cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plane-wave expansion method for calculating band structure of photonic crystal slabs with perfectly matched layers

We present a new algorithm for calculation of the band structure of photonic crystal slabs. This algorithm combines the plane-wave expansion method with perfectly matched layers for the termination of the computational region in the direction out of the plane. In addition, the effective-medium tensor is applied to improve convergence. A general complex eigenvalue problem is then obtained. Two criteria are presented to distinguish the guided modes from the PML modes. As such, this scheme can accurately determine the band structure both above and below the light cone. The convergence of the algorithm presented has been studied. The results obtained by using this algorithm have been compared with those obtained by the finite-difference time-domain method and found to agree very well.
Effect of a comb-like amphiphilic polymer on the stability of alumina dispersions

Abstract The effect of a hydrophobically modified anionic polymer (a maleic anhydride α-olefin copolymer. DAPRAL), which has a comb-like structure, on the stability of alumina suspensions was studied. In the absence of the polymer the suspension stability is controlled by the electrostatic repulsion between particles. Addition of DAPRAL was found to have a significant effect only when the electrostatic repulsion was not sufficient to maintain a stable suspension. The zeta potential of alumina particles and the adsorption density of DAPRAL on alumina were also measured in order to develop the underlying mechanisms for the stability changes. The results suggest that interactions between hydrocarbon chains on the dangling loops and tails do reduce the effect of electrostatic repulsion between alumina particles at low polymer concentrations. At higher polymer concentrations, the hydrocarbon chains on such loops and tails form micellar aggregates; the stability of the suspension is drastically enhanced under such conditions by both steric and electrostatic repulsion.
Ribosomal factors effecting the stimulation of cell-free protein synthesis in the presence of foot-and-mouth disease virus ribonucleic acid☆

Abstract Ribosomal associated factors dissociated with high salt mediate the binding of N-acetyl-aminoacyl-tRNA to salt washed (s-) ribosomes in the presence of exogenous messenger RNA (e.g., foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV)-RNA). Only ribosomal factors isolated from FMDV-infected cells could show a stimulation of N-acetyl-aminoacyl-tRNA binding in the presence of FMDV-RNA. Amino acid incorporation studies also corroborated the need for ribosomal associated factors from FMDV-infected cells for stimulation. Polyacrylamide gel analysis of the cell-free product synthesized in the presence of FMDV-RNA indicated that amino acid labeled protein appeared to be a large molecular weight and rather heterogeneous protein.
THE METABOLISM OF SOME CHEMICAL DEGRADATION PRODUCTS OF ESTROGENS: WESTERFELD’S LACTONE, BIS-DEHYDRO-DOISYNOLIC ACID, ESTROLOLACTONE AND β-ESTRADIOL

There is a large body of evidence that natural estrogens are inactivated in the liver. In vitro and in vivo studies are in agreement on this. However, there is a remarkable paucity of evidence as to what actually happens to the administered estrogen. A small portion is converted into other estrogens and excreted in the urine (Doisy, et al., 1942; Doisy, 1942; Pincus, 1946). The recovery of estrogenic activity is increased if the urine is boiled with zinc and hydrochloric acid but there still remains a large proportion of the estrogen for which we are unable to account at present (Smith, 1941). Chemical degradation of estrogens has yielded estrogenically active materials. It was decided to study some of these which were available in an attempt to shed light upon the problem. material and methods The sodium salt and the 3-methyl ether of bis-dehydro-doisynolic acid were supplied by Dr. C. R. Scholz of Ciba Pharmaceutical Products, Incorporated (Figure 1).
Student Talk and Opportunities for Mathematical Learning in Small Group Interactions.

Abstract Small group interactions are an important tool for mathematical learning and yet researchers have neither examined small group talk across entire lessons nor have they focused on moments of mathematical learning in small groups. We examined such talk and identified kinds of interactions and connections between interactions and mathematical learning. We differentiated talk based upon its focus: mathematical objects (mathematizing), people (subjectifying), or more specifically, people's attributes (identifying). Most of the talk focused on what students were doing or should be doing as opposed to focusing on mathematics. Students also spent considerable time on identifying – talk that revolved around people and their features. Also, there was a struggle over who could talk and about what. In spite of limited mathematical talk, we found evidence of mathematical learning during the task. These findings support a number of conjectures about learners’ vision of their roles as their peers’ teachers or students and the way this vision impacts learning interactions and learning outcomes. It also leads to several suggestions about how to enhance learning in small groups as well as about areas for future research into student interactions.
An Induction-Coupled Radio-Frequency Source for Emission Spectroscopy in the Vacuum Ultraviolet

Various types of electrical discharges have been used as emission sources for the vacuum ultraviolet region, but few reports have been made of induction-coupled radio-frequency discharge sources. Plato used an electrodeless ring discharge for excitation of argon line spectra in the vacuum uv. More recently, Kirkbright, Ward, and West were able to determine sulfur and phosphorus quantitatively in the vacuum uv with a high frequency plasma torch. An induction-coupled radio-frequency discharge through static argon at atmospheric pressure and its application for emission spectroscopy in the vacuum uv region are described.
Two-Year Simulation of the Great Lakes Region with a Coupled Modeling System

