cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implementing an evidence-based competency model for science team training and evaluation: TeamMAPPS

Introduction: In response to a call issued by the National Research Council to investigate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of effective science teams, we designed a team training program for conducting science in collaborative contexts. Methods: We reviewed the literature to develop an evidence-based competency model for effective science teams along with exemplary behaviors that can be used for founding team training and evaluation. We discuss the progress of teamwork and team development research that serves as a foundation for this work, as well as previous research involving team-based competencies. Results: Three overarching competencies emerged from the literature as key for science team effectiveness: psychological safety, awareness and exchange, and self-correction and adaptation. These competencies are fully described, including their evidence base. Conclusions: We developed a competency model and implementation plan for a team training program specific to science teams – TeamMAPPS (Team Methods to Advance Processes and Performance in Science). This paper details steps in the implementation process, including plans for consortia dissemination, evaluation, and future development.
Food and Drug Administration approvals in phase 3 Cancer clinical trials.

Phase 3 oncologic randomized clinical trials (RCTs) can lead to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals. In this study, we aim to identify trial-related factors associated with trials leading to subsequent FDA drug approvals. We performed a database query through the ClinicalTrials.gov registry to search for oncologic phase 3 RCTs on February 2020. We screened all trials for therapeutic, cancer-specific, phase 3, randomized, multi-arm trials. We then identified whether a trial was used for subsequent FDA drug approval through screening of FDA approval announcements. In total, 790 trials were included in our study, with 225 trials (28.4%) generating data that were subsequently used for FDA approvals. Of the 225 FDA approvals identified, 65 (28.9%) were based on trials assessing overall survival (OS) as a primary endpoint (PEP), two (0.9%) were based on trials with a quality of life (QoL) PEP, and 158 approvals (70.2%) were based on trials with other PEP (P = 0.01). FDA approvals were more common among industry funded-trials (219, 97.3%; P < 0.001), and less common among trials sponsored by national cooperative groups (21, 9.3%; P < 0.001). Finally, increased pre-hoc power and meeting patients’ accrual target were associated with FDA approvals (P < 0.001). The majority of FDA approvals are based on data generated from trials analyzing surrogate primary endpoints and trials receiving industry funding. Additional studies are required to understand the complexity of FDA approvals.
Cumulative comorbidity burden does not worsen outcomes in management of chronic rhinosinusitis.

BACKGROUND The impact of multiple coexisting medical comorbidities on treatment outcomes in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is unknown. In this study we sought to evaluate the effect of comorbidities on sinonasal quality of life (QOL) and general health utility values by utilizing the Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) in CRS patients. METHODS Patients with CRS were prospectively enrolled in a cross-sectional study of medical and surgical therapies. The 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 6D (SF-6D) scores were recorded at enrollment and 6-month follow-up; Lund-Kennedy endoscopy and Lund-Mackay computed tomography scores were recorded at enrollment. The FCI was calculated using the electronic medical record. The impact of cumulative comorbidity burden on baseline and posttreatment outcomes was assessed using univariate and bivariate correlations. RESULTS A total of 428 participants with CRS were included. The average (mean standard ± deviation) FCI score was 3.03 ± 2.28 (range, 0-12). Significant linear correlations were identified between increasing FCI score and baseline SNOT-22 and SF-6D scores (R = 0.166, p = 0.001 and R = -0.245, p < 0.001, respectively). There was no correlation between FCI and change in SNOT-22 or SF-6D scores after CRS treatment (R = 0.066, p = 0.17 and R = -0.087, p = 0.074, respectively). Achievement of a minimally clinically important difference was also independent of FCI. CONCLUSION Although cumulative comorbidity burden, as measured by FCI, is associated with worse baseline SNOT-22 and SF-6D scores, it does not appear to limit posttreatment improvement in either outcome measure. On average, patients with high comorbidity burden report substantial improvement in both QOL and health utility after CRS treatment, similar to those with fewer comorbidities.
Democracy Avoidance in Tax Lawmaking

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was the most significant tax law in more than three decades, but the strategy for getting it enacted included a variety of maneuvers to avoid public scrutiny. As a result, many taxpayers did not know how they would be affected until they filed their own tax returns more than a year later. This Article identifies this lack of transparency as part of a persistent pathology of avoiding and constraining democratic inputs and responsiveness in U.S. federal tax lawmaking. Indeed, some scholars and policy makers have sought to channel tax lawmaking away from democratically grounded decisions and towards prescribed outcomes, justifying these moves with strands of public choice theory that are expressly critical of democratic decision making. I critique this democracy avoidance approach to tax lawmaking, and make the case that tax law should be a product of mechanisms that provide greater transparency, accountability, and responsiveness to advance democratic legitimacy. I propose four reforms to tax lawmaking in the U.S. Congress to make resulting tax laws more democratically legitimate. One proposal, for example, is to require Congress to consider (and publicize) precisely how a proposed change in tax law is expected to affect different example taxpayers, including taxpayers from each congressional district. This would allow actual taxpayers observing the lawmaking process to anticipate their treatment under a proposed law, and in turn demand greater responsiveness to their real interests from their representatives. Other proposals build on this approach, calling for drastically more transparency and a radical—but, I argue, achievable—reworking of the types of analysis produced in the federal tax legislative process for consumption by non-experts.
Advanced Counting—Pólya Theory

