cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deformable Models for Segmentation, 3D Shape and Motion Estimation and Recognition

We present our framework for segmentation, 3D shape and motion estimation and recognition. We first present physics-based modeling techniques for segmentation and 3D shape and motion estimation based on single and multiple views as well as the integration of visual cues such as edges and optical flow. We then present extensions to address the reliable recognition of American Sign Language (ASL), using 3D tracking data, ASL phonology and modifications to the traditional use of Hidden Markov Models. We demonstrate the usefulness of this framework in computer vision and medical image analysis applications.
A study of the electric field dependence of the photo-induced field emission current from tungsten

Abstract The results of experiments that detect electrons photoemitted from sub-micron tungsten surfaces at energies below the vacuum level are reported. Data taken as a function of applied electric field and for different photon energies are presented. An analysis of the electric field dependence of the photocurrent shows deviations from theoretical expectations. The emitted current, when measured at closely spaced intervals of the applied electric field, also reveals an oscillatory component. Fourier analysis of data from W(110) and W(111) yields a frequency which is in close agreement with previous measurements. The origin of this oscillatory structure has still not been conclusively established.
The Economic Impact of Alternative Service Department Allocation Bases in Decentralised Settings

Prior work has focused on the impact of using alternative bases for allocating costs to products but there has been little work that evaluates the use of alternative allocation bases for allocating costs to departments. In particular, if different departments of a multi‐national firm are located in settings with different reporting requirements, exchange rate risks, and costs of capital, then the choice of cost allocation base can be important. This paper examines the economic impact of alternative service department allocation bases in a decentralised setting. A non‐linear programming (NLP) approach is used to model the problem. A review of prior literature identifies a method, based on the NLP approach, for determining the economic impact of alternative allocation bases in a multi‐product setting. The method is adapted in this paper for the multi‐divisional context. The study finds that centralised production volume decision‐making is superior to decentralised decision‐making using either revenue or volume‐based cost allocation bases. Under certain conditions, revenue‐based allocation bases are also found to be superior to volume bases. Under the assumptions of the model no distinction can be made between the centralised solution and a profit‐based allocation regime. A practical implication of this study is that designers of cost allocation systems need to consider not only the direct income‐shifting effect of different cost allocation bases but also the indirect economic effect of consequential changes in the operating decisions of the firm.
Doing the Right Thing: A Geriatrician's Perspective on Medical Care for the Person with Advanced Dementia

Developing a reasonable approach to the medical care of older people with dementia will be essential in the coming decades. Physicians are the locus of decision making for persons with dementia. It is the responsibility of the physician to assure that the surrogate understands the nature and trajectory of the disease and then to elicit the desired goal of care. Physicians need to ascertain whether any advance directives are available, and if so, whether they apply to the situation of advanced dementia. Finally, physicians should help surrogates understand how the goals of care are best translated into practice. When the goal is comfort, this is achieved by assuring dignity, minimizing suffering, and promoting caring. In general, comfort should be the default goal of care, best implemented through palliative care or hospice.
Testing Covariance Structure in Multivariate Models: Application to Family Disease Data

Abstract Recent interest in modeling multivariate responses for members of groups has emphasized the need for testing goodness of fit. Here we describe a way to test the covariance structure of a multivariate distribution parameterized by a vector θ. The idea is to extend this distribution, the “null” distribution, to a more general distribution that depends on θ, an additional scalar γ, and a specific quadratic function of the response vector chosen to capture features of an alternative covariance structure. When γ = 0, the more general distribution reduces to the null one. Standard likelihood theory yields a score test for γ = 0; that is, a test of fit of the null distribution. The score statistic is the standardized difference between observed and expected values of the quadratic function, where the expectation is taken with respect to the null distribution, with θ replaced by its maximum likelihood estimate. Applying the methods to case-control data on familial cancers of the ovary and breast, we illu...
Predicting the spread rates of fires on vertical surfaces

A model is developed for the upward spread rate of the pyrolysis front of burning vertical slab. It is ignited with a flame from a line burner of user-specified strength, Qb(t). It can also be exposed to arbitrary, time-varying impinging external fluxes. It is assumed that the slab material has uniform, isotropic properties and that there is no lateral diffusion of heat within the slab. This model has been implemented as a computer program. The program has two options for the mass-loss rate. The first uses an algebraic submodel for the steady-state pyrolysis of simple, non-melting and non-charring materials. The second is based on Cone Calorimeter data: the mass-loss rate data found via the Cone at a given irradiance level is transformed into what the rate would be at those found during the actual experiment. The latter approach automatically includes the effects of charring, of transient heating, etc., to a first approximation. Expressions for the heating flux from the flame to the wall are found for all cases of interest. Runs were made assuming 2.5, 5, and 10 kW/m igniting burners and with a square-root dependence on Qb′ for the flame height, as well as with the usual 2/3 power dependence. The results of each run were compared with the results of upward spread experiments on PMMA carried out in 1975 by Orloff et al. The results, using either massloss rate option, were in excellent agreement with experiment when the square-root dependence was used.
Advances in the REDCAT software package.

