cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theorem for exact local exchange potential.

Consider a local exchange potential v${\mathrm{\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}}}_{\mathit{x}}$(r) which depends on a set of orbitals {${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varphi}}}_{\mathit{i}}$}. It is proven that v${\mathrm{\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}}}_{\mathit{x}}$ is the exact Kohn-Sham density-functional exchange potential, when {${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varphi}}}_{\mathit{i}}$} is optimum, if and only if ${\mathit{v}}_{\mathit{x}}$ satisfies three specified conditions. Exchange potentials are presented which satisfy two of the conditions, one of which is satisfied neither by the original Slater potential nor by the local-density approximation.
Predicting insertion loss of large duct systems above the plane wave cutoff frequency

Abstract If the dimensions of a silencer or muffler component are small compared to an acoustic wavelength, plane wave propagation can be assumed. This is not the case for HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) duct systems, and large diesel engine mufflers commonly used in ship and generator sets. For such applications, the wave behavior in the inlet and outlet ducts is three-dimensional. In this paper, the finite element method is utilized to simulate large duct systems with an aim to predict the insertion loss. The boundary condition on the source side is a diffuse field applied by determining a suitable cross-spectral force matrix of the excitation. At the termination, the radiation impedance is calculated utilizing a wavelet algorithm. Simulation results are compared to published measurement results for HVAC plenums and demonstrate good agreement.
LEAD AND METHYL MERCURY: EFFECTS OF ACUTE EXPOSURE ON CYTOCHROME P-450 AND THE MIXED FUNCTION OXIDASE SYSTEM IN THE LIVER

The rat liver mixed function oxidase system which is responsible for the metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds has been shown to be affected by lead and methyl mercury. Administration of these environmental pollutants to rats results in a decrease in cytochrome P-450 content and inhibition of in vitro N-demethylase and hydroxylase activities. The in vitro enzyme-inhibiting effects of the metals found pharmacological expression in the whole animal by prolongation of hexobarbital-induced sleeping times.
Design of District Emergency Operations Centres, and the Case Study of Indian Oil Corporation Jaipur Depot Explosion

Article on the design of district emergency operations centres and a case study of Indian Oil Corporation Jaipur depot explosion.
Latest Pleistocene and Holocene slip rates on the Lone Mountain fault: Evidence for accelerating slip in the Silver Peak‐Lone Mountain extensional complex

Determining the constancy of fault slip rates over time is critical in characterizing strain distribution across plate boundaries such as the Pacific-North American plate boundary in the western U.S. We present results from the Lone Mountain fault, a normal fault within the southern Walker Lane, that suggest slip rates there may have increased approximately twofold since the late Pleistocene. We combine detailed field surficial mapping, topographic surveying, and 10Be cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages to calculate new late Pleistocene and Holocene slip rates on the Lone Mountain fault. Alluvial fans with ages of 14.6 ± 1.4 ka and 8.0 ± 0.9 ka are vertically offset 10.2 ± 0.6 m and 4.7 ± 0.6 m, respectively, yielding vertical slip rates of 0.7 ± 0.1 mm/yr and 0.6 ± 0.1 mm/yr. These slip rates are faster than the rates of 0.1 to 0.4 mm/yr from earlier in the Pleistocene, defining a pattern of accelerating slip on the Lone Mountain fault over a timescale of 104 years. The possibility of accelerating slip rates in parts of the Walker Lane partially reconciles the observed discrepancy between long- and short-term slip rates in this region and elucidates the distribution of strain across an evolving plate boundary.
Fracture Criteria for Piezoelectric Ceramics

Fracture criteria for piezoelectric materials were investigated. Mode I and mixed mode fracture tests were performed on PZT-4 piezoelectric ceramics to verify the validity of the mechanical strain energy release rate as a fracture criterion. Experimental results indicated that crack extension could be aided or impeded by an electric field, depending on the field direction. Further, the direction of crack extension was studied. A crack closure method, together with finite element analysis, was introduced to calculate the mechanical strain energy release rate. The maximum mechanical strain energy release rate was used to predict fracture loads under combined mechanical and electrical loads. It was found that the mechanical strain energy release rate criterion is superior to other fracture criteria and predicts fracture loads fairly accurately.
The detection of junction features in images

This paper presents a new junction detection operator that defines junctions as points where linear ridges in the gradient domain intersect. The radial lines that compose the junction are therefore identified by searching, in a circular neighborhood, for directional maxima of the intensity gradient. The proposed algorithm operates on two binary edge maps, the computational complexity of the detection process is then considerably reduced.
Work in progress - description of a service learning project to design assistive technologies to aid the visually-impaired in India

