cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Moving Forward: Future Directions for Improving Institutional Support for Latino/a Students

This chapter synthesizes the authors’ recommendations for academics and practitioners as colleges and universities prioritize institutional policies and programs to ensure Latino/a student success.
PHY covert channels: can you see the idles?

Network covert timing channels embed secret messages in legitimate packets by modulating interpacket delays. Unfortunately, such channels are normally implemented in higher network layers (layer 3 or above) and easily detected or prevented. However, access to the physical layer of a network stack allows for timing channels that are virtually invisible: Sub-microsecond modulations that are undetectable by software endhosts. Therefore, covert timing channels implemented in the physical layer can be a serious threat to the security of a system or a network. In fact, we empirically demonstrate an effective covert timing channel over nine routing hops and thousands of miles over the Internet (the National Lambda Rail). Our covert timing channel works with cross traffic, less than 10% bit error rate, which can be masked by forward error correction, and a covert rate of 81 kilobits per second. Key to our approach is access and control over every bit in the physical layer of a 10 Gigabit network stack (a bit is 100 picoseconds wide at 10 gigabit per seconds), which allows us to modulate and interpret interpacket spacings at sub-microsecond scale. We discuss when and how a timing channel in the physical layer works, how hard it is to detect such a channel, and what is required to do so.
Postrenal azotemia due to C. albicans pyocystitis and a Candidal plug.

Background: There are many causes of acute renal failure, with cases often being classified as pre-renal, intrarenal or post-renal based on the etiology. A post-obstructive etiology is responsible in a minority of patients. Infectious causes of post-obstructive azotemia are even more rare, but as this case illustrates, should be considered as part of the differential. Case Report: This case report describes a patient who developed acute renal failure (ARF) while hospitalized. Examination showed a candidal plug at his urethral meatus. Bladder washings removed a significant amount of purulent material. Treatment for C. albicans with fluconazole resolved his urinary retention and his bilateral hydronephrosis. His acute renal failure was due to an infectious, post-obstructive pyocystitis and formation of a candidal plug in his urethral meatus. Conclusions: Removal of the candidal plug and treatment of his infection with fluconazole resulted in return to baseline renal function. While not common, an infectious cause of post-renal azotemia should be considered in the appropriate clinical situation.
Attraction of Lepidoptera to Plants Containing Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids

Various plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) are visited by Lepidoptera, which congregate on dead stems, seeds, and foliage to feed. Most visitors to PA-plants belong to the nymphalid subfamilies Ithomiinae and Danainae and the moth families Ctenuchidae and Arctiidae. Ninety-six percent of ithomiines and danaines caught feeding at PA-plants are males which ingest alkaloids necessary for the production of PA-derived sex pheromones. Among Arctiidae and Ctenuchidae, however, many species show either unbiased or female-biased attraction patterns. Their visits may be linked to acquisition of PA's used for chemical defense or as yet unidentified nutritive substances. Extensive baiting with a variety of PA-plants as well as samples of etude alkaloids indicate that attraction is primarily the result of olfactory cues. Once a visitor lands on a PA-source, substances on the plant surface act as phagostimulants. Judging from attraction spectra of different PA-plant and chemical baits, at least 2 types of volatile attractants are involved: dissociated “esterifying acids” from the fused ring nucleus of the alkaloids, and substances derived from the nucleus itself. Preliminary observations of populations of Ithomiinae and Danaus reveal that the presence of naturally occurring PA-sources are a major factor in determining population distribution, abundance, and reproductive behavior. The evolution of PA-attraction is discussed with respect to the various roles PA's may play in the Lepidoptera ingesting them.
Artificial basis functions in adaptive control for transient performance improvement

This paper presents a new adaptive control architecture to achieve stabilization and command following of uncertain dynamical systems with improved transient performance. The proposed framework is predicated on a new and novel controller architecture involving an artificial basis function in the update law. Specifically, the proposed artificial basis function allows to shape the system error, which is between the uncertain dynamical system and a reference system capturing a desired closed-loop dynamical system behavior, during the learning phase of an adaptive controller for improving the transient performance. The efficacy of the proposed architecture is illustrated on a numerical example.
Advanced 3D-AFM Metrology for Sidewall Spacers

Gate spacer engineering has become one of the primary concerns in dimensional metrology for semiconductor manufacturing process control. In composite spacers, deposition and etch of each spacer determine where the transistor source/drain implants occur. The sidewall spacer thickness and profile, especially at the feature bottom, is critical to be characterized and controlled by applicable 3D metrology. This paper discusses recent advances in 3D atomic force microscopy (3D-AFM) that solve the specialized characterization needs for critical sidewall spacer geometry controls, including multiple spacer thickness and nitride spacer pulldown. 3D-AFM metrology measures with greater accuracy such typical gate spacer parameters as linewidth, height, pitch, sidewall profile, sidewall angle (SWA), line edge roughness (LER), and line width variation (LWV), and sidewall roughness (SWR).
Are hallucinations related to betrayal trauma exposure? A three-study exploration.

