cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Self-consistent electro-optical Modeling of light matter interactions at the interface of InAs PN^+-junction

We present self-consistent electro-optic model to control light mater interactions at InAs PN+-interface. Results indicate an excellent modulation (>−20dB), high responsivity, opening roadmap to high quality THz semiconductor plasmonic switch.
Differential endopeptidase activity of different forms of type A botulinum neurotoxin: A unique relationship between the size of the substrate and activity of the enzyme.

Abstract Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs; serotypes A-G) are metalloproteases, which cleave and inactivate cellular proteins essential for neurotransmitter release. In bacterial cultures, BoNTs are secreted as a complex of the neurotoxin and a group of neurotoxin associated proteins (NAPs). Under physiological condition (pH 7.4), this complex is believed to be dissociated to separate the neurotoxin from NAPs. BoNT consists of a 50 kDa light (L) chain (LC or catalytic domain) and a 100 kDa heavy (H) chain (or HC) linked through a disulfide bond and other non-covalent interactions. The cell intoxication involves three major steps; binding, membrane translocation and inhibition of neurotransmitter release. The last step of intoxication, endopeptidase activity, is very unique and specific that can be used for detection of the complex and isolated forms of the toxin. A fluorescent tag-labeled synthetic peptide (SNAPtide) derived from a segment of SNAP-25, an intracellular substrate of BoNT/A, is used to detect and assay the endopeptidase activity of BoNT/A. The detection of the signal is based on the change in the fluorescence energy transfer after selective cleavage of the peptide by the BoNT/A. In this report, we demonstrate that SNAPtide as a commonly used substrate widely differ in reaction with BoNT/A complex, BoNT/A, and BoNT/A light chain. These findings have implications for assays used in detection, and in screening potential inhibitors.
Her body her own worst enemy”: The medicalization of violence against women

From the 1960s, when women began working together to end gender-based violence, to well into the twenty-first century, attitudes and practices have shifted in important ways, yet this social justice project is far from complete. While feminist resistance has gone public in unprecedented ways, institutional responses often lag far behind. This chapter focuses on medical contexts, arguing that gendered violence, a neglected topic in bioethics, constitutes an important issue for the field, one urgently in need of intersectional feminist bioethical analysis. Moreover, the chapter argues that this analysis requires intersectionality, such as including transgendered women and genderqueer people in the focus, while addressing race, class, disability, and other vectors of oppression. Complex inegalitarian dynamics persist as pervasive factors in healthcare, compounding the harms of violence itself when treatment is sought. Mainstream medicine often treats the symptoms of violence while ignoring or obscuring the causes. However, a feminist analysis provides guidance based on the tenets and practices of movements against gendered violence. Medical providers have a distinctive opportunity to intervene in the crisis of gendered violence, and movement-based principles point the way to equitable and effective medical responses.
Kontrastmittelapplikation beim Mehrschicht-CT

Die Mehrschicht- oder Multidetektorreihen-CT-Technologie entwickelt sich rasch weiter; die Aufnahmezeiten haben sich im Vergleich der 4-, 8-, 16- und jetzt 64-Kanal-Gerate deutlich verkurzt. Schnelle Aufnahmen mit bisher unerreichter raumlicher und zeitlicher Auflosung bieten neue Moglichkeiten bei der kardiovaskularen CT und der Abbildung des Korpers, aber gleichzeitig wird die Kontrastmittel-Applikation (KM) immer schwieriger und fehleranfalliger.
Markov Renewal Modelling of Poisson Traffic at Intersections having Separate Turn Lanes

Consider a two-lane road which is intersected on one side by a single-lane secondary road. A single car waiting on the secondary road may merge into either the nearest or the farthest lane. It is assumed that the traffic in each lane is independent of the other lanes and that the inter-arrival times of cars at the intersection in their respective lanes is exponential. The main purpose of this paper is to study the queue size on the secondary road when the secondary road has a special right-turn lane (or left-turn lane in some countries) which allows some cars to merge into the nearest lane of the main road even when other cars waiting to enter the far lane are present. The problem is approached by first setting up a four-state Markov Renewal process to describe the traffic on the main road. Next the merging process on the secondary road is described as a Markov Renewed process with a random environment. The event that the queue is empty is studied, and conditions are stated under which this event is recurrent or transient. Finally, the quantities which occur in the conditions for recurrence of an empty queue are derived explicitly for a one-car right turn lane.
Social Network Analysis Methods in Educational Policy Research

