cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cytoplasmic laminar bodies in the striate cortex.

A laminated cytoplasmic inclusion consisting of curved parallel arrays of thick-walled microtubules separated by a layer of granular dense material has been identified in neurons within the visual cortex of a monkey. This body appears to be a continuation of the granular endoplasmic reticulum and previously has been noted in neurons related to other levels of the visual system. The present observations would tentatively appear to support the hypothesis of Morales, Duncan, and Rehmet that these structures are specializations of the visual system, although their presence in cerebellar stellate cells indicates that this distribution is not unique.
3.2.2 A More Flexible Approach to Valuing Flexibility

The DOD routinely demonstrates its capability to develop phenomenal systems; however, these accomplishments are often tarnished by substantial cost and schedule overruns. While defense policies are continually being revised to address these problems, many believe that a more fundamental source of these overruns is the lack of flexibility in the systems being developed. But providing justification to invest in flexibility is a tough sell, as stakeholders struggle to quantitatively demonstrate the potential return on investment. Therefore, this paper introduces an alternative methodology for valuing the inherent ability of a system or design to accommodate change. The proposed methodology is essentially a modification of the current life cycle model and is premised on the notion that the need for capability changes in a program arise in a stochastic manner that can be incorporated into a continually updated, expected value model presented in terms of total program cost.
Asymmetric probabilistic prospects of stackelberg players

Alkanet al. (Ref. 1) consider the family of all bimatrix games with ordinal payoffs and conclude that the average leader and follower enjoy symmetric prospects under the Stackelberg solution concept. In contrast, economics lore stresses the asymmetry between leader and follower, the leader generally enjoying the more favored position. We replace the computational analysis of Ref. 1 by a simple probabilistic combinatorial argument. We then impose monotonicity conditions on the player preferences. With this regularity condition, the symmetry between leader and follower breaks down, and most of the resultant advantage accrues to the leader. Thus, the monotonicity largely restores the advantage ascribed by economics folklore to the leader. Our analysis extends to nonordinal payoff matrices.
Defining Mesoscale Convective Systems by Their 85-GHz Ice-Scattering Signatures

Abstract Mesoseale Convective systems are composed of numerous deep convective cells with varying amounts of large, convectively produced ice particles aloft. The magnitude of the 85-GHz brightness temperature depression resulting from scattering by large ice is believed to be related to the convective intensity and to the magnitude of the convective fluxes through a deep layer. The 85-GHz ice-scattering signature can be used to map the distribution of organized mesoscale regions of convectively produced large ice particles. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of the 85-GHz ice-scattering signature for describing the frequency, convective intensity, and geographic distribution of mesoscale convective systems. Objective criteria were developed to identify mesoscale convective systems from raw data from January, April, July, and October 1993. To minimize the effects of background contamination and to ensure that bounded areas contained convective elements, a “mesoscale convective sy...
Imaging interferometry: lessons from the ground

Considerable experience has been gained in the construction of images from ground-based interferometry data. A brief introduction to this work is presented, and some lessons learned from this experience that are relevant to space-based interferometers are discussed.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Influence of the A ion on the K-edge absorption spectra of ATiO3 (A = Ba, Sr, or Ca) crystals with perovskite structure

The near-edge structure of the Ti K-edge absorption spectra was calculated for BaTiO3, SrTiO3, and CaTiO3 crystals by the full multiple scattering method. The results obtained are in agreement with the experimental data. The numerical experiment revealed the mechanisms forming the structure of the main edge of the spectra.
Pituitary apoplexy in acromegaly.

ABSTRACT The course of a patient who had diabetes mellitus occurring with acromegaly is followed before, during and after the development of pituitary apoplexy. Described herein are the acute reductions in plasma growth hormone, plasma cortisol and serum thyroxine concentrations, and alterations in posterior pituitary function subsequent to the apoplexy. Following the apoplexy, there was a complete regression of clinical diabetes accompanied by a return of normal insulin sensitivity and normal plasma insulin responses to pancreatic beta cell stimuli. The sequential changes in carbohydrate and insulin metabolism following pituitary apoplexy are discussed. The 25 previous cases of pituitary apoplexy in acromegaly are reviewed.
What is the cost associated with the implementation of the FLS program into a general surgery residency

