cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A method for concentrating organic dyes: Colorimetric measurements of nitric oxides and sialic acids

A new method for extraction and concentration of organic dyes that uses a reagent composed of a nonionic detergent mixed with an alcohol is described. We have observed that water-soluble organic dyes are also soluble in nonionic detergents and can be extracted by adding salt, which separates the dye-detergent component from the aqueous phase. We have also found that mixing nonionic detergents with alcohols markedly reduces their viscosity and produces stable, free-flowing, and effective reagents for color extraction. On the basis of these observations, we used a mixture of Triton X-100 and 1-butanol and observed that water-soluble natural and synthetic chromophores, as well as dyes generated in biochemical reactions, can be extracted, concentrated, and analyzed spectrophotometrically. Trypan blue and phenol red are used as examples of synthetic dyes, and red wine is used as an example of phenolic plant pigments. Applications for quantification of nitric oxides and sialic acids are described in more detail and show that as little as 0.15 nmol of nitric oxide and 0.20 nmol of sialic acid can be detected. A major advantage of this method is its ability to concentrate chromophores from dye-containing solutions that otherwise cannot be measured because of their low concentrations.
Electro-mechanical analogies for modeling the structural impedance response

Electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance is a powerful structural identification and health monitoring (SHM) technique that allows for inferring high-frequency structural dynamic characteristics directly by interrogating a network of embedded piezoelectric active sensors. In recent years, there has been a considerable interest in expanding range of applications of the electromechanical impedance technique, its synergistic integration into complementary SHM methodologies, and miniaturizing the associated impedance measurement circuitry. The present work is aimed at developing an E/M impedance modeling approach that explores analogies between electrical and mechanical systems and permits representation of the mechanical system elements in terms of equivalent electrical circuits. The advantage of such a representation is that analytical modeling is substantially simplified by considering a network of electrical elements, mechanical quantities are incorporated directly into the electrical model of a measurement unit, and modern circuit design, simulation and analysis software tools can be employed to improve the method performance. The electro-mechanical model of a piezoelectric impedance sensor is discussed and development of the electrical circuit representation of the sensor-structure interaction is presented. The proposed electrical and existing mechanical models are compared showing a good agreement. Applicability of the developed modeling approach is discussed and examples of numerical calculations are provided. It is suggested that describing a sensor-structure electro-mechanical system in terms of electro-mechanical analogies could simplify analytical modeling and improve instrumentation design.
On convection and gravitational layering in Jupiter and in stars of low mass.

Neutral helium is probably insoluble in metallic hydrogen below some critical temperature. When Jupiter has cooled sufficiently, helium droplets can form, grow, and fall under gravity, leading to chemical separation and gravitational layering in spite of rapid convection. Applications to cool stars are discussed.
Scales of response of the convective boundary layer to land-surface heterogeneity

The convective boundary layer (CBL) over domains with meso-γ-scale (2–20 km) heterogeneity is characterized by preferentially located, organized rolls of characteristic size equivalent to the length-scale of the heterogeneity. Additionally, random turbulent thermals also develop when the length-scale of the heterogeneity exceeds 5–10 km. This is due to a complex interaction between the horizontal pressure gradient generated by the heterogeneity and the buoyancy forcing. Consequently, the corresponding wavelet spectrum exhibits two peaks — one representing the turbulent thermals at a characteristic scale of about 1.5 times the CBL height and another denoting the organized eddies at a scale similar to that of the heterogeneity. This implies that subgrid-scale parameterizations in models with grid size larger than 5–10 km, which account only for random turbulence, are inadequate for heterogeneous domains. Also, this study may provide a more objective classification of scales of atmospheric processes.
Self-regulation of exercise behavior in the TIGER study

This study aimed to test experiential and behavioral processes of change as mediators of the prediction of exercise behavior by two self-regulation traits, self-efficacy and self-motivation, while controlling for exercise enjoyment. Structural equation modeling was applied to questionnaire responses obtained from a diverse sample of participants. Objective measures defined adherence (928 of 1,279 participants attended 80 % or more of sessions) and compliance (867 of 1,145 participants exercised 30 min or more each session at their prescribed heart rate). Prediction of attendance by self-efficacy (inversely) and self-motivation was direct and also indirect, mediated through positive relations with the typical use of behavioral change processes. Enjoyment and self-efficacy (inversely) predicted compliance with the exercise prescription. The results support the usefulness of self-regulatory behavioral processes of the transtheoretical model for predicting exercise adherence, but not compliance, extending the supportive evidence for self-regulation beyond self-reports of physical activity used in prior observational studies.
From verification to control: dynamic programs for omega-regular objectives

