cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using simultaneous repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation/functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (rTMS/fNIRS) to measure brain activation and connectivity

Introduction Simultaneously acquiring functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) during Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) offers the possibility of directly investigating superficial cortical brain activation and connectivity. In addition, the effects of rTMS in distinct brain regions without quantifiable behavioral changes can be objectively measured.
Maternal depression: a child's first adverse life event.

Can the effects of maternal depression upon offspring development be extrapolated to the prebirth environment, making it the earliest of adverse life events? Increasing clinical and laboratory data indicate that maternal stress and depression during critical developmental windows carry a diverse array of harmful sequelae for the offspring. The effects witnessed in animal research include neurobiological and behavioral alterations that persist into adulthood. Paralleling the preclinical literature are human studies indicating similar acute effects. The clinical implications for the psychiatric treatment of depressed women who have children will be discussed.
Microvascular Research: Biology and Pathology

David Shepro, PhD, ed 1732 pages. Burlington, Mass: Elsevier Academic Press; 2005. $299.00. ISBN 13:978–0–12–639510–5 Microvascular Research: Biology and Pathology is a 2-volume compendium comprising 5 parts, 167 chapters, and nearly 1200 pages devoted to a detailed understanding of the microcirculation. The book is edited by David Shepro, PhD, and an editorial board that reads like the “who’s who” in microvascular research. The textbook takes a modern day approach to gathering, organizing, and reporting information in an outline form, cognizant that new information is being generated and published at a rate that exceeds its ability to be truly up to date. Rather, the authors have taken the approach of focusing on key principals and their experimental basis as the foundation for each chapter. The editors promise to provide updates through Web offerings when salient and novel findings are published, remedying the issue of a textbook that is out of date before it is published. In some cases, the respective chapters read as well-referenced outlines rather than comprehensive reviews. To the cognoscenti, such an approach may seem superficial, but to those whose scientific interests border on the field of microcirculation, the chapters are insightful and easily comprehensible, if not comprehensive. The initial section is devoted to cell biology and defines the role of the endothelium, extracellular matrix, and autocrine and paracrine factors in the genesis of the microcirculation. The fundamental roles of endothlin-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor and their signaling in microvascular regulation are presented. New developments with respect to the role of interleukin-7, classically considered a growth and antiapoptotic factor in T- and B-cell …
Shape of the red and green color zone gradients.

Color sensitivity at the boundaries of the red and green zones along the 270° meridian was explored by a cumulative frequency-of-seeing method. The green zone was found to fall in a narrower range and to end closer to the fovea than the red zone. Significant variations of peripheral sensitivity to red were found with all observers. For both red and green, the greatest number of irregularities were found in those curves which extended well into the periphery.
Carbonation of calcium phosphate cements after long-term exposure to Na2CO3-laden water at 250°C

The rates of Na[sub 2]CO[sub 3]-induced carbonation of calcium phosphate cements (CPC) at 250 C derived from various calcium aluminate cement (CAC) reactants, depended primarily on the amount of non-reactive CAC reactants remaining in the CPC material after it was autoclaved. Secar 41 CAC, consisting of monocalcium aluminate (CA) and gehlenite (C[sub 2]AS), had a high reactivity with the NH[sub 4]H[sub 2]PO[sub 4]-based fertilizer (Poly-N) forming a CPC matrix, thereby resulting in rapid setting. Such behavior reflected the formation of hydroxyapatite (HOAp) and boehmite which play an important role in minimizing the carbonation rate at a hydrothermal temperature of 250 C. In contrast, Secar 80, having monocalcium dialuminate (CA[sub 2]) as its major component, retarded the reaction between CAC and Poly-N, so that a large amount of non-reactive CAC remained in the 250 C-autoclaved CPC specimens. Thus, the high susceptibility of the remaining CAC reactant to carbonation resulted in a yield of [approx] 1.7 % CaCO[sub 3] after exposure for 120 days. The loss of strength for all CPC specimens depended on the degree of crystallinity of the HOAp and [gamma]-AlOOH phases growing in the amorphous phases, but was independent of its rate of carbonation.
Spectrum of Cantrell’s Pentalogy: Case Series From a Single Tertiary Care Center and Review of the Literature

