cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microblog credibility perceptions: comparing the USA and China

Microblogs have become an increasingly important source of information, both in the U.S. (Twitter) and in China (Weibo). However, the brevity of microblog updates, combined with increasing access of microblog content through search rather than through direct network connections, makes it challenging to assess the credibility of news relayed in this manner [34]. This paper reports on experimental and survey data that compare the impact of several features of microblog updates (author's gender, name style, profile image, location, and degree of network overlap with the reader) on credibility perceptions among U.S. and Chinese audiences. We reveal the complex mechanism of credibility perceptions, identify several key differences in how users from each country critically consume microblog content, and discuss how to incorporate these findings into the design of improved user interfaces for accessing microblogs in different cultural settings.
Subharmonic and other low-frequency signals from sound-irradiated liquids

Abstract Measurements have been made of the low-frequency acoustic emission from bubbles in liquids irradiated by sound. A mechanical vibrator has been developed to generate the bubbles at controlled sizes and densities. The measurements suggest that the well-known signals at subharmonics of the fundamental are caused by forced radial oscillation of bubbles that are resonant at the subharmonic frequencies. As well as the subharmonics, other low-frequency resonances have been detected; these are due to shock-excitation of bubbles of certain preferred sizes that are normally present in the liquid. The damping of radial oscillations of large bubbles in viscous liquids has also been measured.
Getting and Staying in the Mainstream: African American Women's Contributions to the Human Sciences

The purpose of this study is to provide an analytical perspective of the challenges, struggles, obstacles, and successes faced by African American women in the Human Sciences as described in the book, African American Women: Contributions to the Human Sciences. A content analysis of this book was conducted by the authors to provide a theoretical perspective on the contributions and challenges that African American women professionals have faced while pursuing their careers in the Human Sciences. The theoretical framework for the study was resiliency theory from an ecological approach.
Evaluation of six commercial tests and the germ-tube test for presumptive identification of Candida albicans.

Six commercial tests (Albicans ID, bioMerieux, France; CandiSelect, Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur, France; CHROMagar Candida, Becton Dickinson, USA; Fluoroplate Candida, Merck, Germany; Fongiscreen 4H, Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur; and Murex Candida albicans, Murex Diagnostics, USA) and the germ-tube test for presumptive identification of Candida albicans were evaluated using clinical isolates of Candida albicans (n = 350) and of non-albicans yeasts (n = 135). Sensitivities and specificities of all tests regarding the identification of Candida albicans were greater than 97%. The two tests that also allow presumptive identification of some non-albicans yeasts (CHROMagar Candida and Fongiscreen 4H) did not identify all isolates of Candida glabrata and Candida tropicalis. In addition, CHROMagar Candida identified as Candida glabrata some isolates belonging to different species of non-albicans yeasts.
Reply to comments on the need to reconsider traditional free volume theory for polymer electrolytes

Abstract New aspects of the defect diffusion model (DDM) are presented. First, it is shown that if the correlation volume exhibits two dimensional scaling, e.g. grows in two dimensions more rapidly than in a third orthogonal direction, the standard Vogel relation is obtained. Second, it is pointed out that, independent of the dimensionality, ∂ ln σ/∂P should be proportional to ∂ ln σ/∂ ln T where the proportionality constant is −∂ ln Tc/∂P. It is shown that both of these results are consistent with the temperature and pressure variation of the electrical conductivity for 20:1 PPG:LiCF3SO3 below about 1.3 times the glass transition temperature, Tg. Finally, the DDM is compared with the free volume theory (FVT) of Dlubek et al. who have reconsidered “traditional” FVT and presented a formalism where the free volume is not proportional to the macroscopic volume. One aspect of the new FVT, which is difficult to understand is that the compressibility of the occupied volume is larger than the compressibility of the free volume.
The retinoid X receptor ligand, 9-cis-retinoic acid, is a potential regulator of early Xenopus development.

Abstract Endogenous retinoids are potential regulators of vertebrate embryogenesis that have been implicated in early anterior-posterior patterning and limb-bud development. We have characterized the temporal and spatial distribution of 9-cis-retinoic acid in the Xenopus embryo and compared it to two other retinoids, all-trans-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinoyl-beta-glucuronide. 9-cis-Retinoic acid is first detected after the midblastula transition and by the end of gastrulation is localized primarily within the anterior and posterior dorsal regions of the embryo. Since 9-cis-retinoic acid is a 6-fold more potent dysmorphogen than trans-retinoic acid, we suggest that it is involved in the early specification of the Xenopus anterior-posterior axis.
Hydrogeochemistry of prairie pothole region wetlands: Role of long-term critical zone processes

