cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building a Social MANET Based on an SNS Community Token

The recent spread of mobile networks has paved the way for building a pervasive social networking (PSN) environment, which enables people to access social networking services (SNS) anytime and from anywhere. There have been extensive studies on MANET (Mobile Ad-hoc NETworks), which use mobile terminals for relaying information. While the feasibility of using them as emergency networks in the aftermath of a disaster has been verified, no service targeted at ordinary users is provided. Since mobile terminals of strangers are used to relay information in MANET, it is necessary to develop technologies that remove users' concerns about sniffing and data falsification and cultivate users' willingness to offer their mobile terminals for building a network. This paper proposes a method of using a MANET to connect the terminal of an overseas visitor, who does not subscribe to any local carrier's service, to a free public Wi-Fi access point. This method builds a social MANET based on a community token shared by the users via an SNS. Since this network is made up of mobile terminals of only the members of the same SNS group, high reliability can be expected.
Perspectives on classical controversies about the motor cortex.

Primary motor cortex has been studied for more than a century, yet a consensus on its functional contribution to movement control is still out of reach. In particular, there remains controversy as to the level of control produced by motor cortex (“low-level” movement dynamics vs. “high-level” movement kinematics) and the role of sensory feedback. In this review, we present different perspectives on the two following questions: What does activity in motor cortex reflect? and How do planned motor commands interact with incoming sensory feedback during movement? The four authors each present their independent views on how they think the primary motor cortex (M1) controls movement. At the end, we present a dialogue in which the authors synthesize their views and suggest possibilities for moving the field forward. While there is not yet a consensus on the role of M1 or sensory feedback in the control of upper limb movements, such dialogues are essential to take us closer to one.
Environmental and social enhancement of forest plantations on western peatlands - a case study.

A case study was carried out on future management scenarios for Western Peatland Forests (WPFs) along the Western Seaboard. It indicates a change in emphasis from wood production alone to a broader ecosystem management approach with increased emphasis on environmental and social objectives. Productive and financial potentials of typical WPFs were examined, and redesign plans were developed, consistent with an ecosystem management approach. Both the productive and financial potential of WPFs were found to be challenging under current conditions; options to improve this situation are presented and discussed. The impact of redesign planning was quantified in terms of biodiversity enhancement, bog restoration and protection, enhanced watercourse protection and visual landscape improvement. Impacts were projected to a national level to indicate future management scenarios for WPFs.
Ethics in Society

We have looked at the terrible ethics of Stalin’s apparatchiks (bureaucratic thugs). But was this a Russian phenomenon, or are there such apparatchiks in any ideological dictatorship? Historically, the answer is yes, in all dictatorships. This is illustrated in the next case of the German Nazi dictatorship of 1933–1945.
Surgery for radiation injury to the large intesine: Variables influencing outcome

PURPOSE: Surgery for colorectal radiation injury is technically difficult and often followed by complications. This study evaluates factors affecting outcome. METHODS: A retrospective 30-year review was carried out. Preoperative characteristics and operative variables were correlated with morbidity, mortality, and success in providing symptomatic relief. RESULTS: A total of 60 cases and 75 colon and rectal lesions were analyzed. After surgery, the morbidity rate was 65 percent, and the mortality was 6.7 percent. A successful outcome in providing symptomatic relief was achieved in 71.7 percent of cases. When comparing success after operations for the different lesions (stricture, 78.1 percent; hemorrhage, 64.3 percent; perforation, 100 percent; and fistula, 54.5 percent), the presence of a fistula was associated with symptomatic relief significantly less often than the remainder (P=0.03).The type of operation had no effect on success rate: 72 percent for diversion, 66.7 percent for resection, and 83.3 percent for bypass. Morbidity and mortality rates were not significantly influenced by site of lesions, type of lesions, or choice of surgical operation. A permanent stoma was necessary in 70 percent of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The morbidity for surgical treatment of large bowel radiation injury is substantial, and largely unrelated to the type and location of the radiation lesion, as well as the type of operation. Success rates are reasonably high, but worst after fistula repair. The selection of therapy (medical, endoscopic, surgical) for radiation-induced colorectal lesions must take into account numerous factors and be highly individualized.
Modeling and Predicting Cyber Hacking Breaches

