cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unrestricted superlensing in a triangular two dimensional photonic crystal.

We demonstrate unrestricted superlensing in a triangular two-dimensional photonic crystal. We investigate simple two-point light sources imaged by a slab lenses made of this photonic crystal, and show that the refraction of light follows simple rules of geometric optics with the Snell’s-law refraction at each interface, and an effective isotropic refractive index n=-1 for light propagating inside the crystal. We contrast this behavior with that of a square two-dimensional photonic crystal in the first photonic band, where the effective dielectric response is anisotropic. This leads to a restricted superlensing, which does not follow the geometric optics.
Non-intrusive high voltage measurement using slab coupled optical sensors

We present an optical fiber non-intrusive sensor for measuring high voltage transients. The sensor converts the unknown voltage to electric field, which is then measured using slab-coupled optical fiber sensor (SCOS). Since everything in the sensor except the electrodes is made of dielectric materials and due to the small field sensor size, the sensor is minimally perturbing to the measured voltage. We present the details of the sensor design, which eliminates arcing and minimizes local dielectric breakdown using Teflon blocks and insulation of the whole structure with transformer oil. The structure has a capacitance of less than 3pF and resistance greater than 10 GΩ. We show the measurement of 66.5 kV pulse with a 32.6μs time constant. The measurement matches the expected value of 67.8 kV with less than 2% error.
Transient midline raphe glial structure in the developing rat

A major glial structure is present during development within the midline raphe of the midbrain, hindbrain, and cervical spinal cord of the rat. It is composed of great numbers of glial cell bodies lying immediately ventral to the cerebral ventricular system and the large radial processes extending from these cells toward the ventral surface of the brain roughly within the midsagittal plane. There is also a smaller group of glial cells on the dorsal surface of the aqueduct and the central canal whose processes extend to the dorsal surface of the brain. The entire structure exhibits an intensely positive immunoreactivity with the antibody to the S-100 protein, a nervous-system-specific protein found primarily in the cytoplasm of astrocytes. This immunoreactivity makes possible a clear visualization of the extent, magnitude, and continuity of this structure from at least embryonic day 15, the first age examined, until postnatal days 7–8, when it is no longer visible by this technique. This glial structure has several prominent morphological characteristics. During prenatal and early postnatal development the fibers forming the ventral aspect of the structure in the midbrain and hindbrain are formed into two parallel plates on either side of the midline with S-100-negative tissue between the plates. As development progresses, S-100-positive fibers are continually added so that the plates become thicker at the expense of the nonstaining intervening area. By postnatal day 4 only a single midline plate of fibers is visible, occupying the entire midline raphe. In the region of the pontine flexure the entire structure takes on a distinctly pleated configuration. This fact produces a curious “sine wave” appearance when the plane of section crosses these vertical pleats. At postnatal day 5 the structure begins to disappear, and it is no longer visible by 7–8 days postnatal. This glial structure does not stain with antisera to glial fibrillary acidic protein, a protein associated with fibrous astrocytes, or routine cell stains such as cresyl violet. With these techniques the raphe area appears essentially devoid of identifiable cellular elements.
Methods for Automated Identification of Informative Behaviors in Natural Bioptic Driving

Visually impaired people may legally drive if wearing bioptic telescopes in some developed countries. To address the controversial safety issue of the practice, we have developed a low-cost in-car recording system that can be installed in study participants' own vehicles to record their daily driving activities. We also developed a set of automated identification techniques of informative behaviors to facilitate efficient manual review of important segments submerged in the vast amount of uncontrolled data. Here, we present the methods and quantitative results of the detection performance for six types of driving maneuvers and behaviors that are important for bioptic driving: bioptic telescope use, turns, curves, intersections, weaving, and rapid stops. The testing data were collected from one normally sighted and two visually impaired subjects across multiple days. The detection rates ranged from 82% up to 100%, and the false discovery rates ranged from 0% to 13%. In addition, two human observers were able to interpret about 80% of targets viewed through the telescope. These results indicate that with appropriate data processing the low-cost system is able to provide reliable data for natural bioptic driving studies.
Mapping determinants of human gene expression by regional and genome-wide association

To study the genetic basis of natural variation in gene expression, we previously carried out genome-wide linkage analysis and mapped the determinants of approximately 1,000 expression phenotypes. In the present study, we carried out association analysis with dense sets of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers from the International HapMap Project. For 374 phenotypes, the association study was performed with markers only from regions with strong linkage evidence; these regions all mapped close to the expressed gene. For a subset of 27 phenotypes, analysis of genome-wide association was performed with >770,000 markers. The association analysis with markers under the linkage peaks confirmed the linkage results and narrowed the candidate regulatory regions for many phenotypes with strong linkage evidence. The genome-wide association analysis yielded highly significant results that point to the same locations as the genome scans for about 50% of the phenotypes. For one candidate determinant, we carried out functional analyses and confirmed the variation in cis-acting regulatory activity. Our findings suggest that association studies with dense SNP maps will identify susceptibility loci or other determinants for some complex traits or diseases.
Immune-related gene expression in response to H11N9 low pathogenic avian influenza virus infection in chicken and Pekin duck peripheral blood mononuclear cells

