cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Real-time Distributed MIMO Systems

Recent years have seen a lot of work in moving distributed MIMO from theory to practice. While this prior work demonstrates the feasibility of synchronizing multiple transmitters in time, frequency, and phase, none of them deliver a full-fledged PHY capable of supporting distributed MIMO in real-time. Further, none of them can address dynamic environments or mobile clients. Addressing these challenges, requires new solutions for low-overhead and fast tracking of wireless channels, which are the key parameters of any distributed MIMO system. It also requires a software-hardware architecture that can deliver a distributed MIMO within a full-fledged 802.11 PHY, while still meeting the tight timing constraints of the 802.11 protocol. This architecture also needs to perform coordinated power control across distributed MIMO nodes, as opposed to simply letting each node perform power control as if it were operating alone. This paper describes the design and implementation of MegaMIMO 2.0, a system that achieves these goals and delivers the first real-time fully distributed 802.11 MIMO system.
Towards a Statistical Shape-Aware Deformable Contour Model for Cranial Nerve Identification

This paper presents a cranial nerve segmentation technique that combines a 3D deformable contour and a 3D contour Statistical Shape Model (SSM). A set of training data for the construction of the 3D contour shape model is produced using a 1-simplex based discrete deformable contour model where the centerline identification proceeds by optimizing internal and external forces. Point-correspondence for the training dataset is performed using an entropy-based energy minimization of particles on the centerline curve. The resulting average shape is used as a prior knowledge, which is incorporated into the 1-simplex as a reference shape model, making the approach stable against low resolution and image artifacts during segmentation using MRI data. Shape variability is shown using the first 3 modes of variation. The segmentation result is validated quantitatively, with ground truth provided by an expert.
Serum Lactic Acid (LA) as a Predictor of Septic Shock in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies (HM) Who Develop Febrile Neutropenia

Introduction: Febrile neutropenia, a commonly occurring entity in patients (pts) with HM, is treated empirically with antibiotics due to a high risk of developing septic shock. Currently, there is no way to predict which hospitalized pts with febrile neutropenia are at greatest risk of developing septic shock. Clinicians have traditionally used systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria (≥ 2 of the following: RR > 20, HR >90, Temp > 38C or 12k or Methods: We tested the association of lactate, tachypnea, and tachycardia with the development of septic shock in hospitalized adult HM pts (age 18–83) in a nested, case-control design within a prospective, single-center, cohort study. Vital signs and lactate were measured during episodes of febrile neutropenia (Temp > 100.4 & ANC Results: Of the 547 pts enrolled, 46 (8.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.2–10.9) developed septic shock. Baseline characteristics including age, vital signs, ANC, medications, and lactate were similar between the groups. The mean baseline lactate (1.0 mmol/L; 95% CI: 0.5–2.0) for the cohort was similar to our hospital’s normal range (.7–2.1mmol/L). In univariate analysis of HR, RR and lactate, only tachypnea (RR>20) (OR 5.9; 95% CI: 2.0–16.9, p =.001) and elevated lactate level (OR 18.4; 95% CI: 4.1–81.6, p Conclusions: In febrile neutropenic pts, measurement of tachypnea is the only SIRS criteria with independent prognostic importance for the development of septic shock. In addition to RR, measurement of serum lactate (a valid, inexpensive, readily available laboratory test) at the time of febrile neutropenia, adds significant value in the prediction of which HM pts are at increased risk of developing septic shock. Although further study is required to validate these results, routine measurement of lactate may help identify pts who may benefit from increased monitoring and early intervention strategies.
A Fluorinated Ether Electrolyte Enabled High Performance Prelithiated Graphite/Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium/sulfur (Li/S) batteries have attracted great attention as a promising energy storage technology, but so far their practical applications are greatly hindered by issues of polysulfide shuttling and unstable lithium/electrolyte interface. To address these issues, a feasible strategy is to construct a rechargeable prelithiated graphite/sulfur batteries. In this work, a fluorinated ether of bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) ether (BTFE) was reported to blend with 1,3-dioxolane (DOL) for making a multifunctional electrolyte of 1.0 M LiTFSI DOL/BTFE (1:1, v/v) to enable high performance prelithiated graphite/S batteries. First, the electrolyte significantly reduces polysulfide solubility to suppress the deleterious polysulfide shuttling and thus improves capacity retention of sulfur cathodes. Second, thanks to the low viscosity and good wettability, the fluorinated electrolyte dramatically enhances the reaction kinetics and sulfur utilization of high-areal-loading sulfur cathodes. More importantly, this electro...
Introduction to Movement Disorders

Movement disorders refer to any disruption of voluntary movement including involuntary muscle activity, though often people use the term to refer to extrapyramidal syndromes caused by antipsychotics.
Caregiving Attitudes, Personal Loss, and Stress-Related Growth Among Siblings of Adults with Mental Illness