Abstract This study addresses the geologic and hydrogeochemical processes operating at a range of scales within the prairie pothole region (PPR). The PPR is a 750,000 km2 portion of north central North America that hosts millions of small wetlands known to be critical habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. At a local scale, we characterized the geochemical evolution of the 92-ha Cottonwood Lake study area (CWLSA), located in North Dakota, USA. Critical zone processes are the long-term determinant of wetland water and groundwater geochemistry via the interaction of oxygenated groundwater with pyrite in the underlying glacial till. Pyrite oxidation produced a brown, iron oxide-bearing surface layer locally over 13 m thick and an estimated minimum of 1.3 × 1010 g sulfate (SO42 −) at CWLSA. We show that the majority of this SO42− now resides in solid-phase gypsum (CaSO4•2H2O) and gypsum-saturated groundwater. Results from the CWLSA were scaled up to a 9700 km2 area surrounding CWLSA using ~ 1800 drill logs and literature data on wetland water chemistry for 178 wetlands within this larger area. The oxidized brown zone depth and wetland water compositional trends are very similar to the CWLSA. Additionally, surface water data from 176 southern Canadian pothole wetlands that conform to the same wetland water geochemical trends as those recorded in the CWLSA further corroborate that SO42 − accumulation driven by pyrite oxidation is a nearly ubiquitous process in the prairie pothole region and distinguishes PPR wetlands from other wetlands worldwide that have a similar overall hydrology.
IMPROVED TECHNIQUES FOR WIRING AND STRETCHING LAYOUTS

We present improved techniques for obtaining wirings of layouts in the square grid, where at most two wires pass through a point. Namely, we show that the number of layouts that require four layers using our heuristics is often less than half the number of layouts that require four layers without using the heuristics. We also show how to use our heuristics in order to obtain very efficient stretchings of layouts that can be wired using at most three layers.
The Crystal Structure of a High-Spin Oxoiron(IV) Complex and Characterization of Its Self-Decay Pathway

[FeIV(O)(TMG3tren)]2+ (1; TMG3tren = 1,1,1-tris{2-[N2-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidino)]ethyl}amine) is a unique example of an isolable synthetic S = 2 oxoiron(IV) complex, which serves as a model for the high-valent oxoiron(IV) intermediates observed in nonheme iron enzymes. Congruent with DFT calculations predicting a more reactive S = 2 oxoiron(IV) center, 1 has a lifetime significantly shorter than those of related S = 1 oxoiron(IV) complexes. The self-decay of 1 exhibits strictly first-order kinetic behavior and is unaffected by solvent deuteration, suggesting an intramolecular process. This hypothesis was supported by ESI-MS analysis of the iron products and a significant retardation of self-decay upon use of a perdeuteromethyl TMG3tren isotopomer, d36-1 (KIE = 24 at 25 °C). The greatly enhanced thermal stability of d36-1 allowed growth of diffraction quality crystals for which a high-resolution crystal structure was obtained. This structure showed an Fe═O unit (r = 1.661(2) A) in the intended trigonal...
Enhanced laser cooling of rare-earth-ion-doped nanocrystalline powders

The enhanced laser cooling performance of rare-earth-ion-doped nanocrystalline powders is predicted, compared to the bulk material, using ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ as the model material. This is achieved by enhancing the off-resonance, phonon-assisted absorption, which is proportional to the three factors considered in this paper: the dopant concentration, the pumping field energy, and the excitation coefficient. Using the energy transfer theory for concentration quenching, the optimum concentration corresponding to the maximum cooling power is found to be considerably larger than the currently used value, suggesting noticeable enhancement effects for laser cooling. The pumping field energy is enhanced in random nanopowders compared with bulk crystals under the same irradiation, due to the multiple scattering of photons. Photons are thus localized in the medium and do not propagate through, increasing the photon absorption of the pumping beam (and it is shown that the reabsorption of the fluorescence is negligible). Using molecular dynamics simulations, the phonon density of states (DOS) of the nanopowder is calculated, and found to have broadened modes, and extended small tails at low and high frequencies. The second-order electronic transition rate for the anti-Stokes luminescence is calculated using the Fermi golden rule, which includes the influence of this phonon DOS, and is shown to have enhancement effects on the laser cooling efficiency using nanopowders. It is finally concluded that these three enhancement mechanisms are essentially to increase the population of the three participating carriers (electron, photon, and phonon) in the interacting volume, and this also points out directions for enhancing laser cooling performance in bulk materials.
New processable polyaromatic ether–keto‐sulfones curable by Diels‐Alder cycloaddition

New Processable polyaromatic ether-keto-sulfones were prepared from the acid chloride of bis-m-carboxyphenyl acetylene (XII), isophthaloyl chloride (XX), diphenyl ether (XVIII), and 4,4′-diphenoxydiphenyl sulfone (XIX) in a Friedel-Crafts-type polymerization. These polymers were cured by Diels-Alder cycloaddition with 1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene. The cured polymers showed an increase in Tg and in thermal and heat stabilities. The polymers form colorless, transparent, brittle films and can be cast into a glass fiber laminate. Both meta-and para-substituted acid chlorides of biscarboxyphenyl-1,3-butadiene yielded insoluble polymers under the same conditions but form processable polymers where combined with acetylene units in the polymer chain. Polymers that contained both acetylene and butadiene units were prepared but could not be cured by an intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction.
Surprising stereoselectivity in the Payne epoxidation of terpinen-4-ol with acetonitrile/hydrogen peroxide

