cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transcription factor CBF-1 is critical for circadian gene expression by modulating WHITE COLLAR complex recruitment to the frq locus

Transcription of the Neurospora crassa circadian clock gene frequency (frq) is an essential process in the negative feedback loop that controls circadian rhythms. WHITE COLLAR 1 (WC-1) and WHITE COLLAR 2 (WC-2) forms the WC complex (WCC) that is the main activator of frq transcription by binding to its promoter. Here, we show that Centromere Binding Factor 1 (CBF-1) is a critical component of the N. crassa circadian clock by regulating frq transcription. Deletion of cbf-1 resulted in long period and low amplitude rhythms, whereas overexpression of CBF-1 abolished the circadian rhythms. Loss of CBF-1 resulted in WC-independent FRQ expression and suppression of WCC activity. As WCC, CBF-1 also binds to the C-box at the frq promoter. Overexpression of CBF-1 impaired WCC binding to the C-box to suppress frq transcription. Together, our results suggest that the proper level of CBF-1 is critical for circadian clock function by suppressing WC-independent FRQ expression and by regulating WCC binding to the frq promoter.
Thyroid Storm (Thyrotoxic Crisis)

Thyroid storm or thyrotoxic crisis is the most severe manifestation of hyperthyroidism that can present with or evolve into systemic decompensation with multi-organ failure and death. Aggressive therapy is required, preferably in an intensive care unit in order to avoid a disastrous outcome.
“I Was There!” Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk and the Resistance to Eulogy

Considers the importance of acquiring and preserving material space in creating “punk citizenship” at Berkeley, California’s Gilman Street Project in the 1980s. Gilman’s rules of conduct become an ...
Historical DNA as a tool to address key questions in avian biology and evolution: A review of methods, challenges, applications, and future directions

Museum specimens play a crucial role in addressing key questions in systematics, evolution, ecology, and conservation. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies, specimens that have long been the foundation of important biological discoveries can inform new perspectives as sources of genomic data. Despite the many possibilities associated with analyzing DNA from historical specimens, several challenges persist. Using avian systems as a model, we review DNA extraction protocols, sequencing technologies, and capture methods that are helping researchers overcome some of these difficulties. We highlight empirical examples in which researchers have used these technologies to address fundamental questions related to avian conservation and evolution. Increasing accessibility to new sequencing technologies will provide researchers with tools to tap into the wealth of information contained within our valuable natural history collections.
Reduced expression of the Ion channel CFTR contributes to airspace enlargement as a consequence of aging and in response to cigarette smoke in mice

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a complex disease resulting in respiratory failure and represents the third leading cause of global death. The two classical phenotypes of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Owing to similarities between chronic bronchitis and the autosomal-recessive disease Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a significant body of research addresses the hypothesis that dysfunctional CF Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) is implicated in the pathogenesis of COPD. Much less attention has been given to emphysema in this context, despite similarities between the two diseases. These include early-onset cellular senescence, similar comorbidities, and the finding that CF patients develop emphysema as they age. To determine a potential role for CFTR dysfunction in the development of emphysema, Cftr+/+ (Wild-type; WT), Cftr+/− (heterozygous), and Cftr−/− (knock-out; KO) mice were aged or exposed to cigarette smoke and analyzed for airspace enlargement. Aged knockout mice demonstrated increased alveolar size compared to age-matched wild-type and heterozygous mice. Furthermore, both heterozygous and knockout mice developed enlarged alveoli compared to their wild-type counterparts following chronic smoke exposure. Taken into consideration with previous findings that cigarette smoke leads to reduced CFTR function, our findings suggest that decreased CFTR expression sensitizes the lung to the effects of cigarette smoke. These findings may caution normally asymptomatic CF carriers against exposure to cigarette smoke; as well as highlight emphysema as a future challenge for CF patients as they continue to live longer. More broadly, our data, along with clinical findings, may implicate CFTR dysfunction in a pathology resembling accelerated aging.
Disability cultural centers: How colleges can move beyond access to inclusion

College campuses often house various centers that serve students with different minority identities by providing both a safe space for these students as well as cultural validation. However, it is ...
0.6–1.2 V, 0.22 pJ/bit True Random Number Generator Based on SAR ADC

This brief proposes a true-random number generator (TRNG) based on a successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). After the SAR ADC has finished conversion, the comparator is fired again to quantize the residue. The 1-bit quantized residue acts as a true random sequence and no additional circuits are required for the TRNG. A prototype fabricated in 65nm process acts as a TRNG over 0.6V-1.2V power supply and −5°C to 50°C temperature range without any calibration or post-processing. The TRNG outputs a random sequence at 1.25Mbps and consumes state-of-the-art energy of 0.22pJ/bit.
Educational step-by-step surgical video about operative technique in robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC): 17 steps standardized technique-Lessons learned since the first worldwide RPD performed in the year 2001.