The implementation cost of the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) program is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost associated with the implementation of the FLS program into the skills curriculum of a busy general surgery residency. All general surgery residents (n = 15) followed a proficiency-based laparoscopic skills curriculum based on the FLS program. They watched the FLS CD-ROM and trained to proficiency on the five FLS tasks (peg transfer, pattern cut, ligating loop, and extracorporeal and intracorporeal knot tying). Training occurred in weekly 1-h supervised sessions. The cost associated with the implementation of the FLS program was assessed based on supplies, equipment, and personnel involvement. To decrease cost, task 3 (ligating loop) was modified to allow multiple uses of each endoloop, and sutures and Penrose drains were reused for task 4 (extracorporeal) and task 5 (intracorporeal). Resident skills lab attendance averaged 51% (range = 16–84%) and totaled 211 h. Fifty-three percent (8/15) of residents achieved proficiency in at least three of the tasks (peg transfer, pattern cut, and ligating loop) after a total of 577 repetitions during the study period. The overall cost associated with the FLS program was $13,091 (personnel cost, $3,338; equipment cost, $8,567; and supplies cost $1,186). The modification of task 3 (each endoloop was used an average of 8.8 times) and the reuse of sutures and Penrose drains saved $3,446. This is the first study to describe the cost associated with the implementation of the FLS program in a surgical residency. It demonstrates cost savings by the modification of task 3 (to allow for multiple uses of each endoloop) and tasks 4 and 5 (reuse of suture and Penrose drains) without compromising task quality. This information may be useful to programs implementing FLS into their curricula.
'Cultural Defence’ of Nations: Cultural Citizenship in France, Germany, and the Netherlands

This article presents a new development in European immigration policy. Focusing on France, Germany and the Netherlands, I describe a process of ‘culturalisation’ of admission and citizenship rules in Europe intended to reinforce liberal values and national identity. I then suggest a two‐stage set of immigration‐regulation principles: in the first stage, immigrants would have to accept some structural liberal‐democratic principles as a prerequisite for admission. While Europe has criteria for state admission, anchored by the Copenhagen Criteria, Europe has not yet formalised definite criteria for immigrants' admission. In the second stage, as part of the naturalisation process, immigrants would be expected to recognise and respect constitutional principles essential for obtaining citizenship of a specific state. I call this concept ‘National Constitutionalism’.
A dynamically mode-matched piezoelectrically transduced high-frequency flexural disk gyroscope

This paper presents, for the first time, the design, implementation, and characterization of a dynamically mode-matched high-frequency piezoelectrically transduced silicon disk gyroscope utilizing a unique pair of degenerate orthogonal in-plane flexural gyroscopic modes. To eliminate the need for submicron capacitive gaps and large DC polarization voltages that are needed for electrostatic tuning, a linear bidirectional frequency tuning scheme, compatible with all-piezoelectric transduction, is introduced to achieve dynamic mode-matching via active electromechanical feedback. A fabricated 4.34 MHz AlN-on-Silicon 1-mm-diameter solid disk gyroscope supported by a network of peripheral beams was frequency-tuned by 500 ppm (∼2.2 kHz) and achieved a high measured sensitivity of 410 pA/°/s with an effective in-air quality factor of ∼4000, corresponding to a large open-loop operation bandwidth of ∼550 Hz under mode-matched conditions.
Forecasting Periodic Trends: A Semester-Long Team Exercise for Nonscience Majors

Team learning is an effective means of teaching that can contribute toward increased student interest. This article describes a team learning exercise developed for a course for nonscience majors. Students are randomly assigned numbers (atomic numbers) the first day of class. Each student builds a portfolio of information for their element. In the third week of the course the students meet in their teams and identify any trends that they observe from the collective data. The following week the teams present their data to the class. Between weeks three and six, the students in a team use Excel to plot a number of relationships—or example, atomic number versus atomic mass and atomic number versus atomic radii—for their chemical group. Each team uses curve fitting and statistical capabilities of spreadsheet software to produce a best-fit equation for each plot. In the second phase of the project, the formulas obtained are then used to predict missing data, such as first ionization energy, density, and so on,...
Energy-efficient photobioreactor configuration for algal biomass production

Abstract An internally illuminated photobioreactor (IIPBR) design is proposed for energy-efficient biomass production. Theoretical rationale of the IIPBR design and its advantages over the traditional bubble column photobioreactors (PBRs) are presented, followed by experimental results from prototype scale cultivation of freshwater and marine algal strains in an 18 L IIPBR. Based on theoretical considerations, the proposed IIPBR design has the potential to support 160% higher biomass density and higher biomass productivity per unit energy input, B / E , than a bubble column PBR of equal incident area per unit culture volume. Experimental B / E values recorded in this study with fresh water algae and marine algae (1.42 and 0.37 g W −1 d −1 , respectively) are at least twice as those reported in the literature for comparable species cultivated in bubble column and airlift PBRs.
Posture-related modulations in motor cortical excitability of the proximal and distal arm muscles.

