cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Limulus opsins: diurnal regulation of expression.

Much has been learned frdm studies of Limulus photoreceptors about the role of the circadian clock and light in the removal of photosensitive membrane. However, little is known in this animal about mechanisms regulating photosensitive membrane renewal, including the synthesis of proteins in, and associated with, the photosensitive membrane. To begin to understand renewal, this study examines diurnal changes in the levels of mRNAs encoding opsin, the integral membrane protein component of visual pigment, and the relative roles of light and the circadian clock in producing these changes. We show that at least two distinct opsin genes encoding very similar proteins are expressed in both the lateral and ventral eyes, and that during the day and night in the lateral eye, the average level of mRNA encoding opsinl is consistently higher than that encoding opsin2. Northern blot assays showed further that total opsin mRNA in the lateral eyes of animals maintained under natural illumination increases during the afternoon (9 & 12 h after sunrise) in the light and falls at night in the dark. This diurnal change occurs whether or not the eyes receive input from the circadian clock, but it is eliminated in eyes maintained in the dark. Thus, it is regulated by light and darkness, not by the circadian clock, with light stimulating an increase in opsin mRNA levels. The rise in opsin mRNA levels observed under natural illumination was seasonal; it occurred during the summer but not the spring and fall. However, a significant increase in opsin mRNA levels could be achieved in the fall by exposing lateral eyes to 3 h of natural illumination followed by 9 h of artificial light. The diurnal regulation of opsin mRNA levels contrasts sharply with the circadian regulation of visual arrestin mRNA levels (Battelle et al., 2000). Thus, in Limulus, distinctly different mechanisms regulate the levels of mRNA encoding two proteins critical for the photoresponse.
The Effect of Teachers’ Unions on Education Production: Evidence from Union Election Certifications in Three Midwestern States

Using a unique data set on teachers’ union election certifications from Iowa, Indiana, and Minnesota, I estimate the effect of teachers’ unions on school district resources and on student educational attainment. My empirical strategy allows for nonparametric leads and lags of union age. I find no impact on teacher pay or per student district expenditures but that unions increase teacher employment by 5%. I find no class size effect because of enrollment increases in unionized districts, and I estimate that unions have no net effect on high school dropout rates. These findings highlight the importance of correctly measuring unionization status.
Black lipid membranes in aqueous media: the effect of salts on electrical properties.

Abstract The electrical properties of black lipid membranes of about 50A in thickness have been studied. The arrangement used consisted of the following: calomel electrode/aqueous solution/black lipid membrane on Teflon support/aqueous solution/calomel electrode. The membranes were generated from freshly recrystallized cholesterol and n-dodecane in an aqueous medium containing hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTAB). Measurements of interfacial tension on these bimolecular membranes have been made with a modified maximum bubble pressure method. The interfacial tensions of the membrane formed in HDTAB-H2O and HDTAB-0.1M NaCl solution were, respectively, 0.65 and 0.15 dyne/cm. The crucial role played by surface-active compounds with regard both to membrane formation and stability is briefly discussed. Electrical properties of these ultrathin membranes were investigated in the presence of various solutions of neutral salts (pH 6.85–6.95). In dilute solutions (10−4or 10−3 M) the resistance of the membrane was 107–108 ohms-cm.2. Further, it has been found that the transverse membrane resistance is dependent both on the electrolyte concentration and the anionic species used. For most electrolytes studied, the d.c. membrane resistance decreased by several orders of magnitude when the concentration was about 0.01M. The order of specific effect of anions in lowering membrane resistance has been found to be I− > Br− > SO4−2 > Cl− > F−. The observed effect is discussed qualitatively in terms of the interaction between the quaternary ammonium groups and anionic species at the membrane-water interface. The membrane capacitances were obtained by a d.c. transient method, which showed significant variations when salt concentration or species was altered. The values of the capacitance ranged from 0.7 to 1.1 μf.cm.2. The observed variations are considered in terms of the electrical double layer capacitances at the membrane-solution interfaces.
Rheology and Structure of Flocculated Iron Oxide Suspensions

This paper focuses on the relation between structure and rheology of flocculated suspensions. Rheological measurements were taken both in shear and nearly extensional flows. The structures of magnetic iron oxide suspensions were visualized using cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (Cryo-SEM) and video-enhanced light microscopy (VELM) under shear, elongational, and rotational flows. Shear fields were generated by using a miniature Couette geometry, whereas elongational and rotational fields were generated by an innovative technique, which takes advantage of a surface tension gradient on the interface of an air bubble, and were visualized in real time under a light microscope. In Couette flow, the particle networks formed at high concentrations (9.4% by volume) do not uniformly break up into smaller units of particles, as at lower concentrations, but rather break up at the center of the gap, segregating particles toward the walls. Real-time light microscopy observations of a spinning floc show that the deformation and breakup of flocs is a process that gradually occurs with time. In extensional flow, flocs elongate and break up, explaining the apparent extensional thinning behavior measured. Apparent extensional viscosities were one to two orders of magnitude larger than shear viscosities at the same applied stress.
Finite state verification (abstract only): An emerging technology for validating software systems

