cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The influence of the intercalate species on the quasi-static electrochromic behavior of tungsten-oxide-based devices

Abstract The influence of the intercalate species on the quasi-static electrochromic behavior of tungsten-oxide-based devices is investigated. Two different electrolytes are used in the devices: an aqueous sulfuric acid solution, from which it is assumed that intercalation of hydrogen occurs; and a solution of lithium perchlorate in propylene carbonate, from which it is assumed that intercalation of lithium occurs. Experiments are performed in which a step-current of small magnitude is imposed through the device, and the corresponding time-dependence of the electrical potential and optical transmission are measured simultaneously. The behavior of the optical efficiency is relatively insensitive to the nature of the intercalate species, but the device potential is appreciably more sensitive to lithium intercalation than to hydrogen intercalation. The disparity in electrical behavior is likely due to increased strain effects and/or a diminished availability of sites associated with the larger lithium intercalate. It is shown that the electrical and optical behavior of the two types of devices may be related by a single linear scaling relation, indicating that the fundamental processes involved in the operation of the devices are similar.
Intramolecular Photoassociation and Photoinduced Charge Transfer in Bridged Diaryl Compounds.7.A Semiempirical MO Study of Intramolecular Charge Transfer in the Excited Singlet States of Dinaphthylamines

A semiempirical MO study of the intramolecular charge transfer (CT) in the excited singlet states of dinaphthylamines has been carried out with the program systems MOPAC and ARGUS. The excited-state energies for various conformations of the molecules were obtained, in both the absence and the presence of a polarizable medium, by adding the transition energies calculated with the INDO I/S method to the ground-state energies calculated by means of the AM1 method. The CT state corresponds to a twisted geometry in which one naphthalene moiety is conjugated with the amino bridge, while the other moiety is perpendicular to the first. The gas-phase energy of this twisted intramolecular CT (TICT) state is only slightly greater than that of the lowest excited singlet (S[sub 1]) state of smaller dipole moment. In solvent of large dielectric constant, the TICT state is therefore predicted to be the lowest excited singlet state of the module. The computed oscillator strength of the absorption to the TICT state is much smaller than that to the lowest-energy excited state of an isolated molecule, so that the increase CT character of the S[sub 1] state in polar solvents is expected to lead to a decrease in the radiative decaymore » rate of the state. These results are consistent with the experimental observation of a large fluorescence Stokes shift, and a reduction in the S[sub 1] radiative decay rate, of the compounds in polar solvents relative to nonpolar solvents. 14 refs., 9 figs., 4 tabs.« less
Immunogenicity and protective effects of truncated recombinant leukotoxin proteins of Fusobacterium necrophorum in mice.

Fusobacterium necrophorum, a gram-negative, anaerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, is generally an opportunistic pathogen and causes a wide variety of necrotic infections in animals and humans. Leukotoxin, a secreted protein, is a major virulence factor. The gene encoding the leukotoxin (lktA) in F. necrophorum has been cloned, sequenced and expressed in Escherichia coli. Because of low expression levels, problems associated with purifying full-length recombinant protein, and of the physical instability of the protein, five overlapping leukotoxin gene truncations were constructed. The recombinant polypeptides (BSBSE, SX, GAS, SH, and FINAL) were expressed in E. coli and purified by nickel-affinity chromatography. The objectives were to investigate the effectiveness of the purified truncated polypeptides to induce protective immunity in mice challenged with F. necrophorum. The polypeptides, individually or in combination, and inactivated native leukotoxin or culture supernatant of F. necrophorum were homogenized with an adjuvant and injected into mice on days 0 and 21. Blood samples were collected to measure serum anti-leukotoxin antibody titers on days 0, 21 and 42 and on day 42, mice were experimentally challenged with F. necrophorum. All polypeptides were immunogenic, with GAS polypeptide eliciting the least antibody response. Two polypeptides (BSBSE and SH) induced significant protection in mice against F. necrophorum infection. Protection was better than the full-length native leukotoxin or inactivated supernatant.The study demonstrated that the leukotoxin of F. necrophorum carries epitopes that induce protective immunity against experimental fusobacterial infection, thus providing further evidence to the importance of leukotoxin as a major virulence factor.
Photocatalytic oxidation of a volatile organic component of acetaldehyde using titanium oxide nanotubes

Titanium oxide nanotubes are prepared and treated with Au (Au/nanotube sample) and Pt (Pt/nanotube sample), and the photoactivity of these catalysts compared to a standard Degussa P25 photocatalyst is investigated. The samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, field emission gun scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Both high-resolution TEM images and high-angle annular dark-field (HAAD) images were recorded for the specimens. Oxidation of acetaldehyde was used to test the efficiency of the catalysts. Nanotube samples showed better photoactivity than the standard P25, because the P25 titania deactivates quickly. Enhanced reactivity of the nanotube is related to surface charge polarity developed on outer and inner surfaces due to the difference in overlap of oxygen anions that resulted from curving of octahedral sheets. A tentative and qualitative surface polarity model is proposed for enhancing electron-hole pair separation. The inner surface benefits reduction; whereas, the outer surface benefits oxidation reactions. Both the metal identity and the size of the metal particles in the nanotubes affected the photocatalytic activity. Specifically, the addition of platinum increased the activity significantly, and increased the total yield. The addition of gold had lesser impact compared to the platinum. Formation of Pt large nanoparticles on the nanotube surfaces reduces the oxidation reactivity.
Recent advances in gastric emptying scintigraphy

