cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Approach of organic light emitting displays (OLED) to technology status

A display is an electronic component or subsystem used to convert electrical signals into visual imagery in real time suitable for direct interpretation by a human observer. Until recently, the cathode ray tube (CRT) has been the main source of displays. During the last twenty years, it has been determined that alternatives to CRT displays need to found. One of the alternatives was the introduction of flat-panel displays. The term 'flat-panel display' is more of a concept than a specific entity. It is a display which is flat and light and may not require a great deal of power. A flat-panel display is often defined in terms of the ideal display, that being: thin form, low volume, even surface, having high resolution, high contrast, sunlight readable, color, low power, and being solid-state, light weight, and low cost. This is easy to conceive but difficult to deliver. The objective is to develop displays with as many desirable characteristics as possible. Flat-panel displays are basically of two types: the light valve type (that needs an external source of light such as a backlight or arc-lamp) and the emissive type (that generate light at the display surface). The light emitting diode (LED) display is of the emissive type. Inorganic LED and electroluminescent (EL) displays have been in use for more than 25 years in one form or the other because of their 'inherent' ruggedness and operation over extremely wide temperature ranges. Because of certain limitations of inorganic materials (such as cost, power, and color), LED displays do not dominate the high information content flat- panel display market. A recent discovery of polymer and other organic materials has changed LED prospects. It may now be possible to make organic LED displays that are inexpensive, low-power, and at the same time provide high resolution and full color. If present research objectives are met, organic LEDs may revolutionize the flat-panel display market. This paper addresses the various aspects of organic LED technology with particular reference to its useful characteristics, and the technology challenges. The pace of research accomplishments indicate that it will be some years yet before OLEDs succeed in the market place as product components.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Boulder: A Round White Multipurpose Potato Variety

Boulder is a round white selection with medium specific gravity that can be used in both the tablestock and chip-processing markets. The tubers will chip process out-of-the-field and from 10 C storage. The tubers of Boulder are large in size with a low incidence of internal defects. Boulder was tested in Michigan State University trials, the North Central Regional trials, on-farm trials in Michigan and other out-of-state replicated agronomic trials. Under irrigated conditions in Michigan, the yield is similar to or better than Atlantic, but specific gravity is less. Boulder has a full-season vine maturity that is similar to Snowden, but the tubers size early. Based upon our trials, an in-row spacing of less than 25.4 cm to reduce the percentage of oversize tubers is recommended. In simulated bruise tests, Boulder had less blackspot bruising than Atlantic, but was more blackspot susceptible than Onaway. Based upon five years of trials, Boulder has resistance to scab that is greater than Atlantic, but less than Onaway.
A genetic approach for studying the role of thromboxane A2 in the kidney.

A genetic approach for studying the role of thromboxane A2in the kidney. Thromboxane A2 (TxA2) has been implicated in a number of processes in normal kidney physiology and as a mechanism for injury in renal disease. TxA2 is a biologically active derivative of arachidonic acid and has potent vasoconstrictive and platelet-activation functions. Its actions are mediated by binding to specific G-protein-associated receptors designated TP receptors. There are at least two isoforms of the human TP receptor, and pharmacological evidence suggests TP receptor heterogeneity in other species. TP receptors are located in the renal cortex, and there may also be TxA2 binding sites in the medulla. TP receptors are involved in some normal functions of the kidney, and there is considerable evidence that TP receptors may mediate renal damage in disease states. To assess directly the role of the TxA2 in normal kidney function and in murine models of human disease, we have used gene targeting to eliminate expression of the TP receptor in mice.
High-Speed MEMS Micromirror Switching

We report a high-speed MEMS micromirror that switches in 225 ns using 22 V. Switch repetition rates of up to 100 kHz have been demonstrated. These performance characteristics significantly extend the application space of micromirrors.
Identifiability of dynamic systems

The structural identification problem in dynamic system theory is studied and the connection between structural identifiability and other identifiability concepts, including least-square identifiability, identifiability with noisy observations and identifiability of system matrix coefficients, is discussed. Conditions for structural identifiability are reviewed, and new results are derived for both local and global identifiability.
Chaotic descent method and fractal conjecture

Very often, when dealing with computational methods in engineering analysis, the final state depends so sensitively on the system’s precise initial conditions that the behavior becomes unpredictable and cannot be distinguished from a random process. This outcome is rooted in an intricate phenomenon labeled “chaos”, which is a synonym for unpredictable events in nature. In contrast, chaos is a deterministic feature that can be utilized for problems of finding global solutions in both nonlinear systems of equations as well as optimization. The focus of this paper is an attempt to utilize computational instabilities in solving systems of nonlinear equations and optimization theory that resulted in development of a new method, Chaotic Descent. The method is based on descending to global minima via regions that are the source of computational chaos. Also, one very important conjecture is presented that in the future might lead the way towards direct solving of the systems of simultaneous nonlinear equations for all the solutions.
Antiplatelet therapy: cangrelor for ACS-lessons from the CHAMPION trials.