The duck and chicken are important hosts of avian influenza virus (AIV) with distinctive responses to infection. Frequently, AIV infections in ducks are asymptomatic and long-lasting in contrast to the clinically apparent and transient infections observed in chickens. These differences may be due in part to the host response to AIV infection. Using real-time quantitative PCR, we examined the expression of immune-related genes in response to low pathogenic AIV H11N9 infection in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from the blood of chickens and Pekin ducks. While chicken PBMC expressed IL-1beta and IL-6 at high levels similar to mammalian species, duck PBMC expression levels were minimal or unchanged. Similarly, duck IFN-beta expression was nearly unaffected, whereas chicken expression was highly upregulated. Chicken IFN-gamma was expressed to higher levels than duck IFN-gamma, while IFN-alpha was expressed similarly by both species. IL-2 was elevated early in infection in duck PBMC, but returned to baseline levels by the end of the experiment; in contrast, IL-2 was weakly induced in chicken PBMC at late time points. TLR-7 and MHC class I molecule expressions were conserved between species, whereas duck MHC class II expression was downregulated and chicken expression was unchanged. These results show distinct PBMC expression patterns of pro-inflammatory cytokines and IFNs between species. The differences in pro-inflammatory cytokine and IFN expression reflect the asymptomatic and lasting infection observed in ducks and the tendency towards clinical signs and rapid clearance seen in chickens. These results highlight important differences in the host response to AIV of two species thought to be critical in the genesis and maintenance of epidemic strains of AIV.
Aligned rank transform tests in linear models

In this article the aligned rank transform (ART) statistic for testing linear hypotheses in the parameters of a linear model is formulated. The limiting distribution of the statistic under the null hypothesis and a sequence of local alternatives is derived. This technique is extended to the case of testing for lack of fit. Previous studies indicate that for small samples, the empirical Type I error rate of the aligned rank test is erratic. Simulation results in this study indicate that the ART test has a stable Type I error rate and hence provides a good small sample correction for the empirical Type I error rate of the aligned rank statistic. These results also indicate that the ART test is more power robust in the presence of outliers as compared with the rank-regression and the least squares techniques.
Oxotremorine-induced cerebral hyperemia does not predict infarction volume in spontaneously hypertensive or stroke-prone rats.

Objectives: We tested the following hypotheses: a) spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats (SHR-SP) have more brain injury than spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive controls (Wistar-Kyoto rats [WKY]) when exposed to transient focal ischemia; b) infarction size is not correlated with baseline blood pressure; and c) infarction size is inversely related to the cerebral hyperemic response to oxotremorine, a muscarinic agonist that increases cerebral blood flow (CBF) by stimulating endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Design: In vivostudy. Setting: Animal laboratory in a university teaching hospital. Subjects: Adult age-matched male WKY, SHR, and SHR-SP. Interventions: Rats were instrumented under halothane anesthesia. Transient focal cerebral ischemia was produced for 2 hrs with the intravascular suture technique. Cerebral perfusion, estimated with laser Doppler flowmetry (LD-CBF), in response to intravenous oxotremorine, was measured in one cohort of rats to estimate endothelial nitric oxide synthase function. Infarction volume was measured at 22 hrs of reperfusion with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Measurements and Main Results: Infarction volume in the striatum of SHR-SP (42 ± 4 mm3) was greater than in SHR (29 ± 6 mm3) or WKY (1 ± 1 mm3) (n = 9 rats/strain). Resting (unanesthetized) mean arterial blood pressure was similar in SHR-SP (177 ± 5 mm Hg) and SHR (170 ± 5 mm Hg) despite a greater infarction volume in SHR-SP (n = 4) compared with SHR (n = 5). The percentage increase in LD-CBF signal in response to oxotremorine was similar for both groups (SHR, 64% ± 22% [n = 10]; SHR-SP, 69% ± 22% [n = 8]). However, in this cohort, cortical infarction volume was less in SHR (30% ± 4% of ipsilateral cortex) than in SHR-SP (49% ± 2% of ipsilateral cortex). Conclusions: Although SHR-SP have greater infarction volume than SHR, the mechanism of injury does not appear to be related to a difference in unanesthetized baseline mean arterial blood pressure or to an alteration in endothelium-produced nitric oxide.
Fatty acid profiles in normal and obstructed rabbit bladder smooth muscle and mucosa

