cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A $6$-chromatic two-distance graph in the plane

We prove that if one colors each point of the Euclidean plane with one of five colors, then there exist two points of the same color that are either distance $1$ or distance $2$ apart.
The Surprisingly Small Role of Policy Preferences in Supreme Court Agenda-Setting

A wealth of empirical scholarship demonstrate that ideology explains the justices' individual decisions to reverse or affirm lower courts in individual cases. This article examines whether or not the same holds true at the agenda-setting (certiorari) stage. Studying certiorari is especially useful to help untangle the different channels through which ideology may affect judicial decision-making. For instance, conservatives justices are both more likely to have conservative policy preferences and to view legal questions through an originalist lens. If a conservative justice votes to reverse a liberal lower court decision, it is impossible to tell whether the justice did so because he wanted to achieve policy goals or because he applied the law as he understood it. But since there is no liberal or conservative jurisprudence about certiorari, it is possible to unravel the effects of policy motivation, at least at the agenda-setting stage. It turns out that justices seem to be primarily motivated by ``certworthiness'' rather than eventual policy outcomes. Policy preferences---while occasionally determinative---usually play only a minor, supporting role. This is surprising since the same elements that are thought to create fertile soil for policy-based judgments on the merits are present in equal or greater measure at certiorari. Thus, one would expect justices' decisions to be at least as policy motivated at certiorari as they are on the merits.
Inverse-design of plasmonic and dielectric optical nanoantennas

In this section, brief introductions to local, global, and multi-objective optimization algorithms and their application to plasmonic and optical nanoantenna and metasurface design are given. Additionally, a flowchart which discusses how to select the appropriate optimization algorithm for a given inverse-design problem is provided.
Why asthma might surprisingly protect against poor outcomes in COVID-19

Asthma may protect against poor outcomes in COVID-19 due to several possible mechanisms, including altered viral entry receptor expression, inhaled corticosteroid use, chronic inflammation, reduced exposure due to shielding and/or mucus hypersecretionhttps://bit.ly/3eiXOPP
Challenges of Shaping Student Study Strategies for Success.

This paper reports results from a mixed-methods intervention conducted in partnership between a faculty member and an undergraduate to shape student study strategies for success in an introductory course. The instructor provided students with information on the effectiveness of the successive relearning study strategy, conducted an in-class demonstration of the strategy, and explained how students could apply the strategy to their study plan for the first exam. Students were asked about their planned study behaviors for the first exam before the intervention and exam and about their actual study behaviors for the exam after the intervention and exam. Students were asked before the intervention what an instructor could do to convince them to try a new strategy, and again after the intervention whether or not they adopted the new strategy and why. Quantitative results indicated that the intervention had no effect on students’ study behaviors, contrary to the predictions of the prior literature. Qualitative analyses suggested that students were open to learning more effective ways to study and thought that interventions like the one used in this investigation would convince them to try a new strategy. However, students were unable to use successive relearning because of procrastination and time management issues.
OPTIMIZATION OF A TRAVELING WAVE SUPERCONDUCTING RADIOFREQUENCY CAVITY FOR UPGRADING THE INTERNATIONAL LINEAR COLLIDER

The Standing Wave (SW) TESLA niobium-based superconducting radio frequency structure is limited to an accelerating gradient of about 50 MV/m by the critical RF magnetic field. To break through this barrier, we explore the option of niobium-based traveling wave (TW) structures. Optimization of TW structures was done considering experimentally known limiting electric and magnetic fields. It is shown that a TW structure can have an accelerating gradient above 70 MeV/m that is about 1.5 times higher than contemporary standing wave structures with the same critical magnetic field. The other benefit of TW structures shown is R/Q about 2 times higher than TESLA structure that reduces the dynamic heat load by a factor of 2. A method is proposed how to make TW structures multipactor-free. Some design proposals are offered to facilitate fabrication. Further increase of the real-estate gradient (equivalent to 80 MV/m active gradient) is also possible by increasing the length of the accelerating structure because of higher group velocity and cell-to-cell coupling. Realization of this work opens paths to ILC energy upgrades beyond 1 TeV to 3 TeV in competition with CLIC. The paper will discuss corresponding opportunities and challenges.
Relationships Between Parents-In-Law and Children-In-Law of Differing Racial and Ethnic Backgrounds: An Initial Qualitative Exploration

In-law relationships have drawn recent interest from family scholars. Historical trends demonstrate a significant rise in newlyweds marrying someone of a different race or ethnicity. Given this growing population of inter-racial marriage, the need to know more about these couples and their families is paramount. This article describes four themes that emerged from qualitative interviews with nine parents-in-law discussing their relationships with their child-in-law who is of a different race. The overarching themes identified for in-laws included: being initially hesitant based on race and/or culture; managing barriers pertaining to communication, language, and/or culture; differences that were enriching to the in-law relationship; and bonding related to shared minority status. Based on these findings, social workers may assume a supportive role for members of interracial families as they navigate not only social barriers but also their in-law relationships.
Low-Speed Vortical Flow over a 5-Degree Cone with Tip Geometry Variations