The pentalogy of Cantrell (PC) was first described in 1958. It includes five anomalies: a deficiency of the anterior diaphragm, a midline supraumbilical abdominal wall defect, a defect in the diaphragmatic pericardium, various congenital intracardiac abnormalities, and a defect of the lower sternum. Five patients showing the PC spectrum are reported. The report presents the prenatal diagnosis, the postnatal course, and the patients' outcome at a tertiary care center from June 2001 to May 2012. A literature review and the management plan for this group of patients also are discussed. All patient data were obtained via electronic medical records retrospectively after approval by the institutional review board at the home institution. The patients in the study were three males and two females. For all of the patients, a prenatal diagnosis had been determined. The mean gestational age at delivery was 36.6 weeks. One patient had associated cranial and spine malformations. All the patients had associated congenital heart disease but a normal karyotype. Four of the five patients died in the first year of life. The ages at death ranged from 0 to 259 days (mean, 46.2 ± 51.8 days). The patients who did not survive had withdrawal of care due to increased morbidity, associated complications, or parental wishes. The pentalogy of Cantrell is a wide spectrum of associations. Patients with the complete PC together with complex congenital heart disease or extracardiac malformations may have a poor prognosis. Incomplete PC cases may have a better outcome based on associated anomalies. Prenatal counseling plays a very important role in the decision-making process for the families and has a significant impact on the postnatal management. A multidisciplinary team approach is essential for successful postpartum outcomes.
Simultaneous electrochemical and unit recording measurements: characterization of the effects of D-amphetamine and ascorbic acid on neostriatal neurons

Abstract Simultaneous electrochemical measurements and recordings of single-unit activity were obtained from the neostriatum of immobilized, locally anesthetized rats. Electrical cross-talk between the two systems was minimized by the use of carbon-fiber voltammetric electrodes, which generate very small currents during electrolysis, and by the careful isolation of the recording apparatus. An intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 2.5 mg/kg d -amphetamine ( d -AMPH) typically inhibited unit activity and produced a corresponding mirror-image increase in oxidation current. Both the depression of firing rate and the elevated electrochemical signal were maximal approximately 25 min after d -AMPH administration. In contrast, both unit activity and oxidation current were elevated after administration of 7.5 mg/kg d -AMPH with the maximum change in firing rate occurring significantly sooner than the peak electrochemical response. In view of evidence that the d -AMPH-induced voltammetric signal is similar to that for ascorbic acid (AA), but not dopamine (DA), a separate group of 12 animals received 1000 mg/kg AA (i.p.). In all cases, AA increased the electrochemical signal and in 7 animals this response was accompanied by an increase in firing rate. Our results, which demonstrate the feasibility of combining in vivo electrochemistry with single-unit electrophysiology, suggest that a d -AMPH-induced release of DA cannot completely explain the dose-dependent biphasic shift in neuronal activity produced by this drug in the neostriatum. Moreover, AA appears to be an effective modulator of neostriatal activity.
Regulation of endogenous glucose production in glucose transporter 4 over-expressing mice.

Strategies to amplify whole-body glucose disposal are key therapies to treat type 2 diabetes. Mice that over-express glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) in skeletal muscle, heart, and adipose tissue (G4Tg) exhibit increased fasting glucose disposal and thus lowered blood glucose. Intriguingly, G4Tg mice also exhibit improved insulin-stimulated suppression of endogenous glucose production even though Glut4 is not present in the liver. It is unclear, however, if hepatic gluco-regulation is altered in G4Tg mice in the basal, non-insulin-stimulated state. The current studies were performed to examine fasting hepatic glucose metabolism in G4Tg mice and to determine whether gluco-regulatory adaptations exist in the non-insulin-stimulated condition. To test this question, phloridzin-glucose clamps were used to match blood glucose and pancreatic hormone levels while tracer dilution techniques were used to measure glucose flux. These techniques were performed in chronically-catheterized, conscious, and un-stressed 5h-fasted G4Tg and wild-type (WT) littermates. Results show reduced blood glucose, hepatic glycogen content, and hepatic glucokinase (GK) activity/expression as well as higher endogenous glucose production, glucose disposal, arterial glucagon, and hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) activity/expression in G4Tg mice versus WT controls. Clamping blood glucose for 90 min at ∼115 mg/dLin G4Tg and WT mice normalized nearly all variables. Notably, however, net hepatic glycogen synthetic rates were disproportionately elevated compared to changes in blood glucose. In conclusion, these studies demonstrate that basal improvements in glucose tolerance due to increased uptake in extra-hepatic sites provoke important gluco-regulatory adaptations in the liver. Although changes in blood glucose underlie the majority of these adaptations, net hepatic glycogen synthesis is sensitized. These data emphasize that anti-diabetic therapies that target skeletal muscle, heart, and/or adipose tissue likely positively impact the liver.
Structure and dynamics of translation initiation factor aIF‐1A from the archaeon Methanococcus jannaschii determined by NMR spectroscopy

