cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Challenges in Realizing Smartphone-Based Health Sensing

This paper presents three case studies involving smartphone-based health sensing projects undertaken by our team. We highlight key challenges that we have encountered while advancing these projects beyond their pilot stages and propose potential directions for engineers, manufacturers, and researchers to address such challenges in the future.
Shelf Inputs and Lateral Transport of Mn, Co, and Ce in the Western North Pacific Ocean

The margin of the western North Pacific Ocean releases redox-active elements like Mn, Co, and Ce into the water column to undergo further transformation through oxide formation, scavenging, and reductive dissolution. Near the margin, the upper ocean waters enriched in these elements are characterized by high dissolved oxygen, low salinity, and low temperature, and are a source of the North Pacific Intermediate Water. High dissolved concentrations are observed across the Western Subarctic Gyre, with a rapid decrease in concentrations away from the margin and across the subarctic-subtropical front. The particulate concentrations of Mn, Co, and Ce are also high in the subarctic surface ocean and enriched relative to Ti and trivalent rare earth elements. Furthermore, the particles enriched in Mn, Co, and Ce coincide at the same depth range, suggesting that these elemental cycles are coupled through microbial oxidation in the subarctic gyre as the waters travel along the margin before being subducted at the subarctic-subtropical front. Away from the margin, the Mn, Co, and Ce cycles decouple, as Mn and Ce settle out as particles while dissolved Co is preserved and transported within the North Pacific Intermediate Water into the central North Pacific Ocean.
Hospitality aesthetic labor management: Consumers’ and prospective employees’ perspectives of hospitality brands

Abstract This research addresses a critical phenomenon in the global hospitality industry: aesthetic labor management. The study examines how frontline service employees’ managed display of aesthetics influences consumers’ (Study 1) and prospective employees’ (Study 2) brand evaluations along with other behavioral responses. Study 1 revealed that consumers’ perceived aesthetic labor fit regarding employees’ static appearance and performative mannerisms can lead to positive brand evaluations and customer-based brand equity via the mechanism of conceptual fluency. Study 2 found, via the same mechanism, that prospective employees’ perceived aesthetic labor fit of performative mannerisms—but not static appearance—can lead to positive brand evaluations, perceived value fit with the organization, and intentions to join the organization. Theoretical implications, practical recommendations, study limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided on the basis of these findings.
Risk of major bleeding associated with aspirin use in non-surgical critically ill patients receiving therapeutic anticoagulation.

Abstract Background We aimed to evaluate the risk of major bleeding in non-surgical critically ill patients who received aspirin in conjunction with therapeutic anticoagulation (concomitant therapy) compared to those who received therapeutic anticoagulation alone. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of critically ill patients initiated on therapeutic anticoagulation at a large academic medical center from 2007 to 2016. The exposure of interest was aspirin therapy during anticoagulation. The primary outcome was the incidence of major bleeding during hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality, hospital free days, and new myocardial infarction or stroke. Results 5507 (73.2%) patients received anticoagulation alone and 2014 (26.8%) received concomitant therapy; major bleeding occurred in 19.0% and 22.2%, respectively. There was no increased risk of major bleeding [OR 1.10 (95% CI: 0.93–1.30); p = .27] or mortality [OR 0.93 (95% CI: 0.77–1.11); p = .43] with concomitant therapy. Patients receiving concomitant therapy had fewer hospital-free days (mean decrease of 0.73 [1.36, 0.09]; p = .03) and were more likely to experience new myocardial infarction or stroke [OR 2.61 (95% CI: 1.72–3.98); p Conclusions In non-surgical critically ill patients receiving therapeutic anticoagulation, concomitant use of aspirin was not associated with an increased risk of bleeding or in-hospital mortality.
Monte Carlo Simulation of the Gamma Dose Rate in a Loss-of-Water Accident at the North Carolina State University Research Reactor

In pool-type research reactors, a sudden loss of all pool water can result in significant external radiation dose. Of concern are fission product decay gamma rays emitted within the core, streaming...
Chronic Hip Injury Has a Negative Emotional Impact on the Male Athlete With Femoroacetabular Impingement.

Purpose To evaluate the impact of hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) on both the physical and mental components of the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) and assess how changes in health status compare with improvements in physical function and ability to continue to play (CTP) 2 years after surgery. Method Data collected prospectively from male athletes undergoing primary arthroscopic correction of FAI between November 2008 and October 2016 were analyzed. Physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component scores of the SF-36 were assessed preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively. The minimal clinical important difference (MCID) was calculated using an anchor-based percentage of possible improvement technique, and the proportion of athletes achieving MCID was established. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of achieving MCID. CTP was assessed at 2-year follow-up. Results 486 cases were included, age 25.9 ± 5.6 years. Median PCS improved from baseline 69.4 (51.9 to 85.0) to 91.9 (81.9 to 97.5) at 2 years (P Conclusion Arthroscopic management of sports-related FAI results in excellent overall clinical outcome and high levels of satisfaction and CTP at 2 years. Chronic hip injury has a significant negative effect on the physical and mental well-being of athletes; corrective surgery may restore physical function but is more limited in its ability to improve mental health status in this athletic cohort. Level of Evidence IV, therapeutic case series.
Generating real-world evidence from unstructured clinical notes to examine clinical utility of genetic tests: use case in BRCAness.

