cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
INVESTIGATING STUDENTS’ REASONING ABOUT SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS THROUGH A RESOURCE PERSPECTIVE

Researchers have documented many misconceptions students hold about sampling variability. This study takes a different approach—instead of identifying shortcomings, we consider the productive reasoning pieces students construct as they reason about sampling distributions. We interviewed eight undergraduate students newly enrolled in an introductory statistics course. Taking a grounded theory style approach, we identified 10 resources that students used when reasoning about the sampling distribution for the average within two contexts: penny years and dice rolls. Students had varied success in their responses as they made choices about how to represent their resources in their constructions. Successful constructions exemplified careful blending of resources, while less successful constructions reflected disjoint perceptions and tensions between seemingly conflicting resources. Our findings stress the importance of framing students as capable reasoning agents by describing student resources that were used while solving tasks related to sampling distributions. We also discuss the influence of context and problem setting in students’ reasoning and resource elicitation. First published May 2019 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives
Library network, a possible path to explainable neural networks.

Deep neural networks (DNNs) may outperform human brains in complex tasks, but the lack of transparency in their decision-making processes makes us question whether we could fully trust DNNs with high stakes problems. As DNNs' operations rely on a massive number of both parallel and sequential linear/nonlinear computations, predicting their mistakes is nearly impossible. Also, a line of studies suggests that DNNs can be easily deceived by adversarial attacks, indicating that their decisions can easily be corrupted by unexpected factors. Such vulnerability must be overcome if we intend to take advantage of DNNs' efficiency in high stakes problems. Here, we propose an algorithm that can help us better understand DNNs' decision-making processes. Our empirical evaluations suggest that this algorithm can effectively trace DNNs' decision processes from one layer to another and detect adversarial attacks.
Replikation, Rekombination und Reparatur von DNA

Den vielleicht spannendsten Aspekt der von Watson und Crick hergeleiteten DNA-Struktur formulierten die beiden Entdecker selbst so: „Es ist unserer Aufmerksamkeit nicht entgangen, dass die von uns postulierte spezifische Paarung sofort einen moglichen Kopiermechanismus fur das genetische Material nahe legt.“ Eine in zwei Strange aufgespaltene Doppelhelix kann sich replizieren, weil jeder Strang als Matrize fur den Aufbau des Komplementarstranges dient. Um die Information, die in der DNA codiert ist, uber viele Zellteilungen zu bewahren, muss das Kopieren der genetischen Information auserordentlich genau erfolgen. Um das menschliche Genom fehlerfrei zu kopieren, ist eine Fehlerrate von weniger als 1 bp pro 3 × 109 bp erforderlich. Diese betrachtliche Genauigkeit wird durch ein System erreicht, das mehrere Ebenen aufweist: die DNA-Synthese (mit einer Fehlerrate von einem Fehler pro 103–104 eingebauter Basen), eine Korrekturlesefunktion wahrend der DNA-Synthese (wodurch sich die Fehlerrate auf etwa einen pro 106–107 bp verringert) sowie eine Reparatur von Basenfehlpaarungen (mismatch) nach der Replikation (sodass die Fehlerrate einen Wert von einem Fehler pro 109–1010 bp erreicht).
The Promise and Peril of a Common Law Right to Abortion (Symposium Review of Anita Bernstein's The Common Law Inside the Female Body)

To those of us who associate the common law with the policy preferences of propertied, conservative, old white men, Bernstein’s account of the common law inside the female body is a novel and welcome interpretation of our negative liberty tradition. Given the current attacks on abortion rights from state legislatures and the federal judiciary, Bernstein’s common law right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy could, if widely adopted, help protect abortion rights in the future. However, in the wrong hands, her grounding could play into the goals of the anti-abortion movement without helping protect actual access for people seeking abortions. Thus, her account of this right is a double-edged sword, with much promise, but also much peril.
Successful desensitization of Pegvaliase (Palynziq®) in a patient with phenylketonuria.

Abstract Pegvaliase (Palynziq®) was FDA approved in 2018 as an enzyme substitution therapy in patients with Phenylketonuria. However, various drug induced hypersensitivity adverse events (HAEs) have been reported. We present a case of Pegvaliase (Palynziq®) induced anaphylaxis and successful desensitization. A 13-step desensitization protocol was performed using three solution concentrations of Palynziq with premedication of diphenhydramine and prednisone in an outpatient setting. The patient tolerated the desensitization and was able to continue Palynziq.
Eliminating Opiate Prescribing for Children after Non-Perforated Appendectomy.