Residual Dipolar Couplings (RDCs) have emerged in the past two decades as an informative source of experimental restraints for the study of structure and dynamics of biological macromolecules and complexes. The REDCAT software package was previously introduced for the analysis of molecular structures using RDC data. Here we report additional features that have been included in this software package in order to expand the scope of its analyses. We first discuss the features that enhance REDCATs user-friendly nature, such as the integration of a number of analyses into one single operation and enabling convenient examination of a structural ensemble in order to identify the most suitable structure. We then describe the new features which expand the scope of RDC analyses, performing exercises that utilize both synthetic and experimental data to illustrate and evaluate different features with regard to structure refinement and structure validation. We establish the seamless interaction that takes place between REDCAT, VMD, and Xplor-NIH in demonstrations that utilize our newly developed REDCAT-VMD and XplorGUI interfaces. These modules enable visualization of RDC analysis results on the molecular structure displayed in VMD and refinement of structures with Xplor-NIH, respectively. We also highlight REDCAT’s Error-Analysis feature in reporting the localized fitness of a structure to RDC data, which provides a more effective means of recognizing local structural anomalies. This allows for structurally sound regions of a molecule to be identified, and for any refinement efforts to be focused solely on locally distorted regions. The newly engineered REDCAT software package, which is available for download via the WWW from http://ifestos.cse.sc.edu , has been developed in the Object Oriented C++ environment. Our most recent enhancements to REDCAT serve to provide a more complete RDC analysis suite, while also accommodating a more user-friendly experience, and will be of great interest to the community of researchers and developers since it hides the complications of software development.
A Viral Mechanism for Remodeling Chromatin Structure in G0 Cells

Small DNA viruses force quiescent cells to reenter the cell cycle in order to replicate their DNA. We report here that the adenovirus E1A protein creates an S phase environment in quiescent cells by overcoming the nucleosomal repression of E2F-targeted genes. These genes are surrounded by Lys-9-methylated H3 histones, and their promoters are occupied by the pRb-related protein p130 and the inhibitory transcription factor E2F4. Kinetic analysis indicates that E1A binds to E2F promoters where it eliminates p130 and E2F4, resulting in the dramatic elimination of H3 Lys-9 methylation. Thereafter, H3 Lys-9 acetylation occurs along with the recruitment of activating E2F family members, and this is followed by the transcriptional activity of E2F-targeted genes. These results indicate that E1A has a role in reconfiguring chromatin structure and that this activity is necessary to overcome the repressive mechanisms that maintain cells in a quiescent state.
UNCERTAINTY AND STICKY-DOWNWARD BUT UPWARD-MOBILE WAGES

The usual search models of unemployment hold that firms do not offer wage cuts to employees in time of slack demand because the employees have alternatives open to them at wages higher than the reduced wage that would be required to maintain full employment. This paper extends these models by considering employees as choosing in conditions of uncertainty and showing that refusal to accept a wage cut is often rational in the absence of a higher alternative wage. Additional implications are derived for union behavior and simultaneous inflation and unemployment.
Inhibition of liver-microsome calcium pump by in vivo administration of CCl4, CHCl3 and 1,1-dichloroethylene (vinylidene chloride).

Abstract CCl 4 , CHCl 3 and 1,1-dichloroethylene (EDC) administered to rats resulted in a prompt dose-dependent inhibition of the ATP-dependent calcium pump isolated in the liver microsome fraction. EDC was slightly less potent than CCl 4 whereas CHCl 3 was approximately one-tenth as potent as CCl 4 . Because neither EDC nor CHCl 3 increased lipid peroxidation in vivo , increased lipid peroxidation does not appear to be a prerequisite for inhibition of the liver-microsome calcium pump. Both CCl 4 and EDC have been shown to increase liver calcium early during intoxication, but CHCl 3 has been thought to be incapable of increasing liver calcium. Pretreatment with phenobarbital increased the CHCl 3 effect of inhibiting the liver-microsome calcium pump and resulted in a several-fold increase of liver calcium levels. CDCl 3 , which is less hepatotoxic than CHCl 3 , did not increase liver calcium or inhibit the liver-microsome calcium pump in phenobarbital-pretreated animals. These results suggest that chlorinated hydrocarbons may increase liver calcium as a result of inhibition of a microsomal calcium pump and that this inhibition is associated with the hepatotoxicity of these compounds.
Pickup proton instabilities and scattering in the distant solar wind and the outer heliosheath: Hybrid simulations

