulation analyses with demographic values that randomly varied across ranges that might characterize congener populations. Results from elasticity and simulation analyses indicated that changes in breeding adult survival exerted the greatest magnitude of influence on population dynamics. However, changes in nestling survival were more consistently correlated with population dynamics as demographic rates were randomly altered. We concluded that conservation practitioners working with endangered Pacific kingfishers should primarily focus efforts on factors affecting nestling and breeder survival, and secondarily address fledgling juveniles and helpers. Further, we described how the generalized base model might be changed to focus on individual populations and discussed the potential application of multi-species models to other conservation situations.
Immersion Marking of Juvenile Midas Cichlids with Oxytetracycline

Abstract Laboratory experiments were conducted on the use of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) for marking juvenile Midas cichlids Amphilophus citrinellus. Juveniles were immersed in tris-buffered OTC solutions of 200, 400, or 600 mg/L for 4, 8, or 16 h. Marked juveniles were detected by the presence of a fluorescent mark on spines and rays when viewed under an ultraviolet light. Immersion in 600-mg/L OTC solution for 8 h produced the optimum mark intensity. No immediate mortality occurred after the marking procedure. Retention of the externally visible marks and effect of OTC treatment on long-term survival were examined by rearing both marked and unmarked juveniles for 6 weeks. Marks were visible for 2–7 weeks, depending on the size of the juveniles when marked. Marking with OTC had no effect on survival over the 6-week period. The effects of light exposure on retention and intensity of externally visible marks were examined by rearing marked fry under both dark and light conditions. Retention and int...
The measurement of porosity for an individual taconite pellet

Abstract The knowledge of the variability in the properties of individual taconite pellets as a function of processing conditions may lead to the improvement of the production of iron. An important property is porosity. Pellets with high porosity are desirable for the reduction to iron in the blast furnace. There is a published work describing the measurement of porosity on collections of pellets. Here I describe a method for the determination of the porosity of an individual pellet. Recent determinations of porosity have used the measurements of the skeletal volume and the envelope volume. Helium pycnometry is the method of choice for the measurement of the skeletal volume, whereas volumetric displacement of dry material is now the preferred method for the envelope volume, requiring collections of pellets. I have adapted a method of silhouettes, developed for single items of fruit, to measure the envelope volume of a single pellet. The porosities of six individual sintered pellets from a facility in North-Eastern Minnesota, USA, range from 33 to 38% with a relative uncertainty of about 1%. Certain pellets have significantly different porosities from each other. The magnitudes are comparable to published porosities on green pellets, ranging from 30 to 36%, and to fired pellets, ranging from 28–38%.
Endothelial-binding, proinflammatory T cells identified by MCAM (CD146) expression: Characterization and role in human autoimmune diseases

A subset of T cells defined by the cell surface expression of MCAM (CD146) has been identified in the peripheral circulation of healthy individuals. These cells comprise approximately 3% of the pool of circulating T cells, have an effector memory phenotype, and are capable of producing several cytokines. Notably, the MCAM positive cells are enhanced for IL-17 production compared to MCAM negative effector memory T cells. These cells are committed to IL-17 production and do not require in vitro polarization with exogenous cytokines. MCAM positive T cells also demonstrate an increased ability to bind to endothelial monolayers. In numerous autoimmune diseases these cells are found at increased proportions in the peripheral circulation, and at the sites of active inflammation in patients with autoimmune disease, these cells appear in large numbers and are major contributors to IL-17 production. Studies to date have been performed with human subjects and it is uncertain if appropriate mouse models exist for this cell type. These cells could represent early components of the adaptive immune response and serve as targets of therapy in these diseases, although much work remains to be performed in order to discern the exact nature and function of these cells.
Tentacle probes: eliminating false positives without sacrificing sensitivity

The majority of efforts to increase specificity or sensitivity in biosensors result in trade-offs with little to no gain in overall accuracy. This is because a biosensor cannot be more accurate than the affinity interaction it is based on. Accordingly, we have developed a new class of reagents based on mathematical principles of cooperativity to enhance the accuracy of the affinity interaction. Tentacle probes (TPs) have a hairpin structure similar to molecular beacons (MBs) for enhanced specificity, but are modified by the addition of a capture probe for increased kinetics and affinity. They produce kinetic rate constants up to 200-fold faster than MB with corresponding stem strengths. Concentration-independent specificity was observed with no false positives at up to 1 mM concentrations of variant analyte. In contrast, MBs were concentration dependent and experienced false positives above 3.88 muM of variant analyte. The fast kinetics of this label-free reagent may prove important for extraction efficiency, hence sensitivity and detection time, in microfluidic assays. The concentration-independent specificity of TPs may prove extremely useful in assays where starting concentrations and purities are unknown as would be the case in bioterror or clinical point of care diagnostics.
Individual differences in vagal regulation are related to testosterone responses to observed violence

