cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Binding Ring Illusion: assimilation affects the perceived size of a circular array.

Our perception of an object’s size arises from the integration of multiple sources of visual information including retinal size, perceived distance and its size relative to other objects in the visual field. This constructive process is revealed through a number of classic size illusions such as the Delboeuf Illusion, the Ebbinghaus Illusion and others illustrating size constancy. Here we present a novel variant of the Delbouef and Ebbinghaus size illusions that we have named the Binding Ring Illusion. The illusion is such that the perceived size of a circular array of elements is underestimated when superimposed by a circular contour – a binding ring – and overestimated when the binding ring slightly exceeds the overall size of the array. Here we characterize the stimulus conditions that lead to the illusion, and the perceptual principles that underlie it. Our findings indicate that the perceived size of an array is susceptible to the assimilation of an explicitly defined superimposed contour. Our results also indicate that the assimilation process takes place at a relatively high level in the visual processing stream, after different spatial frequencies have been integrated and global shape has been constructed. We hypothesize that the Binding Ring Illusion arises due to the fact that the size of an array of elements is not explicitly defined and therefore can be influenced (through a process of assimilation) by the presence of a superimposed object that does have an explicit size.
Conformations of Betanova in aqueous trifluoroethanol

Conformations of the designed peptide Betanova in 42% trifluoroethanol/water (v/v) were explored. Circular dichroism (CD) observations provided no evidence for the presence of significant amounts of beta-structures in water, in TFE/water, or in ethanol/water. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) diffusion experiments showed no significant difference in the hydrodynamic radius of the peptide in water and in 42% TFE/water. However, calculations indicated that the hydrodynamic radii of the triple-stranded beta-sheet, originally proposed for Betanova by Kortemme et al. (Science 1998, 281, 253-256), and a variety of partially folded forms of Betanova would be similar and likely could not be convincingly distinguished by diffusion experiments. Temperature coefficients (Deltadelta/DeltaT) of the peptide N--H chemical shifts are similar in water and 42% TFE/water, implying that most of these protons are highly solvent exposed in both solvents and likely do not participate in intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. Possible exceptions to this conclusion are the Lys9 and Lys15 residues, where a more positive coefficient may indicate that these residues are involved to some extent in local turn structures. Peptide proton-solvent fluorine intermolecular nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE)s at 25 degrees C were consistent with the presence of a mixture of conformations, which could include the triple-stranded beta-sheet structure as a minor component. At 0 degrees C, peptide-TFE NOEs indicated that TFE interacts strongly enough with many protons of Betanova that alcohol-peptide interactions persist for times of the order of nanoseconds, appreciably longer than the encounter time characteristic of mutual diffusion of TFE and the solute.
A collaborative study to establish a U.S. reference for tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA).

In 1987 the Second International Standard for tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) was established by the World Health Organization following an international collaborative study. At that time, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) decided to establish a national reference t-PA to be used in lot release potency testing of Alteplase, a licensed t-PA biological or of other t-PAs in development. A candidate recombinant t-PA (rt-PA) preparation was donated by Genentech, Inc. (South San Francisco, California) for this purpose and a collaborative study was launched to calibrate this material against the 2nd I.S. Four laboratories (including the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) and three manufacturers) participated in the study to establish the potency of the rt-PA preparation using a clot lysis assay. The results indicate that the potency of the U.S. reference for t-PA is 2900 international units (IU) per vial.
Emerging technologies in transmission networks

Summary form only given. When a major disturbance occurs, protection and control actions are designed to stop degradation of the system, restore the functionality to a normal state, and minimize the impact of the disturbance. Existing control actions are not designed to respond to a fast-developing disturbance, and may react too slowly. The operator must therefore deal with an extremely complex situation, and must rely on heuristic solutions and policies. Today, local automatic control actions protect the system from the propagation of fast-developing emergencies, but are not equipped to consider the overall system, which may be affected by the disturbance. Wide-area defense is a concept that involves using system-wide information and sending selected local information to a remote location to counteract the propagation of major disturbances. With the increased availability of sophisticated computer, communications and measurement technologies, more "intelligent" equipment can be used at the local level to improve the overall emergency response.
Design and synthesis of novel CCR2 antagonists: investigation of non-aryl/heteroaryl binding motifs

This report describes the design and synthesis of a series of CCR2 antagonists incorporating novel non-aryl/heteroaryl RHS (right hand side) motifs. Previous SAR in the area has suggested an aryl/heteroaryl substituent as a necessary structural feature for binding to the CCR2 receptor. Herein we describe the SAR with regards to potency (binding to hCCR2), dofetilide activity and metabolic stability (in vitro HLM) for this series. The resulting outcome was the identification of compounds with excellent properties for the investigation of the role of CCR2 in disease.
Validation of a single camera three-dimensional motion tracking system.