Gastric emptying scintigraphy was introduced more than 25 years ago by Griffith and still remains the gold standard to assess gastric emptying. Test meals, radiopharmaceutical and acquisition procedures have been refined and optimized over the years and the test procedure is now well standardized. However, in its most common use, gastric emptying scintigraphy provides little information on gastric physiology and pathophysiology. Over the last decade, modeling of the liquid- and solid-emptying curves has provided some insight into the complex gastric physiology. Compartmental analysis of the stomach has also provided information on the pathophysiological mechanisms of delayed gastric emptying. Over the past 5 years, the most dramatic development in gastric emptying scintigraphy has been the introduction of digital antral scintigraphy. Digital antral scintigraphy consists primarily of dynamic imaging of the stomach and a refined Fourier transform processing method. This new procedure allows for the visualization of antral contractions and, like manometry, permits quantitative characterization of the frequency and amplitude of these contractions. Overall, this new procedure provides a unique, noninvasive tool to characterize gastric motility, to define the pathophysiological mechanisms of gastric motor disorders, and to evaluate the effect of new gastrokinetic compounds.
Systemic Benefits of Fluoride and Fluoridation

Clinical trials, animal studies, and in vitro tests demonstrate effectiveness of exposure to topical (posteruptive) fluoride in caries prevention and reduction of enamel dissolution. However, careful analyses of human epidemiologic data on caries increments, following communal water fluoridation, show unquestionably that fluoride has an important preemptive effect on caries in permanent teeth, particularly on pit and fissure surfaces. These preemptive or systemic benefits also apply to the use of fluoride supplements or fluoridated salt when used continuously during the period of tooth formation. The role of systemic fluoride in caries prevention is neither “minimal” nor “of borderline significance.” On the contrary, it is a major factor in preventing pit and fissure caries, the most common site of tooth decay. Maximal caries-preventive effects of water fluoridation are achieved by exposure to optimal fluoride levels both pre- and posteruptively.
A Rapid and Reliable Test for BRCA1 and BRCA2 Founder Mutation Analysis in Paraffin Tissue Using Pyrosequencing

The founder mutations in BRCA (BRCA1*185delAG, BRCA1*5382insC, and BRCA2*6174delT) account for 95% of the detectable BRCA mutations in breast and ovarian cancer families of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Optimal clinical management of individuals from these high-risk families relies on the identification of BRCA founder mutations in the laboratory. We have therefore developed a rapid and reliable approach using pyrosequencing, which allows for the detection of these frequent frameshift mutations on different types of specimens. We were able to correctly identify all mutants in a blinded analysis of 177 DNA samples, including 120 DNA samples extracted from paraffin tissues, 30 samples derived from blood specimens, and 27 samples derived from saliva. The mutation detection rate of pyrosequencing was 100% for all of the DNA samples tested with neither false-positive nor false-negative results. The assay also demonstrated both high accuracy and high precision for the detection of these common mutations in paraffin tissues. Furthermore, saliva collection is a noninvasive alternative for DNA isolation in both clinical and research settings. We show that pyrosequencing is a rapid and reliable method that serves as an excellent platform for BRCA founder mutation analysis, especially when only paraffin-embedded tissues are available.
Race in translation: culture wars around the postcolonial Atlantic

As France militarily intervenes in its former colony Mali with the assistance of US Reaper drones and the US Supreme Court guts the Voting Rights Act in favor of ‘States’ rights' (the watchword for...
A Deletion Site Editing Endonuclease in Trypanosoma brucei

RNA editing in Trypanosoma brucei inserts and deletes uridines in mitochondrial mRNAs by a series of enzymatic steps that are catalyzed by a multiprotein complex, the editosome. KREPB1 and two related editosome proteins KREPB2 and KREPB3 contain motifs that suggest endonuclease and RNA/protein interaction functions. Repression of KREPB1 expression in procyclic forms by RNAi inhibited growth, in vivo editing, and in vitro endoribonucleolytic cleavage of deletion substrates. However, cleavage of insertion substrates and the exoUase, TUTase, and ligase catalytic activities of editing were retained by 20S editosomes. Repression of expression of an ectopic KREPB1 allele in bloodstream forms lacking both endogenous alleles or exclusive expression of KREPB1 with point mutations in the putative RNase III catalytic domain also blocked growth, in vivo editing, and abolished cleavage of deletion substrates, without affecting the other editing steps. These data indicate that KREPB1 is an endoribonuclease that is specific for RNA editing deletion sites.
Design Research: Theoretical and Methodological Issues