[1] The growth of magnetic field fluctuations driven by the injection of pickup ions perpendicular to a background magnetic field in a homogeneous, collisionless plasma is studied using one-dimensional hybrid simulations. Freshly ionized protons are continuously injected into the simulations at constant rates and relative speeds consistent with conditions in the distant solar wind and the outer heliosheath. The pickup protons initially form a ring-velocity distribution unstable to the electromagnetic proton cyclotron instability and lead to enhanced magnetic fluctuations. After an exponential growth phase of the instability, the fluctuating magnetic fields exhibit linear temporal growth followed by a more-slowly growing quasi-steady phase. The excited fluctuations pitch angle scatter the pickup protons toward an isotropic shell velocity distribution with the most significant scattering occurring in the exponential growth phase. The scattering rate of the freshly injected pickup protons during the linear temporal growth phase remains relatively constant and it increases with the pickup proton injection rate. More importantly, significant pitch angle scattering only occurs after the accumulated pickup proton density exceeds a critical value, the scattering-onset density. The scattering-onset density also increases with the pickup proton injection rate and the scattering onset typically occurs during the exponential growth phase of the magnetic fluctuations. Scaling relations for the scattering rate and the scattering-onset density versus the pickup proton injection rate are derived from the simulation results. These relations suggest that significant scattering of pickup protons in the outer heliosheath occurs in a relatively limited spatial range close to the heliopause, related to the issue of whether the “secondary ENA” mechanism is a possible explanation for the ENA ribbon observed by IBEX. Implications of the results on pickup proton dynamics in the distant solar wind are also discussed.
Discrete Element Modelling on a Cluster of Workstations

2 , a state-of-the-art discrete element modelling technique for simulating the behaviour of energetic materials and modelling shock compaction phenomena. The underlying computational approach is derived from particle methods, where short-range interactions, both mechanical and thermochemical, determine individual particle movement and state. Using spatial decomposition, a client-server software architecture distributes the computations and, at the language level, Berkeley sockets enable communication between conventional Unix processes on workstations connected by an Ethernet. We evaluate the performance of the system in terms of overall execution time and efficiency, and develop a simple model of computational and communication costs that enables us to predict its performance in other contexts. We conclude that distributed implementations of short-range particle methods can be very effective, even on non-dedicated communication networks.
Active observation of children with possible appendicitis does not increase morbidity.

Background: Attempts to maximise diagnostic accuracy and reduce unnecessary surgery have led to the hospital observation of children with suspected appendicitis but unconvincing physical signs. However, morbidity associated with perforation necessitates the prompt management of acute appendicitis and increases anxiety concerning prolonged preoperative observation. Methods: To assess the preoperative delay and subsequent complications associated with active observation of appendicitis, we reviewed the records of 378 children who had an appendicectomy performed at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital during a 4-year period. Results: Active observation was associated with an overall diagnostic accuracy of 93%. The mean preoperative hospital time was 12 h. The incidence of gangrene or perforation was 32%, with a mean preoperative hospital time in this group of 7 h. In view of the short preoperative waiting time in this group, we do not believe perforation in hospital to have been a frequent occurrence. The overall incidence of postoperative infective complications was 4%, with an incidence of 12% following perforation. Conclusions: Children with advanced disease often have convincing signs on presentation and are not usually subjected to a significant delay. Active observation is not associated with high postoperative morbidity.
Some remarks on C∗-convexity

Abstract Recently the study of completely positive maps has become important to the results of Brown, Douglas, and Fillmore on Ext( ), a C∗-algebra. Attempts to solve questions related to Ext have often turned into questions about the matrix algebras Mn. In this paper we wish to discuss a notion of C∗-convexity related to completely positive linear maps, to state some facts about C∗-convexity, and to ask some questions about C∗-convexity. To a large degree, the tone of this paper is expository.
Star formation in the first galaxies – II. Clustered star formation and the influence of metal line cooling

