cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neonatal facial coding system scores and spectral characteristics of infant crying during newborn circumcision.

ObjectiveTo determine the relations between Neonatal Facial Coding System (NFCS) scores and measures of infant crying during newborn circumcision.MethodsVideo and audio recordings were made of infant facial activity and cry sounds, respectively, during the lysis phase of circumcisions of 44 healthy
The electrolytic properties of LaYO3 and LaAlO3 doped with alkaline-earth oxides

Abstract The electrolytic properties of two perovskite oxides, LaYO3 and LaAlO3, doped with alkaline-earth cations have been studied. Conductivity measurements show that doped-LaYO3 is a p-type semiconductor at high oxygen partial pressures, but becomes a pure oxide-ion conductor at low oxygen partial pressures. EMF measurements of oxygen concentrations cells confirm that both doped LaAlO3 and doped LaYO3 are pure oxide-ion conductors at low oxygen pressures.
Degradation of δ-crystallin mRNA in the lens fiber cells of the chicken

Abstract δ-Crystallin is the principal protein synthesized in the embryonic chicken lens. After hatching δ-crystallin synthesis decreases and eventually ceases. We have determined when the δ-crystallin messenger RNA (mRNA) disappears from the lens fiber cells during the first year of age by cell-free translation of lens RNA in a reticulocyte lysate, RNA blot (Northern) hybridization, and in situ hybridization. The hybridization was performed with a nick-translated, cloned δ-crystallin cDNA (pδCr2). δ-Crystallin mRNA was present in the lens until 3 months of age and disappeared between the third and fifth month after hatching. The in situ hybridization experiments indicated that the δ-crystallin mRNA was present throughout the lens fiber mass until 1 month after hatching and was greatly reduced in the cortical fiber cells thereafter. In contrast to earlier stages, then, the cortical fiber cells differentiating at the lens equator after about 1 month of age do not accumulate δ-crystallin mRNA. The data also indicate that the maximal half-life of functional δ-crystallin mRNA in the posthatched chicken lens is about 2 months.
A comparison of driver- and passenger-based estimates of alcohol-impaired driving

Abstract Introduction: Persons who drive after drinking or ride with drinking drivers are at increased risk of motor vehicle crash. Although alcohol is involved in 40% of fatal motor vehicle crashes yearly, there exist few systems to monitor alcohol-impaired driving. In this study we compare driver- and passenger-based estimates of the prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving. Design: A random-digit-dialing telephone survey of the United States. Participants were adults aged 18 or older who were English- or Spanish-speaking from 5238 households (response rate = 56.1%). Results: From the 4603 respondents who reported driving in the preceding 30 days, we estimate that there were 126 million drinking-driving episodes in the United States in 1994. From the 4380 passengers in the preceding 30 days, we estimate 191 million episodes. Three percent of respondents self-reported as drinking drivers (4.8% of males and 1.3% of females) and 4.9% as passengers of drinking drivers. Drinking drivers were more likely to be passengers of drinking drivers (44% versus 4% of nondrinking drivers). Drinking drivers were also more than twice as likely to report drinking daily, and only one half as likely to report always wearing their safety belts. Conclusion: Passengers who report riding with a drinking driver may provide an important estimate of the prevalence of drinking driving. Passengers of drinking drivers represent a high-risk group that is not considered in most prevention efforts. Because being a passenger of a drinking driver is not illegal, it may be an easier topic for clinicians to broach than drinking and driving.
Hunting Indians: Globally Circulating Ideas and Frontier Practices in the Colombian Llanos

In the mid-twentieth century, renewed colonization of the Llanos region of Colombia brought escalated violence to the closely related Guahibo and Cuiva peoples. This violence was made public by two dramatic episodes that became international scandals: a December 1967 massacre of sixteen Cuivas at La Rubiera Ranch, and a 1970 military crackdown on an uprising by members of a Guahibo agricultural cooperative in Planas. The scandals exposed both particular human rights abuses and the regional tradition of literally hunting indigenous people, and provoked widespread outrage. While contemporaries treated these events as aberrations, they can best be explained as the consequence of policies that organize and manage frontiers. Both events took place in a region undergoing rapid settlement by migrants, affected by cattle and oil interests, missionaries, the Colombian military, and U.S. counterinsurgency trainers. This paper draws on archival research to trace the events involved and explains their relation to globally circulating policies, practices, and ideas of frontier making. It illustrates how Colombians eager to expand their frontier in the Llanos emulated and adapted ideas of human inequality, moral geographies that make violence acceptable in frontier areas, economic policies that dispossess native peoples, and strategies of counterinsurgency warfare from distant sources. Ironically, their quest for modernity through frontier expansion licensed new deployments of “archaic” violence. The Llanos frontier was thus enmeshed in an interchange of frontier-making techniques that crisscrosses the world, but particularly unites Latin America and the United States.
Comparativist Philosophy of Science and Population Viability Assessment in Biology: Helping Resolve Scientific Controversy

