cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subcortical gray matter atrophy is predicted by white matter lesions in directly connected tracts in multiple sclerosis (P4.364)

Objective: To independently confirm associations between white matter (WM) lesions and atrophy of connected subcortical gray matter (SGM) structures in a multiple sclerosis (MS) population with longer disease duration than previously reported. Background: SGM atrophy in MS is a key component of the disease, but it is still not clear to what extent this is a primary process as compared to a direct result of focal WM damage. A recent study using a novel connectivity-based approach indicated a substantial direct effect of lesions on connected SGM structure volumes in early MS. Confirmation of this in later MS would help to clarify the drivers of GM atrophy. Design/Methods: Using FIRST, SGM structure volumes were measured in 90 MS patients, with a mean disease duration of 20.32 (SD=9.65). At the same time, the Network Modification Tool was used to quantify the level of disconnectivity of each region due to WM lesions in connected tracts. Partial correlations, controlling for age, were used to determine the association between the proportion of disrupted tracts and volume for each SGM region. Results: After correction for multiple comparisons, proportion of lesion-induced disconnection was significantly correlated with atrophy for all SGM structures, with the strongest effects in the thalamus: left thalamus (r=0.64, p Conclusions: Our results confirm a strong relationship between structure-specific SGM atrophy and lesions in directly connected WM tracts in a MS population with longer disease duration than previously reported. Study Supported by: Not applicable. Disclosure: Dr. Fuchs has nothing to disclose. Dr. Carolus has nothing to disclose. Dr. Benedict has received personal compensation for activities with Actelion, Biogen Idec, Bayer, and Novartis as a consultant. Dr. Bergsland has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ramasamy has nothing to disclose. Dr. Zivadinov has received personal compensation for activities with EMD Serono, Genzyme, Novartis, for speaking and consultant fees. Dr. Zivadinov has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for BioMed Research International, BMC Medicine, BMC Neurology, Clinical CNS Drugs, Conf Pap Neurosci, Journal of Alzheimer9s Disease, Vein and Lymphatics, and Word J Surg Proc. Dr. Zivadinov has received research support from Biogen Idec, Claret Medical, Genzyme, Intekrin-Coherus, Novartis, and Teva Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Dwyer has received personal compensation for activities with Claret Medical and EMD Serono. Dr. Dwyer has received research support from Novartis.
The Right Diabetes Medication for the Right Patient for the Right Outcome: Can a Network Meta-analysis Help Us Decide?

In their article, Tsapas and colleagues reported a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to generate evidence for guiding the pharmacologic management of type 2 diabetes. The editor...
Ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from land application of solid beef manure and urea to corn fields in south central Nebraska

Abstract. A two-year study was conducted to quantify ammonia (NH3) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions following land application of manure and commercial fertilizer to corn fields. Four treatments were evaluated: commercial fertilizer (CF), solid beef manure (SM), solid beef manure with corn stover bedding (BM), and no fertilizer (NF). The CF, SM, and BM treatments were applied in the fall to meet corn N demand. Air samples were measured following land application and at two-week intervals from planting to harvest. Sixteen plots were used with four replications per treatment. Average daily NH3 flux were greater from plots that received the CF treatment (2436 µg m-2 hr-1) compared to plots that that had NF (1875 µg m-2 hr-1), SM (1857 µg m-2 hr-1) and BM (1850 µg m-2 hr-1) treatments applied. No differences were detected in daily CH4, CO2, or N2O flux due to fertilizer treatment, but all gases measured varied significantly between growing seasons. Cumulative NH3 emissions were higher for CF plots (214.3 kg ha-1) than SM (147.6 kg ha-1), BM (148.8 kg ha-1), and NF (151.5 kg ha-1). Cumulative CO2 emissions were higher for SM (5.3 Mg ha-1) and BM (4.9 Mg ha-1) plots compared to CF (2.6 Mg ha-1) and NF (2.5 Mg ha-1) treated plots. The significant differences between emissions from year to year emphasizes the need for long-term studies to better understand gaseous emissions from fertilizer application. With similar emissions from all fertilizer treatments, producers can consider using manure as a nitrogen source to reduce costs associated with purchasing commercial fertilizer.
Complication rates following Chiari malformation surgical management for Arnold-Chiari type I based on surgical variables: A national perspective.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify complication trends of Chiari Malformation Type 1 patients (CM-1) for certain procedures and concomitant diagnoses on a national level. Materials and Methods: The Kids' Inpatient Database was queried for diagnoses of operative CM-1 by International Classification of Disease-9 codes (348.4). Differences in preoperative demographics and perioperative complication rates between patient cohorts were assessed using Pearson's Chi-squared test and t-test when necessary. Binary logistic regression was utilized to find significant factors associated with complication rate. Certain surgical procedures were analyzed for their relationship with postoperative outcomes. Results: Thirteen thousand eight hundred and twelve CM-1 patients were identified with 8.2% suffering from a complication. From 2003 to 2012, the rate of complications for CM-1 pts decreased significantly (9.6%–5.1%) along with surgical rate (33.3%–28.6%), despite the increase in CM-1 diagnosis (36.3%–42.3%; all P Conclusions: Chiari patients undergoing craniectomies as well as instrumented fusions are at a higher risk of postoperative complications especially when the instrumented fusions were performed on >4 levels.
How Do AI-driven Chatbots Impact User Experience? Examining Gratifications, Perceived Privacy Risk, Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Continued Use

This study examined how artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbots impact user experience. It collected survey data from 1,064 consumers who used any chatbot service from the top 30 brands in the...
Optical isolation using microring modulators.