The term "design experiments" was introduced in 1992, in articles by Ann Brown (1992) and Allan Collins (1992). Design experiments were developed as a way to carry out formative research to test and refine educational designs based on principles derived from prior research. More recently the term design research has been applied to this kind of work. In this article, we outline the goals of design research and how it is related to other methodologies. We illustrate how design research is carried out with two very different examples. And we provide guidelines for how design research can best be carried out in the future.
Tissue extracellular matrix nanoparticle presentation in electrospun nanofibers

Biomaterials derived from the decellularization of mature tissues retain biological and architectural features that profoundly influence cellular activity. However, the clinical utility of such materials remains limited as the shape and physical properties are difficult to control. In contrast, scaffolds based on synthetic polymers can be engineered to exhibit specific physical properties, yet often suffer from limited biological functionality. This study characterizes composite materials that present decellularized extracellular matrix (DECM) particles in combination with synthetic nanofibers and examines the ability of these materials to influence stem cell differentiation. Mechanical processing of decellularized tissues yielded particles with diameters ranging from 71 to 334 nm. Nanofiber scaffolds containing up to 10% DECM particles (wt/wt) derived from six different tissues were engineered and evaluated to confirm DECM particle incorporation and to measure bioactivity. Scaffolds containing bone, cartilage, and fat promoted osteogenesis at 1 and 3 weeks compared to controls. In contrast, spleen and lung DECM significantly reduced osteogenic outcomes compared to controls. These findings highlight the potential to incorporate appropriate source DECM nanoparticles within nanofiber composites to design a scaffold with bioactivity targeted to specific applications.
Chiral NMR discrimination of secondary amines using (18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid.

Enantiomeric discrimination is observed in the 1H NMR spectra of chiral secondary amines in the presence of (R)-(+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid. Secondary amines are protonated by one of the carboxylic acid groups of the crown ether to produce the corresponding ammonium and carboxylate ions. The secondary ammonium ion likely forms two hydrogen bonds to crown ether oxygen atoms and an ion pair with the carboxylate anion.
Roles of Glutathione in Antioxidant Defense, Inflammation, and Neuron Differentiation in the Thalamus of HIV-1 Transgenic Rats

Inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain are major causes of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Previously we have reported high content of glutathione (GSH) in the thalamus of rats with F344 genetic background. In this study, we investigated the changes of GSH metabolism and GSH-dependent antioxidant enzymes in the rat thalamus in response to HIV-1 transgenesis, and their associations with oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuronal development. Male HIV-1 transgenic (HIV-1Tg) rats and wild type F344 rats at 10 months were used in this study, with 5 rats in each group. Parameters measured in this study included: total and oxidized GSH, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), cysteine/cystine transporters, 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), interleukin 12 (IL12), neuronal nuclei (NeuN), microtubule-associated protein (MAP2), and glia fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The levels of total GSH, oxidized GSH (GSSG) and MAP2 protein, and enzymatic activities of GCS, GPx and GST were significantly higher in HIV-1Tg rats compared with F344 rats, but the ratio of GSSG/GSH, activity of GGT and levels of HNE, NeuN protein and GFAP protein did not change. HIV-1Tg rats showed a lower level of IL12 protein. GSH positively correlated with GCS, GST and MAP2, GSSG/GSH ratio positively correlated with HNE and IL12, the activities of GPx, GST and GCS positively correlated with each other, and negatively correlated with HNE. These findings suggest an important role of the GSH-centered system in reducing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, and enhancing neuron differentiation in the thalamus of HIV-1Tg rats.
Fermi resonance in condensed CF4 and CCl4

Abstract The infrared absorption spectra of CF 4 and CCl 4 have been observed in both the pure form and in rare gas matrices at low temperatures. The region studied corresponded to the ν 3 , 2ν 4 , and ν 3 , ν 1 +ν 4 Fermi doublets of CF 4 and CCl 4 respectively. The interaction of the vibrations in Fermi resonance in these molecules changes considerably from that found in the gaseous phase. The spectral features observed are discussed and related to S trizhevskii's theory.
FER-1/Dysferlin promotes cholinergic signaling at the neuromuscular junction in C. elegans and mice

Dysferlin is a member of the evolutionarily conserved ferlin gene family. Mutations in Dysferlin lead to Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2B (LGMD2B), an inherited, progressive and incurable muscle disorder. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis are not fully understood. We found that both loss-of-function mutations and muscle-specific overexpression of C. elegans fer-1, the founding member of the Dysferlin gene family, caused defects in muscle cholinergic signaling. To determine if Dysferlin-dependent regulation of cholinergic signaling is evolutionarily conserved, we examined the in vivo physiological properties of skeletal muscle synaptic signaling in a mouse model of Dysferlin-deficiency. In addition to a loss in muscle strength, Dysferlin -/- mice also exhibited a cholinergic deficit manifested by a progressive, frequency-dependent decrement in their compound muscle action potentials following repetitive nerve stimulation, which was observed in another Dysferlin mouse model but not in a Dysferlin-independent mouse model of muscular dystrophy. Oral administration of Pyridostigmine bromide, a clinically used acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AchE.I) known to increase synaptic efficacy, reversed the action potential defect and restored in vivo muscle strength to Dysferlin -/- mice without altering muscle pathophysiology. Our data demonstrate a previously unappreciated role for Dysferlin in the regulation of cholinergic signaling and suggest that such regulation may play a significant pathophysiological role in LGMD2B disease.
Charge-based core and the model architecture of BSIM5