Background Opiates are the traditional treatment for postoperative pain. Recognition that increased availability of opiates in the community is associated with increased addiction has led to efforts to decrease postoperative opiate distribution. However, there are concerns that without opiates, pain relief might be inadequate. Study Design We analyzed opiate prescriptions to children who had undergone appendectomy during 3 time periods: before intervention (July 2012 through February 2013), after opiate prescriptions were standardized and reduced (December 2016 through December 2017), and after opiate prescriptions were eliminated (January 2018 through December 2018). We determined how many opiate prescriptions had been written and how many had been filled in each time period. Patients were contacted by phone to identify their medication use and quality of pain management. Results Pre-intervention, 75 children underwent appendectomy, and all received opiate prescriptions, with a mean of 15 doses of oxycodone prescribed per patient. After reduction, 208 children underwent appendectomy and 30% received opiate prescriptions, for a mean of 1.5 doses of oxycodone per patient. After elimination, 270 patients underwent appendectomy and 3 patients (1.1%) received opiate prescriptions, for a mean of 0.05 doses of oxycodone per patient. Patients contacted by phone expressed no pain relief issues and no patients needed opiates later. Conclusions Using a stepwise process, we have eliminated the use of opiates for postdischarge pain in children undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy. This intervention has resulted in the elimination of 4,035 doses of oxycodone from the community during the study period, while ensuring that postoperative pain control has been adequate.
Myofibroblasts and Fibrosis: Mitochondrial and Metabolic Control of Cellular Differentiation.

Cardiac fibrosis is mediated by the activation of resident cardiac fibroblasts, which differentiate into myofibroblasts in response to injury or stress. Although myofibroblast formation is a physio...
Building Capacity for Medication Assisted Treatment in Rural Primary Care Practices: The IT MATTTRs Practice Team Training.

Objectives:In response to rural communities and practice concerns related to opioid use disorder (OUD), the Implementing Technology and Medication Assisted Treatment Team Training in Rural Colorado...
The population ecology of undesigned systems: an analysis of the Arizona charter school system

The application of ecological concepts and principles to the study of organization design and system development is now commonplace. Population ecology is one biological perspective that has been especially influential within the organization design literature. In the current study, we illustrate for the first time how this framework can be used to reveal when and in what ways intervention is warranted within a system that, like a biological population in nature, has emerged with little to no purposeful design. Specifically, we use 20 years of data on 1,074 Arizona charter schools to illustrate how population analysis can be used to uncover the characteristics of individual organizations that have the highest ability to survive over time within systems that have been allowed to emerge with little to no purposeful design. Our findings lead us to argue how pre-intervention population analysis at the system level can influence organization-level design choices in a way that enables dynamic fit and thereby enhances the likelihood of organization survivorship and innovation over time.
Transcarceration: Notes on a psychoanalytically-informed theory of social practice in the criminal justice and mental health systems

The application of Lacanian psychoanalytic semiotics to the intersecting categories of criminal justice and mental health is relatively novel. In this paper the phenomenon of transcarceration or the repeated channeling of disordered defendants (subjects) through institutional regimes of discipline and coercion is outlined. Attention is directed at the intra-psychic and intersubjective mechanisms responsible for the structuring of discourse. Lacan's schematization on the constitution of master narratives through the Discourse of the Master is also delineated. The author concludes by demonstrating how transcarceration is fundamentally about language and privileged speech patterns which agents of both systems as well as subjects themselves perpetuate.
Machine Learning Workforce Development Programs on Health and COVID-19 Research

This paper accompanies the keynote speech at IISA2020 and describes federally funded workforce development research grants and supplements in the area of sensors and machine learning. These programs operate under the auspices of the Sensor Signal and Information Processing (SenSIP) center which is also an Industry University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and I/UCRC industry members. The first program is an NSF REU site which has trained more than 30 students working on sensor hardware design and machine learning algorithm development. The second program is the NSF IRES site which is collaborative with the University of Cyprus and is focused on sensors and machine learning for energy systems. The most recent program funded by NSF is a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program that started in June 2020. This program embeds teachers and community college faculty in SenSIP machine learning projects. Another state funded program in which SenSIP is a partner is MedTech ventures. Our partner MedTech works on training medical technology students, entrepreneurs and engineers to create smart medical solutions for preventive healthcare. SenSIP also received NSF supplements to train students in using machine learning for COVID-19 detection.
Oxidative Stress Underlies the Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Internalization and Degradation of AMPA Receptors

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death annually in the United States. Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying the brain is occluded. The hippocampus is particularly susceptible to AMPA receptor-mediated delayed neuronal death as a result of ischemic/reperfusion injury. AMPA receptors composed of a GluA2 subunit are impermeable to calcium due to a post-transcriptional modification in the channel pore of the GluA2 subunit. GluA2 undergoes internalization and is subsequently degraded following ischemia/reperfusion. The subsequent increase in the expression of GluA2-lacking, Ca2+-permeable AMPARs results in excitotoxicity and eventually delayed neuronal death. Following ischemia/reperfusion, there is increased production of superoxide radicals. This study describes how the internalization and degradation of GluA1 and GluA2 AMPAR subunits following ischemia/reperfusion is mediated through an oxidative stress signaling cascade. U251-MG cells were transiently transfected with fluorescently tagged GluA1 and GluA2, and different Rab proteins to observe AMPAR endocytic trafficking following oxygen glucose-deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R), an in vitro model for ischemia/reperfusion. Pretreatment with Mn(III)tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (MnTMPyP), a superoxide dismutase mimetic, ameliorated the OGD/R-induced, but not agonist-induced, internalization and degradation of GluA1 and GluA2 AMPAR subunits. Specifically, MnTMPyP prevented the increased colocalization of GluA1 and GluA2 with Rab5, an early endosomal marker, and with Rab7, a late endosomal marker, but did not affect the colocalization of GluA1 with Rab11, a marker for recycling endosomes. These data indicate that oxidative stress may play a vital role in AMPAR-mediated cell death following ischemic/reperfusion injury.
The Federal Arbitration Act: The Supreme Court’s Erroneous Statutory Interpretation, Stare Decisis and a Proposal for Change