Betraya lt rauma theor yp ropose st hat on er esponse t ob etraya lm a yb e t ok ee pk nowledge of the trauma out o fc onscious awareness. Although this betrayal blindness ma yb e beneficial for survival while the abuse is ongoing because it help sm aintain crucial relationships, this distortion o fr eality can lead to subsequent psychological and behavioral problems. Th ec urrent article presents three exploratory studies that examine th ea ssociations among exposure t ob etraya lt rauma ,d issociation, and hallucinations. The first study (N 397 )e xamined th ea ssociations between exposure to medium and high betraya lt rauma and dissociation. The second study (N 199 )e xamined th ea ssociations between exposure to low, medium, and high betraya lt raum aa nd hallucinations. The third study (N 566 )e xamined the associations between medium and high betrayal child and adolescent/adult sexual abus ea nd hallucinations. Ou rr esults suggest that exposure t ob etraya lt rauma increase st he likelihood of bot hd issociation and hallucinations. Thes ef indings provid ef urther evidence tha tt he toxic nature of betraya li n traumas ha sl asting effects on both cognitiv ea nd perceptual processes—dissociation and hallucinations—having implications for therapeutic treatment for individuals who hav ee xperience db etraya lt raumas and related outcomes.
TRICHODERMA SPECIES FROM FUMIGATED DOUGLAS-FIR ROOTS DECAYED BY PHELLINUS WEIRII

Seven species aggregates of Trichoderma and Gliocladium virens were isolated from roots of Phellinus weirii-infested Douglas-fir stumps fumigated with chloropicrin, Vorlex, or methylisothiocyanate, or left untreated. Most commonly isolated was Trichoderma viride, followed by T. hamatum, T. citrinoviride, G. virens, T. polysporum, T. saturnisporum, T. harzianum, and T. longibrachiatum. Roots from chloropicrin-treated stumps were more frequently colonized than those from untreated stumps, although T. citrinoviride was more frequently found in untreated stumps.
Imaging Spectroscopy Technologies and Applications

In this talk we review technology advances that have enabled a new generation of pushbroom imaging spectrometers for airborne, planetary orbital, and planetary in-situ observations and a range of applications from the Earth's coasts to the Moon's craters and beyond. Article not available.
Examining the long-term impact of participating in a professional development community of music teacher educators in the USA: An anchor through turbulent transitions:

Peer mentoring and participating in professional development communities (PDCs) have been documented as supporting individuals through the transition into the teacher educator profession. However, ...
Real-time observation of cation exchange kinetics and dynamics at the muscovite-water interface

Ion exchange at charged solid-liquid interfaces is central to a broad range of chemical and transport phenomena. Real-time observations of adsorption/desorption at the molecular-scale elucidate exchange reaction pathways. Here we report temporal variation in the distribution of Rb+ species at the muscovite (001)-water interface during exchange with Na+. Time-resolved resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity measurements at 25 °C reveal that Rb+ desorption occurs over several tens of seconds during which thermodynamically stable inner-sphere Rb+ slowly transforms to a less stable outer-sphere Rb+. In contrast, Rb+ adsorption is about twice as fast, proceeding from Rb+ in the bulk solution to the stable inner-sphere species. The Arrhenius plot of the adsorption/desorption rate constants measured from 9 to 55 °C shows that the pre-exponential factor for desorption is significantly smaller than that for adsorption, indicating that this reduced attempt frequency of cation detachment largely explains the slow cation exchange processes at the interface.
Abstract 2060: Characterizing acquired resistance to palbociclib in breast cancer

The CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib is currently being used in combination with endocrine therapy to treat advanced ER positive breast cancer patients. While this treatment has shown great promise in the clinic, about 25% of the patients do not respond, and almost all patients eventually acquire resistance to palbociclib treatment. Hence, understanding the mechanism(s) of acquired resistance to CDK4/6 inhibition is crucial to devise alternate treatment strategies. To interrogate this, we developed MCF7 and T47D resistant cells by treating them with increasing doses of palbociclib over a 6-month period. After confirming that these cells were resistant to palbociclib, we performed genome-wide expression analysis via RNA-seq, in comparison with the parental (sensitive) cells. RNA- seq analysis revealed 2888 differentially expressed genes (p Citation Format: Smruthi Vijayaraghavan, Iman Doostan, Jason P.W. Carey, Khandan Keyomarsi. Characterizing acquired resistance to palbociclib in breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2060. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2060
Evaluation of Pancreas with Strain Elastography in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background To investigate changes in pancreatic elasticity in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Material/Methods The study group consisted of 60 children with T1DM, and the control group was comprised of 60 healthy children. Strain ratios were obtained for the pancreas using ultrasound strain elastography (Toshiba Applio 500 device). Baseline descriptive data, hemoglobin A1c (%) level, time since diagnosis of T1DM (months), and strain ratio values were noted and compared between the 2 groups. Furthermore, correlation between strain ratio values and other variables was investigated. Results ROC analysis yielded an optimal cut-off value of 2.245 (AUC=0.999, p<0.001, sensitivity=0.983, specificity=1.00) for the strain ratio. Strain ratio values greater than 2.245 were likely to be pathological, which could be attributed to increased tissue stiffness in T1DM. The strain ratio was significantly higher in T1DM patients than in the control group (3.38±0.66 vs. 1.32±0.35; p<0.001). The strain ratio correlated positively with age and duration of T1DM (p<0.001 for both), and there was a correlation between the strain ratio and age in the control group (p=0.011). Conclusions Strain elastography is a promising, safe, non-invasive, and practical method for early detection, long-term screening, and follow-up in children with T1DM.
Changes in Couple Relationship Dynamics among Low-Income Parents in a Relationship Education Program Are Associated with Decreases in Their Children's Mental Health Symptoms.

Witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) among parents negatively impacts millions of children in the United States each year. Low-income families are disproportionately affected by IPV compared to middle- and high-income individuals, and are beginning to be the focus of IPV secondary prevention interventions, including relationship education programs. Despite these developments, few studies have examined changes in psychosocial functioning among children of parents participating in relationship education programs. The current study examined the extent to which changes in specific couple dynamics among individuals from low-income backgrounds participating in a couple relationship education program, Within My Reach, were associated with changes in child mental health symptoms. A second purpose of this paper is to examine whether changes in parent–child relationship quality mediates the association between changes in couple dynamics and changes in child mental health difficulties. Participants (n = 347) were parents who participated in Within My Reach as part of programming offered at a large community agency. Decreases in negative couple conflict behaviors, including conflict engagement, withdrawal and compliance, over the course of the program were linked to decreases in child mental health difficulties. In addition, increases in parent–child relationship quality partially mediated the associations between decreases in compliance, as well as increase in overall couple relationship quality, and decreases in child symptoms. Community-based couple relationship education programs for low-income families can potentially have multiple positive impacts throughout the family system, including for children.
Lacrimal Gland Signaling: Neural

The lacrimal gland, a compound tubuloalveolar serous gland, is the main contributor to the aqueous component of the preocular tear film. Stimulation of secretion occurs through a neural reflex arc originating from the ocular surface, which leads to the activation of efferent parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves of the lacrimal gland to release their neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters activate specific receptors located on the basolateral membranes of acinar cells to stimulate secretion. The parasympathetic neurotransmitters acetylcholine and vasoactive intestinal peptide and the sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine are the major stimuli of lacrimal gland secretion. Their signaling pathways have been extensively studied and are reviewed herein.
Using Augmented Reality to Increase Interaction in Online Courses

Augmented reality (AR) is technology that combines virtual reality with the real world in the form of live video imagery that is digitally enhanced with computer-generated graphics (Perdue, 2017). Augmented reality was used in a graduate level distance education course offered in the summer of 2017 to foster interaction. Students enrolled in the course had an opportunity to download and create augmented reality assignments to become familiar with the use of this technology as another tool to communicate and collaborate in online settings. Findings included primarily positive student attitudes regarding the use of AR in the online classroom.
The Politics of Contemporary Education

Call for submissions for a CPI Special Issue exploring central aspects and impacts of the contentious politics of contemporary education.
Power Electronics Intelligence at the Grid Edge - Enables Energy Budgeting

In this paper, a self-organizing power electronic converter with control intelligence at the edge of the electric distribution network is proposed. The proposed framework, termed Power Electronics Intelligence at the Network Edge (PINE), has the potential to make the future electricity delivery system more internet-like (i.e., intelligence at the network edge). This approach addresses the need to mobilize distributed energy resources, as well as to endow the power grid with edge-based intelligence to provide local communities with at least the critical portion of their electricity needs, hence improving the overall resiliency of the electric grid. The proposed concept has many advantages including: a) energy budgeting is possible and can be enabled remotely, b) power flow is bidirectional, c) output voltage is regulated via PWM control, d) distribution voltage can vary over a wider range, e) input current is harmonic free at unity power factor. Simulation and hardware results validate the proposed concept.
Carcinoids of the ampulla: Long-term follow-up after endoscopic resection.

