cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Directed assembly of magnetic and semiconducting nanoparticles with tunable and synergistic functionality.

The ability to fabricate new materials using nanomaterials as building blocks, and with meta functionalities, is one of the most intriguing possibilities in the area of materials design and synthesis. Semiconducting quantum dots (QDs) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are co-dispersed in a liquid crystalline (LC) matrix and directed to form self-similar assemblies by leveraging the host's thermotropic phase transition. These co-assemblies, comprising 6 nm CdSe/ZnS QDs and 5-20 nm Fe3O4 MNPs, bridge nano- to micron length scales, and can be modulated in situ by applied magnetic fields <250 mT, resulting in an enhancement of QD photoluminescence (PL). This effect is reversible in co-assemblies with 5 and 10 nm MNPs but demonstrates hysteresis in those with 20 nm MNPs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy reveal that at the nanoscale, while the QDs are densely packed into the center of the co-assemblies, the MNPs are relatively uniformly dispersed through the cluster volume. Using Lorentz TEM, it is observed that MNPs suspended in LC rotate to align with the applied field, which is attributed to be the cause of the observed PL increase at the micro-scale. This study highlights the critical role of correlating multiscale spectroscopy and microscopy characterization in order to clarify how interactions at the nanoscale manifest in microscale functionality.
Future Prospects of Spectral CT: Photon Counting

Dual-energy spectral CT has demonstrated numerous clinical benefits, yet there is potential to further improve the quantity and quality of acquired spectral data. Clinical dual-energy CT scanners are limited to two spectral measurements that overlap in spectral content. Photon-counting detectors use direct-conversion semiconductors, combined with pulse-height analysis electronics, to sort detected photons into energy bins. Photon-counting detectors can acquire more than two spectral measurements simultaneously, while also acquiring a nonspectral CT image. In addition to the spectral acquisition capabilities, photon-counting detectors have the additional benefits of higher spatial resolution and improved dose efficiency, compared to conventional CT detectors. This chapter explains the basic operation of photon-counting detectors and describes the potential benefits of photon-counting CT (PCCT), as well as the challenges of photon-counting technology. Examples are provided demonstrating the improved nonspectral CT images and new material decomposition applications made possible by PCCT.
Characteristics and Outcomes of Dementia Patients Who Receive Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Acute hospitalization may be an ideal opportunity to introduce palliative care to dementia patients, who may benefit from symptom management and goals of care discussions. We know little about patients who receive inpatient palliative care consultations (IPCCs). DESIGN Retrospective analysis using electronic medical record. SETTING Tertiary academic medical center and affiliated community hospital. PARTICIPANTS Patients with dementia by International Classification of Diseases diagnosis, 65 years or older, hospitalized between July 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015. MEASUREMENTS We used χ2 and t-test/Mann-Whitney U test to compare characteristics (living arrangement, advanced dementia markers, diagnoses of delirium and dementia with behavior disturbance, and admitting diagnosis) and outcomes (change in code status, length of stay [LOS], discharge disposition, and discharge medications for symptom management) of patients who did and did not receive IPCC. Patients were matched on sex, age, and race. RESULTS Among 927 hospitalized patients with dementia, 17% received IPCC (N = 157). Patients who received IPCC were more likely to be admitted from a nursing facility (35.7% vs 12.7%; P < .0001), experience delirium (71.3% vs 57.3%; P = .01), have behavior disturbance (23.6% vs 13.4%; P = .02), have a pressure ulcer at admission (26.1% vs 11.5%; P = .001), have hypernatremia (12.7% vs 3.2%; P = .002), and be bedbound (20.4% vs 3.2%; P < .000). Patients who received IPCC had a longer LOS (median = 5.9 vs 4.3 days; P = .004) and were more likely to be discharged to hospice (56% vs 3.1%; P < .0001). Patients with IPCC were more likely to have a discharge code status of do not attempt resuscitation (89% vs 46%). There was no significant difference in comfort medications at discharge between groups. CONCLUSIONS Patients who received IPCC had evidence of more advanced dementia. These patients were more likely to change their code status and enroll in hospice. IPCC may be useful to prioritize patient-centered care and discuss what matters most to patients and families.
Application of Vibration Training in People with Common Neurological Disorders

Controlled whole-body vibration training has been widely used as an alternative and non-pharmacological therapeutic modality of exercise training among healthy individuals, such as athletes and older adults. It has also recently received attentions from researchers in motor rehabilitation fields to improve neuromuscular functions in people with neurological disorders. This chapter summarizes the recent progress of vibration training in neurorehabilitation among people with common movement dysfunctions, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. Overall, a bulk of evidence supports the beneficial effect of vibration training on neuromuscular functions among people with neurological disorders. However, there are limitations associated with current studies. Potential directions for future research in this area are also discussed.
Characterization of ketamine usage in a large tertiary-care emergency department.