RPD (Robotic pancreatoduodenectomy) was first performed by P. C. Giulianotti in 2001 (Arch Surg 138(7):777–784, 2003). Since then, the complexity and lack of technique standardization has slowed down its widespread utilization. RPD has been increasingly adopted worldwide and in few centres is the preferred apporached approach by certain surgeons. Some large retrospective series are available and data seem to indicate that RPD is safe/feasible, and a valid alternative to the classic open Whipple. Our group has recently described a standardized 17 steps approach to RPD (Giulianotti et al. Surg Endosc 32(10): 4329–4336, 2018). Herin, we present an educational step-by-step surgical video with short technical/operative description to visually exemplify the RPD 17 steps technique. The current project has been approved by our local Institutional Review Board (IRB). We edited a step-by-step video guidance of our RPD standardized technique. The data/video images were collected from a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database (IRB approved). The narration and the images describe hands-on operative “tips and tricks” to facilitate the learning/teaching/evaluation process. Each of the 17 surgical steps is visually represented and explained to help the in-depth understanding of the relevant surgical anatomy and the specific operative technique. Educational videos descriptions like the one herein presented are a valid learning/teaching tool to implement standardized surgical approaches. Standardization is a crucial component of the learning curve. This approach can create more objective and reproducible data which might be more reliably assessed/compared across institutions and by different surgeons. Promising results are arising from several centers about RPD. However, RPD as gold standard-approach is still a matter of debate. Randomized-controlled studies (RCT) are required to better validate the precise role of RPD.
Comprehensive Real-Time RT-PCR Assays for the Detection of Fifteen Viruses Infecting Prunus spp

Viruses can cause economic losses in fruit trees, including Prunus spp., by reducing yield and marketable fruit. Given the genetic diversity of viruses, reliable diagnostic methods relying on PCR are critical in determining viral infection in fruit trees. This study evaluated the broad-range detection capacity of currently available real-time RT-PCR assays for Prunus-infecting viruses and developed new assays when current tests were inadequate or absent. Available assays for 15 different viruses were exhaustively evaluated in silico to determine their capacity to detect virus isolates deposited in GenBank. During this evaluation, several isolates deposited since the assay was designed exhibited nucleotide mismatches in relation to the existing assay's primer sequences. In cases where updating an existing assay was impractical, we performed a redesign with the dual goals of assay compactness and comprehensive inclusion of genetic diversity. The efficiency of each developed assay was determined by a standard curve. To validate the assay designs, we tested them against a comprehensive set of 87 positive and negative Prunus samples independently analyzed by high throughput sequencing. As a result, all the real-time RT-PCR assays described herein successfully detected the different viruses and their corresponding isolates. To further validate the new and updated assays a Prunus germplasm collection was surveyed. The sensitive and reliable detection methods described here will be used for the large-scale pathogen testing required to maintain the highest quality nursery stock.
SufR, a [4Fe-4S] Cluster-Containing Transcription Factor, Represses the sufRBDCSU Operon in Streptomyces avermitilis Iron-Sulfur Cluster Assembly.

ABSTRACT Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are ubiquitous and versatile inorganic cofactors that are crucial for many fundamental bioprocesses in nearly all organisms. How cells maintain Fe-S cluster homeostasis is not well understood in Gram-positive bacteria. Genomic analysis showed that the Suf system, which is encoded by the sufRBDCSU operon, is the sole Fe-S cluster assembly system in the genus Streptomyces. Streptomyces avermitilis is the industrial producer of avermectins, which are widely used as agricultural pesticides and antiparasitic agents. sufR (SAV6324) encodes a putative ArsR-family transcriptional regulator, which was characterized as a repressor of the sufRBDCSU operon in this investigation. Spectroscopy and mass spectrometry demonstrated that anaerobically isolated SufR contained an oxidation-sensitive [4Fe-4S] cluster and existed as a homodimer. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) and DNase I footprinting analyses revealed that [4Fe-4S]-SufR bound specifically and tightly to a 14-bp palindromic sequence (CAAC-N6-GTTG) in the promoter region of the sufR operon, repressing expression of the sufRBDCSU operon. The presence of the [4Fe-4S] cluster is critical for the DNA-binding activity of SufR. Cys182, Cys195, and Cys223 in the C-terminal region of SufR are essential for [4Fe-4S] cluster coordination, but Cys178 is not. The fourth non-Cys ligand in coordination of the [4Fe-4S] cluster for SufR remains to be identified. The findings clarify the transcriptional control of the suf operon by [4Fe-4S] SufR to satisfy the various Fe-S cluster demands. SufR senses the intracellular Fe-S cluster status and modulates the expression of the sole Fe-S cluster assembly system via its Fe-S cluster occupancy. IMPORTANCE Fe–S clusters function as cofactors of proteins controlling diverse biological processes, such as respiration, photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, DNA replication, and gene regulation. The mechanism of how Actinobacteria regulate the expression of the sole Fe-S cluster assembly system in response to the various Fe–S cluster demands remains to be elucidated. In this study, we showed that SufR functions as a transcriptional repressor of the sole Fe-S cluster assembly system in the avermectin producer S. avermitilis. [4Fe-4S]-SufR binds to the promoter region of the suf operon and represses its expression. When Fe-S cluster levels are insufficient, SufR loses its [4Fe-4S] cluster and DNA-binding activity. Apo-SufR dissociates from the promoter region of suf operon, and the expression of the suf system is strongly increased by derepression to promote the synthesis of Fe-S clusters. The study clarifies how Streptomyces maintains its Fe-S cluster homeostasis through the activity of SufR to modulate the various Fe-S cluster demands.
Tuning-Target-Guided Inverse Planning of Brain Tumors With Abutting Organs at Risk During Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery.