The effect of postural orientation on the motor corticospinal excitability (MCE) of proximal and distal upper extremity (UE) muscles was investigated. In a crossover design, recruitment curves (RCs), short interval cortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) of resting anterior deltoid (AD) and first dorsal interosseus (FDI) was assessed in two postures: sitting and standing. Six healthy adults without contraindications to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) participated in the study. TMS was applied over the motor cortical representation of FDI and AD at intensities ranging from 90% to 200% of resting motor threshold (RMT) in increments of 10%. SICI and ICF were assessed for each muscle using a conditioning stimulus (80% RMT) preceding a test stimulus (120% RMT) with an interstimulus interval of 2 ms and 15 ms, respectively. For AD, but not FDI, there was a significant and consistent increase in RC slope during standing compared to sitting. For FDI, there was no difference in ICF and SICI between sitting and standing. However, for AD, while there was no difference in ICF between the two postures, there was a clear trend for SICI to decrease (p = 0.06) in standing compared to sitting. These results indicate that postural change from sitting to standing, affects the MCE of proximal but not distal muscles. While this indicates the role of proximal UE muscles in postural control, it also implies that rehabilitation protocols for enhancing proximal arm motor function may be advantaged if administered in a standing posture.
The Role of Complement in Inflammatory Diseases From Behind the Scenes into the Spotlight

Our understanding of the biology of the complement system has undergone a drastic metamorphosis since its original discovery. This system, which was traditionally primarily described as a "complement" to humoral immunity, is now perceived as a central constituent of innate immunity, defending the host against pathogens, coordinating various events during inflammation, and bridging innate and adaptive immune responses. Complement is an assembly of proteins found in the blood and body fluids and on cell surfaces. Soluble complement components form the proteolytic cascade, whose activation leads to the generation of complement effectors that target various cells involved in the immune response. Membrane-bound receptors and regulators transmit signals from complement effectors to target cells and limit complement activation to the surfaces of pathogens and damaged or activated host cells. The multiple interconnections among complement proteins, immune cells, and mediators provide an excellent mechanism to protect the organism against infections and support the repair of damaged tissues. However, disturbances in this "defense machinery" contribute to the pathogenesis of various diseases. The role of complement in various inflammatory disorders is multifaceted; for example, the activation of complement can significantly contribute to inflammation-mediated tissue damage, whereas inherited or acquired complement deficiencies highly favor the development of autoimmunity.
DERIVATIVE DEVIANCE The Cases of Extortion, Fag‐Bashing, and Shakedown of Gay Men

Derivative deviance is defined as the victimization of stigmatized persons because of their inability to avail themselves of the protections of civil society without threat of discrediting. Whether there is a preexisting relationship between the victim and the victimizer affects the possible forms of victimization. When there is no preexisting relationship, victims must he identified by culturally accepted understandings of which places are deviant and what deviants look like. In these cases, the principal forms of victimization are assault and robbery. When there is a preexisting relationship, greater knowIedge of the victim's significant others permits the more sophisticated victimization of extortion. However, to the extent the victim has reference groups who are also deviant, he is often able to resist extortion attempts. Extortion attempts were found typically to arise our of preexisting relationships among our gay male respondents.
Cytokine-Activated Endothelial Cells Delay Neutrophil Apoptosis in Vitro and in Vivo A Role for Granulocyte/Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor

The activation of endothelium is important in recruiting neutrophils to sites of inflammation and in modulating their function. We demonstrate that conditioned medium from cultured, activated endothelial cells acts to significantly delay the constitutive apoptosis of neutrophils, resulting in their enhanced survival and increased phagocytic function. The antiapoptotic activity is, in part, attributable to granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) secreted by activated endothelial cells. The in vivo relevance of these findings was investigated in a cytokine-induced model of acute meningitis in mice. Peripheral blood neutrophils (PBNs) from mice with meningitis exhibited a delay in apoptosis compared with untreated mice. Furthermore, neutrophils recovered from the inflamed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exhibited enhanced survival compared with neutrophils isolated from the peripheral blood of the same animals. In unchallenged GM-CSF–deficient mice, the apoptosis of circulating PBNs was similar to wild-type animals; however, after cytokine-induced meningitis, the delay in neutrophil apoptosis typically observed in wild-type mice was attenuated. In contrast, the apoptosis of neutrophils recovered from the CSF of mice of both genotypes was comparable. Taken together, these studies suggest that neutrophil apoptosis is regulated during an inflammatory response, in both intravascular and extravascular compartments. GM-CSF released by activated endothelium can act to increase neutrophil survival and function in the peripheral blood, whereas other factor(s) appear to perform this function in the extravascular space.
Silicon Micromachined Packages for RF MEMS Switches

MEMS technology has major applications in developing smaller, faster and less energy consuming devices provided that reliability of packaging/interconnect technology is sufficiently addressed. This paper presents a low cost, on-wafer, silicon micromachined packaging scheme for RF MEMS switches having excellent electrical performance in K-band. In particular, the package demonstrates an insertion loss of 0.1dB and a return loss of 32dB at 20 GHz. The package is fabricated in parallel with the MEMS switch on the same wafer and therefore requires no lossy solder bumps or bond wires to achieve signal propagation.
Bullous pemphigoid: Disease of the aging immune system

