cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teaching and Learning in Cross-Disciplinary Virtual Teams

Background: Virtual teams collaborate across distances using information communication technologies (ICTs). A distinctive set of communication skills is needed by people who work successfully in virtual teams, and few universities or companies provide structured education and training in virtual teamwork. At a midsized southeastern Masters Comprehensive University, professors from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education came together to explore how they might use cross-disciplinary student teams (groups comprised of students with different backgrounds and educational goals) to teach concepts in their own disciplines while providing students with the opportunity to become more proficient in virtual team communication. Research questions: (1) Can cross-disciplinary student team projects successfully support learning in virtual team communication as well as address the learning objectives of specific courses? (2) What can faculty learn from a cross-disciplinary teaching model that can be applied to virtual teams? Situating the case: Experiential learning is based on performing real tasks and reflecting on that process; it benefits learners by engaging them in complex, authentic situations. Virtual teams are significant because they support a great deal of the work currently taking place in our global economy; they are significant in higher education because students need to develop skills in international virtual communication before they are introduced to high-stakes work environments. In previous cases, students have collaborated across national cultures to develop project deliverables, such as websites, reports, and usability studies and present them in virtual environments using such tools as WebEx, Skype, and live streaming. How this case was studied: The findings from this case are based on individual student reflections, which were used to create a data matrix for each project, and instructor observation and evaluation. About the case: In Spring 2013, six faculty from the same university worked together to incorporate virtual teams into their classrooms. These six faculty members were divided into two groups of three with each group representing three colleges mentioned earlier. The faculty developed two interdisciplinary projects (one on infographics and another on social media) that enabled rich and diverse student collaboration. In both groups, the three faculty leaders worked together to define a project scope that students could achieve and that would relate to learning goals in each discipline. Conclusions: The lessons learned from this experience are that: (1) technical challenges will occur; (2) students from all disciplines must receive the same information; (3) instructors must balance respect for their colleagues and support for their students; (4) team assignments need to be consistent and fair; (5) instructors need to establish appropriate and fair assessment measurements for their own students; and (6) projects need to be realistic in order to show the students the value of virtual work.
Interactions of Acanthamoeba profilin with actin and nucleotides bound to actin.

Three methods, fluorescence anisotropy of rhodamine-labeled profilin, intrinsic fluorescence and nucleotide exchange, give the same affinity, Kd = 0.1 μM, for Acanthamoeba profilins binding amoeba actin monomers with bound Mg-ATP. Replacement of serine 38 with cysteine created a unique site where labeling with rhodamine did not alter the affinity of profilin for actin. The affinity for rabbit skeletal muscle actin is about 4-fold lower. The affinity for both actins is 5−8-fold lower with ADP bound to actin rather than ATP. Pyrenyliodoacetamide labeling of cysteine 374 of muscle actin reduces the affinity for profilin 10-fold. The affinity of profilin for nucleotide-free actin is ∼3-fold higher than for Mg-ATP-actin and ∼24-fold higher than for Mg-ADP-actin. As a result, profilin binding reduces the affinity of actin 3-fold for Mg-ATP and 24-fold for Mg-ADP. Mg-ATP dissociates 8 times faster from actin−profilin than from actin and binds actin−profilin 3 times faster than actin. Mg-ADP dissociates 14 times ...
Impurity concentration dependence of the density of states in semiconductors

Abstract The density of quantum states in a semiconductor depends on the impurity concentration; in this paper, we develop and justify a pragmatic approach to the problem of describing this dependence. The approach combines heretofore separate theories concerning the various contributors to the dependence, utilizing an approximation that enables application of the superposed theories over the range of impurity concentrations of technological interest. To demonstrate the practical utility of the approach, the prediction yielded by its application to p-type gallium arsenide is compared to an experimentally determined density of states. The agreement is satisfactory.
Large-scale integration of cancer microarray data identifies a robust common cancer signature.

There is a continuing need to develop molecular diagnostic tools which complement histopathologic examination to increase the accuracy of cancer diagnosis. DNA microarrays provide a means for measuring gene expression signatures which can then be used as components of genomic-based diagnostic tests to determine the presence of cancer. In this study, we collect and integrate ~ 1500 microarray gene expression profiles from 26 published cancer data sets across 21 major human cancer types. We then apply a statistical method, referred to as the T op-S coring P air of G roups (TSPG) classifier, and a repeated random sampling strategy to the integrated training data sets and identify a common cancer signature consisting of 46 genes. These 46 genes are naturally divided into two distinct groups; those in one group are typically expressed less than those in the other group for cancer tissues. Given a new expression profile, the classifier discriminates cancer from normal tissues by ranking the expression values of the 46 genes in the cancer signature and comparing the average ranks of the two groups. This signature is then validated by applying this decision rule to independent test data. By combining the TSPG method and repeated random sampling, a robust common cancer signature has been identified from large-scale microarray data integration. Upon further validation, this signature may be useful as a robust and objective diagnostic test for cancer.
T4 gene 32 protein model for control of activity at replication fork.