Cultural practices in India that dictate that individuals remove their footwear before entering homes and places of worship creates a challenge for visually-impaired people in identifying and collecting their footwear as they leave. This paper describes an interdisciplinary service-learning project, involving students in Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Mechanical Engineering (ME) programs, whose goal is to design and develop assistive technologies to help ameliorate this situation. The paper outlines the relevant technological issues in this project, and discusses how this research might be incorporated into the existing pedagogical structure of both programs.
Electrostatic interactions in the GCN4 leucine zipper: Substantial contributions arise from intramolecular interactions enhanced on binding

The GCN4 leucine zipper is a peptide homodimer that has been the subject of a number of experimental and theoretical investigations into the determinants of affinity and specificity. Here, we utilize this model system to investigate electrostatic effects in protein binding using continuum calculations. A particularly novel feature of the computations made here is that they provide an interaction-by-interaction breakdown of the electrostatic contributions to the free energy of docking that includes changes in the interaction of each functional group with solvent and changes in interactions between all pairs of functional groups on binding. The results show that (1) electrostatic effects disfavor binding by roughly 15 kcal/mol due to desolvation effects that are incompletely compensated in the bound state, (2) while no groups strongly stabilize binding, the groups that are most destabilizing are charged and polar side chains at the interface that have been implicated in determining binding specificity, and (3) attractive intramolecular interactions (e.g., backbone hydrogen bonds) that are enhanced on binding due to reduced solvent screening in the bound state contribute significantly to affinity and are likely to be a general effect in other complexes. A comparison is made between the results obtained in an electrostatic analysis carried out calculationally and simulated results corresponding to idealized data from a scanning mutagenesis experiment. It is shown that scanning experiments provide incomplete information on interactions and, if overinterpreted, tend to overestimate the energetic effect of individual side chains that make attractive interactions. Finally, a comparison is made between the results available from a continuum electrostatic model and from a simpler surface-area dependent solvation model. In this case, although the simpler model neglects certain interactions, on average it performs rather well.
Modified Fixation Point Servoing

Visual servoing is, roughly speaking, eye-hand coordination in a robot. This paper describes a fast, accurate visual servoing algorithm that uses fewer position parameters than conventional visual servoing. It does this through techniques of active vision. Although efficient and robust, in its simplest manifestation the original algorithm causes the robot arm to wobble over much of its trajectory to the fixation point. The original algorithm has been modified to eliminate this effect over much of the path
Value-Bifurcation in Bioscience: The Rhetoric of Research Justification

Dr. Cavalli-Sforza: We are observing, because of economic development of Third World countries, an enormous increase in migration, and also disappearance of populations living in peripheral locations, and very frequently marginal conditions . . . If we want to reconstruct populations history, and understand under what conditions certain diseases became prevalent in a population, we have to study these things now, before complete confusion (Senate 1993, p. 39).
Collective action on the western range: coping with external and internal threats

Collaborative natural resource management institutions enable agents with diverse interests to come together to solve complex problems. These actors must overcome a series of collective action problems to create, maintain, and evolve these institutions. In addition to the challenge of heterogeneous actors, these commons social-ecological systems often face internal and external threats or disturbances. The institutional arrangements may be effective with problems that are internal to a social-ecological system – ones that they are designed to handle, but how do these arrangements cope with external disturbances, especially ones caused by large-scale political and economic decisions, events, and processes. Using ethnographic and archival data we conduct an institutional analysis outlining the existing and emerging collaboratives, the important actors, and ongoing efforts to cope with the five major challenges identified by rangeland actors. We trace the evolution of institutions on the western range with a focus on their ability to cope with challenges that are largely within the system – biodiversity, fire, and water management, and those that are driven externally by actors who are largely absent – border militarization and violence and exurbanization.
Sustained Protein Kinase D Activation Mediates Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Induced Airway Barrier Disruption

ABSTRACT Understanding the regulation of airway epithelial barrier function is a new frontier in asthma and respiratory viral infections. Despite recent progress, little is known about how respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) acts at mucosal sites, and very little is known about its ability to influence airway epithelial barrier function. Here, we studied the effect of RSV infection on the airway epithelial barrier using model epithelia. 16HBE14o- bronchial epithelial cells were grown on Transwell inserts and infected with RSV strain A2. We analyzed (i) epithelial apical junction complex (AJC) function, measuring transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and permeability to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated dextran, and (ii) AJC structure using immunofluorescent staining. Cells were pretreated or not with protein kinase D (PKD) inhibitors. UV-irradiated RSV served as a negative control. RSV infection led to a significant reduction in TEER and increase in permeability. Additionally it caused disruption of the AJC and remodeling of the apical actin cytoskeleton. Pretreatment with two structurally unrelated PKD inhibitors markedly attenuated RSV-induced effects. RSV induced phosphorylation of the actin binding protein cortactin in a PKD-dependent manner. UV-inactivated RSV had no effect on AJC function or structure. Our results suggest that RSV-induced airway epithelial barrier disruption involves PKD-dependent actin cytoskeletal remodeling, possibly dependent on cortactin activation. Defining the mechanisms by which RSV disrupts epithelial structure and function should enhance our understanding of the association between respiratory viral infections, airway inflammation, and allergen sensitization. Impaired barrier function may open a potential new therapeutic target for RSV-mediated lung diseases.
Content analysis of the advisory opinion archive of the commission on rehabilitation counselor certification