In this chapter, we will study Polya theory. Essentially, Polya theory allows for “common sense” counting. As a motivating example, suppose that we want to make a necklace with six beads. Each bead may either be white or black. As usual, our goal will be to determine the number of different necklaces that can be made. By Corollary 2.1.4, there are \(2^6=64\) possibilities. However, we would likely consider two necklaces to be the same if one can be obtained from the other by rotating or flipping the strand. Thus, we would consider many of these possibilities to be equivalent.
The CVD of Ceramic Materials: Nitrides

This chapter reviews the basic properties, major chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactions and processes, and the present and potential applications of the ceramic materials, particularly nitrides. Nitrides are hard and wear-resistant and have high melting points and good chemical resistance. They include several of the refractory-metal (interstitial) nitrides and three covalent nitrides: those of aluminum, boron, and silicon. The chapter also discusses the CVD of aluminum nitride (AlN), which is a stable covalent compound with a combination of high thermal conductivity and high electrical insulation. Many CVD reactions use ammonia (NH 3 ) as a source of nitrogen for the deposition of nitrides. AlN is produced by CVD in the form of coatings and powder, both experimentally and on a production basis, by high temperature reactions in a hydrogen atmosphere at a low pressure (1 Torr) with ammonia and either the chloride or the bromide as metal sources. The chapter discusses various other nitrides such as hafnium nitride and niobium nitride, which are important industrial materials and have a number of major applications in cutting and grinding tools, wear surfaces, and semiconductors.
Reconstructing Membrane-Anchored Mitochondrial AAA+ Proteases For In Vitro Analysis

Mitochondrial AAA proteases harness energy from ATP hydrolysis to remove and degrade damaged protein components of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Transmembrane domains anchor the proteases in the inner membrane and drive assembly of the active hexameric form of the enzymes. To date, the requirement for these transmembrane domains has hampered detailed analysis of the substrate binding and processing activities of these important enzymes. The objective of this study is to develop a system for reconstituting membrane-anchored ATP-dependent proteases in a soluble, assembled, and active form that can be used to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of these important enzymes. We report a novel method for reconstructing soluble, assembled and active proteases by replacing the insoluble transmembrane domain with a soluble analogue. In combination with a series of solution biochemical assays, we demonstrate that the human mitochondrial AAA protease, YME1L, is a capable of mechanically unfolding stable protein su...
Center Manifolds for Homoclinic Solutions

In this article, center-manifold theory is developed for homoclinic solutions of ordinary differential equations or semilinear parabolic equations. A center manifold along a homoclinic solution is a locally invariant manifold containing all solutions which stay close to the homoclinic orbit in phase space for all times. Therefore, as usual, the low-dimensional center manifold contains the interesting recurrent dynamics near the homoclinic orbit, and a considerable reduction of dimension is achieved. The manifold is of class C1, β for some β>0. As an application, results of Shilnikov about the occurrence of complicated dynamics near homoclinic solutions approaching saddle-foci equilibria are generalized to semilinear parabolic equations.
Type Coercion and Lexical Selection

In this paper I will discuss how type-shifting is licensed in a language and what effect it has on the mapping from the lexicon to syntax. In particular, I will look at the phenomenon of type coercion, and how this behavior can be accounted for by the grammar in a systematic way. I suggest that the ambiguity exhibited by adjectives, aspectual verbs, experiencer verbs, and many causatives is the result of type coercion operations. That is, every lexical item exhibits some degree of ambiguity, what I call logical polysemy. This behavior is captured by enriching the lexical semantic representation for lexical items while also allowing a word’s semantic type to shift or be coerced in particular contexts. By allowing both verbs and nouns to shift in type, we can “spread the semantic load” in the lexicon more evenly, while still capturing the ways in which words can extend their meanings, i.e. the creative use of words.
Delamination Toughness Characterization of Laminated Composites

The state-of-the-art in delamination toughness characterization is reviewed. Widely used methods for determining mode I, II, and mixed-mode I-II delamination toughness of laminated composites are first presented. This is followed by a description of the evolving methods for characterizing the mode III and the mixed-mode toughness under conditions where mode III is present. The effects of mode ratio, temperature, moisture, and interfacial ply orientation on toughness are discussed, as is the representation of static delamination toughness data via failure loci and failure surfaces. Methods are presented to evaluate threshold toughnesses for the onset of fatigue delamination growth and to determine growth rates for stable delamination advance under fatigue loading. The relative advantages of characterizing fatigue delamination growth using energy release rate versus stress intensity factor are also addressed. Keywords: delamination; composites; fracture; toughness; mode I; mode II; mode III; mixed-mode; fatigue
Analysis of familial breast cancer in genetic analysis workshop 9: summary of findings

