cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Utilization of GOES Rapid-Scan Wind Data for Tropical Cyclone Predictability Experiments

Abstract : The overarching goal of this research is to obtain special data sets of GOES rapid-scan (RS) atmospheric motion vectors (AMV) to assimilate and test for improvements in NAVY global numerical model (NOGAPS) forecasts of tropical cyclones (TC) using targeting information provided by NRL-MRY. There is the potential for forecast benefits with the GOES R/S-AMV since the higher image frequency yields more accurate observations in comparison to routinely-produced GOES AMV data. This is the motivation for this investigation. The proposed two-year effort will focus on the collection and processing of the RS datasets by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin at Madison during two, 3-month focused periods of Atlantic TC activity in 2005 and 2006. These experimental and advanced datasets will be used for the following: (1) to demonstrate targeting concepts, (2) for satellite data assimilation trials, and (3) to test for predictability impacts on NOGAPS forecasts of TC tracks and intensity.
Children and the Law

Legal policy in the United States regarding children and adolescents has changed a great deal over time, reflecting oscillations in societal perceptions of young people. The prevailing laws regulating the treatment of children and adolescents are the product of conventional wisdom, philosophical reasoning, and practical considerations. Recent advances in the developmental science of mature judgment have allowed testing of many of the presumptions on which such laws are based, and developmental science is being called upon, with increasing frequency, to inform legal decisions. This chapter provides a broad overview of the legal regulation of children, as well as the extant or potential use of developmental science to guide legal decision making. The scope of this discussion is limited to legal policy regarding children and adolescents within the United States, and we focus our attention specifically on legal issues important and controversial enough to have been addressed in decisions by the Supreme Court. We review the ways that legal regulation of minors has evolved across a broad array of domains, including the family, school, the justice system, medical settings, and society more broadly. Legal policy in these domains often must reconcile the competing interests of children, their parents, and broader society. We discuss the implications of developmental science for informing debates over the appropriate balance between these differing interests. Keywords: adolescent development; child development; competence; constitutional rights of minors; culpability; custody; decision making; emancipated minors; juvenile justice; legal protections of children; maturity of judgment; media exposure; medical decision making; parental rights; privacy; rights at school; Supreme Court
Arachidonic acid metabolism in isolated pancreatic islets. IV. Negative ion-mass spectrometric quantitation of monooxygenase product synthesis by liver and islets.

Abstract Deuterium-labelled standards of four regionally isomeric epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and their hydrolysis products, the dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs), have been prepared and analyzed by capillary column gas chromatography (GC)-negative ion (NI)-methane chemical ionization (MCI)-mass spectrometry (MS) as the pentafluorobenzyl esters. As little as 40 pg of these compounds were readily visualized by these methods, and the deuterium-labelled standards were used in a stable isotope dilution mass spectrometric assay which was linear from near the detection limit over several orders of magnitude. NADPH-dependent synthesis of both EETs and DHETs from arachidonate by hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450-monooxygenase activity was demonstrable with these methods and was significantly suppressed by the compound BW755C (500 μM), but not by eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraynoic acid (ETYA, 20 μM) or by nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA, 50 μM). All three compounds suppress glucose-induced insulin secretion and 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) synthesis by isolated pancreatic islets with similar concentration dependence. Microsomes derived from isolated pancreatic islets synthesized less than 3% of the EET and DHET compounds as a comparable amount of hepatic microsomes. Intact islets synthesized less than 3% by mass of the EET and DHET compounds compared to the mass of 12-HETE produced by the islets. Islets also failed to convert 3H-labelled arachidonate to 3H-labelled EETs or DHETs under conditions where conversion to [3H]12-HETE and to [3H]prostaglandin E2 (but not to [3H]leukotriene C4, D4, or E4) was clearly demonstrable. Neither exogenous EETs nor leukotriene C4 stimulated insulin secretion from the isolated islets or reversed the suppression of glucose-induced secretion by the lipoxygenase inhibitor BW755C. The cytochrome P-450-monooxygenase inhibitor, metyrapone (50 μM), did not influence insulin secretion from the isolated islets under conditions where the lipoxygenase inhibitor, NDGA, suppressed glucose-induced secretion. These observations argue against the recently suggested hypothesis that EETs derived from arachidonate by monooxygenase action participate in glucose-induced insulin secretion by isolated pancreatic islets.
Creating an Objective Structured Teaching Examination to Evaluate a Dental Faculty Development Program

