cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Demographic characteristics and food choices of participants in the Special Diabetes Program for American Indians Diabetes Prevention Demonstration Project.

Objective. American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) suffer a disproportionate burden of diabetes. Identifying food choices of AI/ANs at risk of type 2 diabetes, living in both rural and urban settings, is critical to the development of culturally relevant, evidence-based education strategies designed to reduce morbidity and mortality in this population.Design. At baseline, 3135 AI/AN adults participating in the Special Diabetes Program for American Indians Diabetes Prevention Demonstration Project (SDPI-DP) completed a socio-demographic survey and a 27-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The primary dietary behavior goal of SDPI-DP education sessions and lifestyle coaching is changes in food choices, i.e., increased fruits, vegetables and whole grains, decreased high sugar beverages, red meat, and processed foods. Subsequently, program assessment focuses on changes in food types. Foods were delineated using a ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ classification as defined by the educators advising participan...
Factors affecting plastic instability and sheet formability

The strong influence of geometry and materials properties on plastic instability and sheet formability is illustrated with several experimental observations. Geometry (shape) of the specimen or work piece and the evolution of shape with deformation is of great importance. Experiments on sheet and thin-walled tubes have demonstrated convincingly that sheets stretched over a punch are more stable than sheets stretched in-plane; which, in turn, are more stable than expanded thin-walled tubes. All can be explained by the specific interaction of specimen shape with loads and deformations. The materials parameters of greatest importance (Hecker, 1978a) are strain hardening, strain-rate sensitivity, and plastic anisotropy. Several experiments are cited that demonstrate the importance of stress state, large strains, and path changes on the strain-hardening response and on subsequent stability.
Influence of Recollections of Teachers' and Peers' Evaluations on Students' Self-Appraisals

According to reflective appraisal theory, a person's self-statements are largely determined by what that person thinks significant others think about him. In the present study, teachers and peers were identified as significant others and the relationship between self-appraisal and recollections of teacher and peer appraisals was examined. Self-appraisals of subjects appeared to be partially a function of recollected teachers' appraisal; however, no effect was found for peers' appraisal.
A Nonlinear Baroclinic Wave-Mean Oscillation with Multiple Normal Mode Instabilities

Abstract An unstable, nonlinear baroclinic wave-mean oscillation is found in a strongly supercritical quasigeostrophic f-plane numerical channel model with 3840 Fourier components. The growth of linear disturbances to this time-periodic oscillation is analyzed by computing time-dependent normal modes (Floquet vectors). Two different Newton–Picard methods are used to compute the unstable solution, the first based on direct computation of a large set of Floquet vectors, and the second based on an efficient iterative solver. Three different growing normal modes are found, which modify the wave structure of the wave-mean oscillation in two essentially different ways. The dynamics of the instabilities are qualitatively similar to the baroclinic dynamics of the wave-mean oscillation. The results provide an example of time-dependent normal mode instability of a strongly nonlinear time-dependent baroclinic flow.
Explaining voter behavior toward local school expenditures: The impact of public attitudes

Abstract Two logit models are presented to explain voter turnout and voter choice for a referendum considering a millage increase to finance a new high school building. The models incorporate attitudinal variables, along with demographic and economic variables. This approach suggests that interested parties, such as school officials, can systematically influence the outcome of local school referenda.
Marx After Marxism

Contrary to the way it has usually been taken, the most enduring legacy of Marx’s thought is philosophical, not practical. Marx’s account of political economy, of class and of revolution have occasioned legitimate criticisms, and the practical outcomes of the social movements based on Marxism have largely been negative. Without denying the power of his critique of capitalism, I will argue here that the most important and viable aspect of Marx’s thought resides in some of his basic philosophical ideas - particularly the normative concepts - and the turn that they led to in political philosophy. This is somewhat ironic, of course, since on the usual view - whether Left or Right - Marx’s normative, philosophical ideas are the least central and certainly the least developed part of his work, compared with the central role of his political economy and revolutionary theory.
Blood pressure, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia.

Abstract With the aging of the population, the incidence and prevalence of cognitive disorders are increasing. Blood pressure plays an important role in the pathogenesis or clinical progression of stroke, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Data from different studies reveal that the uses of antihypertensive medications decrease the risk of dementia and cognitive dysfunction. Several studies also have demonstrated a relationship between hypotension, cognitive decline, and dementia. In this review we are trying to demonstrate the relationship between blood pressure and cognitive function and also the effect of antihypertensive medications on dementia and cognitive dysfunction.
Fourier transform-atomic emission spectrometry with a Grimm-type glow-discharge source