Analyzing cyber incident data sets is an important method for deepening our understanding of the evolution of the threat situation. This is a relatively new research topic, and many studies remain to be done. In this paper, we report a statistical analysis of a breach incident data set corresponding to 12 years (2005–2017) of cyber hacking activities that include malware attacks. We show that, in contrast to the findings reported in the literature, both hacking breach incident inter-arrival times and breach sizes should be modeled by stochastic processes, rather than by distributions because they exhibit autocorrelations. Then, we propose particular stochastic process models to, respectively, fit the inter-arrival times and the breach sizes. We also show that these models can predict the inter-arrival times and the breach sizes. In order to get deeper insights into the evolution of hacking breach incidents, we conduct both qualitative and quantitative trend analyses on the data set. We draw a set of cybersecurity insights, including that the threat of cyber hacks is indeed getting worse in terms of their frequency, but not in terms of the magnitude of their damage.
Pharmacology of Heart Cells During Ontogenesis

The reactivity of the embryo heart to drugs has attracted considerable attention. There are several reasons that make cardiac tissue from embryonic and fetal animals advantageous for a systemic investigation of drug action. A study of when and how the heart develops responsiveness to selected chemical probes is an invaluable aid in defining the mechanism of action of drugs and how the mechanism is modified by environmental factors (intra- and extracellular). For example, drug action can be compared in the noninnervated and innervated heart. In this manner, the effects of innervation on receptor sensitivity for transmitter molecules can be examined without the use of surgical or pharmacological techniques to eliminate neural activity. A reasoned examination of the pharmacology of the developing heart necessarily involves a systematic study of the fundamental features of cardiac development itself. The reaction between a drug molecule and a cardiac cell depends upon an interaction with chemical recognition sites (receptors) whose synthesis and assembly have been accomplished at a specified time during ontogenesis. The receptors are associated with electrical (e.g., conductance) and mechanical (e.g., myofilament interaction) properties of the cell; therefore, drug action will produce a change in the electrical and mechanical activity of the cell. Heart cells from embryonic and fetal animals also lend themselves easily to study under in vitro conditions in cell or organ culture.
Computational Aspects of Fault Location and Resilience Problems for Interdependent Infrastructure Networks

Motivated by applications in diagnosing failures in complex infrastructure networks, we consider the configuration sequence completion problem (CSC) for networked systems. The goal of the CSC problem is to choose values for unknown entries in a specified sequence of configurations of a system so that the resulting sequence represents a valid trajectory of the system. This problem generalizes some known decision problems for dynamical systems. We present efficient algorithms for some versions of the CSC problem and computational intractability results for other versions.
Simple Z-graded domains of Gelfand–Kirillov dimension two

Abstract Let k be an algebraically closed field and A a Z -graded finitely generated simple k -algebra which is a domain of Gelfand–Kirillov dimension 2. We show that the category of Z -graded right A-modules is equivalent to the category of quasicoherent sheaves on a certain quotient stack. The theory of these simple algebras is closely related to that of a class of generalized Weyl algebras (GWAs). We prove a translation principle for the noncommutative schemes of these GWAs, shedding new light on the classical translation principle for the infinite-dimensional primitive quotients of U ( sl 2 ) .
Empiric Therapy with BRAF and MEK Inhibitors in Metastatic Melanoma

BRAF and MEK inhibitors are highly active in the setting of BRAFV600 mutant melanoma. Rarely, patients without previous testing present with fulminant progression necessitating emergent treatment prior to BRAF testing results. The safety and efficacy of empiric treatment in this setting is unclear. Herein, we present two patients treated with empiric BRAF and MEK inhibitors, resulting in dramatic clinical improvement in one patient later found to have a BRAF mutation, and lack of improvement (but no accelerated progression) in a patient lacking this mutation. Empiric BRAF and MEK inhibitor treatment should not be routinely pursued but may be given safely in rare, emergent situations.
Changes in Epithelial and Stromal Corneal Stiffness Occur with Age and Obesity.

