cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultra-high resolution and compact volume holographic spectrometers

Compact and efficient spectrometers are of great interest for biological and environmental sensing. In this paper, we describe a new class of spectrometers that work based on diffractive properties of spherical beam volume holograms (SBVHs) and cylindrical beam volume holograms (CBVHs). The hologram in these spectrometers acts as a spectral diversity filter (SDF) that maps different input wavelengths onto different locations in the output plane. The main properties of these holographic SDFs and new techniques for removing the ambiguity between incident wavelength (or the input channel) and incident angle (or the input spatial mode) are discussed. By using CBVHs, we show that the spectral mapping of the input beam can be obtained in one direction and the beam can be independently modified in the perpendicular direction. Using this unique property, we demonstrate a spectral wrapping technique to considerably increase the operation spectral range of spectrometers, without sacrificing their resolution. Finally, it is also shown that by combining CBVHs with a Fabry-Perot interferometer, a true two-dimensional spatial-spectral mapping can be formed, and an ultra-high resolution of 0.2 nm with large spectral bandwidth is demonstrated for this tandem spectrometer.
On the efficiency of nonparametric variance estimation in sequential dose-finding.

Abstract Dose-finding in clinical studies is typically formulated as a quantile estimation problem, for which a correct specification of the variance function of the outcomes is important. This is especially true for sequential study where the variance assumption directly involves in the generation of the design points and hence sensitivity analysis may not be performed after the data are collected. In this light, there is a strong reason for avoiding parametric assumptions on the variance function, although this may incur efficiency loss. In this paper, we investigate how much information one may retrieve by making additional parametric assumptions on the variance in the context of a sequential least squares recursion. By asymptotic comparison, we demonstrate that assuming homoscedasticity achieves only a modest efficiency gain when compared to nonparametric variance estimation: when homoscedasticity in truth holds, the latter is at worst 88% as efficient as the former in the limiting case, and often achieves well over 90% efficiency for most practical situations. Extensive simulation studies concur with this observation under a wide range of scenarios.
Endowed, Entrepreneurial, and Empowered-Strivers: Doing a lot with a lot, doing a lot with a little

Based on original data from one-on-one and focus group interviews with high school students in California, this article reveals how consistent access to or deprivation from informational resources influences information synthesis for scholastic work. In order to hold motivation constant, the article delineates three kinds of Striver students: Endowed, Entrepreneurial, and Empowered. The article examines the ways in which Strivers obtain information relevant to schoolwork from digital media, non-digital media, and knowledgeable individuals. Findings reveal linkages between access to informational resources and the internalization of a self-reliant or other-reliant stance towards information synthesis. Endowed-Strivers who enjoy synergistic access to informational resources adopt a self-reliant information habitus. By contrast, Entrepreneurial-Strivers with few home resources engage in linear strategies that facilitate an other-reliant information habitus. The third group, the Empowered-Strivers, benefits f...
Detection of amplitude-modulated tones by frogs: Implications for temporal processing mechanisms

The whole nerve action potential (AP) from the auditory nerve and midbrain averaged evoked potential (AEP) were recorded in Hyla chrysoscelis and H. versicolor in response to synthesized amplitude-modulated stimuli with variable modulation frequencies (Fm). The AP from these frogs is similar to the potential described for mammals and showed a bandpass characteristic in its ability to follow sinusoidally amplitude-modulated (AM) sound stimuli. A lesioning study suggests that the midbrain AEP is a localized neural response of neurons near the ventral border of the torus semicircularis. The AEP is a complex waveform consisting of fast and slow components. The fast component encodes the temporal structure of acoustic stimuli and is used to measure temporal sensitivity in these two species. The AEP behaves like a low-pass filter with a cutoff frequency of 250 Hz when tracking AM signals. Threshold for detection requires a modulation depth of 8-12% of the total stimulus amplitude (delta I = 1.5-2.0 dB). Relative to the eighth nerve AP, the AEP displays an enhanced coding of AM signals when Fm less than 100 Hz, and a slightly inferior ability to code Fm above 250 Hz. The AEP reflects only that portion of the neural response that encodes amplitude fluctuations. In comparison to the range of amplitude fluctuations coded by single units in the rat inferior colliculus or by human evoked potential, the frog AEP codes higher rates of Fm. The proposal that these frogs process AM stimuli solely on the basis of amplitude fluctuations, and do not use spectral cues at higher modulation frequencies is considered. The AM sensitivity of the AEP, which encompasses most biologically relevant rates of amplitude fluctuation for the animal, and the limited frequency resolution of the periphery, lend support to this proposal. However, convergent spectral processing at higher auditory centers cannot be excluded by this study. Psychophysical tests will be required to determine whether both of these mechanisms may be operating during temporal information processing in anurans.
A Three-Generational Study of Risk Factors for Childhood Externalizing Behavior among African Americans and Puerto Ricans