Purpose We proposed a planning strategy that utilized tuning targets to guide GammaKnife (GK) Inverse Planning (IP) to deliver higher dose to the tumor, while keeping acceptable dose to the abutting organ at risk (OAR). Methods Ten patients with a large portion of brain tumor abutting the OAR previously treated with GK stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) were selected. For each patient, multiple tuning targets were created by cropping the target contour from three-dimensional (3D) expansions of the OAR. The number of the tuning targets depended on the complexity of the planning process. To demonstrate dose sparing effect, an IP plan was generated for each tuning target after one round of optimization without shot fine-tuning. In the dose enhancement study, a more aggressive target dose was prescribed to the tuning target with a larger margin and one to two shots were filled in the region with missing dose. The resulting plans were compared to the previously approved clinical plans. Results For all 10 patients, a dose sparing effect was observed, i.e. both target coverage and dose to the OARs decreased when the margins of 3D expansion increased. For one patient, a margin of 6 mm was needed to decrease the maximum dose to the optical chiasm and optical nerve by 44.3% and 28.4%, respectively. For the other nine patients, the mean dropping rate of V12Gyto brain stem were 28.2% and 59.5% for tuning targets of 1 and 2 mm margins, respectively. In the dose enhancement study, the tuning-target-guided plans were hotter than the approved treatment plans, while keeping similar dose to the OARs. The mean of the treatment and enhancement dose was 15.6 ± 2.2 Gy and 18.5 ± 3.2 Gy, respectively. The mean coverage of the target by prescription dose was slightly higher in the enhancement plans (96.9 ± 2.6% vs 96.3 ± 3.6%), whereas the mean coverage of the enhancement dose was 20.1% higher in the enhancement plans (89.6 ± 9.0% vs 74.6 ± 19.9%). Conclusions We demonstrated that an inverse planning strategy could facilitate target dose enhancement for challenging GK cases while keeping acceptable OAR dose.
Biochar as Influenced by Feedstock Variability: Implications and Opportunities for Phosphorus Management

Agricultural wastes from plant and animal operations are often land applied to recycle and manage residues. Compositional variability among these wastes is vast. Some waste components can potentially represent a threat to the environment and humans depending on their nature, application loads and soil type. Biochar, the product obtained by biomass heating under oxygen-limited conditions, has the potential to minimize risks associated with waste characteristics while promoting soil health. However, variation in the residue wastes (feedstocks) used to produce biochar carries over to the resultant biochar. In this study, we compare the chemistry and composition of biochars representing two broadly defined sources – animal (poultry litter, biosolids) and plant (mixed hardwoods, pure maple, pine) – and highlight phosphorus (P) management implications and opportunities presented by the variability among them. We also evaluate P leaching patterns of four selected biochars, (poultry litter, biosolids, hardwoods and maple) as applied at an identical rate (1% w/w) to two soils differing in P retention capacities. Cumulative P release following poultry litter biochar application and 20 leaching events was much lower for the more P retentive soil. Total P release from biochar-amended soils did not differ between soils when biochar from biosolids or from plant sources were used as the soil amendment. However, the biosolids-biochar released higher levels of P initially from the Candler compared with the Apopka soils, similar to that of poultry litter biochar. Compositional variations in feedstocks and resultant biochars must be understood in order to judiciously use them as crop nutrient amendments. There is potential to minimize nutrient deficiencies and environmental liabilities of biochars by matching feedstocks, or mixtures of feedstocks, to the needs of specific crops, and by considering the P retentive capacity of the soil where the biochar is applied.
Understanding Adolescent Expressions of Sadness: A Qualitative Exploration.

Purpose Primary care providers are positioned to identify adolescents at risk for depression and prevent major depressive disorder. To identify subthreshold depression, we examined the language adolescents use to describe their symptoms. Methods Adolescents ages 13-18 with elevated levels on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale and/or a history of depression who were part of a large randomized clinical trial to prevent depressive disorder were included. We used content analysis to analyze transcripts of semi-structured interviews. Results Saturation was reached at 37 interviews. Adolescents self-identified as African American (N = 15), Hispanic (N = 10), and White (N = 21). Three domains were revealed; external sources of stress, adolescent expressions of sadness, and seeking help and care. Within these domains, 12 distinct themes emerged contextualizing these domains. No variations in the expression of the themes identified for subthreshold depression were found between the three ethno-cultural groups. Implications for practice Our study identifies, in adolescents' own words, how adolescents with subthreshold depression express feelings and cope with symptoms, and may guide primary care providers to recognize subthreshold depression early. These findings are a step toward filling the gap in the empirical literature needed to improve identification of adolescents at risk for depression in nonspecialist settings.
Harnessing Photoelectrochemistry for Wastewater Nitrate Treatment Coupled with Resource Recovery

Wastewater is a misplaced resource well suited to recover nutrients, value-added chemicals, energy, and clean water. A photoelectrochemical device is proposed to transform wastewater nitrates to am...
Site-Specific Alkene Hydromethylation via Protonolysis of Titanacyclobutanes.