As parents age, well siblings are often asked to assume caregiving responsibilities for their brother or sister with mental illness. However, relatively little is known about how well siblings prioritize sibling caregiving responsibilities with other life demands. We examined well siblings’ attitudes toward self-care and caregiving for their sibling with mental illness (self- and sibling-care) using two cross-sectional samples. The first sample of well siblings (N = 242) was used to examine the psychometric properties of the self- and sibling-care measure (SSCM), designed to assess the degree to which siblings prioritize their own needs and the needs of their sibling with mental illness. A second sample (N = 103) was used to determine the relative contribution of self- and sibling-care attitudes in accounting for variation in well siblings’ reports of personal loss and stress-related personal growth. Results support the psychometric validity of the SSCM and suggest that self- and sibling-care attitudes account for greater variance in scores on perceived personal loss and stress-related growth than demographic or caregiving factors. Our findings support the need to address family care responsibilities and resource limitations through recovery-oriented mental health policies, services, and programs.
Exercise, cognition, and the adolescent brain.

Background Few adolescents engage in the recommended levels of physical activity, and daily exercise levels tend to drastically decrease throughout adolescence. Beyond physical health benefits, regular exercise may also have important implications for the teenage brain and cognitive and academic capabilities. Methods This narrative review examines how physical activity and aerobic exercise relate to school performance, cognition, and brain structure and function. Results A number of studies have found that habitual exercise and physical activity are associated with academic performance, cognitive function, brain structure, and brain activity in adolescents. We also discuss how additional intervention studies that examine a wide range of neurological and cognitive outcomes are necessary, as well as characterizing the type, frequency, and dose of exercise and identifying individual differences that contribute to how exercise may benefit the teen brain. Conclusions Routine exercise relates to adolescent brain structure and function as well as cognitive performance. Together, these studies suggest that physical activity and aerobic exercise may be important factors for optimal adolescent brain development.
Regulation of Synthesis and Activity of Cytochrome P-450 Enzymes in Physiological Pathways

Regulation of the levels and activities of various forms of cytochrome P450 has important implications in human biology. For example, it is well known that different individuals have different capacities to metabolize various drugs.1 Such variation may result, in part, from an allelic distribution of P-450 isozymes;2 or it may also result from individual variations in the level of a specific isozyme.3,4 Also, deficiencies of different steroid hydroxylases lead to various disease states. For example, adrenal hyperplasia occurs in approximately one in 5000 births, making it one of the more common inborn errors of metabolism.5 In at least 95% of these cases, the deficiency is detected as a decrease in steroid 21-hydroxylation in the adrenal cortex,6 a reaction catalyzed by a specific form of P-450 (P-450C21), leading to deficient cortisol biosynthesis. These are but a few examples which illustrate the reasons why investigation of the regulation of P-450 activities has become such an active area of research. In each example, understanding of the molecular basis of variations in P-450 gene expression will be necessary for the complete elucidation of the different phenotypes.
Adaptively Sharing Time-Series with Differential Privacy

Sharing real-time aggregate statistics of private data is of great value to the public to perform data mining for understanding important phenomena, such as Influenza outbreaks and traffic congestion. However, releasing time-series data with standard differential privacy mechanism has limited utility due to high correlation between data values. We propose FAST, a novel framework to release real-time aggregate statistics under differential privacy based on filtering and adaptive sampling. To minimize the overall privacy cost, FAST adaptively samples long time-series according to the detected data dynamics. To improve the accuracy of data release per time stamp, FAST predicts data values at non-sampling points and corrects noisy observations at sampling points. Our experiments with real-world as well as synthetic data sets confirm that FAST improves the accuracy of released aggregates even under small privacy cost and can be used to enable a wide range of monitoring applications.
The Effect of Attitudes on Science Achievement: A Study Conducted Among High School Pupils in Cyprus

The purpose of this study was to examine how pupils' attitudes towards science and their beliefs about themselves affect their achievements in science, and vice versa. Cyprus provided an interesting location for the study, being a developing nation that has adopted educational ideas from a variety of countries, including the US, UK and Greece. The results of this study demonstrated the differential effects that science achievement and science attitudes can have on each other, depending on the characteristics of the educational systems of the country. The findings indicate various directions for future research.
The Old Lion Syndrome: CEOs and their preferences for Female Executives in the Top Management Team

Despite that the representation of women on the top management team has been shown to relate positively to firm performance, women continue to be underrepresented in the top management team. In thi...
Unobtrusive In Situ Diagnostics of Filament-Fed Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing

Build defects, such as nozzle clogging and thermal substrate deformation, are common in material extrusion additive manufacturing technologies, and are difficult to detect because of the high-temperature environment of fused deposition modeling (FDM) machines that do not accommodate internal sensors. To overcome this difficulty, this paper integrated an external sensor to monitor the supply current of the motor that fed filament into an extrusion head. This paper describes the investigation of the relationship between the deposition status and the reaction torque on the filament-feed motor. A dynamic model of the internal operation of the FDM extrusion head was developed and used to infer printing defects. The change in reaction force opposing extrusion was indirectly measured by monitoring the current delivered to the filament-feed motor, and consequently, the use of other sensors in the high-temperature chamber was avoided. An analysis of the supply current, in both time and frequency domains, enabled the detection of defects during material deposition.
Bimodal Oscillation as a Mechanism for Autonomous Majority Voting in PUFs

Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) leveraging minute silicon process variations have been proposed for generating the device-tied secret keys. When creating the PUF-based keys, the high energy and area costs for implementing error corrections can far exceed the costs of the basic PUF circuits alone. It is critical to minimize the end-to-end cost of the reliable key generation; otherwise, the application of PUFs would be greatly limited. In this paper, we propose a new PUF scheme that uses a circuit with two different oscillation modes (bimodal oscillation) to realize the autonomous majority voting and improve PUF reliability. This design is novel and efficient because the voting procedure is realized with a self-timed oscillating circuit without orchestration by a clock signal. We use both circuit simulation and FPGA implementation to evaluate the reliability tradeoffs achieved by different parameterizations of the design, to show that the design performs well across a range of supply voltages, and to quantify the robustness of the design across a broad range of operating temperatures.
Linear Algebra & Matrix Computing

Linear algebra is a branch of mathematics that studies linear associations using vectors, vector-spaces, linear equations, linear transformations, and matrices. It is generally challenging to visualize complex data, e.g., large vectors, tensors, and tables in n-dimensional Euclidian spaces (n ≥ 3). Linear algebra allows us to mathematically represent, computationally model, statistically analyze, synthetically simulate, and visually summarize such complex data.
TCT-757 Axillary Artery Access for Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices in Patients with Prohibitive Peripheral Arterial Disease Presenting with Cardiogenic Shock

Both peripheral vascular disease (PVD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) have similar risk factors, and thus, it is common to encounter the challenge of treating structural or complex coronary patients with significant concomitant PAD. We sought to study the feasibility of axillary artery as
Fracture Resistance of Additively Manufactured Zirconia Crowns when Cemented to Implant Supported Zirconia Abutments: An in vitro Study.

Purpose To compare the fracture resistance of implant-supported milled zirconia, milled lithium disilicate, and additively manufactured zirconia crowns. Materials and methods Maxillary cast with a dental implant replacing right second bicuspid was obtained. Custom abutments and full-contour crowns for milled zirconia, milled lithium disilicate, and additively manufactured zirconia crowns (n = 10/group) were digitally designed and fabricated. The crowns were cemented to implant-supported zirconia abutments and mounted onto polyurethane blocks. Fracture resistance was determined by vertical force application using a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 2 mm/minute. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze data and failure mode was determined for all the groups. Results Milled zirconia crowns demonstrated the highest median fracture resistance (1292 ± 189 N), followed by milled lithium disilicate (1289 ± 142 N) and additively manufactured zirconia (1243.5 ± 265.5 N) crowns. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in fracture resistance between the groups (p = 0.4). All specimens fractured at the implant-abutment interface. Conclusion Additively manufactured zirconia crowns demonstrated similar fracture resistance to milled ceramic crowns, when cemented to implant supported zirconia abutments. The results of this in vitro study signify the promising potential of additive manufacturing for the fabrication of all ceramic zirconia crowns.
NOAA Operational Environmental Satellites for Earth Monitoring

In the second half of the twentieth century, following demands for more accurate environmental monitoring of the Earth’s two satellite systems, geostationary (GOES) and polar-orbiting (POES) were developed to observe the ocean atmosphere and land for more accurate monitoring, modeling and prediction of environmental impacts on economy and human life. The measurements from the GOES satellite were used for weather monitoring and predictions. POES data were used intensively to estimate land cover change, vegetation health and soil moisture, to detect and monitor drought and vegetation stress, to predict fire and malaria risk, to model crop and pasture production and for other purposes affecting the humanity. Most of these POES products are used successfully for prediction of food shortages and the related food security problems. This chapter describes the POES data collection and processing (especially noise removal) from the two NOAA operational polar-orbiting satellite systems (initial – NOAA/AVHRR and new – SNPP/VIIRS) and data preparation for continued applications and predictions in agriculture, human health, food security, climate and land changes, disasters detection (drought, crop losses etc.). Since the late 20th, these data have been used for malaria monitoring.
Predicting demand for hydrogen station fueling

