cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The US Government’s Role in Deepwater Archaeology: The Deep Gulf Wrecks Project

The deepwater part of the Gulf of Mexico has shown a remarkable increase in oil and gas exploration, development, and production. In part, this is because of the development of new technologies reducing operational costs and risks, as well as the finding of reservoirs with high-production wells. With expanding development in deep water come increasing challenges in managing our nation’s Submerged Cultural Heritage on the Outer Continental Shelf and Slope. To fulfill obligations under Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (36 CFR 800), managers need a clearer understanding of the size of debris fields expected around deepwater shipwrecks, as well as their state of preservation and future research potential—both cultural and biological. With this in mind, the Minerals Management Service, in partnership with the National Oceanographic Partnership Program and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean Explorations, launched the Deep Gulf Wrecks Project.
Special issue on recent advances in computational techniques for biomedical imaging

SUMMARY A total of 12 papers in the area of mathematical methods and computational techniques for biomedical imaging and image analysis are presented in this special issue. Copyright q 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Three-nucleon charge radius: A precise laser determination using 3He.

The isotope shift of the ${2}^{3}{S}_{1}\ensuremath{-}{2}^{3}{P}_{0}$ transition in helium has been measured using laser excitation of an atomic beam, yielding 33 668.074(5) MHz. This value, combined with atomic theory and the ${}^{4}$He nuclear charge radius, gives a ${}^{3}$He radius of 1.9506(14) fm. This result is over an order of magnitude more precise than previous determinations. It agrees with two recent theoretical values 1.958(6) and 1.954(7) fm from realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials and the ${}^{3}$He binding energy. Our result provides both a confirmation and a sensitive test of the nuclear theory of few-nucleon systems.
They Read, but How Well Do They Understand?: An Empirical Look at the Nuances of Measuring Reading Comprehension.

Much of the literature on reading development focuses on measures of early literacy skills (e.g., phonological awareness, phonics, fluency). Elementary educators interested in improving students’ skills in these areas can draw on a wealth of research studies. However, many studies of early literacy skills have not addressed comprehension, obviously an important feature of literacy. The authors used a one-parameter Rasch model to examine the relative difficulty of different multiple-choice reading comprehension items assessing students’ literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension of fictional narratives. They also examined the difficulty of questions derived from concepts identified by state content standards as important components of reading comprehension, such as character, prediction, and plot sequence. The findings suggest a curvilinear relationship between literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension, with literal comprehension being the easiest and inferential and evaluative comprehensi...
Measurement of the temperature increase in the porcine cadaver iris during direct illumination by femtosecond laser pulses

Multiple femtosecond lasers have now been cleared for use for ophthalmic surgery, including for creation of corneal flaps in LASIK surgery. Preliminary measurements indicated that during typical surgical use, 50-60% of laser energy may pass beyond the cornea with potential effects on the iris. To further evaluate iris laser exposure during femtosecond corneal surgery, we measured the temperature increase in porcine cadaver iris in situ during direct illumination by the iFS Advanced Femtoosecond Laser (AMO Inc. Santa Ana, CA) with an infrared thermal imaging camera. To replicate the illumination geometry of the eye during the surgery, an excised porcine cadaver iris was placed 1.5 mm from the flat glass contact lens. The temperature field was observed in twenty cadaver iris at laser pulse energy levels ranging from 1 to 2 μJ (corresponding approximately to surgical energies of 2 to 4 μJ per pulse). Temperature increases up to 2.3 °C (corresponding to 2 μJ per pulse and 24 second procedure time) were observed in the cadaver iris with little variation in temperature profiles between specimens for the same laser energy illumination. For laser pulse energy and procedure time characteristic to the iFS Advanced Femtoosecond Laser the temperature increase was measured to be 1.2 °C. Our studies suggest that the magnitude of iris heating that occurs during such femtosecond laser corneal surgery is small and does not present a safety hazard to the iris.
Subnuclear organization of the efferent connections of the parabrachial nucleus in the rat.

Abstract In summary, we have demonstrated the subnuclear organization of PB, and correlated this with the origins of its efferent connections. In general, PBm projects primarily to the insular, infralimbic and lateral frontal cortex, and to associated areas in the thalamus, hypothalamus and amygdala. PBl chiefly innervates the autonomie nuclei of the hypothalamus and related portions of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. KF is the main source of descending projections from PB to the region of the nucleus of the solitary tract, the ventrolateral medulla and the intermediolateral cell column in the thoracic spinal cord. Further subnuclear organization of the origins of these projections within the major PB subdivisions has been described in detail. While PB afferents tend to terminate in specific subnuclei, one cannot reliably predict from the functional properties of the major inputs to a subnucleus what information will be carried in its efferents. Further anatomical and physiological studies of the input-output relationships of single PB neurons will be necessary to help resolve this enigma. However, recent immunohistochemical observations suggest that the subnuclear organization of PB afferent and efferent connections may reflect, at least in part, their biochemical specificity.
Genome-Wide Association Analysis and Genomic Prediction of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis Infection in US Jersey Cattle

Paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease), an enteric disorder in ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), causes economic losses in excess of $200 million annually to the US dairy industry. To identify genomic regions underlying susceptibility to MAP infection in Jersey cattle, a case-control genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed. Blood and fecal samples were collected from ∼5,000 mature cows in 30 commercial Jersey herds from across the US. Discovery data consisted of 450 cases and 439 controls genotyped with the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. Cases were animals with positive ELISA and fecal culture (FC) results. Controls were animals negative to both ELISA and FC tests that matched cases on birth date and herd. Validation data consisted of 180 animals including 90 cases (positive to FC) and 90 controls (negative to ELISA and FC), selected from discovery herds and genotyped by Illumina BovineLD BeadChip (∼7K SNPs). Two analytical approaches were used: single-marker GWAS using the GRAMMAR-GC method and Bayesian variable selection (Bayes C) using GenSel software. GRAMMAR-GC identified one SNP on BTA7 at 68 megabases (Mb) surpassing a significance threshold of 5×10−5. ARS-BFGL-NGS-11887 on BTA23 (27.7 Mb) accounted for the highest percentage of genetic variance (3.3%) in the Bayes C analysis. SNPs identified in common by GRAMMAR-GC and Bayes C in both discovery and combined data were mapped to BTA23 (27, 29 and 44 Mb), 3 (100, 101, 106 and 107 Mb) and 17 (57 Mb). Correspondence between results of GRAMMAR-GC and Bayes C was high (70–80% of most significant SNPs in common). These SNPs could potentially be associated with causal variants underlying susceptibility to MAP infection in Jersey cattle. Predictive performance of the model developed by Bayes C for prediction of infection status of animals in validation set was low (55% probability of correct ranking of paired case and control samples).
An Embryonic Myosin Isoform Enables Stretch Activation and Cyclical Power in Drosophila Jump Muscle

The mechanism behind stretch activation (SA), a mechanical property that increases muscle force and oscillatory power generation, is not known. We used Drosophila transgenic techniques and our new muscle preparation, the jump muscle, to determine if myosin heavy chain isoforms influence the magnitude and rate of SA force generation. We found that Drosophila jump muscles show very low SA force and cannot produce positive power under oscillatory conditions at pCa 5.0. However, we transformed the jump muscle to be moderately stretch-activatable by replacing its myosin isoform with an embryonic isoform (EMB). Expressing EMB, jump muscle SA force increased by 163% and it generated net positive power. The rate of SA force development decreased by 58% with EMB expression. Power generation is Pi dependent as >4 mM Pi was required for positive power from EMB. Pi increased EMB SA force, but not wild-type SA force. Our data suggest that when muscle expressing EMB is stretched, EMB is more easily driven backward to a weakly bound state than wild-type jump muscle. This increases the number of myosin heads available to rapidly bind to actin and contribute to SA force generation. We conclude that myosin heavy chain isoforms influence both SA kinetics and SA force, which can determine if a muscle is capable of generating oscillatory power at a fixed calcium concentration.
ϒ production in STAR

The study of formation and interaction of heavy quarkonia in relativistic heavy ion collisions provides important insight into the properties of the produced medium. Lattice QCD studies show sequential suppression of quarkonia states with increasing temperature; which affirms that a full spectroscopy, including bottomonium, can provide us a thermometer for the matter produced under extreme conditions in relativistic heavy ion collisions and the most direct probe of deconfinement. With the completion of the STAR Electromagnetic Calorimeter and with the increased luminosity provided by RHIC in Runs 6 and 7, the study of ϒ production via the di-electron channel becomes possible. We present preliminary results on ϒ measurements in pp collisions (from Run 6) along with preliminary results from Au+Au collisions (in Run 7) at \(\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=200\) GeV from the STAR experiment.
Economic and legal analysis of medical ethics

In the last decade, the antityrust authorities have stricken one after another of the ethical rules of professional societies. Underlying this pokicy is the widelyaccepted notion that ethics are simply devices designed by the professions to limit competition and thereby to benefit their pecuniary interests. The antitrust assault does not consider the longstanding, nearly universal consumer support for controls on the activities of certain professions. In this paper, the narrow view ofcompetition adopted by the courts is assailed. Focusing on the case ofrestrictions on interactions between physicians and other nonmedical health care providers, some procompetitive effects of medical ethics are analyzed. Generally, professional ethics can only change the form of competition but not eliminate it. A proper legal policy requires recognition of the consumer concern with the form of competition and therefore requires a careful balancing of the beneficial competitive effects against any attendant limits on intraprofessional competition.
STUDENT TEACHERS' BELIEFS RELATED TO LITERACY INSTRUCTION FOR NONNATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS '

Srrmt71ary.-Responses from 106 student teachers and interns were analyzed to assess their theoretical orientations toward reaching language. Those in the bilingual intern program had a clear functional orientauon. No changes were found for individual teachers From the beginning to the end of the year. Recently, Johnson (3) reported that 60% of teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) in her study possessed clearly defined theoretical behefs about a particular methodological approach to teaching a second language: function-based. Johnson linked the theoretical orientation to the training they received to teach a second language. This study examined whether student teachers and interns of second-language teaching and learning hold theoretical behefs reflecting the methodological divisions of slull-based, rulebased, and function-based approaches toward such teaching and whether their behefs and practices change across the school year. Participants were 108 student teachers or interns, administered a Beliefs Inventory (3, 6) and a Lesson Plan Analysis Task (3, 4). Those who scored as showing a clear theoretical orientation were given the Ideal Instructional Protocol (3). Analysis of variance using BMDP (2) was applied to scores for 106 complete protocols. Since ceU sizes were unequal among four groups, the Sum of Squares I11 was used. There were significant differences between programs in the proportion of students classed as having clear theoretical orientations (F,, ,, = 3.26, p < .001). Post hoc tests indicated that significantly more students in the elementary bilingual intern teaching program (12 of 21) had scores showing clear theoretical orientations than in the teaching programs for special education (3 of 18), secondary English (6 of 17), or elementary school (11 of 46), but none in the bilingual intern program and students in other intern programs or the bdingual student teaching program. The bhgual interns showed a functional orientation which reflects the philosophy of Krashen (5) and Cumrnins (1). From the beginning to the end of the year changes in scores were noted for these undergraduates. Johnson (3) hked her teachers' theoretical orientations to the~r own experiences in language training but not to their literacy education.
Biology ofPterolonche inspersa (Lep.: Pterolonchidae), a biological control agent forCentaurea diffusa andC. maculosa in the United States

The moth,Pterolonche inspersa (Staudinger) (Lepidoptera: Pterolonchidae), is widely distributed in southern Europe, north Africa, Turkey and the former Soviet Union. It occurs in both thick and scattered stands of knapweeds in disturbed sites, usually on sandy and/or stony soil. Larvae bore in the roots of diffuse and spotted knapweeds (Centaurea diffusa De Lamarck andC. maculosa De Lamarck). There is one generation per year in northern Greece, and larvae feed in the roots for about 11 months during the growing season (August–September, to the following July–August). In the laboratory garden, emergence took place between the second half of July and the end of August, with peak emergence during mid August. In the field, adults were observed from early to late July. Female moths oviposited on rosettes during the first ten days of July and continued through the end of July. Eggs were laid singly or in groups of five or six, firmly attached to the leaves of the host plant. In the laboratory, females mated within 24 hours of emergence and the preoviposition period lasted 2.6±0.8 days. The oviposition period lasted 7.4±2.2 days and the average number of eggs per female was 142.2±59.2. The incubation period was 12±4.7 days; the pupal stage lasted 14.7±2.4 days; and females lived 15.8±2.4 days, while males lived 10.7±1.4 days. First instar larvae failed to survive on economically important Compositae in the generaCynara L.,Helianthus L.,Zinnia L. andCalendula L. (Dunnet al., 1989).
Physical and Cultural Constraint of Innovation in the Late Prehistoric Metallurgy of Cerro Huaringa, Peru

The arsenical copper smelting technology reconstructed from the archaeological record at the late prehistoric industrial site of Cerro Huaringa, Peru, remained unchanged for the six centuries preceding the Spanish Conquest. This lack of technological innovation is argued to be a result of the physical constraints imposed by a cultural commitment to human breath as the source of draft.
“Let’s Get Drunk and Have Sex”: The Complex Relationship of Alcohol, Gender, and Sexual Victimization

Using interviews with 43 college-age individuals, the present study aims to create a more nuanced and complex understanding of the relationship between alcohol and gender in instances of sexual victimization. The existing scholarship suggests that either alcohol or gendered processes are the primary factors in facilitating a sexual assault, one always dominating the other. However, participants express a more complex understanding that suggests that not only do each of these factors contribute individually to sexual victimization, but they also interact to create a context in which sexual victimization is not only possible but also likely. In these in-depth interviews, participants reveal the ways in which the physiological effects of alcohol, beliefs about alcohol, gender norms, sex scripts, and rape myths all work together to normalize male dominance and violence against women. Given that sexual assaults among college-age women have not declined in the past 50 years and alcohol consumption is present in upward of 50% of all assaults, it is critical that scholars continue to disentangle this relationship and reformulate the way we conceptualize sexual violence.
Performing in (virtual) spaces: embodiment and being in virtual environments

AbstractThis paper focuses on how the body has been recontextualised in the age of digital technology, especially through the phenomenon of Virtual Reality, and specifically on fully immersive VR environments made as art or performative installations. It discusses the progress\ion in form and function from other digital media or ‘cybermedia’ to fully immersive virtual environments (VEs). This paper attempts to explicate the specialised and intrinsic qualities of ‘Being’ in immersive VEs, and how it impacts both the experience of the embodied person in the virtual environment, and our thinking about everyday reality. The unique state of Being in immersive VEs has created a paradigm shift in what humans are now able to experience, and affects how we understand our embodied selves in an increasingly digital world. Because of this, the contributions of visual and performance artists to VE's continued development is key to how we will know and comprehend ourselves in the near and far future as creatures existi...
Mitophagy confers resistance to siderophore-mediated killing by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