Translation initiation factor 1A (aIF-1A) from the archaeon Methanococcus jannaschii was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and characterized in terms of its structure and dynamics using multidimensional NMR methods. The protein was found to be a member of the OB-fold family of RNA-associated proteins, containing a barrel of five beta-strands, a feature that is shared with the homologous eukaryotic translation initiation factor 1A (eIF-1A), as well as the prokaryotic translation initiation factor IF1. External to the β barrel, aIF-1A contains an α-helix at its C-terminal and a flexible loop at its N-terminal, features that are qualitatively similar to those found in eIF-1A, but not present in prokaryotic IF1. The structural model of aIF-1A, when used in combination with primary sequence information for aIF-1A in divergent species, permitted the most-conserved residues on the protein surface to be identified, including the most likely candidates for direct interaction with the 16S ribosomal RNA and other components of the translational apparatus. Several of the conserved surface residues appear to be unique to the archaea. Nitrogen-15 relaxation and amide exchange rate data were used to characterize the internal motions within aIF-1A, providing evidence that the protein surfaces that are most likely to participate in intermolecular interactions are relatively flexible. A model is proposed, suggesting some specific interactions that may occur between aIF-1A and the small subunit of the archaeal ribosome.
Perspectives of epilepsy care in the United States: children and the developmentally disabled.

An analysis of epilepsy health care delivery to children and individuals in the United States (US) who are developmentally disabled provides a microcosmic view of the global issues affecting the US health care system. The US is notable for its robust diversity in ethnic, racial, religious, economic, educational, cultural, biologic, and genetic spheres. Consider that within the political boundaries of the US exist the Native American, Inuit, Hawaiian, African-American, European, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Asian cultures. Loci of health care delivery are equally diverse and include urban centers (ranging from elite private hospitals and university centers of excellence to facilities for the indigent), rural locations (including clinics run by the US Public Health Services and exclusive private clinics), and military hospitals (serving either active personnel and their families or eligible veterans). Just as the patient population of the US health care system is heterogeneous, so too are its health care providers. A significant portion of medical care, particularly care for the poor, the developmentally disabled, or individuals living in rural settings is delivered by physicians who received their medical training beyond the shores of the US. In addition, physicians today are also subjected to a variety of non-medical "forces" that may affect their conduct of medicine. Some are self-employed, private practitioners and as such are compensated on a fee-for-service basis. Others practice under the broad umbrella of managed care wherein there may be financial pressure to do less for patients rather than more. Physicians who practice in emergency room settings (where much of the initial care of individuals with epilepsy occurs) must sometimes practice without much prior knowledge of the patient. In addition, these physicians are infrequently in a position to provide follow-up care. This situation often leads to unnecessary diagnostic testing and too little important after-care. The specter of …
Cultural globalization and the dominance of the American film industry: cultural policies, national film industries, and transnational film

The global film market is a strategic site for examining the global influence of American media culture. Using a database compiled by the European Audiovisual Observatory, I show that the global film market consists of 34 countries that produce over 25 films per year. Thirty-two countries produce less than 26 films. The countries that produce over 25 films per year were categorized as Super Producers (four countries), Major Producers (seven countries), Medium Producers (11 countries), and Minor Producers (12 countries). Lists of top 10 films in these countries show that US films dominate, followed by local films. A discussion of national cultural policies shows that film policy contributes to the success of national film industries but does not enable them to challenge US dominance. Hollywood’s need for global box office receipts has led to changes in the content of Hollywood film toward deculturized, transnational films, a trend that is also evident in other countries.
Empowering young sex workers for safer sex in Dowa and Lilongwe Districts of Malawi.

Selling of sex for money and other materials has increasingly become a popular means of making money and acquiring materials for young girls especially in the urban areas in Malawi1. Scores of young people are seen loitering the street corners of some hotels, casinos, bars and other places of entertainment. The young girls are also seen to frequent disco houses and patronising other places of entertainment. The girls seduce men or vice versa, they are coaxed into having quick sex in exchange for money. In a needs assessment study in Lilongwe and Dowa districts of central Malawi (FPAM, 2004), 61% young sex workers solely depended on earnings from sex work for their living1. Worse still, these young girls are subjected to unprotected sex for various reasons which include failure to access condoms and pressure from their clients who bargain to pay more if they do not use a condom. The consequences that arise from this situation include infection with STIs including HIV, adolescent/teen age pregnancy leading to young motherhood or unsafe abortions. The majority of the young women were knowledgeable on the transmission, signs and symptoms and prevention of HIV and other STIs. The young women indicated that they were aware of the relationship between ‘prostitution’ and HIV and AIDS. 72.2% acknowledged to having had an unprotected sex and 21.3% indicated that they have had an STI before. Although prostitution is illegal in Malawi, it is still a popular trade among young girls because they regard it as an easy way of getting money and other materials. In 2004 Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) with financial assistance from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) implemented an intervention targeting sex workers in places of entertainment by cooperating with owners of disco houses, pubs and other forms of entertainment places (proprietors), through working with the disco jockeys and some willing sex workers. The intervention project employed various IEC media to provide short but moving talks, stories and other messages that would empower and encourage the sex workers to insist on correct and consistent use of the condoms regardless of how much a client is willing to pay. The messages were also designed to encourage the young sex workers to modify their behaviour and withdraw from the practice and opt for other sources of generating income and earning a living. This study investigated the role of involving sex workers as peer educators and owners of disco houses, pubs, disco jockeys as partners in an IEC campaign to empower young sex workers to reduce STI infections including HIV.
Mechanisms for single-particle latchup in CMOS structures