Abstract Analytical atomic emission spectrometry (AES) is pursued by using a Grimm-type glow-discharge source (GDS), equipped with an electrically floating restrictor tube (internal diameter: 8.0 mm) and operated at 110–225 W/cm 2 and 400–600 Pa argon pressure. Amplitude noise spectra of the GDS emission, obtained by a fast Fourier transform, exhibit discrete noise peaks which result from the vacuum-pump system (10–20 Hz) and the power line (60, 120 Hz). Additional noise peaks (at 50 Hz, 80 Hz and 350 Hz) were noted but their origin could not be identified. White noise was found to be dominant in most frequency regions, especially for minor-element lines or for the spectral background. It is shown that combining a Grimm-type glow-discharge source with a high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer is a potentially attractive approach for flexible multielement analyses of solid samples. The spectral widths of the analytical lines are in the pm range. For the case of molybdenum in steel, the limit of detection of glow-discharge Fourier transform-atomic emission spectrometry extends to approximately the 30 μg g level.
Leucine-enkephalin modulation of catecholamine positive chronotropy in rat atria is receptor-specific and calcium-dependent

Abstract Leucine-enkephalin (LE) at 10 −8 M reduces the maximum chronotropic response of isolated spontaneously beating rat atria to exogenously added (−)-norepinephrine (NE) by approximately 27%, with no effect on the NE ED 50 (1.5 × 10 −7 M) for positive chronotropy. This modulatory effect of LE is completely blocked by addition of 10 −7 M naloxone, and seems to be catecholamine-receptor specific, since the positive chronotropic response to forskolin is unaltered in the presence of LE. Isoproterenol (ISO)-induced positive chronotropy is also attenuated by LE. This effect is markedly dependent on the extracellular calcium concentration: LE actually causes a greater than two-fold enhancement of the positive chronotropic effect of ISO at low (0.5 mM) extracellular calcium concentration. A possible role for enkephalins to modulate catecholamine action on the heart via an alteration of catecholamine-induced inward calcium flux is discussed.
Mercurian crater-filling classes constrain the emplacement process of the intercrater plains material☆

The multivariate method for statistical analysis of crater-filling classes, as presently applied to craters of more than 10-km diameter on Mercury, is noted to be superior to current techniques due to the obviation of any amalgamation of data from regions with different histories in order to arrive at the pertinent counting statistics. In this application to the Mercury intercrater plains, the process responsible for emplacement is constrained to be one that leaves the crater class distribution unaltered from that observed on the densely cratered terrain. The analysis explicitly eliminates the viability of the pulse emplacement of volcanics or basin ejecta.
Creating a “third space” in student teaching: Implications for the university supervisor’s status as outsider

Abstract The work of teacher education during student teaching typically takes place in two distinct “spaces”: placement sites and college/university settings. The program featured in this article is structured in ways that clearly mark out those two spaces. Yet this configuration led our university supervisors, whose work primarily took place in the field, to feel like “outsiders.” To redress this concern, a third learning space was incorporated into our student teaching seminar. We suggest that “third spaces” in combination with return-to-campus courses not only mitigates the peripherality of university supervisors, but also amplifies the influence of a teacher preparation program.
Fluorination of nitrogen-containing aromatics with xenon difluoride

Abstract Pyridine reacts with xenon difluoride to give a mixture of 2-fluoropyridine 3-fluoropyridine, and 2,6-difluoropyridine, while 8-hydroxyquinoline is converted to 5-fluoro-8-quinolinol. Aniline and benzylamine react vigorously with XeF2 to yield mixtures of monofluoro isomers derived from the parent amines.
Mechanical Loads and Cortical Bone Geometry in Healthy Children and Young Adults

Abstract Muscle and bone form a functional unit. While muscle size is a useful surrogate of mechanical load on bone, the independent contributions to bone strength of muscle force, muscle size, gravitational load (body weight), and physical activity have not been assessed. Three hundred twenty-one healthy participants (32% black, 47% male), aged 5–35 years were assessed. Peak dorsiflexion muscle torque (ft-lbs) of the ankle was assessed using isometric dynamometry. Tibia peripheral quantitative computed tomography measures included polar section modulus (Zp; mm 3 ), periosteal and endosteal circumference (mm), cortical area (mm 2 ), and volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD; mg/cm 3 ) at the 38% site, and muscle cross-sectional area (CSA; mm 2 ), at the 66% site. Physical activity (average hours per week) was assessed by questionnaire. Log linear regression was used to assess determinants of muscle specific force (MSF; torque relative to muscle CSA) and Zp adjusted for age and tibia length. MSF was greater in blacks than whites ( p p p = 0.002) in Tanner stages 1–4, but the difference was attenuated in Tanner 5 (interaction, p = 0.02); R 2 = 0.87. Muscle CSA, muscle torque, body weight, and physical activity were added to the model and each load covariate was independently and significantly (all, p R 2 = 0.92), periosteal circumference, and cortical area. Inclusion of these measures attenuated but did not eliminate the significant race differences. Only muscle CSA was positively associated with endosteal circumference, while none of the load covariates were associated with vBMD. In conclusion, bone geometry is associated with several factors that define the mechanical load on bone, independent of age, tibia length, maturation, race, and sex. Race differences in Zp were not explained by these measures of mechanical load. Given that inclusion of muscle torque, body weight, and physical activity resulted in a nominal increase in the R 2 , muscle size is an adequate surrogate for the mechanical load on bone in healthy participants.
Can the Atlantic Ocean drive the observed multidecadal variability in Northern Hemisphere mean temperature

