cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control Systems for Computing Systems: Making computers efficient with modular, coordinated, and robust control

Computing is taking a central role in advancing science, technology, and society, facilitated by increasingly capable systems. Computers are expected to perform a variety of tasks, including life-critical functions, while the resources they require (such as storage and energy) are becoming increasingly limited. To meet expectations, computers use control algorithms that monitor the requirements of the applications they run and reconfigure themselves in response.
A Developmental Study of Mathematics in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or Typical Development

This study examined mathematics achievement in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or typical development (TD) over a 30-month period and the associations between cognitive and reading abilities with mathematics achievement in children with ASD. Seventy-seven children with ASD without intellectual disability (ASD-WoID), 39 children with ADHD, and 43 children with TD participated in this study. The results revealed that the ASD-WoID and ADHD samples displayed significant and comparable delays in problem solving and calculation abilities. Lower VIQ was related to lower math achievement across all subgroups. The ASD-WoID sample differed from comparison samples in terms of their pattern of mathematical achievement and the role of cognitive abilities in the development of mathematics competence.
An implementation of next generation sequencing for prevention and diagnosis of urinary tract infection in urology.

Introduction The changing face of current infection phenotypes from planktonic to biofilm type has been developed implicating bacterial biofilms in recurrent infection. To date, no specific medical treatment exists to specifically target biofilms in the human host. Similarly, the identification of a biofilm has relied upon the analysis of tissue samples with electron microscopy or DNA identification with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Standard culture and sensitivity test is not able to detect a presence of biofilms. Materials and methods Two types of molecular microbial diagnostic testing 'levels' are performed as noted below. In both types of analysis, the microbial DNA is extracted from the patient's sample. The patient report contains information about the pathogenic bacterial and fungal microorganisms detected, bacterial load and resistance genes to different antibiotics. Once the bacteria have been identified antibiotic recommendations are made based on research confirming the effectiveness of treatment. The technique was tested in 112 patients in different areas of urology for prevention and treatment purpose. Results The clinical application of next generation sequence in different clinical phase I-II trials (acute cystitis in 56 patients, rectal swabs before transrectal prostate biopsy in 32 men, neurogenic bladder in 13 patients, chronic bacterial prostatitis in 17 men) demonstrated that this novel approach extends our knowledge about the microbiome of the urogenital tract in both men and women. DNA sequence has a high sensitivity to detect a bacterial and fungal association with resistant genes to antibiotics revealed allowing to implement a targeted and individual prevention and treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) with improved efficacy compared to standard culture and sensitivity technique. Conclusion The next generation DNA sequence technology enables the discovery of new concepts regarding the role of microorganisms in diseases of the urinary tract with an individualized approach for a more accurate diagnosis, prevention, prophylaxis and treatment of UTI.
Simulations of Sheet Metal Forming Operations by Considering Plastic Anisotropic Behavior of Sheet Metal

In simulation of sheet metal forming, several finite element methods such as membrane, solid, and shell models are proposed. The membrane model is not applicable where the bending of sheets becomes significant in drawing operations (Wang and Tang[1]). In general, the processes where the bending effect is significant are simulated by the solid model (Wifi[2] and Anderson[3]) or the shell model (Triantafyllidis and Samanta[4], Wang and Tang[1], and Lee et al.[5]). For the solid model, more elements are needed than those of the shell model to describe shell structures. For the shell model, however, it still takes considerably computational time to calculate field variables at the integration points in the thickness direction. Therefore, we are interested in employing stress resultant constitutive laws in simulations to avoid calculating the variables along the thickness direction. In this type of constitutive laws, stress resultants such as membrane forces and moments are expressed as functions of the kinematic work-conjugate variables such as the midplane strains and curvatures.
PATIENT SAFETY IN A PAEDIATRIC SURGERY COMPARTMENT: THE BAMBINO GESù CHILDRENS’ HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE

Objective Bambino Gesu Childrens’ Hospital has developed a “programme for the continuous improvement of quality of care”, aimed at achieving Joint Commission International Accreditation. This programme is based on five principles; two can be summarised as follows: (1) quality care is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely and even; (2) to act towards an organisational awareness. The objective of this experience is to promote shared and common safety awareness. The goal is to adopt safe measures based on facts, supported by nursing/anaesthesiological procedures, aimed at improving the safety level of the paediatric patient. Materials and Methods In 2005–6, in cooperation with the healthcare department, the nursing service promoted a specific training programme for the nursing staff in the surgery compartment. In cooperation with scrub nurses, it has developed a nursing documentation by setting the following procedures: behavioural rules; gauzes, needles, blades and surgical tools check; patient preparation; proper patient identification; management of averted adverse events. Results 70% of the surgery compartment staff has been involved. Nursing documentation is regularly filled in and all the procedures are applied. In 2007, an increase of 450% (from 2 to 11) of averted adverse events procedures has been reported. Conclusion Due to paediatric patient vulnerability, risk management in the surgery compartment is a fundamental organisational priority. This experience has turned out to be positive so far, showing a cultural change that emerges from the increased number of reports, but it has to be strengthened by criticalities in monitoring and discussion.
In the Spirit of Solomon: The ‘Guise of Geist’