The two CHAMPION trials failed to show superiority of cangrelor (a rapid-acting, reversible intravenous platelet P2Y12 adenosine receptor antagonist) versus clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. The CHAMPION PCI trial, however, did show a significant reduction in death and stent thrombosis suggesting benefit in those without clopidogrel pretreatment.
Role of Viscosity on Capillary Flow and Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior

It is documented that the viscosity has a significant effect on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior in terms of the K-da/dt relation. In order to better understand the role of viscosity and its effect on transport of aqueous solution to the crack tip due to capillary action at the crack tip, experiments were conducted using a glass-metal setup. The confined space between the crack-mouth faces was simulated using wedge-type geometry between a glass slide and 7475 aluminum plate. The space between the glass and aluminum crevice was carefully controlled using spacers. The effect of viscosity was modeled using water, glycerin, and its mixture. According to our best knowledge, this article presents the first simple model of experimental simulation of the capillary flow phenomenon with a goal of arriving at a better understanding of how the viscosity affects the SCC behavior. Experimental results of several materials taken from the literature support the role of viscosity on SCC behavior.
Postoperative Follow-Up of Patients with Ventricular Septal Defect

This study deals with 341 patients who underwent operative correction of ventricular septal defect at the University of Minnesota Hospitals from 1954 to 1960. Seventy-one patients (21%) died during operation or in the immediate postoperative period; another 30 patients (9%) died following discharge from the hospital and as late as 14 years after operation. One hundred-forty patients had postoperative cardiac catheterizations, 28 of whom were catheterized more than five years after operation. Postoperative hemodynamic data were compared with available preoperative data and show no significant change in total pulmonary resistance. Although the majority of our survivors are asymptomatic, we believe that periodic postoperative clinical and laboratory evaluation is important to the continued well-being of the patient.
Behavior of Decomposed Ammonia Borane at High Pressure up to ~10 GPa

We conducted in situ Raman spectroscopy study on ammonia borane loaded in diamond anvil cell (DAC). The ammonia borane was decomposed at around 140 degree Celsius under the pressure ~0.7 GPa. Raman spectra show the hydrogen was desorbed within 1 hour at 140 degree Celsius. The hydrogen was sealed in the DAC well and cooled down near to room temperature. Applying higher pressure up to ~10 GPa indicates interactions between the products and loss of dihydrogen bonding. No rehydrogenation was detected in the pressure range investigated.Keywords: Ammonia borane; Diamond anvil cell; High pressure; Phase transition
Total synthesis of epi-7-deoxypancratistatin via aza-Payne rearrangement and intramolecular cyclization.

epi-7-Deoxypancratistatin containing the cis-fused phenanthridone core was synthesized in 12 steps from bromobenzene. Key features of this synthesis include the enzymatic oxidation of bromobenzene ...
Dual-Stage Servo Control for an Optical Pointing System

In the realm of hard disk drives (HDD), dual-stage servo control has been shown to achieve increased control bandwidth and reduced power consumption compared to single-stage architectures [1]–[4]. Motivated by these results, we seek to apply dual-stage control to an analogous case of an optical pointing system, which has similar objectives of high-bandwidth control over a wide spatial range.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Ionic analyses and effects of ions on contractions of sponge tissues

Contractions of oscular membranes of several marine sponges in response to mechanical stimuli were recorded in various ionic media. Previously, failure to record action potentials and to stimulate electrically was reported.
Approximating Prediction Error Variances for Multiple Trait Sire Evaluations

Abstract The coefficient matrix for multiple trait (milk, fat, and protein) mixed model equations may be too large to obtain prediction error variances from inverse elements. The commonly used reciprocals of diagonal elements may not be accurate approximations when sire relationships or multiple traits are included since much information is contained in offdiagonal elements. Approximations incorporating increased information from coefficient matrix were compared with actual prediction error variances for multiple trait evaluations for milk, fat, protein, and dollar value (relationships included) of 229 Ayrshire and 248 Brown Swiss bulls. Six approximations were selection index using number of daughter records, inverses of individual sire diagonal blocks, inverses of group and individual sire blocks, and inverses of all diagonal blocks and offdiagonal blocks associated with individual sires. All approximations underestimated actual prediction error variances, but most, except selection index, were highly correlated (.90 to .99) with actual prediction error variances of sire evaluations for milk yield and product value for contemporary bulls. The approximation incorporating most information from the coefficient matrix is recommended for use on basis of high correlation with and closeness to actual prediction error variances.
Sign-nonsingular skew-symmetric matrices with the most nonzero entries