Dynamic programs, or fixpoint iteration schemes, are useful for solving many problems on state spaces. For Kripke structures, a rich fixpoint theory is available in the form of the /spl mu/-calculus, yet few connections have been made between different interpretations of fixpoint algorithms. We study the question of when a particular fixpoint iteration scheme /spl phi/ for verifying an /spl omega/-regular property /spl Psi/ on a Kripke structure can be used also for solving a two-player game on a game graph with winning objective /spl Psi/. We provide a sufficient and necessary criterion for the answer to be affirmative in the form of an extremal-model theorem for games: under a game interpretation, the dynamic program /spl phi/ solves the game with objective /spl Psi/ iff both (1) under an existential interpretation on Kripke structures, /spl phi/ is equivalent to /spl exist//spl Psi/, and (2) under a universal interpretation on Kripke structures, /spl phi/ is equivalent to /spl forall//spl Psi/. In other words, /spl phi/ is correct on all two-player game graphs iff it is correct on all extremal game graphs, where one or the other player has no choice of moves. The theorem generalizes to quantitative interpretations, where it connects two-player games with costs to weighted graphs. While the standard translations from /spl omega/-regular properties to the /spl mu/-calculus violate (1) or (2), we give a translation that satisfies both conditions. Our construction, therefore, yields fixpoint iteration schemes that can be uniformly applied on Kripke structures, weighted graphs, game graphs, and game graphs with costs, in order to meet or optimize a given /spl omega/-regular objective.
Independent movement of the regulatory and catalytic domains of myosin heads revealed by phosphorescence anisotropy

Inter- and intradomain flexibility of the myosin head was measured using phosphorescence anisotropy of selectively labeled parts of the molecule. Whole myosin and the myosin head, subfragment-1 (S1), were labeled with eosin-5-iodoacetamide on the catalytic domain (Cys 707) and on two sites on the regulatory domain (Cys 177 on the essential light chain and Cys 154 on the regulatory light chain). Phosphorescence anisotropy was measured in soluble S1 and myosin, with and without F-actin, as well as in synthetic myosin filaments. The anisotropy of the former were too low to observe differences in the domain mobilities, including when bound to actin. However, this was not the case in the myosin filament. The final anisotropy of the probe on the catalytic domain was 0.051, which increased for probes bound to the essential and regulatory light chains to 0.085 and 0.089, respectively. These differences can be expressed in terms of a "wobble in a cone" model, suggesting various amplitudes. The catalytic domain was least restricted, with a 51 ( 5° half-cone angle, whereas the essential and regulatory light chain amplitude was less than 29°. These data demonstrate the presence of a point of flexibility between the catalytic and regulatory domains. The presence of the "hinge" between the catalytic and regulatory domains, with a rigid regulatory domain, is consistent with both the "swinging lever arm" and "Brownian ratchet" models of force generation. However, in the former case there is a postulated requirement for the hinge to stiffen to transmit the generated torque associated by nucleotide hydrolysis and actin binding.
Parathyroid hormone and its effects on dental tissues

In the current era, various pharmacological agents exist for osteoporosis management, and synthetic parathyroid hormone (PTH) (Teriparatide, Forteo) is one of the treatment options. Depending on the timing of administration, PTH has a unique ability to cause both bone apposition and bone resorption. This review focuses on the effects of PTH on the bone, specifically the jaw bones mandible and maxilla. The article briefly describes the fundamental mechanism of PTH action at the molecular level, as well as in experimental animals and in humans. It differentiates intermittent administration of PTH, especially at doses tolerated by humans that increase bone strength and prevent bone fractures, from continuous use that may lead to bone loss. In particular, it shows how intermittent administration of PTH can play a significant role in periodontal repair and implant success via stimulation of bone mineral content especially in the pre-alveolar region.
Modeling Genetic and Environmental Factors in Biological Systems Using Structural Equation Modeling: An Application to Energy Balance

To improve our understanding of the role(s) that genes and environmental factors play in a complex disease, we need statistical approaches that model multiple factors simultaneously in a hierarchical manner that aims to reflect the underlying biological system(s). We present an approach that models genes as latent constructs, defined by multiple variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) within each gene, using the multivariate statistical framework of structural equation modeling (SEM) to model multiple, putative genetic and environmental factors involved in energy imbalance (‘obesity’) using subjects from a colon polyp case-control study. We found that modeling constructs for the leptin receptor (LEPR) gene (defined by SNPs rs1137100, rs1137101, rs1805096, rs6588147) and the fat mass-and-obesity-associated (FTO) gene (defined by SNPs rs9939609, rs1421085, rs8044769) together with demographic (age, race, gender), physical activity, diet and sleep variables increased the strength of the association (βstd=-0.13 ± 0.06; p=0.03) between the FTO and obesity constructs compared to that observed in a reduced model with only the FTO and LEPR constructs and demographic variables (βstd=-0.05 ± 0.03; p=0.08). Several indirect paths, including an association between the LEPR and physical activity constructs (βstd=-0.15 ± 0.04; p=0.01), were found. Interestingly, removing FTO revealed a marginal association between the LEPR and obesity constructs (βstd=0.24 ± 0.14; p=0.09), which was not present when FTO was in the model. These results illustrate the importance of modeling multiple relevant genes and other factors in the same model, which is a major strength of this approach. Moreover, our latent gene construct approach exploits the correlation structure between SNPs while capturing overall effects of variation in that gene, which will enable better utilization of candidate gene and genome-wide SNP array data.
Detecting "dipole ring" separatrices with zebra palettes