Methyl groups are ubiquitous in biologically active molecules. Thus, new tactics to introduce this alkyl fragment into polyfunctional structures are of significant interest. With this goal in mind, a direct method for the Markovnikov hydromethylation of alkenes is reported. This method exploits the degenerate metathesis reaction between the titanium methylidene unveiled from Cp2 Ti(μ-Cl)(μ-CH2 )AlMe2 (Tebbe's reagent) and unactivated alkenes. Protonolysis of the resulting titanacyclobutanes in situ effects hydromethylation in a chemo-, regio-, and site-selective manner. The broad utility of this method is demonstrated across a series of mono- and di-substituted alkenes containing pendant alcohols, ethers, amides, carbamates, and basic amines.
Climate change and extreme weather: A review focusing on the continental United States.

Anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are warming the Earth. It is likely that the greatest impacts of climate change on human and natural systems will come from increasingly frequent and sev...
Bringing Literature to Life: Strategies for Supporting Arab and American Student Success in a First-Year Foundations Course

First-year courses for entering university students are vital to supporting their success and fostering lasting connections between them and their academic environments. To that end, four First-Year Foundations (FYF) instructors from one small private university in northeastern United States selected a common read to use with their diverse classes, including five classes with large numbers of students from Arab countries. The team worked together to bring literature to life for these first-year students by selecting an intergenerational novel about life in Palestine entitled A Curious Land: Stories from Home, then bringing the award-winning author Susan Muaddi Darraj to campus to meet the students and discuss her novel in both formal and informal settings. The challenges involved in accomplishing this task are shared in this paper, as are the successful results. Sample study guides developed by the FYF academic team are also shared for those instructors who wish to use the same book for their own students, or who might find a model of this method of bringing literature to life useful in planning their own instructional activities.
Experimental determination of ultrasonic phase velocities in human teeth along arbitrary symmetry directions

Ultrasound has been used extensively in medicine such as obstetrics and ophthalmology, and in the nondestructive testing of engineered materials such as isotropic and anisotropic composite structures. One area where ultrasound has found a new place for its application is dentistry. Several laboratory studies have shown great promise for this newly developed application. However, all of the inquiries assumed that the tooth is isotropic and homogeneous. The purpose of this project is to account for the multilayering and anisotropy nature of teeth by determining the phase velocities associated with several directions and orientations of ultrasonic wave propagation. Time-of-flight (TOF) information from A-scan signatures obtained at various angles of inclination and rotation are used in order to calculate the phase velocities. Slowness curves that would eventually lead to the determination of the independent elastic constants in human teeth are generated and reported in this paper.
Object recognition in household environment using fusion of shape and Haar-like features

In this paper we present some preliminary results of our project concerning about developing an image recognition technique for detection of certain household objects, mainly based on the shape and the Haar-like features. Shape feature is used to find the position of certain shape household objects preliminarily. Then, Haar-like feature-based recognition may be only performed for small regions around the positions of detected shape features. Thus, the proposed two-stage recognition can reduce the computation. In addition, experimental results are also presented to prove that the fusion of the two feature detection strategy will complement each other and improve the detection rate and the robustness.
Postoperative Pericardial Effusion and Its Relation to Postpericardiotomy Syndrome

Postpericardiotomy syndrome often delays recovery from cardiac operation. Pericardial effusion is an important sequela of postpericardiotomy syndrome. To define the relationship between postpericardiotomy syndrome and pericardial effusion, we performed four to seven serial echocardiograms (echoes) between postoperative day 0 and postoperative day 10 in 40 children who had operation requiring pericardiotomy. We also performed daily physical examination on each patient for clinical evidence of postpericardiotomy syndrome. Echocardiographic signs of pericardial effusion developed in 21/40 patients (53%). The effusion was present by postoperative day 5 in 19/21 patients. Clinical signs of postpericardiotomy syndrome occurred in 18/40 patients (45%). Among the 18 patients with postpericardiotomy syndrome, 16 had echocardiographic evidence of pericardial effusion. Thus the sensitivity of the echocardiogram was 89%. The pericardial effusion always developed prior to and persisted through clinical symptoms. We conclude that (1) pericardial effusion is present in over 50% of the patients following cardiac surgery, (2) it develops early in the postoperative period, and (3) once present, the effusion is persistent and frequently followed by clinical evidence of postpericardiotomy syndrome.
Leila Abouzeid: Pioneer Moroccan Woman Writer in Arabic: 1950-

(2008). Leila Abouzeid: Pioneer Moroccan Woman Writer in Arabic: 1950- Journal of the African Literature Association: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 224-251.
Development of Security Software: A High Assurance Methodology