This article describes the creation of an objective structured teaching examination (OSTE) to assess a dental faculty development program. An OSTE is a performance-based measure that utilizes standardized students and is designed to measure observable teaching skills. In spring 2010, the authors developed, implemented, and evaluated an OSTE to assess a New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) faculty development program, Class ACTS (Advanced Clinical Teaching Scholars). They created a three-station OSTE to measure changes in teaching skills resulting from participation in Class ACTS. Dental student teaching assistants were trained to act as standardized students and patients and to use the rating forms. The faculty members' OSTE scores and ratings increased after participating in the Class ACTS program in all fifteen teaching domains tested, and statistically significant improvements occurred in nine of the fifteen domains. A search of the relevant literature suggests that this is the first time that an OSTE has been used to assess a faculty development program in dental education. This study's results appear to support NYUCD's faculty development efforts to improve the teaching skills of its faculty members.
β-Adrenergic-mediated improvement in left ventricular function by exercise training in older men

To test the hypothesis that the training-induced improvement in the age-related decline in left ventricular (LV) function is mediated by enhanced inotropic responses to β-adrenergic stimulation, 10...
Size is an essential parameter in governing the UVB-protective efficacy of silver nanoparticles in human keratinocytes.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sun, particularly its UVB component (290–320 nm), is considered the major etiological cause of skin cancer that impacts over 2 million lives in the United States alone. Recently, we reported that polydisperse colloidal suspension of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) protected the human keratinocytes (HaCaT) against UVB-induced damage, thus indicating their potential for prevention of skin carcinogenesis. Here we sought out to investigate if size controlled the chemopreventive efficacy of AgNPs against UVB-induced DNA damage and apoptosis. Percent cell viability was examined by WST-1 assay after treating the cells with various doses (1–10 μg/mL) of AgNPs of different sizes (10, 20, 40, 60 and 100 nm) for 12 and 24 h. For protection studies, cells were treated with AgNPs of different sizes at a uniform concentration of 1 μg/mL. After 3 h, cells were irradiated with UVB (40 mJ/cm2) and dot-blot analysis was performed to detect cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) as an indication of DNA damage. Apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry after staining the cells with 7-Amino-Actinomycin (7-AAD) and PE Annexin V. Immunoblot analysis was accomplished by processing the cells for protein extraction and Western blotting using specific antibodies against various proteins. The data show that the pretreatment of HaCaT cells with AgNPs in the size range of 10–40 nm were effective in protecting the skin cells from UVB radiation-induced DNA damage as validated by reduced amounts of CPDs, whereas no protection was observed with AgNPs of larger sizes (60 and 100 nm). Similarly, only smaller size AgNPs (10–40 nm) were effective in protecting the skin cells from UV radiation-induced apoptosis. At the molecular level, UVB –irradiation of HaCaT cells led to marked increase in expression of pro-apoptotic protein (Bax) and decrease in anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL), while it remained largely unaffected in skin cells pretreated with smaller size AgNPs (10–40 nm). Altogether, these findings suggest that size is a critical determinant of the UVB-protective efficacy of AgNPs in human keratinocytes.
uPAR Induces Expression of Transforming Growth Factor β and Interleukin-4 in Cancer Cells to Promote Tumor-Permissive Conditioning of Macrophages

Cancer cells condition macrophages and other inflammatory cells in the tumor microenvironment so that these cells are more permissive for cancer growth and metastasis. Conditioning of inflammatory cells reflects, at least in part, soluble mediators (such as transforming growth factor β and IL-4) that are released by cancer cells and alter the phenotype of cells of the innate immune system. Signaling pathways in cancer cells that potentiate this activity are incompletely understood. The urokinase receptor (uPAR) is a cell-signaling receptor known to promote cancer cell survival, proliferation, metastasis, and cancer stem cell–like properties. The present findings show that uPAR expression in diverse cancer cells, including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and glioblastoma cells, promotes the ability of these cells to condition co-cultured bone marrow–derived macrophages so that the macrophages express significantly increased levels of arginase 1, a biomarker of the alternatively activated M2 macrophage phenotype. Expression of transforming growth factor β was substantially increased in uPAR-expressing cancer cells via a mechanism that requires uPA-initiated cell signaling. uPAR also controlled expression of IL-4 in cancer cells via a mechanism that involves activation of ERK1/2. The ability of uPAR to induce expression of factors that condition macrophages in the tumor microenvironment may constitute an important mechanism by which uPAR promotes cancer progression.
Selective epitaxial refill for in-trench device fabrication

A new technology is presented for in-trench device fabrication using selective epitaxial overgrowth and preferential polishing. The silicon quality is investigated by a comparison of diodes in the centre of the trench, butted to the sides and overlapping the entire trench area. Good results were obtained for centre and butted devices. Ideal characteristics were found also for the overlap diodes, but with lower yield.
Reversible covalent chemistry: Alcohols in the mix

The scope of dynamic combinatorial chemistry is somewhat limited by the small number of predictably reversible reactions. Now, secondary alcohols are shown to quickly and reversibly react with iminium ions to form hemiaminal ethers, opening up opportunites for their use in the construction of complex — and functional — dynamic architectures.
A scheme for providing security services in ISO-OSI computer network architecture

