cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Examination of Task Demands on the Elicited Processing Capacity

Why do we not observe supercapacity more often? Although it has always seemed a little counterintuitive, it is plausible that increasing information or cognitive load in a task might result in more efficient processing. This is particularly the case when experimental participants might leverage Gestalt perception or holistic representations. However, it seems rare that supercapacity is consistently observed in experimental settings. In this chapter, I review applications of capacity coefficient analysis, particularly in double-factorial paradigm studies, to determine the relative prevalence of various capacity results. I explore the design choices that seem to support or encourage supercapacity versus those that might act to limit capacity by stimulus or response structures. I will attempt to determine if there are guiding principles for experimental designs that do or do not reliably produce supercapacity processing.
Accountability in a state of liminality: Iranian students’ experiences in American airports

AbstractThis paper studies the lived experience of Iranian students upon arrival at American airports. By using two concepts of liminality and accountability, I examine how Iranian students walk the gauntlet of US airports, and study the influences of the treatment they receive at airports on their perceptions of the US. Empirically, I draw on 15 in-depth qualitative interviews with eight Iranian students at a Southern university in the US. The paper posits that multiple layers of liminality surface and intensify in airports as a threshold where international travelers can see both ways, behind and before them, while belonging to neither one. The requirement to be an ‘accountable other’ adds up to the contingencies of the situation. Theoretically, this paper puts the politics of mobility in the colonial context and claims that legal recognition will not result in integration when negative discourses around the civilizational other regards their mobility as a threat and challenges their social recognition.
You, I, and We: Personal Pronouns in EAP Classroom Discourse

Personal pronouns are important markers of teacher-student relationships, as they permit both parties to locate themselves and each other in the varying conversational spaces in classroom settings. They also serve as critical indicators of degrees of personal involvement and interaction in the classroom. While a growing number of studies have examined instructors’ use of personal pronouns in university classrooms, very little is known of L2 learners’ and teachers’ use of the same. This chapter explores personal pronouns, specifically you, I, and we and their variants in learner and teacher speech in the EAP classrooms. We not only examine the distribution of these pronouns in the L2CD-S and L2CD-T, we also report on the comparative analysis of their sub-functions in the two sub-corpora.
The importance of a research case definition

All scientific activities with diseases rely on the selection of reliable and valid case definitions in order to accurately estimate prevalence rates, to identify biological markers, and to underst...
Validating guideline concordant care in lung cancer also validates good surgical judgement and skill

Surgical therapy with curative-intent continues to remain an important pillar in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). For thoracic surgical oncologists, integral to the long-term success of surgery for NSCLC is the preoperative identification of patients who will reap the benefits of a curative-intent treatment paradigm.
Prevalence of a Cefazolin Inoculum Effect Associated with blaZ Gene Types among Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Four Major Medical Centers in Chicago

The efficacy of cefazolin with high-inoculum methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) infections remains in question due to therapeutic failure inferred as being due to an inoculum effect (InE). This study investigated the local prevalence of a cefazolin InE (CInE) and its association with staphylococcal blaZ gene types among MSSA isolates in the Chicago area. Four medical centers in Chicago, IL, contributed MSSA isolates. Cefazolin MICs (C-MIC) were determined at 24 h by the broth microdilution method using a standard inoculum (SI; 5 × 105 CFU/ml) and a high inoculum (HI; 5 × 107 CFU/ml). The CInE was defined as (i) a ≥4-fold increase in C-MIC between SI and HI and/or (ii) a pronounced CInE, i.e., a nonsusceptible C-MIC of ≥16 μg/ml at HI. PCR was used to amplify the blaZ gene, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis and sequencing to determine the gene type. Approximately 269 MSSA isolates were included. All but one isolate were susceptible to cefazolin at SI, and 97% remained susceptible at HI. A total of 196 isolates (73%) were blaZ positive, with the blaZ types led by gene type C (40%). CInE was seen in 45 blaZ-positive isolates (23%), with 44 (22%) presenting a ≥4-fold increase in C-MIC (SI to HI) and 5 (3%) a pronounced CInE. Four of the five met both definitions of CInE, two of which expressed the type A gene. The prevalence of a pronounced CInE associated with the type A blaZ gene from MSSA isolates in Chicago is low. Our predilection for cefazolin use, even early in the management of hospitalized MSSA infections, is tenable.
Electronic structures of amorphous Ni 1 − x P x glasses