The cornea is avascular, which makes it an excellent model to study matrix protein expression and tissue stiffness. The corneal epithelium adheres to the basement zone and the underlying stroma is composed of keratocytes and an extensive matrix of collagen and proteoglycans. Our goal was to examine changes in corneas of 8- and 15-week mice and compare them to 15-week pre-Type 2 diabetic obese mouse. Nanoindentation was performed on corneal epithelium in situ and then the epithelium was abraded, and the procedure repeated on the basement membrane and stroma. Confocal imaging was performed to examine the localization of proteins. Stiffness was found to be age and obesity dependent. Young’s modulus was greater in the epithelium from 15-week mice compared to 8-week mice. At 15 weeks, the epithelium of the control was significantly greater than that of the obese mice. There was a difference in the localization of Crb3 and PKCζ in the apical epithelium and a lack of lamellipodial extensions in the obese mouse. In the pre-Type 2 diabetic obese mouse there was a difference in the stiffness slope and after injury localization of fibronectin was negligible. These indicate that age and environmental changes incurred by diet alter the integrity of the tissue with age rendering it stiffer. The corneas from the pre-Type 2 diabetic obese mice were significantly softer and this may be a result of changes both in proteins on the apical surface indicating a lack of integrity and a decrease in fibronectin.
14-3-3 targets keratin intermediate filaments to mechanically sensitive cell-cell contacts

14-3-3 serves as a major regulator of keratin intermediate filament dynamics in vivo. Migratory mesendoderm tissue of the Xenopus embryo is used to show that the dynamic reorganization of keratin f...
The selenophosphate synthetase, selD, is important for Clostridioides difficile physiology

The endospore-forming pathogen, Clostridioides difficile, is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and is a significant burden on the community and healthcare. C. difficile, like all forms of life, incorporates selenium into proteins through a selenocysteine synthesis pathway. The known selenoproteins in C. difficile are involved in a metabolic process that uses amino acids as the sole carbon and nitrogen source (Stickland metabolism). The Stickland metabolic pathway requires the use of two selenium-containing reductases. In this study, we built upon our initial characterization of the CRISPR-Cas9-generated selD mutant by creating a CRISPR-Cas9-mediated restoration of the selD gene at the native locus. Here, we use these CRISPR-generated strains to analyze the importance of selenium-containing proteins on C. difficile physiology. SelD is the first enzyme in the pathway for selenoprotein synthesis and we found that multiple aspects of C. difficile physiology were affected (e.g., growth, sporulation, and outgrowth of a vegetative cell post-spore germination). Using RNAseq, we identified multiple candidate genes which likely aid the cell in overcoming the global loss of selenoproteins to grow in medium which is favorable for using Stickland metabolism. Our results suggest that the absence of selenophosphate (i.e., selenoprotein synthesis) leads to alterations to C. difficile physiology so that NAD+ can be regenerated by other pathways.
Reducing the sting: Diagnosis and management of Hymenoptera venom allergy.

ABSTRACT Hymenoptera species include stinging insects such as wasps, hornets, bees, and fire ants. Allergic reaction to the venom of these insects is a common presenting complaint for patients in primary care and emergency medicine during warmer months. Patients' clinical presentations may vary, and clinicians must identify the type of reaction to determine treatment and follow-up plans. Treatment of patients allergic to Hymenoptera venom should be individualized based on risk factors, reaction type, and associated comorbidities. This article reviews common features of clinical presentation, diagnosis, and the current mainstays in management of Hymenoptera venom allergy.
Gender-sensitive school environment and bullying victimization among adolescent girls: A multilevel study in Nepal.

Background Bullying is an understudied global social problem. While school-level factors are a recognized influence on bullying victimization, the elements of a ‘girl-friendly’ school that may reduce the risk of bullying victimization among girls and prevent dropout is understudied in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study used baseline data from the evaluation of the Room-to-Read (RtR) Girls’ Education Program (GEP) in Nepal to assess the relationship of a conceptually grounded gender-equitable school (GES) index with girls’ risk of direct and relational bullying victimization, adjusted for potential confounders at the individual and school levels. Methods The school sample included all 24 RtR GEP schools and 25 community schools attended by girls in a comparison cohort, representing 729 grade six girls with complete outcome data. We employed multilevel negative binomial regression to assess the relationship between the GES score (higher scores indicate greater support for girls), and girls’ risk of peer victimization, controlling for individual- and school-level covariates. Results On average, girls reported 2.84 direct victimizations and 0.27 relational victimizations in the prior week. The first component of the GES index, a generalized measure of school-level support for girls, showed a significant negative relationship with weekly relational bullying victimization in models with all school- and individual-level covariates. In the full model, a one-point higher score on the generalized GES component accounted for a 26% lower risk of relational bullying victimization in the prior week. Conclusion School-level policies, practices, and pedagogy designed to support girls may reduce their exposure to relational aggression, a form of bullying that girls most often perpetrate. In LMICs, the school may be an ideal place to raise awareness about the types and effects of peer bullying and to promote prosocial bystander behavior. Further research is needed to identify factors related to other forms of bullying.
Technical Feasibility and Safety of Repeated Computed Tomography-Guided Transthoracic Intratumoral Injection of Gene-Modified Cellular Immunotherapy in Metastatic NSCLC.