Population III stars are believed to have been more massive than typical stars today and to have formed in relative isolation. The thermodynamic impact of metals is expected to induce a transition leading to clustered, low-mass Population II star formation. In this work, we present results from three cosmological simulations, only differing in gas metallicity, that focus on the impact of metal fine-structure line cooling on the formation of stellar clusters in a high-redshift atomic cooling halo. Introduction of sink particles allows us to follow the process of gas hydrodynamics and accretion onto cluster stars for 4 Myr corresponding to multiple local free-fall times. At metallicities at least $10^{-3}\, Z_{\odot}$, gas is able to reach the CMB temperature floor and fragment pervasively resulting in a stellar cluster of size $\sim1$ pc and total mass $\sim1000\, M_{\odot}$. The masses of individual sink particles vary, but are typically $\sim100\, M_{\odot}$, consistent with the Jeans mass when gas cools to the CMB temperature, though some solar mass fragments are also produced. At the low metallicity of $10^{-4}\, Z_{\odot}$, fragmentation is completely suppressed on scales greater than 0.01 pc and total stellar mass is lower by a factor of 3 than in the higher metallicity simulations. The sink particle accretion rates, and thus their masses, are determined by the mass of the gravitationally unstable gas cloud and the prolonged gas accretion over many Myr. The simulations thus exhibit features of both monolithic collapse and competitive accretion. Even considering possible dust induced fragmentation that would occur at higher densities, the formation of a bona fide stellar cluster seems to require metal line cooling and metallicities of at least $10^{-3}\, Z_{\odot}$.
The diversity of school organizational configurations

School reform on a large scale has largely been unsuccessful. Approaches designed to document and understand the variety of organizational conditions that comprise our school systems are needed so that reforms can be tailored and results scaled. Therefore, this article develops a configurational framework that allows a systematic analysis of many school organizational forms. The approach is adapted from the logic of Charles Ragin's comparative method and qualitative comparative analysis; it allows researchers to analyse many schools while still preserving them as holistic entities. Each school is depicted as a particular constellation of coordination and control elements, and these configurations are linked to important instructional patterns. To demonstrate the approach, data on the elementary schools in the Chicago Public School (CPS) system are analysed. The distribution of the different configurations that comprise CPS is documented, and multiple regressions of the configurations indicate their varied...
Effects of media NaCl concentration and osmolarity on the culture of early-stage porcine embryos and the viability of embryos cultured in a selected superior medium.

Abstract One- and 2-cell porcine embryos were obtained from oviductal flushes and cultured for 96 hours in media with varied osmolarity that resulted from alterations in NaCl and sorbitol content. The viability of experimental embryos cultured to advanced stages was determined by comparison with that of the controls, noncultured embryos transferred to recipient gilts. The data suggest that variation in embryonic development in the experimental media is related to the NaCl concentration rather than to osmolarity. Increased NaCl concentration impairs development of the embryos to the advanced morula/blastocyst stages (P There was no difference in the pregnancy rate between the recipients of cultured (45%) and noncultured (57%) embryos on Day 25. There was, however, a higher embryonic survival rate (P
Passive detection of buried structures using elastic waves

An investigation of the feasibility of detecting structures buried underground through passive listening techniques will be presented. Passive detection of structures will be analyzed using elastic wave sources originating inside the structure and from sources exterior to the structure and on the surface. The primary method of investigation will be numerical models using the finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD). A source inside the structure excites elastic waves in the structure, a portion of which travel upward along the walls of the structure and onward to the surface. An alternate form of excitation is a source such as a train, large vehicle, or an explosion located on the surface, away from the structure. Waves from this source interact with the structure and a portion of them travel up from the structure to the surface. An array of sensors is constructed to map the field at the surface and to determine the location and basic characteristics of the structure. Generally, structures examined will be on the order of the size of an underground tunnel complex or buried room and elastic wave sources will be in the low frequency range of large machinery or vehicles.
A method for forward displacement analysis of in-parallel platform mechanisms

Abstract This paper presents a method for reducing forward displacement analysis of in-parallel platform mechanisms to single univariate polynomials. The method based on one single model is shown to be applicable to the forward analysis of all the parallel platform mechanisms which consists of a top platform connected at three or four points to a planar base by six SPS legs. The number of the connection points at the base can be 3, 4, 5 or 6. Some of the new results which are first proposed in this paper are numerically verified.
Thumb reconstruction in the burned hand by advancement pollicization of the second ray remnant

Reconstruction of 15 thumbs in 14 patients with severe postburn deformity has been carried out by advancement and transferral of the second ray remnant onto the remaining proximal thumb metacarpal stump. This technique combines the advantages of thumb lengthening and pollicization procedures in a single operation and has been a useful method for restoration of single hand prehension in the severely burned mitten hand.
Unmasking Potential Intracellular Roles For Dysferlin through Improved Immunolabeling Methods