This is the first prospective study to examine the precursors of child externalizing behavior across three generations of African Americans and Puerto Ricans. Participants comprised a community cohort of male and female African Americans and Puerto Ricans (N = 366, \( \overline{X} \) age = 29.4 years), who are part of an ongoing study of drug use and problem behaviors, and who had a child. Data were collected at four time waves, spanning the participants’ adolescence to adulthood. Questionnaires were initially self-administered in schools in East Harlem, NY, USA (time 1). Subsequently, structured interviews were conducted by trained interviewers (times 2 and 3), and self-administered via mail (time 4). The independent variables consisted of the participants’ prospective reports of their (a) relationships with their parents during adolescence, (b) depressive mood and drug use (adolescence to adulthood), (c) relationship with their oldest child between the ages of 6–13, and (d) perceptions of neighborhood crime and deterioration (in adulthood). The dependent variable was externalizing behavior in the participant’s oldest child (\( \overline{X} \) age = 9.6 years; SD = 2.0). Structural equation modeling showed that the parent–child relationship during participants’ adolescence was linked with the participants’ depressive mood and drug use which, in turn, were associated with the participants’ relationship with their own child, as well as with neighborhood crime and deterioration when participants were adults. The participants’ depressive mood, and relationship with their own child, as well as neighborhood crime and deterioration, each had a direct pathway to externalizing behavior in the participant’s child. Findings suggest that intervention programs and public policy should address parental attributes, neighborhood factors, and, especially, parenting skills, to reduce risk factors for the intergenerational transmission of externalizing behavior.
BLAST Tree: Fast Filtering for Genomic Sequence Classification

With the advent of next-generation sequencing and culture-independent methods, we now are accumulating an enormous amount of metagenomic data from microbial communities. These data sets are large, hard to assemble, and might encode rare or novel proteins, posing new computational challenges for protein homology search. This paper presents a novel protein homology search algorithm that combines the salient features of pairwise sequence alignment programs such as Blast and protein family based tools such as Hmmer. It is optimized for protein annotation in metagenomic data sets because: 1) it is fast, 2) it can classify short protein fragments encoded by individual sequence reads, 3) it can find homologs to novel or rare protein families when there is not enough member sequences to build a probabilistic model. Our algorithm builds a new indexing data structure called BlastTree, which can index a large sequence family database because of our effective compression techniques. In addition, BlastTree fully exploits sequence family membership information to improve homology search sensitivity. When the BlastTree Search algorithm is incorporated into Hmmer, it runs in a fraction of the time with comparable quality.
Direct Observation of an Acyl Nitroso Species in Solution by Time-Resolved IR Spectrocopy

Benzoyl nitroside (5) was generated in solution by laser photolysis of 3,5-diphenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole-4-oxide (4) and studied by time-resolved infrared spectroscopy. The second-order rate constants for reaction of 5 with diethylamine and 1,3-cyclohexadiene were determined to be (1.3 ± 0.5) × 105 M-1 s-1 and (6.0 ± 0.5) × 103 M-1 s-1, respectively. The formation of nitroxyl (HNO), a product of the reaction of 5 with diethylamine, was also observed.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Esc2p Interacts with Sir2p through a Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO)-binding Motif and Regulates Transcriptionally Silent Chromatin in a Locus-dependent Manner

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Esc2p is a member of a conserved family of proteins that contain small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-like domains. It has been implicated in transcriptional silencing and shown to interact with the silencing protein Sir2p in a two-hybrid analysis. However, little is known about how Esc2p regulates the structure of silent chromatin. We demonstrate here that ESC2 differentially regulates silent chromatin at telomeric, rDNA, and HM loci. Specifically, ESC2 is required for efficient telomeric silencing and Sir2p association with telomeric silent chromatin and for silencing and maintenance of silent chromatin structure at rDNA. On the other hand, ESC2 negatively regulates silencing at HML and HMR and destabilizes HML silent chromatin without affecting Sir2p association with chromatin. We present evidence that Esc2p is associated with both transcriptionally silent and active loci in the genome, and the abundance of Esc2p is not correlated with the chromatin state at a particular locus. Using affinity pull-down analyses, we show that Esc2p and Sir2p interact in vivo, and recombinant Esc2p and Sir2p interact directly. Moreover, we dissect Esc2p and identify a putative SUMO-binding motif that is necessary and sufficient for interacting with Sir2p and SUMO and is required for the function of Esc2p in transcriptional silencing.
Overexpression of Heat Shock Protein 72 in Transgenic Mice Decreases Infarct Size In Vivo