Mechanisms for single-particle latchup are investigated for several different CMOS processes, placing particular emphasis on factors that affect latchup triggering. The results show that the spacing between the well and substrate is less important than the geometry of well contacts in determining latchup susceptibility. Substrate characteristics also play an important role. A bulk p-well process was found to be far more resistant to latchup than a comparable bulk n-well process because of lower charge collection efficiency and higher doping concentration in the p-well. >
Opsonization of yeast by the plasma of Biomphalaria glabrata (Gastropoda): a strain-specific, time-dependent process.

Summary Phagocytosis of yeast by haemocytes of Biomphalaria glabrata, intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni, is influenced strongly by host plasma components, although it can occur without involvement of such factors. Plasma from two strains of B. glabrata which are resistant to S. mansoni differs in its opsonic properties from the plasma of a susceptible strain. This may reflect the principles which determine compatibility or incompatibility in this host-parasite system. Opsonization is a time-dependent process: short periods of incubation in plasma from all strains reduces subsequent phagocytosis in the absence of plasma factors, whereas longer incubation in resistant strain plasma is markedly opsonic. Haemocytes from all strains examined are equally competent in their recognition of either native or opsonized yeast.
Albacore tuna catch distributions relative to environmental features observed from satellites

Abstract Albacore tuna catch data from the summer of 1981 are displayed on concurrent satellite images of sea surface temperature and phytoplankton pigment concentration, from the NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS), respectively. During 3 week-long periods off California, intense fishing activity and larger catches, indicating aggregations of albacore, were located within pockets of warm, blue oceanic water intruding into the boundary between oceanic and cooler greenish coastal waters. A relatively productive oceanic region, defined by a color front visible in a CZCS image, was the site of albacore aggregation in waters several hundred miles offshore during the first 2 weeks of September 1981.
Understanding creaminess perception of dairy products using free-choice profiling and genetic responsivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil.

Flavor and texture contribute to the perception of creaminess in dairy products, but the nature of this interaction is not well understood. Previous studies on the genetic ability to perceive the bitter compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) reveal the existence of individual differences in creaminess perception. The objective of the present study was to use PROP-classified subjects to gain insight into this individual variation to better understand the cues for creaminess in dairy products, and to ascertain the contributions of flavor and texture to the integrated perception of creaminess. Ten nontasters and 10 supertasters of PROP participated in the study. Subjects evaluated nine commercial dairy products using Free-Choice Profiling (FCP), a type of descriptive analysis that allows subjects to rate products on individual lists of descriptors. Generalized Procrustes Analysis was used to develop separate consensus spaces for nontasters and supertasters. The models for both groups accounted for ~54% of the variance in the data and were resolved in two dimensions (a dairy flavor/texture axis and a sweet–sour continuum). The products were arranged in a similar pattern along the dimensions in both models. However, nontasters used a limited number of simple terms (sour, sweet, milky and mouthcoating) to describe the products, whereas supertasters used a more complex vocabulary (rich, buttery, creamy, light, grainy, gritty and sandy). The model for nontasters gave equal weight to the sweet–sour and dairy flavor/texture dimensions (28 and 26% variance, respectively); whereas, the model for supertasters relied more heavily on the dairy flavor/texture dimension (34% variance), and less so on the sweet–sour dimension (20% variance). These data suggest that the overall impression of creaminess was similar for nontasters and supertasters, but the cues the two groups used to judge creaminess differed.
The Effect of Genetic and Environmental Variation on Genital Size in Male Drosophila: Canalized but Developmentally Unstable

The genitalia of most male arthropods scale hypoallometrically with body size, that is they are more or less the same size across large and small individuals in a population. Such scaling is expected to arise when genital traits show less variation than somatic traits in response to factors that generate size variation among individuals in a population. Nevertheless, there have been few studies directly examining the relative sensitivity of genital and somatic traits to factors that affect their size. Such studies are key to understanding genital evolution and the evolution of morphological scaling relationships more generally. Previous studies indicate that the size of genital traits in male Drosophila melanogaster show a relatively low response to variation in environmental factors that affect trait size. Here we show that the size of genital traits in male fruit flies also exhibit a relatively low response to variation in genetic factors that affect trait size. Importantly, however, this low response is only to genetic factors that affect body and organ size systemically, not those that affect organ size autonomously. Further, we show that the genital traits do not show low levels of developmental instability, which is the response to stochastic developmental errors that also influence organ size autonomously. We discuss these results in the context of current hypotheses on the proximate and ultimate mechanisms that generate genital hypoallometry.
Application of the bond valence method to Si/NiSi2 interfaces