This paper reports on a project to exercise, evaluate and enhance a methodology for developing high assurance software for an embedded system controller. In this approach, researchers at the National Security Agency capture system requirements precisely and unambiguously through functional specifications in Z. Rockwell Collins then implements these requirements using an integrated, model-based software development approach. The development effort is supported by a tool chain that provides automated code generation and support for formal verification. The specific system is a prototype high speed encryption system, although the controller could be adapted for use in a variety of critical systems in which very high assurance of correctness, reliability, and security or safety properties is essential.
Eddy covariance-based evapotranspiration for a subtropical wetland

The eddy covariance (EC) method was used in a 30-month study to quantify evapotranspiration (ET) and vegetation coefficient (KCW) for a wetland on a ranch in subtropical south Florida. To evaluate the errors in ET estimates, the EC-based ET (ETC-EC) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Penman–Monteith (PM) based ET (ETC-PM) estimates (with literature crop coefficient, KC) were compared with each other. The ETC-EC and FAO-PM reference ET were used to develop KCW. Regression models were developed to estimate KCW using climatic and hydrologic variables. Annual and daily ETC-EC values were 1152 and 3.27 mm, respectively. The FAO-PM model underestimated ET by 25% with ETC-EC being statistically higher than ETC-PM. The KCW varied from 0.79 (December) to 1.06 (November). The mean KCW for the dry (November–April) season (0.95) was much higher than values reported for wetlands in literature; whereas for the wet (May–October) season, KCW (0.97) was closer to literature values. Higher than expected KCW values during the dry season were due to higher temperature, lower humidity and perennial wetland vegetation. Regression analyses showed that factors affecting the KCW were different during the dry (soil moisture, temperature and relative humidity) and wet (net radiation, inundation and wind speed) seasons. Separate regression models for the dry and wet seasons were developed. Evapotranspiration and KCW from this study, one of the first for the agricultural wetlands in subtropical environment, will help improve the ET estimates for similar wetlands. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The bright side of positive perceptual bias: Children's estimations of network centrality and aggression

This study explores whether findings linking positive perceptual bias to childhood aggression extend to perceptual bias in network centrality. We present data from nested regression models that examine associations between perceptual bias in network centrality and aggressive behavior in a sample of 421 urban African American second through fourth grade students. Children who overestimated their network centrality compared to peer-reports were less likely to be nominated by peers as overtly or relationally aggressive. Results run counter to threatened egotism theory, and instead support a resource control theory explanation of perceptual bias and aggression. Specifically, aggressive children may strategically limit the number of peers they report "hanging out with" to maintain social status within their peer group. Findings imply that not all forms of positive perceptual bias have a "dark side." Aggr. Behav. 9999:XX-XX, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en
Comparative analysis of MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathway activation and inhibition in human and canine melanoma

The lack of advanced animal models of human cancers is considered a barrier to developing effective therapeutics. Canine and human melanomas are histologically disparate but show similar disease progression and response to therapies. The purpose of these studies was to compare human and canine melanoma tumours and cell lines regarding MAPK and PI3K/AKT signalling dysregulation, and response to select molecularly targeted agents. Pathway activation was investigated via microarray and mutational analysis. Growth inhibition and cell cycle effects were assessed for pathway inhibitors AZD6244 (MAPK) and rapamycin (PI3K/AKT) in human and canine melanoma cells. Human and canine melanoma share similar differential gene expression patterns within the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways. Constitutive pathway activation and similar sensitivity to AZD6244 and rapamycin was observed in human and canine cells. These results show that human and canine melanoma share activation and sensitivity to inhibition of cancer-related signalling pathways despite differences in activating mutations.
Semiclassical Tunneling Rates from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics

We demonstrate a new ab initio semiclassical technique for investigating tunneling effects. Using a semiclassical approach, the method incorporates tunneling effects into first principles molecular dynamics. We apply the method to the intramolecular proton transfer in malonaldehyde and find good agreement with the experimentally measured tunneling splitting. This agreement suggests a wide applicability of the new method to proton transfer and coupled electron−proton transfer processes.
Spectroscopy: A closer look at polymer annealing.

Solvent vapour annealing processes are used to optimize the material properties of thin films of semiconducting polymers used in electronic devices. One such process has now been examined at the molecular level.
Differences in salesperson and manager perceived control: a comparison of dyadic disagreements

Compares salespeople’s and managers’ perceptions of control. Salespeople in this sample of manufacturing firms perceive they are granted more control over sales‐call related activities than their managers perceived they were granting. This lack of congruity, however, may not necessarily have a negative effect on job‐related outcomes. A comparison of two types of perceptual incongruity supports this notion. While the direction of the perceptual imbalance does not affect adaptive selling behaviors, it does affect salesperson satisfaction. Satisfaction with job and company is higher in salesperson‐manager dyads in which the salesperson’s control perceptions are higher than those of his or her manager.
Configurationally stable longitudinally twisted polycyclic aromatic compounds.