Abstract In this paper, we report on an experiment aimed at evaluating the feasibility of the application of our coupled regional climate modeling system to long-term climate simulations over the Great Lakes region. The simulation analyzed covers a continuous 24-month period beginning 1 September 1990 and extending to 1 September 1992. Many aspects of this simulation agreed well with observations. Compared with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses, area-averaged atmospheric temperature and moisture biases were generally small. The largest temperature biases were found in the simulated boundary layer, up to 1–1.5 K colder than observed in most months. Atmospheric moisture biases were of both signs and small in magnitude, almost universally less than 0.5 g kg−1. Comparison of simulated surface air temperatures with station observations also indicated that model simulated temperatures generally display a cold bias. Simulated precipitation values agreed well with observations du...
Religious influences on Latino ideology and vote choice: are Evangelical Catholics different?

This paper seeks to assess the impact of religious variables upon the political attitudes and actions of Latinos in the USA. Using the Latino National Survey, the largest survey of Latinos in the USA, this paper posits a theory of religion as a cognitive heuristic derived from an individual's personal belief or the external framing through the interactions within a church community. This is tested through an often overlooked religious subgroup of Evangelical Catholics within the Latino community. It finds that Latinos who identify as Evangelical Catholics and those who frequent religious worship are significantly more likely to vote for the Republican candidate and to self-identify as conservative.
Calcium efflux and respiratory inhibition in brain mitochondria: effects of chlorpromazine metabolites.

Abstract 7-Hydroxychlorpromazine was found to be similar to chlorpromazine in its ability to inhibit brain mitochondrial calcium accumulation and respiration. 7,8-Dihydroxychlorpromazine, however, was found to produce a marked efflux of calcium accumulated by these mitochondrial preparations in the presence of ATP. In addition, this metabolite or one of its orthoquinone forms was observed to gradually inhibit state 4 respiration and prevent the stimulation of oxygen uptake normally observed upon the addition of phosphate and phosphate acceptor. The possible importance of sulfhydryl groups in these inhibitory actions is discussed.
Biological mediation of stochastic peritidal carbonate accumulation

Exponential thickness frequencies of peritidal carbonate units in the Lower Ordovician Kindblade and West Spring Creek Formations at Ardmore, Oklahoma, are readily interpreted in a context of probabilities of upsection transition from one lithology to another. These largely reflect Poisson (random) processes of deposition from suspended load, traction load, and microbialitic accumulation. Although grainy to muddy particulate and cyanobacterial elements exhibit nearly equal ranges of unit thickness, carbonate generation and/or entrapment via algally mediated processes was less likely to lapse and therefore led to lower probability of transition to some other sediment type. The mean thickness of microbially bound units is roughly double those from the physical transport and deposition of particulate material. Greater persistence of algal accumulation probably related to intrinsically higher biologically induced rates of carbonate precipitation and/or binding by cyanobacteria. Stratigraphic intervals between successive occurrences of suspended load, traction load, and microbial units are also closely approximated by exponential frequency distributions for which regression slopes define probabilities of upsection recurrence of a particular sediment type. Values for grainy and algal carbonates are similar and are nearly twice that of muddy suspended-load units. Although biological processes resulted in significantly lower transition probabilities for thrombolitic bioherms and cryptalgal laminites, spatial dominance of carbonate mud across the region led to higher rates of stratigraphic recurrence and a volumetric dominance of muddy lithologies in the Ardmore sequence. Poissonian distributions of unit stratigraphic duration and recurrence suggest a significant component of haphazard variation in the type and amount of accumulated carbonate sediment. If deposition was influenced by extrabasinal forcing, such control must have been nearly random in both secular and spatial dimensions of water depth change. Stratigraphic durations and recurrences in this sequence more closely reflect the inherently stochastic nature of carbonate accumulation in epicratonic platformal settings than any influence of rhythmic eustatic forcing.
Diet Supplementation with Fish Oil and Sunflower Oil to Increase Conjugated Linoleic Acid Levels in Milk Fat of Partially Grazing Dairy Cows

