cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Screening for ENU-induced mutations in mice that result in aberrant ethanol-related phenotypes

One way to investigate the genetic underpinnings of ethanol-related phenotypes is to create random mutations and screen the mutagenized mice for their behavioral phenotypes. The purposes of this article are to assess the efficacy of a novel high throughput screen to detect known strain differences and to provide evidence of the ability of this screen to detect phenodeviants, as illustrated by two new lines of mutant mice. All mice were tested for the following phenotypes after a dose of 2.25 g/kg of ethanol: ataxia, anxiolytic response, locomotor activity, core body temperature, and blood ethanol concentration, as well as ethanol consumption based on a two-bottle choice test. The authors obtained several baseline measures that allowed for the detection of phenodeviants on these measures as well. To validate this screen, A/J, DBA/2J, and C57BL/6J mouse strains were tested, and previously reported strain differences were found in all phenotypes except ethanol-induced hypothermia. Additionally, two mutant pedigrees were identified: 7TNJ, which exhibited abnormal ethanol-induced locomotor activity, and 112TNR, which exhibited an enhanced ability on the rotarod. These data demonstrate the efficacy of this screen to detect known as well as novel phenotypic differences.
The mouse transketolase (TKT) gene: cloning, characterization, and functional promoter analysis.

Abstract The transketolase (TKT) gene is expressed 30–50 times more highly in the mature mouse cornea than in other tissues. Here, we have cloned and characterized the 30- to 40-kb single-copy mouse TKT gene. Sequence analysis supports the suggestion that present-day TKT and TKT-like genes arose from the duplication of a single common ancestral gene. A 6-bp polymorphism is present between different mouse strains in the noncoding region of exon 2. 5′ RACE and primer extension analyses indicated that two regions separated by 630 bp are used as transcription initiation sites; both mRNAs appear to use a common initiator ATG codon. The minor distal transcription initiation site, preceded by a TATA sequence, is utilized in liver and is followed by an untranslated exon (exon 1). The major proximal transcription initiation site lies within intron 1, is used in cornea and liver, lacks a TATA sequence, is GC rich, and initiates at multiple sites within a 10-bp span, resembling the promoters of other housekeeping genes. In transfected cornea and lens cell lines, the −49/+90 fragment fused to the CAT gene acted as a minimal promoter, with higher activity noted for the −510/+91 fragment. TKT mRNA levels increased sixfold in the mouse cornea in vivo within 1–2 days of eye opening and were elevated in a lens cell line exposed to H 2 O 2 or the glutathione-specific oxidizing agent diamide and in whole newborn mouse eyes incubated in the presence of light, consistent with multiple consensus stress-inducible control sequences in the TKT promoter regions. Taken together, these observations suggest that oxidative stress may play a role in the regulation of this gene in the cornea.
Quality of service routing in wireless ad hoc networks

An efficient routing protocol is essential to guarantee application level quality of service running on wireless ad hoc networks. In this paper we propose a novel routing algorithm that computes a path between a source and a destination by considering several important constraints such as path-life, availability of sufficient energy as well as buffer space in each of the nodes on the path between the source and destination. The algorithm chooses the best path from among the multiples paths that it computes between two endpoints. We consider the use of control packets that run at a priority higher than the data packets in determining the multiple paths. The paper also examines the impact of different schedulers such as weighted fair queuing, and weighted random early detection among others in preserving the QoS level guarantees. Our extensive simulation results indicate that the algorithm improves the overall lifetime of a network, reduces the number of dropped packets, and decreases the end-to-end delay for real-time voice application.
Relationship between atmospheric CO2 variations and a satellite-derived vegetation index

Weekly data on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), obtained from the advanced very-high-resolution radiometer sensors flown on the NOAA's polar-orbiting meteorological satellites, were correlated with monthly changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration measured at the surface stations in Alaska, Hawaii, and the South Pole in the 1982-1984 period. While the South Pole data showed no relationship between CO2 concentration and the NDVI, the CO2 data taken at Alaska and Hawaii showed inverse correlation with the NDVI, demonstrating a measurable link between the CO2 drawdowns and the dynamics of NDVI, which in turn reflect the dynamics of photosynthesis. The data suggest that satellite data can be used for estimations of terrestrial photosynthetic activity.
Assessment of parents' interactions with their developmentally delayed infants

An instrument is described that is used to assess interaction style in parent-infant dyads in which the infant is handicapped or developmentally delayed. The rating scales were designed to be easy to use by professionals and trained nonprofessionals, to be applicable to children who are functioning between birth and 18 months developmental age, and to involve a minimal time commitment so that they could be used in the context of early intervention programs. The rating scales cover intrusive, responsive, and general social behavior by the parent and social and avoidant behavior by the child. Successful implementation of these scales is described.
Renal failure associated with Legionella pneumophila infection