Background Previous studies have demonstrated that induction of heat shock protein (HSP) 72 by whole-body hyperthermia reduces infarct size in an in vivo model of ischemia and reperfusion. Furthermore, hearts obtained from transgenic mice that overexpress HSP72 demonstrate improved functional recovery and decreased infarct size in vitro after global ischemia and reperfusion. Methods and Results To test the hypothesis that overexpression of HSP72 in transgenic mice reduces infarct size in vivo, transgenic mice that were heterozygous for a rat HSP70i gene ([+]HSP72) and transgene-negative littermate controls ([−]HSP72) were subjected to 30 minutes of left coronary artery occlusion followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion. Core body temperature was monitored with a rectal thermometer and maintained between 36.5°C and 37.0°C with a heating pad. Infarct size, determined by dual staining with triphenyltetrazolium chloride and phthalocyanine blue dye, was smaller in [+]HSP72 mice compared with [−]HSP72 mice (12.7±...
Ca++ accumulation and latent Na+, K+-ATPase activity of heterogeneous membrane fractions of vascular smooth muscle.

Abstract Two different heterogeneous subcellular fractions of canine aorta were studied. Both contained ATP-dependent, oxalate stimulated 45 Ca sequestration, and 3 H-ouabain binding. Neither showed any ouabain inhibited ATPase activity until treated with SDS. After such treatment, both fractions demonstrated significant ouabain-inhibited ATPase activity. Thus, even though transport ATPase was not readily demonstrable in control fractions, sarcolemmal fragments are still present as evidenced by both 3 H-ouabain binding and detergent treatment.
The effect of ovariectomy and oestrogen therapy on the free fatty acid content, endogenous lipase activity, and phospholipid content of the rabbit urinary bladder.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of ovariectomy (Ovx) and oestrogen therapy on the free fatty acid (FFA) content, endogenous lipase activity, and the phospholipid (PL) content of the urinary bladder, as reduced circulating oestrogen during and after the menopause has been linked to various bladder dysfunctions including incontinence and recurrent urinary tract infections. MATERIALS AND METHODS In all, 12 New Zealand White female rabbits were separated into three groups; the Ovx + oestrogen group received Ovx and treatment with conjugated β-oestradiol (3 weeks), the Ovx group received Ovx and vehicle (3 weeks), and the control group received sham operation and vehicle. Cystometry was used to evaluate compliance and in vitro muscle strip studies quantified contractility. For the bulk of the bladder, the muscle and mucosa were separated; FFA and PL concentrations were analysed using standard biochemical techniques. RESULTS The bladder contractile responses and compliance decreased after Ovx and returned to or above normal after oestrogen administration. Both FFA and PL concentrations of the mucosa were about three times greater than that of the smooth muscle. Ovx significantly reduced the FFA and PL concentrations of both muscle and mucosa, while oestrogen therapy restored them to normal. CONCLUSIONS Reduced FFA and PL content of the smooth muscle membranes would decrease their fluidity and contribute to decreased compliance and contractility. Reduced FFA and PL content of the mucosa would be consistent with mucosal damage and may contribute to the increased incidences of incontinence and bladder infection.
The Effect of Cross Flow on Slat Noise

This paper continues the computational examination (AIAA Journal, Vol. 45, No. 9, 2007, pp. 2174-2186) of the unsteady flow within the slat cove region of a multi-element high-lift airfoil configuration. Two simulations have been performed to examine the effect of cross flow on the near-field fluctuations and far-field acoustics. The cross flow was imposed by changing the free-stream velocity vector and modifying the Reynolds number. The cross flow does appear to alter the dynamics in the cove region, but the impact on the noise seems to be more dependent on the flow conditions. However, separating out the true effects of the cross flow from those of the Mach and Reynolds number would require additional calculations to isolate those effects.
High-peak-power Nd:glass laser facilities for end users

The feasibility of constructing affordable high brightness Nd:glass lasers for medical and university researchers is discussed.
Fourth Test of General Relativity

Recent advances in radar astronomy have made possible a fourth test of Einstein's theory of general relativity. The test involves measuring the time delays between transmission of radar pulses towards either of the inner planets (Venus or Mercury) and detection of the echoes. Because, according to the general theory, the speed of a light wave depends on the strength of the gravitational potential along its path, these time delays should thereby be increased by almost 2x10$^{-4}$ sec when the radar pulses pass near the sun. Such a change, equivalent to 60 km in distance, could now be measured over the required path length to within about 5 to 10% with presently obtainable equipment.
Image display in endoscopic surgery

— Advances in the technology of optical displays have changed the way surgeons are able to manage different illnesses. Minimally invasive surgery encompasses a wide range of endoscopic procedures, whereby the body cavity (abdomen, thorax, gastrointestinal tract, and joint spaces) is accessed through small incisions and the use of telescopes and fine, long instruments. These techniques have rapidly gained in popularity during the last decades, as patients are experiencing less discomfort after surgery. Visualization of the operative field requires optimal image capture, processing, and display. The introduction of charge-coupled devices has enabled surgeons to view the operative field on a video monitor, allowing ever-more-complex operations to be performed endoscopically. However, limitations include loss of 3-D perception and tactile sense, poor ergonomics, often suboptimal positioning of image display and image quality that is too dependent on outside influences. These limitations, and possible solutions, are addressed, as is the “ideal” display system for endoscopic surgery.
Communication is key: the role of communication in the diffusion of a learning management system into a higher education environment