Ever since formal verification was first proposed in the late sixties, the idea of being able to definitively determine if a program meets its specifications has been an appealing, but elusive, goal. Although verification systems based on theorem proving have improved considerably over the years, they are still inherently undecidable and require significant guidance from mathematically astute users. The human effort required for formal verification is so significant that it is usually only applied to the most critical software components.Alternative approaches to theorem proving based verification have also been under development for some time. These approaches usually restrict the problem domain in some way, such as focusing on hardware descriptions, communication protocols, or a limited specification language. These restrictions allow the problem to be solved by using reasoning algorithms that are guaranteed to terminate and by representing the problem with a finite state model, and thus these approaches have been called finite state verification. Systems based on these approaches are starting to be effectively applied to interesting software systems and there is increasing optimism that such approaches will become widely applicable.In this presentation, I will overview some of the different approaches to finite state verification. In particular I will describe symbolic model checking, integer necessary constraints, and incremental data flow analysis approaches. The strengths and weaknesses of these approaches will be described. In addition, I will outline the major challenges that must be addressed before finite state verification will become a common tool for the typical well-trained software engineer.
Quantum information processing with quantum dot-photonic crystal devices

An inverse problem approach to designing photonic crystal cavities is reviewed. The theoretical and experimental work on integration of a number of photonic crystal components (cavities and waveguides) into functional circuits for quantum information processing, including nontrivial two-qubit quantum gates is also reviewed.
Stem cell transplantation as a biological therapy for peripheral T-cell lymphomas

Importance of the field: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) are a heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in which conventional chemotherapy has been characterized by poor outcomes when compared with most aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Autologous, and to a lesser extent allogeneic, hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HSCT) have been advocated as potential means to improve and consolidate remissions in PTCL. Areas covered in this review: Given the absence of large-scale randomized clinical controlled trials of transplantation for PTCL, we review existing data addressing the role and timing of HSCT in PTCL. What the reader will gain: A detailed overview of the available data of overall and progression-free survival associated with HSCT in PTCL with discussion of existing studies, data on determinants of HSCT outcome in PTCL, and future directions for research. Take home message: The optimal roles and timing of HSCT in PTCL remain unclear. Accordingly, clinicians are encouraged to register their patient...
Understanding complex visually referring utterances

We propose a computational model of visually-grounded spatial language understanding, based on a study of how people verbally describe objects in visual scenes. We describe our implementation of word level visually-grounded semantics and their embedding in a compositional parsing framework. The implemented system selects the correct referents in response to a broad range of referring expressions for a large percentage of test cases. In an analysis of the system's successes and failures we reveal how visual context influences the semantics of utterances and propose future extensions to the model that take such context into account.
Identification of c-type cytochromes involved in anaerobic, bacterial U(IV) oxidation.

Anaerobic, bacterial reduction of water-soluble U(VI) complexes to the poorly soluble U(IV) mineral uraninite has been intensively studied as a strategy for in situ remediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater. A novel and potentially counteracting metabolic process, anaerobic, nitrate-dependent U(IV) oxidation, has recently been described in two bacterial species (Geobacter metallireducens and Thiobacillus denitrificans), but the underlying biochemistry and genetics are completely unknown. We report here that two diheme, c-type cytochromes (putatively c 4 and c 5 cytochromes) play a major role in nitrate-dependent U(IV) oxidation by T. denitrificans. Insertion mutations in each of the two genes encoding these cytochromes resulted in a greater than 50% decrease in U(IV) oxidation activity, and complementation in trans restored activity to wild-type levels. Sucrose-density-gradient ultracentrifugation confirmed that both cytochromes are membrane-associated. Insertion mutations in genes encoding other membrane-associated, c-type cytochromes did not diminish U(IV) oxidation. This is the first report of proteins involved in anaerobic U(IV) oxidation.
Family Structure and Adolescence: The Case of the Colombian Street Children