There has been, and currently is, a legitimate concern over the use of adhesion contracts that force consumers to accept arbitration to resolve future disputes, including personal injury claims as well as contractual claims, arising out of their purchases of consumer goods. Frequently, one cannot purchase a car, apply for a credit card, open a checking or savings account in a bank, purchase stock on a major stock exchange, or take a cruise trip on a major cruise line without having to accept a non-negotiable contract that contains an arbitration clause mandating the arbitration of any and all disputes arising out of that contract. Further, it is not unreasonable to expect that someday soon attorneys who work in law firms, like stock brokers, will be forced to sign employment contracts that contain non-negotiable arbitration clauses.Therefore, many Americans, regardless of their social and economic backgrounds, will one day be denied a jury trial by their peers because they have previously been forced to sign adhesion contracts with arbitration clauses. Importantly, some states have enacted statutes to protect their citizens, including statutes prohibiting the arbitration of disputes arising from both consumer contracts and from employment contract. However, the federal government has intruded into states' abilities to protect their citizens, principally through the terms and conditions of section 2 of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) which makes an arbitration agreement in "a contract evidencing a transaction involving commerce," "valid, irrevocable, and enforceable" for both existing and future disputes "arising out of such contract [or] transaction." Through statutory interpretation, the Supreme Court, in Southland Corp. v. Keating, has interpreted section 2 of the FAA so that the statute is applicable in both federal and state courts, and in such a way that it preempts any state law that specifically regulates arbitration agreements and their potential abuses. This Article argues that the Court should both reconsider and overrule Southland's statutory interpretation of the FAA.
Comparison of ReWalk® and Ekso® Powered Exoskeletons for Stepping and Speed During Training Sessions

Design attributes specific to the powered exoskeletons contribute to differences in walking performance. As part of a large multicenter trial that used two powered exoskeletons, the design attributes that contribute to the differences in average number of steps per session and walking speed were explored.
Differential Immunohistochemical and Molecular Profiling of Conventional and Aggressive Components of Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma: Pitfalls for Diagnosis.

Abstract Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) is a relatively rare subtype of RCC with a characteristic histologic appearance. Most ChRCC are slow growing, but sarcomatoid differentiation and metastases can occur, indicative of aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. Herein, we characterize ten ChRCC with aggressive components, defined as sarcomatoid change and/or metastasis. Immunohistochemistry and next-generation sequencing was performed on available formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, with differential profiling of conventional and aggressive components. All ten cases showed a conventional component of renal tumor morphologically consistent with ChRCC: three had sarcomatoid change, four had metastases, and three had both sarcomatoid change and metastases. In the primary conventional components, a typical ChRCC IHC pattern (CK7+, CD117+ and CAIX-) was observed in 8/10 cases; 2 cases had rare CK7 staining. In the aggressive components, CD117 and/or CK7 was lost in 7/10 cases; 3 cases showed loss of both. Two of 10 cases showed significant CAIX staining in the aggressive component. All 7 cases that had molecular profiling performed showed characteristic chromosomal losses reported for ChRCC, though two cases showed additional complex copy number alterations in the aggressive component only. Recurrent TP53 mutations (TP53m) were also seen; however surprisingly, the conventional and aggressive components had no shared TP53m: a TP53m was private to aggressive components in 2 cases; to the conventional component in 1 case; and in 4 cases, components demonstrated different TP53m. Of the 21 pathogenic alterations identified in 7 tumors, only a PTEN splicing alteration was shared between both components in one case. In conclusion, ChRCC can have IHC staining patterns and molecular profile that differ between conventional and aggressive components. Interpretation of stains on metastases or small biopsies to determine histologic subtype can be misleading. The lack of shared pathogenic mutations between the two components supports a model in which aggressive ChRCC can have convergent subclones with different TP53m.
Splice: A Standardized Peripheral Logic and Interface Creation Engine, Master's Thesis, May 2007

Recent advancements in FPGA technology have allowed manufacturers to place general-purpose processors alongside user-configurable logic gates on a single chip. At first glance, these integrated devices would seem to be the ideal deployment platform for hardware-software co-designed systems, but some issues, such as incompatibility across vendors and confusion over which bus interfaces to support, have impeded adoption of these platforms. This thesis describes the design and operation of Splice, a software-based code generation tool intended to address these types of issues by providing a bus-independent structure that allows end-users to easily integrate their customized peripheral logic into embedded systems. To quantify the benefits of this approach, a comparison of a number of Splice-generated interfaces to functionally identical hand-coded mechanisms is provided in the context of a real-world use case scenario. Type of Report: Other Department of Computer Science & Engineering Washington University in St. Louis Campus Box 1045 St. Louis, MO 63130 ph: (314) 935-6160 Short Title: Splice: Automated Interface Design Thiel, M.Sc. 2007 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Moving Toward a Technology of Prevention: A Model and Some Tentative Findings.