The ability to analyze human movement is an essential tool of biomechanical analysis for both sport and clinical applications. Traditional 3D motion capture technology limits the feasibility of large scale data collections and therefore the ability to address clinical questions. Ideally, the measurement system/protocol should be non-invasive, mobile, generate nearly instantaneous feedback to the clinician and athlete, and be relatively inexpensive. The retro-grate reflector (RGR) is a new technology that allows for three-dimensional motion capture using a single camera. Previous studies have shown that orientation and position information recorded by the RGR system has high measurement precision and is strongly correlated with a traditional multi-camera system across a series of static poses. The technology has since been refined to record moving pose information from multiple RGR targets at sampling rates adequate for assessment of athletic movements. The purpose of this study was to compare motion data for a standard athletic movement recorded simultaneously with the RGR and multi-camera (Motion Analysis Eagle) systems. Nine subjects performed three single-leg land-and-cut maneuvers. Thigh and shank three-dimensional kinematics were collected with the RGR and Eagle camera systems simultaneously at 100 Hz. Results showed a strong agreement between the two systems in all three planes, which demonstrates the ability of the RGR system to record moving pose information from multiple RGR targets at a sampling rate adequate for assessment of human movement and supports the ability to use the RGR technology as a valid 3D motion capture system.
Probing Structural Features of Alzheimer's β-Amyloid Ion Channels in Membranes Using Aβ Mutants

A current hypothesis for the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) proposes that amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides induce uncontrolled, neurotoxic ion flux across cellular membranes. The resulting inability of neurons to regulate their intracellular concentration of ions, in particular calcium ions, has been associated with cell death and may thus contribute to cognitive impairment typical for AD. The mechanism of the ion flux is not fully understood since no experimentally based Aβ channel structures at atomic resolution are currently available, and few polymorphisms have been predicted by computational models. Structural models and experimental evidence suggest that Aβ channel is an assembly of loosely-associated mobile β-sheet subunits. Histidines were proven to be on or near the mouth of the Aβ pore, but no other amino acids have been tested. Using planar lipid bilayers, we present a study showing that amino acidic substitutions can be used to infer which residues line the pore and are water accessible. For example, the substitution of F19P is capable of undermining the amyloid structure such that bilayer membranes exposed to it do not support ion channel formations for prolonged periods of time. This and other structural information on or in membrane are needed to aid drug design aiming to control unregulated Aβ ion fluxes.Funded by extramural program NIH-NIA (RL), NCI Contract HHSN261200800001E (RN) and DOD, NSF and ARCS (LSC).
Epitaxial SrTiO3 Tunnel Barriers on Pt/MgO Substrates

Tunnel junction devices employing epitaxial, (001)-oriented SrTiO3 barriers with thicknesses between 4 and 5 nm were fabricated by sputtering on (001) Pt/MgO substrates. The quality of the Pt/SrTiO3 interface was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and the current transport studied as a function of temperature and bias field. At low voltages the junctions showed excellent insulting properties and temperature dependent, non-linear current–voltage characteristics. If junctions were biased to high fields (>1.25 MV/cm) current hysteresis was observed. The hysteresis is shown to be due to time-dependent tunnel barrier properties at high fields.
Quantum corrections to the second virial coefficient in one dimension

The semiclassical limit of the quantum mechanical second virial coefficient in one dimension is examined using using realistic interatomic potentials for $^{4}\mathrm{He}$, ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, and $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$. A direct transcription from three dimensions of the quantum correction series through ${\ensuremath{\hbar}}^{4}$ gives results for ${B}_{2}$ within 0.5% of those from the phase shift calculations for $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ at $50\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ and $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$ at $30\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$.
Small angle x‐ray scattering from bulk crystalline polymers

It is tempting to correlate the discrete small angle x-ray diffraction (SA) spacings obtained using polymers crystallized from the melt with the thickness of the lamellae present in the sample. There is a good correlation of SA spacing and the electron microscope (EM) observed thickness for polymers crystallized from solution. However, a review of available data in which SA and EM observations have been made on the same sample (for polyethylene, polyoxymethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, and polyethylene oxide) show that the largest HA spacing is not in agreement with the EM observed thickness. In several of the polymers the second largest spacing, which is often not an order of the largest, is in reasonable agreement with the EM value. Possible causes of these discrepancies are discussed.
Cytokine biosynthesis by tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes from human non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