Observing violent content has been hypothesized to facilitate antisocial behaviors including interpersonal violence. Testosterone is released in response to perceived challenges of social status, often followed by an increase in aggressive behaviors and physiological activation. Prior investigations evaluating the impact of observing violence on autonomic function have focused on sympathetic measures of arousal. Measurement of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity has been neglected, although reduced PNS activity has been associated with antisocial behavior. Consistent with a hierarchical model of the autonomic nervous system (i.e., polyvagal theory), individual differences in PNS activity reflected in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were hypothesized to have an inhibitory impact on sympathetic and hormonal reactivity in subjects who were observing a violent video. Autonomic data (i.e., electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate, and RSA) were collected from forty adult males prior to and while viewing violent sports or a control video. Pre- and post-video saliva samples were assayed for cortisol and testosterone. Participants who viewed the violent video showed increased sympathetic activity compared to controls. In contrast to the sympathetic reactivity to the violent video, there were no significant RSA changes in response to the stimuli, suggesting that viewing violent sports selectively increases sympathetic activity without eliciting PNS withdrawal. However, within the group viewing the violent video, participants with lower RSA during baseline and the observation of violent videos, responded with greater increases in salivary testosterone, suggesting that high parasympathetic tone dampens testosterone reactivity. These individual differences in response to observed violence, associated with higher RSA, may account for some of the improved health, growth, and restoration outcomes across the lifespan, that this segment of the population benefits from.
Investigation of shock wave effects on positron annihilation in copper and tungsten

Doppler broadening of positron annihilation spectroscopy was performed during high-power short-pulsed laser irradiation to investigate the effects of the induced shock waves on the measured positron annihilation parameters of Cu and W. The measurements were performed using the recently developed technique of accelerator-based γ-ray induced positron annihilation spectroscopy. The Doppler broadening was measured in coincidence with nanosecond laser pulses. Preliminary results show no significant effects in these measurements. These experiments have, however, demonstrated the potential of measuring positron annihilation spectra in coincidence with shock waves.
The MINERνA experiment at FNAL

MINERvA is a dedicated neutrino cross-section experiment planned for the NuMI beamline at Fermilab [1]. The detector (Figure 1) consists of a low-mass active scintillator target surrounded by calorimetric detectors and upstream heavy nuclear targets. The low-mass target allows for separation of final state particles and therefore the identification of exclusive final states. The surrounding calorimeters ensure complete energy collection in the events, except for final state muons, which may be measured in the MINOS experiment's near detector located immediately downstream of MINERvA. The author presents detector and physics capabilities of the MINERvA experiment.
Enhanced arteriolar α-adrenergic constriction impairs dilator responses and skeletal muscle perfusion in obese Zucker rats

The present study tested the hypothesis that enhanced vascular α-adrenergic constriction in obese Zucker rats (OZR) impairs arteriolar dilation and perfusion of skeletal muscle at rest and with inc...
Role of biofilm in catheter-associated urinary tract infection

The predominant form of life for the majority of microorganisms in any hydrated biologic system is a cooperative community termed a “biofilm.” A biofilm on an indwelling urinary catheter consists of adherent microorganisms, their extracellular products, and host components deposited on the catheter. The biofilm mode of life conveys a survival advantage to the microorganisms associated with it and, thus, biofilm on urinary catheters results in persistent infections that are resistant to antimicrobial therapy. Because chronic catheterization leads almost inevitably to bacteriuria, routine treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in persons who are catheterized is not recommended. When symptoms of a urinary tract infection develop in a person who is catheterized, changing the catheter before collecting urine improves the accuracy of urine culture results. Changing the catheter may also improve the response to antibiotic therapy by removing the biofilm that probably contains the infecting organisms and that can serve as a nidus for reinfection. Currently, no proven effective strategies exist for prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infection in persons who are chronically catheterized.
Abstract LB-96: Exploring personalized pathways enriched with putative cancer genes identified by next generation sequencing