Introduction To assess the technical feasibility and safety of repeated percutaneous computed tomography (CT)-guided transthoracic biopsies and intratumoral injections of gene-modified dendritic cells in metastatic NSCLC. Methods A total of 15 patients with 15 NSCLC lesions measuring greater than 1.0 cm underwent two cycles of intratumoral biopsies and CCL21 dendritic cell injections separated by 7 days. All needle placements and injections were done under CT guidance. Clinical and imaging follow-up was done approximately 4 weeks after the first procedure. Safety and feasibility were determined as: (1) safety and feasibility similar to that of single-needle biopsy, and (2) an absence of serious adverse events defined as grade greater than or equal to three according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0. Results A total of 30 percutaneous, transthoracic intratumoral biopsies and injections into the lung cancer were performed, two cycles (at d 0 and 7) received by each patient (311 biopsies and 96 intratumoral injections). All percutaneous cases achieved technical success with respect to needle placement for both biopsy and injection of CCL21 dendritic cells. Only minor complications were observed (grade <3), including pneumothorax (n = 10, 33%) and small postbiopsy hemorrhage (n = 2, 7%). Pneumothorax was moderate (n = 1) or trace (n = 9), with resolution of the moderate pneumothorax after manual aspiration without chest tube placement. No patient required chest tube placement. No other complications or serious adverse effects related to the biopsy or dendritic cell injection were noted. All patients were in stable condition after up to 4 hours in the recovery unit and were discharged home on the same day. No procedure-related complications were observed on imaging or clinical follow-up at 4 weeks. Conclusions Repeated percutaneous, transthoracic CT-guided biopsies and intratumoral gene-modified cell-based immunotherapy injections into lung cancers are technically feasible, safe, and reproducible. There were no procedure-related serious (defined as grade ≥3) adverse events.
Une preuve rigoureuse de I’existence du chaos dans le double enroulement

Cet article presente une preuve rigoureuse de l’existence du chaos dans les montages ou la trajectoire de phase a un double enroulement. Nous utilisons une representation « lineaire par morceaux» applicable a une famille tres large d’equations, dont celles qui decrivent les circuits a double enroulement constituent un cas particulier. Les expressions analytiques de la trajectoire, permettent de calculer les sections de Poincare et de montrer l’existence d’une trajectoire homocline de Shilnikov, donc de prouver rigoureusement l’existence du chaos. On peut aussi mettre en evidence les conditions de naissance et de disparition de la trajectoire a double enroulement.
Mean squared error analysis of analog neural networks subject to drifting targets and noise

In previous work we studied the tracking behavior of neural networks with binary outputs subject to drifting targets and noise. This paper extends this work by considering the tracking behavior of analog output neurons when subjected to additive noise and slowly drifting target weights. The target weights are described by a stochastic difference equation with weights changing slowly with time. The tracker weights follow the least mean square (LMS) gradient descent algorithm and at each update are given a noise corrupted value of the output of the target network. When inputs are Gaussian and the activation used is the Gaussian error function (closely approximates the standard sigmoidal activation function) the analysis is tractable. The dynamics of target and tracking networks are described by a set of stochastic difference equations. We obtain an approximation of the mean squared generalization error by linearizing the nonlinear difference equations and using simple probabilistic arguments. We consider the single neuron case and some specific multi-layer neural networks.
Suspended particle flat panel displays using colloidal particles

Electro-optical characteristics of inorganic colloid particles dispersed in organic solvent are discussed as well as its potential applications related to Suspended Particle Displays (SPDs).
Estimating the Error Distribution of a Single Tap Sequence without Ground Truth