Rehabilitation counselors are taught to use the Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors in conjunction with ethical decision-making models to resolve ethical dilemmas. In this art...
A PHASE I TRIAL OF 96-HOUR PACLITAXEL INFUSION PLUS ACCELERATED RADIOTHERAPY FOR UNRESECTABLE HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Abstract Purpose: To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of paclitaxel given as a 96-hour continuous infusion during Weeks 1 and 5 of an accelerated radiotherapy schedule for the definitive treatment of advanced (nonmetastatic) unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Methods and Materials: Thirteen patients with Stage IV SCCHN were enrolled. Radiotherapy consisted of 70–72 Gy over 6 weeks, with a fractionation scheme of 2 Gy q.d. for 4 weeks followed by 1.6 Gy b.i.d. for 2 weeks, with no planned interruptions. Paclitaxel was administered over a 96-hour continuous infusion during Weeks 1 and 5 of radiotherapy at the following dose levels: Dose Level 1: 40 mg/m 2 /96-hours (3 patients); Dose Level 2: 80 mg/m 2 /96-hrs (5 patients); Dose Level 3: 120 mg/m 2 /96-hours (2 patients); and Dose Level 2A: 100 mg/m 2 /96-hours (3 patients). Results: The MTD of Paclitaxel was 100 mg/m 2 /96-hours. All but one patient (who experienced progressive disease after receiving 61 Gy and both cycles of paclitaxel) completed therapy as planned. Dose-limiting toxicity occurred in both patients enrolled at Dose Level 3, with one patient experiencing Grade 4 diffuse moist desquamation and the other patient experiencing Grade 4 mucositis and febrile neutropenia. Thus, Dose Level 2A was opened and no dose limiting toxicity was noted. Grade 3 non-dose limiting mucositis and dermatitis occurred at all paclitaxel dose levels. There were no treatment-related deaths. All Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were reversible. Complete responses were seen in 8 of 13 patients, 4 patients achieved partial responses, and 1 patient had no response/progressive disease. Conclusions: Infusional paclitaxel over 96 hours during Weeks 1 and 5 of this accelerated radiotherapy schedule is feasible. The MTD of paclitaxel in this protocol was 100 mg/m 2 /96-hours. Dose-limiting toxicities were primarily enhanced epithelial reactions, but febrile neutropenia also occurred. All patients develop non-dose limiting Grade 3 skin and mucosal reactions, reflecting the high treatment intensity. This regimen merits further investigation.
Sonographically Guided Distal Biceps Tendon Injections Techniques and Validation

Objectives The primary purpose of this investigation was to describe and validate sonographically guided techniques for distal biceps peritendinous/intratendinous injections using a cadaveric model. Methods A single experienced operator completed 18 sonographically guided distal biceps peritendinous injections and 15 sonographically guided distal biceps intratendinous injections in 18 unembalmed cadaveric elbow specimens (11 male and 7 female; age, 53–100 years; body mass index, 19.4–42.2 kg/m2). Four different peritendinous approaches were used to inject 3 mL of diluted yellow latex: (1) anterior/superficial, (2) posterior/superficial, (3) posterior/deep/short-axis (to the distal biceps tendon), and (4) posterior/deep/long-axis (to the distal biceps tendon). Three different intratendinous approaches were used to inject 1 mL of diluted blue latex: (1) anterior, (2) anterior/pronator window, and (3) posterior. The feasibility of all 7 injections was assessed by the operator in all specimens, and execution difficulty was recorded after each injection. Specimens were subsequently dissected to assess injectate placement. Results All 18 peritendinous distal biceps tendon injections accurately placed latex around the tendon without injecting into the tendon proper. All posterior/superficial peritendinous injections delivered injectate to the ulnar side of the tendon. All posterior/deep peritendinous injections delivered injectate to the radial side of the tendon, with the long-axis approach being technically easier than the short-axis approach. Anterior/superficial peritendinous injections delivered injectate predominantly to the anterior side of the tendon and resulted in 1 brachial artery injury. All but 1 of 15 distal biceps intratendinous injections (93%) accurately placed injectate into the tendon proper, with 1 of 5 anterior injections delivering injectate primarily deep to the paratenon. The posterior intratendinous approach was technically the easiest. No intratendinous injection resulted in neurovascular injury. Conclusions Sonographically guided distal biceps peritendinous/intratendinous injections are feasible and therefore may play a role in the management of patients presenting with distal biceps tendinopathy/bursopathy.
Compliant die-package interconnects at high frequencies