It is shown how the bond valence method can be used to estimate expected interatomic distances in coherent interfaces. The method is illustrated by application to the Si/NiSi2 (111) interface with results generally in accord with experimental data.
Association Between Composition of the Human Gastrointestinal Microbiome and Development of Fatty Liver With Choline Deficiency

Background & Aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease affects up to 30% of the US population, but the mechanisms underlying this condition are incompletely understood. We investigated how diet standardization and choline deficiency influence the composition of the microbial community in the human gastrointestinal tract and the development of fatty liver under conditions of choline deficiency. Methods We performed a 2-month inpatient study of 15 female subjects who were placed on well-controlled diets in which choline levels were manipulated. We used 454-FLX pyrosequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA bacterial genes to characterize microbiota in stool samples collected over the course of the study. Results The compositions of the gastrointestinal microbial communities changed with choline levels of diets; each individual's microbiome remained distinct for the duration of the experiment, even though all subjects were fed identical diets. Variations between subjects in levels of Gammaproteobacteria and Erysipelotrichi were directly associated with changes in liver fat in each subject during choline depletion. Levels of these bacteria, change in amount of liver fat, and a single nucleotide polymorphism that affects choline were combined into a model that accurately predicted the degree to which subjects developed fatty liver on a choline-deficient diet. Conclusions Host factors and gastrointestinal bacteria each respond to dietary choline deficiency, although the gut microbiota remains distinct in each individual. We identified bacterial biomarkers of fatty liver that result from choline deficiency, adding to the accumulating evidence that gastrointestinal microbes have a role in metabolic disorders.
Operation of the Digital Electrostatic e-beam Array Lithography (DEAL) prototype with dose control

The digital electrostatically focused e-beam array direct-write lithography (DEAL) concept is currently under development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) . This concept incorporates a digitally addressable field-emission array (DAFEA) employing electrostatic focusing with an integrated dose control circuit to function as the write head for an e-beam lithography tool. Electron beams from each emitter cathode are individually addressable, thus enabling parallel patterning of a target substrate by multiple electron sources.
Forcing axioms and stationary sets

is stationary. In general, if X is any class of posets, the forcing axioms XFA and XFA + are obtained by replacing “semi-proper LY” by “9 E X” in the above definitions. Sometimes we denote these axioms by FA(X) and FA+(.X). Thus, for example, FA(ccc) is the familiar Martin’s Axiom, MAN,. The notion of semi-proper, as an extension of a previous notion of proper, was defined and extensively studied by Shelah in [Shl J. These forcing notions generalize ccc and countably closed forcing and can be iterated without collapsing N, . SPFA is implicit in [Shl] as an obvious strengthening of the Proper Forcing Axiom (PFA), previously formulated and proved consistent by Baumgartner (see [Bal, Del]). PFA had settled many combinatorial questions on the uncountable and SPFA was not
Hypothesis for a Serine Proteinase-like Domain at the COOH Terminus of Slowpoke Calcium-activated Potassium Channels

Bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) is a 58-residue protein with three disulfide bonds that belongs to the Kunitz family of serine proteinase inhibitors. BPTI is an extremely potent inhibitor of trypsin, but it also specifically binds to various active and inactive serine proteinase homologs with KD values that range over eight orders of magnitude. We previously described an interaction of BPTI at an intracellular site that results in the production of discrete subconductance events in large conductance Ca2+ activated K+ channels (Moss, G.W.J., and E. Moczydlowski. 1996, J. Gen. Physiol, 107:47-68). In this paper, we summarize a variety of accumulated evidence which suggests that BPTI binds to a site on the KCa channel protein that structurally resembles a serine proteinase. One line of evidence includes the finding that the complex of BPTI and trypsin, in which the inhibitory loop of BPTI is masked by interaction with trypsin, is completely ineffective in the production of substate events in the KCa channel. To further investigate this notion, we performed a sequence analysis of the alpha-subunit of cloned slowpoke KCa channels from Drosophila and mammals. This analysis suggests that a region of approximately 250 residues near the COOH terminus of the KCa channel is homologous to members of the serine proteinase family, but is catalytically inactive because of various substitutions of key catalytic residues. The sequence analysis also predicts the location of a Ca(2+)-binding loop that is found in many serine proteinase enzymes. We hypothesize that this COOH-terminal domain of the slowpoke KCa channel adopts the characteristic double-barrel fold of serine proteinases, is involved in Ca(2+)-activation of the channel, and may also bind other intracellular components that regulate KCa channel activity.
Arterial input functions from MR phase imaging