The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effect on milk conjugated linoleic acid (cis-9, trans-11 CLA) of adding fish oil (FO) and sunflower oil (SFO) to the diets of partially grazing dairy cows. Fourteen Holstein cows were divided into 2 groups (7 cows/treatment) and fed either a control or oil-supplemented diet for 8 wk while partially grazing pasture. Cows in group 1 were fed a grain mix diet (8.0 kg/d, DM basis) containing 400 g of saturated animal fat (control). Cows in the second group were fed the same grain mix diet except the saturated animal fat was replaced with 100 g of FO and 300 g of SFO. Cows were milked twice a day and milk samples were collected weekly throughout the trial. Both groups grazed together on alfalfa-based pasture ad libitum and were fed their treatment diets after the morning and afternoon milking. Milk production (30.0 and 31.2 kg/d), milk fat percentages (3.64 and 3.50), milk fat yield (1.08 and 1.09 kg/d), milk protein percentages (2.97 and 2.88), and milk protein yield (0.99 and 0.91 kg/d) for diets 1 and 2, respectively, were not affected by the treatment diets. The concentrations of cis-9, trans-11 CLA (1.64 vs. 0.84 g/100 g of fatty acids) and vaccenic acid (5.11 vs. 2.20 g/100 g of fatty acids) in milk fat were higher for cows fed the oil-supplemented diet over the 8 wk of oil supplementation. The concentration of cis-9, trans-11 CLA in milk fat reached a maximum (1.0 and 1.64 g/100 g of fatty acids for diets 1 and 2, respectively) in wk 1 for both diets and remained relatively constant thereafter. The concentration of vaccenic acid in milk fat followed the same temporal pattern as cis-9, trans-11 CLA. In conclusion, supplementing the diet of partially grazing cows with FO and SFO increased the milk cis-9, trans-11 CLA content, and that increase remained relatively constant after 1 wk of oil supplementation.
The Gauleiter and the Social Origins of Fascism

... The picture of a group of socially displaced malcontents, animated by a pure wish to destroy the "system," corresponds far more to our own experience than that of a sturdy solid group of consciously "rising" men, engaging in radical politics so as to assert the claims of their class against an order in which they are, after all, getting on. --Judith N. Shklar, "Ideology Hunting: The Case of James Harrington"'
From bedside to bench: A pilot study to measure the force required to activate a retractable safety syringe

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This laboratory in Tampa, Florida, has established a program to evaluate objective and subjective criteria for safer needle devices designed to prevent or reduce sharps injuries in healthcare workers. The goal of this pilot study was to determine whether the force required to activate one particular retractable intramuscular syringe was due to the activation media or the healthcare worker. METHODS: One hundred devices of a particular brand were subjected to activation while suspended in the air and while the needle was inserted into simulated patient material (SPM). Each researcher tested 25 devices in air first and 25 in SPM first, resetting the device before switching media. After each activation, the compression force needed to activate the retraction mechanism on each individual syringe was measured in pounds (lbs.) using a Com-Ten™ Model # CER02000 Digital Force Gauge (DFG). The data were immediately recorded in an Excel™ spreadsheet. RESULTS: Overall, the mean activation force was significantly greater (p = 0.05) while the needle was activated in SPM (3.56 lbs.) versus air (2.80 lbs.), regardless of the sequence or researcher. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference, regardless of sequence, in the device's mean activation force between researchers 1 and 2 (2.78 lbs. versus 3.57 lbs.; p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In healthcare settings, the force required to activate the device is clinically relevant. If a healthcare worker perceives that force required to activate the device equates with pain felt by the patient, then the HCW may activate the device while in the air, increasing the risk of sharps injury. This would also defeat the purpose of this particular safety mechanism, of particular concern as this category of device generally costs more than other safety intramuscular syringes. We demonstrated a significant difference in mean force using one particular device due to the media in which the device was activated. This has implications for manufacturers in designing future models. Significant variability existed between healthcare workers in the force necessary to activate the retractable mechanism of an intramuscular device. In future studies of this kind, we recommend that one researcher be used in initial pilot studies in the laboratory setting. Finally, the phenomenon of perceived versus exerted force and whether force equates with pain are two areas for potential future studies.
Molecular mechanisms mediating metastasis of hypoxic breast cancer cells

Breast cancers contain regions of intratumoral hypoxia in which reduced O2 availability activates the hypoxia-inducible factors HIF-1 and HIF-2, which increase the transcription of genes encoding proteins that are required for many important steps in cancer progression. Recently, HIFs have been shown to play critical roles in the metastasis of breast cancer to the lungs through the transcriptional activation of genes encoding angiopoietin-like 4 and L1 cell adhesion molecule, which promote the extravasation of circulating cancer cells from the lung vasculature, and the lysyl oxidase family members LOX, LOXL2, and LOXL4, which promote invasion and metastatic niche formation. Digoxin, a drug that inhibits HIF-1 activity, blocks primary tumor growth, vascularization, invasion, and metastasis in ex vivo and in vivo assays.
Asexuality and sexual normativity: an anthology, edited by Mark Carrigan, Kristina Gupta and Todd G. Morrison, London and New York, Routledge, 2014, 141 pp., $150 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-415-73132-4

The scholarly treatment of asexuality is still in its early stages. Initially published in Psychology & Sexuality, this book, Asexuality and Sexual Normativity: An Anthology, not only provides an o...
Indirect word priming in connected semantic and phonological contexts

Indirect activation was explored by presenting subjects with short passages and poems that were designed to activate relevant semantic and phonological (rhyming) representations. The effect of activation was tested with the word completion test in which subjects completed initial stems of target words. The targets were related to the semantic and phonological contexts but had not themselves been presented in the passages. Both semantic and phonological contexts produced equivalent, but short-lasting, activation effects. Evidence is presented that such effects are automatic, without subjects’ (conscious) reference to the source of the activation.
On the minimum probability of error of classification with incomplete patterns