Abstract It is shown that a sign-nonsingular skew-symmetric matrix of order 2n, n ⩾ 3, has at most 2(n2 + n − 1) nonzero entries, and matrices for which equality holds are characterized.
Decentralization and Environmental Protection on Mexico's Northern and Southern Boundaries

This article examines and compares decentralization initiatives for environmental protection along Mexico's northern and southern borders. It suggests that in the north, environmental protection policy concerns tend to be human centered and urban oriented whereas in the south, the government's environmental protection effort is directed at managing natural resources and biodiversity. Furthermore, in the north, the international border functions as a catalyst, creating an external push for binational cooperation with environmental protection. In the south, the international borders are associated with social conflicts that complicate binational efforts to advance cooperation for environmental protection. These stark differences point to the need for Mexico to tailor environmental decentralization policies to the realities of particular regions and reduce urban bias.
Decision analysis model evaluating the cost-effectiveness of risperidone, olanzapine and haloperidol in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Purpose To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of three antipsychotic medications (olanzapine, risperidone and haloperidol) in the treatment of schizophrenia using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale. Study design and methods A decision analysis model was created to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of two atypical antipsychotics (risperidone and olanzapine) and haloperidol. Outcome probabilities were determined from published clinical trials. The main dependent variable of interest was to compare the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) of the atypical antipsychotic with haloperidol, and also to compare the ICER of olanzapine and risperidone. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for olanzapine and risperidone to determine the effects of altering drug cost, efficacy and re-hospitalization rate on total costs. Results Risperidone and olanzapine were dominant strategies compared with haloperidol (less costly and more effective). Risperidone was also dominant when compared with olanzapine. A one-way sensitivity analysis for efficacy indicated that the efficacy of risperidone would need to decrease by approximately 3% from the base-case in order for olanzapine and risperidone to have equal total costs. In a two-way sensitivity analysis varying both the cost of olanzapine and risperidone, the difference in drug costs between them would have to increase from $2.12 per day to $4.12 per day in order to have equal total costs. In terms of varying re-hospitalization rates, the re-hospitalization rate for risperidone would have to increase from 3% to 33% greater than the re-hospitalization rate for olanzapine in order to have equal total direct costs. Conclusion Based on this decision model, atypical antipsychotics were a dominant strategy over haloperidol primarily because of increased efficacy and lower re-hospitalizations. The ICER indicated that risperidone was dominant over olanzapine because of lower drug costs and increased number of responders, which leads to decreased total costs.
Not Necessarily the First

The Newsmakers item “Opening up” (11 May, p. [811][1]) states that “German physicist Romano Rupp of the University of Vienna in Austria has become the first non-Chinese person to be named science dean at a Chinese university.” In fact, George W. Groff, a Penn State graduate in horticulture, was dean of the College of Agriculture at Canton Christian College in Guangzhou, China, from 1922 to 1941 ([1][2]). Canton Christian College became Lingnan University, whose College of Agriculture merged with that of Sun Yat Sen University in 1952 to form South China Agricultural College, now South China Agricultural University, with a current enrollment of 36,000 students. Groff began teaching horticulture in China in 1907, beginning a century of partnership between Penn State and South China Agricultural University that is still thriving in the form of training and research collaboration in plant biology, including a joint Laboratory of Root Biology inaugurated by the presidents of South China Agricultural University and Penn State on May 29 of this year. Rupp appears to be (at least) 85 years late to merit the title of “first non-Chinese science dean at a Chinese university.” 1. 1.[↵][3] Lingnaam Agric. Rev. 1 , 1 (1922). [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.316.5826.811e [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1. in text"
Using handheld computers for daily alcohol assessment: Results from a pilot study

Aims: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility and usability of daily retrospective assessments of alcohol use using handheld computers and to explore their comparability to...
Reparative Behaviors and Self-forgiveness: Effects of a Laboratory-based Exercise

Two studies evaluated a laboratory-based exercise designed to facilitate reparative behaviors (e.g., apology, amends) and self-forgiveness. In Study 1, all participants (undergraduates; 50 men, 37 women) did the exercise. Participants reported self-forgiveness increases that were partly maintained over two weeks. In Study 2, undergraduates (75 men, 92 women) were randomly assigned to conditions: responsibility/repair (yes/no) × self-forgiveness (yes/no). The responsibility/repair-alone condition (without self-forgiveness) increased the odds that women would offer reparative behaviors. The self-forgiveness component predicted greater self-forgiveness increases at follow-up, but only among those who actively tried to forgive themselves during the two weeks. In both studies, reparative behaviors predicted self-forgiveness increases and were more likely when offenses were recent, relationships were close, and relational repair had already begun.
U.S. IOOS Program Office Quality Assurance of Real-Time Ocean Data Project

