cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Towards a therapy for Angelman syndrome by targeting a long non-coding RNA

Angelman syndrome is a single-gene disorder characterized by intellectual disability, developmental delay, behavioural uniqueness, speech impairment, seizures and ataxia. It is caused by maternal deficiency of the imprinted gene UBE3A, encoding an E3 ubiquitin ligase. All patients carry at least one copy of paternal UBE3A, which is intact but silenced by a nuclear-localized long non-coding RNA, UBE3A antisense transcript (UBE3A-ATS). Murine Ube3a-ATS reduction by either transcription termination or topoisomerase I inhibition has been shown to increase paternal Ube3a expression. Despite a clear understanding of the disease-causing event in Angelman syndrome and the potential to harness the intact paternal allele to correct the disease, no gene-specific treatment exists for patients. Here we developed a potential therapeutic intervention for Angelman syndrome by reducing Ube3a-ATS with antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). ASO treatment achieved specific reduction of Ube3a-ATS and sustained unsilencing of paternal Ube3a in neurons in vitro and in vivo. Partial restoration of UBE3A protein in an Angelman syndrome mouse model ameliorated some cognitive deficits associated with the disease. Although additional studies of phenotypic correction are needed, we have developed a sequence-specific and clinically feasible method to activate expression of the paternal Ube3a allele.
Path integral derivation of characters for Kac-Moody groups

Abstract The character of an arbitrary Kac-Moody group is formally expressed as a partition function of an extension of the chiral WZNW model on a torus. Using a stationary phase approximation, I evaluate the path integral explicitly and obtain the Weyl-Kac formula for the character.
Reactions of Titanium Films with thin Silicon Dioxide, Nitride, and Oxynitride Films During Rapid Thermal Annealing

The interactions of Ti with SiO2, Si3N4, and SiOiNy have been studied during rapid thermal annealing at 400 to 900 °C in Ar with 3% H2 ambient. X-ray diffraction, sheet resistance measurements, RBS, nuclear reaction technique to profile hydrogen, and microscopy have been employed in this study. The results of this investigation indicate that Si3N4 and SiOxNy are more stable with Ti than SiO2.
The effect of surgical stress on insulin sensitivity, glucose effectiveness and acute insulin response to glucose load

Hyperglycemia after stress is a very common clinical phenomenon. It is generally hypothesized that the underlying cause is a neuroendocrine-mediated deterioration in glucose metabolism. However, the detailed roles of insulin sensitivity, glucose effectiveness and acute insulin response to glucose load in response to stress have not been well established. Hernioplasty was used as a minor stress model for studying stressinduced hyperglycemia. Eleven healthy young men were enrolled voluntarily in this study. Their mean age was 22.0±0.9 yr and BMI 23.3±0.6 kg/m2. Frequently sampled iv glucose tolerance tests were performed one day before and one day after the surgery. Insulin sensitivity (SI), glucose effectiveness (EG) and area under acute insulin response (AIR) were calculated from “minimal model“ algorithms. We also measured fasting concentrations of human GH, ACTH and F on the days of the test. Compared to the pre-operation data, levels of ACTH and F did not change significantly after the surgery. Only GH levels were marginally significant. On the other hand, the SI (0.75±0.1, 0.52±0.9x10−5 min-1/pmol, p=0.04), EG (0.023±0.03, 0.016±0.003 min-1, p=0.01) and AIR (6738.5±1111.6, 5130.0±1047.2 pmol, p=0.005) were all significantly decreased after surgery. The percentages of decrease were 16.3±15.5, 32.1±10.3 and 17.8±10.3%, respectively. Finally, only the changes of EG positively correlate with the changes of ACTH before and after surgery. No significant changes were noted among other stress hormones and the changes of SI, EG and AIR. In conclusion, hernioplasty results in reduced SI, EG and AIR. Among them, although not statistically significant, the EG showed the most distinct decrease after the surgery, which has not been found in previous literature.
The impact of financial aid on women's demand for higher education

The Educational Amendments of 1972 marked a new direction in public policy regarding the scope and purpose of financial aid to higher education. Aid became more “student-oriented,” and equality of opportunity for higher education became a goal. This empirical study with national longitudinal data has made a start in policy evaluation of the effect of the 1972 Educational Amendments on the higher education acquired by young women. The most important result of financial aid receipt for young women is that those who received aid averaged 0.64 more years completed of higher education and averaged .145 greater graduation probability than similar women who did not receive aid. These results were obtained in multiple regression models in which the effects of marital status, parental background, geographic locations and economic characteristics, and tuition level were controlled for. These results suggest that policy attempts to stimulate the higher education acquired by enrolled young women by increasing the availability of financial aid are well founded.
Comparison of Insulin Infusion Protocols Targeting 110-140 mg/dL in Patients After Cardiac Surgery.