Comparing alternative scientific theories obviously is relevant to theory assessment, but are comparativists (like Laudan) correct when they also make it necessary? This paper argues that they are not. Defining rationality solely in terms of theories’ comparative problem‐solving strengths, comparativist philosophers of science like Laudan subscribe to what I call the irrelevance claim (IC) and the necessity claim (NC). According to IC, a scientific theory’s being well or poorly confirmed is “irrelevant” to its acceptance; NC is the claim that “all evaluations of research traditions and theories must be made within a comparative context,” how any theory “compares with its competitors” (Laudan 1977, 21, 120). Using current competing theories (T1 and T2) of population viability assessment (PVA) for the Florida panther, the paper investigates IC/NC. In part because dominant T2 panther biologists accept IC/NC (which T1 theorists reject), the paper argues that they appear both to have accepted flawed T2 and to ...
Neuropeptide Y and Peptide YY Inhibit Excitatory Synaptic Transmission in the Rat Dorsal Motor Nucleus of the Vagus

Pancreatic polypeptides (PPs) such as neuropeptide Y (NPY) and peptide YY (PYY) exert profound, vagally mediated effects on gastrointestinal (GI) motility and secretion. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings were made from brainstem slices containing identified GI-projecting rat dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) neurons to determine the mechanism of action of PPs. Electrical stimulation of nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) induced excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) that were reduced in a concentration-dependent manner by NPY and PYY (both at 0.1–300 nM) in 65 % of the neurons. An increase in the paired-pulse ratio without changes in the postsynaptic membrane input resistance or EPSC rise and decay time suggested that the effects of PPs on EPSCs were due to actions at presynaptic receptors. The Y1 and Y2 receptor selective agonists [Leu 31 ,Pro 34 ]NPY and NPY(3–36) (both at 100 nM) mimicked the inhibition of NPY and PYY on the EPSC amplitude. The effects of 100 nM NPY, but not PYY, were antagonized partially by the Y1 receptor selective antagonist BIBP3226 (0.1 mM). In addition, the inhibition of the EPSC amplitude induced by NPY, but not PYY, was attenuated partially by pretreatment with the a2 adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine (10 mM), and occluded partially by the a2 adrenoceptor agonist UK14,304 (10 mM) as well as by pretreatment with reserpine. Pretreatment with a combination of BIBP3226 and yohimbine almost completely antagonized the NPY-mediated effects on EPSCs. Contrary to the inhibition of EPSCs, perfusion with PPs had no effect on the amplitude of inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) and a minimal effect on a minority of DMV neurons. Differences in the receptor subtypes utilized and in the mechanism of action of NPY and PYY may indicate functional differences in their roles within the circuitry of the dorsal vagal complex (DVC).
Understanding the intruder through attacks on cryptographic protocols

The vulnerability and importance of computers, robots, internet etc, demand the employment of exceedingly reliable methods in the design of secure systems. Security protocols are one of the most important design parameters. History has proven security protocols to be vulnerable even after they enjoyed circumspect design and meticulous review by experts. We posit that understanding the subtle issues in security protocols is important when designing a protocol. In particular, understanding a penetrator and the knowledge of different attack strategies that a penetrator can apply are among the most important issues that affect the design of security protocols. We describe the notion of a penetrator and specify his characteristics. Our purpose is to emphasize the design criteria of an authentication protocol through the use of some nice and subtle attacks that existed in the literature in the field of the design of security protocols.
A RELAXATION ALGORITHM FOR THE MINIMIZATION OF A QUASICONCAVE FUNCTION ON A CONVEX POLYHEDRON

A study was made of the global minimization of a general quasiconcave function on a convex polyhedron. This nonconvex problem arises in economies of scale environments and in alternative formulations of other well-known problems, as in the case of bilinear programming. Although not very important in our final results, a local minimum can be easily obtained. However, a major aspect is the existence of two families of lower bounds on the optimal functional value: one is provided by non-linear programming duality, the other is derived from a lexicographic ordering of basic solutions which allows the use of relaxation concepts. These results were exploited in a finite algorithm for obtaining the global minimum whose initial implementation has had encouraging performance.
Stenosis in a deformable tube inhibited by outlet pressure.

Abstract Flow at critical velocities through a deformable tube lined with silicone results in the development of a “coarctation” with a tiny orifice remaining. An increase in the pressure at the tube outlet inhibits the tendency for closure, probably by raising the lateral pressure in the upstream portions of the system. The results suggest that a high lateral pressure such as that ordinarily present in arteries may operate to inhibit cushion formation, valvulogenesis, and stenosis. The implications of these findings in the production or inhibition of the stenotic process are discussed.
Ethical issues in the evaluation of communication behavior

Since the evaluation of communication behavior is performed by individuals who are prone to subjectivity, it is important that the ethics of this process be examined. The authors discuss respect, fairness, freedom, and responsibility as ethical principles necessary when students’ communication skills are evaluated.
Simulating Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion by Depositing Extracellular Biopolymers on Mild Steel Surfaces