The purpose of this work was to assess the capacity of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TIL) from human non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) specimens to synthesize type-1 and type-2 cytokines. Methods: TIL were isolated from tumors following digestion with collagenase/DNase and further enriched by ficoll-hypaque gradient centrifugation. Membrane phenotypes and intracellular cytokine protein expression of TIL were assessed by flow cytometry. Results: The majority of TIL expressed the CD3 antigen with a CD4:CD8 ratio of approximately 2:1. Other leukocytes such as macrophages (CD14), B lymphocytes (CD20), and natural killer (NK) cells (CD56) were also found to infiltrate the tumors, but in significantly lower numbers. Owing to the limited recovery of non-CD3+ leukocytes, our analysis of cytokine biosynthesis has focused on T lymphocytes. In the absence of activation, a small percentage of CD3+ TIL synthesized cytokines ( <4%). Following activation with anti-CD3+interleukin-2 (IL-2), CD3+ TIL synthesized predominantly a type-1 cytokine profile; however, the type-2 cytokines, IL-6 and IL-10, were also detected in a small percentage of infiltrating cells. Following activation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate + ionomycin, CD3+ TIL also expressed more type-1 than type-2 cytokines and in significantly greater numbers of cells. The CD3+CD8+ component of the TIL synthesized only type-1 cytokines, whereas the CD3+CD4+ component synthesized both type-1 and type-2 cytokines. Conclusion: These results show that the majority of the TIL isolated from NSCLC specimens are T lymphocytes with the capacity to synthesize type-1 cytokines.
Dependence of Cholesterol-Phospholipid Affinity on Degree of Acyl Chain Unsaturation as Determined by EPR

Cholesterol-lipid interactions are thought to play an intrinsic role in determining lateral organization within cellular membranes. Cholesterol's tendency to restrict acyl chain motion makes interaction with highly disordered polyunsaturated phospholipid less energetically favorable compared with its interactions with more saturated species. The high affinity that the sterol has for saturated chains is the “glue” that holds cholesterol and sphingomyelin rich lipid rafts together. Conversely, poor affinity for cholesterol is hypothesized to drive the formation of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-containing phospholipid domains depleted in the sterol. Here we describe a novel method using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to measure the affinity of cholesterol for phospholipids with varying degrees of acyl chain unsaturation. We monitor the partitioning of the spin labeled cholesterol analog, cholestane, between large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) and cyclodextrin (cyd) through analysis of EPR spectra. Because the EPR spectrum of cholestane is sensitive to the very different tumbling rates in the two environments, the ratio of the two populations can be determined by deconvolution of the spectra. Our data show that a decreased affinity of cholesterol accompanies increasing acyl chain unsaturation. The virtue of this EPR method is that it provides a qualitative measure of cholesterol binding that is quick and avoids the necessity for physical separation of LUV and cyd.
Effect of median eminence lesions on the function of multiple pituitary homografts with particular reference to the secretion of gonadotrophins and growth hormone.

Multiple intramuscular pituitary grafts in hypophysectomized, weanling rats stimulated growth and testicular development to levels intermediate between those of hypophysectomized and intact animals. Bilateral median eminence lesions produced 40 days after grafting inhibited growth as indicated by changes in nose-tail length and reduced testicular weight. When unilateral castration was performed at the time of placement of hypothalamic lesions, testicular weight also declined and the decline was related to the size of the removed testis. Unilateral castration of grafted control rats, on the other hand, was followed by an enlargement of the second testis. Weights of sex accessories also declined after lesions in the median eminence in comparison with grafted controls. It therefore appears that the residual function of ectopic pituitary tissue is at least in part under hypothalamic influence which is presumably mediated by circulating gonadotrophin-releasing factors. (Endocrinology 84: 595, 1969)
Synthesis and Characterization of Calcium Phosphate Coatings by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Thin coatings of various calcium phosphates including tricalcium phosphate (TCP), calcium pyrophosphate, and hydroxyapatite were synthesized by plasma-enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Structure, composition, and surface morphology of the coatings were characterized by x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. All coatings were very dense and free of cracks. X- ray diffraction showed that the as-grown coatings with the Ca/P ratio of 1.5±0.5 and 1.0±0.5 were crystalline μ- TCP and pyrophosphate, respectively. However, hydroxyapatite coatings with the Ca/P ratio of ~1.67 were amorphous. The crystalline μ-TCP and pyrophosphate coatings exhibited strong growth texture. The textured orientations varied with different growth temperatures. In addition, the microstructure of the μ-TCP coatings strongly depended on the growth temperatures.
Why the “Good Provider” Role Still Matters Providing as a Form of Paternal Involvement

Providing as a form of paternal involvement is not readily acknowledged in contemporary fatherhood literature. Providing is often overlooked because it is taken for granted, is invisible to the family, holds negative connotations, and is inadequately conceptualized. This article expands paternal involvement to include economic provision. Providing as a form of paternal involvement is considered as it affects father, child, and family well-being. In conclusion, practice and policy implications related to an expanded view of economic provision and paternal involvement are shared.
Helicity functionals and metric invariance in three dimensions