As part of the 9th Genetic Analysis Workshop held in Val Morin, Quebec, October 16-18, 1994, four workshop participants analyzed a large breast cancer data set. This data set consisted of phenotype and genetic marker data on 3884 individuals in 214 families with at least four cases of breast cancer contributed by members of an international breast cancer consortium. Two of the four papers [Barrett and Rigby; Commenges; this issue] utilized variants of affected pair methods to assess linkage of breast/ovarian cancer to the 17q markers in the data set. The third paper by Bansal et al. used a Monte-Carlo approach to examine the question of intrafamilial clustering of breast and ovarian cancer. The last paper in the series [Leal and Ott] described a method of computing support intervals for risk estimates when there are uncertainties associated with the parameter estimates used to compute these risks.
Geometric and electronic structures of graphitic-like and tubular silicon carbides: Ab-initio studies

The optimized structures of graphitic-like sheets (i.e., single and multilayered) as well as tubular structures (i.e., both single-wall and double-wall) of SiC including their electronic structures are investigated using ab-initio simulations within the framework of the density-functional theory. We find that: (i) SiC graphitic-like structures form $s{p}^{2}$-like bonding, although the bulk phases of SiC exhibit $s{p}^{3}$ bonding, (ii) the interplanar spacing in a multilayer graphitic sheet depends on how the atoms are arranged in adjacent SiC bilayers (e.g., Si-C or C-C interplanar order). It is smaller for the Si-C ordering $(\ensuremath{\sim}3.7\text{ }\text{\AA{}})$ than for the C-C ordering $(\ensuremath{\sim}4.5\text{ }\text{\AA{}})$. Our analysis indicates that the electrostatic interaction between the bilayers is responsible for the smaller interplanar spacing exhibited by the Si-C ordering. These findings provide the basis for the interpretation of experimental observations that display two different values for intershell distances ($\ensuremath{\sim}3.8\text{ }\text{\AA{}}$ or $\ensuremath{\sim}4.8\text{ }\text{\AA{}}$) in SiC-based multiwall nanotubes.
A performance vs. cost framework for evaluating DHT design tradeoffs under churn

Protocols for distributed hash tables (DHTs) incorporate features to achieve low latency for lookup requests in the face of churn, continuous changes in membership. These protocol features can include a directed identifier space, parallel lookups, pro-active flooding of membership changes, and stabilization protocols for maintaining accurate routing. In addition, DHT protocols have parameters that can be tuned to achieve different tradeoffs between lookup latency and communication cost due to maintenance traffic. The relative importance of the features and parameters is not well understood, because most previous work evaluates protocols on static networks. This paper presents a performance versus cost framework (PVC) that allows designers to compare the effects of different protocol features and parameter values. PVC views a protocol as consuming a certain amount of network bandwidth in order to achieve a certain lookup latency, and helps reveal the efficiency with which protocols use additional network resources to improve latency. To demonstrate the value of PVC, this paper simulates Chord, Kademlia, Kelips, OneHop, and Tapestry under different workloads and uses PVC to understand which features are more important under churn. PVC analysis shows that the key to efficiently using additional bandwidth is for a protocol to adjust its routing table size. It also shows that routing table stabilization is wasteful and can be replaced with opportunistic learning through normal lookup traffic. These insights combined demonstrate that PVC is a valuable tool for DHT designers.
Analysis of osm-6, a Gene That Affects Sensory Cilium Structure and Sensory Neuron Function in Caenorhabditis elegans

Mutation in the Caenorhabditis elegans gene osm-6 was previously shown to result in defects in the ultrastructure of sensory cilia and defects in chemosensory and mechanosensory behaviors. We have cloned osm-6 by transposon tagging and transformation rescue and have identified molecular lesions associated with five osm-6 mutations. The osm-6 gene encodes a protein that is 40% identical in amino acid sequence to a predicted mammalian protein of unknown function. We fused osm-6 with the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP); the fusion gene rescued the osm-6 mutant phenotype and showed accumulation of GFP in ciliated sensory neurons exclusively. The OSM-6::GFP protein was localized to cytoplasm, including processes and dendritic endings where sensory cilia are situated. Mutations in other genes known to cause ciliary defects led to changes in the appearance of OSM-6::GFP in dendritic endings or, in the case of daf-19, reduced OSM-6::GFP accumulation. We conclude from an analysis of genetic mosaics that osm-6 acts cell autonomously in affecting cilium structure.
Further Evidence That Self-Efficacy Predicts Acute Pain

We compared self-efficacy and response expectancy models of acute pain to determine whether belief in one's ability to regulate pain intensity and anticipated pain are related and how these expectancies contribute to pain tolerance and intensity. One hundred and twenty undergraduates completed indices of self-efficacy for tolerance, self-efficacy for regulating intensity, and response expectancy, followed by pressure stimulation. Self-efficacy for regulating intensity and response expectancy were unrelated. Self-efficacy was generally more predictive of pain responses than was response expectancy. We discuss the scientific and clinical implications for the cognitive mediation and management of acute pain.
New electro-optic materials using guest-host systems

We present a simple model to predict the linear electro-optic coefficients for a new class of materials based on the inclusion compounds of hydroquinone. The predicted Pockels coefficient for the β-quinol: CH3OH inclusion compound is of the same order as that of KDP.
Primary bladder neck dysfunction in children and adolescents I: pelvic floor electromyography lag time--a new noninvasive method to screen for and monitor therapeutic response.