Abstract Introduction Ketamine is a phencyclidine derivative first used in clinical practice in the 1970's. Specifically within the emergency department (ED), ketamine is utilized for a wide variety of indications including but not limited to procedural sedation, rapid sequence intubation, agitation, and pain. As providers continue to utilize ketamine more frequently and for additional indications, additional data describing its safety and efficacy in the ED setting is warranted. Objectives To describe current trends in ketamine usage within a large tertiary-care Emergency Department. Methods All patients receiving intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) ketamine within the Emergency Department between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 were eligible for study inclusion. Patients were excluded from the study if they were less than 18 years of age, pregnant, or incarcerated. Data was collected using a report of ketamine removal from the ED automatic dispensing cabinets, with administration confirmed by electronic medical record review. Results During the study period, 170 patients received 195 doses of ketamine for the indications of agitation, procedural sedation, rapid sequence intubation, pain, sedation, seizure, status asthmaticus, and unknown. Patients were mostly male (74%) with a mean age of 45 years (range 20–97 years). The most common indications for ketamine administration were agitation and procedural sedation. For agitation, ketamine was utilized as first line therapy in 45% of patients. Seventy-seven percent of these patients did not require an additional sedative agent up to 60 min after ketamine administration. Procedural sedations were most commonly orthopedic reductions, and ketamine was given more frequently in combination with propofol than as monotherapy. Five percent of patients had an adverse event documented in the electronic medical record, with a single incidence of ketamine induced laryngospasm requiring intubation. Conclusion This descriptive review supports the versatility, safety, and efficacy of ketamine use within a large, tertiary-care, academic emergency department. Larger, prospective studies are warranted to draw further conclusions regarding ideal ketamine utilization within the emergency department.
Human embryoid bodies as a novel system for genomic studies of functionally diverse cell types

Most disease-associated loci, though located in putatively regulatory regions, have not yet been confirmed to affect gene expression. One reason for this could be that we have not examined gene expression in the most relevant cell types or conditions. Indeed, even large-scale efforts to study gene expression broadly across tissues are limited by the necessity of obtaining human samples post-mortem, and almost exclusively from adults. Thus, there is an acute need to expand gene regulatory studies in humans to the most relevant cell types, tissues, and states. We propose that embryoid bodies (EBs), which are organoids that contain a multitude of cell types in dynamic states, can provide an answer. Single cell RNA-sequencing now provides a way to interrogate developmental trajectories in EBs and enhance the potential to uncover dynamic regulatory processes that would be missed in studies of static adult tissue. Here, we examined the properties of the EB model for the purpose mapping inter-individual regulatory differences in a large variety of cell types.
OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FOR THE DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SUBGINGIVAL ROOT CARIES LESIONS AND NONCARIOUS CERVICAL LESIONS: A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS

OBJECTIVE(S) To evaluate the potential of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) as a tool for detecting subgingival cervical lesions and to characterize 2 different types of cervical lesions—noncarious cervical lesion (NCCL) and root caries lesion (RC)—based on tissue properties using signal intensity (SI). STUDY DESIGN A total of 30 human extracted teeth were collected: teeth with no cervical lesion (n = 10), RC (n = 10), and NCCL (n = 10). Micro-CT imaging was performed as the gold standard to confirm the status of the teeth in each group. In order to examine the efficacy of SD-OCT in the detection of subgingival lesions, a thin layer (0.5 mm) of dental baseplate wax was used as simulated gingival tissue to cover the cervical region, where NCCL or RC is present. Teeth were then mounted on custom-made cylindrical blocks made of vinyl polysiloxane with the buccal surface facing toward the SD-OCT probe. The probe was set at a fixed distance from the specimen with the scanning beam oriented perpendicular to the root surfaces. Cross-sectional images were obtained along the long axis of the teeth. SI of the root surfaces was used to quantitatively characterize the root surface changes among the 3 study groups. Morphologic profiles of the root surface in RC and NCCL were also examined. RESULTS The pilot study showed that the presence of the simulated gingiva reduced the clarity of the cross-sectional images only marginally; SI profiles of the root surfaces in all 3 groups did not change significantly in the presence of simulated gingiva compared with no gingiva. In addition, SI and morphologic profiles of the root surfaces among the 3 groups were statistically different. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS The result suggests that SD-OCT can be used to detect subgingival RC and further distinguish between RC and NCCL based on SI and morphologic profiles.
Aurora B phosphorylates Bub1 to promote spindle assembly checkpoint signaling.