430Background: Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) or carcinoids of the ampulla are exceedingly rare in comparison to duodenal NET. Surgical management is widely accepted as the treatment of choice, but fo...
Abstract TP437: Machine Learning Based Approach for Predicting High In-Hospital Systolic Blood Pressure Variability Among Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients During Early Hospitalization

Introduction: Recent data suggest that early high systolic blood pressure variability (HSPBV) is associated with poor long term outcomes in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. We employed a Ma...
EOSINOPHILIC MYO-PERICARDITIS PRESENTING AS CARDIAC TEMPONADE

Eosinophilic myocarditis is a rare and acute life threatening condition often associated with drug reactions, eosinophilic granulomatous polyangiitis (formerly Churg-Strauss syndrome), Loeffler endomyocardial disease, parasite infections, and idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. We describe a case
Diabetes and the Built Environment: Evidence and Policies

To explore the relationship between the built environment and type 2 diabetes, considering both risk factors and policies to reduce risk. The built environment refers to the physical characteristics of the areas in which people live including buildings, streets, open spaces, and infrastructure. A review of current literature suggests an association between the built environment and type 2 diabetes, likely driven by two key pathways—physical activity and the food environment. Other hypothesized mechanisms linking the built environment and type 2 diabetes include housing policy, but evidence in these areas is underdeveloped. Policies designed to enhance the built environment for diabetes risk reduction are mechanistically plausible, but as of yet, little direct evidence supports their effectiveness in reducing in type 2 diabetes risk. Future work should rigorously evaluate policies meant to reduce type 2 diabetes via the built environment.
A comparative analysis of Caenorhabditis and Drosophila transcriptional changes in response to pathogen infection

Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans are well-used invertebrate models for studying the innate immune system. The organisms are susceptible to bacterial pathogens that include Pseudomonas species, E. faecalis and P. rettgeri, which are or are related to human pathogens. Further, the consequences of exposure to these pathogens, in terms of organismal survival, are roughly equivalent when compared. That is, worms and flies are more susceptible to infection by Pseudomonas than E. faecalis, whereas organismal survival on E. faecalis and P. rettgeri are roughly the same in both. To better understand how these organisms are coordinating their responses to these bacterial pathogens we examined transcriptomes in infected animals. We grouped our analysis based on protein orthology. Of the 3611 pairs analyzed, we found genes whose responses were conserved across the different species at a higher than expected rate for two of the three pathogens. Interestingly within the animals, genes with 1:1 orthologs between species behaved differently. Such genes were more likely to be expressed in D. melanogaster, and less likely to be expressed in C. elegans. From this analysis we found that the gene nucleobindin (nucb-1/NUCB1 in C. elegans and D. melanogaster, respectively) was upregulated in both species in response to Gram negative bacteria. We used RNAi to knock down nucb-1 and found the treated animals were more susceptible to infection by the Gram negative pathogen P. rettgeri than controls. These results provide insight into some of the conserved mechanisms of pathogen defense, but also suggest that these divergent organisms have evolved specific means to orchestrate the defense against pathogens.
A simulation approach to measure critical safety behaviors when evaluating training methods for respirator education in healthcare workers.

Background The N95 respirator is the most common safety tool used in hospitals to protect health care workers (HCW) from inhaling airborne particles. Focusing on HCW behavior related to respirator use is an effective route to improve HCW safety and respiratory health. Methods Participants were asked to perform the donning and doffing of an N95 respirator to camera. Then they were randomized to a video alone or a reflective practice intervention. After the intervention they repeated the donning and doffing to camera. A critical safety behavior scoring tool (CSBST) was developed to compare the performance of the participants over time at pretest, post-test and 1 month later for follow-up. Results The reflective practice intervention group was found to have significantly higher scores on the CSBST at post-test and follow-up than the video alone group. In the reflective practice intervention group, the participants perceived they were better at performing the N95 donning and doffing than the experts scored them. Conclusions The CSBST is a tool to measure the performance of HCWs on a specific targeted safety behaviors. The addition of a reflective practice intervention may result in a measurable and sustained improvement in the safety behaviors demonstrated when using the N95 respirator.
Muscle Atrophy After ACL Injury: Implications for Clinical Practice.

Context:Distinct from the muscle atrophy that develops from inactivity or disuse, atrophy that occurs after traumatic joint injury continues despite the patient being actively engaged in exercise. ...
Emerging neutrophil plasticity: Terminally differentiated cells no more

Discussion on the emerging evidence of phenotypic and functional PMN heterogeneity in tissue and implications for health and disease outcomes.
Selective formation of pyridinic-type nitrogen-doped graphene and its application in lithium-ion battery anodes

We report a high-yield single-step method for synthesizing nitrogen-doped graphene nanostripes (N-GNSPs) with an unprecedentedly high percentage of pyridinic-type doping (>86% of the nitrogen sites), and investigate the performance of the resulting N-GNSPs as a lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode material. The as-grown N-GNSPs are compared with undoped GNSPs using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), helium ion-beam microscopy (HIM), and electrochemical methods. As an anode material we find that pyridinic-type N-GNSPs perform similarly to undoped GNSPs, suggesting that pyridinic sites alone are not responsible for the enhanced performance of nitrogen-doped graphene observed in previous studies, which contradicts common conjectures. In addition, post-mortem XPS measurements of nitrogen-doped graphene cycled as a lithium-ion battery anode are conducted for the first time, which reveal direct evidence for irreversible chemical changes at the nitrogen sites during cycling. These findings therefore provide new insights into the mechanistic models of doped graphene as LIB anodes, which are important in improving the anode designs for better LIB performance.
An examination of a potential organized motor unit firing rate and recruitment scheme of an antagonist muscle during isometric contractions.