Abstract Electrochemical properties of corroding mild steel (MS) surfaces were measured in real time using three closely spaced microelectrodes. Dissolved oxygen, pH, and ion currents were mapped simultaneously and noninvasively above a MS coupon partially coated with biopolymer gels. Calcium alginate (Ca-Alg [an extracellular biopolymer containing carboxylate functional groups]) and agarose (one without carboxylate functional groups) were tested. Corrosion occurred at approximately the same rate under the two biopolymer spots on the same coupon. Corrosion rates under these biopolymers were ≈ 4 mpy in a weak saline solution. Results suggested corrosion was not influenced by chemical properties of the biopolymer but possibly was controlled by oxygen reduction in noncoated regions of the coupon (i.e., a differential aeration cell).
Strain‐controlled fatigue of acrylic bone cement

Monotonic tensile tests and tension-compression fatigue tests were conducted of wet acrylic bone cement specimens at 37 degrees C. All testing was conducted in strain control at a strain rate of 0.02/s. Weibull analysis of the tensile tests indicated that monotonic fracture was governed more strongly by strain than stress. The number of cycles to fatigue failure was also more strongly controlled by strain amplitude than stress amplitude. Specimen porosity distribution played a major role in determining the tensile and fatigue strengths. The degree of data scatter suggests that Weibull analysis of fatigue data may be useful in developing design criteria for the surgical use of bone cement.
Gemcitabine and platinum combinations in pancreatic cancer

Progress in the treatment of pancreatic cancer in the past several decades has been very modest. Several new agents with activity against this disease have been identified. Of these, gemcitabine appears to be the most promising when used in combination with other drugs. Gemcitabine and cisplatin combinations have been tested in several studies. The major toxicity reported to occur with the gemcitabine-cisplatin combination is myelosuppression, which is greater than that encountered with single-agent gemcitabine. However, episodes of neutropenic fever or spontaneous bleeding are reported to be very infrequent. Pilot Phase II studies combining gemcitabine with cisplatin have shown improved outcomes in objective response rates and survival; however, these findings must be confirmed in larger randomized studies.
Application of multivariate techniques to endpoint determination, selection and evaluation in ecological risk assessment

It is often crucial in environmental or ecological risk assessments to be able to describe a system with many interacting components. In addition, some quantifiable description of how different biological communities respond upon the addition of a toxicant or some other stressor is required to adequately describe risk at the ecosystem level. Three methods have been applied at this level: the mean strain measurement used by K. Kersting, the state-space analysis pioneered by A.R. Johnson, and the nonmetric clustering developed by G. Matthews for ecological data sets and for analysis of standardized aquatic microcosm data. Each method has direct application to the description of an affected ecosystem without reliance upon a single specific and perhaps misleading endpoint. Each also can assign distance or probability measures in order to compare the control to treatment groups. Nonmetric clustering (NMC) has the advantage of not attempting to combine different types of scales or metrics during the multivariate analysis and is robust against interference by random variables. The primary impact of these methods may be in the selection and interpretation of assessment and measurement endpoints. Much recent debate in toxicological studies has focused on appropriate measurement endpoints for tests. Nonmetric clustering and other multivariatemore » techniques should aid in the selection of these endpoints in ways meaningful at the ecosystem level. The authors suggest that the search for assessment and measurement endpoints be left to the appropriate multivariate computation algorithms in the case of multispecies situations. Application of these methods in the verification and validation process of risk assessment will serve to check the selection of endpoints during modeling exercises and to improve the presentation of assessment criteria.« less
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Physical Properties of a New Reduced Lanthanum Niobium Oxide: LaNb7O12

Abstract Single crystals of LaNb 7 O 12 were obtained by annealing a mixture of La 2 O 3 , Nb 2 O 5 , and Nb in 1:1:1 molar ratio with NH 4 Cl in a sealed quartz tube. LaNb 7 O 12 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P 2 1 / c with cell parameters a = 10.762(1), b = 9.192(1), c = 10.314(1) A, β = 104.25°, and z = 4 formula units per cell. The structure was determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data and refined to a residual of R ( F ) = 0.037 and R w ( F 2 ) = 0.077 for 119 variable parameters and a unique data set of 1400 observations [ I > 2σ( I )]. The essential building units of the structure are Nb 6 and NbO 6 octahedra and La ions in eight coordination of oxygen. Two NbO 6 octahedra corner-share to form a pair and connect with Nb 6 octahedra via oxygen atoms. Nb 6 octahedra share both apical and inner oxygen atoms with neighboring Nb 6 to form columns of Nb 6 O 12 clusters along the c axis. The Nb 6 O 12 clusters exhibit 14 valence electrons in M – M bonding states. LaNb 7 O 12 is a semiconductor with an activation energy of 0.08 eV. The magnetic susceptibility data show weak temperature-independent paramagnetism. The Madelung part of the lattice energy has been calculated and is discussed.
Thermodynamic constant determination for the complexation of trivalent lanthanides with polyoxometalates