Summary Accurate chromosome segregation during cell division requires amphitelic chromosome attachment to the spindle apparatus. It is ensured by the combined activity of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), 1 a signaling mechanism that delays anaphase onset in response to unattached chromosomes, and an error correction mechanism that eliminates syntelic attachments. 2 The SAC becomes active when Mps1 kinase sequentially phosphorylates the kinetochore protein Spc105/KNL1 and the signaling proteins that Spc105/KNL1 recruits to facilitate the production of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC). 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 The error correction mechanism is regulated by the Aurora B kinase, but Aurora B also promotes SAC signaling via indirect mechanisms. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 Here we present evidence that Aurora B kinase activity directly promotes MCC production by working downstream of Mps1 in budding yeast and human cells. Using the ectopic SAC activation (eSAC) system, we find that the conditional dimerization of Aurora B in budding yeast and an Aurora B recruitment domain in HeLa cells with either Bub1 or Mad1, but not the phosphodomain of Spc105/KNL1, leads to ectopic MCC production and mitotic arrest. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 Importantly, Bub1 must recruit both Mad1 and Cdc20 for this ectopic signaling activity. These and other data show that Aurora B cooperates with Bub1 to promote MCC production, but only after Mps1 licenses Bub1 recruitment to the kinetochore. This direct involvement of Aurora B in SAC signaling may maintain SAC signaling even after Mps1 activity in the kinetochore is lowered.
DICOM Structured Reporting and Cancer Clinical Trials Results

The use of biomarkers derived from radiological images as surrogate end-points in therapeutic cancer clinical trials is well established. DICOM is the ubiquitous standard for the interchange of images for both clinical use as well as research. It also has capabilities for the exchange of image-related information, including categorical and quantitative information derived from images. The use of DICOM Structured Reporting for the encoding and interchange of clinical trial results in a standard manner is reviewed.
Forecasting Life and Death

Whites support the death penalty more than blacks, and men more than women. But do these differences or others like them influence how a person votes when they sit on a capital jury? Answering that question is complicated. Whatever influence a juror's personal characteristics have on her vote is hard to detect. First, a juror's personal characteristics may get lost in the facts of the case. A juror will tend to vote for death in strong cases and for life in weak ones no matter what her own characteristics. Second, a juror's personal characteristics may get lost in the process of deliberation. The final verdict reflects the jury's will, not the individual juror's. We address both problems. We address the first by using statistical techniques to control for the facts most likely to influence a juror's verdict, thereby isolating the influence of a juror's personal characteristics. We address the second by examining each juror's first vote on the defendant's sentence, thereby revealing her own judgment before the majority can work its will. Our findings are sobering. A juror's personal characteristics do indeed influence who is sentenced to life and who to death. The most powerful personal characteristics influencing a capital juror's first vote are race, religion, and how strongly the juror believes death is the appropriate punishment for murder. Moreover, the first vote and the factors that influence it are critically important since the first vote usually determines the final one. The initial majority rules. Finally, because black jurors are rarely a majority of the jury's members, majority rule usually means white rule.
Idiosyncratic Volatility, Growth Options, and the Cross-Section of Returns

The paper shows that the value effect and the idiosyncratic volatility discount (Ang et al., 2006) arise because growth firms and high idiosyncratic volatility firms beat the CAPM during the periods of increasing aggregate volatility, which makes their risk low. Growth options become less sensitive to the underlying asset value as idiosyncratic volatility goes up together with aggregate volatility. Hence, growth options' betas decrease more and their value decreases less in volatile times, which are typically recessions. All else equal, growth options' value also increases with volatility. The impact of both effects on the firm's value is naturally stronger for growth firms and high idiosyncratic volatility firms. The two-factor ICAPM with the market factor and the aggregate volatility risk factor completely explains the value effect and the idiosyncratic discount. The two-factor ICAPM also explains why those puzzles are stronger for the firms with high short sale constraints.
P-OPT: Program-Directed Optimal Cache Management

As the amount of on-chip cache increases as a result of Moore's law, cache utilization is increasingly important as the number of processor cores multiply and the contention for memory bandwidth becomes more severe. Optimal cache management requires knowing the future access sequence and being able to communicate this information to hardware. The paper addresses the communication problem with two new optimal algorithms for Program-directed OPTimal cache management (P-OPT) , in which a program designates certain accesses as bypasses and trespasses through an extended hardware interface to effect optimal cache utilization. The paper proves the optimality of the new methods, examines their theoretical properties, and shows the potential benefit using a simulation study and a simple test on a multi-core, multi-processor PC.
Editorial: Creating, Supporting, Sustaining and Evaluating Virtual Learning Communities

This special issue is dedicated to creating, building, supporting, sustaining and evaluating virtual learning communities (VLCs) using emerging technologies. The contributors from diverse disciplines have come together to share their valuable experiences and findings through their research in the following themes: (a) instructional models, strategies, approaches for building, supporting and evaluating VLCs, (b) designing effective use of tools to promote discourse and scaffold peer interactions among members, (c) iterative processes and models of designing and evaluating VLCs; and (d) various variables concerning VLCs, such as virtual community behaviors, cultural factors, adoption patterns of tools. It is hoped that these articles will provide practical guidance and offer valuable experience to both educators and researchers who are interested in designing effective VLCs and examining various aspects of VLCs to advance our understanding of VLCs. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2011.03.034
trans activation by the full-length E2 proteins of human papillomavirus type 16 and bovine papillomavirus type 1 in vitro and in vivo: cooperation with activation domains of cellular transcription factors.