This chapter describes the theories and analytic methods associated with Social Network Analysis (SNA), and considers the application of SNA in educational policy research. SNA is based upon an understanding that individuals in a social system are interdependent and that these underlying relationships shape opportunities and outcomes in ways that require distinct analytic techniques. In education, SNA remains an extremely powerful yet underutilized methodological approach. The chapter begins by providing detailed information regarding collecting and analyzing social network data. The chapter next discusses common theoretical lenses used in SNA studies; highlights SNA research in education and in education policy, especially around policy advocacy and policy implementation; and provides guidance to educational policy scholars as they consider ways to use SNA in their future work.
Evaluation of Intraoperative Versus Postoperative Adjuvant Mitomycin C with Nephroureterectomy for Urothelial Carcinoma of the Upper Urinary Tract

Background Results of randomized trials support a single dose of intravesical chemotherapy following radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for urothelial carcinoma. Objective To evaluate the impact of the timing of intravesical mitomycin C (MMC) administration on the rate of bladder tumor recurrence (BTR) following RNU. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients who underwent RNU for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) and received intravesical MMC between 2008 and 2016. Patients were categorized into two separate groups based on the timing of MMC administration: patients who received MMC intraoperatively (IO) and patients who received MMC on post-operative day 1 or later (PO). Our primary endpoint was BTR rate within the first year after surgery. Results Fifty-one patients met our inclusion criteria: (IO: n = 30; PO: n = 21). There were no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics of age, gender, race, surgical approach, tumor grade, tumor stage, surgical margins, nodal status, concomitant CIS, or history of bladder cancer. The median length of follow-up for each group was 22 months for IO and 12 months for PO (P = 0.10). The estimated probability of 1-year BTR rates for the IO and PO groups were 16% and 33%, respectively (p = 0.09). Cox analysis noted that the IO patients had a significantly lower rate of BTR in the first year postoperatively (HR = 0.113, 95% CI = 0.28-0.63, p = 0.01). Conclusions The use of intraoperative MMC at the time of RNU was associated with a decrease in the risk of 1-year recurrence within the bladder.
Leveraging robot embodiment to facilitate trust and smoothness

Interactions with social robots in public and private spaces are becoming more and more common and varied. As this trend continues, it is important to understand how a robot's embodiment influences its ability to calibrate trust and comfort with its users and behave in accordance with social norms. This is especially true when one social intelligence embodies multiple physical robots (re-embodiment). We have conducted two studies---one quantitative and and one qualitative---which shed light on the way robots should be embodied and re-embodied by intelligences during different types of social interactions. This paper outlines our previous work on elucidating the role of embodiment in social interactions and experimenting with re-embodiment as a design paradigm, and it describes the directions in which we plan to take this research in the near future.
Old and New Nationalisms in the Brexit Borderlands of Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom’s (UK) “Brexit” referendum on 23 June 2016 has raised in Northern Ireland the expectation of transformative social, political and economic change, including a return to the open hostilities that marked the region from 1969 to 1998. This chapter, based on ethnographic research in the Northern Ireland borderlands, examines new and old nationalisms in the region that have in some ways been a reaction to the crisis that has befallen the British Isles, including the Republic of Ireland. These nationalisms also reflect the nationalist conflict that has plagued Northern Ireland since it was set up as a distinct political entity within the UK in 1921. The old and new nationalist rhetoric and actions that are the main focus of this chapter are in large part responses to the anxieties and opportunities that Brexit represents to members of the Irish Nationalist community in Northern Ireland. These Irish Nationalists fear a return of a “hard border” as a result of Brexit, which would subvert 20 years of peace, reconciliation and cross-border economic and political development. Nationalism also figures prominently in Unionist political responses to Brexit, where, in the borderlands, British Loyalists nominally support Brexit, even though many worry about the economic devastation it might cause to what is still a region dependent on agriculture.
The expression of agency by graduate teaching assistants and professors in relation to their professional obligations

Abstract Agency has been identified as a personal asset for teachers that may enable them to competently manage their classrooms ( Stein, Kintz, & Miness, 2016 ). We explored how tools from systemic functional linguistics ( Halliday & Matthiessen, 1994 ) can be used to track the agency instructors express. We interviewed graduate student teaching assistants (GTAs) and professors from mathematics departments to track their articulation of agency regarding responsibilities associated with interpersonal, disciplinary, institutional, and individual obligations of the role of mathematics instructor ( Chazan, Herbst, & Clark, 2016 ). It is informative to compare these two groups because, while they all teach critical introductory mathematics courses, they also have recognizable differences in status. We report that while GTAs present themselves as similarly agentic as professors in relation to their disciplinary obligation (to the integrity of the mathematics they teach), they vary in relation to their other obligations. We draw implications for the professional development of GTAs.
Compatibility of DAMA/LIBRA dark matter detection with other searches

The DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation data, which may be interpreted as a signal for the existence of weakly interacting dark matter (WIMPs) in our galactic halo, are examined in light of null results from other experiments: CDMS, XENON10, CRESST I, CoGeNT, TEXONO, and Super-Kamiokande (SuperK). We use the energy spectrum of the combined DAMA modulation data given in 36 bins, and include the effect of channeling. Several statistical tools are implemented in our study: likelihood ratio with a global fit and with raster scans in the WIMP mass and goodness-of-fit (g.o.f.). These approaches allow us to differentiate between the preferred (global best fit) and allowed (g.o.f.) parameter regions. It is hard to find WIMP masses and couplings consistent with all existing data sets; the surviving regions of parameter space are found here. For spin-independent (SI) interactions, the best fit DAMA regions are ruled out to the 3σ C.L., even with channeling taken into account. However, for WIMP masses of ~ 8 GeV some parameters outside these regions still yield a moderately reasonable fit to the DAMA data and are compatible with all 90% C.L. upper limits from negative searches, when channeling is included. For spin-dependent (SD) interactions with proton-only couplings, a range of masses below 10 GeV is compatible with DAMA and other experiments, with and without channeling, when SuperK indirect detection constraints are included; without the SuperK constraints, masses as high as ~ 20 GeV are compatible. For SD neutron-only couplings we find no parameters compatible with all the experiments. Mixed SD couplings are examined: e.g. ~ 8 GeV mass WIMPs with an = ±ap are found to be consistent with all experiments. In short, there are surviving regions at low mass for both SI and SD interactions; if indirect detection limits are relaxed, some SD proton-only couplings at high masses also survive.
Applying Library of Congress Demographic Group Characteristics for Creators

AbstractThis research project explores how to ethically, efficiently, and accurately add demographic terms for African American authors to catalog records. A Department of History graduate student ...
Regular cannabis use, with and without tobacco co-use, is associated with respiratory disease.

Abstract Background Cannabis use is a potential risk factor for respiratory disease but its role apart from tobacco use is unclear. We evaluated the association between regular cannabis use, with and without tobacco co-use, and onset of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pneumonia. Methods Analysis of a limited data set obtained through IBM Watson Health Explorys, an electronic-health-record-integration platform. Matched controls using Mahalanobis distance within propensity score calipers were defined for: 1) cannabis-using patients (n = 8932); and subgroups of cannabis-using patients: 2) with an encounter diagnosis for tobacco use disorder (TUD; n = 4678); and 3) without a TUD diagnosis (non-TUD; n = 4254). Patients had at least: one recorded blood pressure measurement and one blood chemistry lab result in the MetroHealth System (Cleveland, Ohio). Cannabis-using patients had an encounter diagnosis of cannabis abuse/dependence and/or ≥2 cannabis-positive urine drug screens (UDSs). Control patients, not having cannabis-related diagnoses or cannabis-positive UDSs, were matched to the cannabis-using patients on demographics, residential zip code median income, body mass index, and, for the total sample, TUD-status. Results Regular cannabis use was significantly associated with greater risk for asthma (odds ratio (OR) = 1.44; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.50; OR = 1.32), COPD (OR = 1.56; aOR = 1.44; OR = 2.17), and pneumonia (OR = 1.80; OR = 1.84; OR = 2.13) in the total sample and TUD and non-TUD subgroups, respectively. TUD-patients had the greatest prevalence of respiratory disease, regardless of cannabis-use indication. Conclusions Regular cannabis use is associated with significantly greater risk of respiratory disease regardless of TUD status. Future research to understand the impact of cannabis use on respiratory health is warranted.
Continuous EEG Monitoring: Systems of Care

This chapter reviews the indications and practical aspects of continuous electroencephalogram (cEEG) monitoring in the intensive care unit (ICU). cEEG monitoring can be performed for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic indications. For example, it can be used to detect and monitor for nonconvulsive seizures, ischemia, electrocerebral silence, and depth of sedation as well as characterize paroxysmal events that are not clearly epileptogenic. In addition, cEEG can be used to help predict outcomes, particularly in patients who have suffered anoxic brain injury. Successful implementation of cEEG monitoring in a Neurosciences ICU (NCCU) necessitates both daytime and off-hours support. Different models may be used with regard to EEG technologist staffing, but temporary EEG systems are available that can be placed on a short-term, emergent basis if necessary. Duration of cEEG monitoring depends upon each patient’s clinical scenario. The American Clinical Neurophysiology Society has published guidelines in order to standardize EEG reporting. Finally, every successful cEEG monitoring service requires a multidisciplinary collaborative approach in order to optimize patient care.
Internalizing behavior problems in Latinx children: Patterns and correlates of anxiety, depressive, and somatic symptoms from pre-kindergarten through third grade