This article discusses the crisis- coping model of school psychology practice and the problems brought about by this model. Then the advantages of a preventive approach are outlined. Finally, the a...
Approximation schemes for minimum 2-connected spanning subgraphs in weighted planar graphs

We present new approximation schemes for various classical problems of finding the minimum-weight spanning subgraph in edge-weighted undirected planar graphs that are resistant to edge or vertex removal. We first give a PTAS for the problem of finding minimum-weight 2-edge-connected spanning subgraphs where duplicate edges are allowed. Then we present a new greedy spanner construction for edge-weighted planar graphs, which augments any connected subgraph A of a weighted planar graph G to a (1+e)-spanner of G with total weight bounded by weight(A)/e. From this we derive quasi-polynomial time approximation schemes for the problems of finding the minimum-weight 2-edge-connected or biconnected spanning subgraph in planar graphs. We also design approximation schemes for the minimum-weight 1-2-connectivity problem, which is the variant of the survivable network design problem where vertices have 1 or 2 connectivity constraints. Prior to our work, for all these problems no polynomial or quasi-polynomial time algorithms were known to achieve an approximation ratio better than 2.
On the generation of alternative explanations with implications for belief revision

In general, the best explanation for a given observation makes no promises on how good it is with respect to other alternative explanations. A major deficiency of message-passing schemes for belief revision in Bayesian networks is their inability to generate alternatives beyond the second best. In this paper, we present a general approach based on linear constraint systems that naturally generates alternative explanations in an orderly and highly efficient manner. This approach is then applied to cost-based abduction problems as well as belief revision in Bayesian networks.
Identification and Characterization of an Agonistic Aptamer Against the T Cell Costimulatory Receptor, OX40

Induction of an effective immune response that can target and eliminate malignant cells or virus-infected cells requires the stimulation of antigen-specific effector T cells. A productive and long-lasting memory response requires 2 signals: a specific signal provided by antigen recognition through engagement of the T cell receptor and a secondary signal via engagement of costimulatory molecules (such as OX40) on these newly activated T cells. The OX40-OX40-ligand interaction is critical for the generation of productive effector and memory T cell functions. Thus agonistic antibodies that stimulate OX40 on activated T cells have been used as adjuvants to augment immune responses. We previously demonstrated that an aptamer modified to stimulate murine OX40 enhanced vaccine-mediated immune responses in a murine melanoma model. In this study, we describe the development of an agonistic aptamer that targets human OX40 (hOX40). This hOX40 aptamer was isolated using systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment and binds the target purified protein with high affinity [dissociation constants (K(d))<10 nM]. Moreover, the hOX40 aptamer-streptavidin complex has an apparent binding affinity of ~50 nM for hOX40 on activated T cells as determined by flow cytometry and specifically binds activated human T cells. A multivalent version of the aptamer, but not a mutant version of the aptamer, was able to stimulate OX40 on T cells and enhance cell proliferation and interferon-gamma production. Future studies will assess the therapeutic potential of hOX40 aptamers for ex vivo stimulation of antigen specific T cells in conjunction with dendritic cell-based vaccines for adoptive cellular therapy.
Intracranial hypotension presenting with severe encephalopathy. Case report.

✓ A patient with severe and protracted symptoms from intracranial hypotension is described. The patient's presentation was marked by diffuse encephalopathy and profound depression of consciousness. This case report expands the presently known clinical spectrum of this uncommon and generally benign illness. The clinical and laboratory findings typically observed in the syndrome of intracranial hypotension are outlined. The pathophysiological mechanisms of the phenomenon are briefly discussed. Intracranial hypotension is a potentially severe illness with specific treatments that are distinct from the treatment of most neurological diseases. Three cardinal features—postural headache, pachymeningitis, and descent of midline cerebral structures—should prompt the diagnosis.
Modulation of in vitro eosinophil progenitors by hydrocortisone: role of accessory cells and interleukins