The solvability, gauge invariance, and topological aspects of dual variational principles shed light on the difficulties that arise from the use of a vector potential in three dimensions in place of a stream function in two dimensions. These aspects reveal the central role of a relative de Rham complex in place of the usual Tonti diagram. By considering the 'spin complex' associated with the de Rham complex, it is seen that the helicity functional enables the scalar potential to be used in the dual role of a Lagrange multiplier which fixes the gauge of the vector potential. The metric and constitutive law independence of the helicity term is considered. The main purpose is to show how the invariant terms of the helicity functional can be used to avoid rebuilding (reassembling) large parts of the finite-element stiffness matrix in iterative computations involving constitutive laws which change with every iteration. The results are phrased in terms of differential forms. >
Mapping division algorithms to field programmable gate arrays

The mapping of a fundamental arithmetic operation, division, to the Xilinx XC4010, a lookup-table based FPGA (field-programmable gate array) is examined. It is shown how steps within the division algorithm can be merged by utilizing FPGAs and how parallelism can be exploited for optimal-performance FPGA implementations. Some mapping tradeoffs to reduce either the delay or the required number of logic blocks are shown. >
Feeling Uncomfortable: Children in Families with no Place of their Own

The number of children living in shelters in the United States dramatically increased during the 1980s. Despite this increase in number, little is known about their experiences. The purpose of this research using Parse's method was to generate a structure of the lived experience of feeling uncomfortable for children in shelters. The investigator sought to expand nursing's knowledge base about feeling uncomfortable and to provide a better understanding of the experiences of children in families with no place of their own. The findings suggest that the lived experience of feeling uncomfortable for the participants is a disturbing uneasiness with the unsureness of aloneness with togetherness amidst longing for personal joyful moments. These findings, considered from Parse's human becoming theory, create a theoretical structure of feeling uncomfortable. Similarities and differences with related literature are discussed. Implications for practice and further research are offered.
Density matters: comparison of array platforms for detection of copy-number variation and copy-neutral abnormalities

A combination of oligonucleotide and single-nucleotide polymorphism probes on the same array platform can detect copy-number abnormalities and copy-neutral aberrations such as uniparental disomy and long stretches of homozygosity. The single-nucleotide polymorphism probe density in commercially available platforms varies widely, which may affect the detection of copy-neutral abnormalities. We evaluated the ability of array platforms with low (Oxford Gene Technology CytoSure ISCA uniparental disomy), mid-range (Agilent custom array), and high (Affymetrix CytoScan HD) single-nucleotide polymorphism probe density to detect copy-number variation, mosaicism, uniparental isodisomy, and absence of heterozygosity in 50 clinical samples. All platforms reliably detected copy-number variation, mosaicism, and uniparental isodisomy; however, absence-of-heterozygosity detection varied significantly. The low-density array called absence-of-heterozygosity regions not confirmed by the other platforms and also overestimated the length of true absence-of-heterozygosity regions. Furthermore, the low- and mid-density platforms failed to detect some small absence-of-heterozygosity regions that were identified by the high-density platform. Variation in single-nucleotide polymorphism density can lead to major discrepancies in the detection of and confidence in copy-neutral abnormalities. Although suitable for uniparental disomy detection, copy-number plus single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays with 30,000 or fewer unique single-nucleotide polymorphism probes miscall absence-of-heterozygosity regions due to identity by descent. Genet Med 15 9, 706–712.
Healthcare Reform in Urban China

After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, urban people who worked for the government and its enterprises were offered free healthcare. This benefit continued after their retirement. Due to the characteristics of socialism, a large majority of the urban population were included in this free healthcare system. The past 16 years, however, have seen a dramatic change in this coverage, significantly influencing urban living standards. This paper will discuss the causes, consequences and current adjustments in medical care reform. The impact on the daily lives of the urban elderly will also be the focus.
CHAOTIC RESONANCE — METHODS AND APPLICATIONS FOR ROBUST CLASSIFICATION OF NOISY AND VARIABLE PATTERNS