Abstract Some expected features of sample patterns in a classification system may be missing, immeasurable, or obscured. When a sample pattern with such an incomplete set of features is presented to a classifier, how reliable is the decision thus made by the classifier? What is the effect of those absent features to the accuracy and correctness of the classification? How to evaluate, or estimate the probability of error of such a decision, compared to that made on the use of more features or a supposedly complete set of features? We derive the solutions of above problems from a point of view of Bayes classifier. The traditional decision theory is extended to the classifications with incomplete feature sets. It shows that in case of classifying incomplete patterns, the Bayes classifier constructed on the marginal distributions of presented features also minimizes the probability of error. We then use Bhattacharyya bound to obtain an analytic form for estimating the error probabilities of classifications made on the partially available features, with respect to that using more or a complete set of features. Directions are given to decision-making on problems of in which situation the effect of missing or obscured features can be neglected, or must be seriously considered. Experimental results have shown consistence with the theoretical analysis.
Effect of casting solvent on the heterogeneity of films of polymer blends

The miscibility window of the 50/50 w/w poly(styrene-co-4-vinylphenyl)-dimethylsilanol/poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (ST-VPDMS/PBMA) blends prepared from toluene was studied and determined to be in the VPDMS composition range of 4 to 18 mole% in the copolymers. The observed miscibility window was to be compared to the range of 9 to 34 mole% found for the blends prepared from methyl ethyl ketone which was capable of competing for hydrogen bonding. The fact that the observed miscibility windows are influenced by the choice of solvents illustrates that an equilibrium state of polymer mixing is not always attained in solvent casting films and that caution needs to be exercised in studying polymer miscibility when solvent cast films are used.
Biophysical properties of bacteriophage T2

Abstract Biophysical properties of bacteriophage T2 and T2 “ghosts” have been studied using the ultracentrifuge, the electron microscope and the diffusion apparatus. The molecular weight of T2 at either pH 7 or pH 5 has been found to be 215·10 6 . The protein portion of the head of the intact particles or of the DNA-free phage ghost has been found to exist in two forms, depending on both pH and temperature. One head form of intact T2 is approximately 15% longer than the other; 119 mμ by 80 mμ vs . 103 × 80 m μ . Raising either the temperature or the pH favors the formation of the longer head form. This change in head form accounts for the dual sedimentation phenomenon observed now for T2 ghosts and reported previously for intact T2. Estimates have been made of the thermodynamic changes involved in the transition of one form to the other.
Lightlike Behavior of Particles in a Schwarzschild Field

Above a transition velocity, ${v}_{t}\ensuremath{\simeq}\frac{c}{\sqrt{2}}$, test particles moving in a Schwarzschild field behave in a lightlike manner by appearing to slow down as they approach the source of the field.
Bacillus thiaminolyticus sp. nov., nom. rev.

The name “Bacillus thiaminolyticus” Kuno 1951 was not included on the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names and has lost standing in bacteriological nomenclature. The genetic homogeneity of “Bacillus thiaminolyticus” was assessed by determining guanine-plus-cytosine contents by the buoyant density method and by measuring DNA relatedness by using spectrophotometric reassociation procedures. Of the 26 strains which I studied, 24 had guanine-plus-cytosine contents in the range from 52 to 54 mol%. The consistently high DNA relatedness values of 60 to 100% of these 24 strains to the type strain indicated that the “B. thiaminolyticus” group is genetically homogeneous. Low DNA relatedness values of 20 to 31% showed that “B. thiaminolyticus” is genetically unrelated to Bacillus alvei, “Bacillus aneurinolyticus,” “Bacillus apiarius,” Bacillus larvae, Bacillus laterosporus, Bacillus macerans, and Bacillus stearothermophilus. In general, the “B. thiaminolyticus” group was highly homogeneous for 49 phenotypic characteristics and clearly distinguishable from B. alvei, with which it was allegedly synonymous. On the basis of these findings, revival of the name Bacillus thiaminolyticus is proposed.
Origin of the Genetic Components of the Vomeronasal System in the Common Ancestor of all Extant Vertebrates