The growth of human eosinophil progenitors (CFU-Eo) and the modulation of growth by hydrocortisone were studied as functions of the presence of lymphocytes and monocytes in marrow cells under study; and the source of colony-stimulating factors, specifically, media conditioned by macrophage-like cell line, GCT; phytohemagglutinin-stimulated mononuclear cells (PHA-LCM); or the T cell line, MO. CFU-Eo growth was greatest in marrow containing accessory cells as compared to marrow depleted of accessory cells; and in marrow treated with phytohemagglutinin-stimulated leukocyte conditioned media (PHA-LCM) or MO (T cell line)-conditioned medium (MO-CM) as compared with GCT cell- conditioned medium (GCT-CM). Hydrocortisone reproducibly inhibited eosinophil progenitor growth in unfractionated marrow stimulated by GCT- CM. This effect was abrogated by admixing irradiated mononuclear cells or T lymphocytes with the target marrow or by adding interleukin 1 or interleukin 2 (IL-1, IL-2). Inhibition by hydrocortisone did not occur when monocyte and T lymphocyte depleted marrow was studied. Unlike GCT- CM, MO-CM and PHA-LCM stimulated equal proportions of eosinophil progenitors in nondepleted and accessory cell-depleted marrow and demonstrated less hydrocortisone inhibition. However, both GCT-CM and PHA-LCM produced in the presence of hydrocortisone stimulated significantly fewer CFU-Eos in both unfractionated and accessory cell- depleted marrow target populations. These results indicate that the growth of CFU-Eo and inhibition of growth by hydrocortisone is a direct function of a monocyte-T cell interaction and probably is mediated through effects on the production/release of eosinophil colony stimulating factor (Eo-CSF).
Driver Injury Risk Variability in Finite Element Reconstructions of Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) Frontal Motor Vehicle Crashes

Objective: A 3-phase real-world motor vehicle crash (MVC) reconstruction method was developed to analyze injury variability as a function of precrash occupant position for 2 full-frontal Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) cases.Method: Phase I: A finite element (FE) simplified vehicle model (SVM) was developed and tuned to mimic the frontal crash characteristics of the CIREN case vehicle (Camry or Cobalt) using frontal New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) crash test data. Phase II: The Toyota HUman Model for Safety (THUMS) v4.01 was positioned in 120 precrash configurations per case within the SVM. Five occupant positioning variables were varied using a Latin hypercube design of experiments: seat track position, seat back angle, D-ring height, steering column angle, and steering column telescoping position. An additional baseline simulation was performed that aimed to match the precrash occupant position documented in CIREN for each case. Phase III: FE simulations were then performed using...
Latchbox performance as affected by medial thalamic and habenular lesions in rats

Adult albino rats, previously trained on two latchbox tasks, sustained discrete bilateral lesions to either the habenular complex or the medial thalamus and subsequently were tested for retention. No significant deficits on the most difficult task were associated with damage to either the habenular nuclei or the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus. On the other hand, significant deficits were observed in the presence of ventromedial thalamic damage, the magnitude of the retention loss being a function of the extent of damage to the ventromedial thalamic nucleus.
The influence of sympathetic nerves on transcutaneous oxygen tension in normal and ischemic lower extremities.

The authors evaluated the relationship between sympathetic nerve activity and transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcpO2) in normal and ischemic lower extremities. Dorsal foot TcpO2 was measured by using...
EFFECTS OF POLLEN LOAD SIZE ON SEED PATERNITY IN WILD RADISH: THE ROLES OF POLLEN COMPETITION AND MATE CHOICE

For sexual selection to be important in plants, it must occur at pollen load sizes typical of field populations. However, studies of the impact of pollen load size on pollen competition have given mixed results, perhaps because so few of these studies directly examined the outcome of mating when pollen load size was varied. We asked whether seed paternity after mixed pollination of wild radish was affected by pollen load sizes ranging from 22 to 220 pollen grains per stigma. We examined the seed siring abilities of 12 pollen donors across 11 maternal plants. Seed paternity was statistically indistinguishable across the pollen load sizes even though, overall, the pollen donors sired different numbers of seeds. This lack of effect of pollen load size on seed paternity may have occurred because fruit abortion and early abortion or failure of fertilization of seeds increased as load size decreased. Thus, failures of fruits and seeds sired by poorer pollen donors may keep seed paternity constant across pollen load sizes.
Valuation of ecosystem services from wetlands mitigation in the United States.

Section 404 of the U.S. Clean Water Act includes most wetlands in its jurisdiction and requires wetland mitigation to compensate for permitted wetland losses. These mitigation wetlands can provide ecosystem services similar to original wetlands if properly constructed. Improvement of wetland monitoring requirements coupled with economic assessment is critical for effective implementation of the mitigation policy. The economic assessment when left out of evaluation of mitigation policy could result in mitigation wetlands being given too little weight in policy decisions. Under the assumption that mitigation requirements reported in the Army Corps permit files represent actual wetland creation, ecosystem services value is estimated using a wetland benefit‑function transfer approach. Wetland mitigation requirements during 2010–2012 recorded in the Army Corps permit files is used for the analysis. The results indicate that cumulative ecosystem services value per acre per year is in the range of $5000 to $70,000, which translates to a nationwide annual aggregate benefit of $2.7 billion. Given the history of the ecosystem services not fully captured nor adequately quantified, the current analysis is an initial step in understanding the value of wetland mitigation.
Fabrication of apodized apertures for laser beam attenuation