[1] While the Northern Hemisphere mean surface temperature has clearly warmed over the 20th century due in large part to increasing greenhouse gases, this warming has not been monotonic. The departures from steady warming on multidecadal timescales might be associated in part with radiative forcing, especially solar irradiance, volcanoes, and anthropogenic aerosols. It is also possible that internal oceanic variability explains a part of this variation. We report here on simulations with a climate model in which the Atlantic Ocean is constrained to produce multidecadal fluctuations similar to observations by redistributing heat within the Atlantic, with other oceans left free to adjust to these Atlantic perturbations. The model generates multidecadal variability in Northern Hemisphere mean temperatures similar in phase and magnitude to detrended observations. The results suggest that variability in the Atlantic is a viable explanation for a portion of the multidecadal variability in the Northern Hemisphere mean temperature record.
Screening California Current fishery management scenarios using the Atlantis end-to-end ecosystem model

End-to-end marine ecosystem models link climate and oceanography to the food web and human activities. These models can be used as forecasting tools, to strategically evaluate management options and to support ecosystem-based management. Here we report the results of such forecasts in the California Current, using an Atlantis end-to-end model. We worked collaboratively with fishery managers at NOAA’s regional offices and staff at the National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS) to explore the impact of fishery policies on management objectives at different spatial scales, from single Marine Sanctuaries to the entire Northern California Current. In addition to examining Status Quo management, we explored the consequences of several gear switching and spatial management scenarios. Of the scenarios that involved large scale management changes, no single scenario maximized all performance metrics. Any policy choice would involve trade-offs between stakeholder groups and policy goals. For example, a coast-wide 25% gear shift from trawl to pot or longline appeared to be one possible compromise between an increase in spatial management (which sacrificed revenue) and scenarios such as the one consolidating bottom impacts to deeper areas (which did not perform substantially differently from Status Quo). Judged on a coast-wide scale, most of the scenarios that involved minor or local management changes (e.g. within Monterey Bay NMS only) yielded results similar to Status Quo. When impacts did occur in these cases, they often involved local interactions that were difficult to predict a priori based solely on fishing patterns. However, judged on the local scale, deviation from Status Quo did emerge, particularly for metrics related to stationary species or variables (i.e. habitat and local metrics of landed value or bycatch). We also found that isolated management actions within Monterey Bay NMS would cause local fishers to pay a cost for conservation, in terms of reductions in landed value. However, this cost was minimal when local conservation actions were part of a concerted coast-wide plan. The simulations demonstrate the utility of using the Atlantis end-to-end ecosystem model within NOAA’s Integrated Ecosystem Assessment, by illustrating an end-to-end modeling tool that allows consideration of multiple management alternatives that are relevant to numerous state, federal and private interests.
Effects of age and mineral intake on the regulation of iron absorption in infants

Iron deficiency anemia during infancy is associated with delayed psychomotor and cognitive development; thus there is global interest in improving infant iron status through iron supplementation programs early in life. In adults, iron homeostasis primarily is controlled through regulatory changes in iron absorption; however, there is little understanding of mechanisms that regulate iron absorption in infants. As iron stores become depleted from rapid hemoglobin expansion, ontogenic transition to regulated iron absorption must occur. To elucidate age-dependent mechanisms regulating intestinal iron absorption and homeostasis in human infants, studies in suckling rat pups indicated that increased divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), ferroportin 1 (FPN1), and hephaestin expression and changes in localization within the enterocyte may direct the ontogenic regulation of iron homeostasis mechanisms. Unlike observations in adults, iron absorption, DMT1, and FPN1 expression were not affected by iron intake during mid-infancy, similar to observations in human infants. Interestingly, at this age supplemental iron was retained in the small intestine, but only in pups that were not previously iron deficient. Although intestinal retention may possibly help limit excess iron absorption, decreased linear growth, head circumference, and weight gain has been observed in iron-supplemented, nonanemic human infants, suggesting that global iron supplementation programs should be approached with caution.
Specific DNA-RNA hybrid binding by zinc finger proteins

Zinc finger proteins of the Cys2His2 type represent a large class of proteins that have been assumed to function by means of specific interactions with DNA. Experiments motivated by structural characteristics of zinc finger protein-DNA complexes revealed that certain zinc finger proteins bound DNA-RNA hybrids with affinities comparable to or greater than those for DNA duplexes. The interactions between the zinc finger proteins and the DNA-RNA hybrids were dependent on which strand was RNA and were sequence-specific. Thus, interactions with DNA-RNA hybrids should be considered with regard to the biological roles of zinc finger proteins.
Density dependent interactions and the consistency of folding estimates of nucleon-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus potentials