Abstract Background: Continuous intravenous insulin infusion (CII) following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery reduces postoperative complications and hospitalization duration. Because of limited data evaluating outcomes of CII with revised glycemic targets (110–140 mg/dL) in cardiac surgery, this study compared efficacy and safety of two different CII protocols having revised targets. Subjects and Methods: This is a retrospective study comparing two different protocols between August 2009 and March 2010. Protocol 1 consists of four algorithms, and Protocol 2 is a table to adjust CII. Blood glucose (BG) and CII rates were recorded for 48 h postoperatively or CII discontinuation. Efficacy was defined by the percentage of BG values in the target range, and safety was defined by the percentage of BG values<40 and 40–69 mg/dL. Results: Protocol 1 (n=117) patients were older (65 vs. 61 years; P=0.006) and had more CABG and fewer valve procedures compared with Protocol 2 (n=130). There were no differe...
Dynamics of formation of the blue core mode in argon helicon plasma

Helicon plasma sources are typically associated with a core, a radially localized central area of strong light emission. Here we describe new experimental results that clearly distinguish between the capacitive to helicon mode transition in an rf heated, argon plasma and the formation of the classic “blue” helicon core. We find that for certain source parameters, helicon plasma (discrete jump to high densities ∼ 1019 m−3 with increasing power and magnetic field, strong Ar - II dominated emission etc.) occur without the formation of the core. For such conditions, the plasma is dominated by resistive drift wave [RDW] instabilities driven by the radial density gradient rotating in the electron diamagnetic drift direction. The resulting particle flux is radially outwards for all radii. For controlled changes in the source parameters, we are able to trigger the formation of the core. A new global equilibrium state is achieved where we find the simultaneous existence of three radially separated plasma instabilities. The density gradient region, still dominated by RDWs, separates the plasma radially into the edge region and the core region. The edge region is dominated by strong, turbulent, shear driven Kelvin - Helmholtz [KH] instabilities, while the core region shows coherent Rayleigh - Taylor [RT] modes driven by azimuthal rotation. The RT modes rotate in the ion diamagnetic drift direction and are associated with enhanced light emission. The particle flux is directed outward for small radii and inward for large radii, thus forming a radial particle transport barrier which leads to a slight increase in the core plasma density. Simultaneously the Ar - II emission from the core region increases by an order of magnitude. The radial extent of the inner RT mode and radial location of the particle transport barrier is the same as the radius of the blue core. This new equilibrium with the RT - RDW - KH instabilities leads to the formation of a very strong enhanced blue core. For a range of operating parameters, just prior to this new global equilibrium state with the enhanced blue core, the system undergoes incomplete intermittent transitions between the two equilibrium states, leading to the visual perception of the “helicon core” in a time averaged sense. This is the first time that the development of the helicon core is shown to be associated with changes in radial transport driven by inherent plasma instabilities.
Imaging Evaluation of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose—Imaging is an important aspect of decisions regarding treatment for acute stroke. New imaging techniques using MRI and CT enable estimation of tissue viability. This information may be useful to select patients for acute stroke therapies. Summary of Report—Several clinical trials identified patients with penumbra based on MRI or CT imaging. The results indicate patients with penumbra by imaging improve with reperfusion, but it is not yet clear that thrombolysis is beneficial when patients are selected on this basis. New quantitative techniques for assessing perfusion and diffusion may improve these results. Conclusion—Identifying reversible patterns on MRI or CT perfusion imaging may ultimately yield better results than the mismatch concept that is currently under active investigation.
A Constitutive Equation for Linear Viscoelastic Thermoset Materials Undergoing Compression

A constitutive equation for linear viscoelasticity is presented. The equation is formulated using a Variable-Order (VO) integro-differential operator, in which the order of the derivative q(t*) is allowed to be a function of the dependent or independent variables. We propose a relationship in which the stress is related to the q-th derivative of strain, where q(t*) and the normalized time t* characterize the viscoelastic response of the material. We assume that the function q(t*) is a measure of the rate of change of disorder within the material and develop a statistical mechanical model. The resulting model correlates well with experimental results for strain rate values varying over eight orders of magnitude. Using experimental data for a carbon/epoxy composite and an epoxy resin undergoing constant rate compression in the linear range, we derive a semi-empirical functional relationship with the normalized time that is used in a VO constitutive equation to model the viscoelastic deformation in time. The resulting dimensionless constitutive equation requires a much smaller number of empirically determined coeffcients to adequately represent the data.© 2007 ASME
Graduate Education for Information Organization, Cataloging, and Metadata

Discussions of cataloging and metadata education are popular in social media outlets, scholarly literature, conference meetings, and so on. This article, the third installment of a longitudinal study on the state of information organization (IO) education, analyzes the recent literature to identify new and continuing themes related to IO education. It provides an overview of the curricula of the 58 library and information science graduate programs in the United States and Canada accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). It examines the current conditions in 2012–2013 and compares them to data from earlier studies. It provides an overview of the types of IO courses available, program requirements, the number of schools offering IO courses, and the number of schools teaching those courses.
Faulting within the eastern Baikal rift as characterized by earthquake studies