We investigate the concern that compliant interconnects due to their generally long, thin shape will introduce extra insertion loss for high-frequency signals, due to the added inductance at the die-package interface. We show that, as expected, an increase of the inductance in an inductive and resistive transition always causes additional insertion loss. However, in a complete system on-die drivers and receivers are connected to the die-package interface. Considering a capacitive and inductive-resistive transition, we show that for a given total pad capacitance there exists an optimal inductance that leads to a minimization of the insertion loss at the die-package interface. We refer to this as the pad capacitance compensation effect. As a significant finding, it appears that compliant interconnects can add some but not too much inductance at the die-package interface, so that the high-speed performance is actually improved. As an electromagnetically sound proof of the pad capacitance compensation concept, we perform full-wave simulations of variations of a generic die-package interface. Helical spring structures with different pitches and standard bumps are compared. Based on an appropriate post-processing of the simulation results the pad capacitance compensation effect for compliant interconnects is confirmed. As a final step, equivalent lumped-element representations (with frequency-dependent parameters) are derived directly from the simulated S parameters and a comparison with a 3-D quasistatic computation is made. This shows that the improved insertion loss for compliant interconnects is indeed correlated with an increased inductance of the structures.
PCR Detection of Cyclic Lipodepsinonapeptide-Producing Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and Similarity of Strains

Many strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae produce one of four classes of small cyclic lipodepsinonapeptides: syringomycins, syringostatins, syringotoxins, or pseudomycins. These metabolites are phytotoxic and growth inhibitory against a broad spectrum of fungi. Their production is dependent upon the expression of conserved biosynthesis and export genes syrB and syrD, respectively. PCR and oligonucleotide primers specific for a 752-bp fragment of syrB were used to identify cyclic lipodepsinonapeptide-producing strains of P. syringae pv. syringae. In contrast, PCR amplification with primers based on syrD did not always correlate with possession of the syrD gene, as indicated by Southern blot analysis, or with cyclic lipodepsinonapeptide production. Sequence comparisons of 400 nucleotides from the syrB PCR-amplified fragments showed 94% plot similarity among 27 strains. In a sequence phenogram, syringostatin and syringotoxin producers were grouped apart from syringomycin-producing strain B301D, with sequences that differed by eight and nine conserved base substitutions, respectively. PCR amplification of the 752-bp syrB fragment offers rapid and accurate detection of cyclic lipodepsinonapeptide-producing strains, and its sequence provides some predictive capabilities for identifying syringotoxin and syringostatin producers.
How Are Spring Snow Conditions in Central Canada Related to Early Warm-Season Precipitation?

AbstractThe response of the warm-season atmosphere to antecedent snow anomalies has long been an area of study. This paper explores how the spring snow depth relates to subsequent precipitation in central Canada using ground observations, reanalysis datasets, and offline land surface model estimates. After removal of low-frequency ocean influences, April snow depth is found to correlate negatively with early warm-season (May–June) precipitation across a large portion of the study area. A chain of mechanisms is hypothesized to account for this observed negative relation: 1) a snow depth anomaly leads to a soil moisture anomaly, 2) the subsequent soil moisture anomaly affects ground turbulent fluxes, and 3) the atmospheric vertical structure allows dry soil to promote local convection. A detailed analysis supports this chain of mechanisms for those portions of the domain manifesting a statistically significant negative snow–precipitation correlation. For a portion of the study area, large-scale atmospheric ...
Ruminant neurologic diseases

The diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in indigenous cattle in Europe, Israel, Japan, and, more recently Canada and the United States, has had a tremendous impact on the global cattle industry and has forever altered the methods for feeding, processing, and rendering of ruminant animals. It is humbling to recognize that the smallest infectious agent known—the prion—has produced such a large-scale result. Much has been learned since the initial 1986 report on BSE in the United Kingdom. One important lesson was that veterinary clinicians constitute the first line of defense in recognizing and diagnosing new diseases. As such, it is vital that veterinarians become well trained in the science and art of the physical examination, including the neurologic examination. It is also important for veterinarians to be able to differentiate the normal from the abnormal and the usual from the unusual. This issue of the Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice was written by ruminant clinicians for the practicing veterinarian. It focuses on the pathophysiology, neuroanatomical localization, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of ruminant neurologic diseases, using the important principles of evidence-based medicine. The authors are all internationally known specialists in ruminant internal medicine and have published extensively in the field of ruminant neurologic disease. To the authors I extend my sincere thanks for sharing their knowledge and clinical experience. To you, the practicing veterinarian, is passed the responsibility of identifying the first case of BSE or any other neurologic disease in your practice. It was the authors’ intention to provide all the information required to Peter D. Constable, BVSc, MS, PhD
Sexual and site differences in calcium consumption by the Malabar Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica

The calcium ingestion of Malabar Giant Squirrels Ratufa indica (Sciuridae) was examined at two sites, Magod and Bhimashankar, in western India. In females at Magod a positive correlation was found between rates of calcium ingestion from food resources and the contribution of those resources to the daily diet. This relationship was true for all females at Magod irre-spective of their reproductive condition. This relationship was neither significant for males at the same site nor for both sexes at Bhimashankar. A differential requirement for calcium between the sexes and the occurrence of higher rates of calcium ingestion or the probable presence of more easily digestible calcium at Bhimashankar are postulated to explain the observed phenomenon. Mature leaves and bark appear to be reliable sources of calcium at these sites.
Challenge-based Lab Instruction Improves Interaction in Physical Electronic Circuits Labs

Engineering labs provide an environment for both conceptual inquiry and procedural/practical skill and knowledge acquisition. Student performance in both areas can vary depending on their prior competencies and knowledge of basic concepts of the lab, motivation, and expectations. And when insufficient resources are available for students to learn how to perform routine lab procedures, students and lab instructors often spend the entire lab period addressing procedural issues and not enough time spent on conceptual inquiry and discussion. A study at Vanderbilt University explored the potential of providing "just in time, in context" Web-based learning resources during before-lab and during-lab access to determine if student procedural queries that predominantly occupy TA time can be reduced and increase conceptual discussions. This paper describes the study and presents statistics on conceptual and procedural deficiencies in individual students and the class, results showing positive outcomes in student self-correction of misconceptions using Web-based resources, and improvement in the quality of student and TA interaction in the lab
CXC Chemokines in Angiogenesis

A variety of factors have been identified that regulate angiogenesis, including the CXC chemokine family. The CXC chemokines are a unique family of cytokines for their ability to behave in a disparate manner in the regulation of angiogenesis. CXC chemokines have four highly conserved cysteine amino acid residues, with the first two cysteine amino acid residues separated by one non-conserved amino acid residue (i.e., CXC). A second structural domain within this family determines their angiogenic potential. The NH2 terminus of the majority of the CXC chemokines contains three amino acid residues (Glu-Leu-Arg: the ELR motif), which precedes the first cysteine amino acid residue of the primary structure of these cytokines. Members that contain the ELR motif (ELR+) are potent promoters of angiogenesis. In contrast, members that are inducible by interferons and lack the ELR motif (ELR-) are potent inhibitors of angiogenesis. This difference in angiogenic activity may impact on the pathogenesis of a variety of disorders.
Ductal carcinoma in situ: a ticking time bomb

85 ISSN 1758-1923 10.2217/BMT.12.69 © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd Breast Cancer Manage. (2013) 2(2), 85–88 The goal of screening is to detect cancer early and improve survival. Most screen-detected cancers should be treated effectively with fewer and less morbid therapies. Over the last decade, the quality of mammography and other imaging modalities for breast cancer screening has improved, resulting in a dramatic increase in the number of women diagnosed with noninvasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). In 2005, almost 60,000 cases of DCIS were recorded in the USA, representing nearly a quarter of all screen-detected cancers [1]. Evidence that earlier detection of DCIS improves diseasespecific survival is controversial, however, and many groups question the value of current breast-screening programs. Despite technological improvements in imaging, treatment for DCIS has not changed. Women with small foci of lowgrade DCIS are often treated with a onesize-fits-all barrage of surgery, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy. Analyses of trends over time show that, since 1998, both the mastectomy rate and the contralateral prophylactic mastectomy rate for DCIS have increased dramatically. DCIS is an independent risk factor for bilateral mastectomy in many studies, despite the results of the NSABP B-17 and B-24 trials, which demonstrate the safety of breastconserving surgery (BCS) for DCIS [2]. For those selecting BCS, there also appears to be a very high rate of intervention in the first decade after treatment [3], leading many to wonder if, from both a psychological and an economic standpoint, BCS is really worth it. Here, we present some current therapies and opportunities for future research regarding the treatment of DCIS.
Appearances are Deceptive: Staphylococcus Superinfection of Clavicular Tuberculous Osteomyelitis

A man, aged 25 years, presented with pain, swelling, and drainage from the right clavicular area. He had a past history of abscess at the sternoclavicular joint. The cultures from the drainage site grew methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and he was placed on appropriate antibiotics. As S. aureus infection of the clavicle is often secondary in nature, particularly in adults, a thorough workup was done to identify the underlying cause. Quantiferon gold, done as a part of the workup, came back positive, while the bone cultures grew S. aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. He was placed on 9 months of combination therapy for tuberculosis osteomyelitis with a good clinical outcome.
Antagonistic signals between BMP4 and FGF8 define the expression of Pitx1 and Pitx2 in mouse tooth-forming anlage.