Two strategies for the synthesis of configurationally stable twisted polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) were pursued. The first approach employed dissymmetrically positioned 1-naphthyl substituents to bias the direction of twist in highly substituted PACs. 2,3-Bis(1-naphthyl)-1,4-diphenyltriphenylene (7) was prepared, and its meso cis-dinaphthyl and enantiomeric trans-dinaphthyl isomers were resolved by preparative supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) on chiral supports. Similarly, several naphthyl-substituted derivatives of the more highly twisted 9,10,11,12,13,14-hexaphenylbenzo[b]triphenylene (2) were prepared. Of these, 10-(1-naphthyl)-9,11,12,14-tetraphenylbenzo[b]triphenylene (13) was resolved by SFC on a chiral support. The pure enantiomers of trans-7 showed moderately large specific rotations ([α]D25 = −330 and +320°), but the specific rotations for the enantiomers of 13 were unexpectedly small ([α]D25 = −23 and +23°). Computational studies suggest that the latter result is due to presence o...
Proton-proton bremsstrahlung at 3.2 and 10 MeV: Theory

Abstract The proton-proton bremsstrahlung cross section is found to be very accuratlly given at 10 MeV by the on-energy-shell approximation, making it completely model-independent. Values obtained from various theoretical calculations are compared, several of which seem to contain gross errors.
Field-theoretic simulations of directed self-assembly in cylindrical confinement: placement and rectification aspects

We have investigated the directed self-assembly (DSA) of cylinder-forming block copolymers inside cylindrical guiding templates. To complement and corroborate our experimental study, we use field-theoretic simulations to examine the fluctuations-induced variations in the size and position of the cylindrical microdomain that forms in the middle of the guiding hole. Our study goes beyond the usual mean-field approximation and self-consistent field theory simulations (SCFT) and incorporates the effects of thermal fluctuations in the description of the self-assembly process using complex Langevin (CL) dynamics. In both our experimental and modeling efforts, we focus on minor-block-attractive sidewalls and bottom substrates and neutral top surfaces and explore the properties of the formed cylinders, including fluctuations in the center position and the size of the domain, for various prepattern conditions. Our results indicate robust critical dimensions (CD) of the DSA cylinders relative to the incoming CD, with a sigma CD < 0.9nm. Likewise, we find that the DSA cylinders are accurately registered in the center of the guiding hole, with deviations in the hole-inhole distance on the order of ≈ 0.7-1nm, translating to errors in the hole-to-hole distance of ≈ 1-1.5nm.
Influence of polyaspartic acid and phosphophoryn on octacalcium phosphate growth kinetics

Abstract Polyaspartic acid (PAA) and phosphophoryn (PPn) have been suggested to adsorb specifically on the (100) and (010) faces, respectively, of octacalcium phosphate (Ca4H(PO4)3 · 2.5H2O, OCP). In this study, the extent of adsorption and influence of these molecules on OCP crystal growth has been investigated. For kinetic studies, protein effects on crystal growth were examined in solutions sustained at a constant level of supersaturation at pH 6.00 and ionic strength of 0.08 mol l−1. The maximum adsorbed mol surface concentration for PPn was 100-fold less than that for PAA. Inhibitory effects interpreted in terms of mol surface coverage showed PPn to retard OCP growth more effectively than PAA. However, when considering percentage of crystal face covered by protein, PAA and PPn showed similar maximum adsorption concentrations onto the (100) and (010) crystal faces, respectively. PAA inhibited OCP growth by 20% when only 1% of the (100) face (1% total crystal area) was covered. PPn had to reach over 200% (010) face coverage (or 28% total crystal area) before a similar level of crystal growth inhibition was obtained. This difference in inhibitory effect may be the result of a more effective β-strand conformation of the shorter PAA molecule or may indicate that growth at the (100) face is rate controlling and, therefore, less than 1% coverage of this face is needed before a significant decrease in rate is observed.
Phase unwrapping through a branch-cut-based cut-bridging and window-patching method.

The processing required for interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) applications includes a technique for unwrapping the phase in a two-dimensional region. The phase-unwrapping technique is often based on Goldstein’s branch-cut approach. However, this conventional approach leaves holes that are isolated by branch cuts when interferograms have high noise levels. We improve the conventional approach with two new features: (1) we slightly loosen the phase-gradient constraint at the boundary of the already unwrapped area and force growth of the unwrapped area into holes through bridging cuts wherever appropriate; and (2) we recursively fill progressively smaller closed areas by adding rectangular patches while maintaining maximum phase consistency in the overlapped unwrapped areas. The approach is verified with actual SAR data.
Energy requirement for the incorporation of amino acids into protein of isolated mouse-liver mitochondria.