Abstract Papillomaviral E2 genes encode proteins that regulate viral transcription. While the full-length bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) E2 peptide is a strong trans activator, the homologous full-length E2 product of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) appeared to vary in function in previous studies. Here we show that when expressed from comparable constructs, the full-length E2 products of HPV-16 and BPV-1 trans activate a simple E2- and Sp1-dependent promoter up to approximately 100-fold in human keratinocytes and other epithelial cells as well as human and animal fibroblasts. Vaccinia virus-expressed, purified full-length HPV-16 and BPV-1 E2 proteins bound a consensus E2 site with high specific affinities (Kd = approximately 10(-9) M) and stimulated in vitro transcription up to six- to eightfold. In vivo and in vitro trans activation by either E2 protein required cooperation with another activator, such as Sp1, or other factors that interact with papillomavirus promoters, such as AP-1, Oct-1, nuclear factor 1/CTF, transcriptional enhancer factor 1, or USF. The glutamine-rich domain B of Sp1 or the mutually unrelated activation domains of other transcription factors were necessary and sufficient for cooperation with either E2 factor. We conclude that like BPV-1 E2, the HPV-16 E2 protein has the potential to function as a strong activator of viral gene expression in cooperation with cellular transcription factors.
A method for determining domain binding sites in proteins with swapped domains: implications for βA3- and βB2-crystallins

Publisher Summary Structure prediction for protein associates such as dimers is not well established. It is necessary to determine the correct location of the domain binding site on the surface of the predicted protein to understand the properties of the domain binding site and how the dynamics of the structure change when a monomer becomes a part of an associate. This chapter describes how to determine the correct location of the domain binding sites on the surface of the predicted structures. The study have located these sites in murine βA3- and βB2-crystallin sequences by using a combination of accessibility calculations, sequence homology and known 3D-structure of the domain interface for monomeric γβ-crystallin and dimeric βB2-crystallins from the bovine lens. With modeling, the chapter shows that the structure of the common part of the domain binding sites in mouse βA3- and βB2-crystallins are similar to those in bovine βB2- and γB-crystallins. The prediction that those surface residues having a major accessible area change and low sequence variability are critical for domain association should be amenable to testing by site-directed mutagenesis followed by biochemical characterization of their association properties. The core structure of the interface, common for βB2- and γB-crystallins, is formed by the surface residues of β-sheets two and four, which are packed in a three-layer structure. The hydrophobic interaction in the center of the top two-layer structure is additionally stabilized by the interaction of charged residues on the periphery and in the third layer. The methyl groups of arginine generally have a significant hydrophobic potential and may additionally increase the stability of the two-layer packing.
Homeotic genes have specific functional roles in the establishment of the Drosophila embryonic peripheral nervous system.

The Drosophila embryonic peripheral nervous system (PNS) contains segment-specific spatial patterns of sensory organs which derive from the ectoderm. Many studies have established that the homeotic genes of Drosophila control segment specific characteristics of the epidermis, and more recently these genes have also been shown to control gut morphogenesis through their expression in the visceral mesoderm (Tremml, G. and Bienz, M. (1989), EMBO J. 8, 2677–2685). We report here the roles of homeotic genes in establishing the spatial patterns of sensory organs in the embryonic PNS. The PNS was examined in embryos homozygous for mutations in the homeotic genes Sex combs reduced (Scr), Antennapedia (Antp), Ultrabithorax (Ubx), abdominal-A (abd-A) and Abdominal-B (Abd-B) with antibodies that label specific subsets of sensory organs. Our results suggest that the homeotic genes have specific roles in establishing the correct spatial patterns of sensory organs in their normal domains of expression. In addition, we also report the effects of ectopic expression of the homeotic genes labial (lab), Deformed (Dfd), Scr, Antp or Ubx on the normal development of sensory organs in the embryonic PNS. Interestingly, while previous studies have concluded that ectopic expression of the homeotic genes Dfd, Scr and Antp has no effect on the segmental identity of the abdominal segments, our results demonstrate that this is not true. We show that ectopic expression of these genes does result in the disruption of the developing PNS in the abdomen. Our results are suggestive of a role for the homeotic gene products in regulating genes which are necessary for generating sensory progenitor cells in the developing PNS.
Frequency Selectivity in the Parakeet Studied by Isointensity Masking Contours

The effect of masking tones at fixed sound pressure levels on the threshold detection of probe-tone signals was studied in the parakeet using avoidance conditioning and a psychophysical method of limits. Between two and six masker levels were used at each of six centre frequencies to describe isointensity masking contours. The shape of the masking contours appeared to be independent of masker level and all exhibited a band-pass filter curve whose sharpness depended on the centre frequency. These data provide an indication of the frequency resolving power of this avian species.
Sliding-mode tracking control of piezo-actuated nanopositioners