The DYSF gene encodes dysferlin, a 230-kDa protein that is absent or severely reduced in patients with limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B, Miyoshi myopathy, and distal myopathy with anterior tibial onset, skeletal muscle-wasting syndromes collectively referred to as dysferlinopathies (Urtizberea et al. 2008). Inheritance is autosomal recessive, and disease-causing mutations have been identified across the DYSF gene (Nguyen et al. 2005). Since its discovery, dysferlin has been referred to as a plasma membrane protein that is also found in cytoplasmic vesicles (Anderson et al. 1999; Bansal et al. 2003), largely because it appears enriched at the sarcolemma in cross sections of snap-frozen, unfixed muscle. The accumulation of subsarcolemmal vesicles in dysferlinopathic muscle, and studies of muscle fibers cultured from mice lacking dysferlin that involve laser wounding or other damaging treatments, have suggested that dysferlin’s function is to repair disrupted plasma membranes (Bansal and Campbell, 2004; Glover and Brown, 2007; Han and Campbell, 2007). Recent reports suggest that cytoplasmic dysferlin may be present, at least in part, in the transverse tubules (t-tubules) of skeletal muscle (Ampong et al. 2005; Lostal et al. 2010; Waddell et al. 2011). This location suggests that dysferlin is required for maintaining the integrity of the t-tubules or perhaps for their coupling with the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Here, we report an improved method for immunolocalizing dysferlin in the internal membranes of rat, mouse, and human skeletal muscles. Our methods rely on the “unmasking” of epitopes on dysferlin by heating fixed cryosections of muscle in mildly acidic citrate buffer. Heat-induced antigen retrieval (AR) in citrate buffers improves the labeling of several muscle proteins (Mundegar et al. 2008), but its effectiveness for dysferlin have not been documented. Using our modification of this method, we show that dysferlin is much more abundant in the intracellular membranes of skeletal muscle fibers than it is at the sarcolemma and that the small amount of dysferlin at the sarcolemma is present where the t-tubules insert, rather than at other sarcolemmal domains that are enriched in dystrophin (Williams and Bloch 1999). We show further that intracellular dysferlin concentrates in a reticulum that flanks the Z-disks of each sarcomere, consistent with its presence in t-tubules, the junctional SR, or both. We conclude that the absence of dysferlin from intracellular membranes, rather than or in addition to its absence from the sarcolemma, contributes to the mechanisms underlying dysferlinopathies.
A Dynamic Structure for Experiential Data in a Collaboration Marketplace to Manage Tacit and Contextual Knowledge for Reuse

This paper addresses issues in the development of a system for knowledge management in the context of extensible XML structured documents with RDF based ontologies used to aid in linkage and classification. The potential of a web services modeled collaboration marketplace as a delivery mechanism is elaborated. The discussion is exploratory in the context of the development of a design for experimentation, but based on extensive work on existing collaboration environments developed at the University of Pittsburgh over the last decade. The proposed system uses the military After Action Review (AAR) as the major input to the system and explores how such an input might be optimally structured to make use of an array of processing tools.
Proteolytic and Conformational Control of Virus Capsid Maturation: The Bacteriophage HK97 System

Bacteriophage capsid assembly pathways provide excellent model systems to study large-scale conformational changes and other mechanisms that regulate the formation of macromolecular complexes. These capsids are formed from proheads: relatively fragile precursor particles which mature by undergoing extensive remodeling. Phage HK97 employs novel features in its strategy for building capsids, including assembly without a scaffolding protein, and the formation of a network of covalent cross-links between neighboring subunits in the mature virion. In addition, proteolytic cleavage of the capsid protein from 42 kDa to 31 kDa is essential for maturation. To investigate the structural bases for proteolysis and cross-linking, we have used cryo-electron micrographs to reconstruct the three-dimensional structures of purified particles from four discrete stages in the assembly pathway: Prohead I, Prohead II, Head I and Head II. Prohead I has icosahedralT= 7 packing of blister-shaped pentamers and hexamers. The pentamers are 5-fold symmetric, but the hexamers exhibit an unusual departure from 6-fold symmetry, as if two trimers had undergone a shear dislocation of about 25 A. Proteolytic conversion to Prohead II leaves the outer surface largely unchanged, but a major loss of density from the inner surface is observed, which we infer to represent the excision of the aminoterminal domains of the capsid protein. Upon expansion to the Head I state, the capsid becomes markedly larger, thinner walled, and more polyhedral: moreover, the capsomer shapes change radically; especially notable is the disappearance of the large hexon dislocation. No differences between Head I and the covalently cross-linked Head II could be observed at the current resolution of about 25 A, from which we infer that it is the conformational rearrangements effected by expansion that create the micro-environments needed for the autocatalytic formation of the iso-dipeptide bonds found in the mature virions (“pseudo-active sites”).
Case 217: sinonasal organized hematoma.