Optical isolators, while commonplace in bulk and fiber optical systems, remain a key missing component in integrated photonics. Isolation using magneto-optic materials has been difficult to integrate into complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication platforms, motivating the use of other paths to effective non-reciprocity such as temporal modulation. We demonstrate a non-reciprocal element comprising a pair of microring modulators and a microring phase shifter in an active silicon photonic process, which, in combination with standard bandpass filters, yields an isolator on-chip. Isolation up to 13 dB is measured with a 3 dB bandwidth of 2 GHz and insertion loss of 18 dB. We also show transmission of a 4 Gbps optical data signal through the isolator while retaining a wide-open eye diagram. This compact design, in combination with increased modulation efficiency, could enable modulator-based isolators to become a standard ‘black-box’ component in integrated photonics CMOS foundry platform component libraries.
Modeling of soil water to ensure a suitable depth and spacing of subsurface drip irrigation for alfalfa

Introduction: A major design issue in implementing a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system is determining the appropriate drip tape placement depth to allow basic farming operations while still providing adequate water to the crop. Objective: To determine the appropriate placement depth of the SDI tapes using modeling techniques and classical soil mechanics theory. Methodology: The HYDRUS-2D program was used to determine the wetting pattern, after 12 h of irrigation, of a SDI emitter installed at 50 cm depth in three soil types: sandy clay loam (SCL), clay loam (CL) and loam (L), and classical soil mechanics theory was used to calculate the increase in soil stress at different depths. Results: The vertical capillary rise above the dripline was 27, 30 and 22 cm for SCL, CL and LF soils, respectively. The minimum dripline placement depth to avoid failure is 40 cm in SCL and L soils, and 35 cm for CL soil. Study limitations: The physical properties and hydraulic parameters of the soil were obtained from the literature, and the soil mechanics theory results were not calibrated with field measurements. Originality: This is the first study in which soil mechanics is used to determine the spacing and installation depth of SDI system tapes. Conclusions: This type of study is helpful in determining the SDI dripline placement depth to ensure adequate trafficability under these irrigation system
The evolution of accounting technology education: Analytics to STEM

The accounting profession is undergoing a radical change that supplants many historical accounting duties by requiring technical skills to be added to the accountant’s tool chest. Stakeholders are ...
Extracting Factor Loadings from Capital Market Assumptions: What is Embedded in Forecast Hedge Fund Returns?

We detail how to extract factor risk, return, and correlation assumptions from a set of asset-class risk, return, and correlation assumptions. Such capital market assumptions are key tools in institutional and high net worth investment operations. Using an institutional investment consultant’s asset-class assumptions, we use our technique to evaluate the implied factor loadings for a demonstration asset class, hedge funds, and find that much of their return comes from factor exposures. Our analytical approach offers useful insight to the veracity of capital market assumptions, key inputs to investment decision making.
INFLUENCE OF DIABETES ON AMBULATION AND INFLAMMATION IN MEN AND WOMEN WITH SYMPTOMATIC PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE.

Objective To determine whether diabetes and sex were factors associated with ambulatory function, endothelial cell inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, and with circulating biomarkers of inflammation and antioxidant capacity in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and claudication.
A Randomized Trial of Intrapartum Fetal ECG ST-Segment Analysis

BackgroundIt is unclear whether using fetal electrocardiographic (ECG) ST-segment analysis as an adjunct to conventional intrapartum electronic fetal heart-rate monitoring modifies intrapartum and neonatal outcomes. MethodsWe performed a multicenter trial in which women with a singleton fetus who were attempting vaginal delivery at more than 36 weeks of gestation and who had cervical dilation of 2 to 7 cm were randomly assigned to “open” or “masked” monitoring with fetal ST-segment analysis. The masked system functioned as a normal fetal heart-rate monitor. The open system displayed additional information for use when uncertain fetal heart-rate patterns were detected. The primary outcome was a composite of intrapartum fetal death, neonatal death, an Apgar score of 3 or less at 5 minutes, neonatal seizure, an umbilical-artery blood pH of 7.05 or less with a base deficit of 12 mmol per liter or more, intubation for ventilation at delivery, or neonatal encephalopathy. ResultsA total of 11,108 patients underw...
Optimum and heuristic algorithms for finite state machine decomposition and partitioning