Partial bladder outlet obstruction results in progressive loss in contractile and specific cellular and subcellular membrane functions. There is evidence that ischemic activation of proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes play a major role in the etiology of bladder dysfunction secondary to partial outlet obstruction. The specific aims of the current study were to determine the fatty acid profiles in normal rabbit bladder smooth muscle and mucosa and to determine the effect of partial outlet obstruction on the distribution and content of free and total fatty acids. Fatty acids were isolated by extraction from obstructed and normal bladder smooth muscle and mucosal homogenates, and samples were analyzed by gas chromatography. All samples contained palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and arachidonic acids. A 100% increase in total fatty acid concentration was observed in the obstructed bladder muscle tissue relative to normal bladders, although the concentration of total arachidonic acid remained constant in the two groups. Significantly higher levels of free arachidonic acid were observed in the obstructed bladder muscle group compared to the normal group. No changes were observed in fatty acid concentrations or distributions in bladder mucosa. These data show that fatty acid composition is altered as a result of bladder obstruction and support the idea that obstruction increases the activity of lipase activity and/or decreases acyl transferase activity. Neurourol. Urodynam. 18:697-711, 1999.
The effects of ultrasonic activation of gas bodies in Elodea leaves during continuous and pulsed irradiation at 1 MHz

Abstract Leaves of the aquatic plant Elodea, which contain gas-filled intercellular channels, were irradiated at 1 MHz in pulsed and continuous modes. Morphological perturbations of the leaf cells include disruption of the parietal layer leading to cell death, when leaves are irradiated at spatial-and-temporal-peak intensities above a threshold Io. Although the cellular organelles are fragmented at intensities well above Io, no structural changes were found in the organelles, as observed by electron microscopy, in cells which had not been lethally injured. The presence of gas bodies prior to irradiation leads to values of Io below the threshold for cavitation and cell death in the absence of these bodies. For continuous-irradiation times t in the range 10−3 to 104sec, Io is proportional to t−0.29 and is about 2.4 W/cm2 for 1 sec irradiations. For pulsed irradiations, the effects of individual pulses accumulate to yield values of Io below those for single-pulse irradiations. The values of Io for pulsed irradiations are equal to, or greater than, those for continuous irradiations of equal total on-time.
PND1 PRESCRIBING PATTERNS OF DRUGS HAVING ANTICHOLINERGIC ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

DISCLOSURE •In conclusion, though the study found lesser co-prescriptions of anticholinergics with cholinesterase inhibitors as compared to NMDA receptor antagonist, co-prescription of drugs with moderate level of anticholinergic activity was higher in residents on cholinesterase inhibitors. Physicians need to be vigilant in prescribing drugs with moderate level of activity due to the risk of cognitive decline.
Family meals and adolescents: what have we learned from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens)?

ObjectiveThe purpose of the present paper is to provide an integrated overview of the research methodology and key findings from a decade of research on family meals as part of Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), a large, population-based study of adolescents.DesignFocus groups conducted with 141 middle-school and high-school adolescents suggested the importance of family meals in influencing adolescents’ food choices. These findings led to the inclusion of questions on family meals in the Project EAT-I survey, completed by 4746 middle-school and high-school students, and in the Project EAT-II longitudinal survey, completed by 2516 of the original participants five years later. A subset of 902 parents also participated in telephone interviews as part of Project EAT-I.ResultsFindings indicate that many adolescents and parents view family meals in a positive light, but there is great diversity in the context and frequency of family meal patterns in the homes of adolescents. Findings further suggest that family meals may have benefits in terms of dietary intake, disordered eating behaviours, substance use and psychosocial health.ConclusionsFindings from Project EAT, in conjunction with other research studies on family meals, suggest the importance of working with families to increase the frequency and improve the quality of family meals. Further research is needed in order to elucidate the pathways that underpin the relationships between family meals and health outcomes. Suggestions for a future research agenda based on what was learned from Project EAT are provided.
Time-predictable multicore cache architectures

To enable multi-core computing for real-time systems, the time-predictability of multi-core caches must be improved. This paper explores several time-predictable instruction cache architectures to guarantee time predictability of instruction accesses by real-time threads without significantly impacting their performance (i.e., throughput). We propose a prioritized cache that gives priority to instructions of real-time threads while allowing all the threads to share the aggregate cache space. Also, we study a prioritized-partitioned cache to provide decent performance to non-real-time threads without compromising the time predictability of real-time threads. Our experiments indicate that the proposed time-predictable instruction cache architectures can be used for different real-time applications with various instruction access behaviors for balancing time predictability and performance.
Covariant quantization of superstrings

Abstract We present a manifestly Lorentz covariant formulation of supersymmetric string theory. In particular, we construct the fermion vertex and the supersymmetry generators in a BRST quantization using the techniques of superconformal field theory.
Increased lead absorption in children with accidental ingestions.