Abstract A surprisingly high level of cis -stereoselectivity in the Payne epoxidation has been identified with the homoallylic alcohol, terpinen-4-ol. Very high efficiencies for hydrogen peroxide are realized under mild conditions. The necessity for peroxyimidic acid stabilization by solvent is replaced by coordination to the directing hydroxyl function, resulting in dramatically improved space yields at up to the one kilogram scale.
Concerning the Distribution of Cerebral Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Alzheimer's Disease-Reply

In Reply. —In his letter, Zeeberg questions whether the radioiodinated 3-quinuclidinyl-4-iodobenzilate (IQNB) single photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) images in normal subjects and in patients with dementia described in our article 1 reflect primarily muscarinic receptor binding or regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). We discussed this issue extensively in our article and spoke directly and repeatedly to the concern raised in this letter. Nevertheless, the author of this letter ignores most of our discussion and most of the in vivo data about IQNB, choosing instead to challenge a "straw man" of his own construction. He focuses on our observation regarding the cerebellum and uses this to build his case for an rCBF phenomenon. The cerebellum observation, as clearly discussed in our article, served only to demonstrate that the SPECT images at prolonged times after IQNB administration were distinctly different from, and in marked contrast to, rCBF images, and they indicated
Identifying dendritic processing in a [Filter]-[Hodgkin Huxley] circuit

The nature of encoding and processing of sensory information in the visual, auditory and olfactory systems has been extensively investigated in the systems neuroscience literature. Many phenomenological [1] as well as mechanistic [2] models have been proposed to characterize and clarify the representation of sensory information on the level of single neurons. In [3] we presented a novel methodology for identifying dendritic processing in phenomenological neural circuit models in which the time-domain linear processing takes place in the dendritic tree and the resulting aggregate dendritic current is encoded in the spike domain by a spiking neuron. In block-diagram form, these neural circuit models are of the [Filter]-[Spiking Neuron] type and as such represent a fundamental departure from the standard Linear-Nonlinear-Poisson (LNP) model that has been used to characterize neurons in many sensory systems, including vision [4], audition [1] and olfaction [5]. While the LNP model also includes a linear processing stage, it describes spike generation using an inhomogeneous Poisson process. In contrast, the [Filter]-[Spiking Neuron] model incorporates the temporal dynamics of spike generation and allows one to consider biophysically inspired spike generators. Here we extend the dendritic identification results of [3] to spiking neurons with random parameters and consider a more general model of dendritic processing. As before, we assume that input stimuli belong to the space of bandlimited functions, but now formulate the filter identification problem using the theory of smoothing splines. This alternative formulation allows us to take into account noise sources inherently present in biological neurons and makes our methods amenable to modeling neural circuits that arise in systems neuroscience. First, we construct an optimal estimate of the dendritic processing filter in a neural circuit consisting of a filter in cascade with an ideal integrate-and-fire (IAF) neuron with random threshold (RT), also abbreviated as the [Filter]-[Ideal IAF/RT] circuit. Second, we demonstrate that our basic method can be extended to identify the dendritic processing filter in cascade with a Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) neuron with stochastic conductances (SC). We then investigate two different ways in which a stimulus can be coupled to a HH neuron: multiplicative coupling ([Filter]-[HH/SC/MC] circuit) [6] and additive coupling ([Filter]-[HH/SC/AC] circuit). We also show that using conditional phase response curves (cPRCs) [7] it is possible to identify the dendritic processing filter using both weak and strong input stimuli. Third, we demonstrate that the presented methodology is very general and can be employed by system neuroscientists to model neural circuits using a (biophysical) neuron model of their choice. Specifically, we show that the above identification methods can be readily applied to any neural (nonlinear dynamical) system with a limit cycle, including FitzHugh-Nagumo, Morris-Lecar and INa,p + IK models.
TolAIII co-overexpression facilitates the recovery of periplasmic recombinant proteins into the growth medium of Escherichia coli.