Two new analysis methods applicable to remote sensing of the sea surface are described. The first is a zebra false-color palette that combines a slowly varying rainbow with a rapid gray-scale sinusoid, and the other is a routine that tracks the thermal separatrix, or dividing line, between two (of more) circulation regimes. Used together, a significant increase in data retention is achieved compared to traditional algorithms based on frontal digitizations. These two methods are applied to historical infrared data of Gulf Stream rings from the western North Atlantic. The ring data indicate anticyclonic rings usually have at least one cyclonic companion and are more appropriately modeled as dipoles. Several examples of cyclonic rings in the Sargasso Sea are seen with anticyclonic companions and are also believed to be dipoles. The separatrix method is shown to provide reliable rotation rates for these vortex systems.
Family-Centered, Assessment-Based Intervention to Improve Behavior During an Early Morning Routine:

This article presents a demonstration of assessment-based intervention conducted in a family context to improve the responding of a boy with Asperger syndrome during the early morning routine of ge...
Alveolar Macrophages and Neutrophils Are the Primary Reservoirs for Legionella pneumophila and Mediate Cytosolic Surveillance of Type IV Secretion

Legionella pneumophila, an intracellular pathogen responsible for the severe pneumonia Legionnaires' disease, uses its dot/icm-encoded type IV secretion system (T4SS) to translocate effector proteins that promote its survival and replication into the host cell cytosol. However, by introducing bacterial products into the host cytosol, L. pneumophila also activates cytosolic immunosurveillance pathways, thereby triggering robust proinflammatory responses that mediate the control of infection. Thus, the pulmonary cell types that L. pneumophila infects not only may act as an intracellular niche that facilitates its pathogenesis but also may contribute to the immune response against L. pneumophila. The identity of these host cells remains poorly understood. Here, we developed a strain of L. pneumophila producing a fusion protein consisting of β-lactamase fused to the T4SS-translocated effector RalF, which allowed us to track cells injected by the T4SS. Our data reveal that alveolar macrophages and neutrophils both are the primary recipients of T4SS-translocated effectors and harbor viable L. pneumophila during pulmonary infection of mice. Moreover, both alveolar macrophages and neutrophils from infected mice produced tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1α in response to T4SS-sufficient, but not T4SS-deficient, L. pneumophila. Collectively, our data suggest that alveolar macrophages and neutrophils are both an intracellular reservoir for L. pneumophila and a source of proinflammatory cytokines that contribute to the host immune response against L. pneumophila during pulmonary infection.
Planning under time pressure

Heuristic search is a technique used pervasively in the fieldsof artificial intelligence, automated planning and operations research to solve a wide range of problems from planning military deployments to planning tasks for a robot that must clean a messy kitchen. An automated agent can use heuristic search to construct a plan that, when executed, will achieve a desired task. The search algorithm explores different sequences of actions that the agent can execute, looking for a sequence that will lead it to a desired goal state. In many situations, an agent is given a task that it would like to solve as quickly as possible. The agent must allocate its time between searching for the actions that will achieve the task and actually executing them. We call this problem planning under time pressure.
An examination of graduate students' statistical judgments: statistical and fuzzy set approaches.

The present study examined how statistical significance levels are treated and interpreted by graduate students who use hypothesis-testing in their scientific investigation. To test underlying psychological aspects of hypothesis-testing, the idea of fuzzy set theory was employed to identify the uncertain points in judgments. 34 graduate students in a psychology department made judgments about hypothetical statistical decisions. The results indicated that (1) the majority of these students treated significance levels on a continuum and rated them according to the magnitude of statistical significance; (2) the subjects shifted their decisions based on the types of hypothetical scenarios but not by the sample sizes; instead, they interpreted a smaller sample size as being less reliable. (3) The subjects frequently chose formally used statistical terms, e.g., Significant and Not Significant, more than graduated verbal expressions, e.g., Marginally Significant and Borderline Significant; and (4) the Fuzziness ...
Functional Divergence for Every Paralog