This paper uses Rogers' diffusion of innovations framework to discuss a communications strategy by which agents of change can educate their peers and decision makers regarding a chosen technology. The strategy examines the role of communications in the knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation stages of the innovation-decision process. Problems include overstating communication, negative evaluations, and ignoring your audience in your communication with stakeholders. The recommended practices are embracing supportive communication through dedicated employees, a transparent organisational and policy structure, and the increase of resources to the project. It then concludes by proposing a strategy for successful communication during the diffusion process.
Analytical modeling of imperfect bond between coated fibers and matrix material

The present study is intended to find the stress intensity factors (SIF) and strain energy release rates (SERR) at the tips of an interface crack in a non-homogeneous medium. The boundary-value problem governing a three-phase concentric cylinders model is used to analyze annular interfacial crack problems with Love's strain functions. The complex form of a singular integral equation of second kind is formulated using Bessel's functions in Fourier domain. Stress intensity factors (SIF) and total strain energy release rates (SERR) are calculated using Jacoby polynomials. For validity of the equations of Stress Intensity Factors, the Singular Integral Equation (SIE) of a three concentric cylinders model is reduced to the SIE for a two concentric cylinders model and results are compared with previous results of Erdogan.
Synthesis of Chiral Bis(phosphinite) Ligands with a Tetrahydrothiophene Backbone: Use in Asymmetric Hydrogenation

A series of novel chiral nonracemic bis(phosphinites) derived from (R,R)-trans-2,5-tetrahydrothiophenedimethanol has been prepared. Reaction of these ligands, 6, with Rh(COD)2X (COD = cyclooctadiene, X = OS(O)2CF3, SbF6) yields rhodium complexes which have been tested in the asymmetric hydrogenation of methyl α-acetamidocinnamate, providing enantioselectivities of up to 55%. The racemic bis(diphenylphosphinite) ligand 6c binds in an unusual tridentate mode, forming the thioether-bridged species ((6c)Rh)2(OTf)2 (7). This was characterized by conventional spectroscopic methods and by single-crystal X-ray analysis.
Complications of decompressive craniectomy for traumatic brain injury

Decompressive craniectomy is widely used to treat intracranial hypertension following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Two randomized trials are currently underway to further evaluate the effectiveness of decompressive craniectomy for TBI. Complications of this procedure have major ramifications on the risk-benefit balance in decision-making during evaluation of potential surgical candidates. To further evaluate the complications of decompressive craniectomy, a review of the literature was performed following a detailed search of PubMed between 1980 and 2009. The author restricted her study to literature pertaining to decompressive craniectomy for patients with TBI. An understanding of the pathophysiological events that accompany removal of a large piece of skull bone provides a foundation for understanding many of the complications associated with decompressive craniectomy. The author determined that decompressive craniectomy is not a simple, straightforward operation without adverse effects. Rather, numerous complications may arise, and they do so in a sequential fashion at specific time points following surgical decompression. Expansion of contusions, new subdural and epidural hematomas contralateral to the decompressed hemisphere, and external cerebral herniation typify the early perioperative complications of decompressive craniectomy for TBI. Within the 1st week following decompression, CSF circulation derangements manifest commonly as subdural hygromas. Paradoxical herniation following lumbar puncture in the setting of a large skull defect is a rare, potentially fatal complication that can be prevented and treated if recognized early. During the later phases of recovery, patients may develop a new cognitive, neurological, or psychological deficit termed syndrome of the trephined. In the longer term, a persistent vegetative state is the most devastating of outcomes of decompressive craniectomy. The risk of complications following decompressive craniectomy is weighed against the life-threatening circumstances under which this surgery is performed. Ongoing trials will define whether this balance supports surgical decompression as a first-line treatment for TBI.
Bone health in pediatric epilepsy

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods of skeletal mineralization. Peak bone mineral density achieved by the end of adolescence determines the risk for later pathological fractures and osteoporosis. Chronic disease and medication often adversely affect bone health. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions occurring in persons under the age of 21. Epilepsy may affect bone in a number of ways. Restrictions of physical activity imposed by seizures; limitations on physical activity resulting from cerebral palsy, frequently present in patients with symptomatic epilepsy; and medications used to treat seizures can all adversely affect bone health. It has long been observed that treatment with phenytoin and phenobarbital can be associated with rickets. More recently, established agents such as carbamazepine and valproate have been shown to be associated with a lowering of bone mineral density. The literature related to bone health in pediatric epilepsy is reviewed, although it should be noted that these data are limited.
Direct measurement of liquid chromatographic sorption—desorption kinetics and the kinetic contribution to band broadening