In this paper we propose a robust control scheme for a piezo-actuated nanopositioner to track arbitrary references. The positioner is represented as a linear system preceded by hysteresis, which is modeled with a Prandtl-Ishlinskii (PI) operator. In order to reduce the hysteresis effect, an approximate operator is used as a feedforward compensator. A sliding mode controller is then used to mitigate the effect of inversion error. In existing work on sliding mode control of piezo-actuated systems, the coefficient of the switching component of the control is typically chosen by trial and error. In contrast, in this work we analytically derive an upper bound on the inversion error using the hysteresis model. This bound is a function of the state and time, which is much less conservative than constant bounds. The stability of the closed-loop system is established by Lyapnuov analysis. Simulation and experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Recombinant Epstein-Barr virus with small RNA (EBER) genes deleted transforms lymphocytes and replicates in vitro

Strains of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with deletions of the small RNA (EBER) genes were made by homologous recombination using the EBV P3HR-1 strain, which has undergone deletion of the essential transforming gene that encodes the EBV nuclear antigen, EBNA-2, and a DNA fragment that was wild type at the EBNA-2 locus but from which the EBER genes had been deleted. Even though the EBER and EBNA-2 genes are separated by 40 kilobases, selection for transforming P3HR-1 recombinants that required a restored EBNA-2 gene resulted in 20% cotransfer of the EBER deletion. EBER-deleted recombinants transformed primary B lymphocytes into lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), which were indistinguishable form LCLs transformed by wild-type EBV in their proliferation, in latency-associated EBV gene expression, and in their permissiveness for EBV replication cycle gene expression. EBER-deleted virus from infected LCL clones could infect and growth-transform primary B lymphocytes. These procedures should be applicable to the construction of other EBV recombinants within 40 kilobases of the EBNA-2 gene. The EBER-deleted EBV recombinants should be useful in further evaluating the role of EBERs in EBV infection.
Coefficient-parameter polynomial continuation

We establish the theory for a very general approach to constructing homotopies for computing all geometrically isolated solutions to polynomial systems. We assume that the coefficients for a polynomial system are given by parameters. (In engineering applications, these would be derived from physical parameters.) Since the coefficients themselves can be the parameters, this is completely general. We show that by considering the space of parameters (instead of the space of coefficients), we can exploit any special structure the coefficient-parameter formulas impose on the solution set. In particular, we prove that we can ignore generic positive-dimensional solution sets. We also show that any ''side conditions'' (additional equations) can be used to reduce the number of paths. These results unify and generalize all current approaches to polynimial continuation. The effect of these new results is to greatly increase the efficiency of polynomial continuation in several engineering areas. For example, we establish a 36-path homotopy for a electrocardiographic application that needed 193 paths under the previous most appropriate theory. Also, we show that a 16-path homotopy suffices for the inverse kinematics problem for 6-revolute-joint manipulators, a problem previously requiring 32 paths.
Influence of acclimation temperature on the shivering behavior of the butterfly Danaus plexippus (L.)

Most of the monarch butterflies kept at 4–5° C for a few days shivered when released at a test temperature of 15–16° C, whereas fewer of the butterflies kept at 23–24° C did so. Cold-acclimated butterflies shivered more readily, as indicated by the length of the interval between release at the test temperature and the onset of shivering, and they shivered for longer periods of time. The effects of cold acclimation were reversible, but in only 1 out of 3 replicates was the warm acclimation clearly reversed. Cool animals shivered at room temperature, indicating that body temperature and not ambient temperature is important in releasing the behavior. It is suggested that the acclimation involves alteration in the central neurons controlling the activity of muscles involved in shivering.
Adapalene Microemulsion for Transfollicular Drug Delivery

The aim of this study was to develop a microemulsion formulation of adapalene for transfollicular delivery. A pseudoternary phase diagram was developed for microemulsion consisting of oleic acid as oil phase, tween 20 as surfactant, Transcutol® as cosurfactant, and deionized water. Differential tape stripping and confocal laser scanning microscopy were performed to determine the penetration of microemulsion through hair follicles. Transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, polarizing light microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry were performed to characterize the microstructures of microemulsion. The pH and viscosity of the microemulsions were also determined. Permeation studies were carried out in vitro on porcine ear skin over a period of 24 h using Franz diffusion cells. The drug penetration in the hair follicles increased from 0.109 ± 0.03 to 0.292 ± 0.094 μg, as the microstructure of microemulsion shifted from oil-in-water to bi-continuous, with increase in water content of microemulsion. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images suggested that hair follicles provided the path for transfollicular permeation of adapalene microemulsion. These results suggest that microemulsion penetrated through hair follicles and are promising for transfollicular drug delivery.
Induction of a Nematode Teratoma

UNLIKE the morphological changes during the life cycle of many nematodes, the physiological processes of moulting, growth and development are poorly known for these animals. Some think that growth and development are less complex because after the first larval stage nematodes remain essentially cell constant1,2. Ultimate size, therefore, is normally reached by enlargement of cells and their modification rather than by an increase in numbers.
A byte/symbol-stuffing protocol utilizing polarization-shift keying for enhanced optical network security