Keywords: pathway enrichment test; pathway crosstalk; co-mutation; lung adenocarcinomas; glioblastoma; gene length; cancer mutation genes Contact information of the corresponding author: Zhongming Zhao, Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Informatics Vanderbilt University School of Medicine 2525 West End Avenue, Suite 600 Nashville, TN 37203, USA Phone: (615) 343-9158 FAX: (615) 936-8545 Email: zhongming.zhao@vanderbilt.edu List of abbreviations: GBM, Glioblastoma multiforme; NGS, next generation sequencing. Financial support: None. Abstract Pathway analysis of a set of genes represents an important area in large-scale omic data analysis. However, the application of traditional pathway enrichment methods to next-generation sequencing (NGS) data is prone to several potential biases including genomic/genetic factors (e.g., the particular disease and gene length) and environmental factors (e.g., personal life-style and frequency and dosage of exposure to mutagens). We proposed a novel method for the pathway analysis of NGS mutation data by explicitly taking into account the gene-wise mutation rate. We estimated the gene-wise mutation rate based on the individual-specific background mutation rate, which makes different samples comparable, along with the gene length, which makes different genes comparable. The mutation rate was then utilized as the weight for each gene in our weighted resampling strategy, which builds the null distribution for each pathway while matching the gene length patterns. The empirical P value obtained then provides an adjusted statistical evaluation. We demonstrated our weighted resampling method to a lung adenocarcinomas dataset and a glioblastoma (GBM) dataset, and compared it to other widely applied methods. By explicitly adjusting gene-length, the weighted resampling method effectively reject many marginally significant pathways detected by standard methods, including several long gene based, cancer unrelated pathways. We further demonstrated that by reducing such biases, pathway crosstalk for each individual and pathway co-mutation map across multiple individuals can be objectively explored and evaluated. This method performs pathway analysis in a sample-centered fashion, providing an alternative way for accurate analysis of cancer personalized genomic data. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-96. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-96
Changes in diurnal fluctuations of plasma thyroid stimulating hormone and corticosterone following anterior hypothalamic deafferentation in the rat.

Systemic thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and corticosterone (B) levels were measured in serial plasma samples withdrawn from 8 adult female rats before and for several weeks after anterior hypothalamic cuts (FC), made with a modified Halasz knife (1.5 mm radius). With lights on from 5:00 to 19:00 h the rats were bled by rapid venipuncture at 9:00 and 20:00 h 14 days before and 5 days after FC and by chronic intra-atrial cannulas at 9:00, 13:00, 17:00 and 20:00 h on days 25, 30 and 40 or 50 post-FC. The frontal cuts, localized later by histology to sites just rostral to the suprachiasmatic nucleus in 3 rats and just caudal to the nucleus in the other 5 brains, altered the charactersitic diurnal drop in plasma TSH and rise in B but did not eliminate marked fluctuations in hormone levels. The new hormonal platterns could not be related specifically to FC loci and appeared to be a dynamic process for each rat. At 5 days after FC the diurnal patterns were either obscured or shifted in phase. The most consistent finding at subsequent sampling intervals was that TSH and B plasma levels in each animal showed parallel fluctuations (during 9:00--20:00 h) as though synchronized in phase. The data suggest that interruption of anterior hypothalamic connections in the female rat is compatible with fluctuations in plasma TSH and B which are unique to a particular animal and may be obscured by group analysis.
From radioactivity to nuclear physics: Marie Curie and Lise Meitner

In the first part of this century, at a time when few women obtained a higher education and even fewer entered the scientific professions, two exceptional women achieved great prominence in physics: Marie Curie in radioactivity and Lise Meitner in nuclear physics. In this article I outline the scientific work of Meitner and Curie, in the context of their backgrounds and career paths that permitted them to overcome many of the obstacles faced by women in science.
Estimating aerosol optical properties over the oceans with the multiangle imaging spectroadiometer: some preliminary studies

The multiangle imaging spectroradiometer (MISR) scheduled to be flown on the first platform of the Earth Observing System in 1998 provides an opportunity to enhance considerably the accuracy with which aerosol properties over the ocean can be retrieved through passive sensing from Earth orbit. As opposed to most radiometers in space that scan the earth in a plane normal to the subsatellite path, the MISR will scan the earth simultaneously in nine planes and thus provide the radiance exiting the atmosphere over a given pixel in nine different directions and at four wavelengths. We examine the problem of extracting the aerosol optical thickness (τa) over the oceans from MISR data, and we produce two algorithms, a single-band algorithm and a spectral or two-band algorithm, for deriving τa. The algorithms are based on the use of realistic aerosol models as candidates on which to base an estimation of the aerosol optical properties. They take into account all orders of multiple scattering. Simulations suggest that for nonabsorbing or mildly absorbing aerosol (single-scattering albedo ωa > 0.90) the error in the recovered τa is ≲10%, as long as the candidate models adequately cover the size refractive index distribution range of the expected aerosols. In the special case of a strongly absorbing aerosol (ωa = 0.75), the error in τa becomes large; however, the combination ωaτa (the scattering optical thickness) can still be recovered with an error of ≲20%, although it is always underestimated. The reason for this decrease in accuracy is that multiple-scattering effects are a strong function of ωa. A simple extension of the two-band algorithm permits the retrieval of the aerosol scattering phase function with surprising accuracy.
Variational principles for the projected breakup amplitude