Abstract To obtain maximum energy output from a high-power laser system it is necessary to carefully shape the input beam's cross-sectional intensity profile. This avoids diffraction-produced hot spots which can cause damage to the amplifier components. The intensity should be at a maximum in the central part of the beam and fall of gradually at the edges to avoid hard-edge diffraction effects. This kind of beam profile can be produced using an apodized aperture — a soft-edged aperture that may be constructed in various ways. This report describes a photographic rotating-film technique for fabricating apodized apertures from photo-sensitive glass plates.
Sites of Estrogen and Progesterone Facilitation of Lordosis Behavior in the Spayed Rat

To elucidate the neural sites of hormonal facilitation of lordosis behavior in the ovariectomized rat, estradiol benzoate (EB) was implanted into the preoptic-diagonal band area (POA) through an indwelling cannuls. Three days later, progesterone (P) was inserted into the mesencephalic reticular formation (MRF) or caudate-putamen (CPU), again by means of an indwelling cannula. The lordosis quotient (LQ) in 20 mount tests was obtained before and after P exposure. Pin the MRF or CPU significantly increased the LQ, whereas cholesterol (C) implants in either area had no effect. The LQ was also obtained daily for 9 days in ovariectomized animals in which EB was implanted in the POA, MRF or CPU, or in which 2 pg EB was injected subcutaneously daily. Although P was not administered, subcutaneous ES or implants in the POA markedly facilitated Iordosis behavior. In other rats, P was injected subcutaneously one or three days after EB was implanted in the POA, MRF or CPU. The marked facilitation of the LQ in the first two groups, particularly one day after EB implantation (i.e., before the appearance of vaginal cornification), suggests that EB can act either at the level of the POA or MRF to facilitate behavioral responsiveness to systemic P. However, when the anti-estrogen CI-628 was implanted in the MRF during a three day period of exposure of the POA to EB, subsequent substitution of P for the MRF implant failed to facilitate lordosis. Thus, the MRF and CPU appear both to be sites of P action; EB alone is effective only when given systemically or implanted in the POA. Finally, although exposure of either the POA or MRF to EB facilitates the response to systemic P, prior exposure of the MRF to estrogen may be required for the action of locally implanted P.
The effect of pH on sugar transport and ion distribution in kidney cortex cells

Abstract The effect of pH (range: 6.2–8.2) on active sugar transport and the steady-state ionic distribution was studied using slices of rabbit kidney cortex. Sugars used: 2-deoxy- d -glucose, 2-deoxy- d -galactose, d -galactose and α-methyl- d -glucoside. 1. 1. An increase of pH from 6.2 to 8.2 affected sugar transport as follows: (a) A 3-fold increase in the rate and steady-state accumulation of 2-deoxy- d -glucose both in Na+- and Na+-free (Li+) salines was found; changes of pH affected the K m of 2-deoxy- d -glucose transport. (b) A marked decrease of the accumulation of 2-deoxy- d -galactose in both Na+- and Li+-salines was observed, the transport K m being affected. (c) A 4-fold stimulation of d -galactose transport in Na2+-saline took place, with only a minimial effect on the Na+-independent transport. This pH effect was reversible. An increase of pH from 7.2 to 8.2 markedly decreased the efflux of d -galactose from the cells. Evidence for complex influx kinetics was obtained. (d) No major changes of the steady-state accumulation of α-methyl- d -glucoside in Na+-salines could be detected; in Li+-saline, an accumulation of α-methyl- d -glucoside at pH 6.2 was found ( [S] 1 /[S] 0 : 1.725 ± 0.101 ( S.E. ) . This active accumulation at [ Na + ] 0 = 0 (and [ Na + ] i mM ) was inhibited to [S] 1 /[S] 0 values below 1.0 by anaerobiosis, and by 0.1 mM dinitrophenol or phlorrhizin, but was insensitive to 0.5 mM ouabain or acetazolamide. 2. 2. The increase of pH from 6.2 to 8.2 affected as follows the steady-state tissue water and the respective electrochemical ionic potential (referred to E 36 Cl − ): (a) In Na+-salines, tissue water, E 36 Cl − and E K + were minimally altered; E Na + and E H + decreased. (b) In Li+-salines, tissue water markedly increased with increasing pH; E 36 Cl − was of the same order as in Na+-salines; E K + , lower at pH 6.2 than in Na+-saline, significantly decreased; a small electrochemical gradient of Li+ at pH 6.2 (12 mV) decreased; E H + was of the same magnitude as in Na+-salines at all pH. 3. 3. The active transport of α-methyl- d -glucoside at pH 6.2 in the absence of Na+ was found to be independent of all ionic electrochemical gradients with the exception of Li+. It is concluded that the four sugars tested are transported into kidney cortex cells by a variety of pathways which do not appear to be related to the demonstrated active, independent mechanisms for H+ and K+ transport. A Li+ dependency for the active transport of α-methyl- d -glucoside in the absence of Na+ was observed.
Transcription termination factor rho is an RNA-DNA helicase