We investigate the use of polarization-shift keying to implement a byte/symbol-stuffing protocol. The protocol embeds calibration symbols into a stream of changing states of polarization to enhance the physical security of optical networks.
The decomposition of nitrous oxide at 1.5 ⩽ P ⩽ 10.5 atm and 1103 ⩽ T ⩽ 1173 K

Reaction experiments on mixtures of N2O/H2O/N2 were performed in a variable pressure flow reactor over temperature, pressure, and residence time ranges of 1103–1173 K, 1.5–10.5 atm, and 0.2–0.8 s, respectively. Mixtures of approximately 1% N2O in N2 were studied with the addition of varying amounts of water vapor, from background to 3580 ppm. Experimentally measured profiles of N2O, O2, NO, NO2, H2O, and temperature were compared with predictions from detailed kinetic modeling calculations to assess the validity of a reaction mechanism developed from currently available literature thermochemical and rate constant parameters. Sensitivity and reaction flux analyses were performed to determine key elementary reaction path processes and rates. Reaction rate constants for the uni-molecular reaction, N2O N2 + O, were determined at various pressures in order to match overall experimental and numerical decomposition rates of N2O. The numerical model included a newly determined rate constant for N2O + OH HO2 + N2 with an upper limit of 5.66 × 108 cm3 mol−1 sec−1 at 1123 K. This is considerably smaller than presently reported in the literature. The experimentally observed rate of N2O decomposition was found to be slightly dependent on added water concentration. The rate constant determined for the elementary decomposition is strongly dependent on the choice of rate constants for the N2O + O N2 + O2 and N2O + O NO + NO reactions. In the absence of accurate data at the temperatures of this work, and based on these and other experiments in this laboratory, we presently recommend rate constants from the review of Baulch et al. The basis for this recommendation is discussed, including the impact on the rate constants derived for elementary nitrous oxide decomposition. The uncertainties in the rate constants as reported here are ±30%. The present mechanism was applied to previously reported high-pressure shock tube data and yields a high-pressure limit rate constant a factor of three larger than previously reported at these temperatures. The following expressions for the elementary decomposition reaction are recommended: k = 9.13 × 1014 exp (−57, 690/RT) cm3 mol−1 s−1 and k∞ = 7.91 × 1010 exp(−56020/RT) s−1. Simple Lindemann fits utilizing these parameters reproduce the pressure dependent rate constants measured here within ±25%. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
High-temperature migration of He in LiH

Abstract In the intrinsic temperature range, the study of relative abundances of He in interstitial and single vacancy sites in LiH shows that almost all the gas is trapped in anion vacancies. Our calculated value of the activation energy for migration from an anion vacancy (0.89 eV), when compared with the experimental value of the activation energy (1.22 eV), suggests that the high-temperature migration of He in LiH may be controlled by trapping in the intrinsic defects (vacancy pairs might be important).
Corrosion damage detection with piezoelectric wafer active sensors

Since today's aging fleet is now intended to far exceed their proposed design life, monitoring the structural integrity of those aircraft has become a priority issue for today's Air Force. One of the most critical structural problems is corrosion. In fact the KC-135 now costs $1.2 billion a year to repair corrosion. In this paper, we plan to show the use of Lamb waves to detect material loss in thin plates representative of aircraft skins. To do this we will use embedded transducers called Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensor (PWAS) in a pitch-catch configuration. The sensors were placed on a grid pattern. Material loss through corrosion was simulated by removing the material mechanically with an abrasive tool. Thus, simulated corrosion pits of various depths and area coverage were made. Three-count tone burst wave packets were used. The Lamb wave packets were sent in a pitch-catch mode from one transmitter PWAS to the other PWAS in the grid acting as receivers. The Lamb wave mode used in these experiments was A 1 , since this was found to be more sensitive to changes due to material loss. At the frequencies considered in our experiments, the A 1 waves are highly dispersive. It was found that, as the Lamb wave travels through simulated corrosion damage, the signal changes. The observed changes were in the signal wavelength (due to change in the dispersive properties of the medium) and in signal amplitude (due to redistribution of energy in the wave packet). This change in signal can be correlated to the magnitude of damage. To achieve this, we have used several approaches: (a) direct correlation between the sent and the received signals; (b) wavelet transform of the signal followed by correlation of the wavelet coefficients time-frequency maps; (c) Hilbert transform of the signal to produce the signal envelope and comparison of the resulting envelope signals (d) neural network correlation between the sent and received signals. It was found that these methods work well together in a complementary way.
Recognition of complex oligosaccharides by the multi-subunit asialoglycoprotein receptor

The hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor, a galactose lectin, is an oligomer of two types of similar polypeptide chains, each of which weakly binds galactose. High-affinity binding of complex oligosaccharides requires a precise geometric arrangement of receptor subunits. The two subunits have different functions in receptor assembly, ligand binding and endocytosis.
Metabolic changes in “frozen-clamped” livers of rats caused by ingestion of polychlorinated biphenyls

Abstract Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were administered for 12 days in the diet as Aroclor® 1254 to male Osborne-Mendel rats at concentrations of 0, 75 or 400 ppm, and effects on body weight gain, food consumption and adipose tissue weights were determined. Concentrations of intermediary metabolites in the liver were also determined; cytoplasmic and mitochondrial redox states and cytoplasmic phosphorylation states were calculated from these concentrations. Rats given 400 ppm of Aroclor 1254 had significantly decreased body weight gains and adipose tissue weights with respect to controls; rats given 75 ppm showed no significant differences in these parameters. Significant differences in the concentrations of intermediary metabolites were found in the livers of rats fed Aroclor 1254 at both the 75 and 400 ppm levels. These concentration changes resembled those occurring as a consequence of thiamine deficiency. The cytoplasmic redox state of liver was greatly shifted toward a highly oxidized condition, as evidenced by significantly increased [NADP+]:[NADPH] ratios, in rats receiving Aroclor at 400 ppm; this effect was less pronounced in rats receiving 75 ppm. A similar increase in [NADP+]:[NADPH] in the cytosol has been observed in livers from thiamine-deficient rats. No significant differences could be observed in the liver cytoplasmic [NAD+]:[NADH] ratio with respect to control values in either experimental group. The mitochondrial [NAD+]:[NADH] ratio was significantly increased in the group given 400 ppm. The phosphorylation state of liver cytoplasm was significantly increased in rats receiving 400 ppm of Aroclor, and somewhat less in rats receiving 75 ppm.
Rehabilitation medicine and alternative therapies: New words, old practices

Abstract "Alternative" medicine is receiving increased interest fromt the public, the media, government, and academic medical centers. Although currently being defined as encompassing practices outside of the medical mainstream, what are now being called "alternative" therapies have long been used by practitioners of physical medicine and rehabilitation. Recently identified by the National Institutes of Health as a legitimate area for research, alternative medicine is now receiving new sources of funding. Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) expertise encompasses many of the therapies and health care issues that are being categorized as alternative. Practitioners and researchers in PM&R should seize the opportunity to provide leadership in this emerging area in American medicine.
Transport changes in synchronously growing CHO and L cells.

A reduced rate of transport of 2-amino-isobutyric acid (AIB), was found to be associated with M and early G1 periods in synchronized populations of CHO and L cells. A doubling of the transport rate occurred with progress of CHO cells further into G1, and the specific transport activity remained constant during the rest of the cycle, The rate of uridine and thymidine transport also doubled at this point in the cell cycle. There was no change in Km values. The rise in transport rate was blocked by cycloheximide, or when the cells were prevented from leaving metaphase by colcemid.
Prudence and morality: Socrates versus moral philosophers

Socrates thinks that morality is identical to prudence. Many contemporary moral philosophers would give roughly three reasons for postulating the existence of a morality that is distinct from prudence. These are the Happiness of Tyrants Objection, the Intentions Matter Objection and the Kantian Objection. I explain how Socrates can argue against these three objections. First, he argues that tyrants cannot in fact be happy, that is, there could be no action that harms others and yet benefits the agent given the way the world is. Second, he argues that everyone's intentions are the same and that people differ only in their beliefs about what is in fact best for themselves. Third, he argues, contrary to what a Kantian would suppose, that a non-arbitrary, God-independent and non-vague function for humans is discoverable. If these three arguments can be filled out successfully, then we are in need of radical revisions in our moral theorising. For one such example, we shall no longer be able to start our moral ...
Incorporation of phosphorus efficiency from exotic germplasm into agriculturally adapted germplasm of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

The growth of inbred backcross (IB) lines derived from the cross of the phosphorus (P)-efficient donor parent (PI 206002) and the recurrent parent (cultivar Sanilac) was measured in low-P nutrient solution culture and in a field nursery on a soil moderately deficient in P. Several IB lines that resembled ‘Sanilac’ in general morphology were identified as P-efficient in the nutrient solution culture (10 to 25% more shoot dry weight accumulation than ‘Sanilac’). In general, these lines accumulated 30 to 50% more shoot dry weight and more P in the shoot tissue at first flower than ‘Sanilac’ in the low-P field plot but did not differ from ‘Sanilac’ in a field plot amended with P fertilizer. Some IB lines with seed yields higher than ‘Sanilac’ may have both the vegetative P efficiency of PI 206002 and the ability to convert this growth into seed production.
Statistical inferences for cross-lagged panel models without the assumption of normal errors