A 61-year-old African-American male with a past medical history of hypertension and osteoarthritis was brought to the emergency department for severe dyspnoea and agitation for the past few hours. Family members gave a history of fever, myalgias, anorexia, nausea and a non-productive cough of 3–4 days duration. He also had a several day history of shortness of breath and right-sided pleuritic chest pain. He had a 40-pack a year tobacco history and consumed 1–2 beers every day. He had had no alcohol in the past 4 days. His home medications included amlodipine and ibuprofen. He was currently unemployed. In the emergency department, vitals signs included a temperature of 38.8°C, pulse rate of 118 beats per minute, respiratory rate of 24 breaths per minute, blood pressure of 122/68 mmHg with no orthostatic signs and an oxygen saturation of 89% on 4 litres oxygen by nasal cannula. Physical examination was unremarkable except for intermittent agitation and crackles on auscultation of the right middle and lower ...
Evidence for a molecular code for learned shock-avoidance in cockroaches.

Abstract 1. Eight cockroaches (P) with severed meso- to metathoracic connectives were trained during six 30 min sessions to lift a mesothoracic leg to avoid shock. Yoked control (R) cockroaches wired in series did not associate shocks with their own leg position. 2. The metathoracic legs of P cockroaches avoided shocks significantly better than the metathoracic legs of R cockroaches. 3. The metathoracic legs of R cockroaches received more shocks during testing than naive cockroaches which had had the connectives cut. 4. These results indicate that learned shock-avoidance was transferred between ganglia without direct neuronal conduction. 5. The possibility of a blood-borne molecular engram for shock avoidance is discussed.
A Generalization of the Tree Harvesting Paradigm

The tree harvesting paradigm finds the optimal length of each harvest cycle. Typically, only the extreme cases of one and infinite harvests are considered. We extend the model in two ways. First, we analyze an arbitrary number of harvest cycles and show that the optimal cycle length decreases monotonically with the number of cycles. Second, we relax the restrictive assumption requiring the disappearance of positive net present value opportunities as the final cycle is harvested. Instead, we assume these opportunities disappear after an exogenously fixed horizon. This simple change of assumptions produces solutions that may differ substantially from the traditional solutions.
Computer simulation of condensed gas mixtures

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for an equimolar mixture of oxygen and nitrogen using a diatomic Lennard—Jones model potential to obtain excess enthalpy and volume and to study the effect of attractive forces on the microscopic structure in the liquid. Simulations have also been performed to study the effect of mixing rules on excess properties in equimolar binary mixtures of atomic and diatomic liquids and to test the existing perturbation theories.
Regeneration of fertile plants from protoplasts of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.): genotypic differences in culture response.

Fourteen soybean (Glycine max L.) genotypes were evaluated for their regenerability from protoplasts using a procedure previously descibed for the cultivar Clark 63. Protoplasts were isolated from immature cotyledon tissue and were cultured in liquid or agarose gelled KP8, MS or B5 medium with different sugars. Significant differences were observed in plating efficiency, which was as high as 63% in Jack and A-2396, and as low as 38% in X-3337. Upon regular dilution with K8 medium, 1–2 mm diameter colonies were formed in 5–6 weeks with all the genotypes tested. These colonies were then transferred onto MSB (MS salts; Murashige & Skoog, 1962 + B5 organics; Gamborg et al., 1968) medium with 0.5 mg l−1 each of 2,4-D, BA and KN and 500 mg l−1 CH for further growth. Once the colonies had become green, compact and nodular, and were 8–10 mm in size, they were transferred to regeneration medium. Upon regular subculturing, calli of six genotypes; A-2396, Chamberlain, Heilong-26, Jack, Resnick and XP-3015 developed shoots, with the regeneration frequency being highest 27% in Jack (52 calli out of 192 produced 8–12 shoots). The regenerated shoots from different genotypes were elongated and rooted. So far, sixty three complete plants have been obtained, including twelve A-2396, nineteen Chamberlain, fifteen Jack, nine Resnick and eight XP-3015. A total of thirty five plants have been transplanted into pots in the greenhouse. Sixteen have set seeds and others are producing flowers and pods.
A 44.9% PAE digitally-assisted linear power amplifier in 40 nm CMOS

This paper presents a 1.9 GHz linear power amplifier (PA) architecture that improves its power efficiency in the power back-off (PBO) region. The combination of power transistor segmentation and digital gain compensation effectively enhances its power efficiency. A fast switching scheme is proposed, such that PA segments are switched on and off according to signal power, i.e. the proposed scheme makes the PA power consumption correlate with the power of the input signal. Binary power gain variations due to segmentation are dynamically compensated in the digital domain. The proposed solution overcomes the trade-off between efficiency and linearity by employing the digital predistortion technique. The PA is implemented in 40 nm CMOS process, it delivers a saturated output power of 35 dBm with 44.9% power-added efficiency (PAE) and linear gain of 38 dB. The adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) at ±5 MHz at a maximum linear output power of 31 dBm for a baseband WCDMA signal is −35.8 dBc.
A differing role of oxidative stress in the regulation of central and peripheral hemodynamics during exercise in heart failure.