The Quality Assurance of Real-Time Ocean Data (QARTOD) Project is an activity of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program Office designed to establish and document the minimum quality control and quality assurance procedures a non-federal Regional Information Coordination Entity must perform to meet certification criteria. Regional entities like the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association, and others, expect to benefit from certification by gaining federal protection from civil liability associated with dissemination and use of IOOS data and by becoming eligible to compete for future funding opportunities which may require certification. More importantly, these procedures will help ensure that only valid qualified data are inserted into and redistributed by the national data system.
A decorated lattice-gas model of supercritical fluid solubilities and partial molar volumes

Abstract A decorated lattice-gas has been applied to model supercritical solubilities and infinite dilution partial molar volumes near the critical point. This is the first time such a model has been extended for correlation with experimental data. The model is exact for dilute systems, it exhibits precise scaling, and it requires only two adjustable parameters.
The Effects of Parceling Unidimensional Scales on Structural Parameter Estimates in Structural Equation Modeling

Structural equation modeling allows several methods of estimating the disattenuated association between 2 or more latent variables (i.e., the measurement model). In one common approach, measurement models are specified using item parcels as indicators of latent constructs. Item parcels versus original items are often used as indicators in these contexts to avoid estimation problems or solve issues associated with multivariate normality of the data. One concern associated with the use of item parceling is that no single "correct" approach exists to construct the parcels. Despite the controversy associated with selecting the most appropriate parceling method, less is understood with regard to how these methods influence the structural or path coefficients. By means of simulated and empirical data, this article addresses some commonly used strategies to model disattenuated structural coefficients between latent variables. Results revealed that when a single unidimensional scale is used to represent a latent ...
On the other law of the iterated logarithm

A general integral test is established which refines the Jain-Pruitt Chung LIL for iid random variables. As a corollary we obtain that Chung's integral test for Brownian motion is valid for partial sums of iid random variables satisfyingEX 21{|X|≧t}=O((LLt) −1) ast→∞.
Bullectomy for symptomatic or complicated giant lung bullae.

Background Giant bullae of the lung are rare. Little is known about functional results after surgical treatment. Methods This study retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent surgical treatment for giant bullae between December 1988 and December 2010. Results There were 63 patients (51 men, 12 women) with a median age of 56 years (range, 26 to 85 years). Bullae were a median size of 14 cm (range, 9 to 30 cm). Forty-five patients (71%) had underlying diffuse emphysema. The indication for surgical intervention was symptoms alone in 30 patients (48%) and associated complications in 33 (52%). The operation was a bullectomy in 54 patients, lobectomy in 6, plication in 2, and bilobectomy in 1. Complications occurred in 27 patients (43%), and 2 patients (3.0%) died. At the last follow-up, 19 had died and 44 were alive. Of the 43 patients with shortness of breath preoperatively, 29 (67.4%) were improved. Thirty patients (46.1%) had preoperative and postoperative pulmonary function tests with improvement from a median forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) of 1.0 L preoperatively to 1.4 L postoperatively ( p = 0.002). Increasing bulla size ( p = 0.02) and underlying emphysema ( p = 0.01) were adversely associated with postoperative morbidity. Dyspnea improved in 21 of 33 patients (64%) with underlying diffuse emphysema compared with 5 of 7 patients (71%) without emphysema ( p = 0.70). Conclusions Bullectomy improved pulmonary function in most patients with a symptomatic or complicated giant bulla, or both. However, increasing bulla size and underlying emphysema resulted in increased treatment morbidity. Underlying diffuse emphysema is not a contraindication to bullectomy.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Adsorption Studies of Nanocrystalline Copper Oxide and Nickel Oxide

Nanocrystals of CuO and NiO have been produced by an alkoxide-based synthesis involving the corresponding metal chlorides, ethanol, and water. The resulting oxides are in the form of powders, with the CuO having crystallites in the size range of 7−9 nm and the NiO having crystallites in the size range of 3−5 nm. These crystallites aggregate together to form larger spherical particles, which have been studied by transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer−Emmet−Teller methods and were found to contain many pores and tunnels. It is because of this that an uncharacteristically high surface area is found, averaging about 135 m2/g for CuO and 375 m2/g for NiO. As seen with other metal oxides, once they are made as nanoparticles their reactivity is greatly enhanced. This is thought to be due to morphological differences, whereas larger crystallites have only a small percentage of reactive sites on the surface, smaller crystallites will possess much higher surface concentration of such sites. Elemental analysi...
TGF-β-1 up-regulates cyclin D1 expression in COLO-357 cells, whereas suppression of cyclin D1 levels is associated with down-regulation of the type I TGF-β receptor