The characteristics of two family structures in Colombia and their methods of childrearing were described from participant observational data. The data illustrated that street childrenz camefrompoorfamilies that were matrifocal and of indigenous orAfrican descentt. Tley raised children for early independence. The class-dominant, Spanish patrifocal families had methods of child-rearing that demanded strict obedience to paretntal authority and delaved adolescent independence. The present study illustrated that the street children's early independence in a rapidly changing and volatile society increased the presslure on the state to exert its waning authority. The children were then described usinig ethnographic standards. The study demonstrated the difficulty of getting accurate information about a largc social problem, and illustrated that adolescence was defined itn a historical and societal context.
Targets but not Victims: Latina/o College Students and Arizona's Racial Politics

This study examines the experiences of 18 Latina/o students attending the University of Arizona in the wake of SB 1070 (anti-immigrant) and HB 2281 (anti-Mexican American Studies). Students experienced a hostile campus climate; however, many channeled their frustrations into political engagement. Findings indicate that despite anti-Latina/o legislation and a hostile campus racial climate, students do not necessarily become racial victims. Practitioners should create opportunities for students to engage in dialogue, which critically analyzes racial policies.
Partial likelihood for real-time signal processing

We introduce a unified statistical framework for real-time signal processing with neural networks by using a recent extension of maximum likelihood (ML) estimation, partial likelihood (PL) estimation theory, which allows for (i) dependent observations, and (ii) processing of data using only the information that is available at the time of processing. For a general neural network conditional distribution model, we establish a fundamental information-theoretic relationship for PL estimation, and obtain large sample properties of PL for the general case of dependent observations. We consider applications of PL to prediction and channel equalization.
An information-geometric framework for statistical inferences in the neural spike train space

Statistical inferences are essentially important in analyzing neural spike trains in computational neuroscience. Current approaches have followed a general inference paradigm where a parametric probability model is often used to characterize the temporal evolution of the underlying stochastic processes. To directly capture the overall variability and distribution in the space of the spike trains, we focus on a data-driven approach where statistics are defined and computed in the function space in which spike trains are viewed as individual points. To this end, we at first develop a parametrized family of metrics that takes into account different warpings in the time domain and generalizes several currently used spike train distances. These new metrics are essentially penalized L p norms, involving appropriate functions of spike trains, with penalties associated with time-warping. The notions of means and variances of spike trains are then defined based on the new metrics when p?=?2 (corresponding to the "Euclidean distance"). Using some restrictive conditions, we present an efficient recursive algorithm, termed Matching-Minimization algorithm, to compute the sample mean of a set of spike trains with arbitrary numbers of spikes. The proposed metrics as well as the mean spike trains are demonstrated using simulations as well as an experimental recording from the motor cortex. It is found that all these methods achieve desirable performance and the results support the success of this novel framework.
Architectural support for uniprocessor and multiprocessor active memory systems

We introduce an architectural approach to improve memory system performance in both uniprocessor and multiprocessor systems. The architectural innovation is a flexible active memory controller backed by specialized cache coherence protocols that permit the transparent use of address remapping techniques. The resulting system shows significant performance improvement across a spectrum of machine configurations, from uniprocessors through single-node multiprocessors (SMPs) to distributed shared memory clusters (DSMs). Address remapping techniques exploit the data access patterns of applications to enhance their cache performance. However, they create coherence problems since the processor is allowed to refer to the same data via more than one address. While most active memory implementations require cache flushes, we present a new approach to solve the coherence problem. We leverage and extend the cache coherence protocol so that our techniques work transparently to efficiently support uniprocessor, SMP and DSM active memory systems. We detail the coherence protocol extensions to support our active memory techniques and present simulation results that show uniprocessor speedup from 1.3 to 7.6 on a range of applications and microbenchmarks. We also show remarkable performance improvement on small to medium-scale SMP and DSM multiprocessors, allowing some parallel applications to continue to scale long after their performance levels off on normal systems.
Recognition of Leukochimerism during Genotyping for Bovine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (BLAD) by Polymerase-Chain-Reaction-Amplified DNA Extracted from Blood:

References to be most characteristic of H. capsulatum. Culture of the organism was attempted on Sabourud dextrose agar and potato dextrose agar, but H. capsulatum was not isolated. Candida glabrata was isolated and identified with an API 20C test strip; however, this organism was regarded to be a contaminant. Candida glabrata can be confused histologically with H. capsulatum, but the visible capsules on the organisms were not typical of C. glabrata. 5 Because the organism failed to grow in culture, tissue sections and serum from the llama were sent for testing to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. Immunodiffusion tests of the serum indicated it to contain the H and the M precipitins of H. capsulatum. Both of these precipitins are specific indicators of Histoplasma capsulatum infection, and presence of the H precipitin is particularly indicative of active infection. 8 Fluorescent antibody testing of tissues was positive for H. capsulatum and negative for Candida glabrata. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of histoplasmosis in a llama. Llamas were not included in a recent study documenting the incidence of histoplasmosi s based on skin reactivity to histoplasmin in captive wild animals in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 2 The presence of isolated yeast-laden macrophages in the splenic pulp suggested terminal dissemination
Gravitropism in roots of intermediate‐starch mutants of Arabidopsis