ABSTRACTPurpose: One of the key findings for making the diagnosis of primary bladder neck dysfunction (PBND) on videourodynamics (VUDS) is prolongation of the time between the start of a voluntary detrusor contraction and the start of urine flow (opening time). Since normally this dynamic event is immediately preceded by pelvic floor relaxation, we determined if the interval between pelvic floor relaxation on pelvic floor electromyography (EMG) and the start of flow (pelvic floor EMG lag time), approximated opening time.Materials and Methods: Opening time measured on VUDS and pelvic floor EMG lag time measured on noninvasive uroflowmetry/EMG were compared in 22 consecutive patients with a mean age of 13.8 years diagnosed with PBND and a control group of 17 normal children. In addition, 19 patients with PBND were placed on α-blocker therapy, and pretreatment and on treatment uroflowmetry and pelvic floor EMG lag time values were compared.Results: Mean opening time and mean pelvic floor EMG lag time were st...
Ultrasonic Measurement of the Pressure-Coupled Response Function for Composite Solid Propellants

Transient phenomena associated with solid-propellant combustion are examined by means of an oscillatory burner designed to create pressure oscillations through the use of a rotary nozzle. The oscillatory burner is designed to operate at pressures up to 20.7 MPa (3000 psi), with the target operating pressure achieved through prepressurization with an inert gas (helium) and manipulation of constant and variable-area nozzle diameters. A spherically focused 1-MHz ultrasound transducer is pulsed at 2.5 kHz through the bottom of the propellant to obtain the thickness-time profile of the propellant, which is then converted to a burning rate by taking the time derivative. Two piezoelectric pressure transducers simultaneously record the pressure-time history of each experiment. The burning rate and pressure are then used to calculate the pressure-coupled response of each test. The experiments presented here were motivated by three primary goals. The first was to investigate the effect of propellant composition on the response function. The second was to evaluate effect of mean pressure on the response of propellants, and the third was to investigate the response of a propellant within a plateau region. These experiments targeted mean pressures of 2.0, 5.0, and 12.5 MPa at frequencies ranging from 20-200 Hz.
Neoplastic progression of Syrian hamster embryo cells in culture.

AbstractThe transformation of a normal cell into a malignant cell is generally recognized as a multistep process involving genetic alterations in multiple genes in a progressive, stepwise manner (1, 2). The progression of cells toward malignancy can be studied in cell culture models of neoplasia. The advantage of this approach is that it allows one to select and isolate cells at different stages of the process for biochemical, molecular, and cellular studies.One of the best-characterized cell culture models of neoplastic progression utilizes the Syrian hamster embryo cells, which have a low frequency of spontaneous transformation but can be neoplastically transformed by treatment with chemical carcinogens (3). It was shown several years ago that the transformation of the cells in culture is a multistep, progressive process (4), and the cellular, biochemical, and molecular changes of cells at different stages have been described (2, 3, 5-8).
The Short Circuit Model of Reading: A Synthesis of Reading Theories.

Although many reviews of reading theories exist, little has been done to examine the similarities between reading theories so as to create a synthesis of ideas across reading theorists. Even though most of the different theorists have tended to emphasize different aspects of the reading process, upon closer examination they have been dealing with and applying similar assumptions in their work. This article is an attempt to examine both these similar assumptions and their major differences and to synthesize them into a theory comprehensive enough to encompass both. This synthesis is intended as a new perspective from which to begin to study the reading process.
Latin square and intersection of surface

A technique is developed here to estimate an unknown curve joining two points in a three dimensional Euclidean space. A special application presented here is a computer procedure to determine the intersection of two arbitrary given smooth surfaces. The method used is to assume that y is a function of x and the set (x,y(x)) lies on the projection of the intersection of two surfaces. The function y is determined by least square curve fitting on a Latin square of experimental values. The procedure is written in APL (A Programming Language). A set of preliminary results is presented. The results indicate that this is a successful procedure for some simple surfaces, including some conic surfaces.
Theoretical and experimental study of sheet and tubes hybrid PVT collector