This chapter argues that focusing on the Hegelian strand of Solomon’s diverse legacy not only highlights his unique contributions to Hegel studies, but gives us a glimpse of the ongoing, indomitable spirit of Robert C. Solomon. Particular attention is given to his development of the claim that Hegel’s dialectic is not a method, but a metaphor in the mode of the Romantic poets’ notion of Bildung, which, in Solomon’s interpretation of Hegel, highlights an artful image (or “guise”) of Geist as an ongoing, growing, and intertwined human, lived experience that does not have to have an end, despite the anticipatory suggestiveness and seeming finality of the language of “Geist” as Absolute. Experiencing or being moved by the movement of this spirit is ‘getting’ (and getting into) the spirit of Hegel, and the spirit of Solomon, which doesn’t have to end for or with us.
Das berufsfachliche Wissen von Schülerinnen und Schülern in der Fachschule Bautechnik

Im Beitrag werden Schuler*innen (N = 503) der nur wenig erforschten postsekundaren Berufsbildung fokussiert. Die langsschnittlich angelegte Untersuchung mit drei Messzeitpunkten liefert eine anschlussfahige Skalierung und Strukturmodellierung des berufsfachlichen Wissens zu Beginn, wahrend und zum Ende der fachschulischen Weiterbildung von Lernenden an bautechnischen Fachschulen der Fachrichtung Hochbau in den Bundeslandern Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern und Hessen. Hierfur wurden paper-pencil basierte Testinstrumente entwickelt, pilotiert und eingesetzt. Die Auswertung der Daten erfolgte mittels multivariaten statistischen und IRT-basierten Methoden. Die Untersuchung liefert ein empirisches Beschreibungs- und Erklarungswissen zum berufsfachlichen Wissen von Lernenden an Fachschulen. Das Fachwissen lasst sich in der Grund- und Fachstufe jeweils dreidimensional modellieren. Es werden Zusammenhange und auf das Fachwissen relevante Einflussfaktoren sowie bundeslandubergreifende- und vergleichende Analysen prasentiert, diskutiert und Limitationen angesprochen.
Effects of Using One or More Manipulatives on Strategy Mastery and Generalization

The present study examined whether the number of manipulatives used in arithmetic strategy instruction influences learning. First graders were randomly assigned to one of the following conditions f...
Receptors and Responses

Cells communicate with other cells and with their environment. In many tissues neighboring cells communicate with each other via electrical connections through gap junctions. Cells communicate over relatively long distances using diffusible substances or ligands as messengers. When ligands bind to receptors at a cell’s surface, the receptors trigger the release of second messengers that transmit a ligand’s signal to intracellular biochemical pathways. In this chapter we will learn how receptors are studied, the major classes of membrane receptors, and how a ligand’s signal is transduced into the cytoplasm to affect a physiological response.
A Review of Explaining Criminal Behavior

Explaining Criminal Behavior grew out of a symposium of “Explaining Crime: Interdisciplinary Approaches” that took place at the Criminological Institute of Leiden (The Netherlands) in 1986. The chapters that make up this book are organized into four general sections: “Theories of Delinquency,” “Precursors of Delinquency and Crime,” “Mental Illness and Crime,” and “Studies of Deterrence.” The authors and editors bring to this subject a common interest in and emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to the study of antisocial behavior and criminality.
Information Processing and Culture

When we deal with information, we do so in steps. One way to think of this is to picture the process of acquiring, retaining, and using information as an activity called information processing. Information comes from the outside world into the sensory registers of the human brain. This sensory input is processed by various parts of our brain, and some of the information is integrated and enters into consciousness. We usually refer to this information and our awareness of it as perception. We are not consciously aware of most of the things we perceive, becoming aware of them only if we consciously direct our attention to them. When we do focus our attention on this information, it is temporarily stored in our working memory. Keywords: decision making; information processing and cognitions; memory
Umberto Eco and the open text : semiotics, fiction, popular culture

1. Umberto Eco's intellectual origins: medieval aesthetics, publishing and mass media 2. The open work, misreadings, and modernist aesthetics 3. Cultural theory and popular culture: from structuralism to semiotics 4. From semiotics to narrative theory in a decade of radical social change 5. 'To make truth laugh': postmodern theory and practice in The Name of the Rose 6. Interpretation, overinterpretation, paranoid interpretation, and Foucault's Pendulum 7. Inferential strolls and narrative shipwrecks: Six Walks and The Island of the Day Before 8. Conclusion Bibliography.
Changes in chromatin proteins during liver regeneration.