Abstract Children with accidental ingestions exhibit excessive hand-to-mouth behavior. In a lead-burdened environment, hand-to-mouth behavior contributes to increased lead absorption. To test the hypothesis that accidental-ingestion patients experience greater lead absorption than other urban children, 95 children under 6 years of age with recent ingestions of nonlead-containing materials and a matched control group were compared. Ingestors had higher mean blood lead levels than controls (25.0 μg/dl versus 22.2 μg/dl, P = 0.036) and higher mean erythrocyte protoporphyrin levels (40.6 μg/dl versus 28.6 μg/dl, P = 0.006). Ingestion victims were more than three times as likely as controls to be classified as having increased lead absorption. Thumbsucking was twice as common among ingestors as controls (37% versus 19%). These findings indicate that children with accidental ingestions are at greater risk of increased lead absorption than other urban children.
Involuntary attentional shifts due to orientation differences

We tested the ability of orientation differences to cause involuntary shifts of visual attention and found that these attentional shifts can occur in response to an orientation “pop-out” display. Texturelike cue stimuli consisting of discrete oriented bars, with either uniform orientation or containing a noninformative orthogonally oriented bar, were presented for a variable duration. Subsequent to or partially coincident with the cue stimulus was the target display of a localization or two-interval forced-choice task, followed by a mask display. Naive subjects consistently showed greater accuracy in trials with the target at the location of the orthogonal orientation compared with trials with uniformly oriented bars, with only 100 msec between the cue and mask onsets. Discriminating these orientations required a stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) of 50–70 msec. The attentional facilitation is transient, in most cases absent, with a cue-mask SOA of 250 msec. These results suggest that the preattentive character of some texture discrimination tasks with SOAs of only 100 msec is vitiated by the involuntary attentional shifts that are caused by orientation differences.
A Profile of Women with a Ph.D., D.B.A., or J.D. Degree Teaching Academic Accounting

(1991). A Profile of Women with a Ph.D., D.B.A., or J.D. Degree Teaching Academic Accounting. Journal of Education for Business: Vol. 66, No. 3, pp. 136-139.
Novel ring opening of aminoheterocycles: Facile syntheses of ω-alkylaminopentadienenitriles

Abstract 2-Amino-1-alkylpyridinium and 2-amino-3-alkyl-thiazolium cations are converted by n-BuLi into ω-aminopentadienenitriles and 2-alkylaminovinyl thiocyanates, respectively.
Scalar propagators in a pseudoparticle field

We derive the propagators for massless scalar particles of isospin \textonehalf{} and 1 in the field of an SU(2) pseudoparticle.
Molecular dynamics modeling of the interface between surface functionalized graphitic structures and calcium–silicate–hydrate: Interaction energies, structure, and dynamics

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the molecular-scale energetic, structural, and dynamic properties of the interface between surface functionalized graphitic structures and calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H). The 9 A tobermorite structure was used as a model for C-S-H, the main building block ("the glue") that hold a cementitious matrix together. Six types of carbon surface structures were investigated: a pristine graphite plane and five graphite planes functionalized with hydroxyl (OH), carboxyl (COOH), carboxylate (COO(-), deprotonated carboxyl), carbonyl (CO), and amine (NH(2)) groups. Results demonstrated the dominant role of electrostatic forces in the interfacial interactions and indicated that the polarity of the functional group can be used as an indicator of affinity to C-S-H. MD simulations revealed that an optimal number of polar oxygen containing groups may exist for efficient graphitic structure/cement interaction and emphasized the mediating role of Ca(2+) counterions in the interfacial interactions.
Examining the Underlying Structure of Schizophrenic Phenomenology: Evidence for a Three-process Model

The present report examined the latent structure of schizophrenic phenomenology. Schizophrenic patient case histories (n = 192) were rated for positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and premorbid social adjustment and the observed covariation among these clinical features was evaluated using a model-based confirmatory factor analytic approach. Our results indicated that schizophrenic phenomenology was best characterized by three distinct underlying structures. These data provide empirical support for Strauss et al.'s (1974) three-process model, which suggests that positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and disordered premorbid personal-social relationships are three distinct classes of phenomenology possibly reflective of three relatively independent pathological processes in schizophrenia . The data are also consistent with Crow's (1980, 1985, 1987) model of schizophrenic symptomatology, differentiating social impairment from both positive and negative symptoms. The heuristic implications of these data for the development of schizophrenia are discussed and the utility of a replication of the present study is noted.
Sensitivity analysis for a whole hospital system dynamics model

This paper presents a sensitivity analysis of unit capacity and patient flow for a hospital-wide system consisting of interdependent clinical and ancillary departments. The research employs system dynamics to model a hospital-wide system representative of a medium size, semi-urban, acute care community hospital. A sensitivity analysis using regression methods examines emergency department performance in the context of the hospital-wide system using a modified formulation of the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) hierarchy of metrics as a key performance indicator. The modified OEE metric demonstrates its usefulness first for the purpose of conducting a group screening design, and second for the purpose of performing the sensitivity analysis. The main results of the sensitivity analysis indicate that emergency department performance depends significantly on the unit capacity and patient flow in departments hospital-wide. More importantly, the analysis provides quantitative insight into the factors deemed to be important, their interactive relationships across departments, and their overall relative importance. These findings are useful for recommending hospital-wide performance improvement initiatives.
Automata-based verification of temporal properties on running programs