Abstract In a draft addendum of the Open Systems Interconnection Computer Network Reference Model Architecture, the Transport Layer provides a set of security services for user authentication and data confidentiality. This requires the generation and distribution of a new session key between source and destination host systems. But for geographically distributed end-user host systems, communication with a centralized Key Distribution Center for session key generation and distribution takes a considerable amount of time. Therefore, to reduce this time, a scheme is proposed in this paper to minimize the communication tasks involved between the KDC and end-user systems. In this scheme, the development of an independent Security Service Module at end-user host systems is proposed for providing the session key generation and distribution and other security-related services. Also, a three-sublayer structure of the Security Service Module is presented to perform user authentication and data confidentiality services within the OSI Transport Layer.
Adult biliteracy: sociocultural and programmatic responses

Adult biliteracy: sociocultural and programmatic responses, by Klaudia M. Rivera and Ana Huerta-Macias, New York, Lawrence Erlbaum, 2008, xix + 225 pp., $75.00 (hardback), ISBN 0-8058-5361-8; $29.9...
Solutions of coupled Einstein-SO(3) gauge field equations

It is shown that the coupled Einstein-SO(3) gauge field equations for a spherically symmetric metric, as given by Wang (M. Y. Wang, Phys. Rev. D 12, 3069 (1975)) have three types of solutions. The first two types, one of which is Wang's solution, have been obtained explicitly. For the third type, the field equations have been reduced to a single ordinary differential equation that is linear in its highest order and hence can easily be integrated numerically for given initial conditions.
Intestinal myofibroblasts in innate immune responses of the intestine

Abstract Background & aims: Intestinal myofibroblasts are known to respond to inflammatory signals and may play a role in Crohn's disease-associated fibrosis. However, putative involvement by myofibroblasts in innate immune responses as part of intestinal host defense has not been characterized. We therefore analyzed expression and regulation of toll-like receptors (TLRs) in colonic human myofibroblasts (CCD-18) and primary human colonic myofibroblasts in comparison with human lung myofibroblasts (CCD-37). Methods: Expression of TLRs (1–10) and NOD 1 and 2 was assessed before and after stimulation with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or lipoteichoic acid (LTA) by using a custom microarray, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, Northern blot and Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry. Activation of signaling pathways, translocation of p65, and secretion of interleukin (IL)-8 were determined. Results: Messenger RNAs encoding for TLR1-9, as well as NOD1 and NOD2, were amplified from cultured and primary human intestinal myofibroblasts. After stimulation with LPS or LTA, a 1.5–4.2-fold up-regulation of TLRs (2, 3, 4, 6, 7) and elements of the signaling cascade (MyD88, TIR domain-containing adapter protein [TIRAP]) was observed. CCD-18 and CCD-37 cells expressed TLR 2 and 4 protein, which were located primarily on the cell membrane. Stimulation with LTA or LPS resulted in activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases pathway, nuclear translocation of p65, and significantly increased IL-8 secretion. Conclusions: Bacterial components directly activate intestinal myofibroblasts expressing TLRs. These cells may therefore participate in innate immune responses by sensing and responding to bacterial products that have penetrated into the subepithelial compartment.
Atmospheric transfer of radiation above an inhomogeneous non-Lambertian reflective ground. II. Computational considerations and results.

The theoretical foundation for solution of the three-dimensional radiative transfer problem described in the preceding paper is reviewed. Practical considerations involved in implementing the Fourier transform/Gauss-Seidel method on a minicomputer are discussed, along with derivations of symmetry relations and approximations which can be used to enhance the computational efficiency. Model results for a surface whose albedo varies as a step function are presented and compared with published solutions obtained by using the Monte Carlo method.
Interaction of Spatial Visualization and General Reasoning Abilities with Instructional Treatment in Quadratic Inequalities: A Follow-Up Study.

This study was the second in a series of investigations dealing with the general problem of aptitude X treatment interactions (ATI) with a learning task of quadratic inequalities. The goal of ATI research is to acquire knowledge of the cognitive processes required by various learning tasks in order that instruction can be adapted to the individual characteristics of the learner. Cronbach (1957) stated that "we should design treatments to fit groups of students with particular aptitude patterns [p. 681]." This challenge calls for understanding the relationship between aptitudes and instructional treatment in much greater depth than we do now. Several studies have been conducted that have sought to determine the existence of ATI between Ss aptitudes and various instructional treatments in mathematics topics (Carry, 1968; Behr, 1969; King, 1969). However, there have been few follow-up studies on ATI reported. Typically reported studies have been attempts to determine the existence or nonexistence of ATI in a specific content area with selected aptitudes. This study was intended to replicate and to improve on an earlier investigation by Carry (1968). Carry found an interaction between two aptitudes (spatial visualization and general reasoning) and two instructional treatments (graphical and analytical) in quadratic inequalities. However, the finding was not considered sound, since the criterion instrument had very low reliability (a = .14), and the direction of interaction was opposite to theoretical expectation. Modifications of Carry's work included (a) revising the instructional treatments, (b) improving the criterion measures, (c) using a theoretical model developed by Melton (1967) to analyze the instructional treatments with the intent of theoretically clarifying the aptitude x treatment relationship, and (d) choosing four predictor tests, two each for the selected aptitudes. Two of these modifications, (b) and (d), had been recommended by Carry. The use of Melton's model, however, was a later development.
Synthesis of Nanocomposite Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Materials Using Controlled/“Living” Radical Polymerization