Next-generation sequencing provides comprehensive information about individuals’ genetic makeup and is commonplace in oncology clinical practice. However, the utility of genetic information in the clinical decision-making process has not been examined extensively from a real-world, data-driven perspective. Through mining real-world data (RWD) from clinical notes, we could extract patients’ genetic information and further associate treatment decisions with genetic information. We proposed a real-world evidence (RWE) study framework that incorporates context-based natural language processing (NLP) methods and data quality examination before final association analysis. The framework was demonstrated in a Foundation-tested women cancer cohort (N = 196). Upon retrieval of patients’ genetic information using NLP system, we assessed the completeness of genetic data captured in unstructured clinical notes according to a genetic data-model. We examined the distribution of different topics regarding BRCA1/2 throughout patients’ treatment process, and then analyzed the association between BRCA1/2 mutation status and the discussion/prescription of targeted therapy. We identified seven topics in the clinical context of genetic mentions including: Information, Evaluation, Insurance, Order, Negative, Positive, and Variants of unknown significance. Our rule-based system achieved a precision of 0.87, recall of 0.93 and F-measure of 0.91. Our machine learning system achieved a precision of 0.901, recall of 0.899 and F-measure of 0.9 for four-topic classification and a precision of 0.833, recall of 0.823 and F-measure of 0.82 for seven-topic classification. We found in result-containing sentences, the capture of BRCA1/2 mutation information was 75%, but detailed variant information (e.g. variant types) is largely missing. Using cleaned RWD, significant associations were found between BRCA1/2 positive mutation and targeted therapies. In conclusion, we demonstrated a framework to generate RWE using RWD from different clinical sources. Rule-based NLP system achieved the best performance for resolving contextual variability when extracting RWD from unstructured clinical notes. Data quality issues such as incompleteness and discrepancies exist thus manual data cleaning is needed before further analysis can be performed. Finally, we were able to use cleaned RWD to evaluate the real-world utility of genetic information to initiate a prescription of targeted therapy.
Assessing Provider Needs on LGBTQ Health To Develop and Effectively Deliver LGBTQ Health Curriculum for Providers

Purpose of Study: LGBTQ youth continue to be a population who face significant health disparities, often due to the fact that many medical providers do not feel prepared to address LGBTQ-specific concerns. Our study aimed to assess providers’ comfort and familiarity with these issues. Once knowledge gaps were identified, we educated our providers in an attempt to provide better care for a more at risk patient population. Methods Used: We assessed pediatric residents’ and attendings’ knowledge and comfort in providing care for LGBTQ patients using a …
Elastic moduli of body-centered cubic lattice near rigidity percolation threshold: Finite-size effects and evidence for first-order phase transition

Extensive numerical simulations of rigidity percolation with only central forces in large three-dimensional lattices have indicated that many of their topological properties undergo a first-order phase transition at the rigidity percolation threshold ${p}_{ce}$. In contrast with such properties, past numerical calculations of the elastic moduli of the same lattices had provided evidence for a second-order phase transition. In this paper we present the results of extensive simulation of rigidity percolation in large body-centered cubic (bcc) lattices, and show that as the linear size $L$ of the lattice increases, the elastic moduli close to ${p}_{ce}$ decrease in a stepwise, discontinuous manner, a feature that is absent in lattices with $Ll30$. The number and size of such steps increase with $L$. As ${p}_{ce}$ is approached, long-range, nondecaying orientational correlations are built up, giving rise to compact, nonfractal clusters. As a result, we find that the backbone of the lattice at ${p}_{ce}$ is compact with a fractal dimension ${D}_{bb}\ensuremath{\approx}3$. The absence of fractal, scale-invariant clusters, the hallmark of second-order phase transitions, together with the stairwise behavior of the elastic moduli, provide strong evidence that, at least in bcc lattices, many of the topological properties of rigidity percolation as well as its elastic moduli may undergo a first-order phase transition at ${p}_{ce}$. In relatively small lattices, however, the boundary effects interfere with the nonlocal nature of the rigidity percolation. As a result, only when such effects diminish in large lattices does the true nature of the phase transition emerge.
Preserving the Iran Nuclear Deal