The authors formulate the problem of optimum two-way finite-sole-machine (FSM) decomposition as one of symbolic-output partitioning and show that this is an easier problem than optimum state assignment. They describe a procedure of constrained prime-implicant generation and covering that represents an optimum FSM decomposition algorithm under the specified cost function. Exact procedures are not viable for large problem instances. The authors give a novel iterative optimization strategy of symbolic-implicant expansion and reduction, modified from two-level Boolean minimizers, that represents a heuristic algorithm based on their exact procedure. Reduction and expansion are performed on functions with symbolic, rather than binary-valued, outputs. Preliminary experimental results that illustrate both the efficacy of the proposed algorithms and the validity of the selected cost function. >
Particle acceleration by propagating interplanetary shocks

The process of charged particle acceleration in interplanetary shocks has been simulated for typical parameters. Since space probe observations of charged particle fluxes are the principle means of inferring the action of an acceleration mechanism, the simulation was designed to follow particles backwards in time from a given observing point, usually 1 A.U. This allowed a full diagnosis of which observed particles had interacted with an oncoming shock, where the interacting occurred, and by how much the energy had been changed by the shock interaction. Simple assumptions about the pre‐shock energy spectrum allow the construction of a full temporal profile of the expected intensity, anisotropy, and energy spectrum. The simulations are apparently capable of reproducing the main features of the less than 10 MeV/nuc. ion flux enhancements observed at interplanetary shocks using only a laminar interplanetary magnetic field, Archimidean spiral, and a spherical oblique shock with typical speed, strength, and shock normal‐magnetic field angle.
Spatio-temporal modeling and minimum redundancy adaptive acquisition in dynamic MRI

We propose two models for dynamic cardiac imaging, based on the spatial and temporal-spectral support of the object. The models explicitly account for the aperiodicity of cardiac motion. The models are used for both adaptive minimum redundancy data acquisition optimized for the object being imaged and to reconstruct a high temporal resolution movie of the dynamic object. Schemes for (a) estimating the model parameters, (b) designing the minimum redundancy acquisition sequence, and (c) reconstructing the image sequence from acquired data, are presented. Simulated cardiac MRI experiments show high quality cine reconstructions with 20-fold reduction in acquisition rates.
Design and implementation of an automated thirty-two channel tester (A32CT)

The automated thirty-two channel tester (A32CT) is an electrical tester designed to switch a gamut of voltages to any of thirty-two different output lines. The voltages range from 0 to 200 VAC peak, and from 0 to 200 VDC. The output voltages on the thirty-two lines are controlled by software on an IBM personal computer and can be changed for specific timing and signal sequences. The M24CT is a subset of the A32CT-no personal computer is needed and twenty-four instead of thirty-two output channels are used. >
Fresh Versus Frozen Engineered Bone–Ligament–Bone Grafts for Sheep Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair

Surgical intervention is often required to restore knee instability in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The most commonly used grafts for ACL reconstruction are tendon autografts or allografts. These current options, however, have shown failure rates requiring revision and continued instability in the long term. The mismatched biomechanical properties of the current tendon grafts compared with native ACL tissue are thought to contribute to these poor outcomes and potential risk of early onset osteoarthritis. As a possible solution to these issues, our laboratory has fabricated tissue-engineered ligament constructs that exhibit structural and functional properties similar to those of native ACL tissue after 6 months implantation. In addition, these tissue-engineered grafts achieve vascular and neural development that exceeds those of patellar tendon grafts. However, the utility of our tissue-engineered grafts is limited by the labor-intensive method required to produce the constructs ...
Biomaterial Approaches to Enhancing Neurorestoration after Spinal Cord Injury: Strategies for Overcoming Inherent Biological Obstacles

While advances in technology and medicine have improved both longevity and quality of life in patients living with a spinal cord injury, restoration of full motor function is not often achieved. This is due to the failure of repair and regeneration of neuronal connections in the spinal cord after injury. In this review, the complicated nature of spinal cord injury is described, noting the numerous cellular and molecular events that occur in the central nervous system following a traumatic lesion. In short, postinjury tissue changes create a complex and dynamic environment that is highly inhibitory to the process of neural regeneration. Strategies for repair are outlined with a particular focus on the important role of biomaterials in designing a therapeutic treatment that can overcome this inhibitory environment. The importance of considering the inherent biological response of the central nervous system to both injury and subsequent therapeutic interventions is highlighted as a key consideration for all attempts at improving functional recovery.
Sp1 Is a Critical Regulator of the Wilms' tumor-1 Gene