Members of the Pitx/RIEG family of homeodomain-containing transcription factors have been implicated in vertebrate organogenesis. In this study, we examined the expression and regulation of Pitx1 and Pitx2 during mouse tooth development. Pitx1 expression is detected in early development in a widespread pattern, in both epithelium and mesenchyme, covering the tooth-forming region in the mandible, and is then maintained in the dental epithelium from the bud stage to the late bell stage. Pitx2 expression, on the other hand, is restricted to the dental epithelium throughout odontogenesis. Interestingly, from E9.5 to E10.5, the expression domains of Pitx1 and Pitx2, in the developing mandible, overlap with that of Fgf8 but are exclusive to the zone of Bmp4 expression. Bead implantation experiments demonstrate that ectopic expression of Fgf8 can induce/maintain the expression of both Pitx1 and Pitx2 at E9.5. In contrast, Bmp4-expressing tissues and BMP4-soaked beads were able to repress Pitx1 expression in mandibular mesenchyme and Pitx2 expression in the presumptive dental epithelium, respectively. However, the effects of FGF8 and BMP4 are transient. It thus appears that the early expression patterns of Pitx1 and Pitx2 in the developing mandible are regulated by the antagonistic effects of FGF8 and BMP4 such that the Pitx1 and Pitx2 expression patterns are defined. These results indicate that the epithelial-derived signaling molecules are responsible not only for restricting specific gene expression in the dental mesenchyme, but also for defining gene expression in the dental epithelium.
Neurofunctional Imaging of β-Cell Dynamics

Here we outline how islet cells use autocrine and paracrine “circuits” of classical neurotransmitters and their corresponding receptors and transporters to communicate with vicinal β-cells to regulate glucose stimulated insulin secretion. Many of these same circuits operate in the CNS and can be visualized by molecular imaging. We discuss how these techniques might be applied to measuring the dynamics of β-cell function in real time.
How far is too close? restricted, sex‐biased dispersal in black‐capped vireos

Understanding the interplay of dispersal and how it translates into gene flow is key to understanding population processes, and especially so for endangered species occupying fragmented habitats. In migratory songbirds, there is evidence that long-distance movement capabilities do not translate well into observed dispersal. Our objectives were to (i) define the fine-scale spatial genetic structure in endangered black-capped vireos to characterize dispersal patterns and (ii) to correlate dispersal dynamics to overall population genetic structure using a simulation approach. We sampled 160 individuals over 2 years to (i) describe the fine-scale genetic structuring and (ii) used this information to model scenarios to compare with actual data on change in population structuring over a 100-year interval. We found that black-capped vireos exhibit male philopatry and restricted dispersal distances, relative to females. Our simulations also support a sex-biased dispersal model. Additionally, we find that fragmentation related changes in rates of dispersal might be a likely cause for increasing levels of population structure over a 100-year period. We show that restricted sex-biased dispersal can explain population structuring in this species and that changes in dispersal rates due to fragmentation may be a continuing threat to genetic viability in this species.
An Analogue of a Result of Jacobsthal

Jacobsthal ( 4 )has proved that the n×n matrix is invertible with the inverse, Here μ( x ) denotes the Mobius function for positive integral x and is assumed to be 0 for other values; [ x ] has its usual meaning as the number of positive integers ≦ x .
Impunity's psychological effects: its ethical consequences.

During the last military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-83) a most fierce political repression developed which led to one of the blackest periods of the history of our nation and left thousands of dead, disappeared and exiled....We have already discussed, in other papers, how the political repression and the forced disappearance of people affects the community as a whole, the victims themselves, and their families, in a psychological and sociological sense. It is our aim now to deal with the psychological and sociological effects as well as the ethical implications of impunity, particularly in our professional field.... Language: en
Plant Adaptation Regions: Ecological and Climatic Classification of Plant Materials

The effective use of plant materials for an array of objectives including conservation, restoration, renovation, landscaping, and bioremediation requires knowledge of the adaptation of each species and, more specifically, knowledge of the adaptation of cultivars, strains, accessions, or ecotypes of a species to specific sites or regions. For agronomic and horticultural plants, specific adaptation information has been and continues to be developed by extensive testing. Rangeland, grassland, park, and restoration project managers often lack the resources to determine adaptation areas for plant materials because of the large number of species that are used and the extensive geographical areas that are serviced. Problems often arise in delineating adaptation areas for plant materials of both native and introduced species. Since ecoregion and plant hardiness zone classification systems integrate many climatic and geographic variables that determine plant adaptation, these 2 systems can be combined to develop Plant Adaptation Regions (PARs). A PAR map of the contiguous United States was developed by merging a widely used ecoregion map with the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map, and is available in GIS format. Based on their geographic origins and/or test results, plant materials and their general areas of adaptation can be classified using PARs.
Resolution enhancement in nonlinear photoacoustic imaging