Abstract Panel studies are statistical studies in which two or more variables are observed for two or more subjects at two or more waves or points in time. Cross-lagged panel studies are those studies in which the variables are continuous and divide naturally into two sets. Such studies usually focus, in part, on estimating and testing the cross-effects which are the impacts of each set of variables on the other over time. If a regression approach is taken, then the cross-lagged model is formulated as one or more regression models and regression methods are used to make inferences about the parameters. Traditionally this approach has assumed that the errors in the model have a joint normal distribution. We contribute to this approach by replacing the assumption of normal errors by the weaker assumption that the errors are independent and identically distributed with finite variances. For this independent-error model we show that the usual least-squares estimators of the regression coefficients are consistent and asymptotically normal. We also display large sample tests for the hypotheses of no effects and no cross-effects. We demonstrate our methods by analyzing a set of psychiatric panel data.
Meditation Lowers Stress and Supports Forgiveness Among College Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective and Participants: The authors evaluated the effects on stress, rumination, forgiveness, and hope of two 8-week, 90-min/wk training programs for college undergraduates in meditation-based stress-management tools. Methods: After a pretest, the authors randomly allocated college undergraduates to training in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; n = 15), Easwaran's Eight-Point Program (EPP; n = 14), or wait-list control (n = 15). The authors gathered pretest, posttest, and 8-week follow-up data on self-report outcome measures. Results: The authors observed no post-treatment differences between MBSR and EPP or between posttest and 8-week follow-up (p > .10). Compared with controls, treated participants (n = 29) demonstrated significant benefits for stress (p < .05, Cohen's d = -.45) and forgiveness (p < .05, d = .34) and marginal benefits for rumination (p < .10, d = -.34). Conclusions: Evidence suggests that meditation-based stress-management practices reduce stress and enhance forgiveness amon...
Mesodensity organo–clay associations in a near-shore sediment

Abstract The well-known correlation between mineral grain size and organic matter concentrations in sediments has recently been parameterized in terms of organic matter per unit surface area. Normalized thus, organic matter concentrations in many ocean margin sediments are on the order of 1 mg organic carbon m −2 (Mayer, L.M., 1994a. Relationships between mineral surfaces and organic carbon concentrations in soils and sediments. Chem. Geol. 114, 347–363; Mayer, L.M., 1994b. Surface area control of organic carbon accumulation in continental shelf sediments. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 58, 1271–1284.). If this organic matter is physically associated with fine clay grains, the resultant organo–clay aggregates should have a density of ca. 2.2 g cm −3 , but if associated with larger grains the densities should be much closer to those of pure minerals. We found organo–mineral aggregates of density 2.0–2.3 g cm −3 (“mesodensity”) in a shelf sediment to contain the majority of the sedimentary organic matter and surface area. Their mineralogy was composed almost exclusively of fine clays. The correlation of organic matter concentration with sediment surface area may thus be derivative of associations with the fine clay minerals that largely control sediment surface area. Pore size distributions of these aggregates indicate that most surface area is contained within small mesopores of
Sonographic and magnetic resonance imaging findings of pelvic abscess following uterine perforation sustained during office endometrial sampling.

Pipelle endometrial sampling, an outpatient, office-based procedure, provides comparative successful endometrial sampling in comparison with other techniques including conventional dilatation and curettage. We present an unusual occurrence in which office Pipelle endometrial sampling in a perimenopausal patient was complicated 10 days later by lower abdominal pain and intermittent fever. Sonography depicted findings consistent with a large pelvic abscess overriding the uterine fundus. Sonography and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the presence of the unusual pelvic abscess and, in addition, noted findings consistent with perforation of the uterus during endometrial sampling. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2011
The effect of solvent on the visible and ultra-violet absorption spectrum of [Re(py)4O2]+

Abstract The absorption spectrum of [Re(py)4O2]+ in the range 330 to 880 mμ was measured in a number of solvents. Two peaks were observed in each solvent and their positions were dependent on the nature of the solvent. For each band, a graph of the wavelength of absorption against the dielectric constant of the solvent showed two distinct linear lines: one for protic and the other for aprotic solvents. For both groups of solvents the separation of the peaks increased linearly with the dielectric constant of the solvent. An explanation of this phenomenon was developed on the basis that the field exerted by the coordinated ligands on the central rhenium ion is determined primarily by the trans-oxygens, and that the “Ligand Field” will be essentially linear. It is suggested that the frequency shifts are due to solvent interaction with the trans-oxygens.
A unified class model for checking security policies in ICT infrastructures

Automatic conformance checks of security policies is becoming a key issue in large ICT infrastructures that are more and more prone to cyber-attacks, in particular when wireless communication technologies and media are extensively adopted. This paper presents a hierarchical class-based model for the description of a system and its security requirements, that can be profitably used by a computer-aided analysis tool designed to carry out several kinds of policy verification. Our experience, gained in analyzing real systems, confirms that the structure and flexibility of the system description model are critical issues, together with the collection of real data needed to populate the model itself. The proposed solution is able to tolerate and overcome many of the practical limitations that are met when dealing with large and heterogeneous scenarios.