Abstract The metabolism of chromatin proteins of rat liver has been examined during the prereplicative period following partial hepatectomy. Within 8 hours after partial hepatectomy, isolated chromatin exhibits a 7 % decrease in its histone to DNA mass ratio compared to sham-operated and zero time controls. The time course and amount of this decline correlate well with the previously published pattern of chromatin template activity increase. During the decrease in histone, the relative amounts of the five major species remain constant. However, there are differential losses and resyntheses of certain histone species. Histone I shows the most pronounced turnover, an estimated 12.5 %. During regeneration, the non-histone chromatin protein to DNA mass ratio does not change significantly, nor do the electrophoretic patterns of major non-histone polypeptides. However, during the initial period of chromatin template activity increase (from 2½ to 4 hours after the operation), the non-histones as a group exhibit an increase in their rate of labeling greater than that of other subcellular fractions. Moreover, the rates of labeling of many non-histone species become differentially stimulated, suggesting that their rates of loss from chromatin have also selectively increased.
Ethics Committees and Ethics Consultants

Ethics committee and ethics consultants are among the more interesting phenomena associated with bioethics. Although in some respects both reach back to the ancient origins of medical ethics, in other ways they are reflections of a ‘postmodern’ society that seeks moral resolutions while remaining agnostic about substantive moral absolutes. In the present article I shall describe the history of ethics committees and ethics consultants, the received view ‘of their functions and uncertainties about their appropriate status. I will conclude with some philosophical remarks about the nature of ethics committees and ethics consultants, as well as their implications for the field of bioethics.
Into the heart of the dragon

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue on innovation and education towards innovation in China.Design/methodology/approach – The Guest Editors discuss the impetus behind the special issue and describe the papers published in it.Findings – It is evident in the papers presented in this special issue that China is on its way towards becoming world‐class in a number of technological areas.Originality/value – The paper introduces the special issue on innovation and education towards innovation in China, as well as an agenda for future research in the area.
Effect of Temperature on Survival of Airborne Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Aerosols of Mycoplasma pneumoniae were prepared at each of eight relative humidities between 0 and 85% and at five separate temperatures between 10 and 43 C. Survival of these organisms was found to be a function of both relative humidity and temperature. However, the temperature response was mediated by humidity in that the effects of temperature could be observed only if some water vapor was present. At all temperatures, survival of M. pneumoniae in aerosols was found to be best at the extremes of relative humidity. The effects of temperature were such that irrespective of relative humidity an increase in temperature resulted in a decreased airborne survival time.
X-ray absorption spectroscopy of myoglobin and iron prophyrin derivatives

Diverse interpretations of the structure of carboxymyglobin and its photodissociation products have led us to a reexamination of problems of data collection and analysis of iron porphyrins and heme proteins by x-ray absorption spectroscopy. We have been especially concerned with the assignment of statistical weight to individual wave functions that contribute to the EXAFS spectral region. In the case of iron porphyrin derivatives, a single axial first shell atom contributes only a small fraction of the total wave form, and its definition may be fraught with uncertainties. We have therefore attempted to calculate least squares best fits of the sum of all significant wave form contributions to the total EXAFS spectrum of a series of iron porphyrin model compounds and myoglobin derivatives. This has required inclusion of wave forms for all porphyrin ring atoms in addition to substituent groups directly bonded to the porphyrin ring. Axial ligands have been more difficult to establish, except in the case of tightly bonded atoms, and those whose waveforms are enhanced by multiple scattering. Radial distances estimated for pyrrole nitrogens, alphacarbons, and meso-carbons, are all well described by single scattering theory, and correspond closely to crystallographically estimated distances. Apparent radial distance for beta-carbons, and gamma-carbons, are shorter than crystallographic distances by about 0.2 and 0.6 A, respectively. This is expected from multiple scattering phase shifts. The radial distances estimated for pyrrole nitrogens are sensitive to spin state of the iron, as predicted from crystallographic studies. This is clearly observed both with model compounds (derivatives of tetraphenyl porphyrin and octaethylporphyrin) as well as with myoglobin derivatives.
Synaptic transmission and effects of temperature at the squid giant synapse

THERE have been several reports on the effects of temperature on transmitter release at synaptic junctions1–6. Although all reports agree that synaptic transmission is affected by temperature, the relationships are often complex and may differ from one preparation to another. The preparations studied, however, have the disadvantage that the relationship of presynaptic events (such as spike amplitude) to postsynaptic response cannot be investigated. It is possible to study this relationship at the squid giant synapse where intracellular recording can be obtained from both the presynaptic terminal and the postsynaptic axon. The excitatory postsynaptic potential (e.p.s.p.) at the squid synapse usually generates an action potential in the postsynaptic axon. To study the e.p.s.p., and hence transmitter release, without the postsynaptic action potential, tetrodotoxin has often been used 7–9; this has not permitted study of the characteristics of the presynaptic spike in relation to the e.p.s.p. In a recent investigation on transmission at the squid giant synapse, we found that lowering the temperature of the preparation abolished activation of the postsynaptic action potential by the e.p.s.p., while the presynaptic spike was still generated. This observation enabled us to investigate the relationship between the presynaptic spike and the e.p.s.p. in various experimental conditions10 and we report here the effects of changing temperature.
The negative effects of hydrogenated trans fats and what to do about them

Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils have been in the American diet since 1900. More than 50 years ago they were found to contain trans fatty acids that were different from natural fatty acids in plant oils and in animal fat. There was growing evidence that the consumption of trans fats have negative health effects, including increasing plasma lipid levels. In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that the amount of trans fat in a food item must be stated on the label after January 1, 2006; food items could be labeled 0% trans if they contain less than 0.5g/serving. Since the initial ruling, it is now known that the fatty acids in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil are 14 cis and trans isomers of octadecenoic and octadecadienoic acids that are formed during hydrogenation. They cause inflammation and calcification of arterial cells: known risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). They inhibit cyclooxygenase, an enzyme required for the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostacyclin, necessary for the regulation of blood flow. There have been several reformulations of hydrogenated fat containing varying amounts of trans fatty acids and linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that is converted to arachidonic acid. Epidemiological data suggest that when trans fat percentages go up and linoleic acid percentages go down, death rates rise; when trans goes down, death rates go down. In spite of the harmful effects of trans fats, the FDA allows it in the food supply as long as the amount in a food item is declared on the label. Trans fat should be banned from the food supply.
Fractalkine is a "find-me" signal released by neurons undergoing ethanol-induced apoptosis.

Apoptotic neurons generated during normal brain development or secondary to pathologic insults are efficiently cleared from the central nervous system. Several soluble factors, including nucleotides, cytokines, and chemokines are released from injured neurons, signaling microglia to find and clear debris. One such chemokine that serves as a neuronal-microglial communication factor is fractalkine, with roles demonstrated in several models of adult neurological disorders. Lacking, however, are studies investigating roles for fractalkine in perinatal brain injury, an important clinical problem with no effective therapies. We used a well-characterized mouse model of ethanol-induced apoptosis to assess the role of fractalkine in neuronal-microglial signaling. Quantification of apoptotic debris in fractalkine-knockout and CX3CR1-knockout mice following ethanol treatment revealed increased apoptotic bodies compared to wild type mice. Ethanol-induced injury led to release of soluble, extracellular fractalkine. The extracellular media harvested from apoptotic brains induces microglial migration in a fractalkine-dependent manner that is prevented by neutralization of fractalkine with a blocking antibody or by deficiency in the receptor, CX3CR1. This suggests fractalkine acts as a ‘find-me’ signal, recruiting microglial processes toward apoptotic cells to promote their clearance. Next, we aimed to determine whether there are downstream alterations in cytokine gene expression due to fractalkine signaling. We examined mRNA expression in fractalkine-knockout and CX3CR1-knockout mice after alcohol-induced apoptosis and found differences in cytokine production in the brains of these knockouts by 6 hours after ethanol treatment. Collectively, this suggests that fractalkine acts as a ‘find me’ signal released by apoptotic neurons, and subsequently plays a critical role in modulating both phagocytic clearance and inflammatory cytokine gene expression after ethanol-induced apoptosis.
Detection of Innersphere Interactions between Magnesium Hydrate and the Phosphate Backbone of the HDV Ribozyme Using Raman Crystallography

A Raman microscope and Raman difference spectroscopy are used to detect the vibrational signature of RNA-bound magnesium hydrate in crystals of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme and to follow the effects of magnesium hydrate binding to the nonbridging phosphate oxygens in the phosphodiester backbone. There is a correlation between the Raman intensity of the innersphere magnesium hydrate signature peak, near 322 cm-1, and the intensity of the PO2- symmetric stretch, near 1100 cm-1, perturbed by magnesium binding, demonstrating direct observation of -PO2-...Mg2+(H2O)x innersphere complexes. The complexes may be pentahydrates (x = 5) and tetrahydrates (x = 4). The assignment of the Raman feature near 322 cm-1 to a magnesium hydrate species is confirmed by isotope shifts observed in D2O and H218O that are semiquantitatively reproduced by calculations. The standardized intensity changes in the 1100 cm-1 PO2- feature seen upon magnesium hydrate binding indicates that there are approximately 5 innersphere Mg2+...-O2P contacts per HDV molecule when the crystal is exposed to a solution containing 20 mM magnesium.
Superdense neutron matter.