Abstract Full function hydrogen stations are a reality; fuel cell electric vehicle drivers can pull up to commercial fueling stations and receive 3–5 kg in less than 5 min, for an approximately 300-mile range. The demand for hydrogen is increasing, driven by an increase in the fueling of public and private fuel cell vehicles. This study describes the development and value of a model that simulates stochastic future demand at a hydrogen filling station. The predictive hydrogen demand model described in this article is trained from mathematical models constructed from actual hydrogen fill count, amount, and frequency data. Future fill probabilities inform the hour-by-hour demand profile and the station state of either “available, ready to fill” or “available, filling”. For example, a prediction for a station generally dispensing 5,000 kg a week on a Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. is 16 fills, totaling 48.7 kg, with a 0.52 proportion of time spent in “available, filling” state yielding 31 min of filling time. This is a first-of-its kind, published study on predicting future hydrogen demand by the time of day (e.g., hour-by-hour intervals) and day of week. This study can be used for hydrogen station requirements and operation and maintenance strategies and to assess the impact of demand variations and scenarios. This article presents the current status of hydrogen demand, the model development methods, a set of sample results. Discussion and conclusions concentrate on the value and use of the proposed model.
Investigating the Impact of Covariate Inclusion on Sample Size Requirements of Factor Mixture Modeling: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study

Factor mixture modeling (FMM) has been increasingly used in behavioral and social sciences to capture underlying population heterogeneity. This Monte Carlo simulation study investigated a common is...
The Optimization of the Coolant System Flow in a NASCAR Winston Cup Engine (983024)

The objective of the project was to equalize the coolant and component temperatures throughout the engine and to eliminate any localized “hot spots”. A designed experiment was conducted to determine the effect of various parameters on the distribution of coolant flow through the internal coolant passage system of a NASCAR Winston Cup racing engine. The recommended configuration which includes internal passage restrictors and external coolant lines considerably reduced the temperature differential throughout the engine and significantly reduced the temperatures of localized “hot spots”. On track testing confirmed the results gathered during the dynamometer testing. The analysis of several engines upon the completion of actual competition validated the effectiveness of the recommended coolant system configuration.
Gene drives gaining speed

Gene drives are selfish genetic elements that are transmitted to progeny at super-Mendelian (>50%) frequencies. Recently developed CRISPR-Cas9-based gene-drive systems are highly efficient in laboratory settings, offering the potential to reduce the prevalence of vector-borne diseases, crop pests and non-native invasive species. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential unintended impacts of gene-drive systems. This Review summarizes the phenomenal progress in this field, focusing on optimal design features for full-drive elements (drives with linked Cas9 and guide RNA components) that either suppress target mosquito populations or modify them to prevent pathogen transmission, allelic drives for updating genetic elements, mitigating strategies including trans-complementing split-drives and genetic neutralizing elements, and the adaptation of drive technology to other organisms. These scientific advances, combined with ethical and social considerations, will facilitate the transparent and responsible advancement of these technologies towards field implementation.
Let's talk teaching: Progressive pedagogy in anthropology courses.

OBJECTIVES In this article, we discuss research from the science of teaching and learning and from progressive pedagogy, with the aim of discussing how these fields can help us all become better teachers. METHODS Our methods were based on assessment of the literature and our in-class practices. RESULTS We find that the practices of critical progressive pedagogy are rooted in good research practices and are based both on new research and on fundamental aspects of teaching and learning. CONCLUSIONS While some of the ideas mentioned in this piece might be seen as radical, we argue that everyone can benefit from a discussion of these concepts and ideas. Teaching is something that we all do in various ways. Progressive pedagogy allows us to create classrooms as a space to welcome all learners and also pushes educators toward creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable classroom.
DSP in genomics: processing and frequency-domain analysis of character strings

We demonstrate that digital signal processing of biomolecular sequences provides powerful approaches for solving highly relevant problems in bioinformatics by properly mapping character strings into numerical sequences. As examples, we show that color spectrograms visually provide, in the form of local texture, significant information about biomolecular sequences, thus facilitating understanding of local nature, structure and function; we provide an optimization procedure predicting protein-coding regions in DNA sequences including reading frame and coding direction, using both the magnitude and the phase of properly defined Fourier transforms; and we present a digital filtering approach to the process of translating nucleic acids into proteins. These approaches result in alternative mathematical formulations and often provide improved computational techniques for the solution of useful problems in genomic information science and technology.
Research Methods for Science: Safety in the laboratory