Electronic structures of amorphous ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{P}}_{\mathrm{x}}$ glasses for x=0.25, 0.20, and 0.15 are calculated with use of the orbital charge self-consistent orthogonalized linear combination of atomic orbitals method. Periodic structural models containing 100 atoms each are constructed first, using the Monte Carlo method. Results are presented for the total and partial density of states (DOS), joint DOS, localization index for each state, effective charges on each atom, and DOS at the Fermi level (${E}_{F}$). The ${E}_{F}$ is located at the steep edge of the Ni d band resulting in a Ni d-band hole in all three glasses. The local DOS of Ni atoms depends very sensitively on the number of P atoms as nearest neighbors while the local DOS of P atoms is rather insensitive to the atomic environment. For Ni atoms with no P atom as a nearest neighbor, its local DOS has a sharp peak above ${E}_{F}$ and its effective charge is much reduced. Mulliken charge analysis indicates that on average, P atom gains about 0.4 to 0.8 electrons from Ni atoms for x ranges from 0.25 to 0.15. The average conduction electron per Ni atom is calculated to be 1.5 electron. The high resistivity of a-${\mathrm{Ni}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{P}}_{\mathrm{x}}$ glasses may be related to the existence of localized electron states near ${E}_{F}$.
Prolegomena to a History of Robustness

The paper outlines a historical reconstruction of the spread of the concept of robustness across different disciplinary fields, and of the major significant shifts, which comprise the stratigraphy of the semantic expansion of this notion. Starting from the emergence of the modern notion in statistics, which inspired also its actual epistemic instantiations, the paper examines the historical relationship between dynamical systems theory and the notion of robustness, and analyzes the developments that prompted the shift from “modern” to “robust” control theory in engineering. It further deals with the first instantiations of the concept in biology in the 1990s, in order to highlight the turn impressed on the concept by Systems Biology, focusing particularly on its implications as to the relationship between robustness and complexity.
Regioselective Arene C−H Alkylation Enabled by Organic Photoredox Catalysis

Expanding the toolbox of C-H functionalization reactions applicable to the late-stage modification of complex molecules is of interest in medicinal chemistry, wherein the preparation of structural variants of known pharmacophores is a key strategy for drug development. One manifold for the functionalization of aromatic molecules utilizes diazo compounds and a transition-metal catalyst to generate a metallocarbene species, which is capable of direct insertion into an aromatic C-H bond. However, these high-energy intermediates can often require directing groups or a large excess of substrate to achieve efficient and selective reactivity. Herein, we report that arene cation radicals generated by organic photoredox catalysis engage in formal C-H functionalization reactions with diazoacetate derivatives, furnishing sp2 -sp3 coupled products with moderate-to-good regioselectivity. In contrast to previous methods utilizing metallocarbene intermediates, this transformation does not proceed via a carbene intermediate, nor does it require the presence of a transition-metal catalyst.
Hybrid Computational-Experimental Analytics for Nonlinear Deformation and Fracture

The determination of accurate material constitutive parameters is essential to understand nonlinear deformation and fracture of solids. Parameters for ductile alloys are challenging in this regard because of deformation inhomogeneity associated with the deformation of simple test specimen geometries. As a result, simple normalization of global specimen data to local constitutive parameters is not possible. In this investigation, iterative computational simulation of experimental cylinderical tensile specimen data is utilized in a hybrid manner to obtain constitutive parameters for HSLA-80 steel. Video recording and digital image analysis are used to identify computational simulation errors in surface displacements. These errors are in turn used to identify and modify constitutive parameter values which do not accurately represent the unobservable large deformations internal to the specimen. More than one specimen geometry is used for both experiment and simulation to ensure the geometry independence of the local constitutive parameters.
THE CONCEPT OF OPTIMAL TAXATION IN THE OVERLAPPING-GENERATIONS MODEL OF CAPITAL AND WEALTH

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights the concept of optimal taxation in the overlapping-generations model of capital and wealth. Every meaningful welfare analysis of the fiscal choices before the current generation of workers and savers must somehow take into account the impact that each tax structure would have upon the productive capacity made available to the next generation and upon the after-tax wealth-claims to retirement consumption, which are to be set against that future capacity. The maximin tax analysis by Ordover and Phelps (1975) of a simple overlapping-generations model of heterogeneous workers, compounded from the settings in Diamond (1965) and Mirrlees (1971), and the corresponding numerical simulation analysis by Jha (1978) met this problem by requiring that the present generation endow the next one with at least the same capital stock per worker as it enjoys and burden the next generation with at most the same wealth per worker to be paid to the retired as it must pay. The next generation might well complain if the current generation in maintaining both capital and wealth at their initial levels thereby missed opportunities for a mutual welfare gain.
Frameworks for Understanding the International Labor Organization and Its Impact

Like other international organizations, the ILO can be examined from a number of jurisprudential frameworks widely used by international law scholars, including realism, functionalism, legal positivism, law and economics, liberal theory, constructivism, deliberative approaches such as contestation, constitutionalism, and various forms of critical theory. This essay considers what is gained and lost from the application of such approaches to the organization. It also considers how the reality of today’s ‘transnational labor law’ – to be distinguished from the international labor law envisioned when the organization was established in 1919 – relates to contemporary scholarly debates about what exactly are the ‘sources’ of international law, how ‘compliance’ with those sources occur, and whether ‘global governance’ exists.
Learning Model Parameters for Decentralized Schedule-Driven Traffic Control