A fundamental tenet of the theory of deterministic chaos holds that infinitesimal variation in the initial conditions of a network that is operating in the basin of a low-dimensional chaotic attractor causes the various trajectories to diverge from each other quickly. This "sensitivity to initial conditions" might seem to hold promise for signal detection, owing to an implied capacity for distinguishing small differences in patterns. However, this sensitivity is incompatible with pattern classification, because it amplifies irrelevant differences in incomplete patterns belonging to the same class, and it renders the network easily corrupted by noise. Here a theory of stochastic chaos is developed, in which aperiodic outputs with 1/f2 spectra are formed by the interaction of globally connected nodes that are individually governed by point attractors under perturbation by continuous white noise. The interaction leads to a high-dimensional global chaotic attractor that governs the entire array of nodes. An example is our spatially distributed KIII network that is derived from studies of the olfactory system, and that is stabilized by additive noise modeled on biological noise sources. Systematic parameterization of the interaction strengths corresponding to synaptic gains among nodes representing excitatory and inhibitory neuron populations enables the formation of a robust high-dimensional global chaotic attractor. Reinforcement learning from examples of patterns to be classified using habituation and association creates lower dimensional local basins, which form a global attractor landscape with one basin for each class. Thereafter, presentation of incomplete examples of a test pattern leads to confinement of the KIII network in the basin corresponding to that pattern, which constitutes many-to-one generalization. The capture after learning is expressed by a stereotypical spatial pattern of amplitude modulation of a chaotic carrier wave. Sensitivity to initial conditions is no longer an issue. Scaling of the additive noise as a parameter optimizes the classification of data sets in a manner that is comparable to stochastic resonance. The local basins constitute dynamical memories that solve difficult problems in classifying data sets that are not linearly separable. New local basins can be added quickly from very few examples without loss of existing basins. The attractor landscape enables the KIII set to provide an interface between noisy, unconstrained environments and conventional pattern classifiers. Examples given here of its robust performance include fault detection in small machine parts and the classification of spatiotemporal EEG patterns from rabbits trained to discriminate visual stimuli.
Systemic hypertension following myocardial revascularization

Abstract Systemic hypertension was noted to be particularly frequent in the immediate postoperative period following myocardial revascularization procedures. A sustained increase in diastolic pressure to 100 mm. Hg or more occurred in 29 of 80 preoperatively normotensive patients (36 per cent); of 22 patients who were hypertensive before surgery, 5 (23 per cent) had pressure rises of 30 mm. Hg or more above their preoperative levels. Thus, of 102 patients undergoing aortocoronary bypass or internal mammary artery implant, 34 or one third had a hypertensive episode following surgery. There was no significant difference between the two procedures in the incidence of postoperative hypertension (35.5 per cent and 26.9 per cent, respectively, p > 0.10). In contrast, similar episodes were significantly less common following other types of surgery, occurring in only 4 of 107 patients after major noncardiac operations (p The postoperative rise in pressure was not associated with increase in central venous or left atrial pressures or with signs of hypervolemia or of renal dysfunction. It persisted despite adequate analgesia but was usually controlled by intravenous promazine, although sodium nitroprusside had to be used in a few instances. Its frequency after coronary-arterial surgery, its transient course, and the apparent absence of other causes suggest that this hypertension might be related to some coronary pressor reflexes.
Assessment of endometrial receptivity

Objective To provide a focused review of the scientific literature pertaining to endometrial receptivity. Design Review of the literature and appraisal of relevant articles. Setting Academic teaching hospital. Patient(s) Women with infertility. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Critical review of the literature. Result(s) Although a consensus has been achieved regarding the existence of a temporally defined period during which embryo attachment and invasion can occur (called the "window of implantation"), reliable methods to assess "receptivity" have not been established or adequately validated. In women with certain gynecologic disorders, including endometriosis, tubal disease, and polycystic ovary syndrome, endometrial receptivity seems to be compromised, leading to infertility and pregnancy loss. The establishment of reliable biomarkers for the detection of defects in endometrial receptivity has been a long-sought goal that remains an elusive target. The validation of endometrial biomarkers will require properly designed and implemented studies based on the recognition that endometrial receptivity defects are not equally distributed in women with endometriosis or these other conditions. Conclusion(s) Rapidly advancing technologies are bringing new biomarkers to the clinical arena that promise to further reveal the complexities of the implantation process.
Near-Death Experiences and the Theory of the Extraneuronal Hyperspace

It is possible and desirable to supplement the traditional neurological and metaphysical explanatory models of the near-death experience (NDE) with yet a third type of explanatory model that links the neurological and the metaphysical. I set forth the rudiments of this model, the Theory of the Extraneuronal Hyperspace, with six propositions. I then use this theory to explain three of the pressing issues within NDE scholarship: the veridicality, precognition and “fear-death experience” phenomena.
Using a cylindrical tactile sensor for determining curvature

It is shown how contact curvature can be determined from a single contact with a cylindrical tactile sensor. When the tactile finger touches an unknown smooth convex surface, contact location, principal curvatures, and normal force are determined from a 4*4 window of strain measurements. Contact properties are determined by a nonlinear model-based inversion from strain measurements back to the contact type. Sensor strains are predicted by convolving the spatial impulse response of the rubber skin with the assumed surface pressure distribution derived from a Hertz contact model. Gradient search finds the parameters of the convex second-order shape and the force that best fit the sensor data. Experiments under laboratory conditions show radius estimation within 10%, orientation within 3%, and subtactel (tactile element) localization to 3% of the element spacing. Using a linearized model, error bounds due to sensor noise on the inversion process are predicted. >
Parents’ perspectives on safety in neonatal intensive care: a mixed-methods study