Abstract It is shown that density dependence in the interaction does effect the consistency of the results obtained in folding calculations of nucleon-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus potentials. A modified density dependent version of the new G matrix interaction of Bertsch et al. gives reasonable results for both.
Students' View of School Drug Use

The purpose of this investigation was to determine students' perception of their drug use activity and desired treatment. The data were collected through the use of perceived peer group members. More reliable data are made available to perceived student peers than to perceived adults or authority figures who administer formal questionnaires to students. Our findings indicate the existence of a positive relationship between student poly-drug use and socioeconomic status.
Parity and risk of type 2 diabetes: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

OBJECTIVE—While high parity is hypothesized to be associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, few studies have examined this association in diverse racial samples or geographical areas. Our objectives were to estimate the magnitude of association between parity and diabetes and to determine if higher parity is predictive of future risk of diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—This was a population-based, prospective cohort study of 7,024 Caucasian and African-American women from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, a prospective epidemiological study of men and women aged 45–64 years, with 9 years of follow-up. Incident diabetes was defined by the 1997 American Diabetes Association diagnostic criteria. Parity was defined as the number of live births (no live births [nulliparity], one to two live births, three to four live births, and five or more live births [grandmultiparity]). Parity and risk of diabetes was estimated for 754 incident cases of diabetes with Cox proportional hazard regression models, adjusting for sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors and inflammatory markers. RESULTS—Incidence rates were highest among women with five or more live births (23/1,000 person-years [95% CI 20.3–26.7]) and lowest among women with one to two live births (11/1,000 person-years [9.6–12.5]). Adjustment indicated that much of the risk was due to sociodemographic factors and higher obesity, but after adjustment for all covariates, grandmultiparity (five or more) was still associated with a 27% increased risk for diabetes (hazard ratio 1.27 [95% CI 1.02–1.57]). CONCLUSIONS—Grandmultiparity is predictive of future risk of diabetes after adjustment for confounders.
Modafinil Shifts Human Locus Coeruleus to Low-Tonic, High-Phasic Activity During Functional MRI

Models of cognitive control posit a key modulatory role for the pontine locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system. In nonhuman primates, phasic LC-NE activity confers adaptive adjustments in cortical gain in task-relevant brain networks, and in performance, on a trial-by-trial basis. This model has remained untested in humans. We used the pharmacological agent modafinil to promote low-tonic/high-phasic LC-NE activity in healthy humans performing a cognitive control task during event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Modafanil administration was associated with decreased task-independent, tonic LC activity, increased task-related LC and prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity, and enhanced LC-PFC functional connectivity. These results confirm in humans the role of the LC-NE system in PFC function and cognitive control and suggest a mechanism for therapeutic action of procognitive noradrenergic agents.
Convergence and extrapolation in finite-size scaling renormalization

Abstract Finite size renormalization technique is studied by examining a test model, which is exactly solvable, and the problem of lattice animals and self-avoiding walks. Bulk estimates of the leading irrelevant RG eigenvalue are found and compared with independent estimates from finite-size data. We introduce an extrapolation technique which is applicable to non-monotonic sequences of exponent approximants.
Auditory sensitivity in mice, Peromyscus and Mus musculus.

Summary Auditory evoked potentials from the posterior colliculus were used to measure auditory threshold in Peromyscus leucopus, P. boylii , feral Mus musculus and strain BALB/cJ and DBA/2J laboratory mice. Moderate Nembutal anaesthesia had no consistent effect on the shape, amplitude, latency or threshold of the evoked potentials. Peromyscus boylii and young P. leucopus appear to have a high frequency sensitivity similar to that of the bat Myotis lucifugus up to about 70 kHz. The feral Mus musculus were more sensitive to higher frequencies than any of the laboratory mice tested, having lowest thresholds at about 20 kHz. The high frequency sensitivity of strain DBA/2J mice declines rapidly with age, which probably explains their loss of audiogenic seizure susceptibility with age. Mice of strain BALB/cJ were most sensitive to frequencies of about 12 kHz. Their high freuency sensitivity tends to decline with age, but not as rapidly or consistently as in strain DBA/2J mice. The high incidence of sensory deficits in laboratory mice, and the difficulty of detecting them, can confound the results of behavioural studies on inbred laboratory mouse strains.
Postprandial hyperglycemia: implications for practice.