Overproduction of the third topological domain of the transmembrane protein TolA (TolAIII) in the periplasm of Escherichia coli confers a "leaky" phenotype to host cells by disrupting the integrity of the outer membrane and causing periplasmic proteins to leach into the growth medium. To examine the physiological consequences of TolAIII overexpression in more detail and assess the usefulness of this strategy for the release of periplasmic recombinant proteins into the extracellular fluid, we constructed a ColE1-compatible plasmid encoding a fusion between the ribose binding protein signal sequence and TolAIII under T7lac transcriptional control. About half of the total TolAIII synthesized in IPTG-induced cells aggregated in a precursor form in the cytoplasm. However, the majority of the mature protein was soluble and located in the extracellular fluid. TolAIII-overproducing cultures exhibited only slight growth defects upon entry into stationary phase but underwent extensive lysis when treated with 0.1% (w/v) SDS, and were unable to divide when supplemented with 0.02% SDS. The loss of outer membrane integrity resulted in long-term damage since cell viability was reduced by three orders of magnitude compared to control or uninduced cells. Overexpression of TolAIII did not significantly interfere with the translocation and processing of a plasmid-encoded fusion between the OmpA signal sequence and TEM-beta-lactamase but led to the release of most periplasmic proteins and 90% of the active enzyme into the extracellular fluid. Although the total levels of beta-lactamase accumulation in TolAIII-overproducing cultures was only 1.5- to 2-fold less than in control cells, the formation of periplasmic inclusions bodies was completely suppressed. A threshold concentration of TolAIII was necessary for efficient release of periplasmic proteins since the viability and detergent sensitivity of uninduced cells was comparable to that of control cultures and 80% of the beta-lactamase synthesized remained confined to the periplasm.
Biliary atresia--a fifteen-year review of clinical and pathologic factors associated with liver transplantation.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to identify clinical and pathologic factors associated with liver transplantation in infants with biliary atresia initially treated with Kasai hepatic portoenterostomy (KHPE). Methods Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Records of patients with biliary atresia diagnosed between January 1986 and December 2000 were reviewed. Patients were divided into those who never required transplantation, those who underwent transplant in the first year after KHPE, and those who required transplantation later in childhood. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) compared multiple factors among the 3 groups. Proportional analysis compared those who required transplantation against those who did not. Statistical significance was considered achieved if P was less than .05. Results Forty-five patients were identified. Survival after KHPE was 96% (43 of 45). Sixteen (37%) never required transplantation, 13 (30%) underwent transplant within 1 year after KHPE, and 14 (33%) underwent transplant more than 1 year after KHPE. ANOVA comparison showed that the duration of jaundice before KHPE as a predictor for liver transplantation approached significance ( P = .082). Proportional analysis found that a longer initial duration of jaundice before KHPE ( P = .016) and failure to establish biliary flow ( P = .033) were also significant predictive factors. An initial requirement for phototherapy ( P = .057) and ductules less than 200 μm in diameter ( P = .060) showed a trend toward predictor of liver transplantation. Conclusions A longer duration of jaundice before KHPE, failure to establish bile flow, requirement for phototherapy in the neonatal period, and ductules smaller than 200 μm are associated with liver transplant after KHPE.
Evaluation of Negation and Uncertainty Detection and its Impact on Precision and Recall in Search

Radiology reports contain information that can be mined using a search engine for teaching, research, and quality assurance purposes. Current search engines look for exact matches to the search term, but they do not differentiate between reports in which the search term appears in a positive context (i.e., being present) from those in which the search term appears in the context of negation and uncertainty. We describe RadReportMiner, a context-aware search engine, and compare its retrieval performance with a generic search engine, Google Desktop. We created a corpus of 464 radiology reports which described at least one of five findings (appendicitis, hydronephrosis, fracture, optic neuritis, and pneumonia). Each report was classified by a radiologist as positive (finding described to be present) or negative (finding described to be absent or uncertain). The same reports were then classified by RadReportMiner and Google Desktop. RadReportMiner achieved a higher precision (81%), compared with Google Desktop (27%; p < 0.0001). RadReportMiner had a lower recall (72%) compared with Google Desktop (87%; p = 0.006). We conclude that adding negation and uncertainty identification to a word-based radiology report search engine improves the precision of search results over a search engine that does not take this information into account. Our approach may be useful to adopt into current report retrieval systems to help radiologists to more accurately search for radiology reports.
A survey of current architectures for connecting wireless mobile ad hoc networks to the Internet

Connecting wired and wireless networks, and particularly mobile wireless ad hoc networks (MANETs) and the global Internet, is attractive in real-world scenarios due to its usefulness and praticality. Because of the various architectural mismatches between the Internet and MANETs with regard to their communication topology, routing protocols, and operation, it is necessary to introduce a hybrid interface capable of connecting to the Internet using Mobile IP protocol and to MANETs owing to an ad hoc routing protocol. Specifically, the approaches available in the literature have introduced updated versions of Mobile IP agents or access points at the edge of the Internet to help MANET nodes get multi-hop wireless Internet access. The main differences in the existing approaches concern the type of ad hoc routing protocol as well as the switching algorithm used by MANET nodes to change their current Mobile IP agents based on specific switching criteria. This paper surveys a variety of approaches to providing multi-hop wireless Internet access to MANET nodes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Integration of SV40 in human osteosarcoma DNA