Controversy has surrounded the Iran nuclear deal since it was signed two years ago. Although the main stipulations of the agreement have been successfully implemented—Iran has so far complied with the restrictions on its nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions—the agreement continues to generate harsh criticism in both Iran and the United States. The promise of the deal includes not only rolling back Iran’s nuclear capabilities for the foreseeable future but also paving the way toward a more constructive diplomatic relationship between Washington and Tehran. Its survival, however, depends on complex and turbulent domestic politics in both countries. Since he started his bid for office, President Donald Trump has been a forceful detractor of the agreement, repeatedly vowing to dismantle it. Today, his administration is conducting a review of its Iran policy, of which the nuclear deal is a critical component. He has already indicated that he wants to increase pressure on Iran, and his administration has upped the ante with the Islamic Republic, including by suggesting that America is looking to support elements pursuing a transition of power in that country. But the nuclear deal affords the United States a number of opportunities, if the administration sustains it. The United States should clearly reaffirm its commitment to the deal; help reintegrate Iran into the international economy; keep official channels of communication open with Tehran; and engage, rather than isolate, the Islamic Republic.
The Survival of EK1 and EK2 Systems in Sewage Treatment Plant Models

In March 1977 the National Academy of Sciences (USA) convened a Forum on Research with Recombinant DNA. It was clear to participants that this potentially was an opportunity to affect national science policy. In trying to assess the benefits and risks inherent in recombinant DNA technology, some argued the risks were not different than any in the microbiology laboratory; others warned that such research was the first step towards the manipulation of human genetics, that it could contaminate the biosphere irrevocably.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid Base Sequence Homologies of Some Budding and Prosthecate Bacteria

The genetic relatedness of a number of budding and prosthecate bacteria was determined by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) homology experiments of the direct binding type. Strains of Hyphomicrobium sp. isolated from aquatic habitats were found to have relatedness values ranging from 9 to 70% with strain “EA-617,” a subculture of the Hyphomicrobium isolated by Mevius from river water. Strains obtained from soil enrichments had lower values with EA-617, ranging from 3 to 5%. Very little or no homology was detected between the amino acid-utilizing strain Hyphomicrobium neptunium and other Hyphomicrobium strains, although significant homology was observed with the two Hyphomonas strains examined. No homology could be detected between prosthecate bacteria of the genera Rhodomicrobium, Prosthecomicrobium, Ancalomicrobium, or Caulobacter, and Hyphomicrobium strain EA-617 or H. neptunium LE-670. The grouping of Hyphomicrobium strains by their relatedness values agrees well with a grouping according to the base composition of their DNA species. It is concluded that bacteria possessing cellular extensions represent a widely diverse group of organisms.
Biophysical and biochemical heterogeneity of purified hepatitis B antigen.

Abstract Hepatitis B antigen of the D (a+, d+, y−) subtype was purified from plasma of apparently healthy persons and from hepatitis patients. The original samples contained 20- and 42-nm particles and tubular forms (20-nm diameter). Ultracentrifugation during the purification procedure yielded pellets which were then treated at pH 2.4. Both the large, 42-nm Dane particles and the tubular forms were lost during the acid treatment of the pelleted particles, yielding a preparation containing a mixture of particles approximately 20 and 25 nm in diameter. This difference in size was substantiated in that two distinct molecular weights were calculated from high-speed equilibrium data, 3.6 × 106 and 4.5 × 106. Further heterogeneity was observed in that hepatitis B antigenic activity was present in purified particles with an isoelectric pH of 4.0 and also in those with a pH of 4.4. No significant differences were observed in the gross amino acid composition of purified antigen obtained from plasma of three different persons. 125I-labeled, purified antigen was found to contain six distinct polypeptides with molecular weights ranging from 10,000 to 39,000.
From Metal—Line Absorption Profiles to Halo Kinematics?

We present work in progress of a detailed study of the kinematic, chemical, and ionization conditions of the halos of intermediate redshift (0.3 < z < 1.1) Mg II absorbing galaxies. We aim to incorporate detailed imaging information about the absorbing galaxies themselves with studies of high resolution QSO absorption profiles. We address the questions: “what physical processes are consistent with observed absorption signatures?” and “what parts of galactic halos give rise to what types of characteristic absorption profiles?” Answers to these questions promise to provide a foundation upon which we can interpret both high redshift QSO absorption and Galactic absorption within theories of galactic formation and evolution.
The intricate dance between cognition and emotion during expert tutoring

Although, many have theorized about the link between cognition and affect and its potential importance in complex tasks such as problem solving and deep learning, this link has seldom been explicitly investigated during tutoring Consequently, this paper investigates the relationship between learners' cognitive and affective states during 50 tutoring sessions with expert human tutors Association rule mining analyses revealed significant co-occurrence relationships between several of the cognitive measures (i.e., student answer types, question types, misconceptions, and metacomments) and the affective states of confusion, frustration, and anxiety, but not happiness We also derived a number of association rules (Cognitive State → Affective State) from the co-occurrence relationships We discuss the implications of our findings for theories that link affect and cognition during learning and for the development of affect-sensitive ITSs.
Habitat Invasibility and Dominance by Alien Annual Plants in the Western Mojave Desert