The paper outlines the charge-based core and the architecture of the BSIM5 MOSFET model for sub-100 nm CMOS circuit simulation. The BSIM5 model is a continuous, completely symmetric and accurate non charge-sheet based MOS transistor model derived from the basic device physics, including various physics effects. Comparison of the inversion charge between the BSIM5 prediction and self-consistent numerical solution shows good agreement. The demonstration of fully symmetric characteristics of BSIM5, such as channel current and its high-order derivative in the Gummel symmetry test, and charge and trans-capacitances in a SPICE simulation, also implies BSIM5 is the physically symmetric MOSFET model valid for RF-analog circuit simulations.
Voriconazole plasma concentrations in immunocompromised pediatric patients vary by CYP2C19 diplotypes

Aim: Our objective was to describe the association between voriconazole concentrations and CYP2C19 diplotypes in pediatric cancer patients, including children homozygous for the CYP2C19*17 gain-of-function allele. Materials & methods: A linear mixed effect model compared voriconazole dose-corrected trough concentrations (n = 142) among CYP2C19 diplotypes in 33 patients (aged 1–19 years). Voriconazole pharmacokinetics was described by a two-compartment model with Michaelis–Menten elimination. Results: Age (p = 0.05) and CYP2C19 diplotype (p = 0.002) were associated with voriconazole concentrations. CYP2C19*17 homozygotes never attained therapeutic concentrations, and had lower dose-corrected voriconazole concentrations (median 0.01 μg/ml/mg/kg; p = 0.02) than CYP2C19*1 homozygotes (median 0.07 μg/ml/mg/kg). Modeling indicates that higher doses may produce therapeutic concentrations in younger children and in those with a CYP2C19*17/*17 diplotype. Conclusion: Younger age and the presence of CYP2C19 gain-of-...
Identification of a Ca2+/H+ antiport in the plant chloroplast thylakoid membrane

To assess the availability of Ca 2+ in the lumen of the thylakoid membrane that is required to support the assembly of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II, we have investigated the mechanism of 45 Ca 2+ transport into the lumen of pea ( Pisum sativum ) thylakoid membranes using silicone-oil centrifugation. Trans-thylakoid Ca 2+ transport is dependent on light or, in the dark, on exogenously added ATP. Both light and ATP hydrolysis are coupled to Ca 2+ transport through the formation of a transthylakoid pH gradient. The H + -transporting ionophores nigericin/K + and carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone inhibit the transport of Ca 2+ . Thylakoid membranes are capable of accumulating up to 30 nmol Ca 2+ mg −1 chlorophyll from external concentrations of 15 μm over the course of a 15-min reaction. These results are consistent with the presence of an active Ca 2+ /H + antiport in the thylakoid membrane. Ca 2+ transport across the thylakoid membrane has significant implications for chloroplast and plant Ca 2+ homeostasis. We propose a model of chloroplast Ca 2+ regulation whereby the activity of the Ca 2+ /H + antiporter facilitates the light-dependent uptake of Ca 2+ by chloroplasts and reduces stromal Ca 2+ levels.
The relationship between alcohol taxes and binge drinking: evaluating new tax measures incorporating multiple tax and beverage types.

AIMS: U.S. studies contribute heavily to of the literature about the tax elasticity of demand for alcohol, and most U.S. studies have relied on specific excise (volume-based) taxes for beer as a proxy for alcohol taxes. The purpose of this paper was to compare this conventional alcohol tax measure with more comprehensive tax measures (incorporating multiple tax and beverage types) in analyses of the relationship between alcohol taxes and adult binge drinking prevalence in U.S. states. DESIGN: Data on U.S. state excise, ad valorem, and sales taxes from 2001-2010 were obtained from the Alcohol Policy Information System and other sources. For N = 510 state-year strata, we developed a series of weighted tax-per-drink measures that incorporated various combinations of tax and beverage types, and related these measures to state-level adult binge drinking prevalence data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys. FINDINGS: In analyses pooled across all years, models using the combined tax measure explained approximately 20% of state binge drinking prevalence, and documented more negative tax elasticity (-0.09, p = 0.02) and price elasticity (-1.40, p CONCLUSIONS: Compared with volume-based tax measures, combined tax measures (i.e., those incorporating volume-based tax and value-based taxes) yield substantial improvement in model fit and find more negative tax elasticity and price elasticity predicting adult binge drinking prevalence in U.S. states. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Language: en
Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment and Children