Abstract Electrical performance of the hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector may improved at increased intensity of solar radiation if the system is set to extract heat from solar cells, which is cooled at the same time. The objective of this work is to study theoretically and experimentally a new configuration of the PVT system which extracts heat from the photovoltaic module. This configuration is tube and sheet integrated into a prototype and tested at the unit of applied research in renewable energy Ghardaia in the south of Algeria. The advantages of this hybrid collector are better heat absorption and lower production cost compared to other configurations of hybrids collectors.
Neuropsychological functioning in sons of active alcoholic, recovering alcoholic, and social drinking fathers

Sons of active alcoholic, recovering alcoholic, and social drinking fathers were administered neuropsychological tests to assess whether they differ in their cognitive functioning. Multivariate analyses of variance showed that sons of active alcoholic sons perform significantly worse on visuospatial, memory, and attentional tasks as well as general intellectual functioning than sons of social drinking fathers. The sons of recovering alcoholic fathers showed no significant difference from social drinking fathers in their cognitive functioning. These results suggest that the clinical type of the alcoholic father (i.e., inability to abstain, more severe alcoholic vs. ability to abstain, less severe alcoholic) may be an important factor that determines whether offspring of alcoholics have neuropsychological deficits.
High-resolution electron microscopy of crystallographic shear structures in tungsten oxides

Abstract Crystallographic shear (CS) structure in reduced crystals of W0 3 has been imaged at a resolution of 3–4A˚by a high-resolution electron microscope.A˚large distortion of the W0 6 octahedra sharing their edges at the CS planes has been directly recognized in electron micrographs. Crystallographic shear occurs preferentially in a particular crystallographic orientation. The preference may be explained by a different degree of distortion along the principal axes in the W0 6 octahedra of the pseudocubic structure of W03 crystal. A model for growth and ordering of the CS planes is discussed.
WIM data quality and its influence on predicted pavement performance

AbstractIn this study, quality of weigh-in-motion (WIM) traffic data is checked based on a set of algorithms implemented in a program developed in visual basic application (VBA). As a first step, several algorithms are written to check whether the data are within the acceptable range prescribed by the traffic monitoring guide (TMG). Algorithms are also written to checks whether the number of axles is consistent with the vehicle class and the spacing of axles. Next, the VBA program determines the frequencies of vehicle class distribution, directional distribution, lane distribution, monthly distribution, hourly distribution, gross vehicle weight distribution and steering axle weight distribution. To test the quality of data, gross weight and steering axle weight distributions are tested by a set of rules recommended by TMG. It is evident from this study that bending plates provide high quality WIM data compared to piezoelectric WIM systems. It is possible that piezoelectric sensors are affected by temperat...
Integrating a certified memory management runtime with proof-carrying code

Software systems today are built from collections of interacting components written in different languages at varying levels of abstraction from the machine hardware. The ability to integrate certified components from different levels of a software architecture is a necessary part of the process of developing a dependable and secure computing infrastructure. In this paper we present a prototype system in the context of Proof-Carrying Code that allows for the integration of safety proofs derived from a high-level type system with a certified, low-level memory management runtime library.
Growth kinetics and mechanism of glycine crystals

Abstract Growth rate of the {001} and {010} faces of glycine crystals was measured as a function of supersaturation in a flow cell system. A growth mechanism was identified by comparing the results with theoretical models and by calculating the α-factors. The BCF equations fits the growth data well. Thus, crystals growth of glycine can be explained by the screw dislocation mechanism.
Some Philosophical Uses of "to be" in Plato

I here discuss two sets of passages where Plato uses the verb rIvcu (and its nominal forms ov and ovcaia) in a philosophically loaded way, in connection with the notion of truth. I suggest that the systematic nature of this connection has not been recognized and hence its philosophical significance has not been properly understood. Syntactically, the passages in question are a mixed bag. In a few cases we have what I call the veridical construction with a subject of sentential rather than nominal form: the verb is construed absolutely (no further predicate is expressed or understood), and it is syntactically linked to a clause of thinking or saying.' In other cases where the subject (or implied subject) is a noun phrase, an absolute construction of the verb may bear an existential sense. Most often, however, EIvaL will function as copula with predicate adjective, noun, or prepositional phrase. In cases where no predicate is expressed, there has been a tendency of late to describe the use of the verb as "incomplete" and to construe it as an elliptical copula, i.e. to interpret an expression of the form X is as elliptical for X is Y, where the value of Y is either specified by the context or left quite general.2 I do not want to deny the appropriateness of such an interpretation in many cases, perhaps in most. But I want to insist that the uses of EdVaL in Plato (as in Greek generally) are often overdetermined: several grammatical readings of a single occurrence are not only possible but sometimes required for the full understanding of the text. (Whether or not fallacy arises from such ambiguity is a question that must be considered separately for each case.) Even where the syntax is unambiguous, a copula use of the verb may bear a veridical value, that is to say, it may serve to call attention to the truth claim that is implicit in every declarative sentence. This function of the verb, which I have elsewhere called the veridical nuance or veridical lexical value, is not so clearly defined a notion as the veridical construction. It is unmistakable in those cases where a use of ErvaL is naturally translated as "is true", "is so", or "is the case"; but these are typically not copula constructions. In the copula use a veridical nuance emerges whenever there is any contrast between being so and seeming so, between being really such-and-such and being only called such-and-such or believed to be such-
EVOLUTION OF RNA VIRUSES