This paper presents an approach to checking a running program against Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) specifications. LTL is a widely used logic for expressing properties of programs viewed as sets of executions. Our approach consists of translating LTL formulae to finite-state automata, which are used as observers of the program behavior. The translation algorithm we propose modifies standard LTL to Buchi automata conversion techniques to generate automata that check finite program traces. The algorithm has been implemented in a tool, which has been integrated with the generic JPaX framework for runtime analysis of Java programs.
Kamlet−Taft Thermosolvatochromic Parameters of Hydrofluoroethers and Hydrofluoroether Azeotropic Mixtures

The electronic transition maxima of three solvatochromic probes were measured at temperatures between (−13.5 and 70 °C) in five liquid hydrofluoroether (HFE) solvents. The electronic transition maxima were used to calculate thermosolvatochromic Kamlet−Taft parameters. The solubilities of naphthalene and benzoic acid were measured in the HFE solvents, and a linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) was calculated to model the solubility data using the measured Kamlet−Taft thermosolvatochromic parameters. Differences between the Kamlet−Taft values of the pure hydrofluoroethers and azeotropic mixtures of the hydrofluoroethers are discussed, along with the LSER results.
Development of a Real-Time, Quantitative PCR for Detection of the Columbia Basin Potato Purple Top Phytoplasma in Plants and Beet Leafhoppers

A quantitative, real-time "TaqMan" polymerase chain reaction assay (real-time PCR) was developed which was capable of detecting and quantifying a group 16SrVI phytoplasma in DNA extracts prepared from infected tomatoes, potatoes, and beet leafhoppers (Circulifer tenellus). Primers and probe were designed from the 16S rRNA gene of the Columbia Basin potato purple top phytoplasma, which is closely related to the beet leafhopper transmitted virescence agent. The detection limit in phytoplasma-infected tomato DNA was approximately 50 pg. The concentration of phytoplasma varied considerably among potato plants showing symptoms of purple top. The pathogen was readily detected in extracts from single or groups of five beet leafhoppers. As with infected potatoes, the concentration of phytoplasma in individual leafhoppers was variable. The assay also detected aster yellows (group 16SrI) and pigeon pea witches'-broom (group 16SrIX) phytoplasmas in infected periwinkle plants. The real-time PCR was at least as sensitive as the commonly used and more labor-intensive nested PCR for detection of the pathogen.
Origins of geothermal gases at Yellowstone

Abstract Gas emissions at the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field (YPVF) reflect open-system mixing of gas species originating from diverse rock types, magmas, and crustal fluids, all combined in varying proportions at different thermal areas. Gases are not necessarily in chemical equilibrium with the waters through which they vent, especially in acid sulfate terrain where bubbles stream through stagnant acid water. Gases in adjacent thermal areas often can be differentiated by isotopic and gas ratios, and cannot be tied to one another solely by shallow processes such as boiling-induced fractionation of a parent liquid. Instead, they inherit unique gas ratios (e.g., CH 4 /He) from the dominant rock reservoirs where they originate, some of which underlie the Quaternary volcanic rocks. Steam/gas ratios (essentially H 2 O/CO 2 ) of Yellowstone fumaroles correlate with Ar/He and N 2 /CO 2 , strongly suggesting that H 2 O/CO 2 is controlled by addition of steam boiled from water rich in atmospheric gases. Moreover, H 2 O/CO 2 varies systematically with geographic location, such that boiling is more enhanced in some areas than others. The δ 13 C and 3 He/CO 2 of gases reflect a dominant mantle origin for CO 2 in Yellowstone gas. The mantle signature is most evident at Mud Volcano, which hosts gases with the lowest H 2 O/CO 2 , lowest CH 4 concentrations and highest He isotope ratios (~ 16Ra), consistent with either a young subsurface intrusion or less input of crustal and meteoric gas than any other location at Yellowstone. Across the YPVF, He isotope ratios ( 3 He/ 4 He) inversely vary with He concentrations, and reflect varied amounts of long-stored, radiogenic He added to the magmatic endmember within the crust. Similarly, addition of CH 4 from organic-rich sediments is common in the eastern thermal areas at Yellowstone. Overall, Yellowstone gases reflect addition of deep, high-temperature magmatic gas (CO 2 -rich), lower-temperatures crustal gases ( 4 He- and CH 4 -bearing), and those gases (N 2 , Ne, Ar) added principally through boiling of the meteoric-water-derived geothermal liquid found in the upper few kilometers. We also briefly explore the pathways by which Cl, F, and S, move through the crust.
Disposition of cannabichromene, cannabidiol, and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolites in mouse brain following marijuana inhalation determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS)method was developed for the analysis of marijuana cannabinoids in mouse brain tissue using an Applied Biosystems 3200 Q trap with a turbo V source for TurbolonSpray attached to a Shimadzu SCL HPLC system. The method included cannabichromene (CBC),cannabidiol (CBD), Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxytetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC), and 11-nor-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH). These compounds were isolated by liquid-liquid extraction using cold acetonitrile. The following transition ions were monitored by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM): m/z 315>193, 315>259 for THC/CBD/CBC; m/z 331>193, 331>105 for 11-OH-THC; m/z 345>299, 345>193 for THC-COOH; m/z 318>196 for THC-d₃; m/z 334>196 for 11-OH-THC-d₃, and m/z 348>302 for THC-COOH-d₃. Linearity for THC, 1-OH-THC, and THC-COOH was 1-200 ng/g; for CBC and CBD, it was 0.5-20 ng/g. Within-run and between-run precisions for all the analytes yielded coefficients of variation of < 20%. Four C57BL6 mice were sacrificed 20 min after nose-only exposure to the smoke of 200 mg of marijuana containing 0.44 mg CBC, 0.93 mg CBD, and 8.81 mg THC. The mean brain concentrations were 3.9 ± 1.5 ng/g CBC, 21 ± 3.9 ng/g CBD, 364 ± 74 ng/g THC, and 28 ± 5.9 ng/g 11-OH-THC. THC-COOH was not detected. The relative mean brain cannabinoid concentrations correlated to the amounts of the cannabinoids in the inhaled marijuana.
Bayesian computation in recurrent neural circuits