Detecting beats, estimating tempo, aligning scores to audio, and detecting onsets are all interesting problems in the field of music information retrieval. In much of this research, it is convenient to think of beats as occuring at precise time points. However, anyone who has attempted to label beats by hand soon realizes that precise annotation of music audio is not possible. A common method of beat annotation is simply to tap along with audio and record the tap times. This raises the question: How accurate are the taps? It may seem that an answer to this question would require knowledge of “true” beat times. However, tap times can be characterized as a random distribution around true beat times. Multiple independent taps can be used to estimate not only the location of the true beat time, but also the statistical distribution of measured tap times around the true beat time. Thus, without knowledge of true beat times, and without even requiring the existence of precise beat times, we can estimate the uncertainty of tap times. This characterization of tapping can be useful for estimating tempo variation and evaluating alternative annotation methods.
GABAergic disinhibition and impaired KCC2 cotransporter activity underlie tumor‐associated epilepsy

Seizures frequently accompany gliomas and often escalate to peritumoral epilepsy. Previous work revealed the importance of tumor-derived excitatory glutamate (Glu) release mediated by the cystine-glutamate transporter (SXC) in epileptogenesis. We now show a novel contribution of GABAergic disinhibition to disease pathophysiology. In a validated mouse glioma model, we found that peritumoral parvalbumin-positive GABAergic inhibitory interneurons are significantly reduced, corresponding with deficits in spontaneous and evoked inhibitory neurotransmission. Most remaining peritumoral neurons exhibit elevated intracellular Cl(-) concentration ([Cl(-) ]i ) and consequently depolarizing, excitatory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) responses. In these neurons, the plasmalemmal expression of KCC2, which establishes the low [Cl(-) ]i required for GABAA R-mediated inhibition, is significantly decreased. Interestingly, reductions in inhibition are independent of Glu release, but the presence of both decreased inhibition and decreased SXC expression is required for epileptogenesis. We suggest GABAergic disinhibition renders peritumoral neuronal networks hyper-excitable and susceptible to seizures triggered by excitatory stimuli, and propose KCC2 as a therapeutic target.
Health Care Costs for Patients With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury in the Veterans Health Administration

Background/Objective: Recurring annual costs of caring for patients with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a large economic burden on health care systems, but information on costs of SCI care bey...
Trying to Drink from a Fire Hose: Too Much of the Wrong Kind of Health Care News

I’m not a scientist, but a health-care journalist† who has been communicating with health-care-consumer audiences for more than 40 years in many formats – broadcast radio and TV, print, Web, and decision-making tools. When you look at media messages about health care every day as I do, you see that patients and consumers are flooded with a tsunami of confusing, conflicted messages about health-care interventions. Maybe a better water analogy is this: news consumers and health-care consumers are thirsty for just a sip of accurate, balanced, complete information about the myriad health-care decisions they face.
Solutions to quadratic minimization problems with box and integer constraints

This paper presents a canonical duality theory for solving quadratic minimization problems subjected to either box or integer constraints. Results show that under Gao and Strang's general global optimality condition, these well-known nonconvex and discrete problems can be converted into smooth concave maximization dual problems over closed convex feasible spaces without duality gap, and can be solved by well-developed optimization methods. Both existence and uniqueness of these canonical dual solutions are presented. Based on a second-order canonical dual perturbation, the discrete integer programming problem is equivalent to a continuous unconstrained Lipschitzian optimization problem, which can be solved by certain deterministic technique. Particularly, an analytical solution is obtained under certain condition. A fourth-order canonical dual perturbation algorithm is presented and applications are illustrated. Finally, implication of the canonical duality theory for the popular semi-definite programming method is revealed.
Serotonergic mediation of the effects of fluoxetine, but not desipramine, in the rat forced swimming test

Rationale: The forced swimming test (FST) is a behavioral test in rodents that predicts the clinical efficacy of many types of antidepressant treatments. Recently, a behavior sampling technique was developed that scores individual response categories, including swimming, climbing and immobility. Although all antidepressant drugs reduce immobility in the FST, at least two distinct active behavioral patterns are produced by pharmacologically selective antidepressant drugs. Serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors increase swimming behavior, while drugs acting primarily to increase extracellular levels of norepinephrine or dopamine increase climbing behavior. Distinct patterns of active behaviors in the FST may be mediated by distinct neurotransmitters, but this has not been shown directly. Objectives: The present study examined the role of serotonin in mediating active behaviors in the forced swimming test after treatment with two antidepressant drugs, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine and the selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, desipramine. Methods: Endogenous serotonin was depleted by administering para-cholorophenylalanine (PCPA, 150 mg/kg, IP.) to rats 72 h and 48 h prior to the swim test. Fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, SC) or desipramine (10 mg/kg, SC) was given three times over a 24-h period prior to the FST. Behavioral responses, including immobility, swimming and climbing, were counted during the 5-min test. Results: Pretreatment with PCPA blocked fluoxetine-induced reduction in immobility and increase in swimming behavior during the FST. In contrast, PCPA pretreatment did not interfere with the ability of desipramine to reduce immobility and increase climbing behavior. Conclusions: Depletion of serotonin prevented the behavioral effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine in the rat FST. Furthermore, depletion of serotonin had no impact on the behavioral effects induced by the selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, desipramine. The effects of antidepressant drugs on FST-induced immobility may be exerted by distinguishable contributions from different neurotransmitter systems.
Recurrence analysis of human postural sway during the sensory organization test.