Model-based intersection optimization strategies that produce signal timings over a specified optimization horizon have been widely investigated for urban traffic signal control, and recent work in this area produced a scalable approach to real-time traffic control based on a decentralized schedule-driven optimization model. In this approach, a scheduling agent is associated with each intersection. Each agent senses the traffic approaching its intersection through local sensors and in real-time constructs a schedule that minimizes the cumulative wait time of vehicles approaching the intersection over the current look-ahead horizon. Intersections then exchange schedule information with their neighbors to achieve network level coordination. Although the approach is general and has demonstrated substantial success, its effectiveness in a given road network depends on the extent to which various parameters of the model, e.g, maximum green time, are adjusted to match that network's actual flow conditions over time. To address this problem, we propose a two-stage hierarchical structure that combines online planning and reinforcement learning. Reinforcement learning is applied to adjust the parameters of the model over a longer time-scale. On the other hand, online planning is used to compute the schedule for managing the traffic signals in the shorter term. We demonstrate how this hybrid approach outperforms the original approach in real-time traffic signal control problems.
United States Jewish Population, 2019

This chapter examines the size, geographic distribution, and selected characteristics of the Jewish population of the US. Section 5.1 addresses the procedures employed to estimate the Jewish population of more than 900 local Jewish communities and parts thereof. Section 5.2 presents the major changes in local Jewish population estimates since last year’s Year Book. Section 5.3 presents a brief migration history of American Jews and examines population estimates for the country as a whole, each state, the 4 US Census Regions, the 9 US Census Divisions, the 21 largest US Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), the 21 largest Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs), and the 52 Jewish Federation service areas with 20,000 or more Jews. Section 5.4 examines changes in the size and geographic distribution of the Jewish population at national, state, and regional scales from 1980 to 2019. Section 5.5 presents a description of the Detroit Jewish community based on the 2018 Detroit Jewish community study. Section 5.6 presents comparisons of Jewish communities on political party identification and voter registration. Section 5.7 presents an atlas of local American Jewish communities, including a national map of Jews by county and 14 regional and state maps of Jewish communities.
Diminished citizenship in the era of mass incarceration

This paper lays out a model of diminished citizenship as a tool for understanding the experiences of the large population of people who, at least in part by virtue of their relations with criminal ...
CO2-enriched brine injection’s impact on mechanical properties of a sandstone specimen

CO2 capture and geological sequestration is one of the most practical and efficient methods of mitigating anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Due to the uncertainties associated with CO2 injection into deep saline reservoirs, the interaction between the host rock and the injected CO2 needs to be better understood as it can lead to considerable pore-structure changes. The geochemical reactions, especially mineral dissolution, can compromise the mechanical properties of the reservoir rock, which consequently threatens the reservoir stability and integrity. Therefore, it is crucial to capture the variation of mechanical properties of the reservoir rock upon CO2 injection. In this study the variation of elastic properties (e.g. Young’s modulus, shear modulus, bulk modulus, and Poisson’s ratio) of a brine-saturated sandstone specimen upon injecting CO2 -enriched brine is investigated. The elastic properties of the specimen were initially characterized through multi-stage elastic (MSE) test before injecting the CO2 -enriched brine. Then, the synthetic brine solution was enriched with CO2 and injected into the brine saturated sandstone specimen. The mechanical test results revealed that a significant mechanical weakening occurred upon injecting CO2 -enriched brine into the sandstone specimen. This mechanical degradation can be attributed to the dissolution of calcite and clay minerals. The results from this study indicated that the mechanical deterioration of reservoir rock during CO2 injection should be considered through the entire CO2 sequestration process (i.e. site selection, injection operation, and post-injection monitoring).
Mindsets: Investigating resilience

Abstract Mindsets – beliefs about the malleability of attributes – predict coping and resilience to challenges in academia. Emerging research suggests that mindsets function similarly in mental health related contexts. This could have major implications for those who have experienced childhood maltreatment (CM), seeing that CM often compromises mental health. This study investigated the mindset as a mediator for the association between CM and resilience. Results suggest that a growth mindset facilitates psychological resilience for individuals who have experienced CM, particularly for emotional neglect and emotional abuse. Results of this study provide important implications for promoting psychological adjustment in individuals who have experienced CM. Findings in this study set a precedence for parents, teachers, and clinicians to promote a growth mindset in everyday activities, classes, and recovery programs. Future longitudinal research can build on the findings of this study to examine the relation of mindsets and resilience over time.
Interpersonal Neurobiology, Social Work, Sociometry, and Psychodrama

The rapidly emerging neuroscience research continues to validate the practice of social work, group therapy, and psychodrama. The centrality of human relationships is being supported by the field of interpersonal neurobiology. New technologies allow us to learn more about the brain and the ways it is impacted by adversity, healing, and action. The importance of safety, connection, integration, and a strength-s-based approach is supported in the neuroscience literature. The neurobiological mechanisms which promote change in psychodrama are becoming clearer. Furthermore, the words of contemporary neuroscientists appear to echo Moreno’s writings of sociometry and psychodrama nearly a decade earlier.
A symmetric multi-rod tunable microwave cavity for a microwave cavity dark matter axion search.