Abstract Polyoxometalates (POM), which are large, water-soluble metal oxides, can be considered as small fragments of metal lattices similar to the principle components on clay or inorganic colloid surfaces. Consequently, POMs can be used to model the thermodynamic aspects of metal–clay interactions to develop an understanding of clay colloids in the migration of metal cations within an environmental setting. The binding constants for the lacunary P2W17 and the plenary P2W18 POMs with trivalent lanthanide cations have been previously reported. In this study, the thermodynamic constants for the complexation of Ln(III) cations with these polyoxometalates have been measured using both enthalpy calorimetric titrations and the entropy titration method at 25 °C and an ionic strength of 1.0 M (NaClO4). The results indicate weak binding interaction for the plenary P2W18 species, but stronger binding to the lacunary P2W17 complexes with significant entropy effects for both POMs.
Estimation of αL, Velocity, Kd and Confidence Limits from Tracer Injection Test Data

Bromide and boron were used as tracers during an injection experiment conducted at an artificial recharge facility near Stanton, Texas. The Ogallala aquifer at the Stanton site represents a heterogeneous alluvial environment and provides the opportunity to report scale dependent dispersivities at observation distances of 2 to 15 m in this setting. Values of longitudinal dispersivities are compared with other published values. Water samples were collected at selected depths both from piezometers and from fully screened observation wells at radii of 2, 5, 10 and 15 m. An exact analytical solution is used to simulate the concentration breakthrough curves and estimate longitudinal dispersivities and velocity parameters. Greater confidence can be placed on these data because the estimated parameters are error bounded using the bootstrap method. The non-conservative behavior of boron transport in clay rich sections of the aquifer were quantified with distribution coefficients by using bromide as a conservative reference tracer.
Delay, Power and Energy Tradeoffs in Deep Voltage-scaled FPGAs

In this paper, we present a circuit-level analysis of deep voltage-scaled FPGAs, which operate from full supply to sub-threshold voltages. The logic as well as the interconnect of the FPGA are modeled at the circuit level, and their relative contribution to the delay, power and energy of the FPGA are studied by means of circuit simulations. Three representative designs are studied to explore these design trade-offs. We conclude that the energy and delay-minimal FPGA design is one in which both the interconnect and logic are curtailed from scaling below a fixed voltage (about 550mV in our experiments). If power is a more important design factor (at the cost of delay), it is beneficial to operate both the logic and interconnect between 300mV and 800mV.
The Home Visit, Revisited

Reactive to changes in health care and the economy, the delivery of social work services has been expanded to include the home visit as an alternative to meeting with clients in the agency or hospital. The home visit has been a vital tool in the articulation of social work services throughout the history of the profession. This article will briefly trace the history of the beginning of home visitation and will discuss some of the techniques, difficulties, and benefits of this time-honored professional task. In short, this article will “revisit” the home visit.
Hole-blocking TiO2/silicon heterojunction for silicon photovoltaics

Narrow bandgap heterojunctions on crystalline silicon such as Si/Si 1−x Ge x are now in widespread use, but to date there has been little progress on widegap heterojunctions on silicon. In this abstract, we report: (i) TiO 2 /Si heterojunction with a band alignment which blocks holes from silicon but freely passes electrons, and (ii) the application of this heterojunction to form a photovoltaic cell on silicon with no p-n junction, and all fabrication below a temperature of 75 °C.
Learning to Teach through Lesson Study

Abstract This article describes the use of a lesson study approach to collaborative professional growth in an elementary science methods course. Preservice candidates designed and taught integrated science-mathematics lessons during the semester before their student teaching. Working in 8 teams of 3 student teachers, participants per team designed a common lesson and taught it in three different classrooms, critiquing and refining the lesson between each episode. Results support the use of lesson study to help preservice teachers develop a critical lens with which to view their practice. It encourages practitioners to take a reflective and engaged approach to teaching, focus on student success in their classrooms, take responsibility for classroom decision making, engage in collaborative practice, and participate as actors in the creation of the knowledge base for teaching.
Semirings on cones

A topological semiring is a triplet (S, +, •) where S is a Hausdorff topological space, “+” and “•” are jointly continuous associative binary operations on S and “•” distributes across “+” on both sides. Recent work by J. Selden [16], K. R. Pearson [13], and Paul H. Karvellas [7] has provided information about and, in some cases, complete characterizations of (S, +, •) when (S, +) or (S, •) are specified. Herein, we consider the case in which (S, •) is the one-point compactification of a closed proper cone in En with vector addition extended so that the point at infinity is a zero. Further, if (S, +) is assumed to be a semilattice, we give a complete characterization of (S, +, •).
Rarefied flow diagnostics using pulsed high-current electron beams