Earthquake relocations, focal mechanism determinations, waveform modeling, and stress analyses using focal mechanism information are used to examine the faulting processes within the western Baikal rift (95° to 108.5°). Results of the study show that high angle (dip ≥ 70 ° ) faulting is most likely to occur in the more youthful parts of the rift and is most likely to be associated with M ≥ 4.5 events. Like the eastern rift, nearly all earthquakes occurred on faults dipping > 30°, suggesting that in no part of the rift is significant deformation occurring on low angle structures. Focal mechanism information does not indicate there is a sharp boundary to the western rift as observed in the eastern rift. Less normal faulting (rakes − 60 ° to −120°) occurs in the western rift than the eastern rift. Waveform modeling of the two largest earthquakes (1950 Mondy and 1959 Srednebaikal) in the western rift gives focal depths of 10 to 15 km. The 1959 event appears to have occurred along the eastern boundary fault on Lake Baikal just to the north of Proval Bay, a feature created a M = 7.1 earthquake in 1862. The 1950 event may have occurred along the southern boundary fault of the Tunka depression. Stress orientation information indicates a near horizontal, NW-SE to WNW-ESE striking σ3 in the eastern part of the western rift.
Electrospherics and magnetospherics

In the second part of a two-part article, additional experiments with small spheres of magnetic material are described. Not only are the results interesting in themselves, but also it is hoped that they may serve as analogs for such phenomena as Brownian movement, thermal movement of molecules, crystal formation, bacterial chaining, and others.
Urban change detection based on an artificial neural network

Abstract A method based on an artificial neural network (ANN) was developed to detect newly urbanized areas depicted in satellite sensor images. The method uses two Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images of a region acquired on different dates as input and supervises the ANN to classify the image data into 'from-to' classes. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to extract the salient features and to reduce the dimensionality of the input data prior to the ANN-based change detection. The Levenburg-Marquardt algorithm was used to accelerate the ANN's convergence. Experimental results from a case study show the ANN-based method requires only modest training time but can be 20-30% more accurate than post-classification comparison. PCA not only reduced the computational cost but improved the change detection accuracy as well. The results suggest the practical value of ANN-based change detection.
Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction and Homology Modeling Link Temperature Adaptation and Conservation of Function With Sequence Evolution in Parvalbumin

Temperature is a key factor influencing protein structure and function in poikilotherms. Previous studies of enzymes have shown that orthologs from species acclimated to different thermal niches can maintain a relatively similar level of function at those species' respective physiological temperatures. In some well-characterized enzymes, this conservation of function is correlated with differences in primary structure that lie outside active sites. Information gained from thermal adaptation studies of enzymes can be extended to non-catalytic proteins, which are less thoroughly examined, through the study of parvalbumin structure and function. Parvalbumins are intracellular calcium-binding proteins of the EF-hand type that are thought to function in muscle cells as calcium sinks permitting more rapid unloading of troponin-C, leading to more rapid contraction/relaxation cycles. Parvalbumins contain two functional, highly conserved binding sites and one non-functional site, the AB domain, thought to be an important area of modulation for cation binding. Parvalbumins from teleosts of the sub-order Notothenioid and the unrelated Arctic cod, Boreogadus saida, have converged on a common phenotype. That is, they show similar thermal sensitivity patterns of calcium binding. To explore the underlying structural basis of this similarity in phenotype, we have used ancestral sequence reconstruction combined with homology modeling to identify potential changes in primary structure that have allowed parvalbumins from these disparately related groups of fish to function similarly in their polar habitats. For instance, an Asn to Cys change at position 26 (located in the AB domain) in the evolution of B. saida parvalbumin may lead to the loss of a hydrogen bond in the B-helix. This may provide the change in tertiary structure needed for this parvalbumin to function at polar temperatures.
The Answer to Suburbia: Playboy's Urban Lifestyle

This article examines images of urban and domestic space that appeared in Playboy magazine in the 1950s and 1960s. It argues that in crafting the bachelor's ideal habitat, Playboy engaged in a popular discourse on changing roles for men and women, transformations in the urban landscape, and a consolidating ethos of consumption. Readers encountered a vision of urban life and domesticity that served as a gendered response to the perceived “feminization” of society and widespread suburbanization while also countering images of urban decline. Playboy's representations of the bachelor pad and the city provide insight into the meanings attached to the evolution of the metropolitan landscape in the postwar period and reveal the cultural foundations for the construction of a masculine identity based on leisure and consumption.
Computer-based job simulation: A complementary approach to organizational research

This paper reviews current applications of computer-based job simulation procedures in the study of organizational phenomenon. It then presents a study in which a new approach to modeling employee turnover is examined in the context of a computer-based job simulation. The simulation technology allows the researcher to examine formally the relationships between critical organizational variables. It provides a realistic and engaging yetcontrollable flow of events to the participant, and represents a useful complementary approach to traditional organizational field studies.
Religiosity, Spirituality, and End-of-Life Planning: A Single-Site Survey of Medical Inpatients