Because genes can be constrained by selection at more than onephenotypic level, the relaxation of constraints following gene duplication allows for functional divergence (FD) along multiple phenotypic axes. Many studies have generated individual measures of FD, but the profile of FD between par alogs across levels of phenotypic space remains largely uncharted. We evaluate paralog pairs that originated via the yeast whole-genome duplication (ohnolog pairs) at three distinct phenotypic levels (properties of proteins, gene expression, and overall organismal growth) using eight complementary measures of FD (protein: evolutionary rates, radical amino acid substitutions, an dd omain architecture; gene expression: expression differences in a single species and condition, across species in a single condition, and in a single species across conditions; and organismal: genetic interaction profiles and growth profiles in multiple conditions). We find that the majority of ohnolog pairs show FD by multiple phenotypic measures. Within each phenotypic level, measures of FD are strongly correlated but are generally weakly correlated between levels, suggesting that functional constraints exerted on genes from distinct phenotypic levels are largely decoupled. Our results suggest that redundancy is a rare functional fate for retained paralogs and that FD cannot be fully captured by measures at any single phenotypic level.
Abnormal saline: the unphysiological bag of brine

Duburcq and colleagues, in their article published in Critical Care, showed improved oxygenation, hemodynamic parameters, and microvascular reactivity in an experimental porcine endotoxic shock model with use of hypertonic sodium lactate 11.2% [1]. We applaud the authors for embarking on the arduous quest for the ideal resuscitative fluid, which has historically been fraught with shortcomings. The control group in this experimental model was subjected to an infusion of 0.9% normal saline. Normal saline has become almost ubiquitous in patient care. More evidence is emerging that this so-called lifeblood, as unphysiological as it is, may be causing undue harm to our patients. A 0.9% normal saline infusion has been demonstrated to cause decreased renal blood flow velocity and renal cortical tissue perfusion in healthy volunteers [2]. Abnormal saline was also associated with increased incidence of acute kidney injury and need for renal replacement therapy in a cohort of critically ill patients [3] and had a higher in-hospital mortality rate than more balanced salt solutions [4]. The significant chloride content of normal saline has been implicated in its adverse effect on acid–base status. It has become more evident that the use of balanced salt solutions may be associated with reduced mortality in the septic population [4,5]. Given the mounting evidence against the use of normal saline, I believe it would be better served if, firstly, the normal saline arm is replaced with one with a balanced salt solution. Secondly, I suggest the experimental model should include a true control arm that did not receive any resuscitative fluids.
Brand Growth Strategy

Brands have long been considered one of the most important intangible assets owned by companies. Driven by competitor innovations, changes in customer wants and needs, and brand atrophy, corporations should plan strategically for brand growth. Companies must understand the various brand growth strategies so as to create brand value/equity and customer equity. While there are no hard and fast rules as to when one brand growth strategy takes precedence over another, the five major strategies for brand growth are line extension strategy, brand extension strategy, cobranding strategy, flanker strategy, and new brand strategy. Keywords: brands; line extensions; brand extensions; cobranding; flanker; new brand
THE DEMAND FOR EDUCATION IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOL SYSTEMS

This paper is concerned with the demand for education under various institutional arrangements. Education has a number of properties which make the analysis of the demand for it both interesting and complex. First, education is provided in the United States both publicly and privately; although there are a few other publicly provided goods which are also privately supplied (e.g., police protection), education is perhaps the most important public good in which both public and private provision plays an important role. Secondly, primary responsibility for education in the United States has traditionally been placed on local governmental bodies, and hence the analysis of the demand and supply of education involves an analysis of local public goods and the relations between local and other governmental bodies. Thirdly, education is itself a complex commodity. It is a consumption good and a capital good, i.e., although much of the expenditure is justified in terms of the effects on the individual’s income in the future, many of the activities of educational institutions are primarily justifiable in terms of their immediate consumption benefits. Moreover, education affects individuals’ future incomes both by providing skills and by providing inforniation about individuals’ characteristics (the human capital versus the screening views of education). It is both a public good and a private good; that is, most of the benefits of education accrue directly to those who are being educated, although public education has been defended on the social return to having an educated citizenry. (Presumably; this refers to social returns which are not captured by the individual himself. I am a little skeptical about the importance of the social returns which are in excess of the private returns.) Finally, public education has traditionally been defended for its redistributive effects, i.e., for providing a good (which may in fact be a private good) to children independently of the wealth of the parents of the children, yet more recently it has been attacked as major contributor to inequality.
Solution Structure of the Vts1 SAM Domain in the Presence of RNA