A relativistic theory of high-density matter is presented which takes into account the short-range interaction due to the exchange of spin-2 mesons. An equation of state is derived and used to compute neutron-star properties. The prediction of the theory for the values of maximum mass and moment of inertia for a stable neutron star are 1.75 solar masses and 1.68 by 10 to the 45th power g-sq cm, in very good agreement with the presently known observational bounds. The corresponding radius is found to be 10.7 km. It is found that the inclusion of the spin-2 interaction reduces the disagreement between the relativistic and nonrelativistic theories in their predictions of masses and moments of inertia.
Nuclear membrane dynamics

Our understanding of nuclear membrane trafficking and protein targeting has increased significantly, due to newly developed assays and tools. We present a conceptual framework for thinking about protein targeting to the inner nuclear membrane, and discuss nuclear envelope assembly in terms of vesicle binding to chromatin, vesicle fusion, structural attachments to the inner membrane, and the mitotic regulation of these attachments.
Finite difference time domain solution of electromagnetic scattering on the hypercube

Electromagnetic fields interacting with a dielectric or conducting structure produce scattered electromagnetic fields. To model the fields produced by complicated, volumetric structures, the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method employs an iterative solution to Maxwell's time dependent curl equations. Implementations of the FDTD method intensively use memory and perform numerous calculations per time step iteration. We implemented an FDTD code on the California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mark III Hypercube. This code allows us to solve problems requiring as many as 2,048,000 unit cells on a 32 node Hypercube. For smaller problems, the code produces solutions in a fraction of the time to solve the same problems on sequential computers.
A New Class of Soliton Solutions for the (Modified) Kadomtsev-Petviashvili Equation

We construct solutions of the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation and its counterpart, the modified Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation, with an infinite number of solitons by a careful examination of the limits of N- soliton solutions as N → ∞. We give sufficient conditions to ensure that these limits exist and satisfy the (modified) Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation.
Importin β Is a Mitotic Target of the Small GTPase Ran in Spindle Assembly

Abstract The GTPase Ran has recently been shown to stimulate microtubule polymerization in mitotic extracts, but its mode of action is not understood. Here we show that the mitotic role of Ran is largely mediated by the nuclear transport factor importin β. Importin β inhibits spindle formation in vitro and in vivo and sequesters an aster promoting activity (APA) that consists of multiple, independent factors. One component of APA is the microtubule-associated protein NuMA. NuMA and other APA components are discharged from importin β by RanGTP and induce spindle-like structures in the absence of centrosomes, chromatin, or Ran. We propose that RanGTP functions in mitosis as in interphase by locally releasing cargoes from transport factors. In mitosis, this promotes spindle assembly by organizing microtubules in the vicinity of chromosomes.
Thermogravimetric analysis of calcium montmorillonite treated with hexamethylene diisocyanate

The product of the reaction between calcium montmorillonite and hexamethylene diisocyanate in acetone, catalyzed with dibutyltin dilaurate, was studied by thermogravimetry to determine the amount of polymer produced. The method developed to determine polymer content in the clay possessed excellent accuracy and precision, and produced more consistent results than traditional gravimetric methods.
A field-ion microscopy study of a tungsten-3 at.% rhenium alloy: Streak contrast effects

Abstract Field-ion microscope observations of a tungsten-3 at.% rhenium alloy were made to determine whether a definite correlation between image streaking and some metallurgical condition of this alloy could be established. Streak contrast effects were observed but no such correlation was found. It is suggested here that the primary cause of streaking is associated with tip asymmetry produced during specimen preparation rather than with intrinsic features such as stacking faults. The possible role of alloying element and impurity segregation is cited.
Accelerating hybrid stochastic algorithm for spin models

Abstract The problem of critical slowing down in simulations of statistical mechanics systems is discussed in the context of hybrid stochastic differential equations. By modifying the kinetic energy part of the system's molecular dynamics lagrangian, new algorithms are presented which evolve the system's infra-red modes as rapidly as their ultraviolet ones. These improved (“accelerated”) algorithms should yield accurate measurements of the critical behavior of models of magnets, glasses, etc. which have not been practical in the past.
In vitro germination and storage of English walnut pollen

Abstract A method for in vitro germination and tube growth of English walnut ( Juglans regia L.) pollen is described. The medium contained 20% sucrose, 1.0 mM CaCl 2 and 0.16 mM boric acid solidified with 0.65% agar, and was suitable for freshly collected pollen from each of the 21 clones tested. Pollen collection and storage conditions were evaluated using pollen germination on this medium as an indicator. There was considerable variation in results among the clones examined, but in general the results indicated that pollen collection should be made when catkins begin to shed pollen in the field; germination of pollen from catkins forced in the laboratory was generally low. The ability of pollen to germinate declined rapidly when held at ambient conditions. Storage in closed vials at −20°C resulted in complete loss of pollen germination ability by 3 months for some clones and by 8 months for all clones tested. When the relative humidity of the −20°C storage environment was maintained near 30%, germinability was retained, although at reduced levels, for up to 1 year. Cryopreservation using liquid nitrogen (−196°C) was satisfactory for pollen of 2 cultivars which retained the ability to germinate and grow in vitro, but not for 2 others which did not.
High-fidelity patient simulation mannequins to facilitate aerodigestive endoscopy training.