The microwave cavity technique is currently the most sensitive way of looking for dark matter axions in the 0.1 GHz–10 GHz range, corresponding to masses of 0.41 µeV–41 µeV. A particular challenge for frequencies greater than 5 GHz is designing a cavity with a large volume that contains a resonant mode that shows high coupling to dark matter axions, a high quality factor, is broadly tunable, and is free from intruder modes. For the Haloscope at Yale Sensitive to Axion Cold dark matter, we have designed and constructed an optimized high frequency cavity with a tuning mechanism that preserves a high degree of rotational symmetry, critical to maximizing its figure of merit. This cavity covers an important frequency range according to recent theoretical estimates for the axion mass, 5.5 GHz–7.4 GHz, and the design appears extendable to higher frequencies as well. This paper will discuss key design and construction details of the cavity, present a summary of the design evolution, and alert practitioners of potentially unfruitful avenues for future work.
Social and parasocial relationships during COVID-19 social distancing

The COVID-19 pandemic provided an extraordinarily unique opportunity to investigate how sudden, involuntary alterations to social routines influenced not just social relationships, but also parasoc...
Testing scenario-based models

The play-in/play-out approach suggests a new paradigm for system development using scenario-based requirements. It allows the user to develop a high level scenario-based model of the system and directly execute system behavior. The supporting tool, the Play-Engine has been used successfully in several projects and case-studies. As systems developed using this method grow in size and complexity, an important challenge is maintaining models that are well understood in terms of their behaviors and that satisfy the original intension of the system developers. Scenario-based methods are advantageous in early stages of system development since behaviors can be described in isolated fragments. A trade-off for this advantage, however, is that larger models comprising many separate scenarios can result in executable behavior that is difficult to understand and maintain. A methodology for facile testing of scenario-based requirements is needed. Here, we describe a methodology and supporting prototype implementation integrated into the Play-Engine for testing of scenario-based requirements. We have effectively applied the method for testing a complex model containing several hundred scenarios.
The more the merrier: multi-party negotiation with virtual humans

The goal of the Virtual Humans Project at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies is to enrich virtual training environments with virtual humans - autonomous agents that support face-to-face interaction with trainees in a variety of roles - through bringing together many different areas of research including speech recognition, natural language understanding, dialogue management, cognitive modeling, emotion modeling, nonverbal behavior and speech and knowledge management. The demo at AAAI will focus on our work using virtual humans to train negotiation skills. Conference attendees will negotiate with a virtual human doctor and elder to try to move a clinic out of harm's way in single and multiparty negotiation scenarios using the latest iteration of our Virtual Humans framework. The user will use natural speech to talk to the embodied agents, who will respond in accordance with their internal task model and state. The characters will carry out a multi-party dialogue with verbal and nonverbal behavior. A video of a single-party version of the scenario was shown at AAAI-06. This new interactive demo introduces several new features, including multiparty negotiation, dynamically generated non-verbal behavior and a central ontology.
Synaptic properties of serotonergic growth cones in developing rat brain

In order to gain insight into the events that take place when serotonergic growth cones are remodeled into synapses, we tested the hypothesis that neurotransmitter-related properties of presynaptic terminals are already present in these growth cones before synaptogenesis begins. The ontogeny of markers for the specific reuptake of 5-HT and for 5-HT-storing synaptic vesicles was studied in isolated growth cone (IGC) fractions from developing rat brain. High-affinity 3H-imipramine binding (a marker for the plasma membrane 5-HT transporter) was significantly enriched in IGC fractions prepared before the beginning of cortical synaptogenesis [embryonic day 15 (E15) and E20]. Radioautography with 3H-imipramine or 3H-paroxetine (another marker for the transporter) confirmed that the 5-HT transporter is present in the cerebral cortex when it contains serotonergic growth cones, but not serotonergic synapses. Specific uptake of 3H-5-HT was found in IGC fractions as early as E15; this uptake was inhibited by fluoxetine. Electron microscopic radioautography demonstrated directly that growth cones were the structures in IGC fractions that took up 3H-5-HT. The synaptic vesicle protein synaptophysin and a 45 kDa protein found specifically in serotonergic synaptic vesicles, serotonin-binding protein (SBP), were each enriched in IGC fractions from E15 to postnatal day 5; SBP immunoreactivity increased approximately 10-fold between E15 and E20. Endogenous 5-HT was detected in IGC fractions at E15 and increased in amount as development proceeded. The ratio of 5-HT to 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid suggested that 5-HT within growth cones is protected from catabolism by monoamine oxidase. Reserpine-induced depletion of 5-HT, a marker for the vesicular carrier of 5-HT, was apparent in IGC fractions at E20, but not at E15. These data suggest that properties that characterize the presynaptic components of mature serotonergic synapses develop in growth cones before synapses are formed. The early development of these properties may permit neurotransmission to be established rapidly during synaptogenesis or, alternatively, enable 5-HT to play a role in ontogeny.
Observation of Radiolytic Field Alteration of the Uranyl Cation in Bicarbonate Solution