Comparative genomics provides a valuable tool for inferring the evolutionary history of physiological systems, particularly when this information is difficult to ascertain by morphological traits. One such example is the vomeronasal system (VNS), a vertebrate nasal chemosensory system that is responsible for detecting intraspecific pheromonal cues as well as environmental odorants. The morphological components of the VNS are found only in tetrapods, but the genetic components of the system have been found in teleost fish, in addition to tetrapods. To determine when the genetic components of the VNS originated, we searched for the VNS-specific genes in the genomes of two early diverging vertebrate lineages: the sea lamprey from jawless fishes and the elephant shark from cartilaginous fishes. Genes encoding vomeronasal type 1 receptors (V1Rs) and Trpc2, two components of the vomeronasal signaling pathway, are present in the sea lamprey genome, and both are expressed in the olfactory organ, revealing that the genetic components of the present-day VNS existed in the common ancestor of all extant vertebrates. Additionally, all three VNS genes, Trpc2, V1Rs, and vomeronasal type 2 receptors (V2Rs), are found in the elephant shark genome. Because V1Rs and V2Rs are related to two families of taste receptors, we also searched the early diverging vertebrate genomes for taste system genes and found them in the shark genome but not in the lamprey. Coupled with known distributions of the genetic components of the vertebrate main olfactory system, our results suggest staggered origins of vertebrate sensory systems. These findings are important for understanding the evolution of vertebrate sensory systems and illustrate the utility of the genome sequences of early diverging vertebrates for uncovering the evolution of vertebrate-specific traits.
Commentary: Stairway to health

This paper 1 contributes to the expanding body of work examining point of decision making and physical activity promotion. Consistent with the current public health recommendations for physical activity, individuals should be encouraged to ‘accumulate’ physical activity throughout the day. 2 Accumulating short bouts of activity throughout the day (Lifestyle Activity) may lead to the accrual of suggested levels of energy expenditure. 3,4 Lifestyle activity has been shown to enhance fitness, improve cardiovascular risk profiles, and help with weight management. 4–6 One opportunity for accumulating appropriate levels of physical activity, is to encourage stair use in lieu of riding escalators, moving walkways, or elevators. In his classic paper Brownell et al. 7 showed that a sign placed between stairs and an escalator could successfully encourage commuters to walk up the stairs instead of riding the escalator in an urban subway station. Since then, there have been several other studies, which have found that signs could be used to promote stair use in malls, 8 health care facilties, 9
Giant magnetoelectric effect in laminate composites

It has been found that laminate composites of longitudinally magnetized magnetostrictive and transversely poled piezoelectric layers (an L–T laminate composite) have a giant magnetoelectric (ME) effect. Relatively high ME coupling, that is significant exchange between magnetization and polarization, is demonstrated.
Retrieval of information from long-term memory

Information is represented in long-term memory as a network of associations among concepts. Information is retrieved by spreading activation from concepts in working memory through the network structure. The time required to retrieve information is a function of the level of activation that it achieves. Fanning of multiple paths from a node dissipates the activation the node sends down any path and increases retrieval time. Fan effects are reduced as subjects overlearn the material or when they can change their task from a recognition judgment to a consistency judgment.
THE RESISTANCE OF DROSOPHILA TO ALCOHOL

On page 536, in the heading of Table IV, after "with the standard deviations",insert "(σ1)".
The Putative Hydrolase YycJ (WalJ) Affects the Coordination of Cell Division with DNA Replication in Bacillus subtilis and May Play a Conserved Role in Cell Wall Metabolism

Bacteria must accurately replicate and segregate their genetic information to ensure the production of viable daughter cells. The high fidelity of chromosome partitioning is achieved through mechanisms that coordinate cell division with DNA replication. We report that YycJ (WalJ), a predicted member of the metallo-β-lactamase superfamily found in most low-G+C Gram-positive bacteria, contributes to the fidelity of cell division in Bacillus subtilis. B. subtilis ΔwalJ (ΔwalJ(Bsu)) mutants divide over unsegregated chromosomes more frequently than wild-type cells, and this phenotype is exacerbated when DNA replication is inhibited. Two lines of evidence suggest that WalJ(Bsu) and its ortholog in the Gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae, WalJ(Spn) (VicX), play a role in cell wall metabolism: (i) strains of B. subtilis and S. pneumoniae lacking walJ exhibit increased sensitivity to a narrow spectrum of cephalosporin antibiotics, and (ii) reducing the expression of a two-component system that regulates genes involved in cell wall metabolism, WalRK (YycFG), renders walJ essential for growth in B. subtilis, as observed previously with S. pneumoniae. Together, these results suggest that the enzymatic activity of WalJ directly or indirectly affects cell wall metabolism and is required for accurate coordination of cell division with DNA replication.
The Pleasures and Lessons of Academic Mythbusting: An Interview with Scott Lilienfeld.

Scott O. Lilienfeld is a professor of psychology at Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Lilienfeld is founder and editor of the journal, Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, and is past president of the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology. He has been a member of 11 journal editorial boards, including the Journal of Abnormal Psychology and Clinical Psychology Review. Dr. Lilienfeld has published more than 200 articles, book chapters, and books on personality disorders, personality assessment, anxiety disorders, psychiatric classification and diagnosis, pseudoscience in psychology, and evidence-based practices in clinical psychology. His most recent book, coauthored with Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio, and Barry Beyerstein, is 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions About Human Behavior (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). Tracy E. Zinn is an associate professor of psychology at James Madison University. She earned a PhD in industrial/organizational psychology f...
Vascular permeability to plasma, plasma proteins, and cells: an update.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The blood vasculature supplies tissues with nutrients, clears waste products, and carries and directs leukocytes to inflammatory sites. To accomplish these functions, microvessels regulate the extravasation of small molecules, plasma proteins and inflammatory cells. The mechanisms responsible for these events have been the subject of intense investigation and, often, dispute. RECENT FINDINGS Recent progress has contributed to a better understanding of the mechanisms by which microvessels of different types and in different vascular beds regulate the passage of small and large molecules and cells. Roles are shown for the glycocalyx, caveolae, perictyes, sphingosine-1-phosphate, and newly discovered signaling pathways. SUMMARY Vascular permeability is important for maintaining homeostasis and is greatly increased in acute and chronic inflammation, wound healing, and growing tumors. New work has contributed importantly to the mechanisms responsible for regulating permeability.
Investigation of changes in global gene expression in the frontal cortex of early-weaned and socially isolated piglets using microarray and quantitative real-time RT-PCR.