Despite the growing consensus that postprandial glucose levels provide a more accurate and valuable early marker of diabetes symptoms than fasting plasma glucose, the ability to forestall diabetic complications by managing postprandial hyperglycemia has not been proved. Patients who are not considered to have diabetes mellitus may have impaired glucose tolerance (and increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease), and targeting nonfasting glucose can reduce insulin requirements for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type 1 diabetes mellitus). The challenge now is to determine what fasting glucose levels merit intervention, when and how they should be determined, and who should measure them. After outlining the discrepancies and lack of consensus between measurement guidelines developed by different professional organizations, the author then reviews options for treating postprandial hyperglycemia, including prepackaged meals, α-glucosidase inhibitors, acarbose therapy, and fast-acting insulin preparations.
Photodynamic Therapy for Barrett's Esophagus and Esophageal Carcinoma

This paper reviews the use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in patients with Barrett's esophagus and esophageal carcinoma. We describe the history of PDT, mechanics, photosensitizers for PDT in patients with esophageal disease. Finally, we discuss its utility and limitations in this setting.
A null-current electro-dynamic levitation system

All electro-dynamic levitation systems (EDS) have peak drag forces and peak and average power consumption to deal with in order to be viable in Maglev applications. Both factors affect the energy cost and the capital cost of the propulsion system. A significant improvement for EDS systems is a so-called null-current configuration. It consists of two Halbach arrays, one above the track and one below the track. The two arrays are oriented with respect to one another so that their horizontal field components add while their vertical field components oppose. In this way, the levitating field component is enhanced while the field component that excites the currents in the ladder-track between the two arrays is weakened. The basic idea is that the lower induced current and the higher levitating field component produce the necessary levitation force. At the same time the drag force is much lower, since it depends on the product of the induced current and the vertical field component.
Magic Plants of Amazonia and Their Contribution to Agrobiodiversity

This article relies on ethnographic and household survey data to examine the contribution of magic plants to the overall diversity of plant species managed by rural households in the municipality of Borba, Amazonas state, Brazil. The resulting analysis shows that more than 27 percent of the species managed in smallholder farming communities in Borba are believed to have symbolic powers or magical properties. Furthermore, while households that managed magic plants did not demonstrate a significantly higher average of plant species than those households that did not, households with magic plants did manage a significantly higher average of plant species in home gardens. Drawing on qualitative data, this article discusses the usage of such magic plants, exploring their symbolic powers and their relationship to gender and healing while also considering the ambiguities in their classification. To conclude, it is argued that magic plants and their meanings represent more than an anthropological novelty, but hav...
A Quadrature-Based Tunable Radio-Frequency Sensor for the Detection and Analysis of Aqueous Solutions

A highly tunable and sensitive radio-frequency (RF) sensor is presented for the measurement of aqueous-solution dielectric properties. Two quadrature hybrids are utilized to achieve destructive interference that eliminates the probing signals at both measurement ports. As a result, weak signals of material-under-test (MUT) are elevated for high sensitivity detections at different frequencies. The sensor is demonstrated through measuring 2-propanol-water solution permittivity at 0.01 mole fraction concentration level from $\sim$ 4 GHz to $\sim$ 12 GHz. De-ionized water and methanol-water solution are used to calibrate the sensor for quantitative MUT analysis through our proposed model. Micro-meter coplanar waveguides (CPW) are fabricated as RF sensing electrodes. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic channel is employed to introduce 250 nL liquid, of which $\sim$ 1 nL is effectively the MUT. The permittivity and the relaxation time of 2-propanol-water solution are obtained. Compared with our power divider based sensors, the differential reflection coefficients in this work provide additional information that complements the transmission coefficient methods.
A low-cost metal ball grid array for flip chip die

A low cost ball grid array package has been developed for use with flip chip die. The structural "back bone" of this chip carrier is a metal plate which serves as a built-in heat spreader and a floating ground plane as well as the principal structural member of the package. Thin film circuitry is employed to make the necessary connections between the die and the solder balls. The fine line circuitization enables escape of many I/O from the flip chip die and thus a high I/O package with only a single layer of circuitry. The circuit lines are separated from the metal plate by means of a thin polymer dielectric layer. The die is attached to the carrier with a conventional high temperature C4 attach process. The ball grid array is on a 1.27 mm pitch. The metal plate that serves as the structural member of this package provides a number of benefits. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the metal plate is very close to the CTE of the circuit card. The size of the package is not limited, therefore, in order to prevent fatigue and fracture of solder balls. The metal plate is separated from the circuitry by only a thin layer of dielectric material. The plate thus serves as a very effective floating ground plane and thereby provides improved electrical performance. The plate also serves as an effective heat spreader, again because of the thin dielectric layer separating the metal plate from the circuitry, the die and the solder balls. If added thermal performance is desired, a heat sink is easily attached to the backside of the metal plate. The thin film circuitry employed in this package also provides a number of benefits. The die and the solder balls are connected by a single layer of circuitry. Since electrical vias are not required, low cost processing is possible. Circuitization of the thin film metal can produce extremely fine lines and spaces; more than 700 I/O can be handled in a single layer.
Noise in cavity ring-down spectroscopy caused by transverse mode coupling