Safety contract This is an overview of ways to reduce the risk of an accident and to minimize the impact of one if it does occur. The most important part of laboratory safety is the prevention of accidents. However, it is also important to understand how to respond to the various kinds of accidents that can occur in a laboratory setting. You are responsible for reviewing the following rules and following them. The most common laboratory safety equipment is listed below and you are responsible for knowing its location in your laboratory and knowing when and how to use it. Proper attire Proper laboratory attire includes long pants, close-toed shoes, and shirts that cover the full torso. If you work with any chemicals in the laboratory, you must arrive wearing the appropriate clothing. If not, you may be asked to change clothing before engaging in your experiment, especially if you are using chemicals. Always stand – do not sit – when working with chemicals since in the event of a spill, ability to move out of the way is critical. Cleanliness and safeness of work area You will always be expected to maintain a clean and uncluttered work area. Be sure to clean and return all materials to the appropriate storage space before leaving the lab. If left unclean and/or cluttered, you will be required to return to the lab on your own time and clean up what you left behind.
Ethics and Equal Protection: Anti-Bias Rules as an Imperfect Substitute for Heightened Scrutiny

In 1990, the American Bar Association amended Canon 3 of its proposed code of judicial conduct to provide that "a judge shall not, in the performance of judicial duties, by words or conduct manifest bias or prejudice . . . based upon . . . sexual orientation." At least twenty-nine states appear to agree that gay men and lesbians might require some protection from bias, and have accordingly adopted the ABA's proposed anti-bias language in Canon 3. This article presents an interpretation of that language, explaining what it might mean for a court system to prohibit bias or prejudice on the basis of sexual orientation. The article argues that judges violate Canon 3 not only when they show disrespect to gay men and lesbians, but also when they permit their attitudes toward homosexuality to color fact-finding ("positive bias") or affect interpretation and application of law ("normative bias"). The article describes the way positive bias might lead judges to rely upon their own assumptions about homosexuality instead of searching for solid evidence. It highlights the methodological flaws that might undermine empirical studies, alerting judges to the dangers of relying upon statistical evidence about homosexuality. Finally, it pushes the Canon 3 envelope by exploring the ways that judges might show bias through legal rulings. The article argues that judges violate Canon 3 if they rule against gay or lesbian litigants on the basis of sexual orientation unless they are compelled to do so. To determine whether judges are compelled to rule on the basis of sexual orientation, the article offers a two-fold inquiry: first, judges must consider whether the anti-gay rule they are called upon to apply is truly binding upon them, and second, they must consider whether a binding rule is unambiguously anti-gay. Canon 3 imposes upon judges an obligation to try, whenever possible, to rule in a gay-neutral way. This broad interpretation of Canon 3 renders it a substitute for heightened consitutional scrutiny, albeit an imperfect one. Canon 3 can bind, at most, only one branch of government, and only in the 29 states that have adopted it. State executives, state legislators, and federal actors of all three branches remain free of Canon 3's requirements. Thus Canon 3 cannot give all the relief that more searching constitutional review would confer. This article shows, however, that where it has been adopted, Canon 3 could influence some judges powerfully, mandating some of the results that would obtain under heightened scrutiny.
Cities That Pass Living-Wage Ordinances

Are some cities more amenable to the organization efforts required to pass living-wage legislation? This economist thinks there might be, and he examines the criteria below.
Chapter 158 Marine chemistry and geochemistry of the lanthanides

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the characteristics and properties of lanthanides in seawater and presents the rationale for studying the lanthanide composition of natural waters. The lanthanides are composed of a group of fourteen elements (La, Ce, Pf, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu). There are anthropogenic sources of lanthanides to the atmosphere (and presumably to the ocean) in the form of particles produced during the cracking of oil and the combustion of oil and gasoline products. A major objective of chemical oceanography is to understand processes controlling the concentration, distribution, speciation, and flux of elements in the oceans. The chapter describes and discusses lanthanide distributions in the oceans and the biogeochemical and physical processes responsible for these distributions. It presents the profiles of lanthanide concentrations in the water column and their variations within and between ocean basins. The redox geochemistry of Ce as revealed by vertical and horizontal variations in the Ce anomaly is discussed. The inter-oceanic mass fractionation of the strictly trivalent lanthanides is also described.
Non-Newtonian Fluids in Circular Pipe Flow

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on heat transfer behavior of viscoelastic fluid in turbulent pipe flow. Although the asymptotic values of the heat transfer and friction factor can be calculated, there exist no firm criteria for determining whether asymptotic conditions exist. Predictions of the intermediate values of the friction and heat transfer are not yet possible, even if the rheology and the thermal properties of the aqueous polymer solution are known. To deals with the problems, the Weissenberg or Deborah number has to be taken into account. The behavior of viscoelastic fluids flowing turbulently in noncircular channels or over external surfaces represents a relatively unexplored area of fluid mechanics. Open channel flow of viscoelastic fluid is another interesting field currently being investigated. The chapter concludes that to approach turbulent heat transfer behavior analytically, the usual and simplest method is to solve the uncoupled energy equation using the empirically determined velocity profile. Hence, it is essential to understand the fluid mechanics of non-Newtonian fluids as well as the rheology.
Exclusivity without Patents: The New Frontier of FDA Regulation for Genetic Materials