The present study examined how the availability of and alterations in sensory information during the sensory organization test (SOT) influenced the amount, variability, and temporal structure of spontaneous postural sway in young, healthy adults. Findings indicated that postural sway tended to increase in amount and variability as the SOT condition became increasingly difficult (i.e. as the SOT condition moved from eyes open to eyes closed, to sway-referenced visual surround or support surface, and to sway-reference surface and visual surround). In addition, recurrence quantification analysis revealed that the temporal structure of postural sway tended to become increasingly regular as the SOT condition increased in difficulty. The functional utility of the observed changes in the temporal structure of postural sway across sensory conditions was discussed.
Quality comes to criminal justice: Reengineering core processes in the courthouse

Abstract Although the principles and techniques of quality management are increasingly being applied within public sector organizations, most implementations involve processes that are routine and highly structured. This article reports on a public-sector reengineering project that successfully addressed a less structured core process: the efficient use of courthouse facilities and staff in a county's district and circuit courts. The principal focus of the article is the team-based procedure through which standard quality management concepts and techniques were reconceived to permit their successful application in this nontraditional context. The article also describes the results obtained through implementation of the reengineered processes.
Energetic analysis of 24 C20 isomers

Abstract Twenty-four individual geometric structures of the 20-carbon system are investigated using hybrid Hartree–Fock/density functional theory (DFT-B3LYP) in combination with the 6-31G and 6-311G* basis sets. These computations are carried out in order to evaluate the relative energies of the various C20 isomers utilizing both geometry optimization and single-point energy calculations. The relative energies of the three most widely studied C20 isomers (ring, bowl, and cage) are compared to the energies of other cyclic, bowl-like, and miscellaneous isomers. Although the ring and the bowl isomers are predicted to be the two most stable species, we have identified three to four additional cyclic structures that are predicted to be energetically competitive with the fullerene structure.
ON THE NUMBER OF REFUSALS IN A BUSY PERIOD

Formulas are derived for moments of the number of refused customers in a busy period for the M/GI/1/n and the GI/M/1/n queueing systems. As an interesting special case for the M/GI/1/n system, we note that the mean number is 1 when the mean interarrival time equals the mean service time. This provides a more direct argument for a result given in Abramov [1].
Quantification of iodine-131 in tumors using a threshold based on image contrast.

Accurate and reproducible quantification of tumor radioactivity by imaging requires definition of a region of interest (ROI) for the tumor. The use of a threshold for creating the tumor ROI based on tumor-to-background image contrast (image contrast) was examined. Quantification of iodine-131 in spheres in a phantom that simulated tumors in patients was investigated using planar imaging and geometric-mean and effective-point-source methods. Thresholds that provided the least quantitative error for spheres with different diameters (1–5 cm) and locations (0–11 cm deep in the body), 131I concentrations (0.037–3.2 MBq/ml), and sphere-to-background concentration ratios (1:0, 14:1 and 7:1) were investigated. The correlation between threshold and sphere image contrast was examined. The phantom study showed that an appropriate threshold value for quantification of tumor radioactivity could be determined using image contrast for a single view, provided that image contrast was ≥1.5. The error of quantification was less than 10% for spheres with high image contrast (≥1.5) but was greater than 17% for spheres with low image contrast (<1.5). When image contrast-dependent thresholds were applied to patient studies, 131I concentrations determined by imaging were in good agreement with the concentrations determined by counting biopsy samples. Additionally, reproducibility was improved when compared with a visual boundary method. It is concluded that accurate and reproducible quantification of radioactivity in tumors is achievable using thresholds based on image contrast if image contrast is greater than or equal to 1.5. Optimal thresholds for quantification of tumor radioactivity were similar if image contrast was similar despite differing tumor diameters, locations and 131I concentrations. Under certain circumstances, the effective-point-source method was preferable to the geometric-mean method.
Perceived Discrimination: Multiple Measures and the Intersections of Race and Gender