In the arms race of bacterial pathogenesis, bacteria produce an array of toxins and virulence factors that disrupt core host processes. Hosts mitigate the ensuing damage by responding with immune countermeasures. The iron-binding siderophore pyoverdin is a key virulence mediator of the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but its pathogenic mechanism has not been established. Here we demonstrate that pyoverdin enters Caenorhabditis elegans and that it is sufficient to mediate host killing. Moreover, we show that iron chelation disrupts mitochondrial homeostasis and triggers mitophagy both in C. elegans and mammalian cells. Finally, we show that mitophagy provides protection both against the extracellular pathogen P. aeruginosa and to treatment with a xenobiotic chelator, phenanthroline, in C. elegans. Although autophagic machinery has been shown to target intracellular bacteria for degradation (a process known as xenophagy), our report establishes a role for authentic mitochondrial autophagy in the innate immune defense against P. aeruginosa.
The Self-Regulation of Humor Expression: A Mixed Method, Phenomenological Investigation of Suppressed Laughter

This study utilized a mixed method, phenomenological approach to better understand the lived experience of suppressed laughter. Study 1 utilized an empirical, phenomenological analysis of 17 first-person descriptions of suppressed laughter, which identified various essential themes, including the key findings that suppressed laughter occurred within a social context in which laughter was not appropriate and in which the presence of a confidant increased the pressure to laugh. Study 2 was a follow-up, experimental study, which included 107 participants who read 4 pairs of second-person perspective narratives. Participants found scenarios to be more humorous when a friend was present and when the social context was laughter-inappropriate. In addition, participants were more likely to endorse emotion suppression in laughter-inappropriate contexts, but less likely to endorse suppression when in the presence of a friend.
Gonadal cysts in spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) from Bayou Trepagnier, Louisiana, USA

Gonadal cysts of spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus), an air-breathing teleost commonly found in Louisiana waters, are described. Fish were collected from two sites: Bayou Trepagnier, a petroleum-contaminated site (30 males and 42 females), and Bayou Traverse, a control site (17 males and 15 females). After fish were evaluated for gross abnormalities, they were necropsied and the gonads, gonadal ducts, and gonadal cysts were evaluated histologically. Multilocular fluid-filled cysts were noted in the testes, or spermatic ducts of four spotted gars from the Bayou Trepagnier. Unilateral ovarian cystadenomas were present in one female from Bayou Trepagnier. No cysts were observed in the gonads of spotted gar from the control site.
Preventing Chronic Disease among the Aged: A Call for Evidence-Based Design Research

The quality of the built environment and the public health and well-being of its inhabitants are profoundly interwoven. Among all age groups, the aged are particularly susceptible to disengagement or avoidance of the built environment and the physical exercise options it affords; this can have a deleterious influence on personal health. In this discussion, concepts drawn from the fields of architecture, landscape research, urban and regional planning, and environmental gerontology are drawn together in the context of a hybrid conceptual and operative model. This model is put forth to assist in the acquisition of knowledge in the field to further understanding of how chronic diseases among the aged can be reduced through the provision and utilization of sufficiently supportive outdoor physical activity options in the everyday environment. This hybrid model, the Prospect-Refuge Competency Index (PRCI), combines key elements of prospect-refuge theory and environmental press-competency theory. It can be appli...
Cargon and sulfur isotope separation by ArF laser irradiation of CS2

Abstract Single-photon isotope separation of carbon and sulfur isotopes has been carried out by irradiating a predissociative band of CS 2 with an ArF laser. Good selectivity for carbon isotopes was obtained with both broad-band and narrowed tuned laser outputs. Sulfur isotopic selectivity was found only upon irradiation with a tuned laser. The inherent simplicity of the technique suggests it should be useful for laboratory preparation of carbon-13 samples.
The Emerging Role of QSOX1 in Cancer

Abstract Significance: Quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase 1 (QSOX1) is an enzyme that oxidizes thiols during protein folding, reducing molecular oxygen to hydrogen peroxide. Tumor cells may take advantage of oxidative environments at different stages of tumorigenesis, but QSOX1 may also serve additional functions in tumors. Recent Advances: Several groups have reported the over-expression of QSOX1 in breast, pancreas, and prostate cancers. A consensus is building that QSOX1 over-expression is important during tumor cell invasion, facilitating tumor cell migration at the tumor-stroma interface. As such, QSOX1 may be considered a prognostic indicator of metastatic potential or even indicate that cancer is present in a host. Critical Issues: However, some controversy exists between QSOX1 as a marker of poor or favorable outcome in breast cancer. More studies are required to reveal what advantage QSOX1 provides to breast and other types of cancer. More specifically, it is critical to learn which tumor types over-exp...
Anyons on a torus