Mitochondria isolated from mouse liver can incorporate amino acids into mitochondrial protein. Studies with oligomycin and antihistamine drugs indicate that this incorporation may not be an ATP requiring process.
A study of efficiency in low resistivity silicon solar cells

A general device-analysis program has been utilized to study the efficiency of silicon solar cells. The analysis is applied to specific geometries of both n(+)-p and n(+)-p-p(+) solar cells, and involves a numerical solution of the basic transport and continuity equations. This approach allows solutions that are free of typical limiting assumptions involved in solving the device equations as well as solutions relating to lifetime, mobility variations, and diffused-region profiles. The analysis includes available empirical information on diffusion length, mobility, and lifetime as a function of doping, as well as a Gaussian profile for the diffused region. Results are presented which illustrate the limitations of efficiency as a function of doping. It is found that the maximum efficiencies for both types of cell converge at lower resistivities to around 16% with air-mass-zero radiation and a single-layer absorbing-SiO antireflecting film. It is also found that the minority-carrier lifetime, both in the n(+) surface and p-type bulk regions, presents serious limitations to conversion efficiency, particularly in the low-resistivity cells.
Personality characteristics of family day care mothers

This study was conducted to provide some data on the personality characteristics of licensed family day care mothers (childhood caregivers), women who might be an appropriate resource in the development of community day care programs. Forty-two women were jointly interviewed by two researchers and their responsibility was rated on an interview rating scale. The women's level of ego development and capacity for interpersonal relations were assessed using Loevinger's Ego Development Scale. The Child-Adult Situational Index was used to elicit and score the women's responses to potentially anxiety-laden, expectable child-adult interaction. Their responses indicated that they were capable of organizing and regulating their thoughts, affects, and impulses, and of appropriately responding in child-adult interactions. There were limitations in their capacity to perceive and respond flexibly to certain affect-laden situations and, in this context, evidenced features of personality rigidity. It was suggested that with training which includes both affective and didactic components, these women might improve their capacities as paraprofessional caregivers for children.
MASS SHIFT OF A CHARGED SCALAR PARTICLE IN AN INTENSE STANDING ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE.

A method for the approximate solution to the Klein-Gordon equation for a charged particle in the presence of two electromagnetic, noncollinear, transverse plane waves has been developed. The solution is a product of functions which are either solutions to linear, ordinary, differential equations of the Hill type or solutions to a Volkov equation. The mass-energy relation for the scalar particle in this approximation has a complicated dependence on the field strengths and on the particle momentum. In particular, we find that a slowly moving particle in an intense standing electromagnetic wave has a mass shift of order $\frac{{v}^{2}}{{c}^{2}}$ times that given by second-order perturbation theory. Here $v$ is the component of particle velocity perpendicular to the direction of "propagation" of the waves.
Site‐Specific Placement of Au Nanoparticles on Chemical Nanopatterns Prepared by Molecular Transfer Printing Using Block‐Copolymer Films

Inexpensive, large area patterning of ex-situ synthesized metallic nanoparticles (NPs) at the nanoscale may enable many technologies including plasmonics, nanowire growth, and catalysis. Here, site-specific localization of Au NPs onto nanoscale chemical patterns of polymer brushes is investigated. In this approach, patterns of hydroxyl-terminated poly(styrene) brushes are transferred from poly(styrene-block-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymer films onto a replica substrate via molecular transfer printing, and the remaining areas are filled with hydroxyl-terminated poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (P2VP-OH) brushes. Citrate-stabilized Au NPs (13 nm) selectively bind to P2VP-OH functionalized regions and the quality of the resulting assemblies depends on high chemical contrast in the patterned brushes. Minimization of the interpenetration of P2VP-OH chains into PS brushes during processing is the key for achieving high chemical contrast. Large area hexagonal arrays of single Au NPs with a placement accuracy of 3.4 nm were obtained on patterns (∼20 nm spots, ∼40 nm pitch) derived from self-assembled cylinder-forming PS-b-PMMA films. Linear arrays of Au NPs were generated on patterns (40 nm lines, 80nm pitch) derived from lamellae-forming PS-b-PMMA that had been directed to assemble on lithographically defined masters.
Chlorido(4,4',4''-tri-tert-butyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine)-platinum(II) tetra-fluorido-borate.

In the title compound, [PtCl(C27H35N3)]BF4, the PtII atom is in a pseudo-square-planar coordination, which is typical of Pt–terpyridine complexes. The Pt—Cl bond distance is 2.2998 (7) A. The Pt—N distance of the N atom on the central pyridine is 1.931 (2) A, while the peripheral N atoms have Pt—N distances of 2.018 (2) and 2.022 (2) A. The cations pack as dimers in a head-to-tail orientation with an inter­molecular Pt⋯Pt distance of 3.5214 (2) A and Pt⋯N distances of 3.527 (2), 3.873 (2) and 4.532 (2) A. In the crystal, cations and anions are linked by weak C—H⋯F hydrogen-bonding inter­actions.
Developing Multicultural Competence Using the Structured Peer Group Supervision Model

Interest in the role of supervision in counselor training has increased concurrent with the interest in effective strategies for developing multicultural counseling competency. L. D. Borders (1991) proposed a model of group supervision appropriate for use with supervisees of differing skill levels; however, the model does not overtly provide for supervisees' development of multicultural awareness and skills. This article presents a format of peer group multicultural supervision in which supervisees work to increase their multicultural competencies while engaging in helper roles important for working with culturally diverse clients.
Vaccination of sows reduces the prevalence of PCV-2 viraemia in their piglets under field conditions