This is the first study to explore a potential motor unit control scheme and quantify changes in firing rates with increasing intensity of an antagonist muscle during isometric contractions. We dem...
Internet gaming disorder and comorbidities among campus-dwelling U.S. university students

This study investigates the prevalence and associations of DSM-5 Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) with sleep impairment, daytime functioning, psychiatric disorders, and health status among young adults living in student houses on the campus of an American university. A random sample of students living on the campus underwent phone interviews during the 2007 & 2015 academic years. The sample included 1,871 undergraduate and 1,113 graduate students (2,984 in total). Students were considered to have IGD if they recreationally spent ≥15 hours per week on an electronic device (39.4% of the students) and displayed ≥5 addiction-related symptoms; 5.3% of the sample met these 2 criteria. In bivariate analyses, IGD students had a greater proportion of suicidal thoughts (16.9% vs. 6.6%), suicide attempts (9.7% vs. 3.3%), major depressive disorder (9.7% vs. 3.0%), and social anxiety disorder (24.8% vs. 8.5%) than the no-IGD group. In multivariate analyses, IGD predicted non-restorative sleep, excessive fatigue, less close friends, depressive mood, bipolar disorder, social anxiety disorder, and a poor to fair health status. IGD is highly prevalent in this student population, affecting one in 20 students. IGD was associated with a variety of sleep, psychiatric, and health factors which may impact functioning and academic performance.
Justice for All Without Exception: Julia Ward Howe's 1886 Lecture “The Position of Women in Plato's Republic”

Julia Ward Howe, author of the lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” remains known as a poet, abolitionist, and founding member of the antiracist organization American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), but her work on political philosophy and her foundational sense of the necessity for justice and suffrage for all without exception are still unexplored. Howe's speech, “The Position of Women in Plato's Republic” provides a window into the philosophy that shaped the second half of her life and her political organizing. Howe explores problems feminist scholars have often had with Socrates's plans to educate and enfranchise women of the ruling class, analyzes the rhetoric behind Socrates's successful persuasion of reluctant interlocutors, and transforms Plato's arguments into overwhelming rhetorical support for universal suffrage. Howe's intellectual conversion to the cause of suffrage, which occurred later in life and after her support for the 15th Amendment, comes into focus as she wrestles with the questions fundamental to her change of heart: women's moral relationship to human excellence, whether suffrage would destabilize family life, the relationship of gender to divine genderless unity, and the relationship of the Platonic principle of the Good to practical political policy.
De-noising drift chambers in CLAS12 using convolutional auto encoders

Abstract Modern Nuclear Physics experimental setups run experiments with higher beam intensity resulting in increased noise in detector components used for particle track reconstruction. Increased uncorrelated signals (noise) result in decreased particle reconstruction efficiency. In this paper, we investigate the usage of Machine Learning, specifically Convolutional Neural Network Auto-Encoders (CAE), for de-noising raw hits from drift chambers in the CLAS12 detector. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time CAE is employed to perform such an operation in this field. During the de-noising phase, it is important to remove as much noise as possible while retaining the valid hits to avoid losing crucial information about the experiment. We show that using CAE, it is possible to remove noise hits while retaining up to 94% of valid tracks for a beam current of 110 n A while for lower beam currents ( 45 − 55 n A ), we get up to 98% efficiency. Studies on experimental conditions with increasing noise show that CAE performs better than conventional tracking algorithms in isolating hits belonging to tracks. Specifically, the de-noising algorithm results in tracking efficiency improvements greater than 15%, in real data production procedures with nominal conditions, and up to two times better efficiency in synthetically generated data with high luminosity conditions ( 90 − 110 n A ), indicating that machine learning can lead to significantly shorter times for conducting physics experiments.
Incorporating Collisions into the Transition from Field Emission to Space Charge Limited Flow