The yeast Vts1 SAM (sterile alpha motif) domain is a member of a new class of SAM domains that specifically bind RNA. To elucidate the structural basis for RNA binding, the solution structure of the Vts1 SAM domain, in the presence of a specific target RNA, has been solved by multidimensional heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. The Vts1 SAM domain retains the “core” five-helix-bundle architecture of traditional SAM domains, but has additional short helices at N and C termini, comprising a small substructure that caps the core helices. The RNA-binding surface of Vts1, determined by chemical shift perturbation, maps near the ends of three of the core helices, in agreement with mutational data and the electrostatic properties of the molecule. These results provide a structural basis for the versatility of the SAM domain in protein and RNA-recognition.
Engendering Trauma Race, Class, and Gender Reaffirmation after Child Sexual Abuse

Using extra familial child sexual abuse (CSA) as an example of family trauma, the author interviewed 60 parents of sexually abused boys on multiple occasions to analyze the organization of gender, race, and class in parental coping processes. Despite access to alternative interpretations of CSA that challenge conventional notions of gender, parents in this study typically rely on traditional themes to make meaning of the CSA experience. The author organized the data analytically around gender strategies and found that parents used race- and class-specific gender strategies in the aftermath of trauma. Most important, mother-blame is theorized as a form of gender reaffirmation. The author uses the term gender reaffirmation to illustrate the way social actors recuperate after a situation has been interpreted as detrimental, challenging, or stressful to heteronormative gender relations. Mother-blaming accounts encouraged race and class enactments of gender that had negative consequences for women and helped m...
The dark side of risk (what your mother never told you about Time Warp)

This paper is a reminder of the danger of allowing ``risk'' when synchronizing a parallel discrete-event simulation: a simulation code that runs correctly on a serial machine may, when run in parallel, fail catastrophically. This can happen when Time Warp presents an ``inconsistent'' message to an LP, a message that makes absolutely no sense given the LP's state. Failure may result if the simulation modeler did not anticipate the possibility of this inconsistency. While the problem is not new, there has been little discussion of how to deal with it; furthermore the problem may not be evident to new users or potential users of parallel simulation. This paper shows how the problem may occur, and the damage it may cause. We show how one may eliminate inconsistencies due to lagging rollbacks and stale state, but then show that so long as risk is allowed it is still possible for an LP to be placed in a state that is inconsistent with model semantics, again making it vulnerable to failure. We finally show how simulation code can be tested to ensure safe execution under a risk-free protocol. Whether risky or risk-free, we conclude that under current practice the development of correct and safe parallel simulation code is not transparent to the modeler; certain protections must be included in model code or model testing that are not rigorously necessary if the simulation were executed only serially.
Studies in the Physiology of Commensalism. IV. the Polynoid Genera Polynoë , Lepidasthenia and Harmothoe

The host-response of the polynoid Polynoe scolopendrina Savigny, commensal with the terebellid Polymnia nebulosa (Montagu), is relatively specific within the family Terebellidae.Evidence is presented that an unstable or closely bound attractant is present on the outside of the host and perhaps in tube material, but apparently absent in the mucus secreted by the host. Efforts to demonstrate its presence in ground-up whole host resulted in failure.The polynoid Lepidasthenia argus Hodgson demonstrates a similar specificity of response to its host Amphitrite edwardsi Quatrefages.The polynoid Harmothoe spinifera Ehlers, commensal with Amphitrite gracilis Grube, responds to the alternate host Polycirrus caliendrum Claparede as strongly as to its own host, and more strongly than to other species of Amphitrite. Likewise, Polynoe scolopendrina, commensal with Polymnia, responds with greater intensity to the alternate host, the eunicid Lysidice ninetta Audouin and Milne-Edwards, than to any non-host terebellid. This behaviour may be i terpreted as evidence that the specificity of at least some single commensal species for hosts which are not closely related to each other may depend upon the production of similar attractants by these hosts.The responses of three commensal populations of Harmothoe lunulata (Delle Chiaje), commensal respectively with the ophiuroid Acrocnida brachiata (Montagu), the holothurian Leptosynapta inhaerens (O. F. Miiller), and the terebellid Amphitrite johnstoni Malmgren were tested against seven alternate hosts. Each gave maximum response to its own host. However, the population from Acrocnida responded as strongly to Leptosynapta as to its own host, while giving no responses at all to any of the other five.
In Vivo Carcinogenesis Testing