This study sought to characterize the role of free radicals in regulating central and peripheral hemodynamics at rest and during exercise in patients with heart failure (HF). We examined cardiovasc...
Interference with in vitro Development of Mouse Inner Cell Mass by 24‐h Treatment with 5‐bromodeoxyuridine

Summary Cultured mouse blastocysts were treated with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) for 24-h periods at various stages to determine the effect on development of the inner cell mass (ICM). ICM development was most sensitive to BUdR (10 -7 –10 -6 M) when embryos were treated at the late blastocyst stage, and the sensitivity decreased at each consecutive stage. The decrease in ICM sensitivity corresponded with the time of morphological differentiation into endoderm and ectoderm. At low concentrations (10 -8 –10 -7 M), BUdR also frequently caused abnormal differentiation of ICMs, which appeared flat and had small ectodermal cores. Light microscopic examination of thick sections revealed that ectoderm cells of abnormal embryos contained numerous vacuoles, which were absent from control embryos. Endoderm cells of these embryos had fewer microvilli than control embryos and lacked apical vacuoles. Autoradiography showed that the amount of 3 H-BUdR incorporated into the DNA decreased as embryos developed, and this decrease almost completely accounted for the decrease in the BUdR effect. We conclude that BUdR treatment of mouse embryos impairs gene expression necessary for endoderm and ectoderm differentiation and that the critical period for this effect includes, but may not be limited to, the late blastocyst and attachment stages.
Imbalanced Hypergraph Partitioning and Improvements for Consensus Clustering

Hypergraph partitioning is typically defined as an optimization problem wherein vertices are placed in separate parts (of a partition) such that the fewest number of hyperedges will span multiple parts. To ensure that parts have sizes satisfying user requirements, constraints are typically imposed. Under such constraints, the problem is known to be NP-Hard, so heuristic methods are needed to find approximate solutions in reasonable time. Circuit layout has historically been one of the most prominent application areas and has seen a proliferation of tools designed to satisfy its needs. Constraints in these tools typically focus on equal size parts, allowing the user to specify a maximum tolerance for deviation from that equal size. A more generalized constraint allows the user to define fixed sizes and tolerances for each part. More recently, other domains have mapped problems to hypergraph partitioning and, perhaps due to their availability, have used existing tools to perform partitioning. In particular, consensus clustering easily fits a hypergraph representation where each cluster of each input clustering is represented by a hyperedge. Authors of such research have reported partitioning tends to only have good results when clusters can be expected to be roughly the same size, an unsurprising result given the tools' focus on equal sized parts. Thus, even though many datasets have "natural" part sizes that are mixed, the current toolset is ill-suited to find good solutions unless those part sizes are known a priori. We argue that the main issue rests in the current constraint definitions and their focus measuring imbalance on the basis of the largest/smallest part. We further argue that, due to its holistic nature, entropy best measures imbalance and can best guide the partition method to the natural part sizes with lowest cut for a given level of imbalance. We provide a method that finds good approximate solutions under an entropy constraint and further introduce the notion of a discount cut, which helps overcome local optima that frequently plague k-way partitioning algorithms. In comparison to today's popular tools, we show our method returns sizable improvements in cut size as the level of imbalance grows. In consensus clustering, we demonstrate that good solutions are more easily achieved even when part sizes are not roughly equal.
Comparing Types of Comprehension Questions Found in Fourth Grade Readers.

ABSTRACT The teachers guides for three basal reading text‐books, designed for use at the fourth grade level, were examined to categorize the types and numbers of questions asked. Categories of the Barrett Taxonomy were used as the criterion. Significant differences were found in both the number of questions asked and the categories these questions represented. The Barrett Taxonomy proved to be a useful tool for determining emphases in types of basal reader questions. Using the Barrett, teachers can more intelligently select, adapt, and add to the questions suggested in teachers guides.
Reinterpretation of the representation of pain based on physiological excitation of single neurons in the trigeminal sensory complex

Abstract The stimulus modality required to excite single neurons was studied in the different portions of the trigeminal sensory complex. Regional preponderance of different modalities could be related to the mediolateral arrangement at all levels, but there was no apparent differentiation of the rostrocaudal axis with respect to modality, receptive field size, or adaptive properties. The directional sensitivity of neurons innervating specialized structures such as vibrissae and teeth is described. The few neurons which were excited by noxious stimuli were primarily isolated outside the morphological limits of the sensory V complex. It is concluded that virtually all trigeminal neurons can be excited by delicate tactile stimuli in the present experimental conditions. While presumably all tactile neurons can be influenced by painful stimuli, present evidence favors the absence of neurons uniquely sensitive to noxious stimuli. The representation of pain is interpreted as involving tactile neurons excited by small tactile fibers which are known to convey pain sensations under a variety of stimulus conditions.
Trichotillomania and its treatment: a review and recommendations.