We performed deletion analysis of WT1-reporter constructs containing up to 24 kilobases of 5'-flanking and first intron WT1 sequence in stably transfected cultured cells as an unbiased approach to identify cis elements critical for WT1 transcription. Although not a tissue-specific element, a proximate 9-base pair CTC repeat accounted for approximately 80% of WT1 transcription in this assay. Enhancer activity of the element and mutated versions correlated completely with their ability to form a DNA-protein complex in gel shifts. Antibody supershift, oligonucleotide competition, and Southwestern studies indicated that the CTC-binding factor is the transcriptional activator Sp1. Sp1 binds the CTC repeat with an affinity, KD = 0.37 nM, at least as high as the consensus GC box. Similar CTC repeats are found in promoters of other growth-related genes. Because Sp1 is important for WT1 expression, we examined Sp1 immunohistochemistry in fetal and adult kidney. In a pattern that precedes that of WT1 message, Sp1 immunostaining was highest in uninduced mesenchyme, early tubules, developing podocytes, and mature glomeruli, but was minimal in mature proximal tubules. This work suggests abundant Sp1 may be a prerequisite for WT1 expression, and that Sp1 may have a wider role in nephrogenesis.
Anaerobic spectrophotometry: An improved cuvette☆

Abstract A cuvette is described which allows purging of the reaction solution with any gas mixture. The cuvette design incorporates a gas inlet and outlet which can be simultaneously sealed by a small angular rotation of the Thunberg head and a gassing tube which is an integral part of the body of the cuvette and which is, therefore, not easily broken. Anaerobic conditions can be achieved in 10 min and can be maintained, in the sealed cuvette, for at least 12 hr.
Hypothalamic-pituitary interactions during the periovulatory secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone in the rat.

We investigated the importance of anterior afferents to the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) on the increases in plasma FSH during the periovulatory period in the 4-day cyclic rat. We severed the anterior connections to the MBH either at 1200 h on proestrus (before the time of onset of the normal spontaneous LH surge in plasma and the associated first phase of FSH release) or near the end of the LH surge and first phase of FSH release at 2000 h on proestrus (before the onset of the second or selective phase of FSH release). Analyses of FSH and LH in blood collected through indwelling atrial catheters or from the tinnk after decapitation showed that anterior deafferentation of the MBH at 1200 h on proestrus blocked the proestrous LH surge, the elevations in plasma FSH during proestrus and estrus, and ovulation. In contrast, when brain surgery was delayed until 2000 h on proestrus, the second phase of FSH release and ovulation occurred. In rats with retrochiasmatic transections made at 1200 h, a constant rat...
Controlling the mechanical performance of composites

There are presently several models based on different assumptions out of which one may find one to predict the elastic properties of a given type of composite. However, there is not a single theory which can be used to model all systems. One of the difficulties encountered in verifying the proposed models is the non-uniformity of the dimension, distribution, shape, and orientation of the reinforcement, resulting from the processing conditions of the composite in practice. Much work has been carried out in an effort to express theoretically the strength and stiffness of composites. In spite of extensive investigation efforts, prediction is still a controversial subject. Unlike the elastic properties, which involve only small deformations without irreversible processes, fracture performance depends on many parameters. Besides the reinforcement dimension, shape and orientation, the interfacial adhesion and the microscopic failure mechanisms also play major roles in both strength and toughness.
Infrared touch technology as a response detector in animal research

The construction of a computerized research system is described. Stimuli are presented to a pigeon on a color television monitor. Pecks at the television screen are detected by a network of multiplexed infrared emitters and detectors; the coordinates of the peck are transmitted to the host computer. Computer graphics allows the experimenter to simultaneously present a variety of forms and colors as stimuli. The system accommodates innovative research methodology in animal cognition, animal psychophysics, comparative psychology, and other research interests. With modification, the system can be used with other species, including humans.
Low glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) activity in red blood cells and susceptibility to copper-induced oxidative damage.

Abstract The effects of copper on selected characteristics of blood from normal and G-6-PD deficient humans and sheep of the Dorset Strain (which also have comparable red cell G-6-PD activity units as G-6-PD deficient humans) were compared. Both the G-6-PD deficient humans and sheep were found to be markedly more sensitive to several indicators of oxidant stress as measured by increases in methemoglobin levels and decreases in the activity of red cell acetylcholinesterase. These findings indicate that susceptibility to copper-induced oxidative stress is associated with the presence of low red cell G-6-PD activity.
A Trivial Algorithm Whose Analysis isn't.