We hypothesize that early-weaned piglets experience aberrant expression of stress-responsive genes in the frontal cortex, a key brain area involved in cognitive function and behavior organization. To test this hypothesis, female early-weaned piglets (EW; n = 6) were weaned 10 days after birth, while non-weaned piglets (NW; n = 6) were left with their dams. Half of EW (n = 3) and NW (n = 3) animals were socially isolated (SI) for 15 min at 12 days of age, when all animals (n = 12) were euthanized and tissue collected. The effects of EW and SI were examined by gene expression profiling using cDNA microarray hybridizations, generated from a porcine brain cDNA library. A total of 103 genes were differentially expressed (P 1.25) among four direct comparisons. Forty-two genes had known functions, from which 24 showed relevant brain-related functions. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR) was used to confirm regulation of expression of a subset of 6 genes with important brain functions, selected from the microarray outcomes. In non-weaned animals, a significant suppression of mRNA abundance for carboxypeptidase E, 14-3-3 protein and phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes 15 kDa was observed in response to SI. Also, in early-weaned animals, diazepam binding inhibitor and actin-related protein 2/3 complex mRNA levels were suppressed in response to SI. Results suggest that social isolation of non- and early-weaned piglets may impact expression of genes involved in regulation of neuronal function, development, and protection in the frontal cortex of young pigs.
Information Goods vs. Industrial Goods: Cost Structure and Competition

We study markets for information goods and find that they differ significantly from markets for traditional industrial goods. Markets for information goods in which products are vertically differentiated lack the segmentation inherent in markets for industrial goods. As a result, a monopoly will offer only a single product. Competition leads to highly concentrated information-good markets, with the leading firm behaving almost like a monopoly even with free entry and without network effects. We study how the structure of the firms' cost functions drives our results. This paper was accepted by Barrie R. Nault, information systems.
Identification of causal genes for complex traits

Author(s): Hormozdiari, Farhad; Kichaev, Gleb; Yang, Wen-Yun; Pasaniuc, Bogdan; Eskin, Eleazar | Abstract: MotivationAlthough genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of variants associated with common diseases and complex traits, only a handful of these variants are validated to be causal. We consider 'causal variants' as variants which are responsible for the association signal at a locus. As opposed to association studies that benefit from linkage disequilibrium (LD), the main challenge in identifying causal variants at associated loci lies in distinguishing among the many closely correlated variants due to LD. This is particularly important for model organisms such as inbred mice, where LD extends much further than in human populations, resulting in large stretches of the genome with significantly associated variants. Furthermore, these model organisms are highly structured and require correction for population structure to remove potential spurious associations.ResultsIn this work, we propose CAVIAR-Gene (CAusal Variants Identification in Associated Regions), a novel method that is able to operate across large LD regions of the genome while also correcting for population structure. A key feature of our approach is that it provides as output a minimally sized set of genes that captures the genes which harbor causal variants with probability ρ. Through extensive simulations, we demonstrate that our method not only speeds up computation, but also have an average of 10% higher recall rate compared with the existing approaches. We validate our method using a real mouse high-density lipoprotein data (HDL) and show that CAVIAR-Gene is able to identify Apoa2 (a gene known to harbor causal variants for HDL), while reducing the number of genes that need to be tested for functionality by a factor of 2.Availability and implementationSoftware is freely available for download at genetics.cs.ucla.edu/caviar.
The 8 October 2006 md 4.5 Cowlitz Chimneys Earthquake in Mount Rainier National Park