Two alternate forms of variational principles for the breakup amplitude describing the two- to three-cluster transition are derived such that all the integrals involved in the intermediate stages are well defined. The first form contains a trial Green's function with which both the initial and final state trial wave functions are constructed. The earlier form of the Kohn-type variational principle derived by Lieber, Rosenberg, and Spruch is recovered, however, when this connection between the trial functions is removed. The second form of the variational principle is derived by projecting out from the trial functions all the open channel components which correspond to the two-cluster structures including the rearrangement channels. The remaining part of the wave functions describes the channels with three-cluster structures, and the integrals involving this part are then mathematically well defined. (AIP)
An algorithm for multiple-objective non-linear programming

An interactive algorithm to solve multiple-objective non-linear programming (MONLP) problems is proposed. In each iteration of the proposed algorithm, the decision-maker is presented with a solution and a set of direction (trade-off) vectors indicating possible trade-offs. Using the decision-maker's preferred trade-off vector, a new current solution and the corresponding trade-off vectors are found. The proposed algorithm is illustrated with a numerical example of a replacement model. Finally, the method is compared with four other interactive multiple-objective algorithms.
Model study of electron beam charge compensation for positive secondary ion mass spectrometry using a positive primary ion beam

A new modeling approach has been developed to assist in the SIMS analysis of insulating samples. This approach provides information on the charging phenomena occurring when electron and positive primary ion beams impact a low conductivity material held at a high positive potential. The concept of effective leakage resistance aids in the understanding of the dynamic electrical properties of an insulating sample under dynamic analysis conditions. Modeling of steady state electron beam charge compensation involves investigation of electron injection and charge drift. Using a Monte Carlo program to simulate electron injection and dc conduction calculations to predict charge drift, detailed information regarding charging phenomena can be determined.
Facilitating Game Play: How Others Affect Performance at and Enjoyment of Video Games

The current study implements the drive theory of social facilitation to explain the influence of audience presence in video game play. This integration is an important one for research aiming to understand the experience of video game play, as the social aspect of video game play is a relevant dimension of the technology often ignored in research on gaming experiences. The study finds a significant positive association between non-gaming cognitive abilities (such as hand–eye coordination and mental rotation ability) and performance at a first-person shooter. Data also support the social facilitation hypothesis: Game play in the presence of a physical audience significantly predicts increased game performance. Social facilitation effects are only found for low-challenge games where the drive-inducing capacity of task challenge is minimized. Resultant influences on game enjoyment are less clear.
The exit problem for certain dynamical systems with small poisson disturbances

The mean first passage time from the inside to the outside of a finite interval for the solution of a differential equation perturbed by Poisson noise may have a discontinuity at one end of the interval. When the size ofthe perturbation is small, the magnitude of the discontinuity can be large and difficult to calculate. In this paper asymptotic approximations for the size of the discontinuity are derived in two cases of practical interest. The approximations show that the discontinuity grows exponentially.
The effects of physical prototyping and group work on the reduction of design fixation

Innovation is important for successful designs, but design fixation likely prevents designers from reaching their innovative potential. Participants in this study were 120 students, 80 of which had design backgrounds. Participants saw an example tool, and then worked alone or in small groups to design two new tools using a construction set. All participants designed two tools: one in a physical prototyping environment and one in an environment without physical prototyping. Results showed that designs were better and contained fewer fixations to the example tool when designed in the physical prototyping environment, but that groups designed better tools than individuals or nominal groups when no physical prototyping was available. These results underscore the importance of physical prototyping in design.
Accurate RRAM transient currents during forming