Limited hydrolysis of gene 32 protein by various proteinases results in the production of three stable cleavage products. Two of these products show an affinity for native T4 DNA cellulose that the uncleaved protein does not exhibit. A model for proteolytic cleavage and for the local unwinding of DNA in advance of the replication fork is discussed in terms of this unusual binding affinity.
Barriers to Deceiving Other Group Members in Virtual Settings

The purpose of this study was to explore the incidence and potential influence of deceptive communication on the decisions made by groups using computer-mediated communication. Two dependent variables were of specific interest—the amount of deception submitted during group decision-making and the success of deceivers in influencing the final decision. Results showed that deceivers lie more in CMC-supported groups, but were only significantly more successful in swaying the allocation decision when group members were collocated. Overall, group members were abysmally poor at detecting the lies that were submitted. The results of the study are discussed and implications for future research and practice are offered.
Cardiac function in smokers and nonsmokers: The CARDIA study

Objectives. This study assessed clinical and echocardiographic measures of cardiac function at rest in smokers and nonsmokers to determine the associations of cigarette smoking with various measures of left and right ventricular performance. Background. Whereas the immediate cardiovascular effects of cigarette smoking have been well described, the long-term effects in an otherwise healthy cohort have not. Of particular interest were associations with heart rate, left ventricular end-systolic stress and left ventricular mass because higher levels of these measures would suggest increased myocardial oxygen consumption. Methods. In year 5 of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, 3,366 smokers and nonsmokers (ex-smokers were excluded) underwent echocardiography as well as assessment of heart rate, anthropometric measurements and blood pressure. Participants ranged in age from 23 to 35 years and were equally distributed by race and gender. Echocardiographic measures included pulsed Doppler pulmonary artery acceleration time (a decrease suggests increased pulmonary artery pressure), left ventricular mass, left ventricular end-systolic stress and left ventricular fractional shortening. Results. All comparisons were between smokers and nonsmokers. Heart rate at rest was significantly higher in smokers by 1.5 to 5 beats/min in all race/gender groups except black men. In men who smoked, pulmonary artery acceleration time was significantly lower by 4 to 8 ms. Except for black male smokers, there was a trend toward increased left ventricular mass (3 to 8 g) in all race/gender groups, significant in black women. Left ventricular end-systolic stress was significantly higher in women who smoked (4 to 6 dynes/cm2). There were no differences for systolic blood pressure or left ventricular fractional shortening. Conclusion. In an assessment of cardiovascular function at rest in young adults, quantifiable differences between smokers and nonsmokers that predict increased rest myocardial oxygen consumption in smokers were found. Some of these differences were gender specific.
Evolution of complexity and cost for Planetary Missions throughout the development lifecycle

This paper provides an update to the complexity-cost relationship presented at the Fourth IAA International Conference On Low-Cost Planetary Missions [Bearden, 2000]. [1] A significant data set exists for a thorough examination of the relationship between on-orbit performance, cost and schedule. Since 2000, the number of missions captured in the database has grown, while maintaining a stable complexity-cost relationship. This study focuses on a subset of missions with similar costs to Discovery-Class missions over the last two decades using the complexity metric to examine system development cost at various development milestones. The further from the successful mission complexity-cost trendline the study missions began their development, the greater the cost growth at launch. The magnitude of this cost growth appears to be linearly proportional to this initial “cost optimism.”
midwives, godmothers, and witches: female body and identity in the Italian south

Madre madrina: Rituale, parentela e identita in un paese del Sannio (San Marco dei Cavoti). BERNARDINO PALUMBO Itinerari delle emozioni: Corpo e identita femminile nel Sannio Campano. MARIELLA PANDOLFI
Repetitive pinching of the skin during lidocaine infiltration reduces patient discomfort

Abstract Background: The administration of a local anesthetic is often painful. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether rapidly shaking and pinching the skin during local anesthetic administration decreases pain perception. Methods: The skin at the intended site of lidocaine injection was rapidly pinched between the thumb and forefinger just before the injection. Control patients received no intervention. Patients reported their pain perception using a visual analog scale (0 to 10). In the feasibility phase, patients were assigned to receive the pinching technique or no intervention, then randomized in the second phase. Results: In phase 1, 34 patients received 42 excisions. Pain was significantly reduced ( p = 0.001) in the treatment group. In phase 2, 69 patients had 91 excisions. When adjusted for age and sex (data combined from phases 1 and 2), the treatment significantly reduced pain ( p = 0.03) when compared with no intervention. Conclusion: We describe a simple, noninvasive technique that significantly lowered perceived pain during the administration of unbuffered lidocaine with epinephrine local anesthetic. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;39:74-8.)
Packet switching for mobile earth stations via low-orbit satellite network