follow-up study such as this one that we can understand the impact that HIV and its treatment with HAART has had on this unique population. What do their data show? Simply put, many of the deaths occurred in the preHAART and early HAART era, with dramatic reductions in mortality in the post-HAART era. However, they were unable to prove that it was the timing of initiation of HAART that made the biggest impact on the decrease in mortality. What are some of the confounding variables that this and other studies evaluating outcomes based on age at initiation of HAART have had to work with? In the pre-HAART era and even early in the post-HAART era, few medications were available in formulations suitable for infants and children. The problem was further compounded by lack of pharmacokinetic data on these medications in these children. These 2 issues resulted in difficulties administering these potentially lifesaving therapies to those children at highest risk for death. In this study, the lack of data on CD4 and viral load in the pre- and early HAART era in this population has also
Widely Tunable (1.0-1.7 μm) Yb-doped Fiber Mode-Locked Laser Source with ˜100 fs Pulse Widths based on Raman Frequency Shift

A widely tunable (1.0-1.7 μm) femtosecond laser source based on Raman induced frequency shift in a photonic crystal fiber pumped by a Yb-doped mode-locked fiber laser is presented. The output pulses are ˜100 fs wide with ˜0.5 nJ pulse energy.
Chapter 9 Clinical Risk and Brief Psychodynamic Therapy

Abstract This article explores the risk environment confronting practitioners of brief psychodynamic treatment, and describes strategies that can help clinicians practice effective risk management. I argue that clinicians can reap only limited benefits from a focus on profiles of high-risk clients and litigation “hot spots.” The optimal approach is attention to the contextual dynamics shaping clinical practice. Among the most important are the relational processes driving the clinician-client dyad, the clinician-client-third party payer triangle, and the interface between the mental health and legal systems. I close with a discussion of the ambiguity and uncertainty that characterize clinical decision making and risk management.
Mechanistic analysis of a DNA damage-induced, PTEN-dependent size checkpoint in human cells

Following DNA damage, human cells undergo arrests in the G(1) and G(2) phases of the cell cycle and a simultaneous arrest in cell size. We previously demonstrated that the cell size arrest can be uncoupled from the cell cycle arrest by mutational inactivation of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene. Here we show that the cell size checkpoint is inducible by DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic agents as well as by ionizing radiation and is effectively regulated by PTEN but not by its oncogenic counterpart, PIK3CA. Mutational analysis of PTEN and pharmacological inhibition of Akt revealed that modulation of Akt phosphorylation is unnecessary for cell size checkpoint control. To discover putative PTEN regulators and/or effectors involved in size checkpoint control, we employed a novel endogenous epitope tagging (EET) approach, which revealed that endogenous PTEN interacts at the membrane with an actin-remodeling complex that includes actin, gelsolin, and EPLIN. Pharmacological inhibition of actin remodeling in PTEN(+/+) cells recapitulated the lack of size checkpoint control seen in PTEN(-/-) cells. Taken together, these results provide further support for the existence of a DNA damage-inducible size checkpoint that is regulated by a major tumor suppressor, and they provide a novel Akt-independent mechanism by which PTEN controls cell size.
Energy frugal tags in reprogrammable I-caches for application-specific embedded processors

In this paper we present a software-directed customization methodology for minimizing the energy dissipation in the instruction cache, one of the most power consuming microarchitectural components of high-end embedded processors. We target particularly the instruction cache tag operations and show how an exceedingly small number of tag bits, if any, are needed to compute the miss/hit behavior for the most frequently executed application loops, thus minimizing the energy needed to perform the tag reads and comparisons. The proposed methodology exploits the fact that the code layout structure of the program loops can be identified after compile and link, and that it typically resides in a very confined memory location, for which very few bits from the effective address can be utilized as a tag. Subsequently, we present an efficient, programmable implementation to apply the suggested energy minimization technique. The experimental results show a significant decrease in energy dissipation for a set of real-life applications.
The Construction of Understanding in a Sixth-Grade Bilingual Classroom.

Abstract In this article, teaching and studenting ore conceived of as performances defined both institutionally and interactionally. Schools are viewed as providing an institutional framework and an organizational definition for teacher and student roles, whereas the actual roles experienced by teachers and students are viewed as interactionally constituted. From this perspective, each school and classroom is a particular kind of setting with particular opportunities for interacting and learning, even though schools and classrooms, as a general class of institutional entity, may share certain common organizational patterns. I present an analysis of how members of a bilingual sixth-grade classroom construct knowledge as they interact within a particular event of a social science history project. This analysis shows how theory informs analysis, and conversely, how analysis informs theory. Data are presented to illustrate ways in which knowledge is constructed by members through interactions in a local event (i.e., the presentation and defense of their island history) and over time (a 2 1 2 -month period). Ways in which positions (institutional definitions) and positionings (interactionally constructed definitions) are established by bilingual and Spanish or English dominant students through their actions and interactions are discussed along with related issues of language use.
The infimal closed controllable superlanguage and its application in supervisory control

The supervisory control of discrete-event systems is investigated for the case in which nonblocking solutions are deemed inadequate because they are too conservative. For this purpose the infimal closed controllable superlanguage of a given language is studied. Two characterizations of the superlanguage are given, some of its properties are presented, and algorithms for its computation in the general case and in the regular case are proposed. An algorithm for the computation of the supremal controllable sublanguage is presented. It is shown that the computation of the infimal closed controllable superlanguage plays a central role in problems that involve a tradeoff between satisficing and blocking. The completely satisficing solution in supervisory control is characterized, and a general control problem called the supervisory control problem with blocking is introduced. >
Many pediatric residents seek and obtain part-time positions.