HistoryA 15-year-old boy presented to the emergency department with intractable epistaxis. He had a prior history of epistaxis typically lasting 5–10 minutes and consisting of up to four episodes per year for several years. Otherwise, the patient had no relevant medical history, and he denied having prior trauma, surgery, bleeding diathesis, fever, chills, or vision changes. Likewise, the patient had no relevant family history. The patient’s coagulation panel was unremarkable and included a prothrombin time of 15.4 seconds, an international normalized ratio of 1.2, and a partial thromboplastin time of 29.3 seconds.A thin-section unenhanced sinus computed tomography (CT) examination was performed. In addition, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the sinuses without and with intravenous contrast material was performed.The epistaxis was treated with nasal packing, which prevented further bleeding. Biopsy of the lesion was subsequently performed.
Quantitative characterization of the optical properties of absorbing polymer films: Comparative investigation of the internal reflection intensity analysis method

Nondestructive, three-dimensional refractive-index measurements are used for the determination of both the crystallinity and orientation in thin polymer films. The prism wave-guide coupler is particularly suited for three-dimensional isotropic and anisotropic thin-film studies because of the quantitative character of the information obtained and the ease of data acquisition. It has been limited, however, to determining only the refractive index of transparent or weakly absorbing thin-film samples. On the basis of thin-film optics, this study develops a new internal reflection intensity analysis (IRIA) method, which uses the intensity information rather than the conventional mode angle values to acquire both the refrac tive index and the extinction coefficient over a range of transparent to highly absorbing polymer films. Therefore, the IRIA method overcomes the limitations of this prism wave-guide coupler technique, which can only measure the refractive index of a weakly absorbing sample. With a Metricon PC-2010 as the skeletal framework, a prototype instrument has been developed to apply and test the IRIA method. A study comparing both the refractive index and extinction coefficient obtained with ellipsometry, ultraviolet-visible/near-infrared reflectometry, and IRIA for solvent blue 59 dyed polystyrene films confirms that the IRIA method is effective for obtaining the three-dimensional refractive indices and extinction coefficients of polymer films. In addition, the refractive index and extinction coefficient spectrum (400-800 nm) of solvent blue 59 have been determined with the effective media theory. Furthermore, the three-dimensional complex refractive indices of highly absorbing black electrical tape, inaccessible to other optical measurement because of its surface character, has been determined by the IRIA method.
Borreliacidal activity of saliva of the tick Amblyomma americanum.

. Amblyomma americanum (Linneaus) (Acari: Ixodidae), an important tick vector of human and animal disease, is not a competent vector of the bacterial agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, although its range overlaps the geographical distribution of Lyme disease within the United States. A possible mechanism that could prevent acquisition of B. burgdorferi spirochetes from infected hosts is the toxic effect of A. americanum saliva on B. burgdorferi. The data presented here indicate that after 24 and 48 h of exposure to A. americanum saliva, significantly fewer B. burgdorferi were alive compared to treatment controls as assessed by spirochete motility under dark-field microscopy and resistance to the dead stain, propidium iodide. After 48 h, fewer than 13% of saliva-exposed B. burgdorferi were alive. In contrast, significantly more B. burgdorferi exposed to Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) saliva survived after 24 or 48 h compared to A. americanum saliva or treatment controls.
Further Validation of the Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites Scale Among Employed Adults

To examine the validity and test the generalizability of the Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites Scale (PCRW) beyond the original college student sample, a geographically dispersed sample of employed White adults (N = 284) in eight states completed the measure to assess for White empathic reactions toward racism, White guilt, and White fear of people of other races. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor structure, and a test of factorial invariance for the adult sample data compared against the original college-student sample data suggested the need for further refinement and conceptualization of White guilt among employed adults. Convergent validity was documented with indicators of color-blind racial beliefs and openness to diversity. Finally, significant interaction effects between sample (community or college) and sex (male or female) on reported levels of costs were identified.
How Do Distress and Well-being Relate to Medical Student Empathy? A Multicenter Study

To determine whether lower levels of empathy among a sample of medical students in the United States are associated with personal and professional distress and to explore whether a high degree of personal well-being is associated with higher levels of empathy. Multi-institutional, cross-sectional survey. All medical schools in Minnesota (a private medical school, a traditional public university, and a public university with a focus in primary care). A total of 1,098 medical students. Validated instruments were used to measure empathy, distress (i.e., burnout and symptoms of depression), and well-being (high quality of life). Medical student empathy scores were higher than normative samples of similarly aged individuals and were similar to other medical student samples. Domains of burnout inversely correlated with empathy (depersonalization with empathy independent of gender, all P < .02, and emotional exhaustion with emotive empathy for men, P = .009). Symptoms of depression inversely correlated with empathy for women (all P ≤ .01). In contrast, students’ sense of personal accomplishment demonstrated a positive correlation with empathy independent of gender (all P < .001). Similarly, achieving a high quality of life in specific domains correlated with higher empathy scores (P < .05). On multivariate analysis evaluating measures of distress and well-being simultaneously, both burnout (negative correlation) and well-being (positive correlation) independently correlated with student empathy scores. Both distress and well-being are related to medical student empathy. Efforts to reduce student distress should be part of broader efforts to promote student well-being, which may enhance aspects of professionalism. Additional studies of student well-being and its potential influence on professionalism are needed.
Shareholder Activism and Earnings Management Incentives: An Empirical Examination of Shareholder Proposals in the U.S.