A potentially valuable implementation of a satellite computer communication packet switched network is one which is survivable and distributed. That is, a system which dynamically adapts to changing network element connectivities, changing interconnections of users, and is not dependent on any central unit for its own internal command and control. A laboratory prototype of such a system has been constructed of a group of computers which when given communication circuits between them will, acting autonomously, create a computer communication packet switching network and which will continually adapt to changes in connectivity. In this paper, an adaptive computer communication routing algorithm is described, its application in space including a space segment design is presented, its actual implementation in real physical hardware is discussed, and system performance results as parameters are varied are presented.
A simple indwelling intraventricular cannula suitable for chronic studies in cats

Abstract Construction and implantation procedures are described for a simple intraventricular cannula which is suitable for chronic studies in unanesthetized animals. Advantages of the new cannula over the widely used Collison type are discussed.
Prostaglandin F2α levels in sera during human pregnancy

Abstract Prostaglandin F 2α levels in serum of pregnant women throughout gestation were determined by radioimmunoassay. Significant differences in PGF 2α concentration were found in the serum of women at various stages of gestation. The amounts of PGF 2α in the serum increased gradually as pregnancy progressed and reached a peak during the second trimester. However, during the latter part of the third trimester, PGF 2α levels approximated those found in the serum of nonpregnant women.
Multiple surface reactions in arrays with applications to optical biosensors.

We analyze surface-volume reactions in the context of optical biosensors with arrays of reacting zones. For arrays having zones with the same rate constants, we consider a two-dimensional reacting zone boundary definition and quantify ligand depletion with the effective Damkohler number. We use asymptotics to obtain ligand depletion results for the one-dimensional case, and also compute results for the circular reacting zone case. For arrays having zones with different rate constants, depletion effects cannot be expressed as the product of time-dependent and space-dependent terms, and we propose two effective rate constant equations for this case.
Combined XML/XQuery generator

Testing and benchmarking of XML related algorithms, XML data processors and applications often require a set of XML documents and the corresponding XQueries that can be applied over the test set. Groups of real-world workloads or specialized benchmarking data like [7] are often used in such cases, but generating synthetic sets of XMLs and XQueries could provide more variety and value to tests. Generator described in this paper is developed for the purpose of testing of the enhanced XML indexing support in Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and unlike existing generators, it combines both XML document generation and corresponding XQueries generation, providing richer set of data. Structure of generated XML documents is specified using Data Guide (DG) [3], [5] which also describes cardinality of the nodes and data types. Generator provides controlled randomness of produced XML data and XQueries, greatly improving the overall test coverage.
Accounting for the recent surge in U.S. patenting: changes in R&D expenditures, patent yields, and the high tech sector

We decompose the recent patent increase into components representing (1) an increase in resources made available to research and development, (2) an across-the-board rise in the patent yield of an R&D dollar, and (3) changes in the patent yield in individual industries. Two high tech fields, computer hardware and pharmaceuticals, account for 22 percent of the patent increase. While these two industries had the fastest R&D growth among the industries we study, the pharmaceutical industry experienced a decline in its patent yield, limiting its patent growth. We show that increased R&D spending accounts for 70 percent of the patent increase. We discuss our results in the context of alternative hypotheses of the patent surge. We also compare our results to the anecdotal evidence of firm R&D performance at the industry level.
Mammalian bile promotes growth of Giardia lamblia in axenic culture

Giardia lamblia was adapted to grow in modified Diamond's TYI-S culture medium with a mean generation time of 12.0 +/- 1.1 hours. Addition of bovine or porcine bile to this medium dramatically promoted growth with marked reduction in generation time. The shortest mean generation time (7.5 hours) was obtained with fresh bovine bile and to our knowledge is the lowest reported time for axenically cultivated G. lamblia. Trophozoite numbers were increased by a factor of 3.4 after 48 hours cultivation. Generation time lengthened as bile concentration was increased, the effect being most marked with commercial bile preparations. We consider that this bile-supplemented TYI-S medium will support growth more consistently than the usual Giardia culture medium TPS-1, and is also cheaper. This trophic effect of bile on Giardia growth may partly explain why Giardia trophozoites are found mainly in the duodenum and proximal jejunum where bile is plentiful.
When Does the Failure to Find a Difference Mean That There Is None

• When a published clinical report concludes that there is no difference between two or more groups of patients, the reader must discern between two alternative possibilities. Either there is truly no difference in outcome between the groups or the study failed to detect an actual difference. The application of sample size and power calculations to outcome variables in a clinical study can provide essential insight into resolving this ambiguity. While one can never prove that there is no difference between groups of patients, these techniques can estimate the likelihood that a particular study will detect or fail to detect a difference of specified size.
Adaptive noise shaping neural spike encoding and decoding