Recent studies on microdischarges have derived universal (true for any gas) closed form solutions that predict breakdown for gaps near the electron mean free path by coupling field emission to Townsend avalanche while additionally demonstrating the transition between mechanisms1. Alternatively, one may consider a parallel plate geometry under an applied voltage and combine the conservation of energy for an electron, Poisson's equation, and the F owler- Nordheim current density to calculate the electron trajectory and derive universal equations that approach the Child-Langmuir law and Fowler-Nordheim relation in limits of high and low voltage, respectively2. For gaps below the electron mean free path, pressure (collisions) become less important and one may primarily consider the transition from avalanche to field emission to Child-Langmuir; however, for larger gaps where pressure (collisions) becomes important, one must also consider the Mott-Gurney space charge limit, whose transition from Child-Langmuir as a function of collision frequency has previously been considered3,4. This paper assesses the feasibility of unifying field emission with both space charge limits as a function of collision frequency. The implications on larger devices (above the mean free path) for predicting universal breakdown and transitions between Townsend avalanche, field emission, and the two space charge limited regimes will be discussed.
Future Applications: Nanotechniques

Precision interaction with the nervous system will require techniques refined to the size of neurons and glia, i.e., approaching the nanometer (10−9 m) level. In this chapter, progress in developing nanoelectrodes for deep brain stimulation—for electrical stimulation and recording, and chemical recording—is reviewed. The advantages of nanoelectrodes over macroelectrodes and microelectrodes are considered, and the role of various fabrication techniques and coatings are noted. Both in vitro research and in vivo research demonstrate the potential of nanoelectrodes for improved precision and efficacy in deep brain stimulation. Cellular—and even intracellular—interaction with the nervous system will become possible, as will monitoring and modulating both electrical and chemical (neurotransmitter) activity. Miniaturization of neuroprosthetic devices to the micron and submicron level will permit minimally invasive techniques that in turn will make the placement of multiple devices (possibly dozens or hundreds) a reality. Aberrant electrochemical activity that is at the heart of many nervous system disorders may be coaxed back to normal by such nanoscale devices.
Temperature Effects on the Electroencephalogram

ABSTRACT.The normal range of oral temperatures in humans varies from 92.2° F (36.2° C) to 99.0° F (37.2° C). Changes in body temperature can be directly induced by external factors, or may result from internal processes, i.e. infection or loss of temperature control. The EEG findings in hypo- and hyperthermia reflect not only temperature effects but also other processes that are happening concurrently. The Harvard criteria for “brain death” require a body temperature of at least 90° F (32.2° C) although cerebral activity has been recorded at much lower temperatures. Hypothermia is used clinically to protect the brain during decreased or absent cerebral circulation, usually during cardiac surgery. Hyperthermia can also cause a decrease in EEG activity, although not as dramatic as that seen with hypothermia. Hyperthermia is used clinically in oncology as an adjunct to chemotherapy.
New β (fcc)-Cobalt to 210 GPa

We report a new phase transition in cobalt from the magnetic varepsilon(hcp) to a beta(fcc) phase, likely nonmagnetic, at 105 GPa. It occurs martensitically in an extended pressure region between 105 and 150 GPa without any apparent volume change. The fcc phase of Co is in systematic accordance with the 4d and 5d counterparts. The pressure-volume isotherm of beta-Co resembles those of alpha(fcc)-Ni and varepsilon(hcp)-Fe within 1%. The phase diagram of cobalt suggests that the fcc stability increases with increasing occupancy of d-band electrons from Fe to Co to Ni.
Artifact-Centric Business Process Models: Brief Survey of Research Results and Challenges

A data-centric approach to business process and workflow modeling has been emerging over the past several years. This short paper presents a structured framework for a class of data-centric business process models, which are based on "business artifacts". The paper provides a brief survey of research results on artifact-centric business process, and identifies a broad array of remaining research challenges.
Party-military Relations In The Prc And Taiwan: Paradoxes Of Control

The origin and evolution of the Political Commissar System (PCS) in China the functions and structure of the PCS the rationale and operational problems of the PCS the PCS in People's Republic of China's politics the PCS in Taiwan politics conclusion.
Morphometric analysis of yeast cells. IV. Increase of the cylindrical diameter of Schizosaccharomyces pombe during the cell cycle.

Abstract The maximum cylindrical diameter of fussion yeast cells was measured using an image-shearing eyepiece with an optical microscope. The mean diameters were 3.4, 3.8, 4.2, 4.4 and 4.8 μm for cells bearing one to five fission scars, respectively. These increments amount to about 10% per generation, and correspond to 10% increases in cellular surface area during expansion. This result was found wholly comparable with areal increases of Saccharomyces adult cells calculated from length and width data in the literature). Extant notions about growth of yeast cell walls are inadequate to explain these size increases.
Electro-Weak Physics in e+ e- Interactions