The magnitude of overshoot current during forming has been shown to be a serious issue. Recently we showed that the overshoot duration is equally important in impacting device performance. Shorter duration overshoot in the range of ns yields better performance, suggesting extremely short forming pulse to be desirable. But investigation of such short forming transients is severely limited experimentally due to parasitic. In this study we demonstrate a technique to accurately de-embed these parasitic components yielding accurate forming current transients in the ps range, paving the road to careful study of the forming process.
Quantification of Saccharides in Multiple Floral Honeys Using Fourier Transform Infrared Microattenuated Total Reflectance Spectroscopy

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with microattenuated total reflectance (mATR) sampling accessory and chemometrics (partial least squares and principal component regression) was used for the simultaneous determination of saccharides such as fructose, glucose, sucrose, and maltose in honey. Two calibration models were developed. The first model used a set of 42 standard mixtures of fructose, glucose, sucrose, and maltose prepared over the range of concentrations normally present in honey, whereas the second model used a set of 45 honey samples from various floral and regional sources. The developed models were validated with different data sets and verified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) measurements. The R 2 values between the FTIR-mATR predicted and HPLC results of the different sugars were between 0.971 and 0.993, demonstrating the predictive ability and accuracy of the procedure. Keywords: FTIR; ATR; chemometrics; HPLC; rapid; sugars
Observation of magnetoelectric effect in epitaxial ferroelectric film/manganite crystal heterostructures

A multiferroic heterostructure is constructed by growing an epitaxial piezoelectric $\mathrm{Pb}({\mathrm{Zr}}_{0.3},{\mathrm{Ti}}_{0.7}){\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ film on a magnetostrictive layered manganite single crystal of composition ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{1.8}{\mathrm{Mn}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$. The efficient mechanical coupling at the interface results in a remarkable magnetoelectric (ME) effect. The ME voltage is $\ensuremath{\sim}87%$ of the theoretical value predicted by a phenomenological thermodynamic model. The ME effect peaks at the ferromagnetic transition temperature of the manganite, a consequence of its magnetostrictive characteristics.
Characteristics of a model retinal receptor studied at microwave frequencies.

A simplified microwave model of the human eye was constructed in order to study the characteristics of a model retinal receptor. A technique devised by O’Brien was employed. The model receptor was a truncated cone of polystyrene-foam. This was fitted into a horn which transmitted the energy to a detection unit. The relative sensitivity of the model receptor was determined when it was irradiated by a point source and when it was placed at several different positions in a diffraction pattern at or near the Gaussian image point. The directional sensitivity was studied by pointing it in different directions. In addition, interaction effects between neighboring receptors were studied. Two different wavelengths have been used.It was found that there were differences in energy absorbed by the detector unit when the model was irradiated by the point source and when it was placed in the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern. More energy was absorbed when a shorter wavelength was employed. It was found that the model antenna became more efficient as it was moved away from the center of the diffraction pattern. The direction of maximum sensitivity shifted as a function of the position of the model antenna in the diffraction pattern. Markedly different directional sensitivity patterns were obtained for different physical distributions, for different positions in those distributions, and for different wavelengths.There was essentially no interaction between two neighboring receptors if their axes were kept parallel. Interaction did occur if the tapering sides were brought into contact or near contact. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Involvement of both inhibitory and stimulatory guanine nucleotide binding proteins in the expression of chronic opiate regulation of adenylate cyclase activity in NG108-15 cells.

Chronic etorphine treatment of neuroblastoma X glioma NG108-15 cells results in both an increase in adenylate cyclase activity (upon addition of the opiate antagonist naloxone) as well as an homologous desensitization of the opiate receptor. The continued ability of opiate agonists to regulate adenylate cyclase activity following opiate receptor desensitization can be understood by proposing that the catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase in NG108-15 cells is under tonic regulation by both guanine nucleotide regulatory (Ni) and stimulatory (NS) components. Inactivation of Ni by pertussis toxin (PT) treatment resulted in elevated adenylate cyclase activities comparable to those observed in control cells following chronic opiate treatment. This increased enzymatic activity could not be further induced by PT treatment of cells exposed to opiate previously. In addition, procedures that prevented receptor-mediated activation of NS, i.e., treatment with NaF or desensitization of the stimulatory receptors (prostaglandin E1, adenosine) eliminated the increase in adenylate cyclase activity induced by naloxone following chronic opiate exposure. Hence, the increase in enzymatic activity observed following chronic opiate treatment may be due to a loss in tonic inhibitory regulation of adenylate cyclase mediated through Ni resulting in the unimpeded expression of NS activity. This tonic inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity is one of the multiple mechanisms by which Ni regulates adenylate cyclase in this cell line.
Building a Student-Centered Culture in Times of Natural Disaster: A Case Study.