Nonlinear processes can be exploited to gain access to more information than is possible in the linear regime. Nonlinearity modifies the spectra of the excitation signals through harmonic generation, frequency mixing, and spectral shifting, so that features originally outside the detector range can be detected. Here, we present an experimental study of resolution enhancement for photoacoustic imaging of thin metal layers immersed in water. In this case, there is a threshold in the excitation below which no acoustic signal is detected. Above threshold, the nonlinearity reduces the width of the active area of the excitation beam, resulting in a narrower absorption region and thus improved spatial resolution. This gain is limited only by noise, as the active area of the excitation can be arbitrarily reduced when the fluence becomes closer to the threshold. Here, we demonstrate a two-fold improvement in resolution and quantify the image quality as the excitation fluence goes through threshold.
Nitrous Oxide Toxicity with Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Deficiency

The neurological deterioration and death of a child with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) deficiency following anesthetization with nitrous oxide are reported from the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI, and McGill University, Montreal.
Calibration/Validation Results for the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) on Suomi-NPP

The Cross-track Infrared Sounder is the high spectral resolution infrared sounder on Suomi-NPP. Since launch in late 2011, post-launch cal/val efforts have been conducted to fine tune calibration coefficients and characterize the sensor& rsquo;s performance.
Wide complex tachycardia.

An 84-year-old woman was seen in the emergency department complaining of weakness and palpitation that had begun suddenly one hour earlier while she was resting at home. She did not complain of che...
Competition Policy and Free Trade: Antitrust Provisions in PTAs

Trade agreements increasingly contain provisions concerning ‘behind-the-border’ barriers to trade, often beyond current World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments (Dur, Baccini and Elsig 2014). Today’s preferential trade agreements (PTAs) may include, for instance, rules regarding ‘technical’ barriers to trade that go beyond the WTO’s Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement), accelerating the replacement of differing national product safety standards with common international standards and thus reducing the trade-inhibiting effect of regulatory measures (Buthe and Mattli 2011; World Trade Organization 2012). Today’s PTAs may also go beyond WTO rules in prohibiting preferences for domestic producers in government procurement (Arrowsmith and Anderson 2011; Dawar and Evenett 2011), although here the effectiveness of the PTA provisions is in question (Rickard, Chapter 11 in this volume). PTA provisions concerning trade in services (Trebilcock and Howse 2005: 349ff.), restrictions on the use of trade remedies and anti-dumping (Bown 2011; Bown and Wu 2014) and provisions concerning the treatment of foreign investment (Buthe and Milner 2014; United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 2006) have similarly attracted substantial attention, as they often go beyond the rules in the multilateral trade regime. All of these measures involve governments committing to adopt – or to refrain from – particular policies. The stated objective of such commitments usually is to eliminate or at least reduce the trade-distorting effects of domestic policies (Bhagwati and Hudec 1996), though linking particular policy choices to trade might also serve other purposes. Linkage may, for instance, increase the bargaining space for ‘getting to yes’ on trade liberalisation (see Axelrod and Keohane 1986; Davis 2004) or reduce the bargaining space, arguably with the intent of retaining a higher level of protectionism (e.g. Salazar-Xirinachs 2000). PTA commitments on behind-the-border measures may also be adopted to ‘lock in’ policies by making it politically and economically more costly for the current government or its successors to depart from the policy choices specified in the trade agreement (Buthe and Milner 2008; Mansfield and Milner 2012; Moe 2005).
Chapter 13 – The Origin and Regulation of the Renal Vasculature

The development of the kidney vasculature is a crucial morphogenetic event that leads to the formation of a functional kidney. The kidney is a complex organ fundamental for numerous homeostatic functions such as control of blood pressure, acid–base and fluid–electrolyte balance, removal of waste products, and red blood cell production for oxygen delivery. Major advances in understanding the identity and origin of the vascular precursors and processes involved in the assembly of the renal vessels have been recently made, thanks to the availability of molecular gene targeting techniques. This chapter describes the anatomy of the renal vasculature, the embryonic origin and fate of its vascular precursors, the mechanisms involved in the formation of the vessels, and the major signaling pathways and regulatory mechanisms that control the normal morphological development of the kidney vasculature.
Learning effective search heuristics

SAGE.2 is a production system that improves its search strategies with practice. The program incorporates four different heuristics for assigning credit and blame, and employs a discrimination process to direct its search through the space of move-proposing rules. The system has shown its generality by learning search heuristics in five different task domains. In addition to improving its search behavior on practice problems, SAGE.2 was able to transfer its expertise to scaled-up versions of a task, and in one case transferred its acquired search strategy to problems with different initial and goal states.
Triaxial compressive strain in bilayer graphene enabled by nitride stressor layer