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) inhibits cell growth in susceptible cells by interacting with a family of protein kinases that control cell cycle progression. In the present study, we investigated the effects of TGF-β1 on cyclin D1 expression and activity in COLO-357 human pancreatic cancer cells. TGF-β1 increased cyclin D1 mRNA and protein levels. Nuclear runoff transcription and protein synthesis inhibition by cycloheximide revealed that this increase was, in part, due to increased cyclin D1 mRNA synthesis. Despite its stimulatory effects on cyclin D1 levels, TGF-β1 inhibited cyclin D1-associated kinase activity and the growth of COLO-357 cells. Furthermore, suppression of cyclin D1 expression with a cyclin D1 antisense cDNA resulted in loss of TGF-β1-mediated growth inhibition in association with reduced induction of cyclin D1, p21Cip1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). Concomitantly, there was a marked decrease in the levels of the type I TGF-β receptor (TβRI). Our findings suggest that in some cell types cyclin D1 expression may be important for TGF-β1-mediated signaling and that cyclin D1 may be involved in the transcriptional regulation of TβRI. Int. J. Cancer 83:247–254, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Secrecy and Written Dialogue

Exp. I showed that the probability of disclosing bad news about a best friend to that best friend was high for males and females. But Exp. II, conducted at a more impersonal level, indicated that females but not males exercised a low probability of revealing bad news to a best friend. It was concluded that to comprehend the parameters of a psychology of secrets, we must know more about the capabilities and intent of the secret bearer.
On Improving Dynamic Source Routing for Intermittently Available Nodes in MANETs

Previous work on routing in MANETs has resulted in numerous routing protocols that aim at satisfying constraints such as minimum hop or low energy. Existing routing protocols often fail to discover stable routes between source and sink when route availability is transient, i.e., due to mobile devices switching their network cards into low-power sleep modes whenever no communication is taking place. In this paper, we introduce a stability aware dynamic source routing protocol (SA-DSR) that is capable of predicting the stability (i.e., expiration time) of multiple routes. SA-DSR then selects the route that minimizes hop count while staying available for the expected duration of packet transmission. Comparisons of SA-DSR to the original DSR (Dynamic Source Routing) protocol indicate a significant (up to 60%) increase in route discovery success rate with comparable route establishment and maintenance overheads.
The number of automorphisms of a monolithic finite group

Abstract We develop a general formula for the order of the group of automorphisms Aut ( G ) of a monolithic finite group G in terms of information about the complex characters of G and information about how G is embedded as a subgroup of a particular finite general linear group. We show that this formula is applicable to a wide variety of finite p-groups, and we discuss several applications to particular large families of finite p-groups. Finally, we derive a useful consequence of this formula and discuss its application to a classification problem involving finite p-groups.
Potential barriers to parent monitoring: social disadvantage, marital status, and maternal psychiatric disorder.

ABSTRACT Objective To test whether social disadvantage, marital status, and history of psychiatric disorder might impair mothers' monitoring and supervision of their children. Method An epidemiological sample of 673 mothers of 8- through 11-year-old children, who had been participants in a longitudinal study of children's development, completed standardized telephone interviews about their monitoring and supervision of children. Indicators of social disadvantage also were collected in the telephone interview, and maternal history of psychiatric disorder had been assessed using the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule, administered when the children were 6 years old. Results Mothers who were never married were twice as likely to be in the lowest quintile of parent monitoring as those who were married (31% versus 16%, p = .001); a similar distribution was found for mothers who did not complete high school compared with those who attended college (31% versus 15%, respectively, p = .001). Mother's history of substance use disorder, anxiety disorder, or major depression was also linked to lower levels of monitoring. Mothers of girls reported higher levels of monitoring than mothers of boys ( p Conclusions This study indicates that social disadvantage and maternal psychiatric disorder could have a negative influence on mothers' monitoring behaviors. Although the causal role of these factors is still unclear, interventions that target parenting behaviors should be designed to take them into account.
Oblique impact on a head-helmet system

Abstract The propagation of waves produced by pendulum impact both radially and obliquely on two different models simulating a head-helmet system was studied experimentally by means of strain gages attached to the surfaces of the components representing the skull and the helmet and by tourmaline crystals embedded in a gel representing the brain. The first model consisted of a set of nested aluminium and styrofoam full or partial spherical shells, while the second comprised an actual cadaver skull held in an army helmet by means of a polyurethane foam. The results were compared with theoretical and experimental information previously developed.
Conditioned Observation of Books and Accelerated Acquisition of Textual Responding by Preschool Children.