These arguments lead to the suggestion that four independent evolutionary lines exist within the general group of RNA viruses. These are positive strand viruses, negative strand viruses, double stranded viruses, and retroviruses. Three of the viral systems may well have shared genes but the double-stranded RNA viruses appear to represent a very different evolutionary line.
FLASH Knockdown Sensitizes Cells To Fas-Mediated Apoptosis via Down-Regulation of the Anti-Apoptotic Proteins, MCL-1 and Cflip Short

FLASH (FLICE-associated huge protein or CASP8AP2) is a large multifunctional protein that is involved in many cellular processes associated with cell death and survival. It has been reported to promote apoptosis, but we show here that depletion of FLASH in HT1080 cells by siRNA interference can also accelerate the process. As shown previously, depletion of FLASH halts growth by down-regulating histone biosynthesis and arrests the cell cycle in S-phase. FLASH knockdown followed by stimulating the cells with Fas ligand or anti-Fas antibodies was found to be associated with a more rapid cleavage of PARP, accelerated activation of caspase-8 and the executioner caspase-3 and rapid progression to cellular disintegration. As is the case for most anti-apoptotic proteins, FLASH was degraded soon after the onset of apoptosis. Depletion of FLASH also resulted in the reduced intracellular levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins, MCL-1 and the short isoform of cFLIP. FLASH knockdown in HT1080 mutant cells defective in p53 did not significantly accelerate Fas mediated apoptosis indicating that the effect was dependent on functional p53. Collectively, these results suggest that under some circumstances, FLASH suppresses apoptosis.
Child health care decision making and experiences of Caribbean women.

Abstract Introduction The purposes of this study were to (a) obtain data about the child health care decision making and practices of immigrant English-speaking women from the Caribbean region and (b) describe their experiences with the U.S. health care system and providers of care. Method A qualitative design with purposeful sampling was used. Data were obtained from 12 women through focus group interviews. Results Three descriptive categories were identified: child/family focus, childhood illnesses and remedies, and relationships with providers. Findings included use of “parallel utilization” practices by the caretakers; use of herbs and other alternative practices; a strong informal social support network within the community; and frustration with and lack of trust in health care providers. Discussion Immigrant children and children of immigrant Caribbean adults are a vulnerable population that may be at risk for poor health and mental health outcomes when receiving care from multiple or inconsistent providers, when providers are unaware of folk practices administered to these children by caretakers, and because of a lack of research about the efficacy of folk medicines used in children either alone or in combination with prescribed Western medicines.
Influence of supplemental phytase on calcium and phosphorus utilization in laying hens

A 6-wk study was conducted to determine the influence of supplemental phytase on Ca and P utilization in commercial laying hens. Diets were arranged factorially with three levels of dietary Ca (2.5, 2.8, and 3.1%), fed at two levels of nonphytate P (0.1 and 0.3% NPP) with and without supplemental phytase. Each diet was replicated eight times, with 16 hens per replicate. Criteria evaluated included egg specific gravity, feed consumption, egg production, egg weight, eggshell weight, bone quality, and body weight. Increasing dietary Ca significantly improved shell quality within 1 wk. A significant improvement in shell quality due to phytase supplementation was also observed during the 1st wk. Increasing NPP from 0.1 to 0.3% had not effect on egg specific gravity until Week 3, suggesting that the phytase benefit during Weeks 1 and 2 was related to improved Ca utilization. From Weeks 3 to 6, a significant P by phytase interaction was observed in which the magnitude of shell quality improvement was greatest when the 0.1% NPP diet was supplemented with phytase. This interaction was also observed from Weeks 3 to 6 for feed consumption and egg production and during Weeks 4 and 6 for egg weights. Phytase supplementation completely overcame the adverse effects associated with low dietary P and significantly reduced the impact of low dietary Ca on hen performance.
An Interactive Computer Program To Help Students Learn Molecular Symmetry Elements and Operations

SymmetryApp provides three-dimensional molecular representations from a simple Cartesian coordinate file and carries out user-selected symmetry operations that yield a second image of the molecule. If the specified symmetry is indeed present, this image is identical to the original.
Current models of blood-brain transfer

Abstract The capillaries of the CNS do not structurally resemble most other capillaries and greatly retard the blood-brain exchange of many substances, including some that are neuroactive or neurotoxic. Because they serve a protective function they are the anatomical correlate of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). These capillaries also selectively facilitate the transfer of solutes which are needed to support brain activity such as glucose. Over the past twenty years, blood-brain transfer has been measured by a number of different methods. From such studies, the interaction of blood flow and BBB permeability, the virtual lack of pores in brain capillaries, the significance of endothelial cell enzyme systems, and the roles of the luminal and abluminal membranes are emerging. In addition, regional and local differences in normal BBB function, which may be related to capillary density and local tissue activity, have now been described.
Cognitive assessment of function knowledge