The preparation of hybrid organic/inorganic nanocomposites comprised of well-defined polymers was reviewed. In particular, synthetic methods using controlled/“living” radical polymerization techniq...
Chelation and Stereodynamic Equilibria in Neutral Hypercoordinate Organosilicon Complexes of 1-Hydroxy-2-pyridinone

A series of neutral organosilicon compounds, R3Si(OPO) (R = Me (1), Et (2), Ph (3)), cis-R2Si(OPO)2 (R = Me (4), Et (5), iPr (6), tBu (7), Ph (9)), (CH2)3Si(OPO)2 (8), and cis-R2Si(OPO)Cl (R = Me (10), Et (11)) (OPO = 1-oxo-2-pyridinone) have been prepared and fully characterized. X-ray crystallographic analyses show 1 to be tetracoordinate, 3, 7, and 10 to be pentacoordinate, and 4–6, 8, and 9 to be hexacoordinate. In the hexacoordinate structures, a mixture of diastereomers is observed in the form of C/N site disorder in each OPO ligand. Variable-temperature 13C and 29Si NMR studies indicate reversible Si←OC bond dissociation occurring in all pentacoordinate and hexacoordinate complexes to a varying degree with greater tendency toward dissociation in hydrogen-bonding donor solvents. Significant weakening of the dative Si←OC bond in 3 is observed in the cocrystallized adduct solvate 3·Ph3SiOH·1/2C5H12, providing structural evidence for the decrease in coordination number of the OPO ligand by hydrogen-bon...
The meanings of death

PART I Introduction 1. Death and the origins of religion PART II Religions and the origin of death 2. Judaism 3. Christianity 4. Islam 5. Hinduism 6. Buddhism PART III Conclusion 7. Conclusion Bibliography Index.
Effective and robust object tracking in constrained environments

We present a new scheme for efficient and robust video object tracking in constrained environments. It finds its application in security surveillance, traffic monitoring, etc. In these applications movements of objects are restricted by the environments; therefore, environment constraints can be exploited as heuristic information for improving the performance of tracking. In this paper we use the distance field to represent environment constraints and integrate it into the framework of particle filtering. Experiments on some video surveillance sequences demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Molecular characterization of Mutator systems in maize embryogenic callus cultures indicates Mu element activity in vitro.

Active Mutator lines of maize (Zea mays L.) are characterized by their ability to generate new mutants at a high rate and by somatic instability at Mutator-induced mutant alleles. Mutagenically active lines with fewer than ten Mu elements per diploid genome have not been observed. Alteration of Mutator activity has been shown to correlate with the state of modification of Hinfl restiction sites that lie within inverted terminal repeats of Mu elements. To determine whether active Mutator systems can be established and maintained in culture, copy number and modification state of Mu elements were investigated in embryogenic callus lines derived from F1S of crosses of active Mutator stock with the inbred lines A188 and H99. All callus lines studied maintain high Mu-element copy numbers, and more than half show a continued lack of modification at the Mu element Hinfl sites; thus, parameters associated with mutagenic activity in planta are present in some, but not all, callus lines. Mutator activity was then tested directly by restriction fragment analysis of subclonal populations from A188/Mu 2 and H99/Mu 2 embryonic cultures. Novel Mu-homologous restriction fragments occurred in 38% of the subpopulations which contained unmodified Mu elements, but not in control cultures containing modified, genetically inactive Mu elements. We conclude that Mu elements from active Mutator parents can remain transpositionally active in embryogenic cell culture. Active Mutator cell lines may be useful for the production of mutations in vitro.
Pediatric thoracoscopy: Where have we come and what have we learned?

The procedure of thoracoscopy was employed in adult patients for more than half a century before the first report evaluating its use in children was published in 1976. Initially thoracoscopy was proposed as a technique for obtaining pulmonary biopsy specimens in immunocompromised children when interstitial pneumonia developed, but, as more experience with the technique was gained, new indications for its use in children have arisen. A review of the published reports on the use of thoracoscopy in children has brought to light areas in which the procedure has been particularly useful as well as several limitations of the procedure. In properly selected patients, thoracoscopy is an extremely accurate method of tissue diagnosis for diffuse and localized pulmonary infiltrates. This technique may be the procedure of choice in the diagnosis of mediastinal lesions in children and in the surgical treatment of empyema and pneumothorax. Most of the morbidity and mortality reported for the procedure have been in patients with diffuse interstitial pneumonias. Such patients, who are on high-pressure ventilator support, are best managed by a standard open lung biopsy. Maintenance of a sufficient pneumothorax has proved difficult in very small infants and children, and the procedure may not be applicable in children who weigh under 8 kg. Refinements in thoracoscopy instrumentation will allow the performance of more complicated surgical dissections as pediatric surgeons acquire more familiarity with this technique.
Development and evaluation of a statistically reliable traffic counting program