Abstract Shin et al. (Neural Comput. 11 (1999) 1983–2003) proposed an adaptive neural coding model that makes spiking neurons adapt its input/output relation to the stimulus statistics. In a surprisingly precise manner, the adaptive neural coding model has been supported by recent experiments. Although the adaptive neural coding model was developed based on the noise shaping neural coding hypothesis, their connection was not explained clearly in the previous report. In this paper, I present how the noise shaping neural coding hypothesis resulted in such a precise model without any available experimental data at that time. Moreover, I extend the previous model by including a biologically plausible adaptive signal decoding process. Finally, I propose the relationship between noise shaping spiking neurons and EEG, which is also supported by experiments published in this issue.
The early establishment of Streptococcus mutans in the mouths of infants

Abstract The colonization of Strep. mutans in infants was studied using a selective medium. The organism was not detected in 91 normal predentate infants, but was detected in two out of ten predentate cleft palate infants with acrylic obturators. In infants with only erupted primary incisors, the organism was detected in plaque samples from 9 of 40 subjects. Serological characterization of 66 Strep. mutans isolates from nine mother-child pairs revealed the c serotype to be the most common. In addition one b, two d, and one E serotype were isolated from the mothers. All isolates from infants were of the c serotype. Subsequent samples were obtained in the case where the b serotype was detected. Strains of this serotype were isolated from both mother and infant.
Fragile image watermarking using a gradient image for improved localization and security

A fragile watermarking algorithm for image authentication and tamper detection is proposed. It uses a gradient image and its structure to achieve localization and security requirements. It provides superior localization with greater security against many attacks including vector quantization attack.
Diagnoses associated with the greatest years of potential life lost for in-hospital deaths in the United States, 1988-2010.

Abstract Objective Premature mortality is a public health concern that can be quantified as years of potential life lost (YPLL). Studying premature mortality from in-hospital mortality can help guide hospital initiatives and resource allocation. This paper identified the diagnosis categories associated with in-hospital deaths that account for the highest YPLL and their trends over time. Study design Retrospective review of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), 1988–2010. Methods Using the NIS, YPLL on patients hospitalized in the United States from 1988 to 2010 was calculated. Hospitalizations were categorized by related principal diagnoses using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) single-level Clinical Classification Software (CCS) definitions. Results Between 1988 and 2010, total in-hospital estimated mortality of 20,154,186 people accounted for 198,417,257 YPLL (9.84 YPLL per in-hospital mortality; 8,626,837 estimated annual mean YPLL). The ten highest YPLL diagnosis categories accounted for 51% of the overall YPLL. The liveborn disease category (i.e., in-hospital live births) was the most common principal diagnosis and accounted for the highest YPLL at 1,070,053. The septicemia category accounted for the second highest YPLL at 548,922. The highest in-hospital mortality rate (20.8%) was associated with adult respiratory failure/insufficiency/arrest. The highest estimated in-hospital annual mean deaths occurred in patients with pneumonia at 69,134. For all in-hospital mortality, the inflation adjusted total in-hospital charges per YPLL was highest for acute myocardial infarction at $9292 per YPLL. Conclusions Using YPLL, a framework has been provided to compare the impact of premature in-hospital mortality from dissimilar diseases. The methodology and results may be used to help guide further investigation of hospital quality initiatives and resource allocation.
Studies on the mechanism of nickel‐induced heterochromatin damage; effect on specific DNA‐protein interactions

Abstract Nickel ions selectively damage heterochromatin. Differences in the unique association of DNA and protein in heterochromatin compared to euchromatin led us to investigate a possible mechanism for this selective damage by examining the in vitro effect of nickel chloride on specific DNA‐protein interactions using a radiolabeled mouse satellite DNA sequence, which comprises the heterochromatic centromeres in mouse chromosomes. Our results indicate that nickel ions, as well as several other metal ions, inhibit specific protein binding to this DNA sequence. Inhibition of protein binding occurs at different concentrations for each metal ion but, relative to its cytotoxicity, nickel chloride seems to be a most potent inhibitor of DNA‐protein interaction. However, it should be noted that nickel ions also inhibit specific protein binding to the metallothionein promoter sequence. Magnesium ion increases the apparent affinity of proteins to the satellite DNA but not to the metallothionein promoter and decrea...
Effects of dairy manure application rate and timing, and injector spacing and type on corn silage production☆

Abstract A 3-year field experiment was conducted with liquid dairy manure to determine the effects of application rate (80 and 160 m 3 ha −1 ), application timing (fall and spring), injector spacing (0·48 and 0·96 m) and injector type (chisel and sweep) on corn ( Zea mays L.) silage yield and nitrogen (N) recovery. Harvested N was increased over control plots by chisel injection, narrow injector spacing, spring manure applications, and the high rate of manure application. Silage yield was adversely affected by drought which occurred in the last 2 years of the experiment. Several main factors increased the quantity of N that was not recovered in harvested N or inorganic N in the 0–30 cm layer of soil: chisel > sweep (17%); high > low application rate (109%). Fall application at the low rate generally resulted in lower yield than did 168 kg N ha −1 applied as commercial fertilizer in the spring. There was no significant difference in silage N content between treatments receiving either manure or commercial N fertilizer. Manurial N concentration combined with application rate was determined to have more influence on silage yield than application timing or injector spacing or type.
Presence of membrane binding sites for [D-TRP6]-luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in experimental pancreatic cancer