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the degree to which adults in four racial/gender categories perceive that they experience discrimination. Using the 1995–1996 National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS), the author employs logistic regression to compare the likelihood of perceiving specific types of discrimination for black men, black women, white men, and white women. Results indicate that variations in perceived discrimination occur across the racial/gender categories. The findings highlight the need for researchers to be aware of gendered and racialized perceptions of discrimination.
A Robust Multigrid Algorithm for the Euler Equations with Local Preconditioning and Semi-coarsening

A semi-coarsened multigrid algorithm with a point block Jacobi, multi-stage smoother for second-order upwind discretizations of the two-dimensional Euler equations which produces convergence rates independent of grid size for moderate subsonic Mach numbers is presented. By modification of this base algorithm to include local preconditioning for low Mach number flows, the convergence becomes largely independent of grid size and Mach number over a range of flow conditions from nearly incompressible to transonic flows, including internal and external flows. A local limiting technique is introduced to increase the robustness of preconditioning in the presence of stagnation points. Computational timings are made showing that the semi-coarsening algorithm requiresO(N) time to lower the fine grid residual six orders of magnitude, whereNis the number of cells. By comparison, the same algorithm applied to a full-coarsening approach requiresO(N3/2) time, and, in nearly all cases, the semi-coarsening algorithm is faster than full coarsening with the computational savings being greatest on the finest grids.
Computer Technology Integration and Student Learning: Barriers and Promise

Political and institutional support has enabled many institutions of learning to spend millions of dollars to acquire educational computing tools (Ficklen and Muscara, Am Educ 25(3):22–29, 2001) that have not been effectively integrated into the curriculum. While access to educational technology tools has remarkably improved in most schools, there is still concern about instructional integration of computer technology to support student learning. Appropriate integration of computer tools constitutes a major change in people’s lives; technology integration is a complex phenomenon that involves understanding teachers’ motivations, perceptions, and beliefs about learning and technology (Woodbridge, http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=17701367 ). Although computer technology has a great potential to reform or even transform education, barriers come in the way of achieving success especially with student learning. This paper presents an overview of technology use in education with a focus on barriers to computer technology integration. Further, this paper provides suggestions to maximize the benefits of learning with computer technology.
Dopaminergic antagonism and catalepsy in the developing rat

Abstract The cataleptic effect of the dopaminergic blockers spiroperidol and haloperidol was investigated in developing rats. Both neuroleptics were found to produce less catalepsy in 15 day old rats than in either 10 or 20 day old animals. It is proposed that the decrement in catalepsy occuring between 10 and 15 days of age is related to increased dopaminergic activity in the neostriatum. The reversal of this phenomenon by 20 days may be a consequence of maturation of cholinergic local circuit neurons.
Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease

Six patients with the classical form of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) were studied with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. While final diagnosis of PMD should be made on the basis of histopathologic findings in the brain, findings in this group support the fact that MRI can be used for tentative early diagnosis when computer tomographic examination is normal or nondiagnostic. All patients had MRI findings reflecting a pattern of diffuse white matter disease that can be considered characteristic in the appropriate clinical setting.
Micromechanical Mapping of Live Cells by Multiple-Particle-Tracking Microrheology

This paper introduces the method of live-cell multiple-particle-tracking microrheology (MPTM), which quantifies the local mechanical properties of living cells by monitoring the Brownian motion of individual microinjected fluorescent particles. Particle tracking of carboxylated microspheres imbedded in the cytoplasm produce spatial distributions of cytoplasmic compliances and frequency-dependent viscoelastic moduli. Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts are found to behave like a stiff elastic material when subjected to high rates of deformations and like a soft liquid at low rates of deformations. By analyzing the relative contributions of the subcellular compliances to the mean compliance, we find that the cytoplasm is much more mechanically heterogeneous than reconstituted actin filament networks. Carboxylated microspheres embedded in cytoplasm through endocytosis and amine-modified polystyrene microspheres, which are microinjected or endocytosed, often show directed motion and strong nonspecific interactions with cytoplasmic proteins, which prevents computation of local moduli from the microsphere displacements. Using MPTM, we investigate the mechanical function of alpha-actinin in non-muscle cells: alpha-actinin-microinjected cells are stiffer and yet mechanically more heterogeneous than control cells, in agreement with models of reconstituted cross-linked actin filament networks. MPTM is a new type of functional microscopy that can test the local, rate-dependent mechanical and ultrastructural properties of living cells.
Room temperature growth of thin Pd films on Al(110) surfaces