This paper reviews the existing procedures to compute the seasonal factors, growth factors, and the number of automatic traffic recorder stations (ATRs) for developing a statistically reliable traffic counting program. The review is based on, (i) theoretical evaluation of the procedures, (ii) analysis of the results obtained from applying these procedures to extensive real life data, and (iii) experience of past researchers with these methods. The paper primarily deals with existing statistical procedures for determining seasonal factors, since it is believed that these factors play the most important role in estimating Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADTs) from short counts. The procedure of cluster analysis (which is most commonly used to determine seasonal factors) is critically reviewed. The shortcomings of this method motivated the development of a different statistical procedure, based on regression analysis, to determine seasonal factors. It is shown that this newly developed method gives better res...
Voice Rehabilitation After Total Laryngectomy and Postoperative Radiation Therapy

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate voice rehabilitation after laryngectomy and postoperative irradiation for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx and hypopharynx. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between December 1983 and December 1998, 173 patients underwent a total laryngectomy and postoperative irradiation and had follow-up from 3 to 188 months (median, 38 months). Three patients were lost to follow-up at 63, 39, and 4 months after treatment. All other living patients had follow-up for 2 years or longer. Twelve (7%) patients had incomplete data pertaining to voice rehabilitation. RESULTS: Data pertaining to voice rehabilitation were available at 2 to 3 years and longer and 5 years and longer after treatment for 118 and 69 patients, respectively. The methods of voice rehabilitation at 2 to 3 years and longer and 5 years and longer were as follows: tracheoesophageal, 27% and 19%; artificial larynx, 50% and 57%; esophageal, 1% and 3%; nonvocal, 17% and 14%; and no data, 5% and 7%, resp...
Total target volume is a better predictor of whole brain dose from gamma stereotactic radiosurgery than the number, shape, or location of the lesions.

Purpose: To assess the hypothesis that the volume of whole brain that receives a certain dose level is primarily dependent on the treated volume rather than on the number, shape, or location of the lesions. This would help a physician validate the suitability of GammaKnife® based stereotactic radiosurgery (GKSR) prior to treatment. Methods: Simulation studies were performed to establish the hypothesis for both oblong and spherical shaped lesions of various numbers and sizes. Forty patients who underwent GKSR [mean age of 54 years (range 7–80), mean number of lesions of 2.5 (range 1–6), and mean lesion volume of 4.4 cm3 (range 0.02–22.2 cm3)] were also studied retrospectively. Following recommendations of QUANTEC, the volume of brain irradiated by the 12 Gy (VB12) isodose line was measured and a power-law based relation is proposed here for estimating VB12 from the known tumor volume and the prescription dose. Results: In the simulation study on oblong, spherical, and multiple lesions, the volume of brain irradiated by 50%, 10%, and 1% of maximum dose was found to have linear, linear, and exponentially increasing dependence on the volume of the treated region, respectively. In the retrospective study on 40 GKSR patients, a similar relationship was found to predict the brain dose with a Spearman correlation coefficient >0.9. In both the studies, the volume of brain irradiated by a certain dose level does not have a statistically significant relationship (p ≥ 0.05) with the number, shape, or position of the lesions. The measured VB12 agrees with calculation to within 1.7%. Conclusions: The results from the simulation and the retrospective clinical studies indicate that the volume of whole brain that receives a certain percentage of the maximum dose is primarily dependent on the treated volume and less on the number, shape, and location of the lesions.
Optical word parallel interconnections between optical random access memories

An optical system was constructed and tested that reads data in word parallel form from a selected address in an optical random access memory (RAM), and passes it to selected addresses in another RAM. The advantage of using optical random access memory is that software developed for a sequential electronic machine is easily transferred to this optically enhanced machine because the same instruction set may be used. In early optical computers, this advantage may outweigh not using optics to its full parallelism potential. An bit-slice search technique is used to generate a beam whose level is dependent on an optical address selected. Bit-slice units are used to select the read and write addresses. The system moves the data from a selected address on one storage device to one or more selected addresses on another. An optical experiment, using optically addressable liquid crystal light valves, image intensifiers, and spatial light rebroadcasters (SLRs), shows how a row of data may be selected optically for reading and then fanned out to more than one location specified by separate optical addresses.
Periphytic Photosynthetic Stimulation of Extracellular Enzyme Activity in Aquatic Microbial Communities Associated with Decaying Typha Litter