Auto radiolysis of uranium (VI) carbonate solutions between pH 5.9 and 7.2 is shown to alter the uranium speciation over relatively short periods of time and was followed by 13C NMR and visible spectrophotometry, using dissolved [233(UO2)3(CO3)6]6- both as the radiolysis source (DN= 14.9 Gy/hr) and as a trap for the newly formed hydrogen peroxide. The speciation is different than the uranyl mixed peroxy carbonate species that have been reported for higher pH carbonate solutions.
Opioid rotation: what is the rush?

There are no two people in pain management that I can think of who have saved more lives than Drs. Webster and Fine. In their piece suggesting a new paradigm for opioid rotation [1], they add a distinctly useful clinical approach to what heretofore has been their empirical, political, and advisory efforts in this domain. Dr. Webster has worked tirelessly with his Lifetree foundation and with the Utah Department of Health to attempt to reduce overdose deaths through his empirical studies, root cause analyses and educational websites such as his zero unintended deaths website. Dr. Fine has made multiple contributions to this area, but few may know that he recently had to fight with a third party payor to get them to rescind a dose conversion table they had printed up for use as they urged physicians in their plans to switch patients to methadone to cut costs; this table contained a conversion to methadone from other opioids, which if widely employed in the plan, would likely have led to many, many deaths. With their present contribution, they are attempting to simplify and render safer a process that is poorly understood and practiced in tremendously divergent ways. As I read their article, I am tempted to put it into a bit of historical context. I …
Sex differences in the medical care of VA patients with chronic non-cancer pain.

Objective Despite a growing number of women seeking medical care in the veterans affairs (VA) system, little is known about the characteristics of their chronic pain or the pain care they receive. This study sought to determine if sex differences are present in the medical care veterans received for chronic pain. Design Retrospective cohort study using VA administrative data. Subjects The subjects were 17,583 veteran patients with moderate to severe chronic non-cancer pain treated in the Pacific Northwest during 2008. Methods Multivariate logistic regression assessed for sex differences in primary care utilization, prescription of chronic opioid therapy, visits to emergency departments for a pain-related diagnosis, and physical therapy referral. Results Compared with male veterans, female veterans were more often diagnosed with two or more pain conditions, and had more of the following pain-related diagnoses: fibromyalgia, low back pain, inflammatory bowel disease, migraine headache, neck or joint pain, and arthritis. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, pain diagnoses, mental health diagnoses, substance use disorders, and medical comorbidity, women had lower odds of being prescribed chronic opioid therapy (adjusted OR [AOR] 0.67, 95% CI 0.58–0.78), greater odds of visiting an emergency department for a pain-related complaint (AOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.18–1.65), and greater odds of receiving physical therapy (AOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05–1.33). Primary care utilization was not significantly different between sexes. Conclusions Sex differences are present in the care female veterans receive for chronic pain. Further research is necessary to understand the etiology of the observed differences and their associations with clinical outcomes.
Selection rules for the vibrational spectra of high polymers

Abstract With the aid of the Born cyclic postulate, the selection rules for the vibrational modes of a crystalline polymer and an oriented infinite chain-molecule have been discussed. The necessary conditions for the modes to be active in the infrared or Raman spectrum have been deduced from the translation group of the crystal or of the chain. Approximate methods have also been discussed for a finite chain-molecule and for a high polymer of amorphous form.
Determinants of Food Safety Risks: A Multi-disciplinary Approach.

This research employs a multi-disciplinary approach by developing a model that draws upon psychometric, cultural, and reflexive modernization perspectives of risk perception. Using data from a 1999 national telephone survey, we tested our model on three food risks— pesticides, Salmonella, and fat. Results showed that perceptions of risks do vary by the nature of the risk investigated. Consistent with the psychometric perspective, the level of knowledge and control varied by risk, but these differences did not correspond with levels of concern. Worldview variables were correlated with perceptions of pesticides, indicating the relevance of cultural approaches. High levels of concern associated with each food risk, and the robustness of the relationship between trust and the perception of food risks, raise the possibility that trust acts as a coping mechanism, which is consistent with the reflexive modernization approach. Knowledge and trust were significantly related to all three risks.
A Standard Reference Diet for Crustacean Nutrition Research.: V. Growth and Survival of Juvenile Dungeness Crabs Cancer magister