Trichotillomania (TTM) is characterized as an impulse control disorder in which individuals fail to resist urges to pull out their own hair, and is associated with significant functional impairment and psychiatric comorbidity across the developmental spectrum. Onset in childhood or adolescence appears to be the norm, yet the research literature involving pediatric samples is particularly sparse. Efficacious treatments have been developed, in particular cognitive–behavioral interventions involving procedures collectively known as habit reversal training, yet relapse in adults appears to be common. Recent developments in pharmacotherapies for TTM and in combining cognitive–behavioral therapy approaches with medication hold promise, and efforts to examine their relative and combined efficacy are needed. Dissemination of information about TTM and its treatment is a critical next step in the field, since many affected individuals and families cannot find local treatment providers with sufficient knowledge to d...
Income Inequality and Homicide in the United States Consistency Across Different Income Inequality Measures and Disaggregated Homicide Types

Choices of inequality measure and homicide type may account for mixed findings on the income inequality–homicide link. We aim to acquaint criminologists with several income inequality measures beyond the familiar Gini index and apply the different measures to general and specific homicide rates, noting the practical effect of these choices on results. The income inequality measures differ in their fidelity to relative deprivation ideas, but still correlated highly with each other in data from 208 large U.S. cities. Multivariate analysis also found that all measures of income inequality had significant and positive associations with both overall and specific homicide rates.
The role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in sudden death risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Abstract Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cause of sudden death in young patients, but current risk stratification strategies do not identify all patients at risk. Contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) can identify areas of abnormal myocardial substrate comprising fibrosis, the structural nidus for potentially life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. More recently, follow-up studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between extent of LGE in patients with HCM and increased risk of adverse disease-related events, including sudden death.
GLENN MARTíNEZ , Mexican Americans and language/Del dicho al hecho!

Glenn Martinez, Mexican Americans and language/Del dicho al hecho! Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2006. ix, 128 pp. Pb. $15.95.This slender volume is offered as an introductory text on this topic, presumably to university undergraduates. In the Introduction, Martinez states: “Mexican Americans and language offers a linguistic overview of some of the central issues in the Mexican American language experience [emphasis in original], giving students the background needed to respond to the multiple social problems that interface with the language differences that exist in the Mexican American minority population” (p. ix). The goals of the book thus explained, in the final paragraph of the Introduction the author reveals the conversational style that he will take for the rest of the chapters, using second person for the reader and first person for the author: “After reading this book I hope you will be able to bridge the gap between el dicho (saying) and el hecho (doing) and will be able to look at the Mexican American language experience in a way that will encourage you to seek out change and improvement for the Mexican American communities that exist throughout the United States” (xi). On the face of it, this style may intend to make the academic content to follow less intimidating to students unused to reading challenging texts and academic jargon. However, it also makes for a very personalized approach to the issues that he addresses, a type of “critical discourse” in effect, in which his interpretation of the research presented appears not to be open to dissension or debate.
A case for tree evolution in QoS multicasting

The phenomenal growth of group communications and QoS-aware applications over the Internet have accelerated the development of multicasting technologies. The core-based tree (CBT) multicasting approach provides a scalable solution for large groups for large networks such as the Internet. However, unlike in shortest-path trees, the quality (tree cost) of the CBT may eventually degrade over time due to group dynamics (join/leave). In order to counteract this degradation, the core may be migrated and a new tree constructed. The method of migrating group members from the old core to the new core has a profound impact on the quality of the tree and also on the service disruption experienced by group members. Thus, there exists a trade-off between tree cost and service disruption as higher rate of migration decreases the overall tree cost but results in more service disruption. Chakrabarti and Manimaran (see Proc. IEEE Globecom, 2001) developed the concept of tree migration. In this paper, we develop a new paradigm for tree migration, namely tree evolution. The proposed tree evolution model (Split-based Tree Evolution Protocol (STEP)) provides an elegant solution that strikes a balance between service disruption and tree cost for highly dynamic groups. We compare and contrast the merits of tree evolution versus tree migration. Our simulation studies show that the proposed evolution model demonstrates excellent tree cost and service disruption for highly dynamic groups.
Improving scratch-pad memory reliability through compiler-guided data block duplication