We show that the states of an anyon system on a torus are not completely determined by the positions of the anyons. There are q states for each fixed anyon configuration if the statistics of the anyons is given by \ensuremath{\theta}=p\ensuremath{\pi}/q. We explicitly construct the lattice Hamiltonian for the anyon system on the torus. The Hamiltonian is shown, both analytically and numerically, to respect the translation symmetries and the rotation symmetries. The flux of the anyon system is found to be quantized in units of 2\ensuremath{\pi}/q, without any shift. We also write down the effective Hamiltonian for the holons (with \ensuremath{\theta}=\ensuremath{\pi}/2) in the chiral spin state.
Volumetric intracoronary ultrasound: Methods and validation

Intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS) not only allows visualization of the vessel lumen, it gives a unique view of the transmural components of the artery wall. Analysis of lumen and plaque volume is necessary for studying atherosclerotic disease progression or regression and the mechanisms of therapeutic coronary interventions. A real-time, ICUS pull-back data acquisition scheme was developed to acquire calibrated, cardiac-gated volumetric image data sets. A semiautomated border detection scheme was implemented using dynamic programming. In phantoms, estimated area profiles were very reproducible as measured by the root-mean-square from the mean (3.8-5.9%). In phantom volume estimates, improved reproducibility (standard deviation = 1.2-3.6%) was obtained as positive and negative errors in area profiles were averaged out. Phantom volumes were also accurate when compared to true water displacement volume. The mean error ranged from -2.59 to -8.94%. When compared to quantitative single and biplane angiographic analysis, ICUS volumetric estimates tended to be superior to single plane analysis (error -5.06 +/- 2.48% vs -9.96 +/- 8.01%), but similar to optimal biplane analysis (error -5.06 +/- 2.48% vs -6.34 +/- 3.08%). In vivo reproducibility was assessed by performing multiple cardiac-gated pull-backs through experimentally induced stenosis. Over the length of the stenosis, excellent reproducibility of area profiles (+/- 5.9%) and volumes (+/- 1.9%) was obtained for cardiac-gated acquisitions. We conclude that volumetric ICUS provides accurate and reproducible estimates of lumen volume. Thus this technique may be of use in clinical trials where changes lumen volumes and vessel area profiles are of interest.
Documentation of a rare example of an intramolecular 1,2-addition of a trialkylborane to a carbonyl group

Abstract In the course of synthetic studies aimed at the elaboration of highly funtionalized ketone 1, we observed what appeared to be an extremely rare example of the addition of a trialkylborane to a carbonyl group. We were able to confirm the initial spectroscopic structural assignment by X-ray crystallography. Some preliminary mechanistic experiments suggest that the addition occurs directly in the absence of oxygen prior to oxidation of the trialkylborane during workup.
Electrochemistry of cofacial phthalocyanine polymers: What can we learn about how molecular metal collective properties respond to wide variations in band filling?

Abstract The oxidative electrochemistry of the cofacially joined phthalocyanine polymer [Si (Pc)O] n to yield molecular “metals” with tunable band filling is described. Initial doping (oxidation) of orthorhombic [Si (Pc)O] n is accompanied by a rearrangement to a tetragonal crystal structure. Once in the tetragonal crystal structure, the conduction band filling can be continuously varied (i.e. doping is homogeneous) over a broad range in y for {[Si (Pc)O]X y ∼ n . For example, materials incorporating BF − 4 as the counterion can be tuned between y = 0.0 and y = 0.50. In fact, the maximum doping level obtainable with a given counterion is largely a function of anion size. Charge transport, optical, and magnetic studies of the {[Si (Pc)O] (BF 4 ) y ∼ n materials reveal an evolution in properties from insulator/semiconductor-like to metal-like with increasing y and an abrupt insulator-to-metal transition at y ≈ 0.20. This change at y ≈ 0.20 appears to be an Anderson-like transition from localized (disordered) states to delocalized states. Physical measurements on {[Si (Pc)-O] (SO 4 ) y ∼ n show no evidence of exceptional electronic effects attributable to the dinegative counterion.
Metabolism of Tryptophan in Petioles of Coleus

Auxin precursors retard abscission when applied to debladed petioles of Coleus blumei Benth. The d and l forms of tryptophan are equally effective in retarding abscission. Tryptamine is more effective than is tryptophan. Both compounds apparently are converted to auxin through an aldehyde intermediate. The evidence presented suggests that a major pathway of tryptophan metabolism proceeds through tryptamine, as can be demonstrated by the use of amine oxidase inhibitors in the petiole tissue. Cell free preparations of the tissues metabolize tryptophan-1-14C with the release of carbon dioxide. The rate of tryptophan mtabolism in abscission tissue is 5 times that in distal petiole tissue. Radioactivity is associated with basic indole conversion products as well as with neutral and acidic fractions. The radioactivity is most concentrated in the neutral fraction. The results indicate that the Coleus petiole itself is capable of producing auxin.
High-Rate Deposited Amorphous Silicon Nitride for the Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Thin-Film Transistor Structures