Patterns of habitat invasibility and alien dominance, respectively measured as species richness and biomass of alien annual plants, were evaluated in association with four habitat factors at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area (DTNA) in the western Mojave Desert, USA. Habitat factors varied in levels of disturbance outside (high) and inside (low) the DTNA, and in levels of soil nutrients in washlet (high) and hummock (low) topographic positions, in Larrea-north (high), Larrea-south (medium), and interspace (low) microhabitats near creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata), and during 1995 when rainfall was 207% (high) and 1994 when rainfall was 52% (low) of the long-term average. Dominant alien plants included the annual grasses Bromus rubens, Bromus trinii, and Schismus spp., and the forb Erodium cicutarium. Species richness and dominance of alien annual plants were slightly higher where disturbance was high, and much higher where soil nutrients were high. B. rubens and B. trinii were most dominant in washlets and in the Larrea-north microhabitats during both years. These two species evolved in mesic ecosystems, and appeared to be particularly limited by soil nutrients at this site. Schismus spp. and E. cicutarium were also most dominant in washlets, but their dominance varied between interspaces in 1994 and the Larrea-south microhabitat in 1995. Monitoring to detect the invasion of new annual plants should focus on regions of high rainfall and nitrogen deposition and on washes and beneath-canopy microhabitats. The ecological range of each alien species should be evaluated separately, because their evolutionary origins may greatly affect their patterns of invasion and dominance in the Mojave Desert.
Adenylate and Guanylate Cyclase Assays

This unit presents two basic protocols to determine adenylate cyclase and guanylate cyclase activity in tissue and cell homogenates, permeabilized cells, or subcellular fractions. Two parts are presented for each method. First, the enzyme reaction that causes the formation of the labeled cyclic nucleotide is performed. Second, the separation of cyclic nucleotide products from unreacted nucleotide triphosphates and metabolites is performed using Dowex 50 resin and aluminum oxide chromatographies. In the case of guanylate cyclase, alternative separation protocols are also provided. Additionally, support protocols are provided that describe both the preparation of columns used in the assays and the preparation of tissue or cells to be assayed.
An infrastructure for profile-driven dynamic recompilation

Dynamic optimization of computer programs can dramatically improve their performance on a variety of applications. The paper presents an efficient infrastructure for dynamic recompilation that can support a wide range of dynamic optimizations including profile-driven optimizations. The infrastructure allows any section of code to be optimized and regenerated on-the-fly, even code for currently active procedures. The infrastructure incorporates a low-overhead edge-count profiling strategy that supports first-class continuations and reinstrumentation of active procedures. Profiling instrumentation can be added and removed dynamically, and the data can be displayed graphically in terms of the original source to provide useful feedback to the programmer.
Polymer-dispersed cholesteric liquid crystals

We describe recent progress on the polymer-dispersed cholesteric liquid crystal display. The display utilizes droplets of chiral liquid crystal with negative dielectric anisotropy in a polymer film. In zero electric field, the droplets take on the Frank-Pryce spherulitic texture which weakly scatters light. When a field is applied, the Frank-Pryce texture reverts continuously to a planar texture beginning from the center of the drop, resulting in a field-controllable reflectivity over a wavelength band dictated by the cholesteric pitch and the drop size. Results showing response times and reflection spectra for thermally-cured and UV-cured displays will be presented.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Documentation and localization of force-mediated filamin A domain perturbations in moving cells

Endogenously and externally generated mechanical forces influence diverse cellular activities, a phenomenon defined as mechanotransduction. Deformation of protein domains by application of stress, previously documented to alter macromolecular interactions in vitro, could mediate these effects. We engineered a photon-emitting system responsive to unfolding of two repeat domains of the actin filament (F-actin) crosslinker protein filamin A (FLNA) that binds multiple partners involved in cell signalling reactions and validated the system using F-actin networks subjected to myosin-based contraction. Expressed in cultured cells, the sensor-containing FLNA construct reproducibly reported FLNA domain unfolding strikingly localized to dynamic, actively protruding, leading cell edges. The unfolding signal depends upon coherence of F-actin-FLNA networks and is enhanced by stimulating cell contractility. The results establish protein domain distortion as a bona fide mechanism for mechanotransduction in vivo.
Correlation between speed of pollen tube growth and seedling height in Zea mays L.