Abstract Characteristics of binding sites (dissociation constant: K d and maximal binding capacity: B max ) for [D-Trp 6 ]-luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone ([D-Trp 6 ]-LH-RH]), somatostatin (SS-14) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were evaluated in membrane fractions of N-Nitrosobis (2-oxopropyl) amine (BOP)-induced pancreatic adenocarcinoma of hamsters. Intact, normal hamster pancreata did not show any binding sites for [D-Trp 6 ]-LH-RH, but specific [D-Trp 6 ]-LH-RH binding sites with low affinity and high capacity were found after pancreatic cancer was induced with BOP. Membrane binding sites for SS-14 and EGF, with high affinity and low capacity were present, both in normal and cancerous pancreata. Normal hamster pancreatic tissue had significantly higher levels of SS-14 binding sites and lower concentration of EGF binding sites as compared to pancreatic carcinoma. In vivo treatment of hamsters bearing pancreatic cancers with microcapsules of agonist [D-Trp 6 ]-LH-RH and the somatostatin analog-RC-160 alone, or in combination, caused histopathological regression of tumors and concomitantly decreased the K d and B max of [D-Trp 6 ]-LH-RH, and increased the B max of the SS-14 binding sites. These findings represent the first demonstration of binding sites for [D-Trp 6 ]-LH-RH in pancreatic cancers. Our results also suggest that tumor inhibitory effects of [D-Trp 6 ]-LH-RH and RC-160 in pancreatic cancer could be mediated not only indirectly through suppression of sex-steroids, gastrointestinal hormones and growth factors, but also directly by an action on specific binding sites located on the tumor membranes.
Effects of nerve growth factor on whole-cell currents and other electrical membrane properties in cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons from normal and trisomy 16 mice.

Abstract The trisomy 16 mouse is considered to be a model of human trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) from trisomy 16 and diploid control fetuses were cultured in the presence of nerve growth factor (NGF) for 10 days, after which NGF was withdrawn from 50% of the dishes. Withdrawing NGF at 10 days did not affect the survival rate of either trisomy 16 or inward conductance (156%, 166%), a faster rate of depolarization (219%, 149%), and a shorter duration of the action potential (83%, 81%) than control neurons, indicating that these parameters are determined solely by the trisomic state. In the absence of NGF, the outward conductance was significantly larger (143%), and the rate of repolarization was faster (131%), in trisomy cells compared to controls. Withdrawing NGF resulted in a smaller outward conductance (86%) in control neurons and a larger outward conductance (132%) and faster rate of repolarization (118%) in trisomy neurons, indicating that these parameters are NGF-dependent, and that trisomy and control neurons exhibit a differential sensitivity to NGF. This is the first report of a differential sensitivity of trisomic and control neurons to NGF, and demonstrates significant abnormalities in active eletrical membrane properties of trisomic DRG neurons.
Ethnic and National Conflicts in the Age of Globalisation: Withering Away, Persisting, or Domesticated?

Abstract This article challenges rather widespread claims that in the twenty‐first century the role of nation states as the main actors on the global political scene is diminishing; that, at present, nation statehood is universal; and that nationalism and ethno‐national conflicts will subside in the foreseeable future. Since the continuing salience of ethnic and national identities and of ethno‐national strife and conflicts seem to be inevitable at the current stage of globalisation, the best that can be hoped for is not to eliminate their underlying reasons, but to prevent their most extreme forms. At present, even this is sometimes impossible. Thus, these conflicts should be somehow regulated and diffused, and the ways of their possible alleviation are discussed in this article.
Isotopic signals of summer denitrification in a northern hardwood forested catchment

Despite decades of measurements, the nitrogen balance of temperate forest catchments remains poorly understood. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition often greatly exceeds streamwater nitrogen losses; the fate of the remaining nitrogen is highly uncertain. Gaseous losses of nitrogen to denitrification are especially poorly documented and are often ignored. Here, we provide isotopic evidence (δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3) from shallow groundwater at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest indicating extensive denitrification during midsummer, when transient, perched patches of saturation developed in hillslopes, with poor hydrological connectivity to the stream, while streamwater showed no isotopic evidence of denitrification. During small rain events, precipitation directly contributed up to 34% of streamwater nitrate, which was otherwise produced by nitrification. Together, these measurements reveal the importance of denitrification in hydrologically disconnected patches of shallow groundwater during midsummer as largely overlooked control points for nitrogen loss from temperate forest catchments.
Fine structure of synapses in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral geniculate body of normal and blinded rats.