Recent trends in embedded computing indicates an increasing use of scratch-pad memories (SPMs) as on-chip store for instructions and data. An important characteristic of these memory components is that they are managed by software, instead of hardware. Ever-scaling process technology and employment of several power-saving techniques in embedded systems (e.g., voltage scaling) make these systems particularly vulnerable to soft errors and other transient errors. Therefore, it is very important in practice to consider the impact of soft errors in SPMs. While it is possible to employ classical memory protection mechanisms such as parity checks and ECC, each of these has its drawbacks. Specifically, a pure parity-based protection cannot correct any errors, and ECCs can be an overkill in the normal operation state when no soft error is experienced. This paper proposes an alternate approach to protect SPMs against soft errors. The proposed approach is based on data block duplication under compiler control. More specifically, an optimizing compiler duplicates data blocks within the SPM and protects each data block by parity if such a duplication does not hurt performance. The goal of this scheme is to provide only parity protection for data blocks (and reduce the overheads at runtime when no error occurs) but correct errors using the duplicate (when an error occurs in the primary copy), provided that the duplicate is not corrupted.
Composite repair to aluminum alloy plate by photoinitiated and thermal curing

Photoinitiated curing of resin can be finished in a few minutes, or even seconds. However, the mechanical and adhesion strength of composite cured only by photoinitiation is weaker than the thermally cured. The dual curing, thermal and photoinitiated, mechanism was used to a wet-layup repair process. In view of the field emergency repair, the infrared lamp was used as thermal source to facilitate thermal curing. The effect of content of reactive diluent, photoinitiator and curing agent on repair efficiency was investigated. Effect of the infrared irradiation time, which affected the degree of thermal curing, was studied. Test results showed that an appropriate degree of thermal curing was important, which could affect the succeeding photoinitiated curing. In a short repair time, a simple surface pretreatment and three layers of glass fabric could restore break strength of the damaged specimen to 86.7% of the pristine according to the dual curing method.
Effect of rice wax on water vapour permeability and sorption properties of edible pullulan films

Abstract Edible films were prepared using various ratios of pullulan and rice wax. Freestanding composite films were obtained with up to 46.4% rice wax. Water vapour barrier properties of the pullulan film were improved with increased addition of rice wax. Moisture sorption isotherms were also studied to examine the impact of rice wax on the water sorption characteristics of the film. The Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) and Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer (GAB) sorption models were tested to fit the experimental data. The models gave a good fit up to the water activity ( a w ) of 0.55 for BET and a full range of a w from 0.12 to 0.95 for GAB ( R 2 ⩾ 0.98). Changes in the sorption parameters, particularly such as the decrease in monolayer moisture content (Mo), reflect the trend of reduced hydration capacity with increased addition of rice wax, providing useful information on water activity conditions to achieve stability for the composite films.
An Exploratory Study of the Behavior and Perceptions of College Students with Respect to Regular, Light, and Ultralight Cigarettes

Abstract The authors perform an exploratory survey that examines the smoking behavior, perceptions, and quitting intentions of 579 college students, an important segment because of their large numbers, their education, and the fact that many of them begin smoking during college. Unlike findings from prior studies of adults, most college students in the sample did not perceive that light cigarettes are safer than regular cigarettes or that ultralight cigarettes are safer than light cigarettes, but rather they perceived lights to provide sensory benefits (e.g., milder, lighter taste) over regular cigarettes. This was especially true for former and current smokers. The majority of smokers were nondaily smokers, many of whom have no thoughts of quitting. This is a concern because these nondaily smokers may not consider their smoking behavior risky. In addition, nondaily college student smokers who are primarily social smokers constitute a large group of young adults for which there is little research into the...
Surface tracking algorithm for computing Lagrangian coherent structures in a hurricane simulation

We present the results of using a recently developed 3D surface tracking algorithm to compute the Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) for a simulation of hurricane Rita (2005). The surface tracking algorithm greatly speeds the LCS computations and results in computing the actual LCS surfaces, rather than just a eld of nite time Lyapunov exponents, as is often done. This allows for simpler and more detailed visualization and analysis of the resulting LCSs. We examine two interesting features of the hurricane LCS: a signicant asymmetry in the eye and the complex \checkerboard" pattern LCS in the boundary layer. The asymmetry in the eye results in uid exchange between the eye and the surrounding environment. We also propose a mechanism that reproduces the checkerboard pattern LCS in a simple analytical ow.
Foraging in ant colonies applied to the mine detection problem

This paper focuses on the application of swarm intelligence to the problem of mine detection. Swarm intelligence concepts have captured the interest of research mainly in collective robotics, optimization problem and communication network routing (Bonabeau et al., 1999). In the mine detection problem we are faced with subproblems such as searching for mines over the minefield, defusing then effectively and assuring that the field is clear of mines within the least possible time. In this paper, we study the ant colony system applied to the mine detection problem. We highlight a certain formulation that the ants (the agents in our case involved in mine detection) are given for executing the task effectively. Heuristics based on cognitive maps in ants are used to achieve this. The agents do the task effectively when they are able to assure that the minefield is clear of the mines within the least possible time.
A new set of learner classifications for CSET