EVIDENCE of a correlation between gametophytic and sporophytic qualities could be useful because gametophytic competition is both frequent and severe in natural populations1. A statistically significant correlation has been found in Zea mays between the relative speeds with which pollen tubes penetrate the lengths of styles and the relative competitive abilities of the resultant zygotes2. This correlation was found in a study of mixtures of two pollen types when the sporophytic competition was limited to interactions between zygotes developing within a common inflorescence. It is therefore possible that faster growing pollen tubes allow a relatively early start in postfertilisation growth which accounts for the competitive superiority of the resultant zygotes, although there is a conflicting report3.
Joint Channel and Network Code Design for Half-Duplex Multiple-Access Relay System

We consider the joint channel and network code design for a half-duplex 4-node multiple-access relay system with two sources, one relay, and one destination. The relay combines the information from both sources and transmits it to the destination together with both sources. We consider two network coding schemes for information combining at the relay, namely, the superposition coding (SC) and the Raptor coding (RC). For both SC and RC, the profiles for joint channel and network coding are optimized based on the extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) function analysis. For both additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and block fading channels, the multiple-access relay system with optimized profiles exhibits significant performance gains over that employing the code profile optimized for either the single-user AWGN channel or the 2-user multiple-access channel.
Multiscale modeling of semiflexible random fibrous structures

Biological as well as manmade materials with fibrous microstructures are ubiquitous in everyday life. At a certain length scale of observation, these materials appear in the form of a random network of cross-linked (connected) filaments. The computational effort required for investigating the mechanics of these structures by modeling the deformation of each fiber is very large. Therefore, a proper representation of their overall mechanical properties requires developing multiscale schemes capable of describing the behavior of the discrete system with a continuum model without loss of essential microstructural details. This article discusses two approaches developed for solving boundary value problems on large fiber-network domains using scale coupling techniques. We present first considerations related to sequential multiscale modeling, in particular linked to the scale of transition from a discrete to a continuum model of the network. Further, we review a method designed to construct a continuum model for the network structure, which takes into account the intrinsic spatial correlations of network properties. In both techniques, the geometrical and structural properties of network constituents at micro-scales are considered in estimating the macro-scale behavior of the structure subjected to external loads.
Survey Of Refractive Data On Materials For High-Power Ultraviolet Laser Applications

A literature survey of refractive indices, thermo-optic constants and photoelastic constants has been conducted for materials of potential use in high-power ultraviolet applications. The limiting ultraviolet wavelength for which data exist is given for twenty alkali-halides, sixteen other crystalline solids, and three glasses. The bulk of the materials selected for the survey have band gaps that exceed 7 eV which is twice the photon energy of the XeF laser. There are large gaps in the available data for most of the materials.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The process of social support : adjusting to life in a nursing home

This study was designed to explore the process of social support during the course of adjusting to life in a nursing home. Qualitative data were gathered, through four sequential interviews of residents newly admitted to a nursing home, and from 12 months of participant observation in the setting. Residents' perceptions of supportive and non-supportive behaviours and their sources were identified and described. The findings indicated negligible change in perceptions of type or source of support over time. Emotional support and practical assistance emerged as the primary supportive and non-supportive behaviours from others, mainly nursing staff. Advice/guidance support was not mentioned. Residents who had lived in the nursing home for more than 1 year differed from new residents in the ability to extend support to others. Support interventions are suggested.
Efficient updates of network motif instances in the extended protein-protein interaction network

A network motif is defined as an over-represented subgraph pattern in a network and has been widely applied in analyses of biological networks. The detection of network motifs involves the computationally expensive enumeration of subgraphs, NP-complete graph isomorphism testing, and significance testing through the generation of many random graphs to determine the statistical uniqueness of a given subgraph. These computational obstacles make the analysis of network motifs unfeasible for many real-world applications. From some biological network databases, we observe that the fast advancement of biotechnology has led to the rapid growth of existing biological network databases. Even with a small percentage of additions, updated networks will have a large number of differing network motif instances. Currently, no algorithms exist that can efficiently recalculate motif instances in ‘updated’ networks. In this paper, we introduce an algorithm to efficiently recalculate motif instances by performing motif enumeration from only updated vertices and edges. Preliminary experimental results show that it greatly reduces computational time by eliminating the regeneration of overlapped subgraph instances from earlier versions of the network.
Disulfiram intoxication in a child.

DISULFIRAM INHIBITS acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the oxidation of acetaldehyde, the init ial product of e thanol metabolism. Ingest ion of e thanol while this enzyme is inhibi ted results in accumula t ion of acetaldehyde, causing flushing, diaphoresis, vomiting, tachycardia, headache, chest pain, dyspnea, and anxiety, which persist for hours. These unpleasant symptoms are the basis for use of disulfiram in alcohol rehabi l i ta t ion programs, reinforcing motivat ion to avoid ethanol use. Disulf i ram is relatively nontoxic, but untoward effects have been observed af ter large doses or extended periods of t reatment . The widespread use of disulfiram (200,000 pat ients in the Uni ted Sta tes at any given time; Ayerst Laborator ies , te lephone communica t ion , 1983) in sett ings associated with accidental poisoning in children (unemployment , mar i ta l discord and instability, and alcoholic family members) leads us to suspect tha t this intoxicat ion may be underdiagnosed in this country. We found only six reports of chi ldhood intoxicat ion? -7 We report an addi t ional case of disulfiram intoxicat ion in a child, and discuss the distinctive features of this syndrome in children.
Effect of annealing on electrical, structural, and optical properties of sol–gel ITO thin films