A method is presented for obtaining high-sensitivity arterial input functions following bolus intravenous contrast agent administration. Arterial contrast agent is monitored by phase reconstruction of single-shot echo-planar images. During bolus injections of a gadolinium (Gd) agent in a baboon, data were acquired at the mid-abdominal aorta, and magnitude and phase-shift images were reconstructed. Pairwise image subtraction was used to minimize phase aliasing. The phase-based method is shown to have a significant potential improvement in sensitivity compared to the magnitude approach. The phase method also has a general linear response to concentration. This method may have potential utility in quantitative imaging of blood flow and contrast agent kinetics.
Teaching Mathematics to Students with Mild-to-Moderate Mental Retardation: A Review of the Literature.

A systematic search of the literature from 1989 through 1998 was conducted to identify and analyze mathematics interventions for students with mild-to-moderate mental retardation. We found that the focus of instruction has shifted from basic skills instruction to computation and problem-solving instruction. Techniques such as constant-time delay, peer tutoring, time trials, and direct instruction proved beneficial in improving mathematics skills. Further, students with mental retardation learned to employ cognitive strategies successfully when these techniques were included. Although this information is promising, we recommend that further studies be conducted in secondary schools and in inclusive settings.
38. Exploring the mechanical behavior of cryopreserved materials

The mechanical behavior of cryopreserved biomaterials in cryogenic temperatures represents a largely uncharted territory. Developing physical models to describe this behavior is critical in order to analyze thermo-mechanical stress during cryopreservation and the subsequent mechanisms that lead to structural damage. Common assumptions are that the material behaves linear-elastically during classic cryopreservation and viscoelastically during vitrification. However, experimental evidence is only sparsely available and the corresponding physical properties are largely unknown. Difficulties in developing the necessary experimental data originate from the need to develop custom measurement instrumentation for cryogenic temperatures. Furthermore, since the outcome of a cryopreservation protocol is path-dependent and significantly influenced by transient effects, experimental measurements must be obtained while mimicking the actual cryoprotocol on the measurement devices. It is demonstrated in this presentation that large-scale effects at the tissue and organ level may be oblivious to the cellular-level features in the solid state. The current presentation reviews a wide variety of proprietary devices developed at the Biothermal Technology Laboratory to measure the material behavior and physical properties in cryogenic temperatures, including thermal expansion—the driving mechanism of thermo-mechanical stress, glass transition effects, viscosity near glass transition, patterns of fracture formation, fracture strength, stress relaxation, and the mechanical interaction between the cryopreserved material and its container. Acknowledgments This project is supported by Award Number R21EB011751from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering , Award Number R21RR026210 from the National Center for Research Resources , and Award Number R21GM103407 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences .
Pointer analysis for java programs: novel techniques and applications

This dissertation presents a pointer analysis for Java programs, together with several practical analysis applications. For each program point, the analysis is able to construct a points-to graph that describes how local variables and object fields point to objects. Each points-to graph also contains escape information that identifies the objects that are reachable from outside the analysis scope. Our pointer analysis can extract correct information by analyzing only parts of a whole program. First, our analysis analyzes a method without requiring information about its calling context. Instead, our analysis computes parameterized results that are later instantiated for each relevant call site. Second, our analysis correctly handles calls to unanalyzable methods (e.g., native methods). Hence, our analysis can trade precision for speed without sacrificing correctness: if the analysis of a call to a specific callee requires too much time, the analysis can treat that callee as unanalyzable. The results of our analysis enable standard program optimizations like the stack allocation of local objects. More interestingly, this dissertation explains how to extend the analysis to detect pure methods. Our analysis supports a flexible definition of method purity: a method is pure if it does not mutate any object that exists in the program state before the start of the method. Therefore, our analysis allows pure methods to allocate and mutate temporary objects (e.g., iterators) and/or construct complex object structures and return them as a result.
Political Reconciliation as Mutual Respect