Experimental results on the surface pressures and sectional side forces on a 5-deg cone were obtained for the cases of three different nose tips. The sectional side force data for both the sharp cone and the blunt nose cone configurations showed a dependence on roll orientation. The blunt nose configurations were found to be effective in reducing the sectional side force for angles of attack up to 25 deg.
RADAR-OBSERVED ’’FINE LINES‘‘ IN THE OPTICALLY CLEAR BOUNDARY LAYER: REFLECTIVITY CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AERIAL PLANKTON AND ITS PREDATORS

Sensitive Doppler radars regularly detect fine lines ofenhanced reflectivity in mesoscale boundary-layer convergence zones. Recent studies have concludedthat these ‘fine lines’ are attributable primarily to backscatter fromconcentrations of small, weakly flying insects (‘aerial plankton’)entrained in the convergence zones. Such concentrations are likely tobe attractive to aerial predators that feed on small insects, raising thequestion of whether the presence of the predators themselves maycontribute significantly to the radar-observed fine lines.
Supplement to ‘Neuroaccounting: Consilience Between the Biologically-Evolved Brain and Culturally-Evolved Accounting Principles’

This supplement is a companion piece to NeuroAccounting: Consilience Between the Biologically-Evolved Brain and Culturally-Evolved Accounting Principles. We provide brief summaries of five studies from neuroscience along with key aspects of the findings that are cited in the NeuroAccounting paper.
Super-ego and aggression in circumscribed neurodermatitis.

The purpose of the present investigation was to test the hypotheses that patients with circumscribed neurodermatitis (1) have strict and punitive Super-egoes, and (2) tend to express aggressiveness masochistically.
A Grand Challenge Proposal for Formal Methods: A Verified Stack

We propose a grand challenge for the formal methods community: build and mechanically verify a practical computing system, from transistors to software. The challenge is both competitive and collaborative. It is collaborative because practical systems are too large for any one group or tool to handle in isolation: groups will have to team together. Furthermore, the vertical integration of systems at different levels of abstractions – from transistors to software – will encourage the team to adopt different tools for different levels and connect them. It is competitive because there are many systems from which to choose and different teams may form around different target systems.
Communication and the Oslo Negotiation: Contacts, Patterns, and Modes

This essay contends that Oslo, as a back-channel negotiation, grew out of and was implemented within a complex communication system. This system consists of six elements: the roles of multiple agents, the patterns of interaction among the agents, communication across the sides, overlapping inputs from negotiation channels, the roles of mediators, and the use of communication modes. Back-channel negotiations are characterized by concerns for legitimacy, secrecy, keeping the talks moving, and leveraging both sides to remain at the table. The Oslo system evolved through the use of multiple agents to enhance legitimacy and the use of chain patterns to filter information and persuade principals. The Norwegian mediators acted as facilitators to build relationships between the sides, leverage costs and benefits of working together, and accelerate the speed of the talks through using multiple modes of communication. Overall, the communication system preserved the secrecy of the process through special codes for telephone conversations and through traveling to multiple sites outside of Oslo for meetings. Ironically, the secrecy and expediency of the process also created an insular system, one in which the principals experienced selective bias and illusions of unanimity.
Differential range validation: A new technique for near-real-time validation of multistation ranging system data

Near-real-time validation of ranging system data is currently restricted to multiple range acquisitions during single passes (Pseudo-DRVID). A technique (Differential Range Validation) which utilizes predicted range and doppler pseudo-residuals to validate two-station, contiguous-pass range acquisitions down to the 10-meter level is described.
An updated version of the Kantorovich theorem for Newton's method

An affine invariant version of the Kantorovich theorem for Newton's method is presented. The result includes the Gragg-Tapia error bounds, as well as recent optimal and sharper upper bounds, new optimal and sharper lower bounds, and new inequalities showingq-quadratic convergence all in terms of the usual majorizing sequence. Closed form expressions for these bounds are given.
Investigation of respiratory and dermal symptoms associated with metal working fluids at an aircraft engine manufacturing facility.

Background Each year, 1.2 million metalworkers are exposed to metalworking fluids (MWFs), which can cause dermal and respiratory disease. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a health hazard evaluation of MWF exposures at an aircraft engine manufacturing facility. The objectives were to determine employee exposures to endotoxin and MWFs in the air, characterize symptoms experienced by employees working with MWFs, compare them to symptoms of employees unexposed to MWFs, and make recommendations for reducing exposures based on results.
Comparison of Macroscopic Examination, Routine Gram Stains, and Routine Subcultures in the Initial Detection of Positive Blood Cultures