Context Prior studies suggest that terminally ill patients who use religious coping are less likely to have advance directives and more likely to opt for heroic end-of-life measures. Yet, no study to date has examined whether end-of-life practices are associated with measures of religiosity and spirituality.
New insights into the thermal evolution of aluminophosphate solutions: A complementary XRD and solid state NMR study

Abstract The thermal evolution of aluminium phosphate solutions is investigated in this contribution. The study is based on complementary results obtained from standard X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses accompanied by solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) investigations. Binders are prepared between 150 and 1400 °C from two aluminium phosphate solutions differing by their P/Al ratio (3 and 3.5). New insights about the presence of amorphous phases, minor compounds and residual phosphoric acid in the binders, not provided by previous XRD study, are afforded by XRD/NMR investigations, leading to a better understanding of the structure of the binders. At high temperature (>600 °C), both solutions (P/Al = 3 and 3.5) lead to the formation of binders composed of cubic aluminium metaphosphate, Al(PO 3 ) 3 [A]. However, the presence of residual phosphoric acid in the P/Al = 3.5 solution entails the formation of Al(PO 3 ) 3 [A] at lower temperature. Advanced solid state NMR sequences ( 31 P{ 1 H} cross polarisation, 2D 31 P RFDR and 2D 31 P{ 27 Al} CP-HETCOR) allow for a complete 31 P and 27 Al NMR signals assignments.
Effects of salinity, temperature, and cadmium on cadmium-binding protein in the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio

The combined effects of salinity, temperature, and cadmium on the accumulation of cadmium-binding protein (CdBP) were studied in the grass shrimp,Palaemonetes pugio. In 96-hr bioassays, shrimp were exposed either to zero or to one of three concentrations of cadmium, under one of six different salinity and temperature regimes. Cadmium-binding protein concentrations were quantified in survivors from the 24 exposure groups. Salinity and temperature did not affect survivorship unless the shrimp were also exposed to cadmium.P. pugio produced a 10,000-dalton metallothionein-like CdBP when exposed to at least 0.1 mg Cd2+/L for 96 hr. Accumulation of CdBP was elevated when either the level of cadmium or temperature was increased or salinity was decreased. Grass shrimp surviving the salinitytemperature-cadmium conditions associated with highest mortality exhibited the highest levels of CdBP. Thus, CdBP accumulation is not only related to cadmium exposure, but can be synergistically affected by environmental factors as well. The utility of metal-binding proteins to monitor physiological stress in estuarine biota that inhabit environments polluted with heavy metals is discussed.
LESSONS LEARNED IN MODAL TESTING—PART 3: TRANSIENT EXCITATION FOR MODAL TESTING, MORE THAN JUST HAMMER IMPACTS

This study demonstrated that transient inputs for modal testing include much more than just hammer impacts. All the techniques discussed are an important resource that should be maintained in an engineer’s “toolbox” for modal testing. These techniques are generally best suited for lightly damped, linear structures and are very versatile due to the variety of methods. Hammer impacts are fast, convenient, and very useful for quick diagnostics. Projectile impacts produce much higher frequency content, but generally the input cannot be measured unless the projectile can be instrumented. Explosive inputs contain incredible high-frequency content up to the MHz range. Again, no direct measurement of the explosive input is available, although the impulse can typically be calculated. Step relaxation is an underutilized yet highly capable technique, versatile for both small and very large structures, particularly for massive structures where very large forces are required for excitation. It can be used for operational structures in which it would be may be impossible to apply other kinds of excitation techniques. Electrodynamic shakers and drop tables can also be used for transient testing when base excitation is required by test specifications. In conclusion, many types of transient inputs can be applied, limited only by the application and the imagination of the engineer.
Interaction-enhanced coherence between two-dimensional Dirac layers

We estimate the strength of interaction-enhanced coherence between two graphene or topological insulator surface-state layers by solving imaginary-axis gap equations in the random phase approximation. Using a self-consistent treatment of dynamic screening of Coulomb interactions in the gapped phase, we show that the excitonic gap can reach values on the order of the Fermi energy at strong interactions. The gap is discontinuous as a function of interlayer separation and effective fine structure constant, revealing a first order phase transition between effectively incoherent and interlayer coherent phases. To achieve the regime of strong coherence the interlayer separation must be smaller than the Fermi wavelength, and the extrinsic screening of the medium embedding the Dirac layers must be negligible. In the case of a graphene double-layer we comment on the supportive role of the remote $\pi$-bands neglected in the two-band Dirac model.
Testosterone modulates spatial recognition memory in male rats