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to monitor the number of pediatric residents seeking part-time employment after graduation and to examine the difficulty of their job searches, compared with residents seeking full-time employment. METHODS. As part of the American Academy of Pediatrics Graduating Resident Survey, national random samples of 500 graduating, categorical pediatrics residents were surveyed from 2003 through 2005, between May and August of each year. Responses were pooled to examine resident interest in and experience with part-time employment. Totals of 308 (62%), 307 (61%), and 281 (56%) residents completed the survey in 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively. Analyses focused on residents who applied for nonfellowship jobs. RESULTS. A total of 51% of residents applied for nonfellowship jobs. Of those who applied for such jobs, 38% reported that they applied for part-time positions and 21% actually accepted part-time positions. Residents who applied for part-time positions were more likely to report moderate or considerable job search difficulty (part-time: 36%; full-time: 25%). The average starting salary for residents who accepted part-time jobs was almost $34000 less than that for residents working full-time (part-time: $71615; full-time: $105598). Residents who accepted part-time positions expected to work 15 hours less per week in practice (38 vs 23 hours) and were more likely to accept a position in the same city/area as their residency (part-time: 60%; full-time: 47%). CONCLUSIONS. Approximately 4 of 10 pediatric residents seek part-time employment after graduation, and 2 of 10 accept part-time positions. Strong interest in part-time positions is likely to continue, and this important trend has implications for the pediatric workforce.
Comparison of H 2 Desorption Kinetics from Si(111)7×7 and Si(100)2×l

The desorption kinetics of hydrogen from the pd1 H2 -TPD state on Si(111)7x7 and Si(100)2x1 were studied using laser-induced thermal desorption (LITD) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) techniques. Isothermal LITD studies of H2 desorption from Si(111)7x7 revealed second-order kinetics with a desorption activation energy of Ed = 62 ±4 kcal/mol and a preexponential factor of Vd = 92 ±10 cm2 /s. In contrast, H2 desorption from Si(100)2x1 revealed first-order kinetics with an activation energy of Ed = 58 ±2 kcal/mol and a preexponential factor of Vd = 5.5 ±0.5 ± 1015 s-1. The desorption kinetics yield similar upper limits for the Si-H bond energies but different desorption mechanisms on Si(lll)7x7 and Si(100)2x1.
Influence of progesterone on endometrial nitric oxide synthase expression.

Objective To determine the effect of P on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression in human endometrial epithelial cells. Design Laboratory-based study. Setting University-based research institute. Patient(s) None. Intervention(s) The effect of P on the expression of NOS protein isoforms was examined in an in vitro preparation. Main Outcome Measure(s) The expression of NOS and phosphorylated endothelial NOS (peNOS) protein in human endometrial-derived epithelial cells (HES cells) and messenger RNA (mRNA) in human primary endometrial cell culture. Result(s) Progesterone induced a concentration- and time-dependent stimulation of endothelial NOS (eNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), and peNOS protein in HES cells. Progesterone also stimulated eNOS and iNOS mRNA in human primary endometrial cells. The effect of P on eNOS and iNOS was completely blocked by RU486 but was partially blocked in case of phosphorylated eNOS. RU486 alone had an inhibitory effect on expression of eNOS but not iNOS protein at a concentration of 10 −5 mol/L. Progesterone stimulated phosphorylation of eNOS within 30 minutes, and this effect was completely blocked by an inhibitor of PI3/Akt pathway, wortmannin, and by the extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1,2 pathway blocker UO126. Conclusion(s) Progesterone has both genomic and nongenomic effects to stimulate the expression of NOS in HES cells. The nongenomic action of P on NOS phosphorylation is mediated by the PI3/Akt and extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1,2 pathways.
Potential Management Strategies for the Linden Borer (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Urban Landscapes and Nurseries

The linden borer, Saperda vestita Say (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is a native insect species that is common throughout north central and northeastern North America. Over the past decade, increasing occurrence of damage associated with the linden borer has been reported on Tilia spp. in city street trees and nurseries throughout Wisconsin, probably because of increased use of these trees. Our objective was to gain a better understanding of the seasonal biology and potential management strategies for this important pest. We evaluated the effectiveness of three systemic insecticides, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and disulfoton, and a mechanical control method of chipping linden borer-infested wood as a means of reducing S. vestita larval survival, subsequent emergence, and oviposition. Autumn and spring soil injections of imidacloprid to linden borer-infested Tilia cordata'Greenspire' nursery stock ( 90% control. Autumn soil injections of imidacloprid and thiamethoxam and a spring granular soil application treatment of disulfoton applied to larger (>22 cm dbh) Tilia spp. did not effectively control linden borer at the application rates tested. Chipping infested Tilia spp. effectively destroyed linden borer larvae, pupae, and adults. Arborists and landscape managers should consider chipping felled Tilia spp. trees infested with S. vestita to prevent adults from potentially attacking nearby susceptible trees.
How smoking affects the proportion of deaths attributable to obesity: assessing the role of relative risks and weight distributions.