Blood was cultured in two vaccum bottles containing Columbia broth with sodium polyanethol sulfonate and CO(2). Filtered air was admitted to one bottle, and the bottles were incubated at 35 C until growth was detected or for a maximum of 7 days. Bottles were examined daily for macroscopic growth. Gram stains were made routinely on the 1st, 4th, and 7th days, and samples were routinely subcultured to sheep blood agar (incubated in GasPak jar) and chocolate agar (incubated in CO(2)) on the 1st and 4th days of incubation. Of 1,127 positive blood cultures, 65% were first detected by macroscopic examination, 23% were first detected by Gram stain, and 12% were first detected only by subculture.
Activity-dependent Metabolism in Glia and Neurons

The complex and dynamic metabolic interactions between neurons and their neighbouring cells provide an exciting and contested field in contemporary neuroscience. Non-neuronal cells, most prominently among them astrocytes, participate directly in neuronal energy metabolism in such a way that important metabolic pathways can only be completed with the synergistic action of fundamentally differing cell types. Starting with the historical roots of this field, the fundamental principles of inter-cellular metabolism are described and extended into contemporary models of neuronal-glial energetics. In this updated article, established and controversial concepts are included with emphasis on unresolved questions, activity-dependent metabolic transitions, novel methodologies, and, most important, novel results and concepts.
LOG HOUSES AS PUBLIC OCCASIONS: A HISTORICAL THEORY∗

ABSTRACT Pioneer log houses of Anglo Louisiana incompletely fit some of the more common theories used to explain Southern folk houses. Slight modifications of some of these theories can be reconciled with observed houses if we radically change the conception of the type from an imposed model to an instance of man's public life. This reformulation of the ontogenic status of the house, checked against comparisons of several hundred houses, allows us to find the place of the Louisiana log houses.
Measures of Distress in 26 “Environmentally Ill” Subjects

The authors report on measures of distress in 26 subjects who had been diagnosed with environmental illness (EI) by a "clinical ecologist." EI subjects were more likely than control subjects to meet criteria for one or more personality disorder diagnoses assessed with the Structured Interview for DSM-III Personality Disorders and exhibited more somatic, mood, and anxiety symptoms assessed with the Symptom Checklist-90-R and the Illness Behavior Questionnaire. The authors conclude that subjects receiving this diagnosis may suffer from unrecognized psychological distress, which may account for some or all of the symptoms that had resulted in a diagnosis of EI.
Investigation of the Relation Between PTSD Symptoms and Self-Compassion: Comparison Across DSM IV and DSM 5 PTSD Symptom Clusters

Self-compassion is posited to protect against posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after exposure to traumatic events. Prior work has suggested self-compassion may only be related to avoidance symptoms using DSM IV criteria. Changes to the diagnosis in DSM 5 may have changed these relations. The current study examined the relation between self-compassion and PTSD symptoms using DSM IV and DSM 5 criteria. PTSD symptoms and self-compassion were evaluated in two trauma-exposed samples using measures that corresponded to DSM IV and DSM 5 criteria. Self-compassion was negatively correlated with aggregated PTSD symptoms for DSM IV and DSM 5. Self-compassion was correlated with avoidance symptoms for DSM IV but was correlated with all symptom clusters for the DSM 5. These results suggest that self-compassion may protect against PTSD symptoms using the most recent diagnostic criteria.
Inclusion complex of aprepitant with cyclodextrin: evaluation of physico-chemical and pharmacokinetic properties

Objective: Aprepitant (APR) is a water insoluble drug approved for the treatment of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) and post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The innovator Emend® is a formulation incorporating drug nanoparticles with good bioavailability (~67%). The objective of the current work was to evaluate the feasibility of formulating a cyclodextrin complex of APR with enhanced solubility/dissolution rate and concomitantly bioavailability.Methods: The complex was prepared using two approaches: kneading and slurry method. The formulated complex was evaluated using DSC, XRPD and FT-IR studies.Results: DSC, XRPD and FT-IR studies confirmed the interaction of β-cyclodextrin with APR indicating formation of a true complex wherein the drug was encapsulated in the cyclodextrin cavity (inclusion phenomenon). In addition to inclusion complexation, non inclusion phenomenon viz., interaction among hydroxyl groups of cyclodextrin and APR was also observed. The saturation solubility and dis...
A Small Protein Required for the Switch from σF to σG during Sporulation in Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT A cascade of alternative sigma factors governs the program of developmental gene expression during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis . Little is known, however, about how the early-acting sigma factors are inactivated and replaced by the later-acting factors. Here we identify a small protein, Fin (formerly known as YabK), that is required for efficient switching from σ F - to σ G -directed gene expression in the forespore compartment of the developing sporangium. The fin gene, which is conserved among Bacillus species and species of related genera, is transcribed in the forespore under the control of both σ F and σ G . Cells mutant for fin are unable to fully deactivate σ F and, conversely, are unable to fully activate σ G . Consistent with their deficiency in σ G -directed gene expression, fin cells are arrested in large numbers following the engulfment stage of sporulation, ultimately forming 50-fold fewer heat-resistant spores than the wild type. Based in part on the similarity of Fin to the anti-σ G factor CsfB (also called Gin), we speculate that Fin is an anti-σ F factor which, by disabling σ F , promotes the switch to late developmental gene expression in the forespore.
Recommendations to limit life support: a national survey of critical care physicians