Background & objectives Little is known about how parents think about neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) safety. Due to their physiologic immaturity and small size, infants in NICUs are especially vulnerable to injury from their medical care. Campaigns are underway to integrate patients and family members into patient safety. This study aimed to describe how parents of infants in the NICU conceptualise patient safety and what kinds of concerns they have about safety. Methods This mixed-methods study employed questionnaires, interviews and observation with parents of infant patients in an academic medical centre NICU. Measures included parent stress, family-centredness and types of safety concerns. Results 46 parents completed questionnaires and 14 of these parents also participated in 10 interviews (including 4 couple interviews). Infants had a range of medical and surgical problems, including prematurity, congenital diaphragmatic hernia and congenital cardiac disease. Parents were positive about their infants’ care and had low levels of concern about the safety of procedures. Parents reporting more stress had more concerns. We identified three overlapping domains in parents' conceptualisations of safety in the NICU, including physical, developmental and emotional safety. Parents demonstrated sophisticated understanding of how environmental, treatment and personnel factors could potentially influence their infants’ developmental and emotional health. Conclusions Parents have safety concerns that cannot be addressed solely by reducing errors in the NICU. Parent engagement strategies that respect parents as partners in safety and address how clinical treatment articulates with physical, developmental and emotional safety domains may result in safety improvements.
An exploration of knowledge and skills transfer from a formal software engineering curriculum to a capstone practicum project

Students at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley complete a team-based practicum project for an industrial sponsor as the capstone of their master's education in software engineering. Over time, the faculty member who typically serves as advisor for such projects has been disturbed by the failure of several student teams to transfer some relevant knowledge and skills from the formal curriculum to the relatively unstructured practicum project environment. We conducted a survey of all 2010 software engineering students to ascertain the most significant self-reported shortcomings. This paper presents the survey data and then discusses the results in terms of a theory of transfer; as part of this discussion recent and possible future changes to instruction are identified.
Feedback for Language Transfer Errors: The Garden Path Technique

In this study we compared two methods for correcting language transfer errors in the foreign language classroom. Thirty-two English-speaking college students enrolled in two sections of an introductory French course served as subjects. Eight commonly encountered English-to-French transfer errors were identified and randomly assigned to one of two teaching conditions for one class section; each error was assigned to the opposite condition for the other section. In both teaching conditions students began by translating English sentences into French. The sentences were such that an L1 (first language) transfer strategy produced correct translations (e.g., using savoir for some uses of “to know”). A sentence for which the transfer would not produce an adequate translation (e.g., a sentence requiring connaitre) was then introduced in one of two ways. In one condition—what we have termed the Garden Path condition—students were given the new sentence and asked to translate as before. Their inevitable transfer error was then immediately corrected by the teacher. In the control condition students were simply given the correct French form and told that it differed from the English pattern (they were not given the opportunity to commit a transfer error). Student learning of the non-transferable form was assessed three times throughout the course of the semester, and at all time points performance was better in the Garden Path condition. We interpreted this finding as support for a cognitive comparison model of second language acquisition.
Exciton spin coherence via Coulomb correlations

We report experimental studies of exciton spin coherence induced via correlations between excitons with opposite spins, including correlations associated with two-exciton scattering states. Electromagnetically-induced transparency is used to probe the spin coherence.
Glycine-protected, hypoxic, proximal tubules develop severely compromised energetic function

Glycine-protected, hypoxic, proximal tubules develop severely compromised energetic function. Glycine-treated, hypoxic, proximal tubules developed a progressive energetic defect that resulted in failure to restore ATP levels to greater than 10 to 20% of control values during reoxygenation after 60 minutes of hypoxia despite continued cytoprotection by glycine. The defect was not corrected by supplementation with exogenous purines and was not modified by lowering the pH during hypoxia or reoxygenation. In the continued presence of glycine, the failure to restore ATP was associated with impaired recovery of structural changes that developed during hypoxia and, if glycine was withdrawn, lethal membrane damage occurred. The lesion was significantly ameliorated by the presence during hypoxia of two agents known to suppress development of the mitochondrial permeability transition, cyclosporine A and butacaine, which were most effective when used in combination. The data suggest that development of the mitochondrial permeability transition in glycine-protected tubules during hypoxia contributes to continued metabolic and structural impairment and cell death that occur despite glycine replete conditions such as exist frequently during in vivo insults and may be a target for therapeutic maneuvers.
PDGFRα signaling drives adipose tissue fibrosis by targeting progenitor cell plasticity