An experiment was conducted to measure the survival and growth of juvenile Dungeness crabs (Cancer magister) when fed purified crustacean diets in intensive laboratory culture. Wild-caught juvenile crabs were held individually and fed either a casein-based diet previously used for lobster experimentation (diet BML-81 S), a crab protein-based diet (HFX-CRD-84), or a closed-formula commercial fish (trout) diet. Diets BML-81 S and HFX-CRD-84 have been proposed as possible general crustacean reference diets. The crab protein-based diet appeared to be more attractive to the crabs, but after a 90 day experimental period there were no significant differences (P < 0.01) in growth or survival between crabs fed the proposed reference diets; however, survival on the trout diet was significantly reduced. Results are discussed in relation to the rearing conditions and the composition and physical characteristics of the diets.
Probing intra-cellular drug release event using activatable (OFF/ON) CdS:Mn/ZnS quantum dots (Qdots): spectroscopic studies to investigate interaction of Qdots with quencher

In recent years, activatable Quantum Dots (AQdots) are gaining popularity in a number of chemical and biological sensing applications. A basic design of AQdot probes involves a suitable quencher which is capable of altering optical properties of the Qdots. In our previous studies we have shown that CdS:Mn/ZnS fluorescence can be effectively quenched using small molecule quenchers (such as dopamine, chemotherapeutic drug) as well as iron oxide nanoparticle via electron/energy transfer process. We have also shown that the quenched Qdot fluorescence can be restored when the Qdots are separated from the quencher. Using Qdot based activatable probes, we detected intracellular drug release event. Qdot fluorescence was restored upon interaction with the intracellular glutathione (GSH). In this paper, we report a GSH induced quenching of water-soluble N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) surface-conjugated Cds:Mn/ZnS Qdots. Quenching of NAC-Qdots was due to aggregation of Qdots in solution. This aggregation induced fluorescence quenching phenomenon resembles with the self-quenching phenomenon of traditional organic fluorescence dyes at high concentrations. UV-VIS and fluorescence emission spectroscopy data support the interaction and binding of GSH with the NAC-Qdots. Increase in particle size due to GSH induced aggregation of NAC-Qdots was confirmed by the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) data.
Opioid growth factor (OGF) inhibits the progression of human squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck transplanted into nude mice

Abstract Opioid growth factor (OGF) interacts with the OGF receptor (OGFr) and serves as a native inhibitory growth factor. OGF and OGFr are present in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), and OGF represses the replication of SCCHN in tissue culture. In this study, OGF-treated nude mice with xenografts of SCCHN displayed delays in tumor appearance and had reduced tumor size compared to controls. OGF activity was receptor-mediated. Opioid-receptor blockade by the potent opioid antagonist, naltrexone, stimulated tumorigenic processes. Both OGF and OGFr were detected in the tumors by immunohistochemistry, and OGFr was characterized by receptor binding analysis. These results indicate that the OGF–OGFr axis functions in vivo, OGF is a constitutively active molecule, and OGF modulation of SCCHN may have clinical application.
Insight into operation of kulpa boundary distance measure

Many object recognition schemes require accurate estimates of boundary distance. For some years the standard technique was to take diagonal steps as contributing √(2) pixel, and other steps as contributing 1 pixel. Kulpa found that this measure systematically over-estimates the boundary distance. This Letter studies the Kulpa estimator with the aim of obtaining a deeper insight into its operation.
Solubilities of some gases in four immidazolium-based ionic liquids

Abstract The synthetic-volumetric method is used for rapidly measuring solubilities of sparingly-soluble gases in monoethylene glycol and in four ionic liquids. Known molar quantities of solute and solvent are charged into an equilibrium vessel. Measured quantities at equilibrium include: temperature, pressure, quantities of fluids, and volumes of the gas and liquid phases in the equilibrium vessel. These measurements enable calculation of equilibrium compositions using material balances. No sampling or chemical analyses are required. Solubilities are reported for carbon dioxide, krypton, oxygen, and hydrogen in monoethylene glycol, l-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [BMIM][BF4], l-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMIM][PF6], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [EMIM][Tf2N], or 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate [EMIM][AC]. Solubilities were measured over the temperature range (298 to 355) K and for pressures up to about 7 MPa using two different pieces of equipment, both based on the volumetric method: a low-pressure glass apparatus and a high-pressure stainless-steel apparatus. Special emphasis is given to experimental reliability to assure consistent data.
Optimal reliability demonstration for binomial testing situation

Abstract Design and reliability requirements depend upon the available technology and its state of the art design capability and requirements of the customer. A product is designed and developed based on these requirements. Reliability requirements must take into consideration costs related to testing, risks related to type I and type II errors and other cost elements related to fielded products such as maintenance burden. The purpose of this paper is to model the decision making process for determining the reliability requirements and associated optimal test strategies to demonstrate these requirements for binomial testing situation. Optimization models consider cost elements related to design and development, testing, and inherent risks involved in accepting the product based on testing.
Sex differences in the motives expressed in suicide notes