Contribution: This research contributes a new understanding of classification of learners in a CSET classroom within a conceptual framework. We compared the grades for students in each classification for a few large classrooms. The results were sufficiently interesting to justify further empirical studies on the subject. Description: A particular set of classification of learners, drawn from Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point, seem to imply a different time to “tipping” for students within each category. Previous classifications such as the standard learning styles of Visual, Auditory and Tactile/Kinesthetic have been used to understand teaching methods, but are not indicative of learner ability. In initial research, the proposed categories of Connector, Maven and Salesperson seem to be predictive of the learning versus time curve in a typical entry level CSET class. We believe that further study of these classifications can lead to a greater understanding of the generation of a “tipping point” in the CSET classroom - by this we mean the necessary requirements to cause an exponential change in learning within large groups. The research presented here is a study of hundreds of students from Arts and Science, Engineering and non-Science backgrounds in their first or second course in Physics. Preliminary findings suggest that students from each of the three categories of Connector, Maven and Salesperson reach a tipping point in their learning of the concepts of physics at different times.
Testing for Neuropsychological Endophenotypes in Siblings Discordant for Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder

Background Neurocognitive deficits associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might be useful intermediate endophenotypes for determining specific genetic pathways that contribute to ADHD. Methods This study administered 17 measures from prominent neuropsychological theories of ADHD (executive function, processing speed, arousal regulation and, motivation/delay aversion) in dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs discordant for ADHD and control twin pairs (ages 8–18 years) to compare performance between twins affected with ADHD (n = 266), their unaffected co-twins (n = 228), and control children from twin pairs without ADHD or learning difficulties (n = 332). Results The ADHD subjects show significant impairment on executive function, processing speed, and response variability measures compared with control subjects. Unaffected co-twins of ADHD subjects are significantly impaired on nearly all the same measures as their ADHD siblings, even when subclinical symptoms of ADHD are controlled. Conclusions Executive function, processing speed, and response variability deficits might be useful endophenotypes for genetic studies of ADHD.
Manipulation of glycogen-synthase kinase-3 activity in KSHV-associated cancers

The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, KSHV, is associated with cancers that have increased incidence in patients who are also HIV positive or who have undergone organ transplantation. It has recently been observed that beta-catenin is overexpressed in two KSHV-associated cancers, Kaposi's sarcoma and primary effusion lymphoma. Investigation of the underlying defect in beta-catenin regulation revealed that the KSHV-encoded LANA protein stabilizes beta-catenin by binding to the negative regulator GSK-3, causing a cell-cycle-dependent nuclear accumulation of GSK-3. Thus, redistribution of GSK-3 has been identified as yet another mechanism through which beta-catenin can be dysregulated and contribute to human cancer.
Contraction-by-contraction V̇o2 and computer-controlled pump perfusion as novel techniques to study skeletal muscle metabolism in situ

The purpose of this research was to develop new techniques to 1) rapidly sample venous O2 saturation to determine contraction-by-contraction oxygen uptake (Vo2), and 2) precisely control the rate ...
Observations of Parametric Instabilities in Long Scalelength Plasmas

The role of laser wavelength in laser-plasma coupling physics has been extensively studied at many laboratories for the past several years.(1) These studies have been motivated by theoretical considerations, which indicate improved absorption, reduced suprathermal electron production, and increased hydrodynamic efficiencies for laser wavelengths ≲ 1 µm.(2) Indeed, while such improvements have been experimentally verified, the limited energy and power presently available (EL ≲ 150 Joules, PL ≲ 1011W) have restricted the studies to plasma coronas of dimensions ≲ 100 λo (λo is the vacuum laser wavelength). Such small coronas are not characteristic of near-term and future ICF targets designed for ignition and gain.(3) These targets will have diameters greater than 1 mm and they will be irradiated with laser pulses of several nanosecond duration (3 ≲ τL ≲ 10 ns).(3) Thus the targets will be enveloped by underdense plasma coronas having dimensions of 103–104 vacuum laser wavelengths. In such plasmas, coupling processes, such as inverse bremsstrahlung, Stimulated Raman and Brillouin Scattering, two-plasmon decay, and filamentation (ponder-motive and thermal), should become important.(4)
Improvement of transient response of vibrating secondary mirror of Infrared Astronomy Telescope (IRAT)

In this work, the problem of improving the transient response of a vibrating secondary mirror of IRAT with square input is considered. The secondary mirror held at the focus of the cassegrainian primary mirror of the telescope is vibrated at different frequencies so as to separate the signal from the background noise and other disturbances. However classical transient response problems put a limitation to the frequency with which the secondary mirror can be vibrated. Conventional PID tuning controllers are designed to minimize system transient errors, but it is not implemented due to the space limitation in the vicinity of the secondary mirror. Hence, another scheme, called Posicast control, which involves only modification of the input signal, is designed and implemented. The transient response is found to improve drastically allowing the output to reach steady-state in a much shorter time. The control has been designed and presented in a look-up table for all frequencies of vibration and for all amplitude levels, thereby effective tracking of distant celestial objects is made possible.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Ambient Sulfate Trends and the Influence of Meteorology