Abstract Latinx adolescents experience disproportionately high levels of internalizing symptoms, but little is known about the manifestation of internalizing problems in early childhood. In light of mounting evidence that internalizing disorders have their onset in early childhood, and the premise that individual child and ecological factors combine early in life to initiate a cascade toward later mental health problems, this chapter examined trajectories of anxiety, depressive, and somatic symptoms, as rated by mothers and teachers, from the start of pre-K through the end of Grade 3 in a community sample of 749 Mexican- and Dominican-origin children. Across time, ratings on all domains were high. We found some differences in internalizing trajectories by ethnicity, but not by gender. Authoritarian parenting was associated with more symptoms, suggesting that interventions to support the use of responsive and appropriately demanding practices may help prevent anxiety, depression, and somatization.
Rapid development of strong, persistent, spatiotemporally extensive cortical synchrony and underlying oscillations following acute MCA focal ischemia

Stroke is a leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability, but its electrophysiological basis is poorly understood. Characterizing acute ischemic neuronal activity dynamics is important for understanding the temporal and spatial development of ischemic pathophysiology and determining neuronal activity signatures of ischemia. Using a 32-microelectrode array spanning the depth of cortex, electrophysiological recordings generated for the first time a continuous spatiotemporal profile of local field potentials (LFP) and multi-unit activity (MUA) before (baseline) and directly after (0-5 h) distal, permanent MCA occlusion (pMCAo) in a rat model. Although evoked activity persisted for hours after pMCAo with minor differences from baseline, spatiotemporal analyses of spontaneous activity revealed that LFP became spatially and temporally synchronized regardless of cortical depth within minutes after pMCAo and extended over large parts of cortex. Such enhanced post-ischemic synchrony was found to be driven by increased bursts of low multi-frequency oscillations and continued throughout the acute ischemic period whereas synchrony measures minimally changed over the same recording period in surgical sham controls. EEG recordings of a similar frequency range have been applied to successfully predict stroke damage and recovery, suggesting clear clinical relevance for our rat model.
Nutrition Practices to Grow Healthy Communities

Diet and nutrition are central to the wellbeing of communities, influencing the energy community members have to participate in the life of the community and the health outcomes of its members. Yet, community-level approaches to promoting nutritional health are inconsistent and vary across the world. This chapter proposes sustainable approaches to promote the nutritional health of communities based on the Social-Ecological Models and Policy Diffusion Models. We aim to describe nutrition and diet-related disparities in both the US and globally, discuss approaches that have been used to address these disparities, and finally, to outline potential strategies for building communities with sustainable food and nutrition plans that minimize disparities. We consider nutrition and diet-related disparities, hunger, and food insecurity in the US and across the world. We describe approaches that have been tried so far, including traditional interventions such as food distribution programs and education programs, as well as more recent approaches such as microloans and urban forests. We also discuss how cultural and political influences may influence diet-related disparity, such as how culturally preferred foods may affect efforts to improve diet quality and how political views of poverty may influence the types of policies considered acceptable to improve food access. Finally, we discuss areas that require continued research to improve communities’ nutritional health, such as improved mapping of nutrition problems and their barriers, how to implement more sustainable diets and food systems while respecting cultural foodways, and how to influence attitudes toward chronic poverty to expand the types of interventions available to policymakers.
Doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide induce cognitive dysfunction and activate the ERK and AKT signaling pathways

Chemotherapy is associated with long-term cognitive deficits in breast cancer survivors. Studies suggest that these impairments result in the loss of cognitive reserve and/or induce a premature aging of the brain. This study has been aimed to determine the potential underlying mechanisms that induce cognitive impairments by chemotherapeutic agents commonly used in breast cancer. Intact and ovariectomized (OVX) female rats were treated intravenously with either saline or a combination of cyclophosphamide (40 mg/kg) and doxorubicin (4 mg/kg). All subjects were tested for anxiety, locomotor activity, working, visual and spatial memory consecutively. Although anxiety and visual memory were not affected, chemotherapy significantly decreased locomotor activity and impaired working and spatial memory in female rats, independent of their hormonal status. The cognitive deficits observed are hippocampal dependent. Therefore, as a first step to identity the potential signaling pathways involved in this cognitive dysfunction, the protein levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2), Akt (neuroprotectant) BDNF and (structural protein) PSD95 in hippocampal lysates were measured. Erk1/2 and Akt pathways are known to modulate synaptic plasticity, neuronal survival, aging and cancer. We found an increased activation of Erk1/2 and Akt as well as an increase in the protein levels of PSD95 in OVX female rodents. However, OVX females had a higher overall BDNF level, independent of chemotherapy. These studies provide additional evidence that commonly used chemotherapeutic agents affect cognitive function and impact synaptic plasticity/aging molecules which may be part of the underlying biology explaining cognitive change and can be potential therapeutic targets.
Cartesian Products of Z-matrix Networks: Factorization and Interval Analysis