Increased rates of student success and persistence have been positively linked to community colleges with student-centered cultures. A student-centered culture is one in which policies and practices promote a consistent message of concern and respect while expecting high standards of academic accomplishment. Developing a student-centered culture can be a leadership challenge. Leaders should be aware of various styles of leadership and the effectiveness of each in different situations. While it is imperative to recognize the importance of the day-to-day building of a common commitment, it is equally important to recognize the significance of a traumatic event that can serve as a tipping point in the transformational process. A case study is presented in which a natural disaster was seized upon as an opportunity to cultivate a student-centered culture that promotes student learning and success.
An iterated conditional mode solution for Bayesian factor modeling of transcriptional regulatory networks

The problem of uncovering transcriptional regulation by transcription factors (TFs) based on microarray data is considered. A novel Bayesian sparse correlated rectified factor model (BSCRFM) coupled with its ICM solution is proposed. BSCRFM models the unknown TF protein level activity, the correlated regulations between TFs, and the sparse nature of TF regulated genes and it admits prior knowledge from existing database regarding TF regulated target genes. An efficient ICM algorithm is developed and a context-specific transcriptional regulatory network specific to the experimental condition of the microarray data can be obtained. The proposed model and the ICM algorithm are evaluated on the simulated systems and results demonstrated the validity and effectiveness of the proposed approach. The proposed model is also applied to the breast cancer microarray data and a TF regulated network regarding ER status is obtained.
Contextual Influences on Ethnic Identity Formation: A Case Study of Second-Generation Korean Americans Baby Boomers in Midlife

This paper details a study on ethnic identity in midlife, illuminating identity formation as a complex life course phenomenon. The study addresses the importance of ethnic identity in understanding the experiences of racial and ethnic Baby Boomers as both recipients of care and as caregivers to their aging parents (first generation immigrants). Using a case study of second-generation Korean American Baby Boomers, the primary aims of this study are: (a) to explore how the relationship between age and race/ethnicity influences identity formation, and (b) how contexts influence ethnic identity formation. Findings reveal that cumulative experiences over earlier developmental years resulted in resolutions to appreciate their ethnic identity at midlife. Increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the U.S., combined with the large number of aging Baby Boomers, necessitate recognition of the cultural and racial differences within the Baby Boomer generation.
An estimate of the critical grain size for microcracks induced in hydroxyapatite by thermal expansion anisotropy

Abstract Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is a bioactive ceramic material with a variety of current and potential applications in medical technology. HAp is noncubic and, thus, should be subject to microcracking due to thermal expansion anisotropy (TEA) if the grain size, G > G cr , the critical grain size for TEA-induced microcracking. However, no estimates of G cr are available in the literature. Although a range of thermal expansion values reported in the literature complicates the estimation of G cr for HAp, a G cr of 1.1 μm for polycrystalline HAp is estimated using data from the literature and from the authors' measurements.
Penetration, radiation, and scattering for a cavity-backed gap in a corner

A partially covered cavity, or trench, located along the edge of two intersecting metallic walls perpendicular to each other is considered. The cross-section of the cavity is a quarter ellipse and is slotted along the interfocal distance. The cavity is filled with a material isorefractive to that occupying the quarter-space between the walls. This two-dimensional boundary-value problem is solved exactly, when the primary field is either a plane wave of arbitrary polarization and direction of incidence or an electric or magnetic line source. Numerical results are given and discussed.
Absorption, distribution, and biotransformation of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine in B6C3F1 mice (Mus musculus)