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films (In/Sn=90:10) prepared by the sol-gel dip-coating process on glass substrates, followed by annealing in air in the temperature range 150-550°C were studied. Overall the films structure, surface roughness, and electrical performances are improved, leading to electrical resistivity fifth order of magnitude larger than before annealing and a more compact and crystalline films, translated by a preferential orientation in the (111) direction. Besides that, the films are highly transparent in the visible range, where it shows an average transmittance of 92.3% after annealing to 550 °C. The allowed direct band gap at temperature range 150-550°C was estimated to be 3.32-4.21 eV, increasing as the annealing temperature also increases.
In vivo functional characterization of the transmembrane histidine kinase KinC in Bacillus subtilis.

In response to starvation, Bacillus subtilis cells differentiate into different subsets, undergoing cannibalism, biofilm formation or sporulation. These processes require a multiple component phosphorelay, wherein the master regulator Spo0A is activated upon phosphorylation by one or a combination of five histidine kinases (KinA–KinE) via two intermediate phosphotransferases, Spo0F and Spo0B. In this study, we focused on KinC, which was originally identified as a sporulation kinase and was later shown to regulate cannibalism and biofilm formation. First, genetic experiments using both the domesticated and undomesticated (biofilm forming) strains revealed that KinC activity and the membrane localization are independent of both the lipid raft marker proteins FloTA and cytoplasmic potassium concentration, which were previously shown to be required for the kinase activity. Next, we demonstrated that KinC controls cannibalism and biofilm formation in a manner dependent on phosphorelay. For further detailed characterization of KinC, we established an IPTG-inducible expression system in the domesticated strain, in which biofilm formation is defective, for simplicity of study. Using this system, we found that the N-terminal transmembrane domain is dispensable but the PAS domain is needed for the kinase activity. An in vivo chemical cross-linking experiment demonstrated that the soluble and functional KinC (KinCΔTM1+2) forms a tetramer. Based on these results, we propose a revised model in which KinC becomes active by forming a homotetramer via the N-terminal PAS domain, but its activity is independent of both the lipid raft and the potassium leakage, which was previously suggested to be induced by surfactin.
Management Dilemmas of Atypical Ocular Toxoplasmosis Aided by Wide-Field Fluorescein Angiography

Purpose: To report an atypical presentation of ocular toxoplasmosis and to demonstrate the utility of wide-field angiography in delineating peripheral retinal pathology.Methods: Case Report.Results: A 17-year-old male presented with acute unilateral papillitis and retinochoroiditis. Laboratory testing supported reactivation of congenitally acquired Toxoplasma gondii infection. Wide-field fluorescein angiography showed extensive retinal vasculitis. The patient was treated with sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. Ocular inflammation resolved over a two-week period. There was no documented visual loss.Conclusion: Wide-field fluorescein angiography details ocular pathology otherwise unnoticed on traditional posterior pole fluorescein angiography. Documentation of extensive vasculitis associated with ocular toxoplasmosis can assist with management decisions.
Factors Affecting Perceptions of Privacy Breach among Smartphone Application Users

Drawing on psychological contract theory, we experimentally examine four factors affecting perceptions of privacy breach among smartphone application users. We investigate the effects of the type of information which is perceived to be misappropriated by the application, the presence of legal agreement giving application developers rights to use the information, the source of information suggesting that a privacy breach may have occurred and the application type (free or paid). We find that perceptions of misappropriation of financial information are more distressing than perceived misappropriation of geo-location data. The presence of legal contracts giving application developers rights to information only partially attenuates perceptions of privacy breach among application users. This study offers a novel theoretical perspective and a new focal construct of perceived privacy breach for future research on privacy. Additionally, this study highlights the practical limitations of legal contracts in preventing perceptions of privacy breach.
A low-power wireless sensing device for remote inspection of bolted joints:

AbstractA new bolted-joint monitoring system is presented. This system consists of structural joint members equipped with piezoelectric (PZT) sensing elements and a wireless impedance device for data acquisition and communication. PZT enhanced washers are used to continuously monitor the condition of the joint by monitoring its dynamic characteristics. The mechanical impedance matching between the PZT enhanced devices and the joint connections is used as a key feature to monitor the preload changes and to prevent further failure. The dynamic response is readily measured using the electromechanical coupling property of the PZT patch, in which its electrical impedance is directly coupled with the mechanical impedance of the structure. A new miniaturized and portable impedance measuring device is implemented for the practical implementation of the proposed method. The proposed system can be used for the remote and rapid inspection of bolt tension and connection damage. Both theoretical modelling and experime...
The Safety on the TCR Trigger

In this issue, Xu et al. (2008) provide evidence for a new mechanism of T cell receptor regulation. Prior to activation, basic residues in the cytoplasmic domain of the signaling subunits of the T cell receptor associate with the plasma membrane such that the key signaling tyrosines are sequestered in the bilayer.
Cryoablation for renal tumors: current status.