A few years ago carcinogenesis testing seemed to be a rather straightforward scientific matter and it was a simple legislative decision to extrapolate from animals to humans. The Delaney clause, was quite acceptable to regulators and scientists alike. This law mandated that “No additive shall be deemed to be safe if it is found, after tests which are appropriate for the evaluation of the safety of food additives, to induce cancer in man or animal.” Since those days the field of safety testing has become a confused battlefield of political opinion, with scientific information being misused to justify decisions which have little or no scientific basis, but have to be made for practical and often compelling reasons (1, 2). There occurred, for example, the banning of cyclamates, the saccharin embroglio, the banning of chloroform from such items as toothpastes, the more recent withdrawal by the manufacturers of sleeping medicines containing methapyrilene, and the ongoing controversy about the alleged carcinogenicity of such widely used medications as female sex hormones and reserpine. The issue of carcinogenicity testing in vivo and its significance for man has taken on difficult and often awesome dimensions because of a strange and perhaps historically unique combination of technological advances and a pragmatic attitude throughout the world which has resulted in pressures on the planning, execution and interpretation of carcinogenesis testing programs. Recent methodological refinements now permit the detection of trace amounts of the most complex chemical substances, including naturally occurring carcinogens such as aflatoxins and nitrosamines, and impurities con-
Tuberous Sclerosis Report of Nine Cases and a Review

Tuberous sclerosis is characterized by epilepsy, mental retardation and adenoma sebaceum. Seizures and mental retardation were the presenting complaints in the nine cases presented here; however, a variety of clinical manifestations of the disease exist. Early diagnosis facilitates genetic counseling.
Growth And Characterization Of GaAs 1-x Sb x On InP By Molecular Beam Epitaxy

We have grown GaAsi-xSbx alloys on InP by molecular beam epitaxy throughout the miscibility gap region and characterized these layers by a combination of variable temperature Hall measurements, room and low temperature photoluminescence and optical absorption, and transmission electron microscopy. For nearly lattice matched layers, we have obtained p-type material with room temperature hole concentrations of 0.5 - 3.0 1016cm-3 and associated mobilities of 40 - 70 cm2/Vs. Fitting the Hall data to a numerical model indicates that conductivity in these nominally undoped layers is due to two distinct acceptor levels. Photoluminescence linewidths less than 8 meV FWHM are observed at 4K.
Electrical and Reliability Characteristics of Silicon-Rich Oxide for Non-Volatile Memory Applications

Non-stoichiometric films are particularly attractive for non-volatile memory applications. In this work low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) using silane and nitrous oxide gases were used to deposit thin silicon-rich SiO2 films. Reliability issues concerning these nonstoichiometric oxides have been studied in comparison to ultrathin conventional thermal oxides. It has been found that with an increase in the silicon content, the current injection efficiency at a given electric field increases. This has significant advantage in terms of low programming voltage applications. There is also a considerable reduction in electron trapping, extremely large increase in charge-to-breakdown and negligible interface state generation in comparison to ultrathin thermal oxides. These characteristics of non-stoichiometric oxide films can be explained by a modified conduction mechanism which in turn is due to dispersed crystallites in the oxide film.
White Paper on Pharmacy Admissions: Developing a Diverse Work Force to Meet the Health-Care Needs of an Increasingly Diverse Society: Recommendations of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Special Committee on Admissions.

In a 2012 AJPE statement, a group of pharmacy school deans asked the question, “Are we producing innovators and leaders, or change resisters and followers?” They called upon AACP to lead an Academy-wide assessment of current admissions, recruitment and interview practices to assess their
The genetics of extreme microgeographic adaptation: an integrated approach identifies a major gene underlying leaf trichome divergence in Yellowstone Mimulus guttatus.

Microgeographic adaptation provides a particularly interesting context for understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic divergence and may also present unique empirical challenges. In particular, plant adaptation to extreme soil mosaics may generate barriers to gene flow or shifts in mating system that confound simple genomic scans for adaptive loci. Here, we combine three approaches - quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping of candidate intervals in controlled crosses, population resequencing (PoolSeq) and analyses of wild recombinant individuals - to investigate one trait associated with Mimulus guttatus (yellow monkeyflower) adaptation to geothermal soils in Yellowstone National Park. We mapped a major QTL causing dense leaf trichomes in thermally adapted plants to a <50-kb region of linkage Group 14 (Tr14) previously implicated in trichome divergence between independent M. guttatus populations. A PoolSeq scan of Tr14 region revealed a cluster of six genes, coincident with the inferred QTL peak, with high allele frequency differences sufficient to explain observed phenotypic differentiation. One of these, the R2R3 MYB transcription factor Migut.N02661, is a plausible functional candidate and was also strongly associated (r2 = 0.27) with trichome phenotype in analyses of wild-collected admixed individuals. Although functional analyses will be necessary to definitively link molecular variants in Tr14 with trichome divergence, our analyses are a major step in that direction. They point to a simple, and parallel, genetic basis for one axis of Mimulus guttatus adaptation to an extreme habitat, suggest a broadly conserved genetic basis for trichome variation across flowering plants and pave the way for further investigations of this challenging case of microgeographic incipient speciation.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid in Human Health: Effects on Weight Control