In this article, we investigate the effect of shareholder activism on earnings management. Using a US sample of shareholder pay‐for‐performance proposals sponsored by institutional investors, we find that when compared to control firms, firms targeted by shareholder proposals have a greater magnitude of discretionary accruals (DA) in their reported earnings. In addition, we find that the likelihood of meeting or beating earnings benchmarks through the use of DA is higher for targeted firms whose managers have job security concerns due to the firms’ inferior stock performance in the past or have plans to sell company stock. Our results are consistent with the notion that pay‐for‐performance proposals have unintended consequences by introducing or exacerbating incentives to manage earnings for short‐term gains. The results also indicate that, for financial reporting, the short‐termism effect may dominate the alignment and/or disciplinary effect of shareholder monitoring.
From Static Structure to Living Protein: Computational Analysis of Cytochrome c Oxidase Main-chain Flexibility

Crystallographic structure and deuterium accessibility comparisons of CcO in different redox states have suggested conformational changes of mechanistic significance. To predict the intrinsic flexibility and low energy motions in CcO, this work has analyzed available high-resolution crystallographic structures with ProFlex and elNemo computational methods. The results identify flexible regions and potential conformational changes in CcO that correlate well with published structural and biochemical data and provide mechanistic insights. CcO is predicted to undergo rotational motions on the interior and exterior of the membrane, driven by transmembrane helical tilting and bending, coupled with rocking of the β-sheet domain. Consequently, the proton K-pathway becomes sufficiently flexible for internal water molecules to alternately occupy upper and lower parts of the pathway, associated with conserved Thr-359 and Lys-362 residues. The D-pathway helices are found to be relatively rigid, with a highly flexible entrance region involving the subunit I C-terminus, potentially regulating the uptake of protons. Constriction and dilation of hydrophobic channels in RsCcO suggest regulation of the oxygen supply to the binuclear center. This analysis points to coupled conformational changes in CcO and their potential to influence both proton and oxygen access.
Wildlife and Fish Conservation Through the Farm Bill

Private lands constitute 70% of the land base in the United States and are important to the conservation of fish and wildlife. The last 4 Farm Bills established a variety of conservation programs that integrate fish and wildlife habitat as an important consideration in farm policy. These programs provide cost-sharing opportunities, technical assistance, and other financial incentives to restore or enhance habitats, and protect habitats through long-term or permanent conservation easements. The programs are providing landscape-scale habitat changes, resulting in increased populations of many species.
Ultrastructural Localization of Full-Length trkB Immunoreactivity in Rat Hippocampus Suggests Multiple Roles in Modulating Activity-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity

Neurotrophins acting at the trkB receptor have been shown to be important modulators of activity-dependent plasticity in the hippocampus, but the mechanisms underlying these effects are not yet well understood. To identify the cellular and subcellular targets of trkB ligands in the adult rat hippocampal formation, full-length trkB receptor immunoreactivity (trkB-IR) was localized using electron microscopy. trkB-IR was present in the glutamatergic pyramidal and granule cells. Labeling in these neurons appeared as discrete clusters and was primarily in axons, excitatory-type axon terminals, and dendritic spines and to a lesser extent in somata and dendritic shafts. trkB-IR was commonly found on the plasma membrane of dendritic spines, whereas in other subcellular regions trkB-IR was often intracellular. Labeling was strikingly dense within axon initial segments, suggesting extensive receptor trafficking. trkB-IR was not confined to pyramidal and granule cells. Dense trkB-IR was found in occasional interneuron axon initial segments, some axon terminals forming inhibitory-type synapses onto somata and dendritic shafts, and excitatory-type terminals likely to originate extrahippocampally. This suggests that trkB is contained in some GABAergic interneurons, neuromodulatory (e.g., cholinergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic) afferents, and/or glutamatergic afferents. These data indicate that full-length trkB receptor activation may modulate glutamatergic pathways of the trisynaptic circuit both presynaptically at axon terminals and initial segments and postsynaptically at dendritic spines and shafts. Signaling via catalytic trkB may also presynaptically affect inhibitory and modulatory neurons. A pan-trkB antibody labeled the same neuronal populations as the full-length-specific trkB antiserum, but the labels differed in density at various subcellular sites. These findings provide an ultrastructural foundation for further examining the mechanisms through which neurotrophins acting at trkB receptors contribute to synaptic plasticity.
Residential Development, Risk, and Land Prices