Purpose of review To review the evolution and current status of cryoablation for renal tumors. Recent findings Cryoablation is the most evaluated probe ablative method for the treatment of small renal masses. It is associated with high efficacy and low morbidity. New data on intermediate and long-term oncological outcomes are now available. Five and 10-year cancer-specific survival are 93 and 81%, respectively. Renal cryoablation is most commonly performed percutaneously or laparoscopically. Recently, single-port laparoscopic and natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery approaches have also been employed for renal cryotherapy. Summary With careful patient selection, the intermediate-term and long-term oncologic outcomes after cryoablation for kidney tumors are satisfactory. Combination with new technologies and further development of imaging techniques can potentially expand the range of indications of the procedure.
Large area amorphous silicon x-ray imagers

Abstract Large two dimensional amorphous silicon imaging arrays are of interest for electronic document input and x-ray imaging. The device is a matrix-addressed array of light detectors fabricated from hydrogenated amorphous silicon on a glass substrate. Each imaging pixel consists of a light sensor and a thin film transistor (TFT). X-ray imaging is accomplished by placing a phosphor in contact with the image sensing surface, or by direct detection with a thick photoconductor. The imager technology is now capable of 10 in. arrays with image capture at greater than 10 frames/sec and with resolution of 4–6 lp/mm. We describe our new high resolution imaging system, comprising the sensor array with an active area of approximately 8 × 10 in. having nearly 3 million pixels, and the accompanying readout electronics. Key technological issues and alternative array designs are discussed.
Laminated Crossarms Made from Decommissioned Chromated Copper Arsenate–Treated Utility Pole Wood. Part II: Preservative Retention, Glue-Line Shear, and Delamination

Laminated utility pole crossarms constitute one of the potential industrial products that can be produced from decommissioned wood utility poles. A previous report evaluated the mechanical properties of laminated utility pole crossarms made from decommissioned chromated copper arsenate (CCA)―treated southern pine (Pinus spp.) utility pole wood, untreated virgin wood, and a mixture of virgin wood and decommissioned utility pole wood. In particular, the bending strength, stiffness, and acoustic properties were assessed after pentachlorophenol (penta) retreatment. This study evaluated CCA and penta retention, glue-line shear, and glue-line delamination of the laminated crossarms. The results of this study show that, after penta retreatment, penta retention increased in correlation to the presence of increasing numbers of treated wood plies in the beams. All the laminated crossarms met the minimum shear strength requirement of 8.60 MPa, which is specified in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard D2559. Most of the laminated crossarms (22 of 24) showed a delamination average of less than 5 percent. However, none of the beams met the individual glue-line delamination requirement (1%) of ASTM Standard D2559. More glue-line delamination was found between two utility pole wood plies and between a utility pole wood ply and a virgin wood ply than between two virgin wood plies. Delamination could be a concern for utility pole wood laminated crossarms to be used in an adverse environment. A better gluing system is needed to improve the delamination performance of utility pole wood laminated beams for exterior applications.
Design and control of the head retractor muscle in a turtle, Pseudemys (Trachemys) scripta: I. Architecture and histochemistry of single muscle fibers.

We are using the head retractor muscle (RCCQ) of a turtle, Pseudemys scripta, to analyze the neuromuscular mechanisms by which organisms vary the force and timing of muscle contraction. Previously we demonstrated that RCCQ comprises three histochemically defined fiber types: fast glycolytic (Fg), fast oxidative glycolytic (FOG), and slow oxidative (SO). In the present paper we report the 1) architectural features of single muscle fibers in RCCQ, including their lengths, diameters, and taper characteristics, 2) histochemical profiles of single muscle fibers, and 3) quantitative relations between our architectural and histochemical variables. Single fibers in RCCQ exhibit an order of magnitude variation in length (4–60 mm). Approximately 40% span the full muscle. The remaining fibers generally attach to bone or tendon at one end, and the other end tapers intramuscularly; rarely a fiber may taper at both ends. The maximum (untapering) diameters of single fibers are bimodally distributed, forming two diameter classes. Fibers also vary in the percentage of their total length that tapers and in the shape of the tapering region. Large diameter muscle fibers generally are longer and have shorter, more blunted tapers than small diameter fibers. The large diameter fibers are almost all Fg types; these fibers have a median diameter of 59.3 mm, and they account for approximately 60% of total fibers in RCCQ. FOG and SO fibers generally have small diameters (median: 32.5 mm and 35.8 mm), and they typically account for 30% and 10% of total fibers. We use these relations to draw inferences about the attachments and architecture of glycolytic (Fg) and oxidative (FOG, SO) fiber types. Taken together, our data suggest that single muscle fibers in RCCQ may be architecturally as well as histochemically specialized to perform different roles in head retraction. In the accompanying paper we report the efferent innervation of these fibers and consider some of the neural control problems posed by these diverse fiber types. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Ionic conductivity enhancement of Na4Zr2Si3O12 by dispersed ferroelectric PZT