The use of high-current short-pulse electron beams in low-density gas flow diagnostics is introduced. Efficient beam propagation is demonstrated for pressure up to 300 microns. The beams, generated by low-pressure pseudospark discharges in helium, provide extremely high fluorescence levels, allowing time-resolved visualization in high-background environments. The fluorescence signal frequency is species-dependent, allowing instantaneous visualization of mixing flowfields.
The Core Binding Factor (CBF) α Interaction Domain and the Smooth Muscle Myosin Heavy Chain (SMMHC) Segment of CBFβ-SMMHC Are Both Required to Slow Cell Proliferation

We have expressed several variants of core binding factor beta (CBFbeta)-smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SMMHC) from the metallothionein promoter in Ba/F3 cells. Deletion of amino acids 2-11 from the CBFbeta segment, required for interaction with CBFalpha, prevented CBFbeta-SMMHC from inhibiting CBF DNA binding and cell cycle progression. Deletion of 283 carboxyl-terminal residues from the SMMHC domain, required for multimerization, also inactivated CBFbeta-SMMHC. Nuclear expression of CBFbeta(Delta2-11)-SMMHC was decreased relative to CBFbeta-SMMHC. CBFbeta(Delta2-11)-SMMHC linked to a nuclear localization signal still did not slow cell growth. The ability of each CBFbeta-SMMHC variant to inhibit CBF DNA binding and cell proliferation correlated with its ability to inhibit transactivation by an AML1-VP16 fusion protein. Thus, CBFbeta-SMMHC slows cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase by inhibiting CBF DNA binding and transactivation.
Protein transfer of glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-modified murine B7-1 and B7-2 costimulators.

The feasibility of using protein transfer as a means for enhancing the immunogenicity of murine tumor cells was evaluated. Glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-modified variants of the murine costimulators B7-1 (CD80) and B7-2 (CD86), designated B7-1.GPI and B7-2.GPI, respectively, were immunoaffinity-purified from CHO-K1 cells transfected with glutamine synthetase amplification/expression constructs encoding each of these chimeric proteins. The proteins, once purified in detergent-depleted pseudomicelles, were exogenously incorporated into the membranes of several different murine tumor lines (EL-4, SMUCC-1, BW5147.3, P815, Ag104A, and EMT6). Successful membrane painting with the B7.GPI proteins was documented by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, and membrane integration was verified by demonstrating that the reincorporated proteins were phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C-sensitive, glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase D-resistant, and refractory to removal with dimyristylphosphatidylcholine vesicles. Significantly, B7-1.GPI and B7-2.GPI could be together copainted onto EL-4 cell surfaces with no interference observed between the two. A standard in vitro proliferation assay was used to show that both of the B7.GPI proteins retained costimulator function after membrane reincorporation. These findings further validate the therapeutic potential of protein-transferred costimulator.GPIs and pave the way for their combinatorial use in animal tumor models.
Gold fiducials are a unique marker for localization in the thoracic spine: a cost comparison with percutaneous vertebroplasty.

AbstractWe present a unique application of the gold fiducial as a preoperative, radiographic marker placed in the thoracic spine and used for intraoperative localization. In comparison to percutaneous vertebroplasty marking of thoracic spinal levels with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cement, implantation of the gold fiducial is technically facile with a minimal learning curve. The fiducial markers are also associated with significantly less financial resources. Following 2013 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding, the cost of vertebroplasty under fluoroscopic guidance, $3195·43, or under computed tomography (CT) guidance, $3232·54, is more than double the cost of the gold fiducial implantation — $1237·55 and $1267·03, under similar imaging techniques, respectively. In the first description of gold fiducials in the thoracic spine, we conclude that the marker is a safe and cost-effective method for preoperative localization of the thoracic levels.
Suppression of interface-induced noise by the control of electron-phonon interactions

We study the influence of various types of contacting media and contact area on the current-fluctuation level in semiconductors, testing the supposition that the electronic noise is governed, in part, by phonon-leaking dynamics to the environment. Using passivated and gettered silicon PIN diodes as experimental test-beds, the presented data lends credence to the prediction that the phonon-refraction characteristics of the semiconductor-metal interface substantially impacts the current fluctuations in the solid. Specifically, if one implements metallic contacts with lower phonon-reflecting characteristics, such as those composed of silver or palladium, or if one increases the area through which phonons can leakage to the surrounding environment, then the leakage current decreases.
Return to the Malay Archipelago: the biogeography of Sundaic rainforest birds