Abstract The kinetics of sorption—desorption in an octadecylsilica, ion pairing chromatographic system have been directly measured for the first time, via the pressure-jump relaxation kinetics method. The sorption rate constant was found to be 1.4 · 10 9 1/mol s. The rates of sorption—desorption were found to correlate with differences in the chromatographic efficiency of the stationary phase studied, with more efficient phases showing more rapid sorption—desorption equilibration times. This indicates that, at least for the systems studied here, that the dynamics of the primary sorption—desorption process play a significant role in determining the performance of the octadecylsilicas as liquid chromatographic stationary phases.
Derivation of engraftable skeletal myoblasts from human embryonic stem cells

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are a promising source for cell therapy in degenerative diseases. A key step in establishing the medical potential of hESCs is the development of techniques for the conversion of hESCs into tissue-restricted precursors suitable for transplantation. We recently described the derivation of multipotent mesenchymal precursors from hESCs. Nevertheless, our previous study was limited by the requirement for mouse feeders and the lack of in vivo data. Here we report a stroma-free induction system for deriving mesenchymal precursors. Selective culture conditions and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-mediated purification yielded multipotent mesenchymal precursors and skeletal myoblasts. Skeletal muscle cells undergo in vitro maturation resulting in myotube formation and spontaneous twitching. We found that hESC-derived skeletal myoblasts were viable after transplantation into the tibialis anterior muscle of SCID/Beige mice, as assessed by bioluminescence imaging. Lack of teratoma formation and evidence of long-term myoblast engraftment suggests considerable potential for future therapeutic applications.
A low-energy S-matrix theory of neutron-deuteron scattering

Abstract We examine the feasibility of a pure S -matrix description for low-energy neutron-deuteron scattering. Dispersion relations are assumed to exist and the leading left hand contributions are determined including those arising from several normal singularities and from two anomalous singularities. The distant left hand singularities were handled parametrically. Sum rules, which used only the unitarity and analyticity properties of partial waves and very importantly were independent of break-up channels, were constructed to examine several important properties of partial waves with these singularities. By adjusting only the distant left hand singularity structure, we were able to produce doublet S waves with a triton bound state, the triton coupling constant and low-energy phase shifts in good agreement with the experimental phase shifts. For the quartet S wave, we obtained low-energy phase shifts which agreed well with experimental results and which were insensitive to the distant left hand singularity structure. These solutions also contained a ghost whose position was sensitive to the left hand singularity structure.
High pressure-temperature X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation

Abstract Intense white X-rays from the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source have made very rapid data acquisition possible on samples that are at simultaneous high pressures and temperatures. A complete energy dispersion diffraction pattern can be obtained on a microgram specimen at pressures up to 30 GPa and temperatures up to 800°C in one minute. Pressure and temperature can be changed by remote control making it possible to obtain a series of patterns as pressure and/or temperature are increased incrementally. With this capability we have determined that the mechanism of the high pressure-temperature phase transition in Fe 2 SiO 4 results from a coherent restacking of the oxygen atoms. We have also examined the relaxation of uniaxial elastic strain in Fe 3 O 4 resulting from uniaxial stress in a diamond anvil cell.
Child Routines Moderate Daily Hassles and Children's Psychological Adjustment

This study examined child routines as a moderator of the relation between children's daily hassles and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. School and community children (n = 131) ages 8 through 12 reported on daily hassles, and their primary caregivers reported on child routines and behavior problems. Moderated multiple regression indicated significant main effects for child routines. A significant interaction was found between children's daily hassles and child routines for the internalizing model, but not for the externalizing model. Children reporting more daily hassles had fewer internalizing behaviors when they also had more frequent child routines.
Stanford pouch ileal neobladder: Clinical, radiologic and urodynamic follow-up.

The Stanford pouch is an orthotopic neobladder which consists of a reservoir made from 30 cm of detubularized ileum and an antireflux segment based on a series of intestinal pleats. The clinical, radiologic, and urodynamic follow-up of 40 patients who have undergone the operation and have been followed for at least six months is presented. Renal function, based on serum creatinine levels, has remained stable. Voiding cystourethrograms obtained in 34 patients revealed that 38 percent of patients had no reflux. Of the 62 percent of patients with reflux, 49 percent had grades I-II/V reflux and 51 percent had grades III-IV/V reflux. Imaging of the upper urinary tracts in 32 patients revealed mild hydronephrosis in 3/64 (4.7%) of renal units. Daytime continence was attained in 95 percent of patients, and nighttime continence in 59 percent of patients. Urodynamic studies in 30 patients revealed an average capacity of 695 cc, phasic contractions whose mean pressure was less than 40 cm water, and a low basal neobladder pressure of 21.9 cm water at capacity. Twenty-four-hour voiding diaries in 24 patients revealed an average voided volume of 267 cc, a mean maximum voided volume of 445 cc, and a mean frequency of urination of one hundred eighty-two minutes. Based on these results, the Stanford pouch is a viable form of continent diversion to the urethra.
PSI:Biology-Materials Repository: A Biologist’s Resource for Protein Expression Plasmids