Objective To evaluate the perceived value of aerodigestive endoscopy training using high-fidelity simulation. Design Self-reported survey. Setting Pediatric tertiary care hospital. Participants Consecutive sample of otolaryngology residents and 1 fellow during the 2006-2007 academic year. Interventions Foreign body aspiration and ingestion were simulated in a high-fidelity, computer-assisted infant simulation mannequin. Avoidance of complications and successful removal required teamwork and responsiveness to the mannequin's physiologic characteristics in addition to dexterity with instruments. Main Outcome Measures Postcourse 5-point Likert scale and subjective evaluation of perceived realism reported by participants. Results Participant response was generally positive. Ratings were highest for training cognitive and psychomotor endoscopy skills, preventing and managing complications, and facilitating team process. Overall realism and appropriate “feel” showed opportunity for improvement. Conclusion Pediatric otolaryngology trainees perceive that high-fidelity patient simulation facilitates acquisition of aerodigestive endoscopy skills, especially in training cognitive and psychomotor endoscopy skills, preventing and managing complications, and facilitating team process.
Stereoselective synthesis of the tricyclic core ABC-rings of nakadomarin and manzamine from a common intermediate

Abstract Pauson–Khand cyclization of the enamide 9 proceeds in trifluoroethanol to give cyclopentenone 10 , which on hydrogenation gives 11 , having the core ABC-rings of nakadomarin 1 .
Decarboxylations and transaminations in extracts of higher plants.

Abstract Some properties of α-keto acid carboxylases in plant extracts were studied. Phenol (2 mg./ml.) inhibited carboxylase but did not interfere with the activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase. This specific effect of phenol permitted the use of squash preparations for the quantitative determination of glutamic acid in the presence of pyruvic acid. The inhibition of carboxylase by 23 compounds related to phenol was measured. It was observed that many plant extracts contained in addition to glutamic acid decarboxylase and α-carboxylase an enzyme mechanism which liberated 2–3 moles of CO2 with ketoglutaric acid as substrate. Optimal activity of this degradation occurred at pH 6.0. The effect of plant extracts on ketoglutaric acid was abolished rapidly by dialysis, and was restored on addition of concentrated dialyzate. The substances responsible for the reactivation of dialyzed extracts were identified as l -aspartic acid and l -alanine. It was found that the first step in the reaction of plant extracts with ketoglutaric acid was a transamination process leading to the formation of glutamic acid and oxalacetic acid or pyruvic acid, depending on the amino group donor.
Separation at the Interface of a Circular Inclusion and the Surrounding Medium Under an Incident Compressive Wave

Abstract : Separation at the interface of a circular inclusion embedded in a matrix of lower characteristics impedance and subjected to incident compressive waves is investigated, both experimentally and analytically. In the experiment, the compressive waves were generated by small explosive charges. The qualitative analytical treatment is based on the methods of propagating stress discontinuities. It is shown that a compressive stress wave is converteed into a tensile wave after a refraction and a reflection inside the inclusion. The results of this paper apply to the behavior of fiber-reinforced composites under dynamic loading conditions. (Author, modified-PL).
Statistical prejudice: from eugenics to immigrants

Abstract Economic analysis of statistical discrimination and prejudice has been limited to the subjects of economic theories, consisting of ordinary people who make decisions with less than complete information. We consider here the statistical theorists themselves as we demonstrate how the prejudices of Francis Galton and Karl Pearson influenced their statistical analysis of populations that included Jews. We examine Galton's composite photographs of Jews and Pearson's analysis of the characteristics of Jewish immigrants to Britain.
Adaptive Imaging for ISR Applications

Imaging intelligence is hindered by the diametrically opposed needs of high resolution and wide area surveillance. Multi-Gigapixel focal plane arrays are one solution, but we have successfully demonstrated adaptive imaging systems as an alternative. Article not available.
Cbl-mediated Negative Regulation of Platelet-derived Growth Factor Receptor-dependent Cell Proliferation: A CRITICAL ROLE FOR Cbl TYROSINE KINASE-BINDING DOMAIN *

The Cbl proto-oncogene product has emerged as a novel negative regulator of receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases. Our previous observations that Cbl overexpression in NIH3T3 cells enhanced the ubiquitination and degradation of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α (PDGFRα) and that the expression of oncogenic Cbl mutants up-regulated the PDGFRα signaling machinery strongly suggested that Cbl negatively regulates PDGFRα signaling. Here, we show that, similar to PDGFRα, selective stimulation of PDGFRβ induces Cbl phosphorylation, and its physical association with the receptor. Overexpression of wild type Cbl in NIH3T3 cells led to an enhancement of the ligand-dependent ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the PDGFRβ, as observed with PDGFRα. We show that Cbl-dependent negative regulation of PDGFRα and β results in a reduction of PDGF-induced cell proliferation and protection against apoptosis. A point mutation (G306E) that inactivates the tyrosine kinase binding domain in the N-terminal transforming region of Cbl compromised the PDGF-inducible tyrosine phosphorylation of Cbl although this mutant could still associate with the PDGFR. More importantly, the G306E mutation abrogated the ability of Cbl to enhance the ligand-induced ubiquitination and degradation of the PDGFR and to inhibit the PDGF-dependent cell proliferation and protection from apoptosis. These results demonstrate that Cbl can negatively regulate PDGFR-dependent biological responses and that this function requires the conserved tyrosine kinase binding domain of Cbl.
Pasteurella multocida Toxin Stimulates Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase via Gq/11-dependent Transactivation of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor

The dermatonecrotic toxin produced by Pasteurella multocida is one of the most potent mitogenic substances known for fibroblasts in vitro. Exposure to recombinant P. multocida toxin (rPMT) causes phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids, calcium mobilization, and activation of protein kinase C via a poorly characterized mechanism involving G(q/11) family heterotrimeric G proteins. To determine whether the regulation of G protein pathways contributes to the mitogenic effects of rPMT, we have examined the mechanism whereby rPMT stimulates the Erk mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade in cultured HEK-293 cells. Treatment with rPMT resulted in a dose and time-dependent increase in Erk 1/2 phosphorylation that paralleled its stimulation of inositol phospholipid hydrolysis. Both rPMT- and alpha-thrombin receptor- stimulated Erk phosphorylation were selectively blocked by cellular expression of two peptide inhibitors of G(q/11) signaling, the dominant negative mutant G protein-coupled receptor kinase, GRK2(K220R), and the Galpha(q) carboxyl-terminal peptide, Galpha(q)-(305-359). Like alpha-thrombin receptor-mediated Erk activation, the effect of rPMT was insensitive to the protein kinase C inhibitor GF109203X, but was blocked by the epidermal growth factor receptor-specific tyrphostin, AG1478 and by dominant negative mutants of mSos1 and Ha-Ras. These data indicate that rPMT employs G(q/11) family heterotrimeric G proteins to induce Ras-dependent Erk activation via protein kinase C-independent "transactivation" of the epidermal growth factor receptor.
Management of Diabetes in Pregnancy

The link between diabetes and poor pregnancy outcomes is well established. As in the non-pregnant population, pregnant women with diabetes can experience profound effects on multiple maternal organ systems. In the fetus, morbidities arising from exposure to diabetes in utero include not only increased congenital anomalies, fetal overgrowth, and stillbirth, but metabolic abnormalities that appear to carry on into early life, adolescence, and beyond. This article emphasizes the newest guidelines for diabetes screening in pregnancy while reviewing their potential impact on maternal and neonatal complications that arise in the setting of hyperglycemia in pregnancy.
A micromethod for the colorimetric determination of N-acetyl groups in acid mucopolysaccharides

Abstract Deacetylation of mucopolysaccharides and other N-acetylated compounds with 2 N HCl-methanol is a useful and simple procedure for determining N-acetyl groups in these compounds. The acetyl groups are converted to methyl acetate which is colorimetrically determined as a hydroxamic-ferric complex. This method permits the determination of N-acetyl groups in a range of 1 to 10 μmoles and is more sensitive than previously described methods. The reproducibility and some of the factors affecting the deacetylation and colorimetric analysis have been studied.
Nuclear resonant x-ray scattering of iron hydride at high pressure

[1] We studied the nuclear resonant x-ray scattering of iron hydride (FeHx) up to 52 GPa. Coupled with hydrostatic x-ray diffraction data, the partial phonon density of states measured by nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering provides information on sound velocities and the Fe contribution to thermodynamic parameters. In particular it constrains the aggregate shear velocity and shear modulus for comparison to seismic observations. We found that VS (km/sec) = 0.023*P (GPa) + 3.2. A loss of magnetism was observed with synchrotron Mossbauer spectroscopy at 22 GPa, lower than theoretically predicted but consistent with the observed anomalous velocity behavior. Results confirm that FeHx could be a major light element bearing phase for explaining the core density deficit relative to pure Fe. Formation of FeHx by reaction with water would be expected to leave a signature in the mantle.
Cytomolecular characterization of rDNA distribution in various Citrullus species using fluorescent in situ hybridization