We report an experiment investigating the effects of conditioning books as reinforcers for observing responses on the learning of textual responses by pre-school children. The independent variable was the acquisition of conditioned reinforcement of observing responses and choice of book stimuli in free play settings where children could choose to play with toys or look at books. Prior to the conditioning procedures, the children played with toys and did not look at books in free time in 4 preconditioning 5minute free-play sessions. During the treatment we conducted simultaneous stimulus conditioning procedures until looking at books became the preferred free-play activity. The dependent variable consisted of the numbers of learn-units-to mastery of textual responses before and after conditioning books as reinforcers for observing responses. Three boys and one girl (ages 2 years and 9 months to 4 years) participated in the experiment in a pre and post learn-units-to-criterion and simultaneous matched-pairs design with a time-lagged component. Prior to reinforcement conditioning, we matched children in pairs based on learn units they required to master a sets of 5 counterbalanced word sets. One child in each of 2 pairs received book conditioning initially, and another child received an equal number of conditioning trials with toys, as a control conditions, and then book conditioning. The results showed that (1) all four children required fewer learn-units-to-criterion on textual responses after books were conditioned as reinforcers for choice and observing and those who received the book conditioning first performed best. (2) Three of the four children maintained preference for books at 33%, 83%, and 100% of time in free play probes at 1 month. (3) There were no maintenance effects on accuracy of textual responding.
Population genomics of a symbiont in the early stages of a pest invasion

Invasive species often depend on microbial symbionts, but few studies have examined the evolutionary dynamics of symbionts during the early stages of an invasion. The insect Megacopta cribraria and its bacterial nutritional symbiont Candidatus Ishikawaella capsulata invaded the southeastern US in 2009. While M. cribraria was initially discovered on wild kudzu plants, it was found as a pest on soybeans within 1 year of infestation. Because prior research suggests Ishikawaella confers the pest status—that is, the ability to thrive on soybeans—in some Megacopta species, we performed a genomic study on Ishikawaella from US. Megacopta cribraria populations to understand the role of the symbiont in driving host plant preferences. We included Ishikawaella samples collected in the first days of the invasion in 2009 and from 23 locations across the insect’s 2011 US range. The 0.75 Mb symbiont genome revealed only 47 fixed differences from the pest-conferring Ishikawaella in Japan, with only one amino acid change in a nutrition-provisioning gene. This similarity, along with a lack of fixed substitutions in the US symbiont population, indicates that Ishikawella likely arrived in the US capable of being a soybean pest. Analyses of allele frequency changes between 2009 and 2011 uncover signatures of both positive and negative selection and suggest that symbionts on soybeans and kudzu experience differential selection for genes related to nutrient provisioning. Our data reveal the evolutionary trajectory of an important insect-bacteria symbiosis in the early stages of an invasion, highlighting the role microbial symbionts may play in the spread of invasive species.
Combined Issue on High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) Standard and Research

With the emergence of the HEVC project, TCSVT published the first special section of its kind in December 2010. The special section consisted of a number of video coding proposals that were submitted to the ISO/IEC SC29/WG11 (MPEG) and ITU-T SG16/Q6 (VCEG). Now, on the eve of its ratification of formally becoming a new video coding standard, we are very pleased to dedicate the entire issue to the topic of HEVC. The first part will be the special section on HEVC standard and is edited by J.-R. Ohm, G.J. Sullivan, and T. Wiegand. It consists of three invited papers. These excellent papers provide a comprehensive overview of the important aspects of the new standard. The second part is the special issue that was initiated by the Editor-in-Chief in 2012, and the Guest Editors were carefully selected from the members of our regular editorial team. Seventy two submissions were received in response to our call for papers, and unfortunately, we could only accommodate 18 due to our limited space.
Ecological discourse in Craig Childs's The Secret Knowledge of Water

This essay analyzes the ecological discourse used by Craig Childs in his creative non-fiction work The Secret Knowledge of Water. Childs attempts the tricky rhetorical approach of translating nature’s “voice” into text, while trying not to personify or idealize the environment. He uses ecological discourse not as an end, but as a means to give readers a biocentric perspective. Childs describes the non-verbal “conversations” between humans and nature, to help his readers locate themselves within the landscape and begin to understand the role they play as a part of a dynamic natural system.
Factors related to dissociation among patients with gastrointestinal complaints