This chapter examines the relationship between the dynamics of large networks and of their smaller factor networks (factors) obtained through the factorization of the network’s digraph representation. We specifically examine dynamics of networks which have Z-matrix state matrices. We perform a Cartesian product decomposition on its network structure producing factors which also have Z-matrix dynamics. A factorization lemma is presented that represents the trajectories of the large network in terms of the factors’ trajectories. An interval matrix lemma provides families of network dynamics whose trajectories are bounded by the interval bounds’ factors’ trajectories.
Growth and evolution of high-technology business incubation in China

The business incubator is an innovative organizational entity, with origins in the United States, designed to provide a supportive environment for new ventures. This innovation was adopted by Chinese government in the late eighties as part of a plan to address market failure in innovation and to win the global game of technological competition. The successful diffusion and subsequent reinvention of this innovation in China has resulted in one of the most successful business incubation movements in Asia that is second only to the United States in the number of business incubators. Chinese incubator models initially tended to be monolithic in form due to the heavy influence of government as innovation gatekeeper guiding their creation and operation; however local demands, such as the need to attract well educated overseas Chinese students back to the homeland, have led to indigenous incubation approaches within these broad parameters as manifested in the second generation of incubation approaches. This contribution traces the growth and evolution of the two phases of business incubator growth in China, taking into consideration determinants of incubator success, along with the role of government, and the macro-environment for new venture creation. Related incubator level dimensions are discussed followed by the various indigenous genres of incubators that have evolved in China in response to local needs. The study includes a critical assessment of the successes and the challenges that lay ahead of the incubator movement in China. Policy and managerial implications are put forth at the conclusion of the study.
Introducing the Patterson cylindrical projection

The Patterson cylindrical, a new projection designed for general-purpose mapmaking, is an alternative to other cylindrical projections. It is positioned between the Plate Carree projection, which has a 1:2 aspect ratio, and the Miller 1 projection, which excessively exaggerates the size of polar areas. The Patterson cylindrical balances polar exaggeration against maintaining the familiar shape of continents and has a compact height-to-width aspect ratio. Creating the projection started with a graphical template made in Flex Projector that served as a guide for developing the polynomial equations, which are introduced in this article. The reference source code is available in the Java Map Projection Library.
Textile dermatitis : an update. I: Resins, additives and fibers

Cases of textile-related dermatitis reported in the medical literature after the mid-1980s are reviewed. Part I focuses on cases in which textile resins, fiber additives, or fibers were the causal agent. Studies which provide insight into understanding fabric-induced prickle and itch are included.
Article III Double-Dipping: Proposition 8's Proponents, BLAG, and the Government's Interest

Two fundamental standing problems plague Proposition 8’s proponents and the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) in the marriage cases currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. First is the Article III double-dipping problem, to which this Essay’s title refers. This problem arises because those parties purport to derive their Article III standing by asserting the governments’ interest in defending the challenged marriage laws. Yet the governments in both cases, via their chief legal officers, have taken the position that excluding same-sex couples from marriage is unconstitutional. To permit this Janus-faced commitment to both sides of the cases would render the concept of the government interest incoherent for Article III standing purposes. The second problem is that Proposition 8’s proponents and BLAG both lack the enforcement powers that give rise to the government’s “direct stake” needed for standing in federal court.
Pulmonary alveolar hemorrhage. A common finding in patients with severe cardiac disease.

Abstract In 89 (63 percent) of 141 autopsy cases of congenital (shunts) or acquired (valvular) cardiac disease, the patients had alveolar hemorrhage; 19 (13 percent) had pneumonia, and 9 (6 percent) had pulmonary emboli or infarcts. Alveolar hemorrhage was visible both grossly and histologically in 66 patients and on histologic examination only in 23 patients. Of the 113 patients without pulmonary emboli, pulmonary infarcts or pneumonia, alveolar hemorrhage occurred in 70 of 81 patients (86 percent) who died within 45 days after cardiac operations, and in 19 of 32 patients (50 percent) who died after recovery from operation or who had never been operated upon. Radiographic evidence of alveolar hemorrhage was present in 36 of 55 patients (65 percent) examined. A number of factors may be involved in the production of alveolar hemorrhage. The lesion may occur secondary to severe left-sided cardiac failure, but it may also be caused by shock, hypoxia and factors related to use of cardiopulmonary bypass or mechanical respirators.
A study on trust in alarms in a nuclear power plant microworld simulation

Different types of alarms and events can affect an operator’s trust in an alarm system. This paper presents an experiment in which we examined the effect of two types of alarm systems (two-state and three-state alarms) on trust, alarm compliance, and diagnosis for two types of faults differing in complexity. Undergraduate university students using a simplified process control microworld simulation served as participants. The findings from this research showed participants performed better and had more trust in three-state alarms compared to twostate alarms. This paper discusses these findings in terms of their theoretical implications and practical applications to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of alarm systems in nuclear power plant operations.
Superconducting superoxygenated cuprates: Search for phase separation in La 1.84 Sr 0.16 CuO 4 + δ