Rationale: There is debate about whether physicians should routinely provide patient surrogates with recommendations about limiting life support.Objectives: To explore physicians’ self-reported practices and attitudes.Methods: A cross-sectional, stratified survey of 1,000 randomly selected US critical care physicians was mailed. We included a vignette to experimentally examine how surrogate desire for a recommendation and physician agreement with the surrogate modified whether physicians would provide a recommendation.Measurements and Main Results: Proportion of respondents reporting they routinely provide surrogates with a recommendation and how responses varied based on vignette characteristics. A total of 608 (66%) of 922 eligible physicians participated. Approximately one (22%) in five reported always providing surrogates with a recommendation, whereas 1 (11%) in 10 reported rarely or never doing so. Almost all respondents reported comfort making recommendations (92%) and viewed them as appropriate (9...
Nitrosamines as environmental carcinogens.

Human cancer might be caused by nitrosamines formed in the body from ingested nitrites and secondary amines. Cooking could be a source of secondary amines.
Variation in serotonergic and dopaminergic neuronal survival in the central nervous system of adult Drosophila

Loss of serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons may have serious implications for normal brain function. Drosophila models of neurodegenerative diseases utilize the short life-span and simple anatomy of the fly to characterize the molecular and genetic processes characteristic of each dysfunctional state. In fly embryonic and larval ventral nerve cords, serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons are positioned in a stereotypic pattern that is reorganized during metamorphosis. In this study, we examine the adult pattern of serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons within the adult fly ventral nerve cord. We find that the number of cells lost following metamorphosis is highly variable. Changes in cell number attributable to age are therefore likely to be highly masked by developmental variation. The source of this variation is probably apoptosis-based cell loss during pupal development.
Inactivation of microsomal 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase by phospholipase C: Rates of phospholipid hydrolysis and enzyme inactivation, and effects of phospholipids

When guinea-pig liver microsomes were exposed to phospholipase C the rate of phospholipid hydrolysis exceeded the rate of decrease in 17 beta-hydroxysteriod dehydrogenase (17 beta-HSD) activity. The time-course of the decrease in 17 beta-HSD activity was biphasic. An initial more rapid decrease (30-50% of total) was associated with the major extent (85%) of phospholipid hydrolysis. Subsequently, a second, slower phase of 17 beta-HSD inactivation was observed. The addition of purified phospholipids did not reactivate 17 beta-HSD but did protect against the inactivation seen in the second phase. The diacyglycerides produced by phospholipase C action remained associated with the microsomes. It is proposed that the differences in the rates of 17 beta-HSD inactivation reflect variations in the distribution of a single form of 17 beta-HSD among differing membrane fractions rather than the existence of multiple enzyme forms. The stabilizing effects of phospholipids may be due to their ability to prevent changes in lipid-lipid, lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions resulting from diacylglyceride formation. Resuspended microsomal lipids (chloroform-methanol extracts) inactivated 17 beta-HSD suggestive of the presence of endogenous lipid modulators of enzymatic activity.
Deposition and compaction of carbonate clinothems: The Silurian Pipe Creek Junior complex of east-central Indiana

Many of the larger Silurian mounds throughout the midwestern United States consist predominantly of thinly bedded carbonate units inclined at angles as great as 45°. Because these values exceed those for reasonable estimates of angles of repose, two opposing end-member models for their origin have been suggested, the ramifications of which affect evaluation of carbonate sources and modes of deposition. One implies that steeply sloping units exhibit primary inclinations, are composed largely of autochthonous carbonate debris held in place by benthic organisms and/or synsedimentary cement, and that deposition took place in relatively deep, low-energy marine settings. The other holds that present steep slopes are the result of differential compaction, that most carbonate is allochthonous, and that deposition took place in relatively shallow, high-energy marine environments. The Pipe Creek Junior quarry in east-central Indiana exposes as much as 45 m of such clinothems. Paleomagnetic signatures, inclinations of geopetal cavity fillings, and the density and geometry of vertical extension fractures which transect inclined units record 13° of postdepositional steepening. Restoration of inclined units to their initial slopes requires initial depositional inclinations of no more than 32°. Postdepositional compaction at Pipe Creek Junior was increasingly important in finer-grained downslope lithofacies; grainstone units shortened 3%, grainstone-mudstone units shortened 30%, and mudstone units shortened 58%. Compaction mechanisms, however, varied in different lithofacies. Dewatering resulted in 50% compaction of mudstone and 13% compaction of grainstone-mudstone units. Pressure solution, although less important than dewatering, was most intense in grainstone-mudstone lithofacies where shortening was at least 17%; dissolution thinned mudstone and grainstone units 8% and 3%, respectively. Data on unit rotation and unit shortening require that axes of flank-bed rotation correspond approximately to the position of the present quarry rim, suggesting that only minor amounts of Silurian section have been removed during Devonian and Pleistocene erosion. These relations, in conjunction with data on over-all complex geometry and flank-bed lithologic features, indicate that the Pipe Creek Junior complex is not truly reefal, in that it consists almost entirely of allochthonous biotic debris, derived from horizontal wave-swept bench surfaces and deposited on laterally prograding, bench-margin slopes at angles of repose. Other large midwestern Silurian carbonate buildups may have formed in similar settings.
Expression of Vema in the developing mouse spinal cord and optic chiasm.