Abstract A growing body of research indicates that testosterone influences spatial cognition in male rats; however, the overwhelming majority of studies have been conducted on tasks motivated by either food deprivation or water escape. The hippocampus-dependent version of the Y-maze task, which characterizes spatial recognition memory, capitalizes on the propensity of rats to gravitate toward novel spatial environments and is not contingent upon either appetite or the stress associated with water escape, two factors also affected by testosterone. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to examine the effects of orchidectomy and subsequent testosterone treatment on spatial recognition memory. Orchidectomy did not impact spatial recognition memory when the delay between the information and retention trials of the Y-maze task was 24 h. Alternatively, on the second Y-maze task, which featured a 48-h delay between trials, orchidectomy reduced, and treatments that produced higher levels of testosterone restored, preference for the arm associated with the novel spatial environment. Importantly, there were no differences in activity levels as a function of orchidectomy or testosterone treatment on either of the two tasks. Consistent with previous findings, orchidectomy attenuated, and testosterone treatment restored, both body weight gain and the relative weight of the androgen-sensitive ischiocavernosus muscle, which confirmed the efficacy of orchidectomy and testosterone treatments on physiological outcomes. Therefore, testosterone influenced spatial cognition on a task that minimized the influence of non-mnemonic factors and took advantage of the innate preference of rodents to seek out novel spatial environments.
Nonparametric Tests for Evaluation of Biosimilarity in Variability of Follow-on Biologics

As more biologic products are going off patent protection, the development of follow-on biologic products (also known as biosimilars) has gained much attention from both the biotechnology industry and regulatory agencies. Unlike small molecules, the development of biologic products is not only more complicated but also sensitive to a small change in procedure/environment during the manufacturing process. In practice, biologics are expected to have much larger variation, which will potentially impact the product quality and potency. Thus, it is suggested that the assessment of biosimilarity between biologic products should take variability into consideration, in addition to average biosimilarity of endpoints of interest. In this article, we propose the use of nonparametric tests for evaluation of biosimilarity in variability between the follow-on biologic product and the reference product. Extensive simulations are conducted to compare the relative performance of the proposed methods with the adapted param...
Cost effectiveness in R&D organizational resource allocation

A method for use in allocating resources to a multi-laboratory, multitask research and exploratory program is described. The basic elements of the underlying model are 1) tasks, projects, and laboratories, 2) contributing sciences and technologies (S and T), 3) criticality of such fields to achieving organizational objectives, 4) relative values of objectives, and 5) costs of performing tasks. Structural models are developed for interrelating tasks, S and T fields, and objectives. A cost-effectiveness model is developed for use in allocating resources to tasks. Research and exploratory development effectiveness is measured in terms of the value of task contribution to organizational objectives. Results of this study tested by experimentally determined inputs include 1) cost-effectiveness relationships for tasks, projects, laboratories, and S and T fields, 2) log-normal distributions for both project cost and effectiveness, and 3) a systematic procedure for allocating resources to R&D activities.
Young Children's Understanding of Present and Past Tense

Three age groups were tested for their understanding of present and past tense in the auxiliaries will and did, copula be, and progressive be. Children saw scenarios or pictures and responded to an experimenter's "show-me" requests based on the tense-non-past or past-of the verb in the request. For two groups (sixty-four 2- and sixty-four 3-year-olds), some children also heard temporal adverbs. The 2-year-olds successfully distinguished auxiliaries will/did and copula is/was, performing marginally on the progressive; adverbs produced no additional benefit. The 3-year-olds successfully distinguished all contrasts and showed more benefit of adverbs. The nine 4-year-olds performed at ceiling on all contrasts. The results suggest that knowledge of tense is neither localized to special lexical elements nor semantically based. From the beginning of combinatorial speech, children's grammars include a syntactic tense marker that is independent from aspect and include the syntactic category verb.
Comparative analysis of dendritic cell density and total number in commonly transplanted organs: morphometric estimation in normal mice.

Dendritic cells (DC) are considered to be the major cell type responsible for induction of primary immune responses. While they have been shown to play a critical role in eliciting allosensitization via the direct pathway, there is evidence that maturational and/or activational heterogeneity between DC in different donor organs may be crucial to allograft outcome. Despite such an important perceived role for DC, no accurate estimates of their number in commonly transplanted organs have been reported. Therefore, leukocytes and DC were visualized and enumerated in cryostat sections of normal mouse (C57BL/10, B10.BR, C3H) liver, heart, kidney and pancreas by immunohistochemistry (CD45 and MHC class II staining, respectively). Total immunopositive cell number and MHC class II+ cell density (C57BL/10 mice only) were estimated using established morphometric techniques--the fractionator and disector principles, respectively. Liver contained considerably more leukocytes (approximately 5-20 x 10(6)) and DC (approximately 1-3 x 10(6)) than the other organs examined (pancreas: approximately 0.6 x 10(6) and approximately 0.35 x 10(6); heart: approximately 0.8 x 10(6) and approximately 0.4 x 10(6); kidney approximately 1.2 x 10(6) and 0.65 x 10(6), respectively). In liver, DC comprised a lower proportion of all leukocytes (approximately 15-25%) than in the other parenchymal organs examined (approximately 40-60%). Comparatively, DC density in C57BL/10 mice was heart > kidney > pancreas >> liver (approximately 6.6 x 10(6), 5 x 10(6), 4.5 x 10(6) and 1.1 x 10(6) cells/cm3, respectively). When compared to previously published data on allograft survival, the results indicate that the absolute number of MHC class II+ DC present in a donor organ is a poor predictor of graft outcome. Survival of solid organ allografts is more closely related to the density of the donor DC network within the graft.
Efficient determination and characterization of transition states using ab-initio methods