Abstract Objectives: Several recent reports have suggested that the process of dissociation is independently associated with several distressing conditions such as psychiatric diagnoses, somatization, current psychological distress, and past sexual and physical victimization. These studies, however, have not taken into account possible shared variance between these variables. Is dissociation uniquely related to each of these outcomes or do they, as a group, have common underlying factors that account for the relationship with dissociation? Method: As part of a larger study of gastroenterology clinic patients with irritable bowel syndrome and patients with inflammatory bowel disease (n = 103), we used stepwise multiple regression to select the factors most associated with dissociation, while controlling for the effects of other variables. Variable domains included demographics, psychiatric diagnoses, personality factors, functional disability, and trauma history. These domains as well as individual variables within these domains were systematically evaluated for their unique contribution to the prediction of dissociation as measured by the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). Results: The best multivariable model for estimating dissociation magnitude included severe child sexual abuse, perceived physical disability, and lifetime dysthymia, alcoholism, and generalized anxiety disorder. These factors accounted for 37% of the variance in DES score and increased the correct classification of patients as either low-, middle-, or high-level dissociators. Conclusions: Dissociation among this convenience sample of IBS and IBD patients is a long-term coping pattern that is associated primarily with past sexual trauma, chronic emotional distress, alcoholism, and physical disability. Prospective studies are needed to test whether these findings also occur in other more generalizable samples.
Peer Status and Personality Characteristics of Learning Disabled and Nondisabled Students

This study explored the peer status, self-concept, perceived peer status, friendship preferences, and interpersonal needs of LD and nondisabled students. Although some of these variables have been discussed before, they have not previously been studied in the same group of students. It was found that learning disabied students were less popular and had poorer self-concepts than contrast students and were less accurate than contrast students in assessing their own social status. They appear, however, to have chosen friends on the same basis as other students. They evidenced the same interpersonal needs as contrast students, except they had a higher need to express control.
Differences in Microthrix Form Between Stomach and Spiral Intestine Stages of the Cestode, Trilocularia: Interspecific Variation or Development?

Abstract: Tetraphyllidean cestodes of the genus Trilocularia have been reported from Squalus acanthias throughout this shark's global distribution, occupying both the stomach and spiral intestine. This study investigated whether variation seen in microthrix form among specimens within this host species is indicative of interspecific variation or is attributable to developmental transformation of a single cestode species. Sequence data for the 2 nuclear genes 28S rDNA (D1–D3) and ITS1, and the mitochondrial gene 16S rDNA, were generated for 22 specimens of Trilocularia; 3 from the stomach and 19 from the spiral intestine, including individuals exhibiting each of the 3 spinithrix forms found. Sequence data for 22 specimens were identical for the 2 nuclear genes. Some variation was seen in the mitochondrial gene but maximum likelihood analysis revealed no pattern with either site or microthrix type, suggesting microthrix variation may be developmental. To explore the developmental hypothesis further, a tota...
Toddlers encode similarities among novel words from meaningful sentences

Toddlers can learn about the meanings of individual words from the structure and semantics of the sentences in which they are embedded. However, it remains unknown whether toddlers encode similarities among novel words based on their positions within sentences. In three experiments, two-year-olds listened to novel words embedded in familiar sentence frames. Some novel words consistently occurred in the subject position across sentences, and others in the object position across sentences. An auditory semantic task was used to test whether toddlers encoded similarities based on sentential position, for (a) pairs of novel words that occurred within the same sentence, and (b) pairs of novel words that occurred in the same position across sentences. The results suggest that while toddlers readily encoded similarity based on within-sentence occurrences, only toddlers with more advanced grammatical knowledge encoded the positional similarities of novel words across sentences. Moreover, the encoding of these cross-sentential relationships only occurred if the exposure sentences included a familiar verb. These studies suggest that the types of lexical relationships that toddlers learn depend on the child’s current level of language development, as well as the structure and meaning of the sentences surrounding the novel words.
Analyzing the forces binding a restriction endonuclease to DNA using a synthetic nanopore