During the last 15–20 years, phylogenetic, phylogeographic, paleontological, geological, and habitat modeling studies have improved our knowledge of Sundaic biogeography dramatically. In light of these advances, we review (or postulate) where Sundaic rainforest birds came from, the causes of their endemism, and the influence of Pleistocene climatic perturbations on their diversification. We suggest that four scenarios make up a coherent, plausible explanation of patterns of extant diversity. First, relictual lineages, which represent hangovers from the warm, wet Eocene, survived the hard climatic times of the colder, drier Oligocene and Pliocene in the mountains and adjacent lowlands of eastern Borneo, where rainforest has existed continuously for the last 20–30 million years. Second, most modern SE Asian genera developed during the Miocene. Third, the rainforest of Sundaland and its avifauna were largely isolated from the rest of SE Asia during the late Miocene and Pliocene by seasonal habitats in southern Indochina and ocean boundaries elsewhere, increasing regional endemism. Finally, the advent of global glaciation in the Pleistocene introduced a different diversification dynamic to Sundaland. Early glacial events caused sufficient drying in central Sundaland to fragment rainforest and its avifauna into refugia in eastern and western Sundaland and to allow dry-habitat taxa to reach Java from Indochina. More recent glacial events resulted in sufficient perhumid habitat in central Sundaland to reconnect previously vicariated rainforest populations, creating the lowland and elevational parapatry we see today. This Pleistocene dynamic was probably not simply one period of separation and one period of connection, but rather a complex interplay of isolation and colonization, influenced by highly variable population sizes, changing levels of gene flow, and behavioral idiosyncrasies of the species involved. Throughout all of these events, Borneo played a seminal role in rainforest bird evolution by providing the habitat necessary for diversification and the long-term survival of taxa.
Transmembrane signalling by insulin via an insulin receptor mutated at tyrosines 1158, 1162, and 1163

Abstract In order to study the role of tyrosine autophosphorylation in insulin receptor signalling, we investigated a mutant human insulin receptor whereby the three major tyrosine autophosphorylation sites at positions 1158, 1162, and 1163 in the receptor β-subunit were mutated to phenylalanines. When these mutant receptors were expressed in HTC rat hepatoma cells, there was no enhanced β-subunit autophosphorylation and tyrosine kinase activity. In these cells there was enhanced insulin stimulation of [3H]AIB uptake and [3H]thymidine incorporation when compared to wild type HTC cells. The present study suggests therefore that the presence of the major insulin autophosphorylation sites is not a requirement for insulin stimulation of amino acid transport and mitogenesis.
Study of cholesterol side-chain cleavage (20,22 desmolase) deficiency causing congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia using bovine-sequence P450scc oligodeoxyribonucleotide probes.

Conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone is mediated by the cholesterol side-chain cleavage (SCC) enzyme, P450scc. Deficient SCC activity causes congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (also known as 20,22 desmolase deficiency), a potentially lethal defect in the synthesis of all steroid hormones. To probe for possible genetic defects causing this disease we synthesized four oligodeoxyribonucleotides containing 63 to 72 bases corresponding to portions of the bovine complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence for P450scc. The bovine oligonucleotides were labeled and used directly to probe Southern blots of normal human genomic DNA, revealing a pattern indicating there is a single P450scc gene in the human genome. Hybridization to Northern blots of normal human and bovine adrenal messenger RNA indicates that P450scc messenger RNA is about 2.0 kilobases long in both species. Hybridizations of the oligonucleotides to genomic DNA from three unrelated patients with SCC deficiency did not detect a deletion in the human P45...
ANTIBODY TO VARICELLA ZOSTER (VZ) VIRUS IN PRETERM INFANTS

Serum specimens from 72 preterm non-transfused infants were examined for antibody to VZ virus. Infants were divided by birthweight into 3 groups: I ( 34 weeks). There were 56 AGA and 16 SGA newborns. VZ antibody was measured by the fluorescent antibody to memorane antigen (FAMA) technique. Of 72 preterm infants, 7 (9.7%) had no detectable antibody to VZ virus, with FAMA titers of <1:2. There was no apparent difference in titers between groups. Thus, most preterm infants have detectable antibody to VZ virus, presumably due to transplacentally acquired maternal antibody. Similar results have previously been found in term infants. Antibody to VZ virus in preterm infants correlates with timing of transfer of gamma globulin from mother to fetus.
Optimal operators for Hartree-Fock exchange from long-range corrected hybrid density functionals

Abstract The long-range operators for Hartree–Fock exchange from two recently proposed long-range corrected hybrid functionals, ω B97 and ω B97X [J.-D. Chai, M. Head-Gordon, J. Chem. Phys. 128 (2008) 084106], are discussed. A conserved property is found in the middle-range region of the operator from ω B97X. We argue that the fine details of the Hartree–Fock exchange mixing in this region are responsible for the accuracy of the long-range corrected hybrid functionals in thermochemistry and barrier heights.
CD40 ligation mediates plaque-associated tau phosphorylation in β-amyloid overproducing mice

Abstract Neuritic dystrophy with amyloid burden and neurofibrillary tangles are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Genetic disruption of CD40 or CD40L alleviates amyloid burden, astrocytosis, and microgliosis in transgenic animal models of Alzheimer's disease. It has been reported that phosphorylated tau-positive dystrophic neurites are observed in transgenic mice over-expressing human mutant beta-amyloid precursor protein (Tg2576). Here, we studied the pattern of phosphorylated tau (labeled with AT8, CP13, PG5, and PHF1 antibodies) and plaques using immunohistochemical techniques. Phosphorylated tau-positive dystrophic neurites were exclusively associated with Congo red-positive plaques as previously reported. Further, we show that CD40L or CD40 deficiency reduces the mean ratio of dystrophic neurite area to congophilic plaque area and the level of expression of cdk5 and p35/p25 in mice. In addition, we show that in a human neuroblastoma cell line treated with CD40L, cdk5 and p35/p25 are increased. Together, our data suggest that CD40–CD40L interaction has an effect on tau phosphorylation independent of beta-amyloid pathology, and that this effect may occur through a decrease of cdk5 and p35/p25.
Cross-Cultural Etiquette and Communication in Global Business: Toward a Strategic Framework for Managing Corporate Expansion