A critical phase of nervous system development is the formation of connections between axons and their synaptic targets. Intermediate targets play important roles in axon pathfinding by supplying growing axons with long- and short- range guidance cues at decision points along their trajectory. We recently identified Vema as a novel membrane-associated protein that is expressed at the ventral midline of the developing vertebrate central nervous system (CNS). We report that Vema is expressed in the floor plate, an intermediate target for pathfinding commissural axons located at the ventral midline of the developing mouse spinal cord. Interestingly, Vema expression overlaps with the position of an unique population of neurons situated at the midline of the ventral diencephalon and that function as intermediate targets for pathfinding retinal ganglion cell axons. The distribution of Vema in the developing spinal cord and optic chiasm resembles the expression patterns of a variety of molecules known to play important roles in axon guidance, including Robo2, Neuropilin2, and SSEA. The expression of Vema at two key choice points for pathfinding axons suggests an important role for this protein in regulating axon guidance at the midline of the developing mouse central nervous system.
Hydrogen adsorption on microporous materials at ambient temperatures and pressures up to 50 MPa

High surface area microporous adsorbents are often proposed as potential hydrogen storage materials, although typically at 77 K and less than 5 MPa. In this study, we focus on conditions more suitable for automotive applications by investigating the storage capacities of microporous materials at 298 K and at pressures up to 50 MPa. In an effort to derive trends within and across material classes, we examined a wide range of materials with varying microstructures including the activated carbons AX-21, KUA-5, and MSC-30; a zeolite templated carbon; a hypercrosslinked polymer; and the Metal Organic Frameworks MOF-177, IRMOF-20, MIL-53, ZIF-8, and Cu3(btc)2. The peak excess adsorption of these materials ranged from 0.8–1.8 wt.%, although many did not reach their maximum capacity even at high pressures. However, the total volumetric storage gains over compressed hydrogen gas were quite low and, in many cases, negative. In addressing ambient temperature adsorption at significantly higher pressures than previously reported, our data confirms and extends the range of validity of several existing DFT calculations. Furthermore, our data suggest that, for both activated carbons and MOFs, factors other than specific surface area govern ambient temperature adsorption capacity. Contrary to some reports, the high fractions of sub-nanometer pores in some of the investigated MOFs did not appear to enhance the excess adsorption even at high pressures. For on-board applications with ambient temperature storage, significant enhancements to the attractive force at the materials’ surface are required, beyond merely increasing specific surface area, or for MOFs, tuning of pore sizes.
Bivariate splines for fluid flows

We discuss numerical approximations of the 2D steady-state Navier–Stokes equations in stream function formulation using bivariate splines of arbitrary degree d and arbitrary smoothness r with r<d. We derive the discrete Navier–Stokes equations in terms of B-coefficients of bivariate splines over a triangulation, with curved boundary edges, of any given domain. Smoothness conditions and boundary conditions are enforced through Lagrange multipliers. The pressure is computed by solving a Poisson equation with Neumann boundary conditions. We have implemented this approach in MATLAB and our numerical experiments show that our method is effective. Numerical simulations of several fluid flows will be included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the bivariate spline method.
A Minimax Property of The Sample Mean in Finite Populations

Consider the problem of estimating the mean of a finite population on the basis of a simple random sample. It was proved by Aggarwal (1954) that the sample mean minimizes the maximum expected squared error divided by the. population variance τ2. Aggarwal also stated, but did not successfully prove, that the sample mean minimizes the maximum expected squared error over the populations satisfying τ2 ≤ M for any fixed positive M. It is the purpose of this paper to give a proof of this second result, and to indicate some generalizations.
Polo‐like kinase 1 phosphorylation of G2 and S‐phase‐expressed 1 protein is essential for p53 inactivation during G2 checkpoint recovery

In response to G2 DNA damage, the p53 pathway is activated to lead to cell-cycle arrest, but how p53 is eliminated during the subsequent recovery process is poorly understood. It has been established that Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) controls G2 DNA-damage recovery. However, whether Plk1 activity contributes to p53 inactivation during this process is unknown. In this study, we show that G2 and S-phase-expressed 1 (GTSE1) protein, a negative regulator of p53, is required for G2 checkpoint recovery and that Plk1 phosphorylation of GTSE1 at Ser 435 promotes its nuclear localization, and thus shuttles p53 out of the nucleus to lead to its degradation during the recovery.
Analysis of transcriptional isoforms of collagen types IX, II, and I in the developing avian cornea by competitive polymerase chain reaction.