Leenaars (1988) reported a failure to find differences in the content of suicide notes written by men and women. The present study examined the frequency of the three motives described by Menninger (1938) for suicides (anger directed outwards, anger directed inwards, and the wish to escape) in the suicide notes of men and women. Thirty-three notes from men and 20 notes from women published in Leenaars (1988) were rated for the presence versus absence of the three motives. The men and women did not differ in the presence of the desire to escape (42% versus 30%, X I * = 0.82), anger directed outwards (3% versus 15%, Fisher p>O.10), or anger directed inwards (39% versus 15%, x12 = 3.52). Thus, the present analysis, like Leenaar's, did not find sex differences in the content of suicide notes.
The privileged status of locality in consonant harmony

While the vast majority of linguistic processes apply locally, consonant harmony appears to be an exception. In this phonological process, consonants share the same value of a phonological feature, such as secondary place of articulation. In sibilant harmony, [s] and [ʃ] ('sh') alternate such that if a word contains the sound [ʃ], all [s] sounds become [ʃ]. This can apply locally as a first-order or non-locally as a second-order pattern. In the first-order case, no consonants intervene between the two sibilants (e.g., [pisasu], [piʃaʃu]). In second-order case, a consonant may intervene (e.g., [sipasu], [ʃipaʃu]). The fact that there are languages that allow second-order non-local agreement of consonant features has led some to question whether locality constraints apply to consonant harmony. This paper presents the results from two artificial grammar learning experiments that demonstrate the privileged role of locality constraints, even in patterns that allow second-order non-local interactions. In Experiment 1, we show that learners do not extend first-order non-local relationships in consonant harmony to second-order nonlocal relationships. In Experiment 2, we show that learners will extend a consonant harmony pattern with second-order long distance relationships to a consonant harmony with first-order long distance relationships. Because second-order non-local application implies first-order non-local application, but first-order non-local application does not imply second-order non-local application, we establish that local constraints are privileged even in consonant harmony.
Image enhancement using mathematical morphology with adaptive structuring elements

Mathematical morphology has been widely used in recent years in the image processing area. Due to the nonlinear nature of morphological operations, their application to some image noise removal problems have achieved very impressive results. However, of the morphological algorithms by far most use only a single structuring element. To optimize the performances on various parts of an image, we introduce morphological operations using an adaptive structuring element for noise removal of binary and grayscale images. These techniques were used in the preprocessing of character recognition problems at CEDAR, SUNY at Buffalo, New York. Demonstrations of the improved performance of the algorithm are provided.
Abstract 2703: Loss of dependence on EGFR signaling by upregulation of Mig6 confers drug resistance to erlotinib

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC We sought to elucidate mechanisms of resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies and to identify markers that could better distinguish resistant from sensitive patients. Here we show that mitogen-inducible gene 6 (Mig6), a negative regulator of EGFR, was selectively upregulated during the evolution of resistance to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) erlotinib in lung and head and neck cancer cell lines. Mig6 was a major determinant of EGFR activity in panels of cancer cell lines of different tissue origins, and in direct validation of approved human use, in a unique collection of directly xenografted human lung and pancreas tumors. Our work highlights the importance of cellular negative regulators of EGFR in predicting and subverting TKI responsiveness, and identifies the ratio of Mig6 to EGFR, rather than the absolute expression of either protein alone, to be a predictor of tumor cell response to erlotinib. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2703.
Bax Interacting Factor-1 Promotes Survival and Mitochondrial Elongation in Neurons

Bax-interacting factor 1 (Bif-1, also known as endophilin B1) is a multifunctional protein involved in the regulation of apoptosis, mitochondrial morphology, and autophagy. Previous studies in non-neuronal cells have shown that Bif-1 is proapoptotic and promotes mitochondrial fragmentation. However, the role of Bif-1 in postmitotic neurons has not been investigated. In contrast to non-neuronal cells, we now report that in neurons Bif-1 promotes viability and mitochondrial elongation. In mouse primary cortical neurons, Bif-1 knockdown exacerbated apoptosis induced by the DNA-damaging agent camptothecin. Neurons from Bif-1-deficient mice contained fragmented mitochondria and Bif-1 knockdown in wild-type neurons also resulted in fragmented mitochondria which were more depolarized, suggesting mitochondrial dysfunction. During ischemic stroke, Bif-1 expression was downregulated in the penumbra of wild-type mice. Consistent with Bif-1 being required for neuronal viability, Bif-1-deficient mice developed larger infarcts and an exaggerated astrogliosis response following ischemic stroke. Together, these data suggest that, in contrast to non-neuronal cells, Bif-1 is essential for the maintenance of mitochondrial morphology and function in neurons, and that loss of Bif-1 renders neurons more susceptible to apoptotic stress. These unique actions may relate to the presence of longer, neuron-specific Bif-1 isoforms, because only these forms of Bif-1 were able to rescue deficiencies caused by Bif-1 suppression. This finding not only demonstrates an unexpected role for Bif-1 in the nervous system but this work also establishes Bif-1 as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of neurological diseases, especially degenerative disorders characterized by alterations in mitochondrial dynamics.
Aging of the NMDA receptor: from a mouse’s point of view