Degenerating boutons, observed from 2 to 60 days after eye enucleation, displayed decreased plasma membrane density, increased axoplasmic density, and enlarged mitochondria with deformed cristae when compared with boutons from normal animals. There was also a loss of synaptic plasma membrane specialization and the boutons abnormally indented contiguous dendrites. The number and appearance of synaptic vesicles in some degenerating boutons were notably altered. Phagocytosis of boutons in most instances appeared to be accomplished by astrocytes. When degeneration was first apparent in some boutons, the subsynaptic organelle in the adjacent dendritic cytoplasm was enlarged, somewhat less dense and was associated with small granular and circular profiles. Subsynaptic organelles in experimental animals were absent from contiguities between dendrites and other cell processes, except in a few instances when only small portions of boutons remained at their synaptic sites, suggesting that the organelles disappeared when boutons had been completely phagocytized.
A widely tunable cw raman laser in H 2 pumped by an external cavity diode laser

Stimulated Raman scattering is conventionally studied in high-power and pulsed laser regimes. Continuous-wave (cw) Raman lasers have been realized but they have to operate near a molecular/atomic resonance utilizing the high Raman gain. The first non-resonant cw Raman laser was demonstrated by Brasseur, et al. in 1998 [1].
Spatiotemporal visualization of neuromagnetic data

Abstract We describe the development of a computer visualization tool that displays topographic maps of neuromagnetic data on realistic head shapes. Two topographic display modes are implemented — a raw mode that depicts that actual position, orientation, and corresponding magnetic field data of each detection coil with respect to the head shape, and an interpolated mode, where the magnetic data are smoothly interpolated over the scalp. False coloration is used to represent magnetic field strength. The topographic displays are coupled with wave form displays in order to integrate spatial and temporal visualization of the data. The X Window system is used to write device independent, network-transparent computer code.
Surgical repair of atrial septal rupture due to blunt trauma

We report a case of atrial septal rupture and surgical cure after blunt chest trauma. Review of the literature indicates that this rare lesion results from severe forces applied to the chest and is often associated with other serious and life-threatening injuries. The defect may not be recognized for several months or even years in patients who survive concomitant initial trauma. When operative repair is undertaken, a favorable outcome can be anticipated.
Structure and chromosome localization of the human CASP8 gene

Abstract The human CASP8 gene, whose product is also known as caspase 8 and FLICE, encodes an interleukin-1β converting enzyme (ICE)-related cysteine protease that is activated by the engagement of several different death receptors. Caspase 8 is immediately recruited to the Fas receptor once it oligomerizes, and its protease activity is crucial for the apoptotic response generated by the resulting death-inducing signaling complex (DISC). We report here that the CASP8 gene contains at least 11 exons spanning ∼30 kb on human chromosome band 2q33–34. This region of human chromosome 2 was previously reported as the location of the CASP10 gene, whose product is closely related to caspase 8. Chromosome 2 band q33–34 is also involved in tumorigenesis, with loss of heterogeneity (LOH) being reported in a number of tumors. We also report EcoRI and HindIII polymorphisms that may prove to be useful in disease analysis. Both caspases 8 and 10 contain long pro-domains with duplicated death effector domains (DEDs), as well as their corresponding cysteine protease catalytic domains. Thus, it appears that CASP8 and CASP10 have evolved by tandem gene duplication, much like the CASP1, CASP4 and CASP5 gene cluster on human chromosome 11q22.2–22.3.
What type of diversity yields synergy during mixed litter decomposition in a natural forest ecosystem

Investigating the relationship of biodiversi- ty and ecosystem function in natural forests allows incorporation of established feedbacks between long- lived plants and soil processes. We studied forested stands in northern Arizona that vary in dominant species richness across small areas. We examined the effects of natural variation in dominant tree biodiver- sity on ecosystem parameters, particularly litter decomposition. We determined not only whether plant species decompose in mixture as predicted by their individual decomposition rates but also: (1) how particular species affect the decomposition rate of each other in mixture; and (2) whether litter decom- poses more rapidly at its site of origin; i.e. is there a "home field advantage" to decomposition? Over a 2-year period, litter mixtures of functionally similar tree species decomposed more rapidly than expected from rates of the individual species alone. Mixtures of conifer species litter decomposed up to 50% faster than expected, with individual conifer members of those mixtures decomposing up to 85% faster than expected. In contrast, more functionally diverse mixtures of litter, which included a deciduous species, did not show synergistic effects during decomposi- tion. We found no significant "home-field advantage" to decomposition. Our study is the first to demon- strate that litter mixtures from more closely related plant species give rise to the most synergistic effects of biodiversity on litter dynamics, indicating that more taxonomically and functionally diverse plant assemblages do not always drive greater emergent effects on ecosystem function.
High-power two-stage FEL oscillator operating in the trapped particle mode