The genes for the alpha 1(IX), alpha 1(II), and alpha 2(I) collagen chains can give rise to different isoforms of mRNA, generated by alternative promotor usage [for alpha 1(IX) and alpha 2(I)] or alternative splicing [for alpha 1(II)]. In this study, we employed competitive reverse transcriptase PCR to quantitate the amounts of transcriptional isoforms for these genes in the embryonic avian cornea from its inception (about 3 1/2 days of development) to 11 days. In order to compare values at different time points, the results were normalized to those obtained for the "housekeeping" enzyme, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH). These values were compared to those obtained from other tissues (anterior optic cup and cartilage) that synthesize different combinations of the collagen isoforms. We found that, in the cornea, transcripts from the upstream promotor of alpha 1(IX) collagen (termed "long IX") were predominant at stage 18-20 (about 3 1/2 days), but then fell rapidly, and remained at a low level. By 5 days (just before stromal swelling) the major mRNA isoform of alpha 1(IX) was from the downstream promoter (termed "short IX"). The relative amount of transcript for the short form of type IX collagen rose to a peak at about 6 days of development, and then declined. Throughout this period, the predominant transcriptional isoform of the collagen type II gene was IIA (i.e., containing the alternatively spliced exon 2). This indicates that the molecules of type II collagen that are assembled into heterotypic fibrils with type I collagen possess, at least transiently, an amino-terminal globular domain similar to that found in collagen types I, III, and V. For type I, the "bone/tendon" mRNA isoform of the alpha 2(I) collagen gene was predominant; transcripts from the downstream promotor were at basal levels. In other tissues expressing collagen types IX and II, long IX was expressed predominantly with the IIA form in the anterior optic cup at stage 22/23; in 14 1/2 day cartilage, long IX was expressed predominantly along with the IIB form of alpha 1(II). The downstream transcript of the alpha 2(I) gene (Icart) was found at high levels only in cartilage.
The American Jewish community, Mikhail Gorbachev and Soviet Jewry: What is to be done?

(1987). The American Jewish community, Mikhail Gorbachev and Soviet Jewry: What is to be done? Soviet Jewish Affairs: Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 39-50.
Effect of broken windows enforcement on clearance rates

Abstract Originating in the New York City Transit System, “broken windows” enforcement has become a widely implemented policing strategy. Research testing the effectiveness of focused enforcement upon minor offenses and “uncivil” behaviors, however, has been inconclusive. There has been no study which has addressed broken windows enforcement as an explanatory factor for clearance rates. Most previous research on clearance rates were completed more than two decades ago, well before the implementation of structured broken windows enforcement. Utilizing official crime data for the thirty-five largest municipal police agencies in Texas from 1990 through 2004, this research examined the relationship between broken windows enforcement and clearance rates for UCR Part I offenses. Using hierarchical multivariate linear modeling (HMLM) analysis to capitalize upon the longitudinal characteristics of the data allowed examination of the influence of broken windows enforcement across a wide spectrum of agencies over a long time period. Broken windows enforcement showed inconsistent results across the different crime types. Broken windows enforcement had a positive impact on the clearance rates for burglaries and a marginal impact on auto theft clearance rates. In the case of larceny clearance, greater levels of broken windows arrests actually had a negative relationship. For all of the offense categories, the number of sworn officers was negatively related to the clearance rates. Crime per officer measures showed negative significant effect on the clearance rates for the property offense categories.
Pharmacological and biochemical properties of saxiphilin, a soluble saxitoxin-binding protein from the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana).

Abstract Supernatant fractions of various tissues and plasma from the North American bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, specifically bind saxitoxin with high affinity. Binding of [3H]saxitoxin to bullfrog plasma follows single-site behavior with an equilibrium dissociation constant of Kd = 0.16±0.03 nM at 0°C and a maximum binding capacity of 380±60 pmole/ml plasma. High-affinity binding of [3H]saxitoxin is chemically specific since it is unaffected by tetrodotoxin and a variety of cationic peptides, amino acids and drugs. The structure-activity dependence of binding to this site was investigated with eight different natural and synthetic derivatives of saxitoxin. Substitution of the carbamoyl side chain or the C-12 β-hydroxyl group of saxitoxin with a hydrogen atom had little effect on binding affinity, but addition of a hydroxyl group at the N-1 position decreased the binding affinity from 430- to 710-fold in three different molecular pairs. High performance size exclusion chromatography of supernatant from bullfrog skeletal muscle showed that the [3H]saxitoxin-binding component migrates with an apparent molecular weight of Mr = 74,000±8000 or a Stokes radius of 35±2 A . The [3H]saxitoxin-binding protein in skeletal muscle extract or plasma is retained on a cation-exchange column at pH 6.0, suggesting that the protein contains a region of exposed basic residues. Column isoelectric focusing of a sample from plasma indicated that the protein has a basic isoelectric point near pH = 10.7. These pharmacological and biochemical properties imply that this soluble saxitoxin-binding activity is associated with a novel protein named saxiphilin that is structurally distinct from known subtypes of functional sodium channel proteins which are the biological target of saxitoxin's paralyzing effect.
Behavioral and subjective scoring of the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility: further data and an extension.