Simian virus 40 (SV40) has been demonstrated in several types of tumors, including osteosarcoma, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We detected SV40 sequences by PCR, followed by hybridization, in nine of 35 osteosarcoma tumors and one of 11 osteosarcoma explants. PCR can detect fewer than one virus per cell but gives little detail of the gross structure and abundance of the virus. Analysis by Southern blotting of total DNA from ten osteosarcomas, positive for SV40 by PCR, found viral integration in half of these. Analysis showed integration of one to four copies per cell of rearranged SV40. No SV40 was detectable on blots of the remaining five SV40+ osteosarcomas, perhaps because of the lesser sensitivity of direct hybridization. Inactivation of the p53 and Rb tumor suppressors is a key activity of SV40 T-antigen. Unexpectedly, correlation of these findings with our prior studies indicated that five of ten osteosarcomas positive for SV40 DNA had mutations of p53, and two had deleted Rb. Apparently clonal integration with pre-existing alteration of a tumor suppressor gene, suggests that SV40 may play a role in the final conversion to malignant osteosarcoma.
Mechanomutable and reversibly swellable polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films controlled by electrochemically induced pH gradients

We present a new strategy to electrochemically control the swelling state and mechanical properties of a polyelectrolyte multilayer thin film. While a number of pH-responsive polymer films and hydrogels have been developed, biological systems typically will not tolerate substantial deviations in pH. Therefore, to apply such pH-responsive systems for biomedical or other sensitive applications, we developed an electrochemical approach to alter local pH, while maintaining a constant, mild, bulk pH. The polymer film investigated in this work comprises polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) assembled at high pH (>9.0), which is known to exhibit a large pH-induced swelling transition; however, relatively extreme bulk pH values (pH 10.5 to deswell) are required to manipulate the film. Here, we apply negative electric potentials to gold electrodes coated with the film; the potential induces the reduction of dissolved oxygen, which generates hydroxide ions at the electrode surface and raises the local pH. The in situ swelling state and mechanical properties of the film have been probed with a number of techniques. Overall, we have attained reversible 300% volume changes in the polymer thin films, and have reversibly altered the mechanical properties over an order of magnitude (shear modulus between 1.9 MPa and 230 kPa, loss modulus between 620 kPa and 92 kPa, and effective indentation modulus between 19.2 MPa and 3.16 MPa). We maintain that electrochemical control over local pH is a promising strategy to manipulate pH-responsive polymer systems for biomedical and other applications.
On/off current ratio in P-channel poly-Si MOSFETs: dependence on hot-carrier stress conditions

Stress effects on poly-Si PMOS devices are investigated, and stress is related to the improvement or degradation of PMOS on/off current ratio. P-channel polysilicon MOSFETs have been stressed in the saturation and off-state regimes. Both the drive (on) current and leakage (off) current can be either increased or decreased after particular bias stress. On/off current ratio can be decreased by a factor of 2 for a stress bias of V/sub GS/=V/sub DS/=-11 V, but can be increased by a factor of 50 for a stress bias of V/sub GS/=-2 V, V/sub DS/=-11 V. Two effects of bias stress have been identified in poly-Si PMOS devices for which the on/off current ratio can either be increased or decreased after stress bias depending on the value of stress bias V/sub GS/. These effects of room-temperature stress are proposed to be due to either trapping of hot electrons or hot-hole-induced donor-type interface state generation. >
Theory of the Magnetron. I

A complete calculation of space charge and field repartition is given for a magnetron working under steady conditions. Electrons leaving the filament gradually acquire an angular velocity, and for distances greater than a certain length $L$, these electrons describe spirals around the filament. This very important length $L$ is defined by ${L}^{2}=\ensuremath{-}\frac{\mathrm{eI}}{m{{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{H}}^{3}}.$ $I$=current per unit of length of the filament, ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{H}$=Larmor's angular velocity. Under critical conditions, that is, when the magnetic field is just high enough to cut the anodic current $I$, the electron cloud rotates about the filament almost as a solid body with an angular velocity ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{H}$. A study of small oscillations with cylindrical symmetry shows that these oscillations have a proper frequency $\sqrt{2}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{H}$, and that the magnetron is able to yield an internal negative resistance for certain frequency bands near $\sqrt{2}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{H}$; this explains how a magnetron with one cylindrical anode can sustain continuous oscillations in an electric circuit.
Managing in the International Context: Testing Cultural Generality of Sources of Commitment to Multinational Enterprises

The globalization of American business has reactivated a longstanding debate over international exportability of American management theory and practice. This controversy prompted an investigation into factors binding foreign employees to an American multinational enterprise and the consistency of those effects across the firm’s culturally diverse subsidiaries. In a survey, 1,859 managers from 15 European and Canadian affiliates of a U.S. multinational firm described their organizational commitment and bases for that commitment-namely, job scope, role clarity, extrinsic rewards, and participative management. Applying structural equations modeling, we determined whether or not commitment sources similarly developed company attachment across offshore operations. The findings disclosed that these antecedents strongly predicted commitment but displayed no meaningful cultural moderation. Implications for etiology of employee loyalty to global corporations are discussed.
Renewal in the left periphery: economy and the complementiser layer

This paper examines cyclical changes involving complementisers, for instance, whether in the history of English. Whether starts out as a pronoun and after frequent topicalisation is reanalysed as an element in the left-most layer of the sentence. The same is true with prepositional phrases that are fronted and then reanalysed as part of the CP layer. The paper uses a Minimalist approach in that it seeks answers for the linguistic changes in terms of Economy Principles such as Specifier-to-Head Reanalysis. It examines two sources of renewal of complementisers, full phrases such as demonstrative pronouns and heads such as the verbs that reanalyse as question particles in Chinese.
Multi-scale patterns of human activity and the incidence of an exotic forest pathogen.