Abstract A two-stage FEL oscillator is proposed as a high-power source of infrared radiation. Such a device is attractive because it employs a relatively low-energy electron beam, which can significantly reduce the size and cost of the system. The steady-state parameters for a 10-μm, 750-MW FEL are presented, and the start-up, resonator configuration and electron beam requirements are discussed. Although there are several significant technical issues and further analysis is required, it appears as if the approach is feasible.
Including Parents in the Continuum of School-Based Mental Health Services: A Review of Intervention Program Research From 1995 to 2010

In this study, the authors reviewed journal articles published between 1995 and 2010 that described student mental health interventions involving parents delivered in school settings. Their review identified 100 articles describing 39 interventions. On the basis of participant selection criteria provided by the authors of the reviewed articles, the authors of this study grouped interventions into universal (Tier 1), selected (Tier 2), targeted or indicated (Tier 3), or multitier programs. Interventions were identified across Tiers 1, 2, and 3, although interventions involving all three tiers were rare (n = 2). Common intervention goals were prevention of substance abuse and reduction of externalizing behavior problems. The majority of programs involved parents through group parent training. Example programs were selected at each tier to provide a description of how parents were recruited, how services were delivered to families, and outcomes for participants. Implications for school psychologists who wish...
Persistent organic pollutant concentrations in blubber of 16 species of cetaceans stranded in the Pacific Islands from 1997 through 2011.

Abstract Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic man-made chemicals that bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food webs, making them a ubiquitous threat to the marine environment. Although many studies have determined concentrations of POPs in top predators, no studies have quantified POPs in stranded cetaceans within the last 30 years around the Hawaiian Islands. A suite of POPs was measured in the blubber of 16 cetacean species that stranded in the tropical Pacific, including Hawai'i from 1997 to 2011. The sample set includes odontocetes ( n = 39) and mysticetes ( n = 3). Median (range) contaminant concentrations in ng/g lipid for the most representative species category (delphinids excluding killer whales [ n = 27]) are: 9650 (44.4–99,100) for ∑ DDTs, 6240 (40.8–50,200) for ∑ PCBs, 1380 (6.73–9520) for ∑ chlordanes, 1230 (13.4–5510) for ∑ toxaphenes, 269 (1.99–10,100) for ∑ PBDEs, 280 (2.14–4190) for mirex, 176 (5.43–857) for HCB, 48.1 ( p > 0.063), but sex/age class influences were evident with adult males exhibiting greater contaminant loads than adult females and juveniles for ∑ DDT, ∑ PCBs, ∑ CHLs, and mirex ( p ≤ 0.036). POP concentrations were lower in mysticetes than odontocetes for many compound classes ( p ≤ 0.003). p,p ′-DDE/∑ DDTs ratios were greater than 0.6 for all species except humpback whales, suggesting exposure to an old DDT source. These POP levels are high enough to warrant concern and continued monitoring.
Gromov-Hausdorff convergence to nonmanifolds

We construct sequences of S7’s in Gromov-Hausdorff space converging to nonmanifolds. The manifolds in these sequences have a common contractibility function. There are two main classes of examples—examples for which the limit is an infinite-dimensional space of finite cohomological dimension and examples for which the limit is a finite-dimensional ANR homology manifold.
Demographic changes following mechanical removal of exotic brown trout in an Intermountain West (USA), high-elevation stream

Exotic species present a great threat to native fish conservation; however, eradicating exotics is expensive and often impractical. Mechanical removal can be ineffective for eradication, but nonetheless may increase management effectiveness by identifying portions of a watershed that are strong sources of exotics. We used mechanical removal to understand processes driving exotic brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations in the Logan River, Utah. Our goals were to: (i) evaluate the demographic response of brown trout to mechanical removal, (ii) identify sources of brown trout recruitment at a watershed scale and (iii) evaluate whether mechanical removal can reduce brown trout densities. We removed brown trout from 2 km of the Logan River (4174 fish), and 5.6 km of Right Hand Fork (RHF, 15,245 fish), a low-elevation tributary, using single-pass electrofishing. We compared fish abundance and size distributions prior to, and after 2 years of mechanical removal. In the Logan River, immigration to the removal reach and high natural variability in fish abundances limited the response to mechanical removal. In contrast, mechanical removal in RHF resulted in a strong recruitment pulse, shifting the size distribution towards smaller fish. These results suggest that, before removal, density-dependent mortality or emigration of juvenile fish stabilised adult populations and may have provided a source of juveniles to the main stem. Overall, in sites demonstrating strong density-dependent population regulation, or near sources of exotics, short-term mechanical removal has limited effects on brown trout populations but may help identify factors governing populations and inform large-scale management of exotic species.
Sensitivity Analysis of Aeroelastic Response of a Wing in Transonic Flow

A sensitivity study is carried out for changes in shape parameters, namely, aspect ratio, surface area of the wing, taper ratio, and sweep. The structural model is based on a Ritz solution technique with wing deflections represented by Chebyshev polynomials. A recently developed compressible aerodynamic state-space model is used to represent the unsteady aerodynamic airloads on the wing. The aeroelastic equations are solved as an eigenvalue problem to determine the critical speed of the wing. The derivatives of the flutter and divergence speeds with respect to the shape parameters are calculated by both analytical and finite difference methods
Treatment for chronic hepatitis C.