Absorption, distribution, and biotransformation are 3 critical aspects affecting toxicant action in animals. In the present study, B6C3F1 mice (Mus musculus) were exposed for 28 d to contaminated feed that contained 1 of 5 different hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) concentrations: 0 mg/kg, 0.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, and 500 mg/kg. The authors quantified RDX and its reductive transformation products hexahydro-1-nitroso-3,5-dinitro-1,3,5-triazine (MNX), hexahydro-1,3-dinitroso-5-nitro-1,3,5-triazine (DNX), and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitroso-1,3,5-triazine (TNX) in the stomach, intestine, plasma, liver, and brain of these mice. Average RDX concentrations followed a dose-dependent pattern for all matrices tested. No controls had concentrations above limits of detection. Average RDX concentrations in tissues of exposed mice ranged from 11.1 ng/mL to 182 ng/mL, 25.6 ng/g to 3319 ng/g, 123 ng/g to 233 ng/g, 144 ng/g to 35 900 ng/g, and 51.1 ng/g to 2697 ng/g in the plasma, brain, liver, stomach, and intestine, respectively. A considerable amount of RDX was present in the brain, especially in the highest-exposure group. This is consistent with the widely observed central nervous system effects caused by γ-aminobutyric acid inhibition associated with RDX exposure. N-nitroso metabolites of RDX were also present in tested tissues in a dose-dependent pattern. Average MNX concentrations in the stomachs of mice exposed to RDX ranged from nondetectable in control exposures to 490 ng/g in the highest-exposure groups. In the brain, MNX accumulated at a maximum average concentration of 165.1 ng/g, suggesting the potential formation of MNX from RDX within the brain. At higher exposures, DNX and TNX were present in the stomach, plasma, and brain of mice. The presence of RDX metabolites at notable amounts in different tissues suggests that RDX can transform into its N-nitroso metabolites in vivo by an undefined mechanism. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:1295–1303. © 2013 SETAC
Evaluation and Selection of Bio-relevant Dissolution Media for a Poorly Water-Soluble New Chemical Entity

The purpose of this work is to develop a bio-relevant dissolution method for formulation screening in order to select an enhanced bioavailable formulation for a poorly water-soluble drug. The metho...
Effective tobacco control is key to rapid progress in reduction of non-communicable diseases

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)—including cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer, and diabetes—account for about 60% of global deaths, mostly in countries of low or middle income. Tobacco use accounts for a sixth of these deaths.1
Efficacy of Postexposure Therapy against Glanders in Mice

Burkholderia mallei, the causative agent of glanders, is a CDC Tier 1 Select Agent for which there is no preventive vaccine and antibiotic therapy is difficult. In this study, we show that a combination of vaccination using killed cellular vaccine and therapy using moxifloxacin, azithromycin, or sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim can protect BALB/c mice from lethal infection even when given 5 days after infectious challenge. Vaccination only, or antibiotic therapy only, was not efficacious. Although antibiotics evaluated experimentally can protect when given before or 1 day after challenge, this time course is not realistic in the cases of natural infection or biological attack, when the patient seeks treatment after symptoms develop or after a biological attack has been confirmed and the agent has been identified. Antibiotics can be efficacious after a prolonged interval between exposure and treatment, but only if the animals were previously vaccinated.
Nanoscale Cellular Changes in Field Carcinogenesis Detected by Partial Wave Spectroscopy

Understanding alteration of cell morphology in disease has been hampered by the diffraction-limited resolution of optical microscopy (>200 nm). We recently developed an optical microscopy technique, partial wave spectroscopy (PWS), which is capable of quantifying statistical properties of cell structure at the nanoscale. Here we use PWS to show for the first time the increase in the disorder strength of the nanoscale architecture not only in tumor cells but also in the microscopically normal-appearing cells outside of the tumor. Although genetic and epigenetic alterations have been previously observed in the field of carcinogenesis, these cells were considered morphologically normal. Our data show organ-wide alteration in cell nanoarchitecture. This seems to be a general event in carcinogenesis, which is supported by our data in three types of cancer: colon, pancreatic, and lung. These results have important implications in that PWS can be used as a newmethod to identify patients harboring malignant or premalignant tumors by interrogating easily accessible tissue sites distant from the location of the lesion. [Cancer Res 2009;69(13):5357–63]
The representation of voice onset time in the cortical auditory evoked potentials of young children

Objective The aim of this study was to determine whether, in young children, a cortical neurophysiologic representation of the voicing status of a stop consonant could be found in the absence of the N1 component in the cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP). In adults, a ‘double-on’ N1 response is often considered a cortical marker of VOT representation.
Growth and development in patients with untreated clefts

Motivated by the observation that individuals with clefts of the lip and palate exhibit different facial growth than those individuals without facial clefts, many studies have assessed dentofacial morphology in order to understand these differing growth patterns. This review addresses current understanding of facial growth in patients with untreated clefts, drawing broad conclusions about the state of the art, and presents a challenge for cleft care in the future.
Evidence against prospect theories in gambles with positive, negative, and mixed consequences