The objectives of this study were to further understand vertical transmission of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) and the effect of dam vaccination on PCV-2 viraemia in newborn piglets. Randomly selected sows from each of two breeding herds were designated as non-vaccinated or vaccinated groups. A commercial inactivated PCV-2 vaccine was administered at weaning and 18 days later to half of the sows on each farm. At parturition, colostrum was collected from 70 dams on each farm and postsuckle (Farm 1) or presuckle blood (Farm 2) was collected from five randomly selected piglets per litter. Colostrum samples had an anti-PCV-2 antibody prevalence of 98.5 per cent (135/137) with significantly (P = 0.0039) higher concentrations in vaccinated dams. Among piglets, 43.9 per cent (301/685) were seropositive for PCV-2 and 11.7 per cent (80/686) were PCV-2 DNA-positive. All the PCV-2 DNA-positive samples were further characterised and 28 were PCV-2a, 28 PCV-2b, and five mixed PCV-2a and PCV-2b infection. The prevalence of PCV-2 DNA in piglets was lower (0.7-22.8 per cent) compared with previous studies (44.8-90 per cent) indicating a change in PCV-2 ecology likely due to wide use of vaccination. Under the study conditions, dam vaccination reduced PCV-2 viraemia in the offspring with colostrum access.
Sustained upgaze in coma

Coma with sustained upward gaze deviation followed cardiac arrest in 15 patients and prolonged systemic hypotension in 2 patients. Neuropathological examinations confirmed the expected diffuse cerebral and cerebellar damage with relative sparing of the brainstem. No focal lesions were found in the upper midbrain or pretectum. Six patients developed slow, downward-beating nystagmus as the forced upward gaze resolved. Four of 6 patients with posthypoxic facial myoclonic jerks demonstrated synchronous upward gaze movements. Forced upgaze in come usually is the result of severe hypoxic encephalopathy. While anatomical localization is obscure, this sign does not indicate a structural lesion in the pretectum or midbrain and may result from damage to cerebellar pathways.
Models for Conformationally Dynamic Metallocenes. Copolymerization Behavior of the Unbridged Metallocene (1-Methyl-2-phenylindenyl)(2-phenylindenyl)zirconium Dichloride

The metallocene (1-methyl-2-phenylindenyl)(2-phenylindenyl)zirconium dichloride (2) was synthesized and its propylene homopolymerization and ethylene/propylene (EP) copolymerization behavior investigated. This metallocene yields polypropylenes of lower tacticity than the unsubstituted bis(2-phenylindenyl)zirconium dichloride (1). Four bridged model compounds anti- and syn-dimethylsilylbis(2-phenylindenyl)zirconium dichloride (anti-3 and syn-3, respectively) and their 3-methyl-substituted analogues anti- and syn-dimethylsilyl(3-methyl-2-phenylindenyl)(2-phenylindenyl)zirconium dichloride (anti-4 and syn-4, respectively) were prepared to model the catalytic behavior of 2. These studies suggest that the conformational isomer modeled by metallocene syn-3 is the major contributor to the overall behavior of 2 in propylene homopolymerization. While the introduction of a methyl group onto one of the 2-phenylindenyl ligands strongly influences the structure of the resulting polypropylenes, the copolymers obtained ...
Role of Th1 and Th2 cells in anterior chamber‐associated immune deviation

The immunological privilege of the anterior chamber (AC) of the eye is due, at least in part, to a selective antigen-specific down-regulation of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and a normal induction of antibody responses: a phenomenon that has been termed anterior chamber-associated immune deviation (ACAID). This dichotomy in the systemic immune responses is suggestive of a T-helper type-2 (Th2)-dominated immune phenotype in which a Th2 cell population is preferentially activated and cross-regulates T-helper type-1 (Th1) effector elements. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the cytokine pattern of antigen-pulsed spleen cells from mice primed in the anterior chamber with antigens that induce ACAID with responses in hosts primed with antigens that do not induce ACAID. The results indicated that CD4+ spleen cells from hosts primed in the AC with antigens that induce ACAID produced significant quantities of interleukin-10 (IL-10) but insignificant levels of IL-2, IL-4 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). In contrast, hosts primed in the AC with antigens that do not induce ACAID, but instead elicit normal DTH, displayed cytokine patterns indicative of a Th1 response significant quantities of IL-2 and IFN-gamma were produced while IL-4 and IL-10 secretion was insignificantly different from normal controls. The immunological phenotype of the AC-primed hosts could be altered by systemic treatment with antibodies against either a Th1 cytokine (IFN-gamma) or a Th2 cytokine (IL-10). Hosts treated with anti-IL-10 antibody and subsequently primed in the AC with ACAID-inducing antigens developed normal DTH responses, while hosts treated with anti-IFN-gamma antibody and primed in the AC with antigens that normally produce positive DTH responses failed to develop positive DTH collectively the results support the proposition that immune privilege in the AC of the eye is due to the selective activation of a Th2 population that cross-regulates Th1 responses.