Abstract : Very few theoretical results have been obtained to date about the behavior of information retrieval algorithms under random deletions, as well as random insertions. The present paper offers a possible explanation for this dearth of results, by showing that one of the simplest such algorithms already requires a surprisingly intricate analysis. Even when the data structure never contains more than three items at a time, it is shown that the performance of the standard tree search/insertion/deletion algorithm involves Bessel functions and the solution of bivariate integral equations. A step-by-step expository analysis of this problem is given, and it is shown how the difficulties arise and can be surmounted. (Author)
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HZCCP) Practices and Food Safety Education of Food Safety Education of Foodservice Personnel at Long-Term Facilities

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To identify the level of food safety education and use of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) practices of foodservice directors and employees at long-term care facilities. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that between 6.5 to 33 million people in the U.S. become ill each year as a result of foodborne illness and that 9,000 die. The elderly in long-term care facilities are considered at high risk for foodborne disease. HACCP has been advocated as a system designed to reduce risk of outbreaks of foodborne illness. Purpose of the study was to determine level of food safety education and knowledge and application of HACCP among nursing home foodservice employees and directors. A mail survey was conducted using a random sample of 50 licensed nursing home facilities from a 19 county region of north Texas. Completed forms were received from 152 employees and 17 directors from 17 facilities. Results showed that the majority of the directors and supervisors had completed a 16-hour certificaiton course on food safety. However, the majority of foodservice employees were required to have only a food handler's card requiring 1-2 hours of training. Twelve of the directors indicated knowledge of HACCP, but only nine used any of the HACCP steps at their facility. The most often used HACCP step was to identify critical control points in food production and service. Results indicate that there is a need for increased education of foodservice employees and application of HACCP principles at long-term care facilities.
Effect of solvents on phase separation in perfluorinated ionomers, from electron spin resonance of VO2+ in swollen membranes and solutions

Abstract We present a study of perfluorinated ionomers with pendent chains terminated by sulfonic groups (Nafion), partially neutralized by paramagnetic VO2+ cations. Electron spin resonance (e.s.r.) spectra of VO2+ were measured in the temperature range 120–300 K in ionomer solutions and membranes swollen by water, methanol and ethanol, and compared with the spectra of VO2+ in the neat solvents. E.s.r. spectra for all systems in the entire temperature range were simulated, using the Brownian diffusion motional model. The rotational correlation time τc of the cation at 300K in the membranes swollen by water, in ionomer solutions in water and in neat water are all similar, and suggest that the cation is located in large water ‘pools’. This conclusion is in agreement with the expected phase separation of the ionomer into polar and non-polar domains that leads to a reverse micellar structure. For the alcohols, however, the e.s.r. spectra and corresponding τc values of the cation in the swollen membrane and in ionomer solutions are similar, but clearly different from those measured in the neat solvents; these results were explained by assuming that the alcohols penetrate into the perfluorinated regions, and form small solvent pools with a diameter
Stochastic analysis of predator–prey type ecosystems

A stochastic model for the predator–prey type ecosystems in a random environment is proposed and investigated. The model is a variation of the Lotka–Volterra type with an additional self-competition mechanism within the prey population. Two different situations are considered: (1) saturation of predators, and (2) competition among predators. Changes in the birth rate of the preys and the death rate of the predators are modeled as random processes. The stochastic averaging procedure of Stratonovich and Khasminskii is applied to obtain the probability distribution of the system state variables at the state of statistical stationarity. Asymptotic behaviors of the system are also investigated. Effects on the ecosystem behaviors are evaluated of (1) prey self-competition, (2) predator saturation and predator competition, (3) random variation in the prey birth rate, and (4) random variation in the predator death rate.
Glucocorticoids induce a 29 000 Mr protein in DDT1 MF-2 smooth muscle cells but not in the DDT1 MF-2 GR glucocorticoid resistant variant

We have demonstrated that glucocorticoids induce in DDT1 MF-2 cells by a glucocorticoid mediated mechanism the synthesis of a methionine-cysteine rich protein of 29 000 Mr (p29). Induction of p29 is not observed in DDT1 MF-2 GR glucocorticoid resistant variants which have only 7% of glucocorticoid receptor site per cell compared to wild type cells. Increased synthesis of p29 is specific to glucocorticoids since neither androgens, estrogens, progesterone nor the glucocorticoid antagonist dexamethasone mesylate are effective inducers. Stimulation of p29 synthesis in wild type cells is observed at 10−10 M triamcinolone acetonide, reaching a maximum at a concentration of 1 × 10−8 M. The induction of p29 is not a function of glucocorticoid arrest of DDT1 MF-2 cells since DDT1 MF-2 cells promoted to re-enter the cell cycle by 50 ng/ml platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) continue synthesis of p29. Finally, increased levels of p29 translation products are observed in cell free translation assays carried out utilizing poly A− RNA transcripts isolated from glucocorticoid treated cells. These data suggest that the glucocorticoid stimulation of p29 synthesis is a transcriptional and/or RNA processing event controlled by glucocorticoid receptor complexes.
Modeling of urban trees’ effects on reducing human exposure to UV radiation in Seoul, Korea

A mathematical model is constructed for quantifying urban trees’ effects on mitigating the intensity of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the ground within different land use types across a city. The model is based upon local field data, meteorological data and equations designed to predict the reduced UV fraction due to trees at the ground level. Trees in Seoul, Korea (2010), produced average UV protection factors (UPF) for pedestrians in tree shade at solar noon (May to August) of 8.3 for park and cemetery land uses and 3.0 for commercial and transportation land uses. The highest daily UPF was 11.8 in the park and cemetery land uses, which has the highest percent canopy cover. This UV model is being implemented within the i-Tree modeling system to allow cities across the world to estimate tree effects on UV exposure. Understanding the impacts of urban trees on UV exposure can be used in developing landscape design strategies to help protect urban populations from UV exposure and consequent health impacts.
Language Sampling: Does the Length of the Transcript Matter?