The Protein Structure Initiative:Biology-Materials Repository (PSI:Biology-MR; MR; http://psimr.asu.edu) sequence-verifies, annotates, stores, and distributes the protein expression plasmids and vectors created by the Protein Structure Initiative (PSI). The MR has developed an informatics and sample processing pipeline that manages this process for thousands of samples per month from nearly a dozen PSI centers. DNASU (http://dnasu.asu.edu), a freely searchable database, stores the plasmid annotations, which include the full-length sequence, vector information, and associated publications for over 130,000 plasmids created by our laboratory, by the PSI and other consortia, and by individual laboratories for distribution to researchers worldwide. Each plasmid links to external resources, including the PSI Structural Biology Knowledgebase (http://sbkb.org), which facilitates cross-referencing of a particular plasmid to additional protein annotations and experimental data. To expedite and simplify plasmid requests, the MR uses an expedited material transfer agreement (EP-MTA) network, where researchers from network institutions can order and receive PSI plasmids without institutional delays. As of March 2011, over 39,000 protein expression plasmids and 78 empty vectors from the PSI are available upon request from DNASU. Overall, the MR’s repository of expression-ready plasmids, its automated pipeline, and the rapid process for receiving and distributing these plasmids more effectively allows the research community to dissect the biological function of proteins whose structures have been studied by the PSI.
Controlling the Location and Spatial Extent of Nanobubbles Using Hydrophobically Nanopatterned Surfaces

The presence of nanobubbles-as imaged with tapping-mode atomic force microscopy-is controlled using nanopatterned surfaces possessing repeating patterns of polystyrene (hydrophobic domains) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (hydrophilic domains). For nanobubbles to be present, we find that, in addition to controlling the degree of surface hydrophobicity, it is important for the spatial dimensions of the hydrophobic domains on the nanopatterned surface to be commensurate with the equilibrium topology of the nanobubbles.
Transfer-matrix algorithm for the calculation of the band structure of semiconductor superlattices.

A new compact algorithm has been developed for the calculation of the band structure of III-V or II-VI compound semiconductor superlattices. Within the envelope-function approximation, the procedure yields a transfer matrix of dimension 2n\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2n for an n-band k\ensuremath{\cdot}p model. The boundary conditions for the wave functions at the interfaces between layers are built into the calculation in a natural manner. The method readily adapts itself to the case where an external magnetic field is present along the superlattice axis. The effects of strain, due to lattice mismatch or an applied external stress, can also be taken into account. This extended transfer-matrix method enjoys the advantages of the usual one-band transfer-matrix method which is employed in solving the Kronig-Penney model. The standard eight-band k\ensuremath{\cdot}p description of the band structures of the individual layers is used in obtaining results for specific superlattices. Our results are in excellent agreement with earlier calculations which have used the k\ensuremath{\cdot}p and the tight-binding approximations.
Regenerative activity of the lung after epithelial injury

Lung epithelial cells use remarkably adaptive sensing and signaling systems to maintain a physiological state supporting gas exchange and minimizing environmental insults. One facet of epithelial adaptability is the reversible acquisition of mesenchymal features, a process termed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Although in the adult, permanent and complete EMT appears rare or non-existent, a growing body of evidence implicates a critical role for the activation of EMT signaling in tissue remodeling, including fibrotic lung disease. The specific phenotypes of cells undergoing EMT re-programming during epithelial responses to injury continue to be defined and are reviewed here. Several recent studies implicate epithelial expression of canonical EMT transcription factors, such as Snail and Twist1, with the acquisition of a less differentiated, more proliferative stem-like state, providing an additional link between activation of EMT signaling and tissue repair. In lung airways, proliferating variant clara cells rely upon Snail for effective epithelial repair, and in the breast, cells possessing the greatest regenerative capacity also express Snail2. The ongoing elucidation of signaling underlying epithelial stem/progenitor expansion coincides with recent discoveries implicating regenerative activity in the lung, possibly including de novo regeneration of airway and alveolar units. It remains largely unknown what signals drive organization of epithelial progenitor cells that expand after lung injury, to what degree such organization is ever functionally relevant, and whether the lung regenerative potential recently observed in mouse models extends to humans. Yet these unknowns with clinical potential bring future mechanistic studies of EMT and lung repair directly into the field of regenerative medicine. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Fibrosis: Translation of basic research to human disease.
MEASURING PROGRESS IN IMPROVING COURT PROCESSING OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES

With all of the changes in federal law relating to child maltreatment, foster care, and adoption, courts have become active partners with child welfare agencies in assuring safety and permanency for children. Outcome measures are needed to track achievement of the distinct goals of courts and those goals they share with child welfare agencies. This article presents a set of measures that focuses on the court contribution to desirable outcomes for children and families. These measures have undergone extensive development, review, and field testing by representatives from several national organizations interested in court reform and child welfare, but they still require more discussion and refinement. Indeed, outcome measures are an essential component of a process of continuing improvement, which means they need to be reviewed periodically to ensure they are valid, reliable, and not redundant.
Knock, Knock. Who's There? The Imagined Audience

For more than a century, scholars have alluded to the notion of an “imagined audience”—a person's mental conceptualization of the people with whom he or she is communicating. The imagined audience ...
Changes to the TODS editorial board

The December issue should be out soon, if it isn't already. It is a special issue of papers invited from the SIGMOD'04 and PODS'04 conferences. I thank the authors, associate editors, and reviewers (some from the SIGMOD and PODS program committees) for writing, reviewing, revising, reviewing again, and then getting into final form these papers in the amazingly short time of eighteen months. This is a very nice issue, with seven substantive papers.
Serotonin-containing neuronal perikarya and terminals: differential effects of P-chlorophenylalanine.

Previous studies have shown that p-cholorophenylalanine (PCPA), an irreversible inhibitor of serotonin (5-HT) synthesis at the tryptophan hydroxylase step, fails to prevent the l-tryptophan-induced increase in the fluorescence of 5-HT-containing neuronal perikarya of the brain stem raphe nuclei, although there is a marked depletion in whole brain 5-HT concentration. In an effort to explain this apparent discrepancy, the effect of PCPA upon the histofluorescence of raphe cell terminals in the midbrain and forebrain of rats was examined. Demonstration of the fluorescence of raphe cell terminals was aided in part by pretreatment with l-tryptophan in the presence of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. PCPA was found to produce a marked decrease in the fluorescence of raphe terminals but, in agreement with previous results, not in the perikarya. Parallel biochemical studies showed that 5-HT was depleted by PCPA (with or without l-tryptophan loading) to a much greater extent in the forebrain (a region rich in raphe terminals), than in a block of tissue containing the raphe cell perikarya. These results indicate that the synthesis of 5-HT is more susceptible to inhibition by PCPA in the terminals than in the perikarya of raphe neurons, perhaps due to a continued synthesis of new tryptophan hydroxylase enzyme in the latter site.
Role of Microstructure and Intergranular Phases in Stress Corrosion of TiB2 Exposed to Liquid Aluminum

The resistance of several polycrystalline TiB2 materials to penetration by liquid aluminum at 970°C was investigated, and their microstructures were characterized. The grain-boundary properties of individual diborides rather than the intrinsic properties of TiB2 are thought to control stress corrosion susceptibility in liquid metal environments.
Sex Ratios and Occupational Prestige: Three Failures to Replicate a Sexist Bias

An experiment reported by John Touhey (1974) suggests that as people come to expect increases in the proportion of women in a high status profession, their ratings of the prestige and desirability of that profession decreases. The present study reports three failures to replicate this finding. These failures to replicate should caution researchers regarding the generalizability of the original finding and the extent to which it can be cited as an explanation for fluctuations in occupational prestige.
MarCell™ software for modeling bone marrow radiation cell kinetics

Differential equations were used to model cellular injury, repair, and compensatory proliferation in the irradiated bone marrow. Recently, that model was implemented as MarCell, a user-friendly MS-DOS computer program that allows users from a variety of technical disciplines to evaluate complex radiation exposure. The software allows menu selections for different sources of ionizing radiation. Choices for cell lineages include progenitor, stroma, and malignant, and the available species include mouse, rat, dog, sheep, swine, burro, and man. An attractive feature is that any protracted irradiation can be compared with an equivalent prompt dose (EPD) in terms of cell kinetics for either the source used or for a reference such as 250 kVp x rays or 60Co. EPD is used to mean a dose rate for which no meaningful biological recovery occurs during the period of irradiation. For human as species, output from MarCell includes: risk of 30-day mortality; risk of whole-body cancer and leukemia based either on radiation-induced cytopenia or compensatory cell proliferation; cell survival and repopulation plots as functions of time or dose; and 4-week recovery following treatment.
Successive palaeomagnetic reversal records from Kauai

Geomagnetic field reversal is a rapid phenomenon1,2, perhaps taking only a few thousand years. Knowledge of how the field behaves during these brief and active periods may eventually help to constrain theories of the geodynamo and thus inform us about conditions in the Earth's core. Unfortunately, reliable and detailed palaeomagnetic records of transitional field behaviour are few, almost entirely from Northern Hemisphere sites, and heavily biased toward reversals of the reverse–normal (R–N) sense. We report here new data from basalts on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, which have recorded successive R–N and N–R field reversals. The sequences of changing field directions for the two reversals are very similar, as would be expected if a standing nondipole component controlled the transitional field. The data are also consistent with zonal flooding models in which the reversal process depends on the sign of the field. Other reversal records, however, cannot be explained by these same models unless the standing field or flooding process changes between some reversals.
The ecological study of memory