Data on atmospheric levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfate were examined to quantify changes since 1989. Changes in sulfur species were adjusted to account for meteorological variability. Adjustments were made using meteorological variables expressed in terms of their principal components that were used as predictors in statistical models. Several models were tested. A generalized additive model (GAM)—based in part on nonparametric, locally smoothed predictor functions—computed the greatest association between sulfate and the meteorological predictors. Sulfate trends estimated after a GAM-based adjustment for weather-related influences were found to be primarily downward across the eastern United States by as much as 6.7% per year (average of 2.6% per year), but large spatial variability was noted. The most conspicuous characteristic in the trends was over portions of the Appalachian Mountains where very small (average 1.6% per year) and often insignificant sulfate changes were found. The Appalachian region also experienced a tendency, after removing meteorological influences, for increases in the ratio RS of sulfate sulfur to total sulfur. Before 1991, this ratio averaged 0.33 across all sites. Appalachian increases in RS were equivalent to 0.07 during 1989–2001 (significant for most sites at the 0.05 level), or nearly 2 times the average change at the other sites. This suggests that conditions over the Appalachians became notably more efficient at oxidizing SO2 into sulfate. Alternatively, subtle changes in local deposition patterns occurred, preferentially in and near mountainous monitoring sites, that changed the SO2–sulfate balance.
Dislocation of rotating hinge knee prostheses. A report of four cases.

The rotating hinge knee mechanism was designed to provide a stable total knee reconstruction when the intrinsic stability of the knee has been lost as a result of severe soft-tissue compromise1-5. It is not recommended for routine total knee arthroplasty because it has been associated with high rates of revision2,3. Rotating hinge knee designs have a transversely (horizontally) oriented hinge axis for flexion-extension motion and a vertically oriented post-in-channel axis for internal and external rotation (Fig. 1). The post-in-channel design also allows distraction up to the limits imposed by soft-tissue tension. As a result, component dislocation due to distraction disengagement is prevented only by the restraint of the soft-tissue envelope. Once distraction occurs, the degree of tilting of the central rotational stem within the channel directly reflects the intrinsic stability of the component design. The amount of distraction required for implant dislocation is directly related to the length, degree of taper, and tolerance of the stem in the cylinder (Fig. 1). To our knowledge, only one design (Link America, Pine Brook, New Jersey) possesses an antisubluxation feature that specifically prevents implant distraction. There have been few reports in the literature with regard to the clinical stability afforded by these rotating hinge knee prostheses1,2,5, and we are aware of no reports comparing the clinical stability provided by the various rotating hinge knee mechanisms. We therefore conducted a retrospective review to assess the prevalence of instability and dislocation in a consecutive series of rotating hinge total knee prostheses of various designs, and we identified four dislocations. Fig. 1 Line diagrams illustrating the minimal varus-valgus toggle and hence the excellent stability provided by designs that employ a long (7-cm) vertical, cylindrical rotational stem within a cylindrical channel compared with the excessive …
Observation of photorefractive effects in blue-phase liquid crystal containing fullerene-C 60 .

Photorefractive effects manifested in two beam coupling and side diffractions are observed in fullerene-C60 doped blue-phase liquid crystals (BPLC−C60) upon application of a DC bias field. The mechanism at work here is attributed to BPLC lattice distortion by the combined DC (Edc)+ photorefractive space-charge (Ephoto) fields, in addition to the DC + optical field induced effects reported in previous studies of dye-doped system. The first order diffraction efficiency of ∼2×10−3 and beam coupling gain of over 2% are observed in a 55 μm thick sample with input laser beam power of 5 mW at an applied DC voltage of 160 V. The effective nonlinear index coefficient n2 of BPLC−C60 is measured to be on the order of 10−2 cm2/W, which is slightly lower than their NLC counterparts. Owing to the isotropy of BPLC optical properties, these effects can be observed with more relaxed requirements on the laser polarizations, directions of incidence, and sample orientations.
Ideological Happiness Gap: Politicians’ Linguistic Expression on Twitter