Over the last twenty years, the legal and scientific academic communities have been embroiled in a debate about the patent eligibility of genetic materials. The stakes for both sides could not be higher. On one hand are the potential multi-billion dollar profits on the fruits of research (from newly discovered genes), and on the other is scientists’ ability to continue and expand research into the human genome to improve patients’ access to affordable diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. This debate is currently pending before the Supreme Court, which is considering a petition for certiorari in Ass’n for Molecular Pathology v. U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Both sides have legitimate concerns. Given the unique nature of DNA, patents that broadly cover genetic materials and prevent their use (except by the license of the patentee) create insurmountable roadblocks for future research. However, denying exclusive rights to the fruits of laborious and costly research will remove the necessary incentives for investment in these endeavors, thus delaying scientific and medical discoveries.To remedy these problems, this Article proposes a non-patent exclusivity system administered by the Food and Drug Administration. Under such a system, the innovators who bring new therapeutic or diagnostic products to market would receive exclusive rights to market their products for a limited time. This regime would provide sufficient market-based incentives to continue with the research and investment in this area. At the same time, because genetic sequences would no longer be broadly protected by patents, the public would be able to access these basic research tools without fear of infringement litigation. This approach addresses the concerns of both sides to the debate and leads to a cheaper, more predictable, and easier to administer system of exclusive rights.
Analysis of SUMOylation of Topoisomerase IIα with Xenopus Egg Extracts

Posttranslational protein modification by the Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifiers (SUMO) is involved in many cellular functions including organization of nuclear structures and chromatin, transcriptional regulation, and nucleo-cytoplasmic transport. Both genetic and biochemical studies indicate that the SUMO modification pathway plays an important role in proper cell cycle control, especially in the normal progression of mitosis. DNA topoisomerase II has been shown to be modified by SUMO in budding yeast as well as in vertebrates. We have shown by biochemical analysis using the Xenopus egg extract (XEE) cell-free assay system that DNA topoisomerase IIalpha (Topo IIalpha) is modified by SUMO-2/3 on mitotic chromosomes in the early stages of mitosis. Inhibition of mitotic SUMOylation in the XEE assay system causes aberrant sister chromatid separation in anaphase and alters Topo IIalpha association with chromosomes.
Learning and Memory

An organism's chances for survival are greatly impacted by its ability to learn from previous experience and form memories to modify future behaviour. The search for the engram, the physical trace of a memory in the brain, has resulted in a wealth of data beginning to uncover how memories are stored at the molecular-cellular level. Despite terminology that suggests a unitary nature, modern definitions of memory support the idea of multiple memory systems, unique in both structure and function. Experiments utilising a multitude of techniques support a structural distinction between different types of memory in humans and animals. The method of memory formation appears to be conserved across memory systems, each following a pattern of encoding, storage and retrieval. Though individual memory capabilities do vary slightly across the population, extreme cases have been observed in either direction, such as hyperthymesia (superior autobiographical memory) and amnesia associated with neurological damage (e.g. Alzheimer's disease). Key Concepts: Modern neuroscience accepts multiple brain–memory systems. Memory can be defined in terms of temporal longevity, quality of information, or brain circuits required in its formation and storage. The medial temporal lobe is a critical system in the formation and storage of declarative memories about facts and events. Amnesiacs with bilaterally damaged medial temporal lobe system have intact procedural memories. Understanding the mechanisms of learning and memory is vital to developing treatments for cognitive declines that occur with aging and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's dementia. Keywords: learning; memory; declarative memory; nondeclarative memory; conditioning; multiple memory systems
Relationship between cyanogenic compounds in kernels, leaves, and roots of sweet and bitter kernelled almonds

The relationship between the levels of cyanogenic compounds (amygdalin and prunasin) in kernels, leaves, and roots of 5 sweet-, 5 slightly bitter-, and 5 bitter-kernelled almond trees was determined. Variability was observed among the genotypes for these compounds. Prunasin was found only in the vegetative part (roots and leaves) for all genotypes tested. Amygdalin was detected only in the kernels, mainly in bitter genotypes. In general, bitter-kernelled genotypes had higher levels of prunasin in their roots than nonbitter ones, but the correlation between cyanogenic compounds in the different parts of plants was not high. While prunasin seems to be present in most almond roots (with a variable concentration) only bitter-kernelled genotypes are able to transform it into amygdalin in the kernel. Breeding for prunasin-based resistance to the buprestid beetle Capnodis tenebrionis L. is discussed.
The immune system victorious: selective preservation of self