The expanding scope of business corporations in the first decade of the twenty-first century is drawing much scholarly attention, and the trend has been described as a fact of life that defies the stretch of human imagination. The concept of global economy has expanded consumer awareness, defined new standards and rules of operations, and increased the need for national and corporate interdependence. Multinational organizations are exploring opportunities around the world, demonstrating sensitivity towards cultural differences in order to gain from the proliferation and growth of international enterprise. Recent studies indicate that while some corporations compete successfully in the global marketplace, others have failed to sustain their competitive advantage because of cultural imperialism or inadequate acculturation of their managers on international assignment. Corporate analysts argued that the key to global business success depends on effective cross-cultural etiquette and global workforce diversity management. Other significant studies emphasized that global managers should be trained in interpersonal relationship and group communication competence, and should be equipped with cross-cultural negotiation skills that can maintain global competitiveness. Increasingly, corporations recognize the value of preparing global managers, because business objectives of are not been achieved primarily because of deficiencies in cross-cultural etiquette. Against this background, this study provides a constructive evaluation and analysis of global etiquette and cross-cultural communication for managers in international assignments. The study then proposes a strategic role for organizations to achieve adequate return on investments and to succeed in international competitiveness through cultural awareness, sensitivity, and reciprocity.
Excess functions and nucleolus allocations of pure exchange economies

Abstract Excess functions and nucleolus allocations are defined for pure exchange economies. These allocations are shown to be a nonempty, compact subset of the efficient allocations and are contained in the core when the core is nonempty. A special class of excess functions based on the coefficient of resource utilization is investigated.
The relationship between ontogenetic habitat shifts, competition and predator avoidance in a juvenile lizard (Anolis aeneus)

Juvenile Anolis aeneus lizards tend to hatch in shady areas, migrate to clearings after hatching, migrate out of clearings when they reach subadult sizes, and remain in shady areas throughout their adult lives. A juvenile preference for clearings is suggested by the much higher juvenile densities in clearings than in shady areas, and the fact that resident, territorial juveniles live in clearings while the juveniles seen in shady areas are virtually all transients. Clearings suitable for juveniles are very rare in undisturbed habitat, and juveniles competed for homesites within them. Resident juveniles frequently defended their homesites against transient individuals, and the density of residents in a clearing remained constant over a month despite high turnover in the identity of residents. It is suggested that the shortage of living space for juveniles is resporsible for the extreme aggressiveness of territorial juveniles relative to adults of the same species. Six alternate hypotheses could account for the ontogenetic habitat shift from clearings to shady areas. Four were directly refuted: (1) food suitable for juveniles is more abundant in shady areas, while prey suitable for adults is more abundant in clearings, (2) perches suitable for juveniles are found in both sunny and shady areas, (3) adult aeneus do not aggressively exclude juveniles from shady areas and (4) juvenile Anolis richardi are too rare to have much impact on juvenile aeneus habitat association. There is a variety of indirect evidence suggesting that juvenile aeneus do not prefer clearings for thermal reasons. The only hypothesis strongly supported was the predation hypothesis. Anolis richardi adults eat juvenile aeneus, and juvenile Anolis show escape responses to A. richardi. A. richardi only live in shady areas, and most richardi cannot eat A. aeneus once they reach subadult sizes. It is suggested that the ontogenetic shift from clearings to shady areas in A. aeneus is due to avoidance of adult Anolis richardi habitats by those size classes of aeneus most vulnerable to richardi predation. In this species, predator avoidance may have directly contributed to a shortage of living space, and may have led to the intense territoriality and aggression among the most vulnerable size classes.
Introduction : challenges to the homogenization of African American

African American sociologists are beginning to confront the use of “African American/Black” as a homogeneous sociological category. In doing so they are laying the ground for improvements in social scientific research in general. One aspect of that improvement involves the use of people of African descent as subjects for theoretical statements about humanity at large rather than merely about other African descendent populations. Another aspect involves confronting the extensive segregation within the discipline around the research done by African American scholars. This introduction discusses the implications of these issues for African American scholars and for the discipline as a whole.
Junctophilin damage contributes to early strength deficits and EC coupling failure after eccentric contractions.