Approximately four million Americans have been exposed to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and are anti-HCV positive; almost three million are chronically infected and HCV RNA positive. Treatment for chronic hepatitis C has improved rapidly over the past 12 years from interferon monotherapy, with a sustained virologic response (SVR) rate of about 10% in the early 1990s, to current therapy with PEG (polyethylene glycol) interferon plus ribavirin, with SVR rates of about 55% to 60%. Three important papers relating to the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C were published in Fall 2002 and are the subject of this commentary.
Renal oncocytoma: magnetic resonance imaging characteristics.

AbstractPurpose: We investigated the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of renal oncocytomas.Materials and Methods: Between 1985 and 1993, 11 patients at our institution underwent MRI of the kidneys and were subsequently diagnosed with renal oncocytoma. Patient charts and MRI were reviewed.Results: Of 11 T1-weighted images 8 showed a mass with decreased signal intensity compared to renal cortex and 3 of 6 T2-weighted images revealed masses with increased intensity. In addition, 5 tumors were surrounded by a well defined capsule, 3 demonstrated a central stellate architecture and 1 contained an area of central decreased signal, all of which corresponded pathologically to scar. These MRI findings differ somewhat from those of renal cell carcinoma, which typically show intermediate to high signal intensity compared to renal cortex on T1 and T2-weighted pulse sequences and usually contain evidence of either hemorrhage or necrosis.Conclusions: A low intensity homogeneous mass on T1-weighted images, wh...
Thiyl Radicals in Ribonucleotide Reductases

The ribonucleoside triphosphate reductase (RTPR) from Lactobacillus leichmannii catalyzes adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl)-dependent nucleotide reduction, as well as exchange of the 5' hydrogens of AdoCbl with solvent. A protein-based thiyl radical is proposed as an intermediate in both of these processes. In the presence of RTPR containing specifically deuterated cysteine residues, the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of an intermediate in the exchange reaction and the reduction reaction, trapped by rapid freeze quench techniques, exhibits narrowed hyperfine features relative to the corresponding unlabeled RTPR. The spectrum was interpreted to represent a thiyl radical coupled to cob(II)alamin. Another proposed intermediate, 5'-deoxyadenosine, was detected by rapid acid quench techniques. Similarities in mechanism between RTPR and the Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase suggest that both enzymes require a thiyl radical for catalysis.
Labeled cells in the investigation of hematologic disorders

Radiolabeling techniques for white cells, platelets, and erythrocytes are reviewed. The early studies using diisopropylfluoro-32P contributed to an understanding of the production and circulation of the blood elements, and 51Cr proved useful in localizing sites of cell migration or destruction. 111In-oxine has further improved the understanding of blood cell organ sequestration, and permitted combined kinetic and organ imaging studies. Radionuclide labels have been essential for the elucidation of various hematologic disorders, such as the neutropenias, thrombocytopenias, anemias, and polycythemia. Many new treatments, including monoclonal antibodies, have been evaluated with radionuclides.
A longitudinal study of lateral biases in parents' cradling and holding of infants

Lateral preferences in parents' cradling and holding of their infants were assessed in a longitudinal study commencing 1–3 days after birth and ending at 18 months. Right-handed parents showed a consistent left-side preference, which declined slightly as the infants grew older. Left-handed mothers showed an initial left-side preference and then more variable holding behavior, including right-side preferences, in some conditions. No relationship between the parents' holding behavior and two measures of infant head posture was found. It is suggested that parental side-holding preferences and infant head orientation biases are components of a biobehavioral system designed to enhance the organization of the caregiver-infant relationship. Les preferences laterales dans la maniere qu'ont les parents de bercer et de tenir leurs bebes ont ete evaluees dans une etude longitudinale cornmencant a l'ǎge d'un a trois jours apres la naissance et se terminant a l'ǎge de dix-huit mois. Les parents droitiers ont manifeste une preference repetee pour le cǒte gauche, preference qui diminuait Iegerement a mesure que l'enfant grandissait. Les meres gaucheres ont manifeste une preference initiale pour le cǒte gauche et ont fait preuve ensuite d'un comportement plus variable dans la maniere de tenir l'enfant, preferences pour le cǒte droit y compris, dans certaines conditions. On n'a etablit aucun rapport entre le comportement des parents en ce qui concerne la maniere de tenir l'enfant et deux mesures de positionnement de la těte du bebe. I1 est suggere que les preferences parentales quant au cǒte qu'ils choisissent pour tenir l'enfant et les tendences d'orientation de la těte du bebbe sont des composants d'un systeme biobehavioriste destine a ameliorer l'organisation de la relation entre la personne qui s'occupe du bebe et l'enfant.