In his essay, "Political Reconciliation as Mutual Respect," Ernesto Verdeja sketches a theory of political reconciliation based on the cultivation of mutual respect among former adversaries. Part I presents a conception of reconciliation as respect that emphasizes reciprocal recognition between equal actors. Drawing from contemporary critical theory, it emphasizes the recognition of the inherent moral value of others, while accepting that basic worldviews and political ideologies may often remain at odds and disagreements will persist. The theory positions itself between two competing tendencies in the literature: minimalist/legalist accounts that equate reconciliation with return to the formal rule of law (typical, for example, of Bruce Ackerman and Stuart Hampshire); and second, transformative accounts based on deep, theologically-inflected conceptions of forgiveness and "the willful embrace of the 'other,'" common to Desmond Tutu and Miroslav Volf. Part II sketches the various elements of a theory of reconciliation as respect. I argue that there are five key norms at play: (1) public dissemination of the truth of past atrocities, as well as a critical interrogation of ideologies supporting the violence, (2) accountability of perpetrators, (3) public recognition and acknowledgement of victims, (both material and symbolic) (4) a commitment to the rule of law, and finally, (5) the development of mutual respect among erstwhile enemies. For Verdeja, it is only after erstwhile adversaries can come to see each other as moral beings (even if politically at odds), that the goals of tolerance and respect can be said to take root. Finally, in Part III, Verdeja traces the development of reconciliation across four conceptually distinct social levels: political society (the realm of "formal" politics); institutional (trials, truth commissions and similar institutions); civil society; and, the interpersonal level. Such an approach highlights how reconciliation is fundamentally disjunctured and uneven, occurring across social space in different ways and susceptible to different challenges. Using case studies as varied as Peru, Chile and Bosnia-Herzegovina, to illustrate his argument, and drawing on interviews with survivors of atrocities committed in said places, Verdeja elaborates a complex theory of respect and recognition in post-conflict societies based on the fundamental commitment to the gradual and dialectical transformation of identities that 'cut across earlier identifications.'
Temperature effects on mitochondria from hydrothermal vent invertebrates : evidence for adaptation to elevated and variable habitat temperatures

The effects of elevated temperatures on mitochondrial respiration and the activities of selected mitochondrial enzymes were measured for several invertebrates endemic to the deep-sea hydrothermal vents to determine whether the differences in distribution patterns noted among these species are related to differences in temperature adaptation. Parallel studies were done with related (congeneric or confamilial) species from shallow marine habitats. Mitochondrial respiration of hydrothermal vent species living in zones with high water flux (high, variable temperatures), including the large tube worm Riftia pachyptila, the Pompeii worm Alvinella pompejana, and the brachyuran crab Bythograea thermydron, was more resistant to high temperatures than was mitochondrial respiration of hydrothermal vent species or shallow-living species in cooler waters, for example, the vent clam Calyptogena magnifica and mussel Bathymodiolus thermophilus. The temperatures at which Arrhenius plots of respiration rate exhibited sharp...
Flight Performance Characteristics of a Biologically-Inspired Morphing Aircraft

Despite the past century of innovation in aircraft technology, the versatility of modern aircraft remains far worse than airborne biological counterparts. The shape changing accomplished by birds and bats in ight stands as one of the few examples of true morphing. As such, the aircraft community is devoting considerable attention to the study of biological systems and how they might be implemented on a ight vehicle. Much of this work addresses static aerodynamic and aeroelastic effects. However, this limited focus leaves the entire areas of dynamics, control, stability, and ight performance unstudied. This paper presents a simple approach to morphing based on existing vehicle designs and actuators. The aircraft is modied to mimic basic morphing mechanisms commonly observed on bird wings, namely twisting the wingtips for roll control and varying the gull wing angle. The latter mechanism is used as a quasi-static effector, where the wing shape is changed from one position to another. The aircraft employs a thin-undercambered wing and a skeletal spar structure to achieve wing morphing. Results from a series of ight tests are presented to highlight the effect of the morphing control on the vehicle dynamics. Command and response data analysis indicates a marked change in the vehicle’s handling qualities for different levels of morphing. Additionally, the morphing has been shown to have an effect on ight performance metrics such as climb rate, glide angle, and stall characteristics.
Synthesis of a high-valent, four-coordinate manganese cubane cluster with a pendant Mn atom: photosystem II-inspired manganese-nitrogen clusters.

High-valent, four-coordinate manganese imido- and nitrido-bridged heterodicubane clusters have been prepared and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques. The title compound, a corner-nitride-fused dicubane with the chemical formula [Mn5Li3(μ6-N)(N)(μ3-NtBu)6(μ-NtBu)3(NtBu)] (1), has been prepared as an adduct with a nearly isostructural tetramanganese cluster with one Mn atom replaced by Li. An important feature of the reported chemistry is the formation of nitride from tert-butylamide, indicative of N–C bond cleavage facilitated by manganese.
Stimulated Raman scattering measurements of nitrogen V-V transfer