Abstract The aging process represents a time-dependent deterioration in the ability of the individual to respond effectively to environmental or internal stimuli; it affects all organ systems, including the skin. Morphologically, major gross aging changes of the skin include roughness, wrinkling, laxity, uneven pigmentation, and a variety of proliferative lesions. The most prominent histologic features associated with cutaneous aging consist of flattening of the dermoepidermal junction with effacement of both dermal papillae and epidermal rete pegs, 1 atrophy of the dermis, 2 and loss of epidermal appendages. 3 Physiologic skin processes that decline with age include proliferative 4,5 and repair capability, 7 barrier function, 8 response to external stimuli, 9,10 dermo-epidermal adhesion, 11 vitamin D production, 12 and, as detailed below, immune function. Understanding of age-related alterations in the immune competence is relevant to understanding the pathogenesis of various diseases associated with aging.
Young women struggling for an identity

In this article, I propose that many young women in today's world are facing an intense internal struggle to find their identity, and that this struggle is an effect of what they experience as enormous pressure to achieve certain goals. My belief is that, in the contemporary atmosphere of postfeminism in which women seemingly have many more options, the young adult woman experiences these options as expectations. The effect of these demands is an enormous self-doubt where women feel worthless, unimportant, and often unable to go forward in their lives. This article focuses on the stories of 3 young women and their struggles: a 25-year-old White middle-class woman whose obsessive longing to find the "right" man leads to eating difficulties; a 23-year-old lesbian, also White, who is just graduating from college and believes that she is terminally depressed; and a 29-year-old Chinese American woman who has fought anxiety and chronic fatigue for most of her adult life. How they find their way clearly exemplifies both the struggle and the road to success--overcoming self-doubt and challenging the expectations that create the conditions for it.
Sequential metabolism of 5'-isobutylthioadenosine by methylthioadenosine phosphorylase and purine-nucleoside phosphorylase in viable human cells.

Abstract The exact route of metabolism of 5′-isobutylthioadenosine is controversial. Using human cell lines deficient in methylthioadenosine phosphorylase, purine-nucleoside phosphorylase, or adenosine deaminase, we have ascertained the relative roles of the three enzymes in isobutylthioadenosine metabolism. The results showed that viable human cells progressively converted isobutylthioadenosine to 5′-isobutylthioinosine via sequential metabolism by methylthioadenosine phosphorylase and purine nucleoside phosphorylase acting in opposite directions, rather than through direct deamination. An identical pathway converted 5′-methylthioadenosine to 5′-methylthioinosine.
Preliminary Evidence of Sediment and Phosphorus Dynamics Behind Newly Installed Low-Grade Weirs in Agricultural Drainage Ditches

Low-grade weirs are innovative management strategies that control surface drainage, slow water velocities, and encourage sedimentation in agricultural drainage ditches. There is little information on how low-grade weirs perform in terms of short-term (0–12 months) sediment retention and associated phosphorus (P) dynamics. This study documents initial results of sediment and P dynamics of low-grade weirs in a drainage system that was built in a two-stage ditch design. Average sediment deposition did not differ significantly among sites (χ 2 = 2.42; P = 0.49); however, average water depths behind weir sites were significantly greater (28 ± 10 cm) than the comparison inflow site (6 ± 8 cm; χ 2 = 7.67; P = 0.05). Total P concentrations were not significantly different through time, or between sites, but there was a general trend of progressively higher total P retention moving downstream. Bioavailability ratios of P (i.e., the ratio of potentially bioavailable to non-bioavailable P fractions) were similar between all sites through time (χ 2 = 2.09; P = 0.55). The only variables correlated significantly with time were found at the inflow site, where water depth significantly decreased with corresponding increases in sediment/water column pH and bioavailability ratios. From best management practice installation to 12 months after construction, there was a lack of significant correlations with any measured variables behind weirs. However, the lack of correlation between variables suggests increasing the hydroperiod, reducing the ephemeral nature of the drainage ditch system, and prolonging inundation, improves conditions for P retention.
Brain death, states of impaired consciousness, and physician-assisted death for end-of-life organ donation and transplantation