A large number of human psychophysical results have been successfully explained in recent years using Bayesian models. However, the neural implementation of such models remains largely unclear. In this article, we show that a network architecture commonly used to model the cerebral cortex can implement Bayesian inference for an arbitrary hidden Markov model. We illustrate the approach using an orientation discrimination task and a visual motion detection task. In the case of orientation discrimination, we show that the model network can infer the posterior distribution over orientations and correctly estimate stimulus orientation in the presence of significant noise. In the case of motion detection, we show that the resulting model network exhibits direction selectivity and correctly computes the posterior probabilities over motion direction and position. When used to solve the well-known random dots motion discrimination task, the model generates responses that mimic the activities of evidence-accumulating neurons in cortical areas LIP and FEF. The framework we introduce posits a new interpretation of cortical activities in terms of log posterior probabilities of stimuli occurring in the natural world.
Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery With Bypass to the Right Coronary Artery

Herein, we report the case of a 60-year-old woman who presented with increasing dyspnea on exertion. Echocardiography revealed significant aortic and mitral regurgitation, which were most likely secondary to previous radiation therapy for breast cancer. On cardiac catheterization a 90% ostial right coronary artery lesion was found and treated with a drug-eluting stent. During minimally invasive valve surgery, via a right anterior thoracotomy, it was noted that the stent had restenosed. Therefore, the right coronary artery was bypassed with a segment of venous graft through the same incision.
RF Steering in the CEBAF CW Superconducting Linac

There exists a transverse gradient of the electric field parallel to the beam axis in the fundamental rf power coupler for the superconducting, five-cell cavity to be used in the CEBAF 0.5-4.0 GeV, cw, electron accelerator.This electric field gradient results in a transverse deflection of the electrons the magnitude of which varies during the passage of a microbunch, causing a dilution of the transverse emittance.This paper describes the estimate of the transverse deflection and the simulations performed to evaluate the magnitude of the emittance dilution caused by this deflection.The results of these simulations and the method used to reduce this effect are discussed.
Dispersion of passive tracer in the atmospheric convective boundary layer with wind shears: a review of laboratory and numerical model studies

Paper reviews recent laboratory and numerical model studies of passive gaseous tracer dispersion in the atmospheric convective boundary layer (CBL) with surface and elevated wind shears. Atmospheric measurement data used for validation of these two model techniques are briefly discussed as well. A historical overview is given of laboratory studies of dispersion in the atmospheric CBL. Model studies of tracer dispersion in two CBL types, the (i) non-steady, horizontally homogeneous CBL and (ii) quasi-stationary, horizontally heterogeneous CBL, are reviewed. The discussion is focused on the dispersion of non-buoyant plume emitted from a point source located at different elevations within the CBL. Approaches towards CBL modeling employed in different laboratory facilities (water tanks and wind tunnels) are described. The reviewed numerical techniques include Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Lagrangian modeling. Numerical data on dispersion in the sheared CBL is analyzed in conjunction with experimental results from wind-tunnel CBLs.
Passive Immunization of Neonatal Mice against Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. muris Enhances Control of Infection without Stimulating Inflammation