Fibrosis is a common disease process in which profibrotic cells disturb organ function by secreting disorganized extracellular matrix (ECM). Adipose tissue fibrosis occurs during obesity and is associated with metabolic dysfunction, but how profibrotic cells originate is still being elucidated. Here, we use a developmental model to investigate perivascular cells in white adipose tissue (WAT) and their potential to cause organ fibrosis. We show that a Nestin-Cre transgene targets perivascular cells (adventitial cells and pericyte-like cells) in WAT, and Nestin-GFP specifically labels pericyte-like cells. Activation of PDGFRα signaling in perivascular cells causes them to transition into ECM-synthesizing profibrotic cells. Before this transition occurs, PDGFRα signaling up-regulates mTOR signaling and ribosome biogenesis pathways and perturbs the expression of a network of epigenetically imprinted genes that have been implicated in cell growth and tissue homeostasis. Isolated Nestin-GFP(+) cells differentiate into adipocytes ex vivo and form WAT when transplanted into recipient mice. However, PDGFRα signaling opposes adipogenesis and generates profibrotic cells instead, which leads to fibrotic WAT in transplant experiments. These results identify perivascular cells as fibro/adipogenic progenitors in WAT and show that PDGFRα targets progenitor cell plasticity as a profibrotic mechanism.
High-resolution gravity study of the Gray Fossil Site

The Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, has produced a remarkable Mio-Pliocene fauna and flora with no known correlative in the Appalachian region. After its discovery in 2000, a series of auger holes were drilled by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to determine the areal extent of the site. Drilling indicated that the fossils occurred in fill material within a paleokarst basin, but the distribution of boreholes does not permit details of sinkhole topography, and therefore its formation and fill history, to be adequately resolved. To better image the sinkhole basin, a high-resolution gravity survey, which included 1104 gravity measurement stations, was conducted. These data were used to create complete Bouguer and residual gravity anomaly maps and a 3D density model via inversionmethods. The residual gravity anomaly map compares favorably with 29 TDOT auger holes drilled to basement, but contains significantly more detail. The residual gravity anomaly map reveals the presence ...
The Relationship between Search Efficiency and Crowding

The role of target salience in crowding has remained controversial largely because salience usually escapes objective measurement. Here we address this problem using search efficiency as a measure of target salience. In separate experiments observers determined whether parafoveal arrays of vertical Gabor patterns contained targets having a unique colour, a unique direction of motion, and a unique temporal frequency. We analysed search efficiency in the conventional manner using reaction-time gradients (in seconds per item). We also considered accuracy gradients (in percent-correct per item). Crowding is typically quantified by comparing the acuity for a target within an array to the acuity for a target presented alone. We measured orientation acuity for determining whether a slightly tilted target was clockwise or anticlockwise of vertical. Targets with a unique colour or direction of motion were found to pop out, ie (with one exception) reaction-time and accuracy gradients were insignificantly different ...
Acute progression of a unilateral fetal ovarian cyst to complex bilateral cysts causing acute polyhydramnios.

In recent years, fetal ovarian cysts have been diagnosed more frequently because of improved prenatal sonographic techniques. These cysts vary in size, can be simple or complex, and are commonly unilateral. Intrauterine complications such as torsion and rupture may occur, and treatment options vary from conservative management to antenatal aspiration, early delivery, and neonatal surgery. We report the case of a unilateral, complex fetal ovarian cyst that progressed rapidly to bilateral complex cysts and was accompanied by acute onset of severe polyhydramnios. Such symptoms represent a considerable potential risk for bilateral ovarian loss. We are unaware of any previously published reports of such progression.
Improving linear feedback shift registers using similarity transformations

Linear feedback shift registers (LFSRs) are an important component of numerous applications as a source of low cost pseudo-random numbers. The quality of pseudo-random numbers generated by LFSRs, however, is seldom sufficient to meet the requirements of the applications, necessitating the use of additional hardware to improve LFSR performance. We propose a method based on similarity transformations to improve the quality of pseudo-random numbers generated by LFSRs without increasing the hardware cost of the applications.
Land Use Planning by Design and by Disaster