We examined the effect of light on extracellular enzyme activities of periphytic/endogenous microbial assemblages associated with decomposing litter of an emergent macrophyte Typha angustifolia within a small inland wetland in southeastern Michigan. Standing-dead Typha leaf litter was collected, placed into floating wire mesh litter baskets, and submerged in a wetland pool. Enzyme saturation assays were conducted on three occasions following litter submergence (days 9, 28, and 44) to generate saturation curves for the individual enzymes tested and to examine potential differences in enzyme saturation kinetics during microbial colonization and development. Experimental light manipulations were conducted on two occasions during microbial development (days 10 and 29). Short-term (30 min) light exposure significantly increased extracellular β-glucosidase activity of litter-associated microbial communities. Activities of β-xylosidase and leucine-aminopeptidase were not stimulated, and stimulation of phosphatase activity was variable. The exact mechanism for increased enzyme activity remains unknown, but it may have been increased pH arising from periphytic algal photosynthesis. These results suggest that extracellular enzyme activity in microbial communities colonizing natural organic substrata may be influenced by light/photosynthesis, as has previously been demonstrated for periphyton communities grown on artificial, inert substrata. Thus, light/photosynthetic mediated stimulation of extracellular enzyme activities may be a common occurrence in microbial communities associated with natural decaying plant litter in wetlands and might engender diurnal patterns in other microbial decay processes (e.g., production, organic matter decomposition, and mineralization).
Characteristics of junctions made between Pb and Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+x/

Investigations of the junctions made between Pb and polycrystalline Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+x/ (BSCCO) are reported. The BSCCO surfaces were treated with a number of methods, including mechanical scraping, plasma sputtering, plasma oxidation, and Br etch, before junctions were fabricated. The current-voltage characteristics and dynamic resistance (dV/dI) vs. voltage were measured at both 77 K and 4.2 K. The authors observed a Pb gap structure similar to that seen in Pb/YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7- delta / junctions, a magnetic-dependent supercurrent, an asymmetric I-V curve, and narrow resistance peaks. Properties of junctions prepared in different manners are compared. Both X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and electrical studies indicated that Br etch is not suitable for the BiSrCaCuO system in spite of its successful application in YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7- delta /.
Expanding the Reach of Preventive Interventions: Development of an Internet-based Training for Parents of Infants

There are major obstacles to the effective delivery of mental health services to poor families, particularly for those families in rural areas. The rise of Internet use, however, has created potentially new avenues for service delivery, which, when paired with the many recent advances in computer networking and multimedia technology, is fueling a demand for Internet delivery of mental health services. The authors report on the adaptation of a parenting program for delivery via the Internet, enhanced with participant-created videos of parent-infant interactions and weekly staff contact, which enable distal treatment providers to give feedback and make decisions informed by direct behavioral assessment. This Internet-based, parent-education intervention has the potential to promote healthy and protective parent-infant interactions in families who might not otherwise receive needed mental health services.
Detection of trinitrotoluene (TNT) extracted from soil using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based sensor platform

An antibody-based competition assay has been developed using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor platform for the detection of trinitrotoluene (TNT) in soil extract solutions. The objective of this work is to develop a sensor-based assay technology to use in the field for real- time detection of land mines. This immunoassay combines very simple bio-film attachment procedures and a low-cost SPR sensor design to detect TNT in soil extracts. The active bio-surface is a coating of bovine serum albumin that has been decorated with trinitrobenzene groups. A blind study on extracts from a large soil matrix was recently performed and result from this study will be presented. Potential interferant studied included 2,4-dinitrophenol, 2,4- dinitrotoluene, ammonium nitrate, and 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Cross-reactivity with dinitrotoluene will be discussed. Also, plans to reach sensitivity levels of 1ppb TNT in soil will be described.
Correlation between kinetic strength, volumetric properties, and glass forming ability in metallic liquids

Abstract A systematic study of the viscosity in the equilibrium and supercooled states is reported for Cu100 − xZrx (30 ≤ x ≤ 55) liquids. While no correlation between the magnitude of the viscosity at T = Tg/0.6 with the glass forming ability is observed, peaks in the kinetic strength are observed at the best glass forming compositions. This not only confirms the rule that strong metallic liquids are better glass formers, but also sheds light on recent correlations reported between volumetric properties and glass forming ability.
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins in Fusarium graminearum: Inventory, variability, and virulence

The contribution of cell surface proteins to plant pathogenicity of fungi is not well understood. As such, the objective of this study was to investigate the functions and importance of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) in the wheat pathogen F. graminearum. GPI-APs are surface proteins that are attached to either the membrane or cell wall. In order to simultaneously disrupt several GPI-APs, a phosphoethanolamine transferase-encoding gene gpi7 was deleted and the resultant mutant characterized in terms of growth, development, and virulence. The Δgpi7 mutants exhibited slower radial growth rates and aberrantly shaped macroconidia. Furthermore, virulence tests and microscopic analyses indicated that Gpi7 is required for ramification of the fungus throughout the rachis of wheat heads. In parallel, bioinformatics tools were utilized to predict and inventory GPI-APs within the proteome of F. graminearum. Two of the genes identified in this screen (FGSG_01588 and FGSG_08844) displayed isolate-specific length variability as observed for other fungal cell wall adhesion genes. Nevertheless, deletion of these genes failed to reveal obvious defects in growth, development, or virulence. This research demonstrates the global importance of GPI-APs to in planta proliferation in F. graminearum, and also highlights the potential of individual GPI-APs as diagnostic markers.
Computerized tomography localization of the thalamic syndrome—A case report