Abstract E. coli rho factor can unwind a short RNA-DNA duplex in vitro. The duplex is formed between a polylinker sequence at the 3′ end of RNA derived from the rho-dependent terminator trp t′ and the complementary sequence in a single-strand DNA molecule. Release of trp t′ RNA from the duplex requires nucleoside triphosphate hydrolysis by rho's NTPase activity and is dependent on rho recognition of the RNA that is 5′ to the RNA-DNA duplex region. The direction of helix unwinding appears to be 5′ to 3′ along the RNA molecule. These characteristics now account for how the RNA-binding and RNA-dependent NTP hydrolysis activities of rho may participate directly in transcription termination. Our results suggest that NTP hydrolysis is utilized to help unwind the RNA-DNA duplex at the 3′ end of a nascent transcript, facilitating RNA release from the DNA template.
Beyond Generic Occurrence Screening

THE DEMANDS and the needs for better measures of quality of care are now compelling issues. The demands arise from those who would use performance data as at least one basis for selecting good hospitals, physicians, and other care providers. Corresponding needs exist within health care organizations and among external review entities, such as accrediting bodies and peer review organizations. In this regard, the excellent review by Sanazaro and Mills 1 in this issue ofThe Journalis both timely and worrisome. Generic occurrence screens today are commonly accepted as the state-of-the-art performance measures. However, their limitations are becoming increasingly apparent as more sophisticated approaches to quality assessment are being developed. Meanwhile, would-be data purveyors are establishing their own databases or are drawing performance information from databases that were not designed to support quality assessment activities. Professional frustration over data misuse and misinterpretation is now widespread. The professional community faces
The impact of scaling on metal thickness for advanced back end of line interconnects

Abstract In this paper, a universal model to predict the amount of allowable metal thinning for the control of copper chemical–mechanical polishing (CMP) is presented. In the model, all the non-planarity, like dishing and erosion, resulted from the copper CMP process, is assumed accumulative. This amount after a certain levels of wiring should never be greater than the thickness of a single wiring level. Otherwise the circuit connections will be failure, since the metal is not at the right position. Based on this criterion, an equation is derived and the percentage of allowable metal thinning to the metal thickness is defined as F MT . The calculated F MT for the 180, 130, 90, 65 and 45 nm generations are 15%, 10%, 9%, 8%, and 7%, respectively. For the 130 and 90 nm generations, these numbers are close to the guidance of 10% recommended in the 2003 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). However, for the 65 nm and the 45 nm generations, the calculated F MT factors are smaller than that in the roadmap, suggesting that tighter copper CMP process control is required in the future generations.
The Role of Task Experience and Prior Knowledge for Detecting Invalid Augmented Feedback while Learning a Motor Skill

Two hypotheses were investigated. These were generated from results reported by Buekers, Magill, and Sneyers (1994) and an uncertainty account of those and other effects on skill learning of errone...
Adolescents' Perceptions of Primary Caregivers and Cognitive Style: The Roles of Attachment Security and Gender

Prior research has established a link between negative early parent–child relationships and cognitive styles related to risk for depression. In attempting to explain this association, several theorists have proposed that attachment insecurity may play a key mediating role. The present study examined the relationships between adolescents’ perceptions of their primary caregivers and negative cognitive styles (i.e., low self-esteem, dysfunctional attitudes, and a negative attributional style), and tested whether these relations were mediated by attachment insecurity. Results from 134 high-school students suggested that adverse parenting tends to have a more negative effect on cognitive style among girls compared to boys and that the association between parenting and cognitive style is largely mediated by attachment insecurity. Adolescents who perceive their parents as critical and perfectionistic tend to report insecure attachment styles characterized by difficulties getting close to others and fears about abandonment, and in turn, these dimensions of attachment insecurity appear to contribute to low self-esteem, dysfunctional attitudes and a negative attributional style.
Enhanced risks of cancer from protracted exposures to X- or gamma-rays: a radiobiological model of radiation-induced breast cancer.

Enhanced risks of cancer from protracted exposures to X- or γ-rays: a radiobiological model of radiation-induced breast cancer
Plasma lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase and plasma lipolytic activity in preterm infants given total parenteral nutrition with 10% or 20% Intralipid.

The effect of 10% or 20% Intralipid on lipid clearing enzymes, plasma lipids and apoproteins was investigated during the first 5 days after birth in 37 premature infants maintained on total parenteral nutrition; 21 infants received 20% and 16 received 10% Intralipid, respectively. Lipid was infused over a 20-h period at rates of 1, 2 and 3 g/kg/day on consecutive days. Plasma lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity was low and increased significantly (p < 0.05) only during infusion of 3 g/kg/day in both groups of infants. Plasma lipolytic activity was generally not affected by the regimen orpreparation(10% or 20%) of Intralipid infused, except for higher (p < 0.05) levels at 3 g/kg/ day of 20% compared with prelipid infusion. Plasma triglyceride concentrations were similar after 10% or 20% Intralipid, whereas plasma total cholesterol was significantly higher during infusion of 2 and 3 g/ kg/day of 10% compared with 20% Intralipid. The efficient clearing of 20% Intralipid might be related to the lower lecithin: triglyceride ratio which is compatible with the low LCAT activity of premature infants.Apoprotein A-J, apoprotein B, cholesterol, LCAT, plasma lipolytic activity, triglycerides
Coincidence Studies of the Thermal Neutron Capture Gamma Rays of Chromium