In the early 2000s, generations of population decline had left New Orleans with a glut of properties that became abandoned or vacant. The arrival of Hurricane Katrina, and the devastation that accompanied it, magnified exponentially the challenges facing New Orleans, which included post-Kelo constitutional amendments that created unanticipated restrictions. This article examines the serious land use challenges faced by pre-Katrina New Orleans.
Laboratory Measurement of the Functional Response of Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Laboratory experiments were conducted to measure the functional response of Podisus maculiventris (Say) in a simplified arena. Predators were isolated singly for 24 h in 9-cm Petri dishes with either 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, or 16 third-instar larvae of Mexican bean beetle ( Epilachna varivestis Mulsant). Results showed a typical type II response, with up to 9 prey attacked when 16 were provided. Holling's disk equation was fitted to the data to give estimates of handling time and the maximum number of prey that could be attacked in 24 h. The results differed sharply with previous field measures of predation by P. maculiventris , indicating that attack rates in a simple laboratory arena are limited by different behaviors than are important in the field. As a result we suggest that measuring functional response must be done in an appropriate test arena if the results are to be used to predict the impact of the predator on field populations of prey.
Rosuvastatin for Sepsis-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Background In the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), inflammation in the lungs and other organs can cause life-threatening organ failure. Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (statins) can modulate inflammatory responses. Previous observational studies suggested that statins improved clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis. We hypothesized that rosuvastatin therapy would improve clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with sepsis-associated ARDS. Methods We conducted a multicenter trial in which patients with sepsis-associated ARDS were randomly assigned to receive either enteral rosuvastatin or placebo in a doubleblind manner. The primary outcome was mortality before hospital discharge home or until study day 60 if the patient was still in a health care facility. Secondary outcomes included the number of ventilator-free days (days that patients were alive and breathing spontaneously) to day 28 and organ-failure–free days to day 14. Results The study was stopped because of futility after 745 of an estimated 1000 patients had been enrolled. There was no significant difference between study groups in 60-day in-hospital mortality (28.5% with rosuvastatin and 24.9% with placebo, P = 0 .21) or in mean (±SD) ventilator-free days (15.1±10.8 with rosuvastatin and 15.1±11.0 with placebo, P = 0 .96). The groups were well matched with respect to demographic and key physiological variables. Rosuvastatin therapy, as compared with placebo, was assoc iated with fewer days free of renal failure to day 14 (10.1±5.3 vs. 11.0±4.7, P = 0 .01) and fewer days free of hepatic failure to day 14 (10.8±5.0 vs. 11.8±4.3, P = 0 .003). Rosuvas tatin was not associated with an increased incidence of serum creatine kinase levels that were more than 10 times the upper limit of the normal range. Conclusions Rosuvastatin therapy did not improve clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis a ssociated ARDS and may have contributed to hepatic and renal organ dysfunction. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Investigator-Sponsored Study Program of AstraZeneca; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00979121.)
ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE-STRAIN HYSTERESIS MODEL FOR SHAPE MEMORY ALLOYS BASED ON PREISACH THEORY

Much attention has been paid to study the relaztionship between the electrical resistance (ER) and the strain of the shape memory alloys (SMAs) in our country and abroad, because the relationship can be effectively used in structural health monitoring by distributing the SMA wires into the structure and using them as sensors. However, the experiments show that the relationship between the ER and the strain of SMAs is greatly nonlinear and exhibits hysteresis property. Based on the experimental data, the relationship is set up in the paper by using Preisach theory and training the hysteresis loops. The other test data are used to validate the efficiency of the model, which can lay a basic foundation to researches on the structural health monitoring by using SMAs in the future.
Pregnancy prevention by intravaginal delivery of a progesterone antagonist: RU486 tampon for menstrual induction and absorption

A progesterone antagonist (RU486) was administered to macaque monkeys by an intravaginal tampon for the achievement of both menstrual induction and absorption. The study was conducted in three parts: (1) postcoital treatment beginning 3days after potential fertilization; (2) treatment on extended cycle days 34 to 37 after a "missed" menstrual flow after mating; and (3) luteal phase (cycle days 22 to 25) treatment in noncoital cycles. Our findings demonstrate pregnancy prevention and/or interruption when these treatments are employed.
Parties and Governance: Making Divided Government Work

Parties, as we have seen, are organizations playing a major role again today in the election of leaders — presidents, congresspersons, senators, and state and local officials. They are political action structures that mobilize money, support, and votes on behalf of their candidates for public offices. They do this in sharp competition with each other, year in and year out. But if they are to be key actors in the system, they aspire to play a significant role in presidential and legislative performance after the election. They normally seek at least three types of relevance: (1) to represent their followers, who supported them in the campaign; (2) to achieve their policy objectives outlined in the campaign; (3) to enhance their prospects for reelection, to retain power and attempt to increase it. Thus, representation, policy making, and power maximization are three key functions parties seek to achieve in the legislature.
Natural rates of growth and longevity of Nautilus belauensis

Capture-mark-recapture of Nautilus belauensis in Palau shows that (a) immature animals added an average of 0.1 mm of shell per day at the ventral circumference (projected mean annual increment of 37 mm), but this rate decreases rapidly as maturity is approached; (b) rate of growth line secretion is irregular, ranging from 4 to 8 days per growth line in immature animals; (c) overall weight is an imprecise measure of size and growth in Nautilus due to fluctuations in crop content and chamber liquid; (d) this species is shown to live for at least 4 yr beyond maturity. Age estimates based on the highest growth rate obtained (0.12 mm/day = 43.8 mm/yr) range from 14.5 to 17 yr for seven animals recaptured 45-355 days after release. Combined, these data indicate that the life span of Nautilus may exceed 20 yr.