Abstract Sodium zirconium silicate, Na4Zr2Si3O12 prepared by a mechanical mixing method shows an electrical conductivity of 1.1 × 10−8Scm−1 at 100°C and an activation energy of 64 kJ/mol. When ferroelectric PZT particles with the dielectric constant of ca. 103 are dispersed into this material, the conductivity is enhanced by nearly two orders of magnitude, and the activation energy decreases to 37 kJ/mol. The observed conductivity is due to interfacial conduction, which may be attributed to a space-charge double layer. Conductivity enhancement by the addition of insulator PZT affects the apparent activation energy, particularly in PZT-rich pellets.
Temperature Distributions in Channel Walls with Translucent Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thermal barrier coatings are important for reducing metal temperatures and thermal gradients in high-temperature applications. At elevated temperatures radiative transfer becomes important, and if several hot surfaces view each other, the coated surfaces exchange radiation. Usually in radiative exchange computations, the surfaces are opaque and each has a unique radiating temperature. Some thermal barrier coating materials such as zirconia are partially transparent to thermal radiation. Hence, an exchange involving coated walls is complicated by radiation penetrating into and coming out of each coating. Radiation leaving an area depends on the temperature distribution inside its coating that is unknown and is affected by the exchange process; each area does not have a unique temperature. The analysis here is for a hot transparent gas flowing in a symmetric parallel-plate channel with translucent coatings on the inside. The coatings view each other and exchange radiation. From symmetry the flux leaving each coating equals its incident value. Relations are developed for the temperature distribution within each coating that satisfies zero-net radiation at the coating surface. This differs from having cold surroundings
Police confidence in lie detection: An assessment of crime types, Miranda and interview techniques

Purpose – Experimental research on lie detection has indicated that accuracy rates hover around chance but that police are significantly better in detecting deception in “high” stakes rather than “low” stakes situations. This paper has three objectives: to compare confidence levels in lie detection for property crime and violent crime detectives; to compare differences in confidence levels for custodial and noncustodial interviews; and to evaluate the relationship between interrogation techniques and lie detection confidence.Design/methodology/approach – The study uses self‐report data from a sample of Texas police detectives.Findings – The results of this study show that property crime detectives are significantly more confident in their lie detection ability than are violent crime detectives. The results also highlight the fact that police detectives are significantly less confident in their lie detection abilities when the suspect has been provided his or her Miranda warnings.Originality/value – The st...
Habenular and other midbrain raphe afferents demonstrated by a modified retrograde tracing technique.

Abstract Afferents to the midbrain dorsal and median raphe nuclei in the rat were studied by means of the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) retrograde transport method. The HRP was given by means of a modified iontophoretic delivery technique. This technique permitted an efficient and localized deposition of a high concentration of HRP into the raphe nuclei. Afferents to the raphe as determined by this method could be categorized into 2 classes: those exclusively to the raphe and those also positive for adjacent reticular formation. The most striking afferent area to the raphe, both in terms of selectivity and density, was the lateral habenula. This result is in accord with previous studies using degeneration methods which indicate an habenular projection to the raphe area. There were afferents exclusively positive for the dorsal raphe nucleus emanating from the nucleus of the solitary tract. Most other raphe afferent areas were also positive for the reticular formation (e.g., prefrontal cortex, medial forebrain bundle, preoptic nuclei, and reticular formation). The existence of a major afferent system from the lateral habenula to the midbrain raphe is consistent with the concept of a “dorsal pathway” which might be responsible for relaying information from forebrain limbic structures to the “midbrain limbic areas”.
Cytophotometric analysis of RNA changes in prolactin and Stannius corpuscle cells of acid-stressed brook trout.

Abstract Analytical histochemical analyses of prolactin (PC) and Stannius corpuscle (SC) cells of brook trout exposed to acidified water (pH 4.5) for 2, 3, and 5 days were undertaken to ascertain the secretory response pattern of these endocrine glands to acid stress. A 2-day acid exposure caused a transient decrease in RNA synthesis and depletion of secretory material in prolactin cells as indicated by cellular shrinkage, decreased pituitary acid proteins, lower nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA levels, and decreased incorporation of [3H]uridine. A compensatory increase of RNA and an increase in protein occurred in the 3- and 5-day exposed groups which also exhibited increased skin mucification. Activation of Stannius corpuscle secretory processes was observed in 2-, 3-, and 5-day exposed trout using cell hypertrophy, increased RNA, and protein as indices of augmented synthesis and secretion by SC cells. It was established that bovine prolactin injections caused cytomorphological changes in PC but not in SC cells. The overall findings are in accord with the concept that these two tissues have independent but synergistic roles in osmoregulation during acclimation to acid stress.