In our continuous wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CW-CRDS) experiments, we have often observed that the decay time constant drops to a lower value at some cavity lengths or some intercavity pressures. The resulting instabilities lead to a reduction in the sensitivity of our CRDS system. We have deduced that the cause of this noise is the coupling between the TEM(00) mode that the laser excites, and the higher order transverse modes of the cavity. The coupling will cause anti-crossings as the modes tune with cavity length. A consequence is that the decay of light intensity leaving the cavity is no longer a single exponential decay, but the signal can be quantitatively fit to a two-mode beating model. With a 4mm diameter intra-cavity aperture, the higher order modes are suppressed and the stability of the system improved greatly. One coupling mechanism is scattering from the mirror surfaces. This can explain some features of our data including the strength of this coupling and the relative tuning rate of the coupled modes. Remarkably, a scattering intensity between modes of ~ 10(-12) can produce observable changes in the cavity decay rate. However, the tuning rate between the TEM(00) mode and the higher order modes in a cavity pressure scan is larger than predicted and is still not explained. Images of higher order transverse modes excited at certain cavity conditions were recorded by an Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) area camera.
Simulations provide a rare look at real melting

Melting is perhaps one of the most familiar phase transformations. Yet, surprisingly, the complex mechanisms leading to melting have just recently been clarified. On page 729 of this issue, Samanta et al. ( 1 ) report a large-scale atomistic computational investigation that offers an exceptionally detailed look at the underlying mechanisms for melting of metals under near-equilibrium conditions.
Extracting medication information from clinical text

The Third i2b2 Workshop on Natural Language Processing Challenges for Clinical Records focused on the identification of medications, their dosages, modes (routes) of administration, frequencies, durations, and reasons for administration in discharge summaries. This challenge is referred to as the medication challenge. For the medication challenge, i2b2 released detailed annotation guidelines along with a set of annotated discharge summaries. Twenty teams representing 23 organizations and nine countries participated in the medication challenge. The teams produced rule-based, machine learning, and hybrid systems targeted to the task. Although rule-based systems dominated the top 10, the best performing system was a hybrid. Of all medication-related fields, durations and reasons were the most difficult for all systems to detect. While medications themselves were identified with better than 0.75 F-measure by all of the top 10 systems, the best F-measure for durations and reasons were 0.525 and 0.459, respectively. State-of-the-art natural language processing systems go a long way toward extracting medication names, dosages, modes, and frequencies. However, they are limited in recognizing duration and reason fields and would benefit from future research.
A Practical Study of Transitory Master Key Establishment ForWireless Sensor Networks

Establishing secure links between pairs of directly connected sensor nodes is an important primitive for building secure wireless sensor networks. This paper systematically identifies two important security requirements of pairwise key setup in wireless sensor networks, namely opaqueness and inoculation. Transitory master key schemes, such as the LEAP protocol, can satisfy both requirements if the master key has not been compromised. However, if the master key is compromised, every key in the network is exposed to an adversary. To prevent the master key from becoming a single point failure of the whole system, we propose a new opaque transitory master key (OTMK) scheme for pairwise key setup in sensor networks. In OTMK, even if the master key is compromised, an adversary can only exploit a small number of keys nearby the compromised node, while other keys in the network remain safe. To further investigate key establishment schemes, we experimented with a way to compromise a sensor node, and tested our key establishment time in a real sensor network environment.
Endocrine Activity of Plant-Derived Compounds: An Evolutionary Perspective:

Although plants have long been known to have important pharmacological effects in humans, the mechanism by which plant-derived compounds act in humans is still being elucidated. Two important pathways for the biological actions of plant-derived compounds involved binding either to hormone receptors or to enzymes that metabolize hormones. What are the origins of this interaction between plant-derived compounds and animals? And what insights can we gain from investigating this question? Some answers come from recent sequence analyses, revealing that 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, which regulates estrogen and androgen levels in humans, and 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase, which regulates prostaglandin E2 and F2 alpha levels in humans, have a common ancestor with proteins in rhizobia that are important in forming nitrogen-fixing nodules in legume roots, and 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, which regulates progestin and androgen levels in humans, has a common ancestor with enzymes important in the synthesis of anthocyanins. This evolutionary kinship, when combined with the structural similarities between flavonoids, licorice-derived compounds, and steroid hormones, provides another perspective on the hormone-like activity of flavonoids and other plant-derived compounds in humans: some of the hormone-like activity of plant-derived compounds is due to binding to steroid and prostaglandin dehydrogenases.
Spectra of Scalar-Type spectral operators and schauder decompositions

It is well known that every non-empty closed subset of the complex plane is the spectrum of a normal operator in a HILBERT space
Associations between Kidney Function and Subclinical Cardiac Abnormalities in CKD