Abstract Three experiments tested behavioral properties of risky decision making. In the first, 433 participants received different formats for display of gambles. Within each of three formats, five “new paradoxes” that violate cumulative prospect theory (CPT) were tested. Despite suggestions that theories might be descriptive with these procedures, all five paradoxes persisted in all three formats. A second experiment with 200 participants tested the same properties in gambles on losses. These data also violated CPT but were approximately compatible with the reflection hypothesis. In the third experiment, consequences were framed to produce “mixed” gambles. These data violated CPT, but there were also significant framing effects. Results contradicted four editing principles and implications of original prospect theory. The major findings agree with a transfer of attention exchange model that has also bested CPT in other studies. Combined with other results, there is now a substantial body of evidence with five paradoxes that refute CPT with positive, negative and mixed gambles, involving more than 8000 participants and 14 formats for displaying gambles.
Dual mode transmitter with adaptively controlled slew rate and impedance supporting wide range data rates

A novel dual mode transmitter that can be configured either in rail-to-rail voltage mode supporting 1.5 Mb/s and 12 Mb/s data rate or in a 400 mV low-swing current mode supporting 480 Mb/s data rate is presented. In addition, adaptive control schemes for the output impedance and the slew rate are also integrated. The test circuit is implemented using a 0.25 /spl mu/m standard CMOS process technology. It occupies an area of about 800 /spl mu/m/spl times/200 /spl mu/m and consumes less than 70 mW power. A better than 10/sup -9/ BER was measured at 480 Mb/s data rate over a USB cable with a 2/sup 15/-1 pseudo-random data stream.
Communicating uncertainty information across conceptual boundaries

Information about data collection and modeling risks are frequently locked with information providers rather than shared with downstream information consumers. Information consumers often ingest products automatically. Without protocols to inject uncertainty, the ensemble modeling products common in the modeling discipline cannot accurately account for the input uncertainty inherent to those products. Future work to establish use cases and incorporate practitioner-driven rules and protocols for transmitting tiered uncertainty information between information product producers and consumers will advance the needs of environmental, social, and economic actors in the ensemble modeling production chain. This in turn will allow for improved error transmission throughout the decision making enterprise.
Micromechanical finite element calculations of temperature and void configuration effects on void growth and coalescence

Abstract We present micromechanical finite element results that quantify coalescence effects based upon temperature and different spatial arrangements of voids. We propose a critical intervoid ligament distance (ILD) to define void coalescence that is derived from micromechanical simulations in which void volume fraction evolves as a function of strain. Several parameters were varied using the temperature and strain rate internal variable plasticity model of Bammann–Chiesa–Johnson to determine the coalescence effects. The parameters include two types of materials with different work hardening rates (304L stainless steel and 6061T6 aluminum), three different temperatures (298, 400, and 600 K), several boundary conditions (force and displacement: uniaxial, plane strain, and biaxial), type of element used (plane strain and axisymmetric), different ILDs, and the number of voids (one and two void configurations). The present study provides a basis for macroscale modeling of coalescence which is briefly discussed.
Insulin Use in the Hospital: An Evolving Therapeutic Paradigm

As evidence has accumulated confirming the importance of carefully managing inpatients with hyperglycemia, hospitals are facing the challenge of developing safe protocols for insulin administration. Standard protocols with multidisciplinary input are essential, but implementation can occur only after all hospital departments have completed an educational program. The subsequent increased use of intravenous insulin infusions and increased monitoring of hyperglycemia in patients throughout the hospital has led to a greater demand for laboratory services, particularly point-of-care glucose monitoring systems. Involving clinical laboratory personnel is critical to the implementation process to ensure that resources are appropriately allocated. Successful implementation requires coordination and communication between the clinical laboratory and other hospital departments that deliver bedside care to the hyperglycemic patient.
Using background modes for testing, debugging and emulation of microcontrollers

The Background Mode of operation for the M68HC16 and M68300 families of microcontrollers has provided a method whereby an external host development system can take control of the microcontroller causing it to execute certain elementary commands. As shown here, a more complex system can be built using the Background Mode as a base to form an inexpensive, yet capable, emulation system. The addition of a bus state analyzer and appropriate software can further enhance a host development system's usefulness without significantly impacting the complexity of the emulation/debugging system. Most importantly, the Background Debug Mode allows the actual microcontroller in the target system to emulate itself providing, perhaps, the most accurate form of emulation.
Utilizing queued actions to increase interaction efficiency in robot control interfaces

We present a robot tasking model using queued actions to enhance a supervisory mobile robot control interface. A model of interaction using this queue of actions is developed and presented with experiments. We develop a general multirobot interaction model which incorporates queued actions and propose two metrics for measuring directly the number of controllable robots, closely related to the Fan Out metric. An experimental interface was developed incorporating queued actions and an experiment run where participants perform a resource gathering task in an unknown environment. Results from the experiment show that the queued actions significantly improve the interface efficiency.