The gamma-ray cascades which follow thermal neutron capture in chromium have been investigated by means of the measurement of coincidences between gamma rays detected by a three-crystal pair spectrometer and a single NaI crystal. Samples of normal chromium and chromium enriched in ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{50}$ and ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{53}$ were used. The following assignments of gamma rays to individual isotopes have been made. ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{51}$: 8.499, 7.36, 6.34, 6.12, 5.46, and 5.18 Mev; ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{53}$: 7.929, 7.36, 5.61, and 5.26 Mev; ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{54}$: 9.716, 8.881, 7.097, 6.872, 6.644, 6.31, 6.00, and 4.83 Mev. A number of features of the de-excitation of the energy levels populated by these transitions are established.
Magnetic resonance imaging features and classification of central nervous system malformations in Joubert syndrome.

This article examines the magnetic resonance imaging features that typify the Joubert malformation. Specific morphologic features include: (1) dysgenesis of the isthmic portion of the brain stem at the pontomesencephalic junction, (2) abnormally thick superior cerebellar peduncles perpendicular to the brain stem, (3) hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis with consequent enlargement of the 4th ventricle and rostral shift of the fastigium, and (4) sagittal vermic clefting. At least two of these features were present in every patient and all were present in some. The only cerebral anomaly identified was mild prominence of the ventricles and subarachnoid spaces. The "Joubert-plus anomaly" has been defined as the Joubert malformation plus additional anomalies of either the mesencephalon or the caudal 4th ventricle; this likely represents a similar but more extensive embryologic defect. By placing a relative numeric value on each morphologic feature, a classification scheme has been created that can quantitate th...
Signal processing techniques for white light interferometric sensing systems for smart structures

White light interferometric sensing systems are very attractive for application in smart structures due to the fact that they read out the absolute path differences from the transducers so that calibration schemes and device history do not have to be used. The basic output from such systems consists of arrays of data containing complex interference patterns. In this paper, the output of such sensing systems is simulated and used as a common basis for the comparison of a number of different signal processing algorithms that could be used to reduce the raw output to a more usable form.
Interpolation in algebras of operator fields

Abstract The conjugate space of a maximal full algebra of operator fields is characterized as a space of vector-valued regular Borel measures and consequently a non-commutative analog of the theory of interpolation is developed in this C∗-algebra setting.
SU-E-T-50: The Determination of Conformation Number (CN) for IMRT Plan Evaluation

Purpose: The Conformation Number (CN) defined by van't Riet et al. was adopted in this study to evaluate the degree of conformality for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy(IMRT) plans. The purpose of this work is to find a set of reasonable CNs for different anatomical sites as our guideline for future IMRT planning. CN was calculated, retrospectively, for more than 170 previously approved and treatedIMRT cases. The average CNs and their standard deviations were determined for each site. Methods: The CN is defined as CN = (VT,ref / VT) × (VT,ref/ Vref),where VT,ref is the volume of target receiving a dose equal to or greater than the reference dose, VT is the volume of target, Vref is the volume receiving a dose equal to or greater than the reference dose. Our reference dose was 95% of the prescribed dose. The first fraction defines the quality of coverage of the target whereas the second term evaluates the ability to avoid irradiation of the healthy tissue. The CN ranges from 0 and 1, where 1 is the ideal value. A value close to 0 indicates either total absence of conformation or a very large volume of irradiation compared to the target. In this study, the CN was calculated for each plan. The average CNs along with their standard deviations were analyzed for each treatment site. Treatment sites include prostate, H&N, chest wall, brain and other less common cases. Results: The CN averages for different sites ranged from 0.66 to 0.84. For Prostate, Lung and Brain case, average CN is around 0.80. The chest wall had an average of 0.76. Head and neck cases had an average of 0.66. Conclusions: The established CN value for a specific treatment site can be used as a guide for future planning evaluation.
PARLGRAN: parallelism granularity selection for scheduling task chains on dynamically reconfigurable architectures

Partial dynamic reconfiguration, often called RTR (run-time reconfiguration) is a key feature in modern reconfigurable platforms. While partial RTR enables additional application performance, it imposes physical constraints necessitating simultaneous scheduling and placement while mapping application task graphs onto such architectures. In this paper we present PARLGRAN, an approach that maximizes performance of application task chains by selecting a suitable granularity of data-parallelism for individual data parallel tasks. Our approach focusses on reconfiguration delay overhead and placement-related issues (such as fragmentation) while selecting individual data-parallelism granularity as an integral part of simultaneous scheduling and placement. We demonstrate that our heuristic generates high-quality schedules on an extensive set of over a 1000 synthetic experiments by comparing the results with an approach that tries to statically maximize data-parallelism, i.e., does not consider the overheads and constraints associated with partial RTR. A detailed case-study on JPEG encoding additionally confirms that blindly maximizing data-parallelism can result in schedules even worse than that generated by a simple (but RTR-aware) approach oblivious to data-parallelism.