Heart failure is a common consequence of CKD, and it portends high risk for mortality. However, among patients without known heart failure, the associations of different stages of estimated GFR (eGFR) with changes in cardiac structure and function are not well described. Here, we performed a cross-sectional analysis to study these associations among 3487 participants of the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study. We estimated GFR using cystatin C. The prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) assessed by echocardiography was 32%, 48%, 57%, and 75% for eGFR categories ≥60, 45–59, 30–44, and <30 ml/min per 1.73 m2, respectively. In fully adjusted multivariable analyses, subjects with eGFR levels of <30 ml/min per 1.73 m2 had twofold higher odds of LVH (OR=2.20, 95% CI=1.40–3.40; P<0.001) relative to subjects with eGFR≥60 ml/min per 1.73 m2. This reduction in kidney function also significantly associated with abnormal LV geometry but not diastolic or systolic dysfunction. An eGFR of 30–44 ml/min per 1.73 m2 also significantly associated with LVH and abnormal LV geometry compared with eGFR≥60 ml/min per 1.73 m2. In summary, in this large CKD cohort, reduced kidney function associated with abnormal cardiac structure. We did not detect significant associations between kidney function and systolic or diastolic function after adjusting for potential confounding variables.
Growth, mammary, reproductive, and pituitary hormone characteristics of Holstein heifers fed extra grain and melengestrol acetate.

Abstract Rate of growth was studied in 140 Holstein heifers fed standard amounts (.9 kg/day, control) or extra amounts (4.5 kg/day) of grain with or without .45mg melengestrol acetate (MGA) from 2.5 months of age to initial breeding size (120cm withers height). Heifers fed extra grain exhibited first estrus at an earlier age (P
Quantum dots by ultraviolet and x-ray lithography

Highly luminescent semiconductor quantum dots have been synthesized in porous materials with ultraviolet and x-ray lithography. For this, the pore-filling solvent of silica hydrogels is exchanged with an aqueous solution of a group II metal ion together with a chalcogenide precursor such as 2-mercaptoethanol, thioacetamide or selenourea. The chalcogenide precursor is photodissociated in the exposed regions, yielding metal chalcogenide nanoparticles. Patterns are obtained by using masks appropriate to the type of radiation employed. The mean size of the quantum dots is controlled by adding capping agents such as citrate or thioglycerol to the precursor solution, and the quantum yield of the composites can be increased to up to about 30% by photoactivation. Our technique is water-based, uses readily available reagents, and highly luminescent patterned composites are obtained in a few simple processing steps. Polydispersity, however, is high (around 50%), preventing large-scale usage of the technique for the time being. Future developments that aim at a reduction of the polydispersity are presented.
Marx and the Category of Individuality' in Communist Society*

Marx was one among the great humanist philosophers who, like the humanists from the Renaissance up to those of our day, have stressed the idea that all social arrangements must serve the growth and the unfolding of man; that man must always be an end and never a means; that each individual carries within himself all of humanity; that human progress in science and in art depends upon freedom; that man has the capacity to perfect himself in the process of history…. It is an ironical fact that the main accusation against Marxism in the capitalist countries has been his “materialism”; this is ironical because it was precisely Marx's aim to fight the materialism engendered in bourgeois life and to create a society in which man—the creative, “self-active” human being—is the summon bonum, in which the rich man is the one, as Marx put it, who is much, and not the one who has much.
Dynamics of protein phosphorylation in sensory neurons of Aplysia

Protein phosphorylation plays important roles in the mechanisms underlying serotonin (5-HT)-induced presynaptic facilitation of Aplysia sensory neurons. To study mechanisms involved in facilitation, we investigated the pattern of protein phosphorylation in sensory neurons as a function of different durations of 5-HT. Two minutes and 1.5 hr treatments with 5-HT altered the phosphorylation of 5 and 10 proteins, respectively. These different duration treatments with 5-HT produced unique effects on the phosphorylation of different sets of proteins. This result suggests that cells may encode and measure the duration of a stimulus by the pattern of specific proteins that are phosphorylated or dephosphorylated. In addition, because the changes in phosphorylation produced by 2 min treatments with 5-HT were not observed after 25 min treatments with 5-HT, mechanisms must exist for the transient phosphorylation of some proteins even when the 5-HT treatment persists. Anisomycin, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, blocked the effect of 1.5 hr treatments with 5-HT on the phosphorylation of six proteins but had no effect on the phosphorylation change of four other proteins. Both CPT-cAMP (an activator of protein kinase A) and PDAc (an activator of protein kinase C) mimicked the effects of 5-HT on four proteins. Interestingly, the effect of 5-HT on these four proteins did not require protein synthesis. CPT-cAMP, but not PDAc, mimicked the effect of 5-HT on one protein (L55) and, the effect of 5-HT on this protein appeared to require protein synthesis. Because both activation of PKA and protein synthesis are involved in the induction of long-term facilitation, protein L55 is a good candidate for a protein that might play a key role in long-term facilitation. Finally, the effects of 5-HT on four proteins were not mimicked by either CPT-cAMP or PDAc. This finding raises the interesting possibility that some effects of 5-HT are mediated by second-messenger systems other than PKA or PKC.
Feasibility and synthesis of hybrid reactive distillation systems