Restriction endonucleases are used prevalently in recombinant DNA technology because they bind so stably to a specific target sequence and, in the presence of cofactors, cleave double-helical DNA specifically at a target sequence at a high rate. Using synthetic nanopores along with molecular dynamics (MD), we have analyzed with atomic resolution how a prototypical restriction endonuclease, EcoRI, binds to the DNA target sequence--GAATTC--in the absence of a Mg(2+) ion cofactor. We have previously shown that there is a voltage threshold for permeation of DNA bound to restriction enzymes through a nanopore that is associated with a nanonewton force required to rupture the complex. By introducing mutations in the DNA, we now show that this threshold depends on the recognition sequence and scales linearly with the dissociation energy, independent of the pore geometry. To predict the effect of mutation in a base pair on the free energy of dissociation, MD is used to qualitatively rank the stability of bonds in the EcoRI-DNA complex. We find that the second base in the target sequence exhibits the strongest binding to the protein, followed by the third and first bases, with even the flanking sequence affecting the binding, corroborating our experiments.
Nomograms for Predicting Annual Resolution Rate of Primary Vesicoureteral Reflux: Results From 2,462 Children

Purpose: We determined the resolution rate of vesicoureteral reflux and the factors that influence it to formulate nomograms to predict the probability of annual resolution for individual cases of reflux.Materials and Methods: We studied 2,462 children with primary vesicoureteral reflux diagnosed between 1998 and 2006. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model time to resolution as a function of statistically significant demographic and clinical variables. The resulting model was used to construct nomograms predicting the annual cumulative probability of reflux resolution.Results: Multivariate analysis showed that all cases of unilateral reflux resolved earlier than female bilateral reflux (HR 1.42, p <0.001). Additionally age less than 1 year at presentation (HR 1.31, p <0.001), lower reflux grade (2.96, p <0.001 for grade I; 2.28, p <0.001 for grade II; 1.63, p <0.001 for grade III), reflux diagnosed on postnatal evaluation for prenatal hydronephrosis or sibling screening (1.24, p = 0.002) a...
Providing Professional Support to Teachers Who Are Implementing a Middle School Mathematics Digital Unit

Middle school teachers’ use of digital curricula incorporating dynamic technology has been found to support student learning of complex algebraic concepts. This article reports on pilot research involving collaboration among faculty from a public university’s college of education, educational researchers from a nonprofit research organization, and school district leadership from a large, urban school district. The purpose of this paper is to document a series of inquirybased professional development sessions provided to middle school teachers on the implementation of a digitally based mathematics replacement unit emphasizing algebraic concepts. The professional development experiences allowed the participating teachers to implement the digital unit successfully using a variety of instructional approaches.
An orthopedic tissue adhesive for targeted delivery of intraoperative biologics.

Tissue adhesives can bind together damaged tissues and serve as tools to deliver and localize therapeutics to facilitate regeneration. One emerging therapeutic trend in orthopedics is the use of intraoperative biologics (IOB), such as bone marrow (BM) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), to stimulate healing. Here, we introduce the application of the biomaterial chondroitin sulfate succinimidyl succinate (CS-NHS) to deliver IOB in a hydrogel adhesive. We demonstrate the biomaterial's ability to bind various tissue types and its cellular biocompatibility with encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Further, we examine in detail the CS-NHS adhesive combined with BM aspirate for use in bone applications. hMSCs were encapsulated in CS-BM and cultured for 5 weeks in osteogenic medium. Quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated osteogenesis via upregulation of the osteogenic transcription factor Runx2 and bone markers alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. Significant deposition of calcium and osteocalcin was detected using biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical techniques. Shear testing demonstrated that the CS-BM adhesive exhibited an adhesive strength approximately an order of magnitude stronger than fibrin glue and approaching that of a cyanoacrylate adhesive. These results indicate that CS-NHS is a promising delivery tool for IOB in orthopedic applications requiring a strong, degradable, and biocompatible adhesive that supports bone growth. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31: 392–400, 2013
Investigating the Efficiency of Pneumatic Transfer of JSC-1a Lunar Regolith Simulant in Vacuum and Lunar Gravity During Parabolic Flights

Pneumatic (gas-driven) particle transfer is widely used in terrestrial applications for moving fines and coarse particulates. Its major advantage is the lack of moving parts, which otherwise would clog or jam, and ease of guiding the dusty gas stream across long distances and variable trajectories. Because lunar soil is highly abrasive, this transfer system is especially desirable in applications such as feeding regolith to the Oxygen reactor in alunar In Situ Resource Utilization plant. In this paper, we report on the experiments performed in vacuum and at lunar gravity during parabolic flights, to determine whether a pneumatic lift system could be feasible for lunar applications. We found that with 18 milligrams of Nitrogen gas at 3 psia, almost 100 grams of soil was successfully lifted at high velocity. This represents a mass efficiency of 1:5500. The required gas could be supplied in the form of Helium widely used as a pressurant in a lander’s propulsion system or a lander’s residual propellant could be burned in a small rocket thruster to provide hot gasses. The gas could also be recycled and in turn enhance the systems’ efficiency.