An Md 4.5 earthquake located ∼12 km east of Mount Rainier occurred on 8 October 2006 at 02:48 UTC (figure 1). Although not large enough to be damaging or of major tectonic significance, a summary description of the earthquake is warranted because of its proximity to Mount Rainier, and because earthquakes of Md ≥ 4.5 are relatively rare in this region. Previous events of Md ≥ 4.5 have occurred approximately once a decade within a radius of ∼60 km from this mainshock, with the closest and most recent prior earthquake being an Md 4.9 event located 46 km to the southwest in 1989. Magnitudes in this paper refer to the coda duration magnitude determined by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) (Crosson 1972). We refer to the 2006 event as the “Cowlitz Chimneys” earthquake because it occurred beneath the Cowlitz Chimneys, a prominent ridge in Mount Rainier National Park. Figure 1. Hillshade relief map derived from Digital Elevation Model (DEM; GTOPO3 interpolated to 1 arcsec) showing PNSN catalog locations of all earthquakes with Md > 0.0 from 1 January 1969 up to 8 October 2006. The white star indicates the location of the Md = 4.5 mainshock of 8 October 2006. Also labeled are the western Rainier seismic zone (WRSZ); the St. Helens seismic zone (SHSZ); volcanoes Mount Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Adams; the Goat Rocks volcanic center; and temporary seismic station CAYP. White triangles represent seismic stations. This paper describes the mainshock's focal mechanism and its aftershock distribution. The inferred source mechanism, its ordinary aftershock sequence, and the lack of significant triggered seismicity near the volcanic edifice lead us to conclude that this was a regular tectonic crustal earthquake rather than one related to volcanic processes. The Cowlitz Chimneys epicentral region lies within …
Experimental and numerical simulation study of heat sinks with impingement flow at high Reynolds numbers

The heat transfer in confined air jet cooling for electronic cooling applications is studied experimentally and through simulations. Copper and aluminum heat sinks are studied at various air-flow rates. The case to ambient thermal resistance of the copper heat sink varied from 0.38-0.23/spl deg/C/W (the Reynolds number varied from 45,000-105,000). The simulations predicted a higher thermal resistance, however the predicted resistance trend matched the experimental trend. The experimental thermal resistance of the aluminum heat sink varied from 0.48-0.34/spl deg/C/W (the Reynolds number varied from 45,000-90,000). The resistance trend for both the copper and aluminum heat sinks indicates that the reduction in thermal resistance would be minimal with further increase in flow rate. Simulation results show that these heat sinks can be further optimized by varying the number and spacing of the pin fins.
Recognizing Academic Potential in Students of Color Findings of U-STARS~PLUS

Students of color are often underrepresented in academic programs for gifted and talented students. This study explored the impact of The Teacher’s Observation of Potential in Students (TOPS) tool on teachers’ ability to systematically observe and document the academic strengths of 5- to 9-year-old students across nine domains. Teachers indicated that without the TOPS, they would have overlooked the academic potential of 22% (1,741) of their children of color and 53% of African American boys, in particular. After using the TOPS, a majority of the teachers (74%) felt they could more readily recognize high-potential students from culturally or linguistically different and economically disadvantaged families. Barriers that might have kept teachers from seeing students’ strengths were also examined. Results indicate two statistically significant relationships between teacher race and perceptions of student behavior. This study has implications for supporting teachers’ more effective identification of strength...
Bus encoding for total power reduction using a leakage-aware buffer configuration

Power consumption, particularly runtime leakage, in long on-chip buses has grown to be an unacceptable portion of the total power budget due to heavy buffer insertion used to combat RC delays. In this paper, we propose a new bus encoding algorithm and circuit scheme for on-chip buses that eliminates capacitive crosstalk while simultaneously reducing total power. We utilize a buffer design approach with a selective use of high-threshold voltage transistors and couple this buffer design with a novel bus encoding scheme. The proposed encoding scheme significantly reduces total power by 26% and runtime leakage power by 42% while also eliminating capacitive crosstalk. In addition, the proposed encoding is specifically optimized to reduce the complexity of the encoding logic, allowing for a significant reduction in overhead which has not been considered in previous bus encoding work.
Continuum probe two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy of the photosystem II reaction center

We report two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy of the photosystem II reaction center, collected in the pump-probe geometry employing a continuum probe. This enables observation of ion bands that report on intermediates in the charge separation process.
Mode of Foreign Market Entry: An Analysis of the Property and Liability Insurance Industry

The choice of foreign market entry technique has been identified as a frontier issue in international marketing. New theories of international operations and modes of foreign market entry are emerging in the literature. Yet, little empirical research concerning foreign market entry has been conducted that focuses on service industries. Multinational insurers face a wide array of choices with respect to foreign market entry technique.
A mutant (‘lab strain’) of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus, lacking flagella, has unusual growth physiology

A mutant ('lab strain') of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus DSM3638 exhibited an extended exponential phase and atypical cell aggregation behavior. Genomic DNA from the mutant culture was sequenced and compared to wild-type (WT) DSM3638, revealing 145 genes with one or more insertions, deletions, or substitutions (12 silent, 33 amino acid substitutions, and 100 frame shifts). Approximately, half of the mutated genes were transposases or hypothetical proteins. The WT transcriptome revealed numerous changes in amino acid and pyrimidine biosynthesis pathways coincidental with growth phase transitions, unlike the mutant whose transcriptome reflected the observed prolonged exponential phase. Targeted gene deletions, based on frame-shifted ORFs in the mutant genome, in a genetically tractable strain of P. furiosus (COM1) could not generate the extended exponential phase behavior observed for the mutant. For example, a putative radical SAM family protein (PF2064) was the most highly up-regulated ORF (>25-fold) in the WT between exponential and stationary phase, although this ORF was unresponsive in the mutant; deletion of this gene in P. furiosus COM1 resulted in no apparent phenotype. On the other hand, frame-shifting mutations in the mutant genome negatively impacted transcription of a flagellar biosynthesis operon (PF0329-PF0338).Consequently, cells in the mutant culture lacked flagella and, unlike the WT, showed minimal evidence of exopolysaccharide-based cell aggregation in post-exponential phase. Electron microscopy of PF0331-PF0337 deletions in P. furiosus COM1 showed that absence of flagella impacted normal cell aggregation behavior and, furthermore, indicated that flagella play a key role, beyond motility, in the growth physiology of P. furiosus.
Noise-Coupled Delta-Sigma ADCS