A systematic method to synthesize hybrid reactive distillation configurations described in this paper uses three building blocks. These building blocks are a cocurrent rectifying cascade, a cocurrent stripping cascade, and a countercurrent cascade. A feasibility diagram and a product purity diagram provide a global view of the direct and indirect sharp split products that can be obtained as a function of the reaction rate from single-feed and double-feed hybrid columns, respectively. These diagrams are used as a basis for quickly and systematically generating feasible column configurations (if any) that produce the desired product. Three esterification examples are used to illustrate the method. In spite of the fact that the examples form a homologous series, the feasible designs are quite different. The results compare well with column simulations.
Regulation of Lymphocyte Development by Cell-Type-Specific Interpretation of Notch Signals

Notch signaling pathways exert diverse biological effects depending on the cellular context where Notch receptors are activated. How Notch signaling is integrated with environmental cues is a central issue. Here, we show that Notch activation accelerates ubiquitin-mediated and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-dependent degradation of E2A transcription factors and Janus kinases, molecules essential for both B- and T-lymphocyte development. However, these events occur in B lymphocytes, but not T lymphocytes, due to their different levels of MAPK, thus providing one mechanism whereby Notch inhibits B-cell development without impairing T-cell differentiation. Lymphoid progenitors expressing a Notch-resistant E2A mutant differentiated into B-lineage cells on stromal cells expressing Notch ligands and in the thymus of transplant recipients. Bone marrow transplant assays and examination of steady-state B lymphopoiesis also revealed that the expression of Notch-resistant E2A and constitutively active STAT5 in mice neutralized the effects of Notch-induced degradation, allowing B-cell development through a bone marrow-like program in the thymus. These findings illustrate that Notch function can be influenced by MAPKs, producing distinct outcomes in different cellular contexts.
Seawater pH measurements in the field: A DIY photometer with 0.01 unit pH accuracy

Abstract A portable light-emitting-diode (LED) photometer has been developed to provide low-cost seawater pH measurements. The benefits of the new system include a simple “do-it-yourself” construction design, a hundredfold reduction in cost relative to benchtop spectrophotometric systems, routine calibration-free operation in the field, and precision and accuracy well suited to applications such as education, coastal zone monitoring (including citizen science programs), and aquaculture and aquarium management. The photometer uses a high-sensitivity light-to-voltage integrated circuit as a detector, two LED light sources, and an open-source Arduino microcontroller for system control and data processing. Measurements are based on observations of absorbances of a pH-sensitive indicator. With meta-cresol purple, a sulfonephthalein indicator appropriate to natural seawater, the photometer system produces pHT measurements within 0.01 units of state-of-the-art spectrophotometric measurements (7.6 ≤ pH ≤ 8.2, 30 ≤ S ≤ 36.2, and 15 °C ≤ t ≤ 30 °C) and has a pH precision of ± 0.002. Measurement accuracy is achieved with a one-time calibration that relates absorbance ratios measured by the broadband photometer (RB) to absorbance ratios measured by a high-quality (narrowband) spectrophotometer (RN). Calculation of RN from RB allows the use of published algorithms that yield seawater pH as a function of RN, temperature, and salinity.
L-asparaginase and PEG asparaginase--past, present, and future

L-asparaginase is an enzyme which hydrolyses asparagine. Since the 1960s it has been known that some leukemic cells are deficient in asparagine synthetase and therefore cannot manufacture sufficien...
Subordinate Views in Supervisory Conflict Situations: Peering into the Subcultural Chasm

Workplace conflict has traditionally been approached with legalistic, problemsolving, and power-oriented models. Most dominant organization cultures embody a combination of these models' assumptions. Based on 100 case studies from the United States, a bottom-up model reflecting the beliefs prevailing in subordinate subcultures is inductively developed via a two-stage content analysis. The key assumptions of all four models are contrasted along six cultural dimensions: namely, the nature of relationships, truth/reality, analytic determinations, evidence, time, and the consequences of grieving. The processes of nicknaming and story telling through which subcultural meanings are commonly constructed also receive close scrutiny.
Mountains, the Global Frictional Torque, and the Circulation over the Pacific–North American Region

Abstract The global mountain (τM ) and frictional (τF ) torques are lag correlated within the intraseasonal band, with τF leading τM. The correlation accounts for 20%–45% of their variance. Two basic feedbacks contribute to the relationship. First, the mountain torque forces global atmospheric angular momentum (AAM) anomalies and the frictional torque damps them; thus, dτF/dt ∝ −τM. Second, frictional torque anomalies are associated with high-latitude sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies, which contribute to subsequent mountain torque anomalies; thus, dτM/dt ∝ τF. These feedbacks help determine the growth and decay of global AAM anomalies on intraseasonal timescales. The low-frequency intraseasonal aspect of the relationship is studied for northern winter through lag regressions on τF. The linear Madden–Julian oscillation signal is first removed from τF to focus the analysis on midlatitude dynamical processes. The decorrelation timescale of τF is similar to that of teleconnection patterns and zonal index cy...