The present study replicated and extended Kirsch, Council, and Wickless's work evaluating the reliability and concurrent validity of a subjective response scale developed for the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility. Consistent with Kirsch et al.'s findings, the subjective counterpart of the Harvard scale demonstrated high reliability (coefficient .90) and concurrent validity (r = .84 with Harvard's standard behavioral score). Similar correlations of the behavioral and subjective scales with the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) and Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) suggested that the two hypnotizability scales are measuring similar constructs. However, using the two scales in combination did not yield a morestringent measure of hypnotizability in terms of DES and PCI variables than using either of them alone.
Pyrrhotite: a Common Inclusion in South African Diamonds

LARGE batches of industrial diamonds from several South African localities were carefully examined and any that showed large dark regions were weighed and then crushed by a sharp blow in a stainless steel mortar. The crushed fragments were then examined under a binocular microscope ( × 15). Any particle which did not appear to be diamond was transferred to a drop of ethyl acetate on a glass microscope slide. After the drop had evaporated, a rubber ball mount of the grain was prepared1, and the mount cemented to the end of a small plastic brush fibre ready for mounting in a 57.54 mm diameter Debye–Scherrer powder camera. Each specimen was X-rayed for 3 h using cobalt radiation (λ = 1.7902 A) with an iron filter. If the resulting pattern was weak, the exposure was repeated for 9 h.
Self-aligned n-channel GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) using HfO2 and silicon interface passivation layer: Post-metal annealing optimization

In this work, using Si interface passivation layer (IPL), we demonstrate n-MOSFET on p-type GaAs by varying physical-vapor-deposition (PVD) Si IPL thickness, S/D ion implantation condition, and different substrate doping concentration and post-metal annealing (PMA) condition. Using the optimized process, TaN/HfO"2/GaAs n-MOSFETs made on p-GaAs substrates exhibit good electrical characteristics, equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) (~3.7nm), frequency dispersion (~8%) and high maximum mobility (420cm^2/Vs) with high temperature PMA (950^oC, 1min) and good inversion.
Growth and Grain Yield of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) Genotypes at Different Levels of Nitrogen Fertilization in the Southeastern United States

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br) has the requisite characteristics for dry land production in the southeastern USA in comparison to the traditional grain crops while requiring less input. The purpose of this study was to identify the genotypes that produce the highest yield and seed quality at different rates of nitrogen. Four pearl millet genotypes (2304, LHB08, 606A1*2304 and 707A1*4280) were cultivated on secondary land and treated with 4 different nitrogen rates: 0, 40, 80 and 120 kg ha-1. The genotypes were evaluated for agronomic parameters including booting, number of tillers, plant height, plant weight, number of heads, head length and yield. Nitrogen rate did not have any significant effect on the head length, number of tillers and plant (dry) weight among the genotypes. Plant height ranged between 96 and 111 cm and was significantly different among the genotypes. However, numerically, genotype LHB08 produced the longest heads (42 cm) and highest seed yield (6,159 kg ha-1) across all treatments. Overall, nitrogen rate did not produce significant difference in yield among the genotypes. Since grain yield obtained in this study is comparable to those reported elsewhere, it can be inferred that pearl millet has the potential as a new grain crop for the southeastern United States. Furthermore, results demonstrated that pearl millet can be grown with limited N-input. As N-fertilization is the major cost of producing any crop, pearl millet offers special opportunity for large number of limited resource farmers in the region.
A Convenient Preparation of 2-Ethyl-4-Carboxycyclohexanone

Abstract Several years ago in the course of work directed toward the total synthesis of the iboga alkaloids1, we required relatively large quantities of 2-ethyl-4-carboxycyclonhexanone (1) and its methyl ester as precursors to 3-ethyl-5-carbomethoxycyclohexene. Although it was possible to prepare keto acid 2 from 1,3,5-tricarbomethoxypentane (3) following the published synthesis of 2-methyl-4-carboxycyclohexanone2, the overall yield was only 52%. 3 In addition, the isolation and purification of intermediates 4 renders the synthesis rather tedious.
Comprehensive Performance Benchmarking of III-V and Si nMOSFETs (Gate Length = 13 nm) Considering Supply Voltage and OFF-Current