Abstract The gradient of the potential energy with respect to nuclear coordinates has been calculated using ab-initio single determinant molecular orbital methods. The calculated gradient is used together with very efficient minimization methods to locate and characterize transition states on many-dimensional potential energy surfaces. Previously such methods have only been applied to semi-empirical potential functions. Although the calculation of the gradient in addition to the energy increases the computational time by about a factor of four, we have demonstrated the feasibility of these calculations by locating the transition state for the model rearrangement of HNC to HCN using both minimal (STO-3G) and split valence shell (4-31G) basis sets. Further use of such methods in the direct application of ab-initio wavefunctions to dynamical investigations is discussed.
Methods for Addressing Conflict in Cotaught Classrooms

As a service delivery option for students with disabilities, coteaching continues to gain popularity. Successful coteaching largely rests upon the compatibility of coteachers. Sometimes conflict may occur when two teachers with different backgrounds and views work closely together. This article focuses on why conflict is inevitable in cotaught classrooms and how coteachers can address conflict professionally.
Cysteine Oxidation Enhanced by Iron in Tristetraprolin, A Zinc Finger Peptide

Tristetraprolin (TTP or NUP475) is a non-classical zinc finger protein that is involved in inflammatory response. TTP regulates the production of cytokines by binding to specific mRNA sequences. TTP contains two Cys3His metal binding domains that can coordinate zinc, cobalt, ferric and ferrous iron. When zinc, cobalt, ferric or ferrous iron are bound, TTP peptides can bind to their cognate RNA. During inflammation there are increased levels of reactive oxygen species and iron. It has been proposed that reactive oxygen species may play a role in regulating zinc finger protein function by oxidizing cysteine thiolates that bind zinc and inactivating the protein. To elucidate the effect of the reactive oxygen species H2O2 on the integrity of TTP and its ability to bind to target RNA, a simple and rapid assay using cobalt as a spectroscopic probe for zinc was developed. The oxidative susceptibility of peptides consisting of the zinc binding domains of a single zinc finger domain of TTP, TTP-D1 and the tandem z...
Mechanism and Theory of Vulcanization

Abstract x-Ray and stress-strain data have been obtained which indicate that accelerators and divalent metallic compounds, as well as sulfur, react with rubber molecules during vulcanization and become a part of the rubber vulcanizate. The vulcanization reaction was found to behave like a normal chemical reaction in solution, which is influenced by the temperature, solubilities of the reacting ingredients, relative strengths and concentrations of the acids present, pH, and chemical nature of the vulcanizing agent. On the basis of these results and the known characteristics of vulcanized rubber, the original hypothesis of Goodyear and the more recent conclusions of Midgley, Henne, and Shepard were developed into a theory of vulcanization which postulates that vulcanization is a process by which the intermolecular forces are increased through the introduction of polar groups, generally acidic in nature, into the rubber molecules. This is accomplished by the reaction of certain types of oxidizing agents with...
Issues communication and advocacy: Contemporary ethical challenges

Abstract The use of persuasive mass communication techniques by public relations and advertising practitioners, rather than abating in influence as early theorists hoped because of more widespread education, is an increasing component of both private and government communication. This implies social utility in addition to the negative connotations often attached to commercial propaganda, especially in the post-Cold War marketplace. The whole topic of advocacy remains a volatile point of debate, particularly if one sees media playing less an agenda setting role than one as a legitimate target audience for institutional communicators seeking entry into the various constituencies making up the public mind. In an information environment, persuasion serves a public interest when it assists social utility, but there has been no “macro-ethical” consistency by practitioners. The lack of a single common framework for deciding what is ethical and what is not thus ultimately influences the outcome of public policymaking and the reputation of public relations, as demonstrated by the challenges faced by Hill & Knowlton with its more controversial clients.
GERM CELL CHIMERISM: ABSENCE IN PARABIOTIC FROGS.

Embryos of the leopard frog deprived of primordial germ cells by treatment with ultraviolet light were joined in parabiosis with normal, unirradiated embryos. The irradiated member of the pair was not colonized by germ cells from its normal partner. Unlike the primordial germ cells of birds and mammals, the germ cells of frog embryos are not carried by the circulating blood.
Congenital atresia and stenosis of the colon.