Since conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was identified as an anticancer component from beef extract, it has shown other beneficial bioactivities. Among them, the most interesting aspect of CLA is its ability to control body fat levels. The chapter reviews the current knowledge of CLA supplementation in humans, with a particular focus on its effects on weight and body fat control. The suggested mechanisms of CLA with regard to body fat regulation, as well as considerations of age, study design, interaction between CLA and exercise and other dietary supplementations are discussed, and data from animal and human studies are compared. Other human health benefits of CLA (cancer prevention, cardiovascular diseases, immune and inflammatory responses, and bone health) are reviewed. Potential adverse effects associated with CLA supplementation, such as its role in oxidative stress, glucose metabolism, milk fat depression, and liver functions, are also discussed.
An Analytical Comparison of Single-Stage and Two-Stage Models of Consumer Behavior

This paper addresses an interdisciplinary issue: the use of economic models of consumer behavior in the field of marketing. The main purpose of this research is to examine the implications of modelling consumer behavior utilizing two-stage utility models as against conventional single-stage utility models. The condition under which both types of models yeild the same observable behavioral pattern is studied. Based on this condition, it is then argued that two-stage models provide a better framework for explaining empirical findings in marketing.
What are we Doing about Climate Change

Climate change is the most important contemporary environmental problem that the world faces, yet it is the subject of many misconceptions. Climate science has been used for political ends and dist...
Warrior Neighbours: Crusader Valencia in its International Context, Collected Essays of Father Robert I. Burns, S.J. Edited by Mary Elizabeth Perry. (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2012. Pp. viii, 387. $118.00.)

It is difficult to approach the late Father Robert Burns's opus and not think that he did it all. Yet his essays remind us that no matter how thoroughly a historian researches a subject—on Valencia...
Analysis and Adjustment of Vertebral Subluxation as a Separate and Distinct Identity for the Chiropractic Profession: A Commentary

Abstract Objective The purpose of this paper is to discuss various statements related to chiropractic identity from 1 D. D. Palmer 2 ; selected chiropractic organizations, associations, and colleges; and 3 attitudes and perceptions of chiropractic from chiropractic students, practitioners, and patients. Discussion For comparison purposes, identity statements and perceptions from the various chiropractic associations and colleges, as well as from students and patients, were explored. Identity statements for chiropractic were searched in various sources such as Palmer's 1910 textbook, recent literature on viewpoints from chiropractic students and practitioners, and websites for chiropractic colleges and organizations. Palmer taught that the chiropractor's focus was on vertebral subluxation. Today, a number of chiropractic colleges and organizations continue to include the vertebral subluxation model in their instruction, with a majority of students and practitioners subscribing to the model. Conversely, a number of other colleges and organizations portray chiropractic as being essentially about the treatment of back and neck pain, which is what patients associate with chiropractic. However, settling on any particular identity for the chiropractic profession will likely be met with resistance by some, given the plethora of opinions among chiropractic professionals as to what the identity of the chiropractic profession should be. Common ground between the different factions within the chiropractic profession might be found in a unifying expression such as "functional neurology." Conclusion When a profession's identity is not clear with respect to its area of interest and mission, then the public may be less inclined to seek its services. Identifying the chiropractic profession with a focus on vertebral subluxation would give the profession uniqueness not duplicated by other health care professions and, therefore, might legitimatize the existence of chiropractic as a health care profession. An identity having a focus on vertebral subluxation would also be consistent with the original intent of the founding of the chiropractic profession.
A low-cost coincidence system with capability of multiples coincidence for high count-rate TOF or non-TOF PET cameras using hybrid method combining AND-logic and Time-mark technology

A low-cost fully digital FPGA-based high count-rate coincidence system has been developed for TOF (Time of Flight) and non-TOF PET cameras. Using a hybrid of AND-logic and Time-mark technology produced both excellent timing resolution and high processing speed. In this hybrid architecture, every gamma event was synchronized by a 125 MHz system clock and generating a trigger associated with a time-mark given by an 8-bit high-resolution TDC (68.3ps/bin). AND-logic was applied to the synchronized triggers for real-time raw sorting of coincident events. An efficient FPGA based Time-mark fine-sort algorithm is used to select all the possible coincidence events within the preset coincidence time window. This FPGA-based coincidence system for a modular PET camera offers reprogrammable flexibility and expandability, so the coincidence system is easily employed, regardless of differences in the scale of the PET camera detector setup. A distributed processing method and pipeline technology were adopted in the design to obtain very high processing speed. In this design, both prompt and time-delayed accidental coincidences are simultaneously processed in real time. The real-time digital coincidence system supports coincidence in 2 to 12 detector module setups, capable of processing 72 million single events per second with no digital data loss and captures multiple-event coincidence for better imaging performance evaluation. The coincidence time window-size and time-offset of each coincidence event pair can be programmed independently in 68.3 ps increments (TDC LSB) during the data acquisition in different applications to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio. The complex coincidence system is integrated in one circuit board with 1.5 Gbps fiber optic interface. We demonstrate the system performance using the actual circuit and Monte Carlo simulations.
Web Proto: Aggregate Programming for Everyone