Objective Although ever-smokers make up the majority of the older adult population in the USA, they are often excluded from studies examining the impact of obesity on mortality. Understanding how smoking and obesity interact is critical to assessing the proportion of deaths attributable to obesity. Setting Nationally representative sample of the non-institutionalised population of the USA. Baseline data were drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994 and 1999–2004. Participants US adults aged 50–74 (n=9835). Primary outcome measure We used Cox models to estimate the mortality risks of obesity by smoking status. All-cause mortality was assessed prospectively through 31 December 2006 (n=1243 deaths). Maximum body mass index (BMI) was specified as the key exposure variable. We also calculated population attributable fractions (PAFs) by smoking status and investigated differences in PAFs in a decomposition analysis. Results The HR associated with a one-unit increment in BMI beyond 25.0 kg/m2 was 1.057 for never-smokers (95% CI 1.033 to 1.082; p We estimated that 19.8% of deaths were attributable to excess weight. The PAFs were 31.9, 20.4 and 11.3 for never-smokers, former and current smokers, respectively. The difference in PAFs between never-smokers and current smokers was almost entirely explained by the difference in HRs. Conclusions The proportion of deaths attributable to obesity is nearly 3 times as high among never-smokers compared with current smokers. This finding is consistent with the fact that smokers are subject to significant competing risks. Analyses that exclude smokers are likely to substantially overestimate the proportion of deaths attributable to obesity in the USA.
Investigating the loss of an embedded perfluorinated optical fiber for different resin’s gel time

This work aims to find out the gel time that may not cause damage to the physical properties of the polymer optic fiber (POF). Effect of gel time of vinylester resin on signal attenuation of POF was studied. The resin gel time was controlled by mixing different ratios of Methylethylketone peroxide (MEKP), Cobalt Naphthenate-6 %, and Dimethylaniline at 18 °C. OTDR was used to measure backscattering level and signal loss during the resin curing process. Optical imaging was conducted on POF cross section before and after resin treatment to investigate the effect of resin gel time on its physical properties. Results showed that POF signal was affected by resin gel time. Increasing gel time caused drop of the backscattering level of the POF. It was found that 15 minutes gel time had no significant effect on POF signal integrity. Gel time 45 minutes or longer cause severe physical damage to the POF.
Parents as Therapeutic Agents: A Study of the Effect of Filial Therapy

The problem with which this investigation was concerned was that of the use of parents as therapeutic agents. The purpose of this study was twofold. The first was to determine the effect of filial therapy on parental acceptance, self-esteem, parent-child relationship, and family environment. A second was to analyze the results and make recommendations concerning the effectiveness of filial therapy as a treatment modality for parents and their children. The experimental design of the study was a nonrandomized, pretest-posttest, control group design.The sample (N=47) consisted of the experimental group (parents N=15, children N=9) who received filial therapy and the control group (parents N=12, children N=ll) who did not. The treatment included ten, two hour weekly parent training sessions. During these sessions the parents were taught the principles of client-centered play therapy and were instructed to conduct weekly one-half hour play sessions at home with their own children. Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn: 1) Filial therapy does significantly increase the parents' feeling of unconditional love for their children and 2) Filial therapy does significantly increase the parents' perception of expressed conflict in their family. In addition to the statistically significant results, there were some important trends which were mentioned as directional conclusions. These qualitative judgments include: 1) Filial therapy may be an effective treatment for increasing parents' acceptance of their children, especially parents' feelings of unconditional love; 2) Filial therapy may be a somewhat effective treatment for increasing self-esteem, yet more effective in increasing parents' self-esteem than children's self-esteem; 3) Filial therapy may be an effective treatment for increasing the closeness of the parent-child relationship without altering the authority hierarchy; 4) Filial therapy may influence the family environment, especially in the areas of expressiveness, conflict, independence, intellectual-cultural orientation, and control; and 5) Filial therapy may be an effective treatment for increasing parents' understanding of the meaning of their childrens' play.
Coping and Depression. The Relative Contribution of Internal and External Resources during a Life Cycle Transition