Summary 1. Plant pathogens can have major impacts on diverse taxa and ecological systems world-wide, and some of the most conspicuous of these are invasive non-native species. Although many factors are known to influence the distribution and abundance of plant pathogens, the extent to which humans play a role is less well-known but still critical for understanding the dynamics of invasive pathogens in natural systems. 2. One invasive pathogen of great concern world-wide is Phytophthora ramorum , which causes Sudden Oak Death, an emerging forest disease. Here, we examined the influence of humans and a range of environmental factors on the distribution of P. ramorum at three distinct spatial scales in northern and central California. 3. At the local scale, P. ramorum more commonly occurred in soil on hiking trails used heavily by humans than in soil from adjacent areas off trails. These results support the hypothesis that humans dispersed the pathogen within already infected areas and into areas lacking local sources of inoculum. 4. At the landscape scale, using a network of 202 randomly located plots across a 275 km 2 area, we found that forests on public land open to recreation exhibited higher prevalence of disease in a critical infectious host tree (bay laurel, Umbellularia californica ), than forests on private lands. Infection levels were also higher in plots surrounded by large amounts of forest with warm climatic conditions and greater potential soil moisture. Although prevalence of diseased canker hosts ( Quercus agrifolia, Q. kelloggii and Lithocarpus densiflora ) was positively associated with dominance of bay laurel and rainy season temperatures, it was not significantly related to public access, and we hypothesize that this occurred because our study area was in the early stages of infection. 5. At the regional scale, the probability of disease occurrence at 165 sites distributed across the geographic range of P. ramorum in California increased significantly as human population density increased in the surrounding area. Chances of infection also increased significantly with precipitation and presence of bay laurel. 6. Synthesis . Our results suggest that human activity ‐ along with temperature, moisture and host composition ‐ is associated with increased prevalence of an influential exotic forest pathogen. These results indicate that there may be conflicts between humans and disease, and that efforts to address this issue may require aggressive management of human activity.
An Interactive Approach to Timing Accurate PCI-X Simulation

To date, most system-level bus simulation platforms have focused on the functional correctness of individual bus components rather than the full system-level evaluation of multiple components operating simultaneously. In this pa-per, a new scalable system-level bus simulation environ-ment is described which allows for the evaluation of the PCI-X bus and a series of components. This simulation environment takes advantage of the tight integration of timing-accurate simulation of PCI hardware components with software-level functional modeling to create a fast, accurate system. A series of software techniques is used to allow for time step synchronization across multiple bus components and bus recovery following a transaction. A graphical user interface allows designers to add new com-ponents to the system easily, enhancing modularity. The accuracy of the new simulation environment has been vali-dated for a collection of candidate PCI-X systems using an in-circuit PCI-X emulator. The new simulation environment is shown to be accurate to within a percent error of 0.95%, 3.79%, and 2.78% for utilization, efficiency, and band-width, respectively.
Sustainable urban design – a (draft) framework

This paper provides a roadmap or guide to help urban designers and researchers understand the elements and topics in urban design that should be considered when addressing sustainability. It describes ‒ within the realm of urban design ‒ what is to be sustained, the metrics for this and the urban design elements that contribute to those metrics. A matrix organizes the urban design elements by topic and scale to help urban designers and researchers relate these disparate aspects, identify areas of synergy and serve as a basis for comparison when trade-offs are present.
Performance of Multiple Antenna DS-CDMA UWB System With Noisy Channel Estimates and Narrow-Band Interference

In this work, the performance of a DS-CDMA ultra-wideband (UWB) system with multiple antennas at the receiver, in the presence of multiple users and narrow-band interference (NBI), is evaluated. A spatio-temporal UWB receiver is proposed which first forms an estimate of the channel in the presence of multi-access interference and NBI, and then uses this estimate to optimally combine the multipath components such that the output signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio is maximized. The performance of this system, through an analytically-derived expression for the probability of error, is investigated. In particular, a closed-form expression for the probability of error is established when the temporal correlation between the NBI during the channel-estimation phase and the data-detection phase is negligible. The effects of both quality of channel estimates and antenna correlation on the system performance are analyzed.
Regulation of blastocoele formation by intracellular calcium release is mediated through a phospholipase C-dependent pathway in mice.