Gravitropism was studied in roots of wild type (WT) Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. (strain Wassilewskija) and three starch-deficient mutants that were generated by T-DNA insertional mutagenesis. One of these mutants was starchless while the other two were intermediate mutants, which had 51% and 60%, respectively, of the WT amount of starch as determined by light and electron microscopy. The four parameters used to assay gravitropism were: orientation during vertical growth, time course of curvature, induction, and intermittent stimulation experiments. WT roots were much more responsive to gravity than were roots of the starchless mutant, and the intermediate starch mutants exhibited an intermediate graviresponse. Our data suggest that lowered starch content in the mutants primarily affects gravitropism rather than differential growth because both phototropic curvature and growth rates were approximately equal among all four genotypes. Since responses of intermediate-starch mutants were closer to the WT response than to the starchless mutant, it appears that 51-60% of the WT level of starch is near the threshold amount needed for full gravitropic sensitivity. While other interpretations are possible, the data are consistent with the starch statolith hypothesis for gravity perception in that the degree of graviresponsiveness is proportional to the total mass of plastids per cell.
Effects of individual decision schemes on group behavior

The effects of a shared decision function on group behavior are studied. Previous work by others suggests that the amount of information available to the individuals plays a crucial role in group performance. This work extends the previous work to show that the control parameters in the decision rule utilized by the individuals significantly effects group behavior. This work shows that the decision rule influences the group behavior to a greater extent than the amount of information does. Indeed, a control scheme has been found that improves the performance of the system such that the behavior is no longer drastically affected by varying the amount of information available.
Bureaucratic behavior and the choice of labor input: A study of municipal governments

A significant body of literature has evolved on the theory of managerial behavior. This literature has split into the study of the behavior of the private firm managers' and government agency bureaucrats.2 While managers and bureaucrats may attempt to maximize utility at the cost of their respective principal-employer (i.e., stockholders or taxpayers), the private firm managers face more limiting constraints than do the bureaucrats. This difference has aroused interest in studying the behavior of government bureaucrats. An important focus has been the bureaucratic behavior with respect to the choice of inputs. One assertion has been that government agencies have incentive to overemploy capital as opposed to labor. For example, De Alessi (1969) suggested that since capital intensive technologies tend to use a larger proportion of costs over a shorter time period, the budget minded bureaucrats want to engage in projects that yield greater appropriations over a short time horizon rather than projects that obtain the same budget over a longer time horizon. An opposite hypothesis has been that oversized staff is a source of gains to politicians and bureaucrats. Tullock (1965) suggested that government agencies have incentive to increase the size of their staff, because overstaffing generates more votes in favor of the incumbents.
Extrapolation algorithms for discrete signals with application in spectral estimation

In this paper we present some new algorithms useful for extrapolation and spectral estimation of band-limited sequences in one and two dimensions. First we show that many of the existing extrapolation algorithms for noiseless observations are unified under the criterion of minimum norm least squares (MNLS) extrapolation. For example, the iterative algorithms proposed in [2] and [8]-[10] are shown to be special cases of a one-step gradient algorithm which has linear convergence. Convergence and other numerical properties are improved by going to a conjugate gradient algorithm. For noisy observations, these algorithms could be extended by considering a mean-square extrapolation criterion which gives rise to a mean-square extrapolation filter and also to a recursive extrapolation filter. Examples and application of these methods are given. Extension of these algorithms is made for problems where the signal is known to be periodic. A new set of functions called the periodic-discrete prolate spheroidal sequences (P-DPSS), analogous to DPSS [21], [22], are introduced and their properties are studied. Finally, several of these algorithms are generalized to two dimensions and the relevant equations are given.
Determination and validation of a predictive model for Clostridium difficile diarrhea in hospitalized oncology patients