At the core of our present understanding of weak interactions is the mediation of the weak force between two point-like fermions via a weak intermediate vector boson, W+- or Z0 with vector and axial vector couplings whose strength may depend on the type(s) of fermions. Electron-positron collisions provide a particularly clean way to study the nature of these fundamental constituents of matter and their interactions because of the point-like nature of leptons. Experiments here are free of the complications that arise in studies of hadron-hadron or lepton-hadron collisions, where the hadrons themselves have a complex internal structure which must be understood in detail before new information on the large q2 interactions of the constituents can be extracted. Therefore e+e- collisions at high CM energies can be directly used to probe the very fundamental questions in weak interactions, e. g., how many quarks and leptons are there? Are there additional weak bosons with mass below that predicted by the standard models? How large are the weak interaction coupling constants?
Personality Traits That Predict Academic Citizenship Behavior

The association between personality and organizational citizenship behaviors is rarely examined in student populations. The present research tested the hypothesis that conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism predict unique variance in academic citizenship attitudes. In the first study, 270 college students completed an online questionnaire assessing their personality and academic citizenship attitudes. The results confirmed the hypothesis. In Study 2, we also tested the hypothesis that academic citizenship attitudes mediate the association between personality and citizenship behavior. Participants (n = 50) completed the online questionnaire. At a later session, they were asked to engage in an extra-role helping behavior after completing the assigned task. The results showed that general conscientiousness was associated with citizenship behavior, but academic conscientiousness attitudes mediated this association.
Diverticula of the female urethra.

Abstract Urethral diverticula in women are more frequent than generally accepted and in some series are reported to occur in as many as 4.7% of women screened. Surgical excision remains the most common treatment, but a high incidence of complications has been reported with the standard surgical procedures. Because of the high morbidity, a new technique was developed to achieve better visualization and mobilization of the diseased urethra and thus permit better repair. The technique described herein has been developed and used in a small series with good results and without the often quoted complications of fistulas, strictures, and recurrences.
The role of cardiac O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) transferase (OGT) on endurance capacity and physical activity (LB681)

The cardiovascular benefits obtained from endurance exercise are well established. Physiological cardiac hypertrophy occurs in response to the beneficial stress of exercise at both the cellular and...
OXIDATION OF ALDEHYDES BY MITOCHONDRIA OF RAT TISSUES

During the course of a study of the structural requirements for oxidation of fatty acids by mitochondria of rat tissue, it was found that systems forti fied for optimal fatty acid oxidation readily oxidized long and short chain aldehydes. In view of the findings by Stadtman and Barker (1) that acetaldehyde oxidation by Clostridium lcluyveri results in the formation of acetyl phosphate, the possibility was envisioned that oxidation of an aldehyde by mitochondria of animal tissues might lead to an active fatty acid derivative, and this process was studied in the hope that information might thus be secured on the mechanism of fatty acid activation. Although this hope was not realized, it was felt that the data obtained are of sufficient interest to warrant publication.
A Rare Case of Congenital Diabetes Insipidus

Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is a conformation disease resulting from protein misfolding. Ninety percent of mutations result from the inactivating mutations of the arginine vasopressin receptor 2 (AVPR2) gene transmitted in an X-linked fashion, blocking the response to vasopressin, resulting in the inability to concentrate urine. Clinical features include polyuria, polydispsia, dehydration, and hypernatremia. They are generally more severely in affected males but present variably in females due to skewed inactivation of the X chromosome. We describe a case of a 40-year-old woman with a history of Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and obesity, who presents with debilitating polyuria since the age of 5 with no clear diagnosis. Interestingly, her son was diagnosed with NDI. Genetic testing revealed that she was heterozygous for the Val88Met mutation in the AVPR2 gene while her son was hemizygous for the same. The patient has since been successfully treated with diuretics and a low solute diet. We highlight that although X-linked NDI patients are mostly males, it should be considered in symptomatic females to prevent delays in the diagnosis. Conformational diseases such as NDI are presently the subject of research using pharmacological chaperones to restore proper receptor membrane localization and function.
Taurine efflux and intracellular pH during astrocyte volume regulation.