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride thin films, prepared in a large area plasma-enhanced chemical vapor (PECVD) deposition system utilizing high-rate deposition technique, have been characterized by various techniques. Experimental data obtained from this study are presented and compared to low-rate deposited PECVD films. Special attention has been devoted during this study to the difference between high- and low-rate deposited samples. The amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on high-rate PECVD materials have been fabricated and characterized. The evaluation of a-Si:H TFTs indicates a good electrical performance which is comparable to its low-rate PECVD materials counterparts.
Considerations for Manufacturing Bio-Based Plastic Products

One engine that drives the United States’ economic growth is an ever-increasing demand for manufactured products, both at home and abroad. This increase has created a major concern for the environment in terms of disposing used goods and ensuring that these products are safe. As environmental concerns grow, however, renewable resources are gaining increasing attention, especially as industrial ecology and product biodegradability gain importance. Added to this, biological materials are increasingly being utilized to replace traditional materials in manufacturing. To aid both educators as well as researchers, this paper examines several considerations that are essential for manufacturing plastic products that contain biomaterials. These include the selection of materials, the selection of manufacturing processes, manufacturing costs, and the quality of final products. Additionally, several standard methods that are commonly used for the determination of mechanical and physical properties are compiled; thus this paper should be a useful resource for both educators and researchers. The trends discussed here and their implications are critical for those involved in manufacturing, because contrary to conventional wisdom, simultaneously meeting the material production needs of our society, as well as that of the environment are not mutually-exclusive.
Reduction of testicular testosterone in rats by ether anesthesia.

There was a reduction of testicular testosterone in rats given ether anesthesia, occurring within 2 min and maintained for at least 24 hr. The testosterone content of the testicles was essentially the same for animals sacrificed at 2, 5, 10 and 15 min, and 4 and 24 hr after ether anesthesia. (Endocrinology 84: 940, 1969)
Short-term circadian disruption impairs bile acid and lipid homeostasis in mice.

Background & Aims Bile acids are physiologic detergents that also activate nuclear receptors to regulate glucose and lipid homeostasis. Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (Cyp7a1), the rate-limiting enzyme that converts cholesterol to bile acids, is transcriptionally regulated by bile acids and circadian rhythms. Fasting, nutrients, and the circadian clock critically control hepatic bile acid and lipid homeostasis, and circadian misalignment is associated with the metabolic syndrome in humans. To delineate these interactions, we employed a sleep disruption model to induce circadian disruption and examined hepatic metabolism with respect to bile acids, lipids, and clock gene expression. Methods B6xC57 mice were maintained on chow or Western diet and were sleep disrupted for 6 hours/day for 5 days. Mice were sacrificed at 4-hour intervals over 24 hours. Hepatic metabolic genes were examined, and bile acid pool and lipid profiles were measured over 24 hours. Results Sleep disruption significantly suppressed circadian expression of core clock genes, genes involved in lipid metabolism, and key regulators of Cyp7a1 as well as Cyp7a1 expression itself. Sleep disruption abolished the peak in serum cholesterol and increased liver and serum free fatty acids. Bile acid pool size was increased while liver bile acids were decreased. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed that hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) and D-site binding protein (Dbp) occupancies were suppressed at the Cyp7a1 promoter in sleep-disrupted mice. When coupled with Western diet, sleep disruption abolished liver clock rhythms and elevated free fatty acids. Conclusions Even short-term circadian disruption dramatically alters hepatic clock gene expression, bile acid metabolism, and lipid homeostasis to contribute to dyslipidemia.
A 0.39mA 92dB modified-feedback ΣΔ modulator for digital RF hearing aid with 1.2V supply voltage in 0.35µm CMOS

A 0.39mA 92dB dynamic range switch-capacitor (SC) third-order ΣΔ modulator for a digital RF hearing aid in 0.35µm CMOS is presented here. A modified-feedback topology is used here that effectively achieves a high dynamic range and the low power consumption. In the implementation, the bootstrapping-switch and the low-voltage wide-swing OTA are essentially designed for 1.2V supply voltage with the 0.35um CMOS process. In the measurement result, this modulator achieves 90dB SNR in a 10-KHz bandwidth with an oversampling ratio of 128, and its power consumption is 0.47mW with a good FOM of 555e-6.
Calculations on the Mechanical Energy of Vacancy Condensation Loops, Stacking Fault Tetrahedra, and Voids