Background: Clostridium difficile colitis in the cancer patient receiving chemotherapy is a frequent cause of morbidity which may prolong hospitalization. Techniques for identifying infection often delay the initiation of therapy. Patients and methods: In this retrospective case-control analysis, we identified predictors for C. difficile-associated diarrhea in 29 patients hospitalized from 1988 to 1993 on a hematologic malignancy/bone marrow transplant unit (hospital A). We then validated our model with 58 C. difficile cases and 74 controls admitted to an oncology unit from a different institution (hospital B). Results: We found that low intensity of chemotherapy (P < 0.001), lack of parenteral vancomycin use (P = 0.03) and hospitalization within the past two months (P = 0.05) were independently predictive of C. difficile colitis by multivariate analysis. These variables were weighted for predictive capability using a receiver operator characteristic score; low intensity chemotherapy was assigned two points, lack of parenteral vancomycin received one point and prior hospitalization one point (P < 0.001 by X 2 for trend). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve areas were 0.78 for patients at hospital A and 0.70 at hospital B indicating moderate drop off in discrimination. Compared to hospital A patients, hospital B patients hospitalized between 1989 and 1994 were more often women (P = 0.04), received less systemic vancomycin (P = 0.01), were less frequently neutropenic (P < 0.05), and received less intense chemotherapy regimens (P < 0.05). Despite these differences in demographics in patients between these institutions, our predictive model was validated in hospital B patients (P = 0.02 by X 2 for trend). Conclusions: The results of this study may help clinicians predict the risk of C. difficile disease in the hospitalized immunocompromised oncology patient and may help guide empiric therapy while awaiting results of stool toxin assays.
Fiber Bragg grating sensors for infrastructure sensing

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based sensors provide a powerful sensing technique that can be applied to a range of structural sensing applications. A variety of different techniques have been developed for monitoring the FBG elements while permitting the multiplexing of many of these devices along a single optical fiber. There exist a wide range of demands for structural sensing from high-strain applications with a few sensing locations to applications with potentially many sensors and relatively low strains. We have developed several techniques to meet these needs that utilize optical components common in the communications industry. The basic configuration we use to monitor the FBG sensors is shown.
Electromigration Issues in High Current Horn

The secondary particle focusing horn for the AGS neutrino experiment proposal is a high current and high current density device. The peak current of horn is 300 kA. At the smallest area of horn, the current density is near 8 kA/mm2. At very high current density, a few kA/mm2, the electromigration phenomena will occur. Momentum transfer between electrons and metal atoms at high current density causes electromigration. The reliability and lifetime of focusing horn can be severely reduced by electromigration. In this paper, we discuss issues such as device reliability model, incubation time of electromigration, and lifetime of horn.
The Work of Friendship in Nineteenth-Century American Friendship Album Verses

Based on archival research done at the Library Company of Philadelphia, this essay offers an interpretation of original and popular verses that appear in nineteenth-century friendship albums. It argues that the verses engage a long-standing conversation about the nature of friendship in the Western tradition: where the feeling of friendship comes from, the nature of the feeling itself, and how we ought to practice it. Situating the verses in relation to literary and philosophical writings on friendship including those of Socrates, Michel de Montaigne, Friedrich Nietzsche, Friedrich Holderlin, Rainer Maria Rilke, Maurice Blanchot, and Simone de Beauvoir achieves two main objectives. First, it aims to give the verses, which have largely been ignored by scholarship, their due as literary texts; and second, reveals that this popular practice, though not itself explicitly philosophical, makes a serious contribution to the Western philosophical tradition's consideration of the concept of friendship
United Parcel Services IT Infrastructure: A Case Analysis

This analysis of the information technology infrastructure at United Parcel Service (UPS) begins with a general overview of the companys information technology (IT) environment to establish awareness of the size and complexity of this corporation. It includes a macro-level breakdown of the technology infrastructure of UPS ranging from the data centers to the PCs currently in operation. The study also more closely analyzes the software and database structure of UPS along with an analysis of the companys E-commerce activities. It includes an interview with Tom Creech, the North Florida District E-commerce manager at UPS. Finally, research was conducted to evaluate the emerging technologies that UPS is implementing and employing to support the business strategy and maintain its competitive edge.
Micromachined optical bench for a surface plasmon sensor

Surface plasmon sensors are used in chemical, gas, and bio-sensing applications. Detection is based on changes in the permittivity of thin interfacial layers1-2. Most surface plasmon detection configurations require expensive optical equipment and a stable optical bench. Thus, surface plasmon sensors have for the most part remained in laboratory environments. The sensors employ a beam of transverse magnetic (TM) polarized light incident through a substrate onto a thin metal film, e.g. Ag or Au. The metal film is chemically sensitized, and exposed to an analyte (see Figure 1.) Above the critical angle, 6C, the light is totally reflected from the substrate-metal interface, except at a distinct angle of incidence where a surface plasmon mode is generated. At the surface plasmon angle, Ggp, the reflectance reaches a minimum. Ggp is very sensitive to dielectric changes in close proximity to the metal-analyte interface. If the film is sensitized to selectively bind a prescribed chemical, X, a change in permittivity will occur resulting in a shift in 0gp, which can be used to obtain a quantitative measure of the chemical activity of X in the analyte. The basic configuration is shown in Figure 1. All surface plasmon sensors require four basic elements: a source of TM polarized light; a method of coupling this light to a thin metal film through glass so as to achieve incidence angles above the critical angle of reflection; a means of providing a range of incidence angles; and a detector to measure the reflectance as a function of the angle of incidence.
Temperature-Based Models of Development for the Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Predator, Calosoma sycophanta (Coleoptera: Carahidae)