Cytotoxic cerebral edema is characterized by enlarged astroglial cells. In tissue culture, osmotically swollen astrocytes return toward normal volume over a period of 15–30 min in a process termed regulatory volume decrease (RVD). RVD is due, in part, to net efflux of taurine and other amino acids. Our objective in these studies was to examine changes in astrocyte intracellular pH (pHi) which may be related to taurine loss during RVD. We hypothesized net efflux of anionic taurine abandons a proton inside the cell, thus lowering pHi. Primary cultures of cerebral astrocytes were prepared from neonatal rat pups and grown on glass coverslips. Confluent cells were loaded at 37°C with the fluorescent pH indicator BCECF. Fluorescence intensity ratios for excitation wavelengths of 440 nm and 494 nm (530 nm emission) were computed every 2 sec. Intensity ratios were calibrated to pHi at the end of each experiment using 140 mM KCl plus 8.6 μM nigericin at pH 7.4. pHi was measured in isoosmotic Hepes-buffered saline (290 mOsm) and then in hypoosmotic Hepes-buffered saline (200 mOsm) in the presence of 0.5 mM amiloride. Some solutions also contained 150 μM niflumic acid (NA). Cellular taurine content was determined in parallel studies using HPLC. Changes in pHi were compared between groups using Student’s t-test with Bonferroni correction. Significance was assumed if p<0.05. In isoosmotic saline, mean ± SEM pHi was 7.58 ± 0.04 and decreased to 7.35 ± 0.09 after adding amiloride. Hypoosmotic exposure caused a further drop in pHi of 0.29 ± 0.03 within 15 min. Recovery of pHi in isoosmotic saline was amiloride-sensitive. Subsequent hypoosmotic exposure after recovery in isoosmotic saline produced a change in pHi which was 81 ± 9% of the change measured during the initial hypoosmotic exposure. Taurine content decreased from 147 ± 6 nmol/(mg protein) to 116 ± 7 nmol/(mg protein) during the 15 min hypoosmotic exposure in 0.5 mM amiloride. NA significantly reduced the hypoosmotically induced change in pHi to 0.17 ± 0.02 while completely blocking taurine loss. Assuming an intracellular buffering power of 13 mM, the NA-sensitive intracellular acidification of cells during hypoosmotic exposure in the presence of 0.5 mM amiloride corresponds to 1.6 mequiv/l additional intracellular H+. This increase in intracellular H+ content is equivalent to approximately 32% of the NA-sensitive loss of taurine. The association of changes in pHi with taurine efflux is supported by these data; however, efflux of other weak acids may contribute to intracellular acidification during astrocyte RVD and a significant portion of taurine must leave the cell with a proton.
Refugial isolation versus ecological gradients

Hypotheses for divergence and speciation in rainforests generally fall into two categories: those emphasizing the role of geographic isolation and those emphasizing the role of divergent selection along gradients. While a majority of studies have attempted to infer mechanisms based on the pattern of species richness and congruence of geographic boundaries, relatively few have tried to simultaneously test alternative hypotheses for diversification. Here we discuss four examples, taken from our work on diversification of tropical rainforest vertebrates, in which we examine patterns of genetic and morphological variation within and between biogeographic regions to address two alternative hypotheses. By estimating morphological divergence between geographically contiguous and isolated populations under similar and different ecological conditions, we attempt to evaluate the relative roles of geographic isolation and natural selection in population divergence. Results suggest that natural selection, even in the presence of appreciable gene flow, can result in morphological divergence that is greater than that found between populations isolated for millions of years and, in some cases, even greater than that found between congeneric, but distinct, species. The relatively small phenotypic divergence that occurs among long-term geographic isolates in similar habitats suggests that morphological divergence via drift may be negligible and/or that selection is acting to produce similar phenotypes in populations occupying similar habitats. Our results demonstrate that significant phenotypic divergence: (1) is not necessarily coupled with divergence in neutral molecular markers; and (2) can occur without geographic isolation in the presence of gene flow.
Notes on the Missing Satellites Problem

The Missing Satellites Problem (MSP) broadly refers to the overabundance of predicted Cold Dark Matter (CDM) sub-halos compared to satellite galaxies known to exist in the Local Group. The most popular interpretation of the MSP is that the smallest dark matter halos in the universe are extremely inefficient at forming stars. The question from that standpoint is to identify the feedback source that makes small halos dark and to identify any obvious mass scale where the truncation in the efficiency of galaxy formation occurs. Among the most exciting developments in near-field cosmology in recent years is the discovery of a new population satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way and M31. Wide field, resolved star surveys have more than doubled the dwarf satellite count in less than a decade, revealing a population of ultra faint galaxies that are less luminous that some star clusters. For the first time, there are empirical reasons to believe that there really are more than 100 missing satellite galaxies in the Local Group, lurking just beyond our ability to detect them, or simply inhabiting a region of the sky that has yet to be surveyed. Remarkably, both kinematic studies and completeness-correction studies seem to point to a characteristic potential well depth for satellite sub-halos that is quite close to the mass scale where photoionization and atomic cooling should limit galaxy formation. Among the more pressing problems associated with this interpretation is to understand the selection biases that limit our ability to detect the lowest mass galaxies.
The Ussing Chamber and Measurement of Drug Actions on Mucosal Ion Transport

Ussing chamber technology can be used to investigate the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of drugs and natural substances on polarized epithelia. With this approach, epithelial sheets or confluent epithelial cell monolayers are mounted between two half-chambers, permitting compound delivery to either the apical or basolateral cell surface. Described in this unit are protocols for determining the effects of test compounds on transepithelial ion transport processes. Curr. Protoc. Pharmacol. 41:7.12.1-7.12.17. © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: epithelium; epithelial cell culture; intestine; airways; skin; transepithelial ion transport; pharmacokinetics