In 1968, the Harvard criteria equated irreversible coma and apnea (i.e., brain death) with human death and later, the Uniform Determination of Death Act was enacted permitting organ procurement from heart-beating donors. Since then, clinical studies have defined a spectrum of states of impaired consciousness in human beings: coma, akinetic mutism (locked-in syndrome), minimally conscious state, vegetative state and brain death. In this article, we argue against the validity of the Harvard criteria for equating brain death with human death. (1) Brain death does not disrupt somatic integrative unity and coordinated biological functioning of a living organism. (2) Neurological criteria of human death fail to determine the precise moment of an organism’s death when death is established by circulatory criterion in other states of impaired consciousness for organ procurement with non-heart-beating donation protocols. The criterion of circulatory arrest 75 s to 5 min is too short for irreversible cessation of whole brain functions and respiration controlled by the brain stem. (3) Brain-based criteria for determining death with a beating heart exclude relevant anthropologic, psychosocial, cultural, and religious aspects of death and dying in society. (4) Clinical guidelines for determining brain death are not consistently validated by the presence of irreversible brain stem ischemic injury or necrosis on autopsy; therefore, they do not completely exclude reversible loss of integrated neurological functions in donors. The questionable reliability and varying compliance with these guidelines among institutions amplify the risk of determining reversible states of impaired consciousness as irreversible brain death. (5) The scientific uncertainty of defining and determining states of impaired consciousness including brain death have been neither disclosed to the general public nor broadly debated by the medical community or by legal and religious scholars. Heart-beating or non-heart-beating organ procurement from patients with impaired consciousness is de facto a concealed practice of physician-assisted death, and therefore, violates both criminal law and the central tenet of medicine not to do harm to patients. Society must decide if physician-assisted death is permissible and desirable to resolve the conflict about procuring organs from patients with impaired consciousness within the context of the perceived need to enhance the supply of transplantable organs.
Intraoperative crystallization on the intraocular lens surface.

Abstract PURPOSE: To report a physician survey, laboratory studies, and clinical observations of intraoperative crystallization on the surface of the intraocular lens (IOL). METHOD: We sent a survey to all ophthalmologists in the states of Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Colorado asking whether crystallization on the IOL surface had occurred in any of their patients and what viscoelastics, IOLs, and other solutions were used. All returned surveys were tabulated and analyzed by standard statistical means. A sample of crystallization from an IOL on a glass slide submitted by a physician was analyzed to ascertain the relative elemental composition. During in vitro laboratory studies, BSS Plus (Alcon Surgical, Fort Worth, Texas) and BSS (Alcon Surgical) were measured and analyzed for precipitation. Healon GV (Pharmacia/Upjohn, Kalamazoo, Michigan) and calcium chloride were combined in various solutions and examined for precipitate formation. Silicone IOLs and plate silicone were placed in different BSS and BSS Plus solutions with different viscoelastics and varying calcium concentrations. In seven patients, prominent crystallization on an IOL surface was examined, photographed, and followed for up to 3 years. RESULTS: Two hundred six surveyed ophthalmologists returned 181 surveys (88%) and reported 29,609 cataract surgeries, with IOL implantation with 22 eyes (0.07%) (22 patients) in which intraoperative crystallization was observed on the IOL surface during 1993. The survey indicated there was a correlation with BSS Plus (chi-square = 4.9, P = .0268) and silicone IOLs (chi-square = 6.8, P = .0093). The sample showed the cation to be calcium. CONCLUSION: Crystallization on the IOL surface during cataract surgery is a rare occurrence that may be associated with calcium as the cation related to an osmotic gradient around the IOL with increased calcium concentration. If encountered surgically, the lens should be exchanged in the operating theater after irrigating the anterior chamber with BSS and completely filling the capsular bag with a low molecular weight viscoelastic.
Physical retrievals of over-ocean rain rate from multichannel microwave imagery. Part II: Algorithm implementation

A new physical inversion-based algorithm for retrieving rain rate over the ocean with the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) is described. In a departure from other rain rate retrieval algorithms, the satellite observables inverted in the present algorithm are not the raw brightness temperatures but rather normalized polarizations for 19.35, 37.0, and 85.5 GHz, plus an 85.5 GHz scattering index which is sensitive primarily to ice particles aloft. The normalized polarizations are interpreted as footprint-averages of theoretically derived analytic functions of the column optical depth associated primarily with liquid water. The effective vertical depth of the rain layer is specified as a function of the SSM/I estimated column water vapor. The retrieval algorithm performs an iterative search for a high resolution (12.5 km) rain field which is simultaneously consistent with the 19.35 and 37.0 GHz normalized polarizations. The first-guess rain rate field is supplied by the 85.5 GHz scattering index. At gridpoints for which the rain column optical depth exceeds the dynamic range of the attenuation-based indices, the first-guess field is left essentially unmodified; elsewhere, the required consistency with the 19 and 37 GHz indices usually results in significant modification of the scattering-based rain rate estimates. The algorithm as described here is a prototype implementation which was developed with reference only to idealized theoretical models; empirical improvements to the numerical scheme and the model coefficients will be made in the future as results from the first Precipitation [algorithm] Intercomparison Project 1 (PIP-1) and the second phase of the GPCP (Global Precipitation Climatology Project) algorithm Intercomparison Project (AIP/2) are analyzed, as well as data from individual validation efforts. Although the algorithm is physically based and uses all SSM/I channels, it is computationally much less demanding than cloud/radiative transfer model-based inversion algorithms published else-where.
Synthesis of two-dimensional single-crystal berzelianite nanosheets and nanoplates with near-infrared optical absorption