Three models (linear, third-degree polynomial, and one based on enzyme kinetics) were used to simulate the dependence of Calosoma sycophanta L. developmental rate on temperature. In conjunction with a model of individual differences in development based on the Weibull distribution, the models were used to predict development of C. sycophanta at fluctuating temperatures in a greenhouse and in nature. In the greenhouse, the reaction-rate model based on enzyme kinetics was most consistently correct. Simulated development was 1–2 d faster than actual, but this may have been partly because of the large fraction of time greenhouse temperatures were below 20°C. Simulations for one set of field data had to be adjusted for the time of larval hatch, but the same adjustment gave a good simulation of independent data. One or more of the temperature-based models, in conjunction with other studies on food consumption, may prove useful in measuring the effect of this predator on gypsy moths.
Stabilizing metastable tetragonal HfO2 using a non-hydrolytic solution-phase route: ligand exchange as a means of controlling particle size

There has been intense interest in stabilizing the tetragonal phase of HfO2 since it is predicted to outperform the thermodynamically stable lower-symmetry monoclinic phase for almost every application where HfO2 has found use by dint of its higher dielectric constant, bandgap, and hardness. However, the monoclinic phase is much more thermodynamically stable and the tetragonal phase of HfO2 is generally accessible only at temperatures above 1720 °C. Classical models comparing the competing influences of bulk free energy and specific surface energy predict that the tetragonal phase of HfO2 ought to be stable at ultra-small dimensions below 4 nm; however, these size regimes have been difficult to access in the absence of synthetic methods that yield well-defined and monodisperse nanocrystals with precise control over size. In this work, we have developed a modified non-hydrolytic condensation method to precisely control the size of HfO2 nanocrystals with low concentrations of dopants by suppressing the kinetics of particle growth by cross-condensation with less-reactive precursors. This synthetic method enables us to stabilize tetragonal HfO2 while evaluating ideas for critical size at which surface energy considerations surpass the bulk free energy stabilization. The phase assignment has been verified by atomic resolution high angle annular dark field images acquired for individual nanocrystals.
56 ATTENUATION OF RODENT LUNG ISCHEMIA/REPERFUSION INJURY BY SPHINGOSINE 1-PHOSPHATE

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a common sequelae of lung transplantation occurring in donor lungs within hours and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. I/R injury is characterized by alveolar damage, edema, and inflammation. Despite improvements in lung preservation techniques, I/R injury remains a significant cause of lung transplant failure and novel therapeutic interventions are desperately needed. We employed a rodent model to investigate a potential therapeutic role of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a potent vascular barrier protective product of platelets, in I/R lung injury. Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to thoracotomy and pulmonary artery ligation (1 hr) followed by a period of reperfusion (2 hr). S1P (1 μm final, i.v) was administered either 15 min prior to ischemia or at the time of reperfusion. Indices of lung vascular permeability and inflammation were assessed including bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cell counts, differentials and albumin concentrations. Myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) was measured in left lung homogenates as a reflection of parenchymal leukocyte infiltration. BAL fluid from I/R animals pre-treated with S1P contained decreased total number of cells (32.4% decrease, p = 0.05), neutrophils (63.3% decrease p = 0.04) and albumin concentration (57.2% decrease p = 0.04) compared to controls. In addition, S1P administered prior to ischemia resulted in decreased (63.0% decrease p = 0.04) lung tissue MPO. Our findings suggest that S1P significantly attenuates vascular permeability and inflammation associated with I/R injury. Ultimately, our results may have profound clinical implications as S1P may serve as a useful adjunct to current preservation approaches employed during lung transplantation allowing for improved patient outcomes. Funded by HL 073994
Measurement of cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL using compact analysis systems.