Abstract To the 53 cases of successfully treated colonic atresia and stenosis 16 previously unreported cases are added. Resection and primary anastomosis is advocated for colonic atresia proximal to the splenic flexure, and proximal colostomy and subsequent resection and primary anastomosis is recommended for similar lesions beyond the splenic flexure. Routine contrast enema is suggested in all patients with jejunal or ileal atresia or stenosis to avoid overlooking an associated colonic atresia or stenosis. Of 209 infants operated upon for gastrointestinal atresias and stenosis, 22 or 10.5 per cent were colonic in a 22-year period. Sixteen of the 22 infants survived.
Efficacy of commercial and field-strain Mycobacterium paratuberculosis vaccinations with recombinant IL-12 in a bovine experimental infection model.

The efficacy of commercial (Strain 18) and field-isolate paratuberculosis vaccine preparations was investigated. The effect of prior exposure to Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and the adjuvant effect of rIL-12 on vaccine efficacy were also tested. Both Strain 18 and field-isolate vaccines induced strong local, systemic and enteric IFN-γ responses. A significant reduction in mycobacterial colonization was observed when calves were vaccinated with the field-isolate prior to challenge, but not following vaccination with Strain 18 vaccine. Vaccination with rIL-12 prevented infection in some calves but its overall effect on IFN-γ response and total mycobacterial load was not statistically significant. Efficacy of paratuberculosis vaccines may be enhanced if calves are vaccinated prior to M. paratuberculosis exposure with field-isolate vaccine instead of Strain 18 vaccine currently in use.
Project Gemini online digital archive

An archive containing the first high-resolution digital scans of the original flight films from Project Gemini, the second U.S. human spaceflight program, was unveiled by the NASA Johnson Space Center and Arizona State University's (ASU) School of Earth and Space Exploration on 6 January. The archive includes images from 10 flights. Project Gemini, which ran from 1964 to 1966, followed Project Mercury and preceded the Apollo spacecraft. Mercury and Apollo imagery are also available through ASU. For more information, see http://tothemoon.ser.asu.edu/gallery/gemini and http://apollo.sese.asu.edu/index.html.
Taped Vocalization as a Reinforcer of Vocal Behavior in a Female Agile Gibbon (Hylobates Agilis)

The study demonstrated the effectiveness of tape-recorded answering calls as reinforcers of vocal behavior in a female agile gibbon. Following baseline, typical conditioning, extinction, and reconditioning effects were demonstrated. The findings support the proposition that many species-typical behaviors may act as reinforcers.
The application of chromatographic data to commodity source identification

Abstract An empirical method of assigning samples to determined groups of any particular commodity, within the population of that commodity, is described. A computer program is used to calculate and select ratios of variables to characterise groups from known members of the groups. A second program is used to test if an unknown sample is a member of a previously characterised group. The method is tested using published chromatographic data for spearmint oils and animal fats.
Aerodynamic Simulations of Airfoils with Upper-Surface Ice-Shapes

A computational investigation was conducted to determine the effect of simulated upper-surface spanwise ice shapes on airfoil aerodynamics. These shapes are representative of supercooled large droplet shapes on aircraft with active de-icing boots. The numerical investigation employed steady-state simulations with a high-resolution full Navier‐Stokes solver using a solution-adaptive unstructured grid for both non-iced and iced cone gurations. Thestudy investigated a modie ed NACA23012 (with and without e ap dee ection )and airfoilsoftheNASAModern Airfoil program. Arangeof protuberancelocation, size, and shapewere examined, and comparisons weremade to availableexperimental data. In general, the performance of thecomputational methodology was particularly good for pressure and hinge-moment distributions (including the nonlinear break points ), whereas lift was predicted reasonably well up to (but not past) fully separated e ow conditions. The airfoil shape sensitivity studies indicated that the NACA 23012m exhibited the most detrimental performance with respect to lift loss, which tended to be greatest around x/c ofabout0.1 that also correspondsto the location of minimum Cp. The more evenly loaded NLF 0414 airfoil tended to have less separation for equivalent clean-airfoil lift conditions and did not exhibit a unique critical ice-shape location. The forward-loaded airfoils of the business jet main wing model and the commercial transport horizontal tailplane model exhibited critical ice-shape locations close to the leading edge (x/c = 0.02), which was close to the minimum Cp location.
A two-channel hypothesis for regulation of cell division and differentiation