Purpose Language sample analysis is considered by many to be the gold standard for documenting children’s oral language skills. One limitation, however, is the time required for collection and transcription of language samples. The goal of this study was to determine if stable language sample measures could be generated using relatively short language samples. Method Measures were generated from children’s conversational and narrative language samples after they were broken into three lengths (1-, 3-, and 7-min samples). The measures were compared to determine the stability of measures from the short samples (1 and 3 min) when compared to measures from the long sample (7 min). The measures were further analyzed to determine if differences across transcript cuts varied as a function of age group (2;8 [years;months]–5;11 vs. 6;0–13;3) or sampling context (conversation vs. narrative). Results Overall, the language sample measures were quite consistent across the transcript cuts. Measures of productivity, lex...
Coated vesicles purified from chick tendon fibroblasts contain newly synthesized type I procollagen

Coated vesicles were purified from embryonic chick tendon fibroblasts pulsed with [3H]proline. They were morphologically and biochemically similar to coated vesicles purified from other sources. Furthermore, they contained newly synthesized Type I procollagen which was protected from bacterial collagenase digestion unless detergent was present. The procollagen remained associated with coated vesicles during immune precipitation and agarose gel electrophoresis. Data from pulse-chase experiments demonstrated that the specific activity of the coated vesicle preparations was approx. 5-fold higher at the 10 min chase point than at either the 0 or 40 min chase points. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that coated vesicles are intermediates in the intracellular transport of newly synthesized Type I procollagen in chick tendon fibroblasts.
Cultural Adaptations After Progressionism

How should behavioral scientists interpret apparently progressive stages of cultural history? Adaptive progress in biology is thought to only occur locally, relative to local conditions. Just as evolutionary theory offers physical anthropologists an appreciation of global human diversity through local adaptation, so the metaphor of adaptation offers behavioral scientists an appreciation of cultural diversity through analogous mechanisms. Analyses reported here test for cultural adaptation in both biotic and abiotic environments. Testing cultural adaptation to the human-made environment, the culture's pre-existing technical complexity is shown to be a predictive factor. Then testing cultural adaptation to the physical environment, this article corroborates Divale's (1999) finding that counting systems are adaptations to unstable environments, and expands the model to include other environmental indices and cultural traits. Interpreting divergent and convergent behaviors as due to differences and similariti...
ENERGETICS OF ALUMINUM VACANCIES IN GAMMA ALUMINA

We present results for total-energy simulations of the energetics of vacancy occupation of \ensuremath{\gamma} alumina using an empirical potential that allows the ionic valence to vary according to the local environment and includes Coulombic electrostatic interactions among the anions and cations. Our model predicts that although the minimum enthalpy configuration has all aluminum vacancies from the spinel structure in octahedral sites, the energetic cost of a modest fraction of tetrahedral sites is small. We furthermore use our model to explain the differences between previously reported simulations on this question in terms of their constraints on structural and charge relaxation.
Ambivalent journeys of hope: Embryonic stem cell therapy in a clinic in India

Stem cell therapy in non-Western countries such as India has received a lot of attention. Apart from media reports, there are a number of social science analyses of stem cell policy, therapy, and research, their ethical implications, and impact of advertising on patients. Nevertheless, in the media reports as well as in academic studies, experiences of patients, who undertake overseas journeys for stem cell therapy, have largely been either ignored or presented reductively, often as a “false hope.” In this article, I analyze the experiences of patients and their “journeys of hope” to NuTech Mediworld, an embryonic stem cell therapy clinic in New Delhi, India. My analysis, which draws on my observations in the clinic and patients’ experiences, instead of seeking to adjudicate whether embryonic stem cell therapy in clinics such as NuTech is right or wrong, true or false, focuses on how patients navigate and contest these concerns. I utilize Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s “concepts,” lines of flight and...
Prolonged Skin Photosensitization Induced by Methoxsalen and Subphototoxic UVA Irradiation

Topical 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) was used to briefly provide free psoralen sufficient for marked cutaneous photosensitization, but only a small dose of UVA was delivered initially, in an effort to produce many monoadducts but few crosslinks. After ample time for clearance of the remaining free psoralen a second UVA exposure was delivered. The second exposure should not have generated any additional monoadducts in the absence of free psoralen, but the remaining monoadducts could be converted to crosslinks. The observation of a prolonged persistent UVA-photosensitive state caused by prior, very small doses of UVA given while free 8- MOP was present strongly suggests that psoralen-DNA crosslinks per se initiate much of the phototoxic effect of 8-MOP on skin, and that monoadducts induce much less acute inflammatory response. Because erythema was studied as the end point, the data say nothing about relative contributions of monoadducts vs crosslinks in causing mutagenesis, hyperpigmentation, therapeutic or other cutaneous responses. Other explanations for the induced persistent photosensitive state are also possible, but less tenable or entirely hypothetical.
Gastric evacuation of single and multiple meals by piscivorous coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch

Gastric evacuation of multiple meals of recently emerged sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, consumed by juvenile coho salmon, O. kisutch, were compared with that expected from a single meal evacuation rate model developed for the estimation of food consumption by coho in the field. Significant interaction occurred between meals consumed two hours apart (p<0.001). Evacuation of the first of two meals (29.9% of initial weight remaining) was significantly faster (p<0.05) than that of a single meal (36.1% of initial weight remaining) after four hours, whereas evacuation of the second meal (72.2% of initial weight remaining) was significantly slower (p<0.001) than that of single meals (50.6% of initial weight remaining) after two hours. The total weight of the multiple meal remaining after four (0.191 g), six (0.138 g) and eight (0.070 g) hours averaged within 6% of that predicted by the single meal evacuation model (0.186 g, 0.115 g and 0.073 g, respectively). These data suggest that the stomach evacuation model based on single meals is adequate for estimating the evacuation of prey consumed by continuously feeding coho salmon.
Solvation Dynamics and the Time-Dependent Stoke Shift

Picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy is used to probe the formation of the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state of 4,4'-diaminophenyl sulphone in alcohol solvents. Emission kinetics were measured in 10 nm intervals from 400 nm to 560 nm. Dynamics were measured both as a function of alkyl chain length (methanol to hexanol) and temperature in ethanol solution (25°C - 60° C). Examination of the Stoke's shifted TICT emission revealed wavelength dependent rise and decay kinetics.
Studies of the enzyme hexokinase. IV. The role of sulfhydryl groups

Abstract Titration of purified yeast hexokinase with p-mercuribenzoate showed the presence of six SH groups/100,000 g. hexokinase. Simultaneous activity determinations indicated that in the presence of 10−2M glucose, all six SH groups could be titrated with essentially no loss of activity, although spontaneous denaturation quickly followed. In the absence of glucose and in the presence of 10−1M glucose 6-phosphate, enzymic activity decreased as the titration proceeded. This indicates that SH groups are not involved in the actual catalytic process, but probably help to stabilize the active enzyme conformation.
Synthesis of Carbon-TiO2 Nanocomposites with Enhanced Reversible Capacity and Cyclic Performance as Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract Carbon decorated on commercial TiO2 nanoparticles (P25 and P90) with optimized carbon concentration and structure were fabricated by a facile process employing carbonization method. In addition, the raw materials for Carbon-TiO2 (C-TiO2) preparation are commercially available and relatively cheap and the preparation method is simple and easy to be scaled up, making the reported process a promising method for mass production of electrode materials for high performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The materials were applied as LIBs anodes and the electrochemical results showed that 1.9 wt% C decorated P90 (1.9%C-P90) possessed a very high initial discharge capacity of 231 mA h g−1 and the capacity was retained at 173 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 30 mA g−1. Even at a high current density of 300 mA g−1 it delivered a very stable reversible capacity of 130 mA h g−1. The electrochemical performance of C-P90 was superior to C-P25 because of its higher specific surface area and larger anatase fraction that can accommodate more lithium ions. 1.9% carbon was found to form an optimized carbon layer on TiO2 that can improve the electronic conductivity. The simple method and cheap materials for electrode material preparation have great potential for commercialization.
Yearly comparisons of the martian polar caps: 1999 2003 Mars Orbiter Camera observations

Abstract The Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera wide-angle cameras were used to obtain images of the north and south seasonal and residual polar caps between 1999 and 2003. Wide-angle red camera images were used in assembling mosaics of the north and south polar recessions and regression rates were measured and compared. There are small variations in the north polar recession between 2000 and 2002, especially between L S = 7 ° and L S = 50 ° , however there is no evidence for the plateau in the recession curves that has been observed in some prior years. The south polar recession changes very little from year to year, and the 2001 dust storm had little if any effect on the average cap recession that year. Albedo values of the geographic north pole were measured using wide-angle red and blue camera images, and the residual south polar cap configuration was compared between the three years observed by MOC. The albedo of the geographic north pole generally varies between 0.5 and 0.6 as measured from MOC wide-angle red camera images. There were only minor variations near the edges of the residual south polar cap between the three years examined.
Band gaps of doped and undoped films of molecular icosahedra