We have studied high-pressure (2.3 kbar), high-temperature (575 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C), oxygen-annealed ceramic ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.84}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.16}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$ by high-resolution neutron powder diffraction to determine its low-temperature structural properties in comparison to similarly oxygenated ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$. Unlike ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$, the Sr-containing superconductor shows no low-temperature phase separation. Further, the interstitial oxygen appears to be located at (1/4,1/4,z) with z=0.163(5) and to have a value of \ensuremath{\delta} consistent with ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.84}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.16}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4.019}$. Such a site is significantly displaced away from the interstitial location, (1/4,1/4,z), with z=0.25, observed in ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$ and ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}$${\mathrm{NiO}}_{4+\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$. The environment of such an interstitial site is suggestive of a smaller, neutral oxygen rather than a charged species.
Specificity Profiling of Protein-Binding Domains Using One-Bead-One-Compound Peptide Libraries

One-bead-one-compound (OBOC) libraries consist of structurally related compounds (e.g., peptides) covalently attached to a solid support, with each resin bead carrying a unique compound. OBOC libraries of high structural diversity can be rapidly synthesized and screened without the need for any special equipment, and therefore can be employed in any chemical or biochemical laboratory. OBOC peptide libraries have been widely used to map the ligand specificity of proteins, to determine the substrate specificity of enzymes, and to develop inhibitors against macromolecular targets. They have proven particularly useful in profiling the binding specificity of protein modular domains (e.g., SH2 domains, BIR domains, and PDZ domains); subsequently, the specificity information can be used to predict the protein targets of these domains. The protocols outlined in this article describe the methodologies for synthesizing and screening OBOC peptide libraries against SH2 and PDZ domains, and the related data analysis. Curr. Protoc. Chem. Biol. 4:331-355 © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Diagnosis and management of cystic lesions of the pancreas

Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are being increasingly identified in recent years. They show a wide spectrum of imaging and clinical features. The diagnosis and discrimination of these lesions are very important because of the risk for concurrent or later development of malignancy. PCLs are usually first diagnosed and characterized by conventional imaging modalities such as trans-abdominal ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, their ability to differentiate the benign and malignant lesions remains limited. Endoscopic US may be more helpful for the diagnosis and differentiation of PCLs because of its high resolution and better imaging characteristics than cross-sectional imaging modalities. It also allows for fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of cystic lesions for biochemical, cytological and DNA analysis that might be further helpful for diagnosis and differentiation. The management options of PCLs are to observe, endoscopic treatment or surgical resection. However, the decision for management is sometimes hampered by limitations in current diagnostic and tissue sampling techniques. As further diagnostic and non-invasive management options become available, clinical decision-making will become much easier for these lesions.
Two photon excited fluorescence of donor-acceptor conjugated materials in crystalline form

Several organic materials were found to possess high efficiency two-photon excited fluorescence in crystalline form. They do not display considerable molecular two-photon absorption (TPA) resonance that is due to intramolecular charge transfer. The crystal structures of the compound were investigated. It was determined that tight stacking packing of molecules in all crystals with short distances between stacking planes results in high degree of pi-orbital overlap between molecules. These pi-systems interactions lead to new electronic states and, we believe, responsible for the fluorescent properties in the crystals.
Optical and electrical properties of amorphous arsenic

Abstract Amorphous arsenic prepared by plasma decomposition of arsine has been characterized using field-effect conductance, thermopower, optical absorption, and photoconductivity measurements. It is found that the Fermi level is located in a density of states ∼ 1017 cm−3 eV−1 approximately in the center of the forbidden gap, that conduction occurs via electrons in extended states in the conduction band, and that the optical and photoelectrical properties are very similar to those of bulk a-As. It is concluded that a model involving a negative correlation energy for localized states is inappropriate for this material.
Could a deficiency in growth hormone signaling be beneficial to the aging brain