The 18S–28S and 5S rDNA sites are useful chromosome landmarks and provide valuable evidence about genome organization and evolution. This investigation was the first attempt to study the dynamics, distribution and directionality of rDNA gains and losses, as well as to understand the contribution of site number variation in the speciation of the genus Citrullus. In this study, we employed fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), using the18S–28S and 5S rDNA gene loci, to evaluate the differences between the (1) cultivated type watermelon C. lanatus var. lanatus (sweet watermelon), (2) the “bitter” desert watermelon C. colocynthis (colocynth) that is indigenous to the deserts of northern Africa, the Middle East and Asia, (3) the C. lanatus var. citroides (citron) “Tsamma” or “cow watermelon” that is known as and is indigenous to southern Africa, (4) and C. rehmii that thrive in the Namibian Desert. The FISH analyses showed that the sweet watermelon and colocynth have similar rDNA configuration. The sweet watermelon and colocynth genomes contain two 18S–28S rDNA gene loci, each located on a different chromosome, and one 5S rDNA locus which is co-localized with one of the 18S–28S rDNA gene loci. On the other hand, the C. rehmii has one 18S–28S rDNA locus and one 5S rDNA locus positioned on different chromosomes, while the citron has one18S–28S rDNA and two 5S rDNA loci, each located on a different chromosome. A FISH analysis of F1 (citron × sweet watermelon) chromosome spreads revealed uniparental homeologous rDNA gene copies pertaining to the sweet watermelon versus the citron chromosomes, with the sweet watermelon chromosome containing the 18S–28S and 5S rDNA locus versus the citron homologue chromosome that has the 5S rDNA locus, but not the 18S–28S rDNA locus. Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) analysis, using the entire citron genome as a probe to be differentially hybridized on sweet watermelon chromosome spreads, revealed that the citron genomic probes mainly hybridize to subtelomeric and pericentromeric regions of the sweet watermelon chromosomes, suggesting extensive divergence between the citron and sweet watermelon genomes. The FISH and GISH cytogenetic analysis here indicate major differences in genome organization between the cultivated watermelon type sweet watermelon and its counterpart citron that thrive in southern Africa and considered a useful germplasm source for enhancing disease and pest resistance in watermelon cultivars.
Characterization of land-surface precipitation feedback regimes with remote sensing

A simple methodology for characterizing the land surface’s response to precipitation is proposed based on the average behavior of coarse resolution remote sensing data. Feedback regimes are designated based on the temporal correlations between the vegetation and precipitation and the surface temperature and precipitation. The different feedback regimes are linked to the relative importance of vegetation and soil moisture in determining land–atmosphere interactions. The resultant feedback regimes are well localized spatially. In addition, the temporal dynamics are assessed in terms of lagged covariances and phase–space plots. The two dominant feedback regimes are distinguishable by the vegetation– precipitation correlation, implying that vegetative control may be the dominant factor in influencing surface-precipitation feedbacks. These zones are not easily distinguished in the NDVI-surface temperature correlations, but exhibit different behavior in their NDVI-precipitation and surface temperature–precipitation correlations. In addition, these zones can be distinguished in phase plots of both temperature and NDVI. These results suggest a methodology for quantifying the rate of the hydrological cycle in different regions of the globe as well as identifying areas where human induced land cover change may have the most effect transitioning between different feedback zones, and therefore altering the rate of the hydrologic cycle.
Courtship behavior, swimming performance, and microhabitat use of Trinidadian guppies

We document differences in the use of microhabitats, male courtship behavior, and swimming performance of populations from headwater and downstream sites in two rivers of the Oropuche drainage in Trinidad. Guppies from headwater sites used microhabitats with higher water velocities, had a higher swimming performance, and were less patchily distributed than guppies from downstream sites. Although males from the headwater and downstream sites had similar display rates, males from headwater sites displayed in microhabitats with higher velocities (riffles) whereas males in downstream sites courted in still pools. Subtle effects of female choice maintain the honesty of male courtship behavior in various microhabitats. In downstream sites, where predators impose a survivorship cost on ornamental males, swimming performance was positively correlated with area of carotenoid ornamentation. In headwater sites, males frequently displayed in fast-flowing water, thus paid a higher metabolic cost of courtship. Interactions between characteristics of the physical habitat and predation pressure not only affect the distribution of guppies, but also have subtle effects on the types of condition-dependent traits favored by females.
Characterization of Helical Sense Transition for Poly(β-benzyl l-aspartate) Constrained to the Air−Water Interface

From external reflectance infrared spectra directly obtained at the air−water interface, the conformation of poly(β-benzyl l-aspartate) is established in monolayer films. It was found that a right-handed α-helix, 4.013 ω-helix, and a left-handed α-helix can all exist simultaneously at such an interface. The right-handed α-helix forms immediately when the film is cast on a surface of pure water, and these helices persist at all compressions in a Langmuir trough. An alternate conformation similar to the 4.013 ω-helix forms on addition of small amounts of 2-propanol to the aqueous subphase and converts either to left-handed or right-handed α-helices depending on the amount of 2-propanol added.
Admission and retention policies in teacher preparation programs: Legal and practical issues

Abstract This research examined the legal climate regarding admissions and retention in teacher preparation programs as well as the current practices of selected programs. The study utilized legal/archival research and an on‐line survey of 27 universities. Findings indicated that the legal parameters regarding admission and retention fall under the expectations established for other types of professional training. University officials have great latitude to make professional judgments. The survey found that most institutions have formal admission and retention policies, though the admission policies are more fully developed. Many universities reported having formal policies to consider student dispositions for teaching, though no single policy is used by more than one third of the universities surveyed (most employ informal means). Conclusions include that teacher preparation programs have more legal latitude than is being employed for admission and retention decisions, and it is recommended that the fiel...