Employing the most accurate theoretical expressions known for the energy of five different types of vacancy condensation products, the relative stabilities of these are evaluated by means of a B 5500 computer. The calculations are performed for the cases of aluminum, nickel, platinum, copper, gold, and silver, while the defects considered are the hexagonal Frank loop on {111} with 1/3 as Burgers vector, two perfect loops with 1/2 Burgers vectors, one of these being hexagonal on {111} the other diamond-shaped on {110}, further the spherical void and, finally, the stacking fault tetrahedron. By comparing the results of the calculation with experimental evidence, some broad agreement is found, but also some quite important discrepancies. These are discussed theoretically. Auf Grund der genauesten zur Verfugung stehenden Gleichungen fur die mechanische Energie von funf verschiedenen Gitterfehlern, die durch Leerstellenkondensation entstehen, ist deren relative Stabilitat mit Hilfe einer elektronischen B 5500-Rechenmaschine berechnet worden, und zwar fur die Metalle Aluminium, Nickel, Platin, Kupfer, Gold und Silber. Betrachtet wurden die hexagonale Franksche Versetzung auf {111} mit einem Burgers-Vektor 1/3 , die Versetzung gleicher Geometrie aber mit einem Burgers-Vektor 1/2 , der rhombenformige Versetzungsring mit einem Burgers-Vektor 1/2 auf {110}, der kugelformige Hohlraum und das Stapelfehlertetraeder. Der Vergleich zwischen den Resultaten der Rechnung und experimentellen Beobachtungen zeigt allgemeine Ubereinstimmung, aber auch einige wesentliche Verschiedenheiten. Diese werden an Hand der Theorie diskutiert.
Hospitals Sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church: Separate, Equal, and Distinct?

For centuries, the Catholic Church has been a major social actor in the provision of health services, particularly health care delivered in hospitals. Through a confluence of powerful environmental forces at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the future of Catholic health care is threatened. Although Catholic hospitals are a separate case of private, nonprofit hospitals, they have experienced environmental pressures to become isomorphic with other hospital ownership types and, on some dimensions, they are equal. To keep pace with the changing demands of religion and the social role of the hospital, Catholic hospitals continue to redefine themselves. To justify a distinct and legitimate social role, more research should be conducted to develop and measure indicators of Catholic identity.
Recognition of family-specific calls in stripe-backed wrens

Males of the cooperatively breeding stripe-backed wren Campylorhynchus nuchalis, learn repertoires of stereotyped calls (termed WAY calls) from older male relatives. As a result, these vocalizations are normally specific to patrilineal family groups but are sometimes shared by male relatives in different groups. To determine whether or not this species can recognize the calls of different family groups, I performed playback experiments with individual call types recorded from males of known social and genealogical relationships. Subjects discriminated between the calls of unrelated neighbouring groups and unfamiliar groups, and they discriminated both of these from calls of their own groups. However, subjects failed to distinguish calls of males in other groups from calls of their own groups when these males were members of the same patriline. These results indicate that stripe-backed wrens can discriminate between repertoires of these calls that match or differ from their own. Consequently, they can recognize members of their patriline, not just members of their immediate group. These vocalizations probably provide a useful mechanism for recognizing group membership in this species and might also provide a mechanism for recognizing unfamiliar relatives in other groups. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
A review of race socialization within Black families

Abstract This manuscript provides a critical and comprehensive review of research on race socialization within Black families. Race socialization is defined as specific verbal and non-verbal messages transmitted to younger generations for the development of values, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs regarding the meaning and significance of race and racial stratification, intergroup and intragroup interactions, and personal and group identity. Reviewed are published articles that address either analytical or theoretical approaches to understanding Black families’ race socialization practices. First, theoretical perspectives of the race socialization process are reviewed. Second, this review defines race socialization in Black families. It then describes modes of message transmittal. Next, it focuses on three domains of research on race socialization: (a) prevalence, (b) content, and (c) race socialization as a predictor of child and adult outcomes. It concludes by outlining important challenges and issues in the literature to encourage the development of future research.
A Practical Nonmonotonic Theory for Reasoning about Speech Acts

A prerequisite to a theory of the way agents understand speech acts is a theory of how their beliefs and intentions are revised as a consequence of events. This process of attitude revision is an interesting domain for the application of nonmonotonic reasoning because speech acts have a conventional aspect that is readily represented by defaults, but that interacts with an agent's beliefs and intentions in many complex ways that may override the defaults. Perrault has developed a theory of speech acts, based on Rieter's default logic, that captures the conventional aspect; it does not, however, adequately account for certain easily observed facts about attitude revision resulting from speech acts. A natural theory of attitude revision seems to require a method of stating preferences among competing defaults. We present here a speech act theory, formalized in hierarchic autoepistemic logic (a refinement of Moore's autoepistemic logic), in which revision of both the speaker's and hearer's attitudes can be adequately described. As a collateral benefit, efficient automatic reasoning methods for the formalism exist. The theory has been implemented and is now being employed by an utterance-planning system.
Radiation Dose Assessment for I-131 Therapy of Thyroid Cancer Using I-124 PET Imaging.