Comprehensive performance benchmarking results for III-V and Si nanowire nMOSFETs (gate length of 13 nm) are reported based on the atomistic full-band ballistic quantum transport simulation including the effects of parasitic resistance and capacitance. After optimizing the source/drain doping for III-V nMOSFETs (to balance source exhaustion versus tunneling leakage), the current, capacitance, and switching delay ( $\textit {CV}/I$ ) metrics are compared across InAs, GaAs, and Si devices with different crystal orientations at various supply voltage ( $V_{\mathrm {\mathbf {DD}}})$ and OFF-current ( $I_{\mathrm{{\scriptscriptstyle OFF}}})$ targets. III-V nMOSFETs are projected to improve over Si (e.g., up to $\sim 50$ % reduction in gate-loaded $\textit {CV}/I$ ) for low-power operation (low $V_{\mathrm {\mathbf {DD}}}$ , low $I_{\mathrm{{\scriptscriptstyle OFF}}})$ while they lose advantage in the high-performance (high $V_{\mathrm {DD}}$ , high $I_{\mathrm{{\scriptscriptstyle OFF}}}$ target) region. We also provide analytical models for the effects of carrier effective mass and physically explain how the performance comparison of III-V versus Si changes with device scaling.
A model of magnetic bubble propagation patterns using surface charge embedded in a minimum domain configuration

A magnetostatic model of thin film polygon shapes is developed as a design aid for conventional field access magnetic bubble devices. A finite surface element treatment of a general polygon shape represents the magnetization by surface charge residing on domain walls and polygon sides. Domain walls are located according to an algorithm which partitions an arbitrary polygon into a minimum number of domains. The system energy is expressed in terms of magnetic charge density on the surface elements, and minimization of the energy produces the solution for the linear magnetization problem. The accuracy of the two-dimensional analysis is improved by including an approximate treatment of charge distribution on the thin film surfaces. The relatively small number of unknowns permits the analysis of several interacting polygons in device configurations. The normal magnetic field is averaged over the thickness of the bubble material, and contour plots of this field are made for each applied field orientation. The field plots are shown to be useful for initial screening of new device ideas and for predicting performance differences among similar designs.
Specification and verification of abstract database types

A database system, comprising a schema, integrity constraints, transactions, and queries, constitutes a single abstract data type. This type, which we call an abstract database type, has as its object the database itself. Thus, the value set of such a type is the set of all legal database states, legal in the sense of obeying all the structural specifications of the schema and the semantic prescriptions of the integrity constraints. The database transactions are the operations of the abstract database type and must be functions on the value set of the type. A transaction specification is safe if it defines a function which is closed on the database state set, i. e., any execution of the transaction on a legal database yields a legal database.We propose an approach to the definition of abstract database types which is both usable by typical database designers and which facilitates the mechanical verification of transaction safety. The Boyer and Moore theorem proving technique is used to prove transaction safety theorems using abstract data type axioms and recursive functions generated from the database schema and transaction programs.
Improving Aptamer Selection Efficiency through Volume Dilution, Magnetic Concentration, and Continuous Washing in Microfluidic Channels

The generation of nucleic acid aptamers with high affinity typically entails a time-consuming, iterative process of binding, separation, and amplification. It would therefore be beneficial to develop an efficient selection strategy that can generate these high-quality aptamers rapidly, economically, and reproducibly. Toward this goal, we have developed a method that efficiently generates DNA aptamers with slow off-rates. This methodology, called VDC-MSELEX, pairs the volume dilution challenge process with microfluidic separation for magnetic bead-assisted aptamer selection. This method offers improved aptamer selection efficiencies through the application of highly stringent selection conditions: it retrieves a small number ( 50 mL) and concentrates them into a microfluidic chamber (8 μL) with minimal loss for continuous washing. We performed three rounds of the VDC-MSELEX using streptavidin (SA) as the target and obtained new DNA aptamer sequences with low nanomolar affinity that specifically bind to the SA proteins.
Mutations in a Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channel Change the Cellular Response to Osmotic Stress

MscL is a channel found in bacterial plasma membranes that opens a large pore in response to mechanical stress. Here we demonstrate that some mutations within this channel protein (K31D and K31E) evoke a cellular phenotype in which the growth rate is severely depressed. Increasing the osmolarity of the growth medium partially rescues this "slowed growth" phenotype and decreases an abnormal cytosolic potassium loss observed in cells expressing the mutants. In addition, upon sudden decrease in osmolarity (osmotic downshock) more cytoplasmic potassium is released from cells expressing the mutants than cells expressing wild-type MscL. After osmotic downshock, all cells remained viable; hence, the differences in potassium efflux observed are not due to cell lysis but instead appear to be an exaggeration of the normal response to this sudden change in environmental osmolarity. Patch clamp studies in native bacterial membranes substantiate the hypothesis that these mutant channels are more sensitive to mechanical stresses, especially at voltages approaching those estimated for bacterial membrane potentials. These data are consistent with a crucial role for MscL in the adaptation to large osmotic downshock and suggest that if the normally tight regulation of MscL gating is disrupted, cell growth can be severely inhibited.