Abstract A technique that can be used to viably create triaxially strained bilayer graphene on any desirable location by simple patterning was developed. Unlike the conventional graphene strain engineering methods, the photolithographically defined spoke patterns and compressive strained Si3N4 layer deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system enable the creation of locally confined triaxial strained bilayer graphene at the desire location by forming a unique tristar shaped wrinkle. The tristar shaped wrinkle was investigated with high resolution micro-Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses, and confirmed that 0.38% of maximum triaxial compressive strain was created. Mechanical simulation was used to verify the strain distribution and confirm the strain value which was calculated from the Raman spectroscopy and AFM profile. The technique presented here not only provides a practical route to the creation of strained graphene at desired locations but also offers the potential of the creation of multiaxial strain in the graphene for various types of graphene-based electronic and optoelectronic devices.
Association between health literacy and 30-day healthcare use after hospital discharge in the heart failure population.

Abstract Background Low health literacy increases the risk for hospital readmissions. Despite this, the measurement and use of health literacy to guide discharge counseling and planning in heart failure patients is not commonly performed. A short 3-Question Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS) is available and takes less than three minutes to complete, but has never been evaluated to help determine whether health literacy affects healthcare use after discharge in patients with heart failure. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess 30-day readmissions and emergency department visits based on health literacy evaluated by the BHLS in an acute care heart failure population. Methods This was a prospective observational cohort study conducted at a large quaternary health system. Hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of heart failure were assessed for health literacy using the BHLS. Unplanned healthcare use after discharge including 30-day, all-cause ED visits and hospital readmissions was assessed using univariate and logistic regression models. Results Two hundred and sixty four patients aged 66.6 ± 14.3 (mean ± SD) years met inclusion/exclusion criteria of whom 175 (66.3%) had a BHLS score >9 (adequate health literacy) and 89 (33.7%) had a BHLS score ≤9 (low health literacy). Predictors of low health literacy included older age (p = 0.019), lower education level (p Conclusion Using a short, 3-question validated survey instrument, it was demonstrated that low health literacy was associated with increased 30-day unplanned healthcare use after discharge in this heart failure population. These results provide a clinically useful, easily incorporated tool that could identify high-risk patients at need for clinical interventions.
Who owns the social web

User attitudes toward online intellectual property reveal how far social norms have strayed from legal notions of ownership.
Signatures of dynamical processes in Raman lidar profiles of the atmosphere

Raman lidar measurements provide profiles of several different tracers of spatial and temporal variations, which are excellent signatures for studies of dynamical processes in the atmosphere. An examination of Raman lidar data collected during the last four decades clearly show signatures of atmospheric planetary waves, gravity waves, low-level jets, weather fronts, turbulence from wind shear at surfaces and at the interface of the boundary layer with the free troposphere. Water vapor profiles are found to be important as a tracer of the sources of turbulence eddies associated with thermal convection, pressure waves, and wind shears, which result from surface heating, winds, weather systems, orographic forcing, and regions of reduced atmospheric stability. Examples of these processes are selected to show the influence of turbulence on profiles of atmospheric properties. Turbulence eddies generated in the wind shear region near the top of the boundary layer are found to mix into the atmospheric boundary layer. Results from several prior research projects are examined to gain a better understanding of processes impacting optical propagation through the many sources of turbulence observed in the lower atmosphere. Advances in lasers, detectors, and particularly in high-speed electronics now available are expected to provide important opportunities to improve our understanding of the formation processes, as well as for tracking of the sources and dissipation of turbulence eddies.
Rice straw mulch for post-fire erosion control: assessing non-target effects on vegetation communities

Straw mulch is commonly used for post-fire erosion control in severely burned areas but this practice can introduce non-native species, even when certified weed-free straw is used. Rice straw has recently been promoted as an alternative to wheat under the hypothesis that non-native species that are able to grow in a rice field are unlikely to establish in dry forested habitats. We investigated this hypothesis in the severely burned areas of the 2013 Rim Fire in the Sierra Nevada that were treated with rice straw post-fire. In 2014, we installed 134 plots in mulched and control areas with >95% tree mortality and re-measured a subsample in 2015. Mulched areas had significantly higher non-native forb cover, non-native graminoid cover and non-native species richness. In addition, 25 non-native species occurred exclusively in mulched areas; collectively, these responses contributed to more homogenous plant communities in mulched areas than in unmulched areas in 2015. In contrast, mulch had no effect on total plant cover, and conifer regeneration densities were generally unaffected with the exception of a slight positive effect on Douglas-fir. We recommend more stringent testing for weed-free certification and that funding for non-native species eradication be included with post-fire rehabilitation plans.