The solar cell industry requires convenient and inexpensive fabrication of semiconductor nanostructures as highly efficient absorptive layers with low-cost, environmentally benign, heavy-metal-free (i.e., free from Hg, Cd, and Pb) and suitable band gap near 1 eV features. In this paper, we demonstrate the synthesis of two-dimensional single-crystal berzelianite (Cu2−xSe) nanosheets (in-plane diameter-to-thickness ratio ∼100) and nanoplates (in-plane diameter-to-thickness ratio ∼10) via a simple, “green” and environmentally benign method of injecting Cu(I)-complex precursor into Se-solution in paraffin liquid. Unlike the previous syntheses of binary chalcogenide nanostructures such as CdSe, the current strategy for berzelianite synthesis does not use expensive and toxic phosphine ligands such as trioctylphosphine (TOP). The products were characterized by a range of methods, such as X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electron diffraction, revealing that the products have the cubic phase and high-quality single-crystal two-dimensional nanostructure. UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy reveals that the nanosheets and nanoplates show obvious absorption onsets at 0.89 eV and 0.80 eV, respectively, and strong optical absorption peak at 1.70 eV and 1.62 eV, covering the whole red range of the solar spectrum. The present study opens a new avenue to “green” and low-cost controllable synthesis of binary chalcogenides with technological applications in solar energy conversion and also in a wide range of photonic devices operating in the near-infrared.
The Role of Ambivalence in College Nonsmokers' Information Seeking and Information Processing

The abundant prosmoking influences in college can cultivate a sense of ambivalence about smoking among many nonsmoking students. In this study, the authors investigated the role of ambivalence in college nonsmokers' seeking and processing of smoking-related information. Three hundred ninety-six nonsmoking college students participated in an online study. Hypotheses were built into a predictive model and tested using structural equation modeling. Higher ambivalence was found to be associated with greater information seeking in the past 30 days. Past information seeking, in turn, was associated with deeper processing and greater acceptance of new antismoking information. Implications of the results for smoking prevention on college campuses are discussed.
The expanding role of interventional radiology in the supportive care of the oncology patient: From diagnosis to therapy

Interventional radiology (IR) plays an increasing role in the supportive care of the cancer patient from the placement of catheters to treating the offending tumor via image-guided methods. These methods entail the use of both local and regional means, with thermal ablative technology comprising the former and intra-arterial embolization with radioactive particles the latter. Direct placement of the radiofrequency or cryotherapy probes into tumors that are accessible using computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance provides reliable symptomatic relief of single or multiple tumors in liver, kidney, lung, bone, or soft tissue. Combined with systemic chemotherapy, these techniques increase patient survival. Intra-arterial delivery of radioactive particles to unresectable tumors both provides symptomatic relief and extends survival when combined with current systemic chemotherapy. These new approaches allow IR to provide crucial therapy for cancer patients.
The Vα14 NKT Cell TCR Exhibits High-Affinity Binding to a Glycolipid/CD1d Complex

Most CD1d-dependent NKT cells in mice have a canonical Vα14Jα18 TCR rearrangement. However, relatively little is known concerning the molecular basis for their reactivity to glycolipid Ags presented by CD1d. Using glycolipid Ags, soluble forms of a Vα14 NKT cell-derived TCR, and mutant and wild-type CD1d molecules, we probed the TCR/CD1d interaction by surface plasmon resonance, tetramer equilibrium staining, and tetramer staining decay experiments. By these methods, several CD1d α-helical amino acids could be defined that do not greatly alter lipid binding, but that affect the interaction with the TCR. Binding of the Vα14+ TCR to CD1d requires the agonist α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), as opposed to the nonantigenic β-galactosylceramide, although both Ags bind to CD1d, indicating that the carbohydrate moiety of the CD1d-bound Ag plays a major role in the TCR interaction. The TCR has a relatively high-affinity binding to the α-GalCer/CD1d complex, with a particularly slow off rate. These unique properties are consistent with the coreceptor-independent action of the Vα14 TCR and may be related to the intense response to α-GalCer by NKT cells in vivo.
An Impact Study of the Implementation of a Materials Science and Engineering Module at the Fifth Grade Level