Stimulated Raman scattering is used to vibrationally excite pure N2 in the pressure range 300-760 torr at room temperature. The subsequent temporal evolution of the populations of vibrational levels as high as v = 6 is probed by spontaneous Raman scattering. The experimental results are compared to predictions from a Master Equation kinetics modeling code, incorporating V-V energy transfer rate coefficients derived from several published theoretical models. Predictions using the rate coefficients given by the threedimensional Forced Harmonic Oscillator – Free Rotator (FHO-FR) model give the best overall agreement with the experimental data, although agreement with the three-dimensional models of Billing and Fisher, and Bogdanov, et. al, is also quite good.
Markov Chains and Semi-Markov Models in Time-to-Event Analysis

A variety of statistical methods are available to investigators for analysis of time-to-event data, often referred to as survival analysis. Kaplan-Meier estimation and Cox proportional hazards regression are commonly employed tools but are not appropriate for all studies, particularly in the presence of competing risks and when multiple or recurrent outcomes are of interest. Markov chain models can accommodate censored data, competing risks (informative censoring), multiple outcomes, recurrent outcomes, frailty, and non-constant survival probabilities. Markov chain models, though often overlooked by investigators in time-to-event analysis, have long been used in clinical studies and have widespread application in other fields.
Probing phonon and electrical anisotropy in black phosphorus for device alignment

Black phosphorus has emerged as a promising two-dimensional semiconductor, which has a unique structure that is anisotropic in-plane. This structural anisotropy translates to some very interesting orientation dependent properties. In this paper we present directional characterization and analysis of the phonon and electrical properties in black phosphorus. Using polarization dependent Raman we show a simple method for estimating orientation. A complementary radially contacted field effect transistor (FET) was fabricated in order to measure orientation dependent electrical properties. Mobility and transconductance followed a sinusoidal like dependence on orientation with a 30% anisotropy. Correlating these results with Raman, we show how Raman methods might be used as a nondestructive technique to orient black phosphorus devices.
United States Foreign Policy and Humanitarian Intervention: Legitimacy, Practice, and Future Prospects

The 1990s have been a roller coaster ride for the United Nations, the international community, and the United States in terms of its efforts at peace operations. From the early post-Cold War optimism of United Nations secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali's An Agenda for Peace to the deaths of 18 U.S. Army Rangers in Somalia and the current situation in Kosovo, the international community has struggled to cope with the ever-changing circumstances on the world stage. From the cautious embrace of the United Nations during the latter part of the Bush administration to the "assertive multilateralism" of the Clinton administration, the United States in particular has labored to define the role of peace operations within its foreign policy framework.Potentially the most troublesome form of peace operations encountered by both the United Nations and the United States has been that of humanitarian intervention. As Professor William J. Durch has noted, humanitarian intervention can difficult for a number of reasons, including problems of consent, restricting the mandate, and the complexity due to the presence of numerous relief organizations. Other key problems which tend to complicate humanitarian intervention operations are the issues of impartiality and neutrality of humanitarian work, the strain that exists between humanitarianism and human rights, and the potential to prolong a conflict. In terms of the United States, policy-makers have wrangled over issues of command and control, criteria to intervene, and the role of military units in humanitarian intervention operations.The goal of this paper is to examine the post-Cold War United States foreign policy concerning involvement in peace operations, specifically those involving humanitarian intervention. I will argue in this paper that the current United States foreign policy concerning involvement in humanitarian intervention lacks a coherent, principled approach for determining participation and level of participation in those operations. To this end, I will first address the prickly issue of defining humanitarian intervention and then the legal issues and legitimacy of intervention. Second, I will be discuss and analyze the development of U.S. policy toward peacekeeping from the Bush administration through Presidential Decision Document 25 (PDD 25). Third, I will address two case studies of humanitarian intervention operations, one in which the United States participated and one in which the United States did not (to any significant degree), examining the coherence and consistency of U.S. policy. Finally, I will attempt to define a new set of criteria for U.S. participation in humanitarian intervention. Inconsistency in both leadership and application leads me to suggest that criteria ought to be more strict and grounded more in interests rather than public opinion and multilateralism.
Calcified cystic lesions in a patient with epilepsy and progressive dementia

A 67-year-old woman had intractable epilepsy and developed a progressive dementia with upper motor neuron signs over the last 6 years. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multiple areas of large calcified cysts, which increased in number and size over the last 3 years. Discussion includes the appearance of these lesions radiologically and pathologically, as well as their differential diagnosis and clinical significance, focusing on the increasing detection of these lesions with current imaging techniques.
Globalization and the Theory of MNE Activity

This chapter seeks to answer the question ‘To what extent, and in what ways, does the globalization of economic activity require a reappraisal of existing paradigms and theories of international production?’ 1 More specifically, ‘Are the motives, determinants and organizational modes of international business activity, as identified by scholars in the 1960s and 1970s, relevant and applicable to our contemporary world scenario? Are drastic changes called for, or is it simply that our ideas, propositions and paradigms2 need to be fine-tuned to accommodate the events of the late 1990s?’