Abstract The goal for this work was to develop a method to determine the feasibility of estimating absorbed dose distribution of I-131 thyroid therapy using I-124 PET images of residual thyroid lesions with the dose constraint of 200 cGy to blood, that is a surrogate for bone marrow toxicity. A dose response study has been carried out on 3 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma. Those patients were given 15-37 MBq of I-124 along with 74-185 MBq of I-131. PET imaging was performed 2–4 hour and then at 24 hour and either 48 hour, or 72 hour post-infusion. Lesion masses were computed from PET images using an adaptive thresholding technique. The definition of the boundary enabled determination of the iodine activity within the lesion. Time-activity curves were fitted to estimate the cumulated activity and therefore the absorbed dose per MBq administered. Daily blood and total body counts were performed on the patients using a multichannel analyzer with windows set for both I-131 (364 keV) and I-124 (511 keV). Cross-talk corrections from one isotope into the alternate window was determined using a standard of each respective isotope. At maximum-tolerated-activity (MTA) that delivers 200 cGy radiation dose to the blood, the dose to lesions from I-131 varied from 0.04 to 2.44 cGy/MBq (1.57–90.48 rads/mCi) with effective half-lives for I-124 ranging from 0.58 to 1.86 days. The three-dimensional absorbed dose distribution in the thyroid lesions was calculated by convolving the activity values with an I-131 point-source kernel using a Fast Hartley Transform. The calculated mean absorbed dose distribution was displayed as isodose lines on PET images that can be used to refine the amount of administered activity. PET with I-124 may improve the absorbed dose estimates from radioiodine therapy with I-131 in the treatment of thyroid cancer. The capability of estimating I-131 mean absorbed dose distributions from serial I-124 PET images can lead to patient-specific treatment planning for thyroid therapy.
New Steps to “Move Forward™”

In 2009, APTA launched a brand campaign (http://www.moveforwardpt.com/) to help consumers, other health care professionals, and referral sources understand what physical therapists do. The motto “physical therapy brings motion to life” was adopted to capture the breadth of physical therapist practice. This issue of PTJ contains a number of exciting articles that provide insight into the scope of our practice. Two themes deserve special attention: variability in human motor development and regenerative medicine . The Pediatrics Special Issue papers on variability in childhood development1–6 challenge us to reconsider assumptions that guide examination and intervention in children with disabilities—and perhaps to “move forward” differently. The Perspective shared by Ambrosio and colleagues7 on the relationship between regenerative medicine and physical therapeutics encourages us to …
Further convergence results for entropies of random branching processes

Suppose a supercritical Galton-Watson random branching process with a finite number of types is given. Then, with probability one in the set of infinitely extended derivation trees, functions of derivations that are additive on subtrees normalized by the number of subtrees converge to their expected values. As corollaries of this general result, convergence is shown for sample entropy, codeword length for codes assigned to subtrees, and number of terminals. An extension of this result shows convergence of ratios of such functions yielding convergence of entropy per terminal as a special case. >
Engaging Online Consumers with an Interactive Cost-Per-Action Advertising Model

Advertising and marketing budgets are often the first hit during an economic crisis. With the rise of e-commerce in recent years, both Internet-based and brick-and-mortar companies are competing for time and attention from Web visitors. While cost-per-click has long been a popular online advertising model, cost-per-action has risen as a competitor. Utilizing a beta test, this article compares a new interactive cost-per-action advertising model with the efficiency of the traditional cost-per-click model, with respect to total Web site visits and the potential for click fraud. Additionally, secondary data is used to discuss the benefits of engaging consumers in an interactive medium where learning can occur. Together, this research highlights the potential for online advertisers to get increased value using an engaging and cost effective alternative to the traditional, static cost-per-click advertising model.
Glp-1 analog, liraglutide, ameliorates hepatic steatosis and cardiac hypertrophy in C57BL/6J mice fed a Western diet

The aims of this study were designed to determine whether liraglutide, a long-acting glucagon-like peptide, could reverse the adverse effects of a diet high in fat that also contained trans-fat and...
A reconfigurable MPI broadcast function

The broadcast function is one of the most used collective communication functions of the message passing interface (MPI) library. Broadcasts are usually implemented with invariable algorithms, which fail to yield the best performance with all kinds of applications in all execution environments. This problem should be addressed, since the performance of the function has great influence on MPI-based applications. In this paper, we present, simulate, analytically model, verify and analyze RMBcast, a reconfigurable broadcast function, which presents variable structures/behaviors, in order to optimize flexibility and performance. Our results show that reconfiguration at the algorithm level yields flexibility and performance gains over traditional broadcast functions, which are implemented with invariable algorithms found in well-known implementations of the MPI standard (i.e. MPICH and LAM/MPI)
Combined mode I ― mode III fracture toughness of alumina particulate-reinforced aluminum alloy-matrix composites

Analyse des caracteristiques de ductilite suivant le mode de chargement d'un materiau composite alliage d'aluminium-dispersions d'alumine.
Peer-to-peer based multimedia digital library

New developments in super peer based peer-to-peer (P2P) network and digital library techniques give us the inspiration of looking for an approach to combine the reliability and strength of server with the flexibility of P2P network in multimedia data sharing. In this paper we describe the design issues of a peer-to-peer based multimedia digital library. Its design is based on super peer based P2P network using HyperCuP topology. Peers build local digital library. They publish their local data in network by interoperating with other peers through open archive initiatives (OAI) interface. I-super-peers process user request and find all available data. G-super-peers generate distributed caching and streaming plan for user data request The plan should be an optimized plan such that it would increase overall performance.