An impact study of the implementation of a newly developed Materials Science and Engineering Module was conducted as part of a National Science Foundation funded GK-12 project at the University of South Florida. The objective of GK-12 STARS (Students, Teachers and Resources in the Sciences) program is to foster systemic change in elementary by enriching math and science curricula and encouraging long-term professional development for teachers in the K-5 band. The program also aims to decrease the current educational gap in science and math curricula prevalent among certain schools within the same school district, which is reflected in the outcome of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The module was developed for the purpose of enhancing existing textbook driven science instruction and creating a fundamentally sound scientific exposure in elementary school students. As part of this activity, students from three different schools (one private, one suburban, and one urban) were introduced to basic concepts in materials science and engineering through hands-on experiments, presentations, and field trips to the university’s material research related laboratories (i.e. polymer chemistry, microelectronics, nanotechnology, geotechnics, corrosion, etc.) The developed module offered information ranging from basic definitions to newly discovered cutting edge phenomenon in the field of nanotechnology. Subsequently, pre and post test instruments were administered to assess student performance. Results from the pretest showed that students from all participating schools performed within the standard deviation. The post assessment test showed that the experimental group had twice as many correct answers, as the control group from each school.
Selected‐ion accumulation from an external electrospray ionization source with a fourier‐transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer

The coupling of an electrospray ionization (ESI) source to a Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer provides a facility for the high resolution, accurate mass analysis of large biopolymers. Typically the m/z range of the electrosprayed ions injected and trapped in the FTICR cell is between m/z 500 and 2500 (but can vary considerably with solution conditions). Recent reports on quadrupole excitation have demonstrated the ability to cool the magnetron motion of ions trapped in the FTICR mass spectrometer cell by converting this motion to cyclotron motion which, under appropriate pressure conditions, damps readily to the center of the cell. The use of a broadband waveform (swept frequency or stored waveform inverse Fourier-transform) for the quadrupole cooling pulse was shown to provide cooling of a wide range of m/z ions, while implementation of a single frequency demonstrated a much narrower m/z response. This report demonstrates the successful combination of single-frequency quadrupole cooling with external injection of electrosprayed ions into an FTICR mass spectrometer for m/z selected-ion accumulation. This capability is particularly significant with electrospray ionization since it allows ions of only one charge state to be accumulated in the cell, and greatly increases the potential dynamic range of ESI-FTICR.
The Neurology of Myelin Diseases

The material and terminology in this chapter, which adhere closely to the sequence and organization of the previous chapter, will describe the major clinical features of the more important human diseases of myelin. Animal analogues are omitted but are discussed in Chapters 8 and 13. Some of the most prevalent myelin diseases, e.g., multiple sclerosis and idiopathic neuritis, will be covered more fully than the rarely encountered conditions, which will be only briefly mentioned. The majority of conditions outlined in sections below actually represent diseases in which myelin is primarily involved, and the mechanical diseases, indicated as Class V on Table I, are secondary conditions of myelin which are included only in the interest of completeness. A discussion of the extensive clinical neurology of the mechanical forces associated with these conditions is clearly beyond the scope of this chapter.
Ground‐Water Quality Standards — Relevanta

The opportunity to begin formulating a national ground-water quality protection program is at hand. In building the new program we should use the host of lessons learned in the experience of related environmental programs. This is necessary so that the new program will be realistic at the outset and congruent with the integrated planning and management of the ground- and surface-water resources of the nation. The keystone of program development, implementation, and evaluation is and will continue to be water quality standards. To the extent that the goal “Safe Drinking Water for Americans” has already been established, the point-of-use regulations (IPDW Regs and the RPDW Regs), should serve as water quality objectives thus facilitating ground-water program formulation and evaluation. The major regulatory thrust of the program, the water quality standards, must be technology-based site selection, construction and operational standards, with only limited monitoring in a conventional water supply and water pollution control context.
Mobile genetic elements of Staphylococcus aureus

Bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus are successful as commensal organisms or pathogens in part because they adapt rapidly to selective pressures imparted by the human host. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) play a central role in this adaptation process and are a means to transfer genetic information (DNA) among and within bacterial species. Importantly, MGEs encode putative virulence factors and molecules that confer resistance to antibiotics, including the gene that confers resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics in methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Inasmuch as MRSA infections are a significant problem worldwide and continue to emerge in epidemic waves, there has been significant effort to improve diagnostic assays and to develop new antimicrobial agents for treatment of disease. Our understanding of S. aureus MGEs and the molecules they encode has played an important role toward these ends and has provided detailed insight into the evolution of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and virulence.
Competitor avoidance drives within-host feeding site selection in a passively dispersed herbivore