Two theories of assessing function knowledge were compared for intuitive physics. The choice assessment theory, derived from Piaget, presents subjects with two physical situations, each specified by the values of two physical variables; subjects choose the situation which will yield the greater value of a dependent variable. Functional measurement presents subjects with a single physical situation; subjects make a quantitative estimate of the dependent variable. Forty subjects made both choice and functional measurement responses for two situations of intuitive physics. The choice theory showed substantial frequencies of stepwise rules, implying that subjects failed to integrate the two given physical variables. Functional measurement, in contrast, showed that most subjects integrated the two variables, following exact addition or multiplication rules. It is concluded that functional measurement gives a more correct assessment of function knowledge and should be useful in science instruction. J Res Sci Teach 34: 359–376, 1997.
Modeling and Shape Control of Piezoelectric Actuator Embedded Elastic Plates

Future technologies in microsensing, microactuation, active changes in shapes of aerofoils and turbine blades justify and necessitate a comprehensive study of piezo actuators for shape control of structures. Piezo materials have the property to develop strain on applying voltage and voltage on applying strain, hence, these materials are useful both as sensors and actuators. If a piezo actuator is bonded to a substrate plate, on applying voltages, the resulting strain in the actuator induces a deflection in the plate. This deflection is a function of geometry, material properties of ac tuator and substrate, layout of piezo actuators, and voltage inputs to the actuators. The objectives of this paper are: (a) to develop a mathematical model for deflection of a thin plate embedded with piezo actuators using elastic plate theory, (b) to compute plate deflection by solving the mathematical model using finite difference technique, and (c) to estimate optimal actuation voltages to match the deflection of the plat...
Monomer Hydrophobicity as a Mechanism for the LCST Behavior of Poly(ethylene oxide) in Water

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) has unlimited solubility in water at physiological temperatures over a wide range of polymer molecular weights but phase separates from aqueous solution with increasing temperature at a lower critical solution temperature (LCST). We examine the potential origins of this LCST behavior by applying recent advances in information theory modeling of hydrophobic hydration, supported by molecular simulation, and the Flory−Huggins theory of polymer solutions. We find that attractive interactions between PEO monomers and water provide the driving force for the unlimited mutual solubility at ambient temperatures. However, it is the intrinsic hydrophobicity of the PEO monomer that drives phase separation with increasing temperature. We also calculate the local densities of water oxygens and hydrogens around the ether oxygen and the carbon groups of the PEO monomer. Water structure around the carbons is found to be essentially equivalent to that for methane in water, while water structure a...
Optical radiation efficiencies of metal nanoparticles for optoelectronic applications

Abstract The optical radiation efficiencies, defined by the ratio of the scattering cross-section to the extinction cross-section, of spherical nanoparticles of 11 kinds of metal, Ag, Al, Au, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pd, Pt, Sn and Ti, in the air were calculated based on the classical electromagnetic theory. This optical radiation efficiency represents the energy fraction of the incident light reradiated from the particle, not wasted as heat, and the obtained data is an effective guide for the selection of metal elements for nanoparticle-enhanced optoelectronic devices. Ag, Al, Au and Cu were found to have much higher optical radiation efficiencies than the other metals for most range of wavelengths. Strikingly, Ag and Al nanoparticles with diameters around 150 nm were found to exhibit over − 90% optical radiation efficiencies at most optical frequencies.
Development of a fuzzy-nets-based in-process surface roughness adaptive control system in turning operations

This paper discusses the development of an in-process surface roughness adaptive control system for a CNC turning operation, using fuzzy-nets modeling and tool vibrations measured with an accelerometer. The goal of this system is to predict the surface roughness of a surface being turned, determine if the surface roughness being generated is higher than the desired specification, and if so to adapt the feed rate of the turning operation in order to obtain a surface roughness no higher than that specified. Fuzzy-nets models for prediction of surface roughness and adapted feed rate were trained using feed rate, spindle speed, tangential vibration and measured surface roughness data collected during experimental runs. A series of validation runs indicated that the system could successfully meet its goal both in detecting out-of-spec surface roughness conditions, and adapting the machine tool to obtain a final surface roughness at or slightly below the desired surface roughness.
In vivo evaluation of [11C]N-(2-chloro-5-thiomethylphenyl)-N'-(3-methoxy-phenyl)-N'-methylguanidine ([11C]GMOM) as a potential PET radiotracer for the PCP/NMDA receptor.