This study addresses two questions relevant to psychiatric epidemiological models of the stress-distress relationship: Are personality and social support resources independent phenomena or highly correlated? and What are the relative contributions of these two types of resources in protecting against the development of depressive symptomatology? A cohort of beginning medical students was administered self-report questionnaires measuring social supports, locus of control, interpersonal dependency, and depressive symptomatology. On the basis of correlation and regression analysis, the data show that the personality characteristics more strongly predict depressive symptomatology than do social supports, and that social supports are unrelated to locus of control but directly correlated with interpersonal dependency. The authors discuss these findings in the context of a life cycle transition.
Surface Catalyzed Reaction Efficiencies in Nitrogen and Oxygen Plasmas from Laser Induced Fluorescence Measurements

Recent efforts to advance laser diagnostics in plasma facilities have resulted in the capability to measure gradients of temperature and species in the reacting zone above a high-temperature material. These measurements allow a direct qualitative estimate of the surface-catalyzed reaction efficiency when the sub-millimeter spatial distribution of the reactive species is compared with measurements over reference materials. Measurements of nitrogen atom and oxygen atom distributions are presented for reference materials and silicon carbide for both nitrogen and oxygen plasmas to elucidate the relative efficiencies for homogeneous surface catalyzed recombination.
Immunogenicity and Protective Activity in Animals of a Type V Group B Streptococcal Polysaccharide-Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine

The recent recognition of type V strains as a frequent cause of group B streptococcal (GBS) infection in both infants and adults prompted investigation of an effective vaccine against these organisms. Purified GBS type V polysaccharide was covalently linked to tetanus toxoid to form a type V polysaccharide-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine. The conjugate elicited type V polysaccharide-specific IgG antibodies in rabbits, while unconjugated type V polysaccharide did not. Conjugate-induced rabbit antibodies were opsonic in vitro and protected mice against challenge with type V GBS. Efficacy of the conjugate vaccine also was demonstrated in a maternal vaccination/neonatal challenge model in mice. A GBS type V polysaccharide-tetanus toxoid conjugate is an effective immunogen in animal models and may be a useful component for inclusion in a multivalent GBS vaccine for human use.
Voicing the Arab: Multivocality and Ideology in Leon Uris' The Haj

In his 1984 bestseller, The Haj, Leon Uris takes us back to the land of Exodus, and, against a "historical" background spanning the years of Israel's inception, creates a fictional account of an Arab mayor, the Haj Ibrahim, and his family. Uris' prime narrational strategy is to employ many voices, supposedly diverse, depicting the Arab and his "ways." More significantly, most of these voices are themselves Arab, generating an air of authenticity about the Arab world the author portrays. But while these many voices purportedly offer a multiplicity of points of view, what Bakhtin refers to as heteroglossia, they are shockingly similar, blending into the single authorial voice. In addition, they allow for no internal dialogism,1 no Bakhtinian dialogue or confrontation, insuring that the general reader absorb only Uris' monologic discourse while under the illusion that he has witnessed and hence
COG holder level prediction model based on least square support vector machine and its application

Aiming at the prediction for coke oven gas holder level in steel enterprises,which is very difficult to be modeled using the mechanism modeling,a gasholder level prediction model combined with the analysis of the gas production-consumption and level variation is established based on the least square support vector machine.A gradient grid search algorithm for selecting the model’s parameters and an effective big samples selection approach to build the training samples are proposed to improve the prediction accuracy.The simulation results using the practical gas data in Shanghai Baosteel show that,the proposed method has shorter parameter optimization time and better performance,and can provide scientific guidance for the gas balance scheduling process.
Brief Report: Reduced Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors after Pivotal Response Treatment

Children with ASD show high frequency of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs); however, higher-order RRBs, such as restricted interests, have remained largely resistant to treatment. This study evaluated change in severity of RRBs following a 16-weeks open trial of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). Participants included 15 children with ASD ages 4-7 years. RRBs, as measured by the repetitive behavioral scales-revised (RBS-R) and aberrant behaviors checklist, decreased significantly after treatment. These reductions remained significant after controlling for change in social communication skills. PRT shows promise in reducing RRBs; although PRT explicitly addresses pivotal social communication skills, there is a secondary and less direct effect on RRBs.
Intravenous drug abuse mimicking vasculitis.

"Mimickers" of vasculitis are well-documented in the literature. We report a case of intravenous drug abuse manifesting with signs and symptoms suggestive of vasculitis. This case highlights the need for diagnostic precision in the evaluation of suspected vasculitis.
With a little help from my friends: Understanding how social networks influence the pursuit of the ideal self

AbstractThe present investigation examined how people utilize their social networks when pursuing the ideal self. Participants who spent time with social partners who possessed their desired ideal self characteristic experienced movement toward their ideal self when the partner provided behavioral affirmation (eliciting behaviors consistent with the ideal self), but experienced movement away from their ideal self when the partner provided perceptual affirmation (perceiving them as if they already possessed the desired characteristic). High self-esteem participants were especially likely to seek out social partners of the latter type, who saw them as their ideal selves, but did not offer behavioral assistance. This research highlights the importance of social networks for understanding the conditions in which social partners promote vs. hinder ideal self progress.