Junctophilins (JP1 and JP2) are expressed in skeletal muscle and are the primary proteins involved in transverse (T)-tubule and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane apposition. During the performan...
Isoform-specific modulation by apolipoprotein E of the activities of secreted β-amyloid precursor protein

The genes for both the beta-amyloid precursor protein and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) have been linked to Alzheimer's disease. This connection suggests the possibility that these proteins interact physically or functionally. To explore this idea, we focused on the neuroprotective activity of secreted amyloid precursor protein (sAPP) and related signal transduction events. After coincubation with ApoE, sAPP exhibited an enhanced [Ca2+]i-lowering activity and enhanced protection against excitotoxicity in rat primary hippocampal neurons. In contrast, the stimulation of phosphoinositide production by sAPP was inhibited by ApoE. Kinetic analyses and coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicated that these actions result from formation of a heteromeric complex between ApoE and sAPP. Furthermore, the ApoE4 isoform, which seems to accelerate the onset of Alzheimer's disease, was less potent than ApoE3 in modifying each activity of sAPP. These data suggest that sAPP-dependent neuroprotective mechanisms would be compromised in individuals expressing ApoE4, a scenario that may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Injectable preformed scaffolds with shape-memory properties

Injectable biomaterials are increasingly being explored to minimize risks and complications associated with surgical implantation. We describe a strategy for delivery via conventional needle–syringe injection of large preformed macroporous scaffolds with well-defined properties. Injectable 3D scaffolds, in the form of elastic sponge-like matrices, were prepared by environmentally friendly cryotropic gelation of a naturally sourced polymer. Cryogels with shape-memory properties may be molded to a variety of shapes and sizes, and may be optionally loaded with therapeutic agents or cells. These scaffolds have the capability to withstand reversible deformations at over 90% strain level, and a rapid volumetric recovery allows the structurally defined scaffolds to be injected through a small-bore needle with nearly complete geometric restoration once delivered. These gels demonstrated long-term release of biomolecules in vivo. Furthermore, cryogels impregnated with bioluminescent reporter cells provided enhanced survival, higher local retention, and extended engraftment of transplanted cells at the injection site compared with a standard injection technique. These injectable scaffolds show great promise for various biomedical applications, including cell therapies.
Defining information requirements for physician training and decision support of acid-base disorders in intensive care

Determining information requirements for tasks with distributed data in complex work environments is challenging. Well-defined requirements can help inform the design of decision support systems and identify training needs. Multiple methods should be employed to discover apparent and latent information requirements and available information that is not used in the observed environment. Managing acid-base balance in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is presented as an example of the approach in the medical domain. Patient cases are often used to teach physicians how to interpret acid-base data. Current scenarios do not incorporate the extent of knowledge necessary in practice. Specifically, they do not represent complex disorders often seen in ICUs. This paper reviews acid-base balance and the tools available for tracking it, and defines a set of information requirements to inform the design of decision support systems and acid-base clinical training scenarios for ICUs.
Jaguars, pumas, their prey base, and cattle ranching: ecological interpretations of a management problem

Jaguar and puma depredation on livestock may be influenced by (1) innate and learned behavior; (2) health and status of individual cats; (3) division of space and resources among jaguar and puma; (4) cattle husbandry practices; and (5) abundance and distribution of natural prey. Our study in Los Llanos of Venezuela aimed to establish how all these elements related to cattle being lost to cat depredation. Prey distribution was influenced by forest composition, topographical characteristics, and degree of habitat interspersion. The biomass of natural prey in the study area was adequate to support the resident large cats without a subsidy of livestock. Selective rather than opportunistic hunting by the cats reinforced that conclusion. Puma were responsible for more attacks on livestock than jaguar, frequently in maternity pastures in upland areas of relatively low prey availability. Management recommendations are discussed that may be relevant to other savanna/forest mosaics of South America.
Atomic‐level characterization of materials with core‐ and valence‐level photoemission: basic phenomena and future directions

In this overview, the basic concepts of core and valence photoelectron spectroscopy (photoemission), photoelectron diffraction, and photoelectron holography are introduced. Then some current developments in these techniques that should enhance their utility for atomic-level characterization of new materials and surface chemical processes are discussed, including measurements with hard X-ray excitation, standing-wave excitation, and ambient pressures in the multi-torr regime. Copyright c © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Shiftable multiscale transforms

One of the major drawbacks of orthogonal wavelet transforms is their lack of translation invariance: the content of wavelet subbands is unstable under translations of the input signal. Wavelet transforms are also unstable with respect to dilations of the input signal and, in two dimensions, rotations of the input signal. The authors formalize these problems by defining a type of translation invariance called shiftability. In the spatial domain, shiftability corresponds to a lack of aliasing; thus, the conditions under which the property holds are specified by the sampling theorem. Shiftability may also be applied in the context of other domains, particularly orientation and scale. Jointly shiftable transforms that are simultaneously shiftable in more than one domain are explored. Two examples of jointly shiftable transforms are designed and implemented: a 1-D transform that is jointly shiftable in position and scale, and a 2-D transform that is jointly shiftable in position and orientation. The usefulness of these image representations for scale-space analysis, stereo disparity measurement, and image enhancement is demonstrated. >