Evolutionary theory predicts that ovipositing females that can actively disperse should select hosts that increase offspring performance. However, for organisms that are exclusively passively dispersed, feeding site selection is possible only at the within-host level. This is particularly important for their offspring, which have strong temporal and spatial dispersal constraints within a host. Such constraints are probably magnified by tissue quality heterogeneity caused by competing herbivores. We investigated within-host feeding site selection of passively dispersed neonates of a sessile herbivore, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand), when it shares its eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis Carriere) host with another sessile herbivore, the elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa Ferris). Within-host feeding site selection was studied (a) at the shoot level (with or without F. externa) using choice tests, and (b) at the needle level by scoring insect presence in field surveys. Adelges tsugae avoided F. externa-colonised foliage in both the choice tests and field surveys. As A. tsugae has no efficient predators or parasitoids in the study area, we conclude that our results are due to the presence of the competing herbivore. Although A. tsugae cannot actively disperse among hosts, we showed that within-host feeding site selection is an important mechanism to minimise the co-occurrence with a competing herbivore that has known negative impacts on A. tsugae population densities. Studying within-host feeding site selection in a multiple-species context could assist in understanding and predicting the impact of destructive pests such as A. tsugae and the interactions with their novel hosts.
A novel ion funnel for focusing ions at elevated pressure using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The ability to effectively focus and transmit ions from relatively high pressure ion sources is a key factor that affects sensitivity and dynamic range in mass spectrometry. To improve upon the mass spectrometric sensitivity achievable with electrospray ionization sources a novel ion funnel interface has been developed and implemented with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The ion funnel effectively consists of a series of ring electrodes of progressively smaller internal diamter to which RF and DC electric fields are co-applied. The electric fields create a pseudo-potential causing the collisionally damped ions to be more effectively focused and transmitted as a collimated ion beam. The ion funnel concept we describe is supported by results of SIMION simulations, ion current measurements and implementation with a mass spectrometer. Electrospray ionization mass spectra for an initial ion funnel configuration demonstrated over an order of magnitude increase in signal relative to that of the instrument operated in its standard (capillary inlet-skimmer) configuration under similar conditions. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A ring-resonator-based silicon photonics transceiver with bias-based wavelength stabilization and adaptive-power-sensitivity receiver

Silicon photonic links based on ring-resonator devices provide a unique opportunity to deliver distance-independent connectivity, whose pin-bandwidth scales with the degree of wavelength-division multiplexing. However, reliability and robustness are major challenges to widespread adoption of ring-based silicon photonics. In this work, a CMOS photonic transceiver architecture is demonstrated that incorporates the following enhancements: transmitters with independent dual-edge pre-emphasis to compensate for modulator bandwidth limitations; a bias-based tuning loop to calibrate for resonance wavelength variations; and an adaptive sensitivity-bandwidth receiver that can self-adapt for insitu variations in input capacitance, modulator/photodetector performance, and link budget.
Nanotechnology in Society: Atlas in Wonderland?

As Alice fell down the rabbit-hole she had plenty of time to wonder what would happen next… She had gotten so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common way.
The Institutional Official and Postapproval Monitoring: The View from 10,000 Feet

The role of the institutional official (IO) in ensuring a highquality program of laboratory animal care and use has received relatively little attention in the literature compared to that of the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) or attending veterinarian. Yet the IO is critical to institutional effectiveness. Often not a scientist, especially at colleges and universities, the IO is an executive who bears ultimate responsibility for the care and use of laboratory animals. An IO operates largely through delegation to the IACUC and the institutional veterinarian, yet must maintain a clear view of the program from the executive level—the “view from 10,000 feet.” To do so, the IO must bring four critical leadership qualities to the position: (1) vision, (2) a commitment to quality and integrity, (3) strong planning and resource development, and (4) accountability to the laboratory animal program. The IO’s ability to act on these qualities and to evaluate the effectiveness of the resulting program requires reliance on a strong program of postapproval monitoring (PAM). Summary data from PAM, based on metrics carefully defined by the IO in consultation with the IACUC and the institutional veterinarian, provide the feedback necessary to guide executive decisions and allow the IO to place the needs of the program of laboratory animal care and use successfully into the larger context of the mission of the institution.
Differential modification of Cys10 alters transthyretin's effect on beta-amyloid aggregation and toxicity

Tg2576 mice produce high levels of beta-amyloid (Aβ) and develop amyloid deposits, but lack neurofibrillary tangles and do not suffer the extensive neuronal cell loss characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. Protection from Aβ toxicity has been attributed to up-regulation of transthyretin (TTR), a normal component of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. We compared the effect of TTR purified from human plasma (pTTR) with that produced recombinantly (rTTR) on Aβ aggregation and toxicity. pTTR slowed Aβ aggregation but failed to protect primary cortical neurons from Aβ toxicity. In contrast, rTTR accelerated aggregation, while effectively protecting neurons. This inverse correlation between Aβ aggregation kinetics and toxicity is consistent with the hypothesis that soluble intermediates rather than insoluble fibrils are the most toxic Aβ species. We carried out a detailed comparison of pTTR with rTTR to ascertain the probable cause of these different effects. No differences in secondary, tertiary or quaternary structure were detected. However, pTTR differed from rTTR in the extent and nature of modification at Cys10. We hypothesize that differential modification at Cys10 regulates TTR's effect on Aβ aggregation and toxicity.