A new generation of compact, simple-to-operate analyzers facilitates on-site cholesterol screening. Some of these analyzers have demonstrated analytical performance meeting current guidelines for precision and accuracy. Attention to principles of laboratory quality assurance will be essential in order to provide reliable screening results.
Engineering nanometre-scale coherence in soft matter

Electronic delocalization in redox-active polymers may be disrupted by the heterogeneity of the environment that surrounds each monomer. When the differences in monomer redox-potential induced by the environment are small (as compared with the monomer–monomer electronic interactions), delocalization persists. Here we show that guanine (G) runs in double-stranded DNA support delocalization over 4–5 guanine bases. The weak interaction between delocalized G blocks on opposite DNA strands is known to support partially coherent long-range charge transport. The molecular-resolution model developed here finds that the coherence among these G blocks follows an even–odd orbital-symmetry rule and predicts that weakening the interaction between G blocks exaggerates the resistance oscillations. These findings indicate how sequence can be exploited to change the balance between coherent and incoherent transport. The predictions are tested and confirmed using break-junction experiments. Thus, tailored orbital symmetry and structural fluctuations may be used to produce coherent transport with a length scale of multiple nanometres in soft-matter assemblies, a length scale comparable to that of small proteins. The existence (or not) of electronic coherence in homopolymers is dependent on a balance between monomer–monomer interactions and environmental heterogeneity. Now, by understanding how even–odd orbital symmetry influences coherence and produces resistance oscillations as a function of distance—it is shown that DNA sequences can be designed to support coherent charge transport.
Multiphase Flows in Nuclear Reactor Severe Accidents

Severe accidents are examined from the point of view of formulating generic, fundamental, multiphase flow problems. Related physics and issues are discussed in light of on-going work and projected future trends. Questions are raised about the overall frame of such mission-oriented research, and an appeal is made for improved international cooperation on issues at the fundamental level.
3D Printing Optical Engine for Controlling Material Microstructure

Abstract Controlling the cooling rate of alloy during melting and resolidification is the most commonly used method for varying the material microstructure and consequently the resuling property. However, the cooling rate of a selective laser melting (SLM) production is restricted by a preset optimal parameter of a good dense product. The head room for locally manipulating material property in a process is marginal. In this study, we invent an Optical Engine for locally controlling material microstructure in a SLM process. It develops an invovative method to control and adjust thermal history of the solidification process to gain desired material microstucture and consequently drastically improving the quality. Process parameters selected locally for specific materials requirement according to designed characteristics by using thermal dynamic principles of solidification process. It utilize a technique of complex laser beam shape of adaptive irradiation profile to permit local control of material characteristics as desired. This technology could be useful for industrial application of medical implant, aerospace and automobile industries.
CoARC: Co-operative, Aggressive Recovery and Caching for Failures in Erasure Coded Hadoop

Cloud file systems like Hadoop have become a norm for handling big data because of the easy scaling and distributed storage layout. However, these systems are susceptible to failures and data needs to be recovered when a failure is detected. During temporary failures, MapReduce jobs or file system clients perform degraded reads and satisfy the read request. We argue that lack of sharing of the recovered data during degraded reads and recovery of only the requested data block places a heavy strain on the system's network resources and increases the job execution time. To this end, we propose CoARC (Co-operative, Aggressive Recovery and Caching), which is a new data-recovery mechanism for unavailable data during degraded reads in distributed file systems. The main idea is to recover not only the data block that was requested but also other temporarily unavailable blocks in the same strip and cache them in a separate data node. We also propose an LRF (Least Recently Failed) cache replacement algorithm for such a kind of recovery caches. We also show that CoARC significantly reduces the network usage and job runtime in erasure coded Hadoop.
Amphetamine Enhances Gains in Auditory Discrimination Training in Adult Schizophrenia Patients

Targeted cognitive training (TCT) of auditory processing enhances higher-order cognition in schizophrenia patients. TCT performance gains can be detected after 1 training session. As a prelude to a potential clinical trial, we assessed a pharmacological augmentation of cognitive therapy (PACT) strategy by testing if the psychostimulant, amphetamine, augments TCT gains in auditory processing speed (APS) in schizophrenia patients and healthy subjects (HS). HS and schizophrenia patients were tested in a screening session (test 1), followed by a double-blind crossover design (tests 2-3), comparing placebo vs amphetamine (10 mg; 7 d between tests). On each test day, 1 hour of Posit Science "Sound Sweeps" training was bracketed by 2- to 4-minute pre- and post-training assessments of APS. Training consisted of a speeded auditory time-order judgment task of successive frequency modulation sweeps. Auditory system "learning" (APS post- vs pre-training) was enhanced by amphetamine (main effect of drug: P < .002; patients: d = 0.56, P < .02; HS: d = 0.39, nonsignificant), and this learning was sustained for at least 1 week. Exploratory analyses assessed potential biomarker predictors of sensitivity to these effects of amphetamine. Amphetamine enhances auditory discrimination learning in schizophrenia patients. We do not know whether gains in APS observed in patients after 1 hour of TCT predict clinical benefits after a full course of TCT. If amphetamine can enhance the therapeutic effects of TCT, this would provide strong support for a "PACT" treatment paradigm for schizophrenia.
Distinguishing Flourishing from Distressed Communities: Vulnerability, Resilience and a Systemic Framework to Facilitate Well-Being