Previous research in political psychology has found an ideological happiness gap between political conservatives and liberals, in which conservatives report higher happiness levels than liberals; however, recent research has found that this ideological happiness gap essentially reverses when using unobtrusive behavioral measures of subjective well-being (SWB). In the present study, we conducted linguistic analyses on over 118,000 Twitter status updates collected from United States Senators, Representatives, and Governors' verified Twitter accounts to compare the negative and positive emotion word use of political liberals and conservatives. We conducted a two-part study, in which we compared the baseline emotionality of tweets between liberals and conservatives, and conducted a secondary analysis of how the elections affected emotionality. For the baseline analysis, our results were consistent with the findings from studies using unobtrusive behavioral measures of SWB: liberals expressed significantly more positive emotion words and less negative emotion. These results support recent findings of the ideological happiness gap that liberals display more positive emotion behaviors than liberals. For our secondary analysis, we did not find significant differences in positive emotion expression between the parties around the election; however, we found that Republicans became less negative after electoral success, while Democrats became more negative. Future research may shed more insight on political ideology differences in election outcomes during a bigger election, like the 2016 presidential elections.
Assessing Cultural Competence in a BSW Student Population

AbstractBachelor’s level social workers serve a population that is becoming more diverse. Social work educators must respond with adapted teaching methods, theories, and exercises to reflect the growing need for cultural competence in our practitioners. The 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) outline the knowledge, value, and skills competencies central to social work education. These competencies include thorough integration of cultural competence in social work education; the ways in which this content is taught likely vary greatly between programs. This study assessed whether students gained competence as a result of taking a bachelor’s level social work (BSW) course in cultural diversity at a mid-sized public university. Furthermore, the study assessed whether their level of competence was related to student demographics, such as being from an urban or rural community. One hundred twenty-three students completed the California Brief Multicultural Competence Scale (CBMCS) at the ...
Tube Feeding by Sisyridivora cavigena (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) on Climacia areolaris (Neuroptera: Sisyridae)

Females of the parasitoid Sisyridivora cavigena Gahan construct a feeding tube with their ovipositors to feed on the body fluids of hosts, prepupae and pupae of Climacia areolaris (Hagen). The wasp mounts an unparasitized host cocoon and probes with the ovipositor and, on finding the host, paralyzes it. After a few minutes a clear fluid flows from the inserted ovipositor and congeals around it to form a feeding tube. Withdrawing the ovipositor, the wasp turns and feeds upon the fluids drawn up through the tube by capillarity. More than one tube may be constructed, either for additional feeding or because the previous tube was defective. Oviposition may occur after feeding. The attacked host apparently acquires a chemical message from the wasp or the tube which deters subsequent wasps from feeding on it.
Terminal Transferase in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia In Remission

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) is a marker for the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. To determine its value as an indicator of bone marrow remission or impending relapse, serial remission marrows (less than 5% blasts) from 49 patients who had acute lymphoblastic leukemia were examined for TdT by immunofluorescence over the period of a year. Thirty-eight patients (78%) had less than 1% TdT-positive cells. Eleven patients (22%) had slightly elevated levels of TdT (2%-7%) at some time during the study. of these eleven, only two had relapses; however, neither patient had greater than 1% TdT-positive cells within the three months before the relapse. Therefore, it appears that the presence of slightly increased numbers of TdT-positive cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia remission bone marrows (2%-7%) does not denote impending relapse. In addition, most of the patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission had less than 1% TdT-positive cells.
Individual Feed Consumption of Turkey Breeder Hens and the Correlation of Feed Intake, Body Weight and Egg Production

Abstract ALTHOUGH a number of experiments (Scott and Payne, 1941; Whitson et al. 1944; Robblee and Clandinin, 1959; Jensen and McGinnis, 1961; and Mitchell et al. 1962) have been conducted on the feed intake of turkey breeder hens, none of the reports have included the individual hen feed consumption data during the reproductive period. Berg (1953) as cited by Kondra and Shoffner (1955) has reported that small but significant deleterious effects on egg production occurred with increasing body weight. A negative environmental correlation between March body weight and egg production was noted by McCartney (1962). In the present study individual feed consumption, body weight and egg production data were recorded to ascertain the variation of feed intake and to determine the relationship between feed intake, body weight and egg production of turkey breeder hens. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Two (2) varieties of turkeys,3 Beltsville Small White (BSW) and Broad Breasted Bronze (BBB), were…
Elements of strategic social media marketing: A holistic framework

Abstract Social media marketing is an integral element of 21st-century business. However, the literature on social media marketing remains fragmented and is focused on isolated issues, such as tactics for effective communication. The current research applies a qualitative, theory-building approach to develop a strategic framework that articulates four generic dimensions of strategic social media marketing. Social media marketing scope represents a range from defenders to explorers, social media marketing culture includes the poles of conservatism and modernism, social media marketing structures fall between hierarchies and networks, and social media marketing governance ranges from autocracy to anarchy. By providing a comprehensive conceptualization and definition of strategic social media marketing, this research proposes an integrative framework that expands beyond extant marketing theory. Furthermore, managers can apply the framework to position their organizations on these four dimensions in a manner consistent with their overall corporate mission and objectives.