Calcium signaling plays a critical role in the regulation of mouse preimplantation development, in part through the activation of calmodulin. Calcium transients in mouse morulae appear to be generated predominantly through the production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) by phospholipase C (PLC). IP 3 receptors predominate in mouse embryos as regulators of calcium release. Exposure to the PLC inhibitors ET-18-OCH, or U73122 resulted in a dose-dependent, reversible inhibition of cavitation, while the inactive analogue U73343 did not alter the rate of cavitation, as compared to that in controls. U73122 inhibited the release of calcium from intracellular stores after exposure to ethanol or lysophosphatidic acid, suggesting that PLC is required for blastocoele formation in the mouse and that calcium signaling may be PLC-dependent. In addition to IP 3, PLC activation generates diacylglycerol, which stimulates protein kinase C (PKC) and could also alter the rate of embryonic development. However, activation of PKC with phorbol ester or synthetic diacylglycerol was not sufficient to accelerate development, although embryo culture in medium containing PKC inhibitors did delay cavitation. Exposure to a PKC inhibitor during ethanol-induced calcium signaling did not attenuate the ensuing acceleration of cavitation. These results demonstrate that a PLCmediated signaling pathway is required for blastocoele formation and that the generation of IP 3, but not diacylglycerol, is critical for accelerating preimplantation development.
Intra-sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ oscillations are driven by dynamic regulation of ryanodine receptor function by luminal Ca2+ in cardiomyocytes

During the cardiac cycle, the release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) through the ryanodine receptor (RyR2) channel complex is controlled by the levels of cytosolic and luminal Ca2+ and alterations in these regulatory processes have been implicated in cardiac disease including arrhythmia. To better understand the mechanisms of regulation of SR Ca2+ release by Ca2+ on both sides of the SR membrane, we investigated SR Ca2+ release in a wide range of cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]cyt; 1–100 μm) in permeabilized canine ventricular myocytes by monitoring [Ca2+] inside the SR ([Ca2+]SR). Exposing myocytes to activating [Ca2+]cyt resulted in spontaneous oscillations of [Ca2+]SR due to periodic opening and closing of the RyR2s. Elevating [Ca2+]cyt (up to 10 μm) increased the frequency of [Ca2+]SR oscillations; however at higher [Ca2+]cyt (>50 μm) the oscillations diminished due to RyR2s staying perpetually open, resulting in depleted SR. Ablation of cardiac calsequestrin (CASQ2) altered the [Ca2+]cyt dependence of Ca2+ release oscillations such that oscillations were highly frequent at low [Ca2+]cyt (100 nm) but became diminished at moderate [Ca2+]cyt (10 μm), as determined in myocytes from calsequestrin-null versus wild-type mice. Our results suggest that under conditions of continuous activation by cytosolic Ca2+, RyR2s can periodically cycle between open and deactivated states due to effects of luminal Ca2+. Deactivation at reduced [Ca2+]SR appears to involve reduction of sensitivity to cytosolic Ca2+ and might be mediated by CASQ2. Inactivation by cytosolic Ca2+ plays no detectable role in controlling SR Ca2+ release.
Antiproliferative Effect of Chrysin on Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

Background Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is an undifferentiated, aggressive malignancy, for which there are no effective therapies. Though ATCs only make up less than 2% of all thyroid cancer cases, they represent over half of the thyroid cancer-related deaths. Chrysin, a natural flavonoid, has recently been reported as a potential anti-cancer agent. However, the effect of this compound on ATC cells is not known. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the antiproliferative nature of chrysin in ATC cells. Methods HTH7 and KAT18 cells, derived from patients with ATC, were treated with chrysin (25–50 μM) for up to 6 d. Cell proliferation was measured every 2 d using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). Western blot analysis for molecular makers of apoptosis was carried out to investigate the effect and mechanism of Chrysin on ATC. Results Chrysin inhibited proliferation of HTH7 and KAT18 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. HTH7 and KAT18 cells with Chrysin treatment showed a significant increase in cleaved caspase-3, cleaved PolyADP Ribose Polymerase (PARP), along with a decrease in cyclin D1, Mcl-1, and XIAP. Furthermore, the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 expression in ATC cells revealed an increase after the treatment. Conclusions Chrysin inhibits growth in ATC cells via apoptosis in vitro. Therefore, the natural flavonoid chrysin warrants further clinical investigation as a new potential drug for the treatment for ATC.
Scattering of elastic waves by a spherical inclusion—I. Theory and numerical results

SUMMARY A complete and exact solution for the problem of an incident P wave scattered by an elastic spherical inclusion is presented and described. The solution can be obtained from either analytical formulae or stable numerical procedures. A method of estimating the number of terms that must be retained in the harmonic series in order to achieve a specified accuracy is given. The results are investigated by calculating synthetic seismograms, scattering diagrams, and scattering cross-sections for a broad frequency band and for both low-velocity and high-velocity inclusions. The fields within the shadow zone are formed primarily from three different types of waves, P waves transmitted through the sphere, P waves diffracted around the sphere, and S waves converted at the boundary of the sphere. The relative contribution from these different waves depends upon the distance of the observation point from the sphere.
Top 10 ideas to improve your bedside teaching in a busy emergency department