In this chapter we expand the conceptualization of community well-being, the indicators used to measure it, and suggest fresh and more systemically comprehensive considerations for research and practice in distressed and flourishing communities. Past research has distinguished between distressed and flourishing communities in terms of quality-of-life (QOL) indicators: distressed communities tend to focus on basic needs of community residents (e.g., food, shelter, crime, unemployment, and security measures); flourishing communities on basic needs plus growth needs (e.g., sports, recreation, arts and culture, innovations, and leisure). We revisit the concept of flourishing in QOL studies and discuss concepts such as human flourishing, self-determination, psychological well-being, flow and engagement, and purpose and meaning in life. We then discuss concepts of community vulnerability and resilience and advance our own definition of flourishing versus distressed communities. A flourishing community is a recognizable assembly of people with shared values, cooperating to ensure clear evidence of positive physical, economic, environmental, and social well-being, which empower constituent members in their efforts to affect further prosocial outcomes for stakeholders of the community. A distressed community is essentially the converse. We then describe a systemic framework that captures the conditions within that interact to produce community well-being. These conditions involve marketing practices, consumption/demand, catalytic institutions (government, business, and NGOs), characteristics of the marketplace or citizen-stakeholders of it (location/access, income/wealth capital, social/cultural capital, situational commonalities, transparency/accountability, motivation, and market literacy/access), and macro factors (geo/environment, population, political/legal, economic, social/cultural, education, administration, infrastructure, and technology).
What’s Past Is Prologue: Relations Between Early Mathematics Knowledge and High School Achievement

Although previous research has established the association between early-grade mathematics knowledge and later mathematics achievement, few studies have measured mathematical skills prior to school entry, nor have they investigated the predictive power of early gains in mathematics ability. The current paper relates mathematical skills measured at 54 months to adolescent mathematics achievement using multi-site longitudinal data. We find that preschool mathematics ability predicts mathematics achievement through age 15, even after accounting for early reading, cognitive skills, and family and child characteristics. Moreover, we find that growth in mathematical ability between age 54 months and first grade is an even stronger predictor of adolescent mathematics achievement. These results demonstrate the importance of pre-kindergarten mathematics knowledge and early math learning for later achievement.
Mixed-initiative Personal Assistants

Specification and implementation of flexible human-computer dialogs is challenging because of the complexity involved in rendering the dialog responsive to a vast number of varied paths through which users might desire to complete the dialog. To address this problem, we developed a toolkit for modeling and implementing task-based, mixed-initiative dialogs based on metaphors from lambda calculus. Our toolkit can automatically operationalize a dialog that involves multiple prompts and/or sub-dialogs, given a high-level dialog specification of it. Our current research entails incorporating the use of natural language to make the flexibility in communicating user utterances commensurate with that in dialog completion paths.
Joining Forces: Bmi1 Inhibition and Cisplatin Curb Squamous Carcinogenesis

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are refractory to therapeutic interventions. Chen et al. (2017) show that mouse and human HNSCCs and their metastases depend on Bmi1-expressing cancer stem cells and AP1 signaling and that simultaneously inhibiting Bmi1 or AP1, combined with Cisplatin, reduces tumor growth effectively in preclinical models.
Intersection of homelessness and mental health: A mixed methods study of young adults who accessed psychiatric emergency services

Abstract Young adults who experience homelessness have high rates of mental disorders, yet low rates of outpatient mental health service use. This mixed methods study examined the intersection of homelessness and mental health in a sample of 54 young adults (ages 18–25) who were hospitalized on a short-term, inpatient psychiatric unit. Nearly half (n = 26) reported being homeless in the prior year and more than a quarter were homeless at the time of admission (n = 15). Qualitative analyses identified key factors that contributed to both mental health problems and homelessness including disrupted support networks, fragile family relationships, foster care involvement, substance use and traumatic events. Homelessness was both a facilitator and a barrier to successfully accessing mental health services to manage mental health symptoms. Findings highlight the interconnection of homelessness and mental health and their common relationship with additional underlying risk factors. Providers across service settings need to recognize the overlap of client populations and provide integrated, trauma informed care to address housing instability, mental health, and substance use together.