The study of memory has long been dominated by the structural tradition, and especially by the experimental analysis of mechanisms of information processing. That dominance may soon be brought to an end by the progress of neuroscience, which offers more direct ways of studying the mechanisms in question. At that point functional issues may move to centre stage. Those issues include the act of remembering and its social functions, the skills and presuppositions of the remembered, the interaction of those skills and presuppositions with the particular material being remembered, and the determinants of accuracy and confabulation in recall.
DIFFICULT INTUBATION: A HAZARD IN THALASSAEMIA A Case Report

SUMMARY A case is described which illustrates how hypertrophy of the maxillary bone marrow in thalassaemia may complicate endotracheal intubation.
An adaptive approach to video tracking

A video tracking system based on the principles of optimalizing control is presented. This system is designed such that expensive segmentation procedures are not necessary, and is well suited for fast hardware implementation. At the image received from the camera a perturbation procedure is performed, simulating the variations on the intensity values that would occur if the camera were moved. An index of performance (IP) is evaluated at the results of this perturbation; this IP does not need to detect the position of the tracked object accurately, but rather varies in such a way as to detect the motion of the object with respect to the camera. Algorithms for translation and scaling of the tracking object have been developed using area, centroid, and template matching as indices of performance. Software simulation experiments show that the control law developed yields good results even under variations in background and illumination and under multidimensional motion. >
A Conceptual Framework of Potential Conflicts with the Role of the Internal Auditor in Enterprise Risk Management

Internal auditors are expected to be increasingly involved in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) by adding value to the organization and providing assurance that the entity’s risk exposures are properly understood and managed. The Institute of Internal Auditors’ ( IIA, 2009 ) revised position paper defines the internal auditor’s role in ERM as measuring and monitoring performance, and at the same time evaluating the effectiveness of management’s risk monitoring process. In this paper, the author proposes a conceptual framework to assess whether potential conflicts exist with the role of the internal auditor in companies with fully implemented ERM frameworks. The existence of conflicts would depend on whether the internal auditor’s independence and objectivity is impaired. The proposed conceptual framework suggests that the internal auditor’s independence and objectivity would not be impaired when it leads and maintains the ERM framework. In addition, the internal auditor’s independence and objectivity would not be impaired when it spends more time performing ERM consulting activities versus providing assurance on controls. Finally, the proposed conceptual framework suggests that the internal auditor’s independence and objectivity would not be impaired when it reports to a separate board risk management committee. From the review of prior literature on the internal auditor’s role in ERM, hypotheses are developed to suggest a relationship between the internal auditor’s independence and objectivity with performing a leading and maintaining role in ERM, providing assurance on controls and consulting services, and reporting to a separate risk management committee that can be empirically tested in future research.
Reconfigurable hardware for Pseudo-exhaustive test

Two pseudo-exhaustive test pattern generator designs are presented, each capable of exhaustively testing a single segment of a circuit. The generators are reconfigurable and easily controlled by a state machine to implement full pseudo-exhaustive test.
Blood glucose individualized prediction for type 2 diabetes using iPhone application

Type 2 diabetes is now the most rapidly growing form of diabetes and has become increasingly common among children. This paper presents our work of implementing an individualized real time predictive system for blood glucose in type 2 diabetes in an iPhone application. The developed application, called HealthiManage, provides relevant feedback to patients at each glucose input reading comparing the measured and predicted readings, facilitating improved self-management of the disease. The application incorporates activity recognition via a built-in accelerometer on the iPhone, which monitors any physical activity and adjusts predictions accordingly. Also, a reward component interface was incorporated that is intended to enhance patient compliance and encourage mainly teenagers to take control and improve their blood glucose regulation. The individualized prediction algorithm was tested and verified with real patient data. Different physical activities were also examined and classified for an accurate activity recognition component. The designed application with its predictive model, activity recognition, and other elements provide what we believe to be helpful feedback to monitor and manage type 2 diabetes and improve patient compliance
Subtle binocular vision anomalies in migraine

A literature review reveals old references to an association between migraine headache and binocular vision anomalies, but a lack of scientific evidence evaluating these claims. In a masked case control study, we investigated binocular vision using standard clinical tests in people with migraine and in controls. Some test results suggest that heterophoria and fixation disparity are more common in the migraine group. The migraine group also had slightly reduced stereopsis. We found significant correlations between some migraine variables and some binocular vision variables (e.g., duration of worst headache and impaired stereopsis) but our analyses do not suggest that a causal relationship is likely. In conclusion, people with migraine have on average a slightly higher prevalence of heterophoria and aligning prism, and reduced stereopsis compared with controls. However, the differences are subtle and our data do not support the use of binocular vision interventions prescribed solely on the basis of the presence of migraine.