Abstract A case of thalamic syndrome due to an infarct of the left thalamus is presented. Computed tomography (CT) clearly demonstrated the lesion in the left posterior lateral mid-portion of the left thalamus.
History and scientific practice in the construction of an adequate philosophy of science: revisiting a Whewell/Mill debate

Abstract William Whewell raised a series of objections concerning John Stuart Mill’s philosophy of science which suggested that Mill’s views were not properly informed by the history of science or by adequate reflection on scientific practices. The aim of this paper is to revisit and evaluate this incisive Whewellian criticism of Mill’s views by assessing Mill’s account of Michael Faraday’s discovery of electrical induction. The historical evidence demonstrates that Mill’s reconstruction is an inadequate reconstruction of this historical episode and the scientific practices Faraday employed. But a study of Faraday’s research also raises some questions about Whewell’s characterization of this discovery. Thus, this example provides an opportunity to reconsider the debate between Whewell and Mill concerning the role of the sciences in the development of an adequate philosophy of scientific methodology.
Nonpenetrating vascular injury to the subclavian artery

Blunt subclavian artery injury has been uncommonly reported in the literature. Recent encounter with three such injuries prompted us to review our experience over the past 10 years uncovering only one additional case. These four cases and a review of pertinent literature form the basis for this article. Key clinical issues include a high index of suspicion in patients sustaining major blunt deceleration and rotational or direct injuries to the neck, thorax, and/or upper extremities. Prompt diagnosis remains obscured by the presence of severe associated injuries, the treatment of which requires prioritization. Arteriography is invaluable to elucidate injury because prompt vascular control is dictated by various approaches depending on the location. Expeditious surgical repair is indicated to prevent complications of hemorrhage, pseudoaneurysm, thromboembolism, and/or arteriovenous fistula. Long-term results appear to be good with major morbidity related to associated neurologic, soft tissue, and bony injuries.
Institutional barriers to the orthopaedic clinician-scientist.

The clinician-scientist faces many career barriers that changes in medicine over the past two decades have accentuated. Political, socioeconomic, and cultural changes in medicine have increased financial pressures on physicians and hospitals, negatively impacting the ability of clinicians to pursue
Coriolis force for facilitating DNA molecular migration and hybridization in compact disk microfluidic platforms

This study investigates the influence of Coriolis force on transport and hybridization of ssDNA molecules in compact disk (CD) microfluidic platform where centrifugal force is used as the driving force. While the effect of Coriolis force on fluid flow in CD microfluidic channels has been studied experimentally and numerically only recently, its influence on ssDNA molecule migration and hybridization has not been investigated so far. This study addresses this phenomenon through numerical simulation and demonstrates that for most practical geometrical configurations and angular velocity ranges reported in the literature, the Coriolis force introduces significant qualitative and quantitative spatial variations in the hybridization of ssDNA molecules, particularly at locations near the periphery. In a particular example investigated here, hybridization was observed to reach steady-state at some locations in about half the time required in the absence of Coriolis force. However, our results further indicate that the time frame for hybridization is so fast (<1 s) that the transient effect due to Coriolis force on the location of hybridization is eventually compensated by the kinetics of hybridization and diffusion-limited reactions that tend to allow a uniform diffusion of target ssDNA over the surface at steady-state. To validate the numerical approach developed here, we carry out several experiments on microfluidic channels in a CD platform. Both numerically and experimentally, Coriolis effect is observed to be significantly influenced by channel width and angular rotations. Our results indicate that for low viscosity fluids, angular velocities as low as 25 rad/s could introduce Coriolis force that is as high as at least 25 % of the main driving centrifugal force.
Operating Procedures: Do they Reduce Operator Errors?