Developing self-adaptive and self-organizing systems can be a difficult task, even for experts, because it has traditionally required programming individual devices in the hope that they exhibit the desired global behavior. A new and better approach has been emerging: program the global behavior and derive the local behaviors-aggregate programming. This demonstration showcases our new WebProto software: a free and open-source web application that makes state-of-the-art advances in aggregate programming readily available to a broad community of students, teachers, system programmers, and researchers by alleviating the shortcomings associated with current aggregate programming toolkits.
Deconstruction Kits for Learning: Students' Collaborative Debugging of Electronic Textile Designs

Learning to use a construction kit to design, make, and program electronic textiles (e-textiles) has been found to be a rich context for students' learning of crafting, engineering and programming. We propose the development of what we call a 'deconstruction' kit---the design of faulty e-textile artifacts that students need to de- and reconstruct---as an alternative to gain insights into students' learning. We designed e-textile projects with strategically poor crafting, non-functional circuitry, and insufficient coding to investigate high school students' understanding of coding, circuit design and creation (through sewing) with the LilyPad Arduino. We videotaped and analyzed ten students collaborating in pairs as they engaged in debugging, or fixing, various problems in provided e-textile artifacts. Our findings indicate that these deconstruction kit projects are not only promising tools for evaluating students' understanding of e-textiles but can also become valuable learning tools on their own, especially when peer collaboration is taken into account.
Axes of fear for stream fish: water depth and distance to cover

To better understand habitat-specific predation risk for stream fish, we used an approach that assumes animals trade off food for safety and accurately assess risk such that predation risk can be measured as a foraging cost: animals demand greater harvest rates to occupy riskier locations. We measured the foraging cost of predation risk for juvenile salmonids within enclosures in a natural stream at locations that varied in water depth and distance to cover. Measurements relied on a food delivery apparatus and direct observations that allowed estimation of “giving-up” harvest rates – food delivery rates at which animals left the feeding apparatus. Juvenile steelhead about 120 mm fork length exhibited sharp increases in giving-up harvest rate with decreasing water depth and refused to use the feeding device even when offered extreme food delivery rates in water ≤20 cm deep. Giving-up harvest rates were less affected by the distance to cover. Assuming the gradients we observed in giving-up harvest rates reflect predation risk, the results of this study can be applied to spatially explicit models of stream fish populations that incorporate risk into both habitat selection and mortality due to predation.
The Application of Financial Analysis and Market Research to the Real Estate Development Process

James A. Graaskamp developed and adapted analytical techniques to increase the reliability and accuracy of real estate feasibility analysis. He supported the use of discounted cash-flow analysis as a powerful tool to assist in the implementation of methodologies for appraisal and risk analysis. However, Graaskamp was fully aware of the need to increase the competence of real estate market research and the depth of real estate information gathering to justify the use of discounted cash-flow analysis. In this chapter, we integrate Graaskamp’s concepts of financial feasibility, appraisal and risk analysis, and real estate market research in the context of the real estate development process. We introduce an approach to real estate development feasibility analysis that matches information quality with a series of financial-analysis techniques. Our approach employs static analysis tools to make initial cost-to- value comparisons and select the most promising projects among those under consideration. Appraisal-based tools are used to demonstrate how to incorporate assumptions about the future into value estimation and provide a bridge from static to dynamic analysis. With appropriate information, discounted cash-flow analysis is shown to be the logical tool for use in analyzing solvency, minimum yield, and profit maximization. We demonstrate an effective use of discounted cash-flow analysis to address timing issues and handle the variable cash flows associated with the development process. A simple case study is provided to illustrate the application of this financial feasibility methodology to the real estate development process
Early social learning triggers neurogenomic expression changes in a swordtail fish

Mate choice can play a pivotal role in the nature and extent of reproductive isolation between species. Mating preferences are often dependent on an individual's social experience with adult phenotypes throughout development. We show that olfactory preference in a swordtail fish (Xiphophorus malinche) is affected by previous experience with adult olfactory signals. We compare transcriptome-wide gene expression levels of pooled sensory and brain tissues between three treatment groups that differ by social experience: females with no adult exposure, females exposed to conspecifics and females exposed to heterospecifics. We identify potential functionally relevant genes and biological pathways differentially expressed not only between control and exposure groups, but also between groups exposed to conspecifics and heterospecifics. Based on our results, we speculate that vomeronasal receptor type 2 paralogs may detect species-specific pheromone components and thus play an important role in reproductive isolation between species.