Abstract The development of imaging methods to measure changes in NMDA ion channel activation would provide a powerful means to probe the mechanisms of drugs and device based treatments (e.g., ECT) thought to alter glutamate neurotransmission. To provide a potential NMDA/PCP receptor PET tracer, we synthesized the radioligand [ 11 C]GMOM (k i = 5.2 ±0.3 nM; log P = 2.34) and evaluated this ligand in vivo in awake male rats and isoflurane anesthetized baboons. In rats, the regional brain uptake of [ 11 C]GMOM ranged from 0.75±0.13% ID/g in the medulla and pons to 1.15±0.17% ID/g in the occipital cortex. MK801 (1 mg/kg i.v.) significantly reduced (24-28%) [ 11 C]GMOM uptake in all regions. D-serine (10 mg/kg i.v.) increased [ 11 C]GMOM %ID/g values in all regions (10-24%) reaching significance in the frontal cortex and cerebellum only. The NR2B ligand RO 25-6981 (10 mg/kg i.v.) reduced [ 11 C]GMOM uptake significantly (24-38%) in all regions except for the cerebellum and striatum. Blood activity was 0.11±0.03 %ID/g in the controls group and did not vary significantly across groups. PET imaging in isoflurane-anesthetized baboons with high specific activity [ 11 C]GMOM provided fairly uniform regional brain distribution volume ( V T ) values (12.8–17.1 ml g −1 ). MK801 (0.5 mg/kg, i.v., n = 1, and 1.0 mg/kg, i.v., n = 1) did not significantly alter regional V T values, indicating a lack of saturable binding. However, the potential confounding effects associated with ketamine induction of anesthesia along with isoflurane maintenance must be considered because both agents are known to reduce NMDA ion channel activation. Future and carefully designed studies, presumably utilizing an optimized NMDA/PCP site tracer, will be carried out to further explore these hypotheses. We conclude that, even though [ 11 C]GMOM is not an optimized PCP site radiotracer, its binding is altered in vivo in awake rats as expected by modulation of NMDA ion channel activity by MK801, D-serine or RO 25-6981. The development of higher affinity NMDA/PCP site radioligands is in progress.
Minimal blocks of points with weight divisible by p over GF(p)

We construct three families of minimal blocks over GF(p) where p is an odd prime. For example, we show that the points in rank-(2p-1) projective space PG(2p-2,p) with p coordinates equal to 1 and p-1 coordinates equal to 0 form a minimal 1-block over GF(p). The proofs use the Chevalley-Warning theorem about the number of zeros of polynomials over finite fields.
Resistance distribution in electrochemical capacitors with spiral-wound structure

Abstract The distribution of internal resistance in a Panasonic 10 F, 2.5 V electrochemical capacitor comprised of activated carbon electrode and organic electrolyte was analyzed. It was found that in the direction along the electrode surface, the resistance of the cell was mainly determined by the current collector and was 1.7 × 10−3 Ω cm−1. In the direction perpendicular to the electrode surface, the resistance was dependent on the applied pressure and a minimum resistance of 13.66 Ω cm2 was obtained at an applied pressure of about 1 kg cm−2. The resistance distribution at the applied pressure of 1 kg cm−2 was 0.86, 1.91 and 8.11 Ω cm2 contributing to the electrode carbon material, contact between the current collector and electrode and separator/electrolyte, respectively. A transmission line model was used to describe the cell resistance with dependence parameters, electrode length and the location of the electrical leads.
Finite Dimension Modulation Design with Polarization Diversity in Three-Dimensional Euclidean Space

In this paper, a novel four symbols Finite Dimensional Modulation (4FDM) in three dimensional scheme with polarization diversity is presented that seeks to combine the advantageous features of phase shift-keying and conventional orthogonal modulation. Different from QPSK, the four symbols in 4FDM are allocated in three-dimensional Euclidean space to improve the energy efficiency. In addition, the polarization diversity is attached to the proposed system in order to reduce the waste of bandwidth. Analytical results are obtained for the exact symbol and bit error performance of the 4FDM design in additive white Gaussian channels. By computer simulation, the error probability and bandwidth efficiency of the 4FDM scheme are compared with conventional two-dimensional and orthogonal modulation designs such as PSK, QAM, and FSK.
Testosterone Therapy in Men With Untreated Prostate Cancer

Purpose: A history of prostate cancer has been a longstanding contraindication to the use of testosterone therapy due to the belief that higher serum testosterone causes more rapid prostate cancer growth. Recent evidence has called this paradigm into question. In this study we investigate the effect of testosterone therapy in men with untreated prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: We report the results of prostate biopsies, serum prostate specific antigen and prostate volume in symptomatic testosterone deficient cases receiving testosterone therapy while undergoing active surveillance for prostate cancer.Results: A total of 13 symptomatic testosterone deficient men with untreated prostate cancer received testosterone therapy for a median of 2.5 years (range 1.0 to 8.1). Mean age was 58.8 years. Gleason score at initial biopsy was 6 in 12 men and 7 in 1. Mean serum concentration of total testosterone increased from 238 to 664 ng/dl (p <0.001). Mean prostate specific antigen did not change with testostero...