Our elderly population is growing and declines in cognitive abilities, such as memory, can be costly, because it can interfere with a person’s ability to live independently. The NMDA receptor is very important for many different forms of memory and this receptor is negatively affected by aging. This review examines the progress that has been made recently in characterizing selective vulnerabilities of different subunits and splice variants of the NMDA receptor to normal aging in C57BL/6 mice. Evidence is also presented for changes in the relationships of NMDA receptors to plasticity across aging. Recent interventions show that enhancing NMDA receptors in aged individuals is associated with improvements in memory, but mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases suggest that finding the right balance between too little and too much NMDA receptor activity will be the key to enhancing memory without inducing pathology.
Treatment of stress urinary incontinence with adipose tissue-derived stem cells

Background aims. Effective treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is lacking. This study investigated whether transplantation of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSC) can treat SUI in a...
Self-Doubt and Self-Esteem: A Threat from within

The impact on self-esteem of activating self-doubt was investigated in three studies. Individuals with enduring high self-doubt were expected to be more threatened by an experimental induction of self-doubt (modeled on the ease of retrieval paradigm) than individuals low in enduring self-doubt, and their self-esteem was predicted to decline. The predictions were supported when self-esteem was measured postexperimentally (Experiment 1) and when it was measured both pre- and postexperimentally (Experiment 2). There was no comparable loss in self-esteem for individuals low in self-doubt. A third experiment explored the phenomenology of low-self-doubt individuals and replicated the finding that their level of self-esteem was unaffected by the induction designed to produce doubt.
Acari of Antillean Bats (Chiroptera)

Eleven species of bats representing 6 families (Molossidae, Mormoopidae, Natalidae, Noctilionidae, Phyllostomidae, and Vespertilionidae) from the Antillean island of Dominica were examined for Acari. Eight species of mites and 2 of ticks were recovered. Five new host and 8 new locality records are established. The distribution, host-parasite relationships, and zoogeography of these acarine species are discussed.
Direct and indirect perforator flaps: the history and the controversy.

Learning Objectives: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Recognize the major role of the vascular supply to a cutaneous flap. 2. Predict its reliability. 3. Understand basic schemes for classification. 4. Realize that the evolution of these concepts is an ongoing dynam
Thyroxine-induced changes in metabolic rate and cytochrome oxidase activity in Thamnophis sirtalis: effects of nutritional status.

Abstract The effects of nutritional status on thyroxine-induced changes in standard metabolic rate (SMR), and the activity of hepatic cytochrome oxidase were examined in the garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis. Twelve snakes were fed ad libitum , and 12 more were fed a maintenance diet, which was half as many fish per gram of body weight as that eaten by ad libitum snakes. Snakes in the first group gained weight during the 3-week treatment, while individual snakes in the second group either maintained their original weight or showed a slight loss (less than 10%). Within each diet treatment, half of the snakes received a 5-mg thyroxine (T 4 ) pellet implant, and half received placebo implants. Plasma [T 4 ] was unchanged by treatment. Plasma [T 3 ] was elevated in T 4 -supplemented snakes fed ad libitum , but the difference was not statistically significant ( P = 0.09). Standard metabolic rate and cytochrome oxidase activity at 25° were increased significantly (34 and 24%, respectively) only in the T 4 -supplemented snakes on the ad libitum diet. Thus, T. sirtalis must be in a positive energy balance for thyroid hormones to have an effect on SMR or hepatic cytochrome oxidase activity.
Gene–environment interactions in human diseases

Studies of gene-environment interactions aim to describe how genetic and environmental factors jointly influence the risk of developing a human disease. Gene-environment interactions can be described by using several models, which take into account the various ways in which genetic effects can be modified by environmental exposures, the number of levels of these exposures and the model on which the genetic effects are based. Choice of study design, sample size and genotyping technology influence the analysis and interpretation of observed gene-environment interactions. Current systems for reporting epidemiological studies make it difficult to assess whether the observed interactions are reproducible, so suggestions are made for improvements in this area.
Analytical investigation of an infinitely long, two-layer, porous bearing

Abstract An analytical solution for the performance characteristics of an infinitely long, two-layer, porous bearing is obtained. Results are presented which relate the eccentricity ratio and coefficient of friction as functions of load number of design variables of 0.0001, 0.001 and 0.1 and for a ratio of the permeability of the outer layer to the inner layer of 20.