Abstract The band gaps and electronic structures of doped and undoped films of molecular icosahedra are reported. The occupied and unoccupied electronic structure of undoped icosahedral closo-1,2-dicarbadodecarborane (C2B10H12) thin films resembles that of the isolated molecule. The Fermi level of the molecular thin films is roughly at midgap. Upon initial Na doping of the orthocarborane films, an unoccupied extramolecular (exopolyhedral) state forms within the gap at an energy of about 3 eV above the Fermi energy. With Na doping, the film of molecular icosahedra resembles a system with Hubbard-like bands and an appreciable correlation U.
Characterization of Single-mode Chalcogenide Optical Fiber for Mid-Infrared Applications

Chalcogenide fibers display a wide transmission window ranging from 2-10.6 μm, ideally suited to the development of passive and active mid-infrared (MIR) sensors. They are essential building blocks for the integration and miniaturization of laser-based MIR optical systems for terrestrial, airborne and space-based sensing platforms. Single-mode chalcogenide fibers have only recently become commercially available and therefore performance data and standard reproducible processing techniques have not been widely reported. In this paper we present a method for producing high quality cleaved facets on commercial single-mode As-Se fibers with core and cladding diameters of 28μm and 170μm respectively. The emitted beam profile from these fibers, using the 9.4μm line of a tunable CO2 laser, showed the presence of leaky cladding modes due to waveguiding conditions created by the protective acrylate jacket. These undesirable cladding modes were easily suppressed by applying a gallium coating on the cladding near both input and output facets. We provide experimental data showing efficient mode suppression and the emission of a circular nearperfect Gaussian beam profile from the fiber. Furthermore, analyses of the beam, acquired by scanning an HgCdTe detector, yielded a 1/e2 numerical aperture of 0.11 with a full width half maximum divergence of 11° for these fibers. The availability of single-mode MIR fibers, in conjunction with recent advances in room temperature quantum cascade lasers (QCL), could provide compact and light-weight transmitter solutions for several critical defense and nuclear nonproliferation needs.
Comparison of late components in simultaneously recorded event-related electrical potentials and event-related magnetic fields

We have attempted to define the late components of the event-related magnetic field (ERF) and to relate them to the late components of the event-related electrical potential (ERP). Simultaneous multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetoencephalogram (MEG) were recorded in 13 subjects during an auditory oddball paradigm in two series of experiments. EEG responses to frequent tones consisted of the N1 and P2 components of the auditory vertex potential. Responses to rare tones consisted of N1, apparent P2, N2 and P3 components. All EEG components were best seen in the midline and were highly reproducible for all subjects. MEG responses to frequent tones consisted of N1m and P2m components that were highly reproducible only when recorded over the temporal region. By contrast, the ERF to rare tones was less well defined and only the N1m component could be identified satisfactorily. There was little consistent activity in the MEG at the time of occurrence of the N2 and P3 components of the ERP.
Nuclear shaping during spermiogenesis in the whip scorpion.

The mature spermatozoan of the whip scorpion or vinegaron Mastigoproctus giganteus is a spherical cell within which the nucleus and flagellum are tightly coiled. Spermiogenesis in the whip scorpion starts out in a manner basically similar to spermiogenesis in species with conventional elongate sperm. As in many other animal species, the spermatid nucleus is surrounded by a manchette of microtubules and elongates in an axis parallel to the microtubules. Late in development, however, the nucleus and flagellum undergo unorthodox contortions in which the nucleus becomes spiralized and the flagellum is wound up into the body of the cell. No microtubules appear to be associated with the spermatid nucleus during the process of coiling. Pronounced changes in the configuration of chromatin occurs concomitantly with the coiling which suggests that chromatin alteration may be related to the changes in nuclear shape. Peculiar spermatozoa similar to the type found in Mastigoproctus have been described in spiders, whereas scorpions have more conventional sperm. Thus, whip scorpions may be more closely related to spiders than scorpions.
Synthesis and Thermal Analysis of Fourteen Homologous Mesogenic Monoesters of Biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic Acid

Abstract We have synthesized fifteen homologous di-n-alkyl (dimethyl through di-n-pentadecyl) esters of biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid. None of these is mesomorphic. However, monohydrolysis of the upper fourteen homologues yielded monoesters all exhibiting polymesomorphism. The phase transitions have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry and four mesophases exhibited by this series have been tentatively identified by hot-stage polarized microscopy.
Competing technology for high-speed HOT-IR-FPAs

Recent efforts have been paid to elevate the operating temperature of Type II superlattice Mid Infrared photon detectors. Using M-structure superlattice, novel device architectures have been developed, resulting in significant improvement of the device performances. In this paper, we will compare different photodetector architectures and discuss the optimization scheme which leads to almost one order of magnitude of improvement to the electrical performance. At 150K, single element detectors exhibit a quantum efficiency above 50%, and a specific detectivity of 1.05x1012 cm.Hz1/2/W. BLIP operation with a 300K background and 2p FOV can be reached with an operating temperature up to 130K. High quality focal plane arrays were demonstrated with a noise equivalent temperature difference (NEDT) of 11mK up to 130K. Human body imaging is achieved at 165K with NEDT of 150mK.© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.