We propose the hypothesis that extracellular regulation of cell division and differentiation acts through just two communications channels. These channels consist of a series of redundant components: extracellular messenger hormones; these hormones' receptors; cytoplasmic proteins activated by the hormone-receptor complex; and trans-activating nuclear regulatory proteins. One channel, here labeled “ D ” (“differentiate”), includes transforming growth factor-beta as one of its hormones; the other, labeled “ G ” (“growth”) includes epidermal growth factor. We postulate that signal reception occurs as a result of competition between different actuating proteins for equilibrium-controlled binding to critical DNA sites. Stem cells commit to mitosis when some high proportion of critical sites is occupied by actuating proteins of the G class, and to terminal differentiation when a high proportion is occupied by “ D ” actuators. Intermediate occupancy can either lead to division into one differentiated and one stem cell, or to maintenance of cells in the reference state, quiescence. Equilibrium control of binding implies that critical site occupancy will be proportional to the relative concentrations of “ D ” and “ G ” actuating proteins in the nuclear fluid. These concentrations depend on the external hormone concentrations, the numbers of receptors on the cell membrane, and the coefficients of the rate-determining steps between internalization of the hormone-receptor complexes and activation of the actuating proteins. All of these quantities can be affected by various factors, including endocrine hormones. This model is consistent with most reported behavior of various growth factors, interferons, etc, toward a variety of cells in culture. It predicts that under otherwise constant conditions, high relative concentrations of a D -hormone (e.g. transforming growth factor-beta) will induce commitment to terminal differentiation, while high relative concentrations of a “ G ” hormone (e.g. epidermal growth factor) will induce mitosis. We have seen no report of an experiment which adequately tests this prediction. The model implies that cancer causing mutations are those which increase the relative intensity of the “ G ” signal; this can occur via changes in components of either channel. Such mutant cells should be both more likely to divide and less likely to differentiate than normal stem cells. Conversely, mutations which increase relative sensitivity to the “ D ” signal during embryonal development can lead to premature differentiation, cessation of growth, and structural abnormalities (terata).
Analysis and design of optical lattice filters in the presence of imperfections

Abstract We analyze the operation of optical lattice filters in the presence of such practical imperfections as losses, and finite mirror reflectivity specification. Our test case of interest is the class of multi-mirror structures which transform a single short pulse into a very high frequency burst of short pulses. In addition to understanding the effects of these losses, we show how to redesign these multi-mirror structures to achieve locally optimal performance in the presence of losses. The effects of phase errors on pulse train shape are also studied.
CASE and the undergraduate curriculum

In 1987 the Dept. of Computer Science at the University of Scranton received an NSF CSIP grant to develop a Software Engineering Laboratory. A decision was made to supplement that laboratory with computer assisted software engineering (CASE) tools. This paper describes the on going integration of CASE tools into the computing curricula at the University of Scranton.
Generation of three-photon entangled state by quantum interference between a coherent state and parametric down-conversion

Three-photon entangled states such as a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state can be produced by mixing a weak coherent state with parametric down-conversion. Quantum interference between the two states is responsible for the cancellation of unwanted photon states. Two schemes of interference are considered and both are shown to produce the entangled state.
Experiments with powdered CMN thermometers between 10 mK and 4 K, and a comparison with an NBS SRM 768 fixed point device

Abstract Comparison of a powdered CMN thermometer with an NBS fixed point device demonstrates an internal inconsistency in the T c 's assigned to the fixed point device. T c 's between 100 and 200 mK are in excellent agreement with a temperature scale interpolated between He vapor pressure temperatures and nuclear orientation temperatures, but there is a discrepancy of 8% at the 15 mK point. Evidence for different susceptibility-temperature relations for superficially similar CMN thermomenters is also presented.
Reduction of (3H)-imipramine binding sites on platelets of conduct-disordered children.

Abstract Binding characteristics of tritiated imipramine on blood platelets were determined in daytime hospitalized prepubertal children who had mixed diagnoses of conduct disorder (CD) plus attention deficit disorder hyperactivity (ADDH) and in inpatient adolescents who had a history of aggressive behavior. The number of (3H)-imipramine maximal binding sites (Bmax) was significantly lower in the prepubertal patient group of CD plus ADDH; the dissociation constant (Kd) was not significantly different. There were significant negative correlations between Bmax and the Externalizing or Aggressive factors of the Child Behavior Checklist when the CD plus ADDH prepubertal patients were combined with their matched controls and within the adolescent inpatient group. We propose that a decreased platelet imipramine binding Bmax value, as an index of disturbed presynaptic serotonergic activity, is not specific to depression and may be used as a biologic marker for the lack of behavioral constraint in heterogeneous. populations of psychiatric patients.
The Impact of Content and Structure on a Case-Based Approach to Developing Leadership Skills.

Case studies are frequently used in a number of organisational training settings. However, there has been little empirical study of how these cases can be most effective for developing leadership skills. The present study tests the impact of case content and structural features on the acquisition and transfer of leadership skills. Content features include explanations for failure, lessons learned and making forecasts. Structural features include chunking information, advanced organisers and presenting related types of information together. Results suggest that training using case studies is most effective when both case content and structural features are either present or absent. Having content without structure can hinder performance. Furthermore, participants in the case-based training conditions outperformed participants in the principle-based training conditions on a learning task. The implications for the development of Tacit Knowledge and leadership skills are discussed.
Subpicosecond Raman studies of nonequilibrium electron transport in an In0.4Ga0.6N epilayer grown on GaN

Field-induced electron transport in an InxGa1-xN (x≅0.4) sample grown on GaN has been studied by subpicosecond Raman spectroscopy. Non-equilibrium electron distribution and electron drift velocity due to the presence of piezoelectric and spontaneous fields in the InxGa1-xN layer have been directly measured. The experimental results are compared with ensemble Monte Carlo calculations and reasonable agreements are obtained.