Physicians are called upon to teach students, residents, patients and their families in the clinical environment every day as part of clinical care. A fast-paced emergency department offers a unique set of challenges that require the physician to be an effective communicator. We present a top 10 list of ideas selected from the literature for the busy clinician to use on that next shift to improve bedside teaching.
High School Body Mass Index Greater than 25 kg/m2 and Weight Gain Predict Higher Cardiovascular Risk in Middle-Aged Patients: A Precis Database Study

4605 overweight/obese patients self reported their weight at graduation from HS. Patients with BMI 25 kg/m in HS (n 1285) were compared to patients (n 3320) with BMI 25 kg/m in HS. Patients with HS BMI 25kg/m at the time of initial evaluation had higher mean BMI (33.9 vs. 30.1, P 0.001), HgbA1c (6.8% vs. 6.1%, P 0.001), prevalence of diabetes (54.6% versus 16.8%,P 0.001), and prevalence of both CAD (47% vs. 43%, P 0.001) and Myocardial Infarction (26% vs. 21%, P 0.001). These patients also had lower levels of HDL (46.4 vs. 43.2 mg/dl, P 0.001), and higher LDL (131 vs. 120 mg/dl, P 0.001) and total cholesterol (230 vs. 220 mg/dl, P 0.001). Novel risk factors including fibrinogen, urine albumin to creatinine ratio, GFR and usCRP were all higher in the HS BMI 25 kg/m2 group. Fibrinogen and usCRP were not statistically significant. Comparisons were made using student’s t-test, Chi-square, and Wilcoxon rank-sum
Association of Inflammatory Markers with Colorectal Cancer Incidence in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Background: Chronic inflammation has been implicated in the etiology of colorectal cancer (CRC), but epidemiologic findings on the association between circulating inflammatory markers and CRC risk are inconsistent. We hypothesized that increased concentrations of systemic inflammatory markers–white blood cell count (WBC), fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor (VWF), factor VIII (FVIII), and C-reactive protein (CRP)–and decreased albumin concentration would be associated with increased CRC risk in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities prospective cohort. Methods: WBC, fibrinogen, VWF, FVIII, and albumin, measured in 1987–1989 in 13,414 men and women, were transformed to z -scores and summed up to construct a blood “inflammation z -score.” Albumin was included with a negative sign, because its concentration decreases with greater inflammation. A total of 308 incident CRC cases were identified through 2006 in initially cancer-free participants. CRP was measured in 1996–1998 in 9,836 cancer-free people who developed 166 CRCs through 2006. Proportional hazard models were used to estimate the HR and 95% CI of CRC in relation to each individual marker and the inflammation z -score. Results: After multivariate adjustment, for the highest versus lowest quartile, there was a statistically significant positive association of CRC risk with fibrinogen: HR = 1.50 (95% CI, 1.05–2.15), P = 0.03; inflammation z -score: HR = 1.65 (95% CI, 1.15–2.35), P = 0.01; and CRP: HR = 1.97 (95% CI, 1.13–3.43, P = 0.02. Conclusions: These findings indicate that greater levels of fibrinogen, CRP, and blood inflammation z -score are associated with increased CRC risk. Impact: The study provides further evidence that precancer inflammation may contribute to CRC etiology. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(2); 1–11; ©2011 AACR .
Trajectory estimation in schizophrenia.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the ability of schizophrenia patients to maintain internal representation over time and space. It has been hypothesized that the ability to guide behavior by internal representation, mediated by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), is impaired in schizophrenia [e.g. Goldman-Rakic, P.S., 1996. The functional parcellation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the heterogeneous facets of schizophrenia. In: Matthysse, S., Levy, D.L. (Eds.), Psychopathology: Evolution of a New Science. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge]. In Experiment 1, subjects observed a target, which traveled behind an opaque wall during a part of its trajectory. The task was to accurately assess the speed of the target by predicting when the target would re-emerge on the other side of the wall. In Experiment 2, subjects were asked to estimate the spatial trajectory of an established target path when it was partially occluded from view by another object. Schizophrenia patients were impaired in estimating the speed of a moving target and in estimating the spatial trajectory, without showing deficits in the control tasks. These results suggest that schizophrenia patients may not be able to accurately maintain the internal representation of a target over time and space. Such deficits may have deleterious consequences in goal-directed behavior.
Nutrition and breast cancer

The strongest predictor of breast cancer risk is family history, although the relationship of many dietary factors in regards to increased or decreased risk of future breast cancer appears to be related to their modification of estrogenic exposure. Another major mechanism of nutrients may be through their effect on the immune system. Inconsistencies in studies, their methodologies, and in some cases the lack of human data make it difficult to discern which nutrients may or may not be effective in the prevention of breast cancer, much less their mechanism of action. This review discusses the possible mechanisms of action of nutrients, types of nutrition studies and their respective merit, and available data in major areas of research—fat, alcohol, fiber, antioxidants, protein, phytoestrogens and phytochemicals, and ongoing trials.