Pneumocystis carinii is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals. Infants appear to be particularly susceptible to infection with Pneumocystis. We have previously shown that there is a significant delay in clearance of the organisms from the lungs of neonatal mice compared to adults. Since alveolar macrophages are the effector cells responsible for killing and clearance of Pneumocystis, we have examined alveolar macrophage activity in neonatal mice. We found that alveolar macrophage activation is delayed about 1 week in Pneumocystis-infected neonates compared to adults. Opsonization of the organism by Pneumocystis-specific antibody resulted in increased clearance of the organism in neonatal mice; however, there was decreased expression of activation markers on neonatal alveolar macrophages and reduced levels of cytokines associated with macrophage activation. Mice born to immunized dams had significant amounts of Pneumocystis-specific immunoglobulin G in their lungs and serum at day 7 postinfection, whereas mice born to naive dams had merely detectable levels. This difference correlated with enhanced Pneumocystis clearance in mice born to immunized dams. The increase in specific antibody, however, did not result in significant inflammation in the lungs, as no differences in numbers of activated CD4+ cells were observed. Furthermore, there was no difference in cytokine or chemokine concentrations in the lungs of pups born to immune compared to naive dams. These findings indicate that specific antibody plays an important role in Pneumocystis clearance from lungs of infected neonates; moreover, this process occurs without inducing inflammation in the lungs.
Did employer sanctions lose their bite? Labor market effects of immigrant legalization

Taking advantage of the ability to identify immigrants who were unauthorized to work prior to obtaining Legal Permanent Resident status, we use the New Immigrant Survey to examine whether lacking legal status to work in the U.S. constrains employment outcomes of illegal immigrants. With the exception of high-skilled unauthorized immigrants, the data fail to reveal evidence of improved employment outcomes attributable to legal status. In light of evidence that unauthorized immigrants experienced increased wages as a result of receiving amnesty through the 1986 Immigration and Reform Control Act during the 1990s, we interpret the results as evidence of ineffective employer sanctions.
Secure Software Engineering: A New Paradigm

Software defects lead to security vulnerabilities, which are costing businesses millions of dollars each year and threaten the security of individuals and the nation. It can be demonstrated that changes to the software engineering process can help to reduce the number of defects in new or changed software. Universities play a major role in the education and training of software engineers. This paper proposes a new way of teaching software development. The changes in curricula are designed to be time neutral, to not increase the length of courses, yet still significantly improve the outcome
The Choice for Multilateral Institutions as a Dispute Settlement Method: The Use of the International Court of Justice in Conflict Management

Mechanisms for addressing international disputes greatly vary. While many of these tools allow for active disputant involvement in deciding the potential outcome of a dispute, international arbitration and adjudication require states relinquish control over the outcome and adhere to the decision of the court. When are states more likely to solve their disputes through international institutions as the International Court of Justice (ICJ)? We begin by reviewing the literature that has addressed this question. We then offer several additional hypotheses that we derive from the 1) multilateral and 2) institutional character of the ICJ. We also consider the relevance of the stage the dispute has reached for the likelihood that states will refer it to the ICJ. We use several “networks” of territorial disputes to illustrate our main arguments. We test our hypotheses using Third Party Intermediary data (Dixon and Frazier, 2006).
Smad7 Abrogates Transforming Growth Factor-β1-mediated Growth Inhibition in COLO-357 Cells through Functional Inactivation of the Retinoblastoma Protein

Smad7 is overexpressed in 50% of human pancreatic cancers. COLO-357 pancreatic cancer cells engineered to overexpress Smad7 are resistant to the actions of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) with respect to growth inhibition and cisplatin-induced apoptosis but not with respect to modulation of gene expression. To delineate the mechanisms underlying these divergent consequences of Smad7 overexpression, we studied the effects of Smad7 on TGF-beta1-dependent signaling pathways and cell cycle regulating proteins. TGF-beta1 induced the phosphorylation of MAPK, p38 MAPK, and AKT2 irrespective of the levels of Smad7, and inhibitors of these pathways did not alter TGF-beta1 actions on cell growth. By contrast, Smad7 overexpression interfered with TGF-beta1-mediated attenuation of cyclin A and B levels, inhibition of cdc2 dephosphorylation and CDK2 inactivation, up-regulation of p27, and the maintenance of the retinoblastoma protein (RB) in a hypophosphorylated state. Smad7 also suppressed TGF-beta1-mediated inhibition of E2F activity but did not alter TGF-beta1-mediated phosphorylation of Smad2, the nuclear translocation of Smad2/3/4, or DNA binding of the Smad2/3/4 complex. Although Smad7 did not associate with the type I TGF-beta receptor (TbetaRI), SB-431542, an inhibitor of the kinase activity of this receptor, blocked TGF-beta1-mediated effects on Smad-2 phosphorylation. These findings point toward a novel paradigm whereby Smad7 acts to functionally inactivate RB and de-repress E2F without blocking the activation of TbetaRI and the nuclear translocation of Smad2/3, thereby allowing for TGF-beta1 to exert effects in a cancer cell that is resistant to TGF-beta1-mediated growth inhibition.
ECOLOGY AND ECOPHYSIOLOGY OF A SUBALPINE FELLFIELD COMMUNITY ON MOUNT PINOS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