This chapter describes wideband discrete-time DS ADCs with high linearity. Noise coupling is introduced in a modulator (self coupling) or between two split modulators (cross coupling) to get an improved noise shaping performance. Time-interleaving further enhances the noise shaping of the cross-coupled split modulators. Several prototype design examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Transcriptional changes and developmental abnormalities in a zebrafish model of myotonic dystrophy type 1

Myotonic dystrophy type I (DM1) is a multi-system, autosomal dominant disorder caused by expansion of a CTG repeat sequence in the 3′UTR of the DMPK gene. The size of the repeat sequence correlates with age at onset and disease severity, with large repeats leading to congenital forms of DM1 associated with hypotonia and intellectual disability. In models of adult DM1, expanded CUG repeats lead to an RNA toxic gain of function, mediated at least in part by sequestering specific RNA splicing proteins, most notably muscleblind-related (MBNL) proteins. However, the impact of CUG RNA repeat expression on early developmental processes is not well understood. To better understand early developmental processes in DM1, we utilized the zebrafish, Danio rerio, as a model system. Direct injection of (CUG)91 repeat-containing mRNA into single-cell embryos induces toxicity in the nervous system and muscle during early development. These effects manifest as abnormal morphology, behavioral abnormalities and broad transcriptional changes, as shown by cDNA microarray analysis. Co-injection of zebrafish mbnl2 RNA suppresses (CUG)91 RNA toxicity and reverses the associated behavioral and transcriptional abnormalities. Taken together, these findings suggest that early expression of exogenously transcribed CUG repeat RNA can disrupt normal muscle and nervous system development and provides a new model for DM1 research that is amenable to small-molecule therapeutic development.
When and how should patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 be screened for thymic and bronchial carcinoid tumours

Patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) are commonly evaluated for clinical manifestations of this syndrome with the rationale that early diagnosis and adequate treatment will result in improved survival and quality of life. Thymic and bronchial carcinoid tumours are uncommon but important manifestations of MEN1. Current practice guidelines recommend evaluation with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scan of the chest every 1-2 years to detect these neoplasms. However, the certainty that patients will be better off (increased survival or quality of life) as a result of this case detection strategy is based on evidence at moderate-high risk of bias that yields only imprecise results of indirect relevance to these patients. In order to improve the care that patients with MEN1 receive, co-ordinated efforts from different stakeholders are required so that large, prospective, multicentre studies evaluating patient important outcomes are carried out.
Observations on the Value of Gastric Irradiation in the Treatment of Duodenal Ulcer

Bruegel! in 1917 noted that roentgen irradiation of the stomach may produce a temporary depression in gastric secretion. Subsequent workers reported "good results" in the treatment of patients with peptic ulcer. Our initial studies partially confirmed the earlier observations.2 5 The purpose of this paper is to analyze the results in 723 patients with duodenal ulcer treated with irradiation and observed for 5 to 18 years.
Browser Record and Replay as a Building Block for End-User Web Automation Tools

To build a programming by demonstration (PBD) web scraping tool for end users, one needs two central components: a list finder, and a record and replay tool. A list finder extracts logical tables from a webpage. A record and replay (R+R) system records a user's interactions with a webpage, and replays them programmatically. The research community has invested substantial work in list finding --- variously called wrapper induction, structured data extraction, and template detection. In contrast, researchers largely considered the browser R+R problem solved until recently, when webpage complexity and interactivity began to rise. We argue that the increase in interactivity necessitates the use of new, more robust R+R approaches, which will facilitate the PBD web tools of the future. Because robust R+R is difficult to build and understand, we argue that tool developers need an R+R layer that they can treat as a black box. We have designed an easy-to-use API that allows programmers to use and even customize R+R, without having to understand R+R internals. We have instantiated our API in Ringer, our robust R+R tool. We use the API to implement WebCombine, a PBD scraping tool. A WebCombine user demonstrates how to collect the first row of a relational dataset, and the tool collects all remaining rows. WebCombine uses the Ringer API to handle navigation between pages, enabling users to scrape from modern, interaction-heavy pages. We demonstrate WebCombine by collecting a 3,787,146 row dataset from Google Scholar that allows us to explore the relationship between researchers' years of experience and their papers' citation counts.