Several studies have shown that growth hormone (GH)-deficient/resistant animals have a prolonged lifespan compared with their normal siblings. Studies in our laboratory have suggested that both Ames dwarf and GH receptor/GH binding protein knockout (GH-R-KO) mice do not experience age-induced cognitive aging at the same rate as their normal siblings. The studies presented here were aimed at determining whether these long-lived mice experience a delay in age-related changes in behavior. Young and old mice of both strains were tested in an open-field task. In addition, mice of the GH-R-KO strain were tested in the water maze to confirm previous findings using the inhibitory avoidance task that suggested delayed cognitive aging. In each of these studies, normal (wild-type) animals of the same age, sex, and genetic background as the mutants served as controls. Old GH-R-KO mice did not experience the decline in locomotor activity or difference in activity levels in the open-field task seen in the normal animals. Young normal and young and old Ames dwarf mice spent less time in the center of the apparatus compared with old normal animals. There were no signs of age-related changes in emotionality within the GH-R-KO strain. Water maze results also showed that while old normal animals performed poorer than the young normal animals, old GH-R-KO mice did not perform differently from the young normal or young GH-R-KO groups. Taken together, these studies support our previous findings of delayed age-induced cognitive and behavioral decline in GH deficient/resistant mice.
Comparative binding of neurotrophins (NT-3, CNTF and NGF) and various cytokines to α2-macroglobulin

Abstract All the nine common cytokines in this study (including NT-3, IGF-1, CNTF and TGF-α) bind noncovalently, yet with different specificities and to different degrees, with both normal α 2 -macroglobulins (α 2 M) and monoamine-modified α 2 M. The binding of NGF is by far the most efficient and is least affected by cationic proteins. The binding of NT-3 is slightly affected by cationic proteins but is completely blocked by NGF. The binding of TGF-α, TGF-β 1 , CNTF, and IL-6 is severely blocked by cationic proteins/NGF. We conclude that NGF and NT-3 appear to bind specifically in significant quantities to the same α 2 M sites; but the other cytokines by comparison bind minimally, and primarily or entirely use nonspecific molecular interactions in their binding to α 2 M .
Nascent-Seq analysis of Drosophila cycling gene expression

Rhythmic mRNA expression is a hallmark of circadian biology and has been described in numerous experimental systems including mammals. A small number of core clock gene mRNAs and a much larger number of output mRNAs are under circadian control. The rhythmic expression of core clock genes is regulated at the transcriptional level, and this regulation is important for the timekeeping mechanism. However, the relative contribution of transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation to global circadian mRNA oscillations is unknown. To address this issue in Drosophila, we isolated nascent RNA from adult fly heads collected at different time points and subjected it to high-throughput sequencing. mRNA was isolated and sequenced in parallel. Some genes had cycling nascent RNAs with no cycling mRNA, caused, most likely, by light-mediated read-through transcription. Most genes with cycling mRNAs had significant nascent RNA cycling amplitudes, indicating a prominent role for circadian transcriptional regulation. However, a considerable fraction had higher mRNA amplitudes than nascent RNA amplitudes. The same comparison for core clock gene mRNAs gives rise to a qualitatively similar conclusion. The data therefore indicate a significant quantitative contribution of posttranscriptional regulation to mRNA cycling.
What types of occupations are women entering?: Determinants of changes in female representation: 1970–2000

Abstract Although a consistent body of research has demonstrated that occupational segregation is highly consequential for women's economic standing, we know little about the processes that contribute to changes in levels of sex segregation. In this study, we examine those factors that contribute to changes in the percent of women in detailed occupational categories in the United States. Since we are most concerned with the economic consequences of this type of segregation, we analyze a group of high-paying, male-dominated occupations that, if better integrated, would contribute most to earnings equality. We find that occupations to which relatively high percentages of women aspired and occupations that are growing have been experiencing above-average increases in the percentage of women, while occupations characterized by male-stereotyped task profiles have been witnessing below-average increases. Additionally, our results suggest the presence of a ceiling effect: it is easier for women to break into male-dominated occupations initially than to sustain growth. Our analysis suggests that both supply and demand-side explanations provide insight into the processes contributing to increases in the occupations that we examine, although it can be very difficult to distinguish between supply and demand-side elements; indeed they may occur simultaneously.
What Is a Good Public Participation Process? Five Perspectives from the Public

It is now widely accepted that members of the public should be involved in environmental decision-making. This has inspired many to search for principles that characterize good public participation processes. In this paper we report on a study that identifies discourses about what defines a good process. Our case study was a forest planning process in northern New England and New York. We employed Q methodology to learn how participants characterize a good process differently, by selecting, defining, and privileging different principles. Five discourses, or perspectives, about good process emerged from our study. One perspective emphasizes that a good process acquires and maintains popular legitimacy. A second sees a good process as one that facilitates an ideological discussion. A third focuses on the fairness of the process. A fourth perspective conceptualizes participatory processes as a power struggle—in this instance a power play between local landowning interests and outsiders. A fifth perspective highlights the need for leadership and compromise. Dramatic differences among these views suggest an important challenge for those responsible for designing and carrying out public participation processes. Conflicts may emerge about process designs because people disagree about what is good in specific contexts.
Oxygen binding by sickle cell hemoglobin polymers.