Computerized operating procedures have been suggested as a mechanism for reducing human error in nuclear power plants. The Computerized Procedures Manual (COPMA-II) is an electronic procedure system that can be used to execute procedures, to track progress through plant procedures, and to automatically monitor plant parameters. To evaluate the effectiveness of COPMA-II, eight teams of two licensed reactor operators operated a scaled pressurized water reactor under normal and accident conditions, using both COPMA-II and traditional paper procedures. Error rates, times to initiate procedures, times to complete procedures, and subjective estimates of workload were collected for each scenario. The most interesting finding of the study was that, for one accident scenario, performance with COPMA-II was twice as accurate as performance with paper procedures. However, operators initiated responses to both accident scenarios fastest with paper procedures. Procedure type did not moderate time to complete procedures.
Field studies of reproductive success and bioindicators of maternal contaminant exposure in english sole (Parophrys vetulus)

Our studies have shown that early stages of the reproductive process in female English sole (Parophrys vetulus) are disrupted by contaminant exposure. To determine the potential for contaminants to affect later stages of the reproductive cycle, we examined the effects of maternal contaminant exposure on egg and larval viability in this species, in a field study conducted on running ripe fish collected for two consecutive years from spawning grounds. Maternal contaminant exposure was assessed by measuring levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in ovarian and hepatic tissue, biliary levels of fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs), and hepatic aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activities. Additionally, the presence of significant liver disease or ovarian atresia was documented, and levels of plasma estradiol were measured. Stepwise multiple regression of the data showed that contaminant exposure was only a minor factor in determining both egg and larval viability. Hepatic AHH activity showed a slight negative correlation with fertilization success, explaining only 4% of the variability. Increased levels of PCBs in ovaries of spawning female English sole were not associated with reduced reproductive success. However, because the range of contaminant exposure in the spawning fish did not encompass the high levels seen in non-spawning fish captured from contaminated areas, it can be hypothesized that female English sole exposed to substantial levels of contaminants might be at least partially excluded from the spawning population.
Framing the research agenda for sickle cell trait: Building on the current understanding of clinical events and their potential implications†‡

Sickle Cell Trait (HbAS), the heterozygous state for the sickle hemoglobin beta globin gene is carried by as many as 100 million individuals including up to 25% of the population in some regions of the world (World Health Organization, Provisional agenda item 4.8, EB117/34 (22 December 2005) or World Health Organization, Provisional agenda item 11.4 (24 April 2006)). Persons with HbAS have some resistance to falciparum malaria infection in early childhood (Piel FB, Patil AP, Howes RE, et al., Nat Commun 2010;1104:1-7 and Aidoo M, Terlouw DJ, Kolczak M, et al., Lancet 2002;359:1311-1312) and as a result individuals with HbAS living in malarial endemic regions of Africa have a survival advantage over individuals with HbAA. Reports from the US emphasize possible health risks for individuals with HbAS including increased incidence of renal failure and malignancy, thromboembolic disorders, splenic infarction as a high altitude complication, and exercise-related sudden death. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health convened a workshop in Bethesda, Maryland on June 3-4, 2010, Framing the Research Agenda for Sickle Cell Trait, to review the clinical manifestations of HbAS, discuss the exercise-related sudden death reports in HbAS, and examine the public health, societal, and ethical implications of policies regarding HbAS. The goal of the workshop was to identify potential research questions to address knowledge gaps.
Disparate Roles of Chiral Ligands and Molecularly Imprinted Cavities in Asymmetric Catalysis and Chiral Poisoning

The activation of molecularly imprinted metal complexes generates Lewis acid catalysts for the ene reaction, each of which contains a chiral diphosphine ligand and a chiral BINOL-shaped cavity. Poisoning experiments with (R)- and (S)-BINAM indicate that while the chiral cavity can differentiate the chiral poisons, it is the chiral diphosphine ligand which controls the enantioselectivity of the ene product.
In vitro factor VIII recovery during the delivery of ultra-pure factor VIII concentrate by continuous infusion

Factor VIII (FVIII) replacement by continuous infusion has been advocated as a cost-effective method for maintaining stable plasma levels of FVIII in the hemophilia A patient during surgery or life-threatening hemorrhage. Continuous delivery of monoclonal or recombinant FVIII concentrates to our pediatric patients using a traditional delivery system (dilution in normal saline of 2-10 Ulml infused at a rate of 20 ml/hr) has frequently yielded higher than expected factor usage to achieve desired levels and unexpected variability in plasma levels under presumed steady-state conditions. To determine if diminished in vitro FVIII recovery was responsible for these observations, a study of four ultrapure concentrates during 8 hr of in vitro continuous delivery was performed using four delivery systems. When reconstituted concentrate was added to normal saline in polyvinylchloride bags at a concentration of 10 U/ml (method IA), monoclonal products showed a stable recovery of 84-109% of time 0 levels. Recombinant product recovery dropped to 57-76% of time 0 levels before reapproximating the time 0 level at 2 hr. The addition of 10 mg/ml human albumin to the bags (method IB) did not improve recoveries. When reconstituted concentrate was delivered undiluted (method IIA), the early drop in recombinant recovery was eliminated ; stable recovery of 78-117% of time 0 level was achieved with all products. In using method IA, a large discrepancy was seen between the actual time 0 recoveries and those expected based on vial assays, most striking for recombinant products (49-57% of expected). Method IIA allowed 75-90% recovery ; addition of 20 mg/ml albumin of reconstituted but undiluted concentrate (method IIB) maximized recovery at 85-98% of expected.