ABSTRACT Mount Pinos at the western margin of the Transverse Ranges of Southern California. reaches 2692 m in elevation at its peak. The broad summit of the mountain supports an area of subalpine fellfield vegetation, as well as an unusual low elevation occurrence of limber pine (Pinus flexilis). We describe the summit area of the mountain and characterize the community structure and ecophysiology of the fellfield community and associated pines. The fellfield community, dominated by low mats and cushions of Eriogonum kennedyi, Phlox diffusa, and Lupinus breweri var. bryoides, has a mean plant cover of 44%. These fellfield species have amphistomatic leaves with abundant, slender palisade cells on both sides of the mesophyll. These traits represent a strategy shared with desert plants. Amphistomaty helps to increase assimilation by maximizing stomatal conductance to CO2 during the gas phase of diffusion, and the isolateral mesophyll maximizes diffusion of CO2 by exposing a very high mesophyll membrane area ...
Photonic compensation of antenna dispersion and matched filtering of ultrawideband RF waveforms

We demonstrate broadband antenna dispersion compensation and matched-filtering using microwave photonic filters implemented by optical pulse shaping. We compensate undesirable dispersion to overcome distortion introduced by nonlinear spectral phase and perform matched-filtering for wavefo rm identification.
The nitrosative stress response of Staphylococcus aureus is required for resistance to innate immunity

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly virulent human pathogen with an extensive array of strategies to subvert the innate immune response. An important aspect of innate immunity is the production of the nitrogen monoxide radical (Nitric Oxide, NO.). Here we describe an adaptive response to nitrosative stress that allows S. aureus to replicate at high concentrations of NO.. Microarray analysis revealed 84 staphylococcal genes with significantly altered expression following NO. exposure. Of these, 30 are involved with iron-homeostasis, potentially under the control of the Fur regulator. Another seven induced genes are involved in hypoxic/fermentative metabolism, including the flavohaemoprotein, Hmp. The SrrAB two-component system has been shown to regulate the expression of many of the NO.-induced metabolic genes. Indeed, inactivation of hmp, srrAB and fur resulted in heightened NO. sensitivity. Hmp was responsible for c. 90% of measurable staphylococcal NO. consumption and therefore critical for efficient NO. detoxification. While SrrAB was required for maximal hmp expression, srrAB mutants still exhibited significant NO. scavenging and NO.-dependent induction of hmp. Yet S. aureus lacking SrrAB were more sensitive to nitrosative stress than hmp mutants, indicating that the contribution of SrrAB to NO. resistance extends beyond the regulation of hmp expression. Both Hmp and SrrAB were required for full virulence in a murine sepsis model, however, only the attenuation of the hmp mutant was restored by the abrogation of host NO. production. Thus, the S. aureus Hmp protein has evolved to serve as an iNOS-dependent virulence determinant.
Feminist Pedagogy and Mathematics

Women often are blamed for their “inability” to perform as well as men in mathematical and scientific fields. This article starts with the assumption that the problem is not with women’s ability to do mathematics. The problem lies with their unwillingness to study mathematics as it is currently taught and currently constituted. A conceptual framework based on Women’s ways of knowing: The development of self, voice and mind by Belenky et al. and some methods for promoting women’s learning of mathematics and encouraging them to believe that mathematics is something they want to study are presented.
A piezoelectric micro-energy harvester for nanosensors

A novel piezoelectric micro-energy generator is presented, which converts the mechanical vibrations into electricity by utilizing the piezoelectric effect of zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NW). This is the first time an integrated energy harvester is built where vertically standing NWs are directly coupled to a MEMS proof-mass for maximum conversion of the vibration energy while maintaining the size in the order of hundreds of micrometers. Hydrothermal growth of nanowires combined with MEMS surface micromachining technology and LIGA is employed to fabricate the device. Patterned SU-8 photoresist confines the growth area of the NW block, located between the silicon substrate and a suspended silicon nitride membrane, on which a nickel proof-mass is electroplated. A piezoelectric potential between the two ends of the NW block is formed once compressed by the membrane due to external vibration. A maximum power of 42 pW across 5.5 MΩ load is measured at the vibration frequency of 40 Hz with an acceleration of 1.4g. The corresponding output voltage is 14.7 mV.
Posttraumatic Growth in Trauma Recollections of 9/11 Survivors: A Narrative Approach

ABSTRACTThe relationship between posttraumatic growth (PTG) and adaptation is unclear. This study is the first to examine PTG in trauma narratives of survivors of the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks. Participants recalled their experiences 7 and 18 months post 9/11, and content analysis was conducted to detect PTG. Posttraumatic stress was also measured. PTG was commonly reported. Relating to others and positivity were frequent in the PTSD and non-PTSD group, although less frequent over time in the PTSD. Greater appreciation for life was reported by the non-PTSD group but relatively absent in the PTSD group. Women but not men reported relating to others across time. It appears that there are distinct profiles of growth implicated in distress and adaptation.