Abstract The thermodynamics of sickle cell hemoglobin gelation in the presence of oxygen has been investigated by measuring the fractional saturation of the solution and polymer phases, and the solubility. The fractional saturation of the solution phase with oxygen and the solubility were measured by near infrared spectrophotometry after sedimentation of the polymers, while the fractional saturation of the polymer phase was determined from linear dichroism measurements on gels formed by nucleation with an argon ion laser. Using the solution binding data of Gill et al. (1979) to calculate the oxygen pressure corresponding to the solution phase saturation, the initial portion of the polymer binding curve was determined. The self-consistency of the data analysis in terms of the two-phase model for the gel was tested by comparing measured and calculated gel (i.e. solution plus polymer) binding curves, and by comparing the observed solubilities with those calculated from the solution and polymer binding curves using Gibbs-Duhem relations. Oxygen binding to the polymer was found to be non-co-operative up to the maximum measured fractional saturation of 0.14. The binding constant was 0.0059 ± 0.0015 torr−1 (p50 = 170 ± 40 torr), which is about three times smaller than that of hemoglobin in the low-affinity T quaternary structure. Both the non-co-operative binding and the low affinity could be qualitatively explained in terms of an allosteric model and the current information on the polymer structure.
Structural and Functional Differences between 3-Repeat and 4-Repeat Tau Isoforms IMPLICATIONS FOR NORMAL TAU FUNCTION AND THE ONSET OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE

Tau, MAP2, and MAP4 are members of a microtubule-associated protein (MAP) family that are each expressed as "3-repeat" and "4-repeat" isoforms. These isoforms arise from tightly controlled tissue-specific and/or developmentally regulated alternative splicing of a 31-amino acid long "inter-repeat:repeat module," raising the possibility that different MAP isoforms may possess some distinct functional capabilities. Consistent with this hypothesis, regulatory mutations in the human tau gene that disrupt the normal balance between 3-repeat and 4-repeat tau isoform expression lead to a collection of neurodegenerative diseases known as FTDP-17 (fronto-temporal dementias and Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17), which are characterized by the formation of pathological tau filaments and neuronal cell death. Unfortunately, very little is known regarding structural and functional differences between the isoforms. In our previous analyses, we focused on 4-repeat tau structure and function. Here, we investigate 3-repeat tau, generating a series of truncations, amino acid substitutions, and internal deletions and examining the functional consequences. 3-Repeat tau possesses a "core microtubule binding domain" composed of its first two repeats and the intervening inter-repeat. This observation is in marked contrast to the widely held notion that tau possesses multiple independent tubulin-binding sites aligned in sequence along the length of the protein. In addition, we observed that the carboxyl-terminal sequences downstream of the repeat region make a strong but indirect contribution to microtubule binding activity in 3-repeat tau, which is in contrast to the negligible effect of these same sequences in 4-repeat tau. Taken together with previous work, these data suggest that 3-repeat and 4-repeat tau assume complex and distinct structures that are regulated differentially, which in turn suggests that they may possess isoform-specific functional capabilities. The relevance of isoform-specific structure and function to normal tau action and the onset of neurodegenerative disease are discussed.
Anelastic instability in composites with negative stiffness inclusions

Composites with VO2 particulate inclusions as a negative stiffness phase were fabricated through powder metallurgy. The composites are predicted to exhibit enhanced anelastic damping by virtue of the partially constrained negative stiffness of the inclusions in the vicinity of a ferroelastic phase transformation, and are predicted to become unstable for sufficiently high concentration (5 vol%) of inclusions. Composite specimens with 5 vol% inclusions studied in subresonant dynamic torsion displayed various manifestations of mechanical instability during cooling in a temperature range including the inclusion transformation temperature. Instability was manifested as macroscopic specimen undulations (slow thrashing) and fluctuation of the damping tan δ. Material instability occurs at high inclusion volume fraction in harmony with predictions from composite theory.
Ski fractures of the femur

There have been few reports of femoral ski injuries. Twenty-four cases of femoral ski fractures (as well as one dislocation), collected over 8 years, are presented. Two-thirds of the patients were under 30 years of age. The largest single cause of injury (one-third of the cases) involved collision. High speed skiing with loss of control and falling on icy surfaces were other frequent causes of injury. Internal fixation methods were usually chosen for skeletally mature patients, with traction and casting used in children.Femoral injuries have occurred in recent years de spite improvements in ski equipment, snowmaking, and trail-grooming. It is felt that these improvements have led to faster skiing with increased kinetic forces of injury, and more severe consequences of a fall or collision.
A class of covers for finite projective geometries which are related to the design of combinatorial filing systems

Abstract A method is given for selecting a certain subset of m-flats from a finite projective geometry PG(N, q) which cover all (t−1) flats there, where m≥t−1. These results have application to the problem of designing efficient information retrieval systems.