How the body successfully distinguishes its own tissue cells from those that are foreign and genetically nonidentical to it has been a focus of much research. Clonal deletion maintains that immune system cells with the potential to injure self constituents are eliminated during development, thereby neutralizing their capacity to induce self injury. Selected self-reactive maturing T cell clones undergo deletion in the thymus. A two-step selection process affects immature T cells that enter the thymus. Positive selection makes certain that all surviving cells are able to identify major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins present on all body cells. These MHC proteins interact with antigens and present them to T lymphocytes. Negative selection is essential for self-tolerance. It eliminates potentially injurious self-reactive T cells by placing them in contact with a mixture of self antigens in the thymus. Clonal anergy might act together with clonal deletion to maintain self tolerance. Self-reactive T cells in the blood of healthy subjects could represent cells whose affinities for antigen are too weak to initiate an immunologic disease. The fate of T cells reacting to a specific antigen has been traced in transgenic mice. Class I MHC molecules present peptides manufactured within the cell, whereas class II MHC molecules present peptides from extracellular proteins. Interaction of a T cell receptor with its homologous antigen associated with MHC molecules leads to proliferation of that T cell in the presence of costimulatory signals. Investigations elucidating the role of T cell receptors, MHC molecules and antigen peptides in self-nonself discrimination are discussed. The article concludes with an introductory summary of the remaining articles in the issue that address selected topics in self-nonself discrimination.
Effects of Temperature on the Kinetics of the Gated Electron-Transfer Reaction between Zinc Cytochrome c and Plastocyanin. Analysis of Configurational Fluctuation of the Diprotein Complex†

This is a study of the effects of temperature (in the range 273.3−307.7 K) and of ionic strength (in the range 2.5−100 mM) on the kinetics of photoinduced electron-transfer reaction 3Zncyt/pc(II) → Zncyt+/pc(I) within the electrostatic complex of zinc cytochrome c and cupriplastocyanin at pH 7.0. In order to separate direct and indirect effects of temperature on the rate constants, viscosity of the solutions was fixed, at different values, by additions of sucrose. The activation parameters for the reaction within the preformed complex, at the low ionic strength, are ΔH ⧧ = 13 ± 2 kJ/mol and ΔS ⧧ = −97 ± 4 J/K mol. The activation parameters for the reaction within the encounter complex, at the higher ionic strength, are ΔH ⧧ = 13 ± 1 kJ/mol and ΔS ⧧ = −96 ± 3 J/K mol. Evidently, the two complexes are the same. The proteins associate similarly in the persistent and the transient complex, i.e., at different ionic strengths. In both complexes, however, electron transfer is gated by a rearrangement, as previou...
Smooth, 3D Ge transistor channels by heteroepitaxial growth

Crystalline germanium (Ge) is a prime candidate as a material for high-performance transistors due to its higher electron and hole mobility with respect to those of silicon. In this study, we present a novel method of fabricating epitaxial Ge structures of high crystalline and morphological quality directly onto Si substrates, in which 3D Ge structures are grown by selective epitaxy then annealed in a hydrogen ambient at 850^oC. Under such annealing, the surface of the Ge structures deform by surface diffusion to form smooth, rounded shapes for which the surface energy is at a local minima. The apparent smoothness of the surface, along with the decreased defect density expected to exist in these heteroepitaxial Ge structures, suggest they are adequate for use as transistor channels.
Existence and regularity of a capillary surface with prescribed contact angle

CGmmunicated by J. SERRIN In this paper we discuss the existence and regularity of solutions u of the problem (0.1) divv=to(x,u) on t2 (v-Du/1/l+lDul 2) (0.2) v.r/=cos 0 on ~?t2, where t2 is a bounded domain in IR", n > 2, tO and 0 are given functions on ~ x IR and Qf2 respectively, and r/is the outward unit normal to Of 2. Recently URAL'TSEVA [8] has shown that (0.1), (0.2) has a C2(~)) solution if 0 = constant E(0, n), if tO(x, z) has HiSlder continuous partial derivatives with respect to (x, z)e~ x P,, if (0.3) inf 8tO(x,z) >0,
Responding to the Crisis in Children's Mental Health: Potential Roles for the Counseling Profession

Mental health concerns pose a substantial threat to the immediate and future health of children and their functioning at home, at school, and in the community. Research indicates that 1 in 5 children has a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder and 1 in 10 has a serious emotional disturbance. This review considers emerging trends, national initiatives, and the roles of related professions in responding to the crisis in children's mental health. Recommendations are offered for counseling practice, training, leadership, and research.
Atrial natriuretic factor in renal failure and posthemodialytic postural hypotension.

Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) levels were ten times normal in hemodialysis patients before dialysis. ANF was not cleared by the dialyzer membrane but plasma levels decreased 47% by the end of dialysis. Patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis had plasma ANF levels four times normal and had detectable ANF in their dialysate. Hemodialysis patients with a marked fall in BP after dialysis had higher ANF levels (P
Do Reading and Interactive Vocabulary Instruction Make a Difference? An Empirical Study

Many teachers give little or no classroom attention to vocabulary, assuming students will learn words incidentally. Although research demonstrates that vocabulary can be acquired indirectly through reading, the question remains: Does vocabulary instruction make a difference? This article reports on a pilot study of the combined effects of reading and interactive vocabulary instruction for U.S. postsecondary L2 students preparing for university entrance. A 10-week classroom-based study tested the hypothesis that L2 students exposed to a combination of regular periods of reading and interactive vocabulary instruction will show significant increases in their knowledge of the nontechnical terms that are used widely across academic fields. L2 students attending university-preparatory intensive English programs were divided into two groups: one received 3 hours a week of interactive vocabulary instruction plus an assignment to read self-selected materials; the other received the self-selected reading assignment only. The results of this study suggest that interactive vocabulary instruction accompanied by moderate amounts of self-selected and course-related reading led to gains in vocabulary knowledge; students' perceptions of how best to learn words corroborated these results. It is argued that teachers should give consideration to the effects of combining reading and interactive vocabulary instruction.
A microtiter plate-based system for the semiautomated growth and assay of bacterial cells for β-galactosidase activity

The introduction of automated pipetting devices, microtiter readers, and microcomputers makes it possible to significantly increase the number of enzyme assays which can be performed as part of the analysis of a biological process. A number of difficulties must be overcome in any such integrated approach based on the microtiter plate. Among these are cell lysis, temperature control, the conversion of microtiter reader optical density values to standard 1-cm path length values, and data management. The utility of such a scheme can be extended to gene regulation and bacterial genetics studies, if bacterial cell culture techniques can be incorporated into the scheme. This paper addresses these issues in the application of a semiautomated system to the study of the induction of the gyrA promoter by treatment (of a gyrA-lac operon fusion-containing strain) with a gyrase inhibitor. This system is specific to the requirements of our studies into the modulation of gene expression by DNA relaxation. The general approach, however, can be readily adapted to other studies.
Visual Outcome After Proton Beam Irradiation of Uveal Melanoma

Prognostic factors for visual loss following proton irradiation of uveal melanoma were evaluated for 440 eyes treated from 1975 to 1984, with visual acuity 20/200 or better before treatment. Analysis involved Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards analysis with visual outcome defined as worse than 20/200. Prognostic factors were tumor height: rate ratio (ratio of rate of visual loss for one category of the variable relative to the rate of visual loss for a reference category of that variable) of 5.26 (95% confidence interval, 2.66-10.39) for tumors greater than 5 mm compared to tumors 3.0 mm or less in height; distance of tumor from the optic disc and fovea: rate ratio 2.59 (1.63-4.11) for tumors 2DD or less from both the optic disc and fovea compared to those greater than 2 DD from these structures. Also predictive of visual loss were tumor location close to disc only, or close to fovea only, macular detachment, worse pretreatment vision, and higher radiation doses delivered to both the disc and fovea, and lens. Regression analysis using a visual acuity scale gave similar results.
Meaning and identity in "cyberspace": The performance of gender, class, and race online

This article explores issues of gendered, classed and raced identities using examples drawn from my research on a type of online forum known as a mud. I critiyue previous accounts of research regarding identity online which have suggested that online interactions encourage greater identity fluidity and multiplicity. Drawing on examples from face-to-face interviews and online interaction, I discuss several aspects of identity. I first examine participants ’ efforts to meet face-to-face and discuss their privileging of offline information regarding identity. Using two examples of “gender-twitchers,” I then show how some participants distance themselves from experiences of gendered identities which might otherwise disrupt previously held beliefs about gender. Next I discuss classed and raced identities, which participants express in conversations about income and ethnicity. These discussions point to the interconnections between online and offline interpretations of class and race. Thus, in discussing these examples, I emphasize the need to examine not just online performances, but also the participants‘ interpretations of such performances. Despite the potentially disruptive effects of online ambiguity, many participants continue to believe in essence and continuity of identity. Carets says: This, right here, and places like it are the real laboratories for the futurethe place where we find out what interaction will be like when it’s all through a computer and you’re judged on what you say and how you say it, and not on who or what you are. In RL, if I’m black, or handicapped, or don’t have a college degree (or even a highschool degree), that will affect how I’m treated. That matters for nothing here, really.’ In the quotation above, Carets, a long-time participant in online social forums, expresses aspirations shared by many online. In his vision of the future, an increasing amount of social interaction will occur via computers. In his view, the benefits of this transition will include the fact that aspects of identity which currently form the basis for discrimination