This paper examines the relationship between the residential development sequence and land price. Inherent in the dynamics of residential development is that the first consumers face the greatest risk since they do not know with certainty what the neighborhood characteristics will be; subsequent consumers have more information. The model predicts that land prices will rise over time relative to the market; developers offer the first consumers discounted land prices to compensate them for the first-mover disadvantage. The empirical evidence indicates that this is indeed the case.
The Utilization of Forced Aerobic Exercise to Augment the Recovery of Motor Function Following Stroke: A Randomized Clinical Trial (P2.016)

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of forced aerobic exercise (FE) on the recovery of motor and non-motor function in individuals with sensorimotor deficits following stroke. BACKGROUND: The benefits of intensive aerobic exercise on brain health has been documented in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia, and to a limited extent, stroke. In our previous work in individuals with PD, we developed a forced exercise (FE) paradigm on a stationary bicycle to augment the voluntary efforts of patients, allowing them to achieve and maintain a rate of exercise thought to elicit neurophysiological changes in the brain resulting in improvements in motor and non-motor functioning. Neuroimaging using fMRI and fcMRI demonstrated increased cortical activity and functional connectivity comparable to changes seen with medication, suggesting that medication and FE likely use the same pathways to produce improvements in motor function in patients with PD. The neurophysiological effects of FE may create an optimal environment in the brain for neuroplasticity in stroke patients, and serve to prime the CNS, optimizing functional recovery elicited through repetitive task practice (RTP). DESIGN/METHODS: Individuals 6-12 months following stroke were enrolled in this rater-blind, randomized clinical trial. Participants were randomized to one of the following dose-matched intervention groups: 1)FE coupled with RTP; 2)Voluntary-rate aerobic exercise coupled with RTP; or 3)RTP only. Outcome measures included the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Nine-hole peg test, VO2max, Six-minute walk test, Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and Stroke Impact Scale (SIS). RESULTS: Preliminary findings reveal improvements in WMFT, FMA, SIS, CES-D scores in all three intervention groups and improvements in aerobic capacity for both groups participating in the aerobic exercise intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic stroke can safely participate in intensive aerobic exercise. FE is a novel and efficacious intervention that can improve cardiovascular health and may augment the recovery of UE motor function post-stroke. Disclosure: Dr. Linder has received research support from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Rosenfeldt has nothing to disclose. Dr. Penko has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alberts has received personal compensation for activities with Boston Scientific Corporation, Juniper Health Systems, and I1 Biometrics. Dr. Alberts has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, and the National Football League Players Association.
Implementation intentions and imagery: individual and combined effects on prospective memory among young adults

Prospective memory (PM) has been found to benefit from implementation intentions (i.e., “when I see X, I will do Y”). However, to date, it is unclear whether implementation intentions must incorporate imagery in order to produce a positive effect on PM, or whether the verbal statement alone is sufficient. It is also equivocal whether the use of visual imagery alone improves PM, absent an intentional statement. The present study investigated the individual influences of implementation intentions and imagery, as well as their combined effect, on PM. A total of 64 undergraduates were placed into one of four instructional conditions—read-only, implementation intention, imagery, or combined—and were then tested on a laboratory PM task. The results revealed that participants in the implementation intention, imagery, and combined groups completed significantly more PM tasks than did participants in the read-only group, but they did not differ from one another. Combining implementation intentions and imagery, however, did not improve PM performance over either strategy alone. Additionally, the implementation intention and imagery groups outperformed the read-only group on a secondary ongoing digit detection task. The results of this study suggest that implementation intentions do not require imagery to be effective in improving PM, and that imagery alone has positive effects on PM. Finally, the results of the ongoing digit detection task suggest that the use of implementation intentions and imagery might provide for automatic identification and processing of environmental cues.
The Corporate Role and Ethical Behavior: Concepts and Cases

The article reviews the book “The Corporate Role and Ethical Behavior: Concepts and Cases,” by Robert I. Litschert and Edward A. Nicholson.
A Sub-i V Low-Noise Bandgap Voltage Reference

A sub-1 V bandgap voltage reference is presented. The topology allows the reference to operate with a low voltage supply by employing reverse bandgap voltage generation. It also has an attractive low-noise output without the use of a large external filtering capacitor. Theoretical analysis and experimental result show the output noise spectral density is 40 nV/radicHz with a peak-to-peak output noise in the 0.1 to 10 Hz band of 4 muV. The reference has a mean output voltage of 190.9 mV at room temperature. The temperature coefficient of the reference voltage in the -40 to +125 degC range is 11 ppm/degC (mean) with a standard deviation of 5 ppm/-C. The design is compatible with most CMOS and BiCMOS fabrication processes