Abstract High-energy ion backscattering spectroscopy (HEIS) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) have been used to study the growth of thin Pd layers on Al(110) surfaces at room temperature. The results are not consistent with the layered growth model presented previously for this system, but suggest instead that an AlPd alloy forms at the interface. Measured Al and Pd surface peak areas for MeV He + ions incident normal to the surface show that the Pd atoms intermix with and displace Al substrate atoms. The interface mixing was observed to continue up to about 10 ML of Pd coverage, at which point the intermixing stops. XPS measurements of the Pd 3d photopeaks show a chemical shift that is consistent with the formation of an AlPd-like compound at the interface and the growth of Pd metal thereafter.
Transganglionic Transport of HRP from the Circumvallate Papilla of the Rat

To learn whether horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injections in gustatory papillae on the tongue can be used to study central topographical projections of taste buds and papillae, injections were made into the circumvallate papilla in rats. Labeled central projections after papilla injections were compared to projections after applying HRP to the cut glossopharyngeal nerve. Papilla injections result in HRP transport by afferent and efferent fibers of the glossopharyngeal nerve, and the pattern of central projections is similar to that after labeling the cut nerve. Projections include a separation in the brainstem of afferent, dorsally located fibers and efferent, ventrally located fibers. Afferent fibers project to the solitary nucleus and the trigeminal system. Efferent projections label muscle motorneurons in the nucleus ambiguus and the cells of origin of parasympathetic preganglionic fibers, which form the inferior salivatory nucleus. The parasympathetic neurons labeled after papilla projections are preganglionic fibers to Remak's ganglia in the tongue; postganglionic fibers of these ganglia are the secretomotor supply to the von Ebner's glands. In summary, injections of HRP into gustatory papillae reliably label central projections of the papilla and can be used for studies to discern topography in central projections of the taste system. Injections into the circumvallate papilla also have demonstrated that the parasympathetic neurons innervating von Ebner's glands are located in the inferior salivatory nucleus.
Characterization of metal precipitates in magnesium oxide

Abstract A method, based on subtractive coloration or high-temperature reduction, has been developed to produce metal precipitates or colloids in oxides. The structure, symmetry, morphology and composition of precipitates were analysed by analytical electron microscopy and neutron scattering techniques. In the MgO: Ni system, the colloids were coherent nickel precipitates having a f.c.c. structure (ao = 3·52 A), and occasionally a b.c.c. structure (ao = 2·88A). The coherent precipitates were found to have either ⟨100⟩m‖⟨111⟩p or ⟨100⟩m‖⟨100⟩p matrix-precipitate relationship, depending on the high-temperature reduction treatment. From the neutron-magnetic-scattering measurements, the ratio of magnetic to nuclear scattering amplitudes for the (111) precipitate reflection was determined to be 17% below the value for pure nickel, indicating the presence of a magnetically ‘dead’ layer around the precipitates, a small amount of impurities incorporated into the precipitates, or a small fraction of another phase ...
Natural-host animal models indicate functional interchangeability between the filamentous haemagglutinins of Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica and reveal a role for the mature C-terminal domain, but not the RGD motif, during infection

Bacteria of the Bordetella genus cause respiratory tract infections. Both broad host range (e.g. Bordetella bronchiseptica) and human-adapted (e.g. Bordetella pertussis) strains produce a surface-exposed and secreted protein called filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA) that functions in adherence and immunomodulation. Previous studies using B. pertussis and cultured mammalian cells identified several FHA domains with potential roles in host cell interactions, including an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) triplet that was reported to bind integrins on epithelial cells and monocytes to activate host signalling pathways. We show here that, in contrast to our previous report, the fhaB genes of B. pertussis and B. bronchiseptica are functionally interchangeable, at least with regard to the various in vitro and in vivo assays investigated. This result is significant because it indicates that information obtained studying FHA using B. bronchiseptica and natural-host animal models should apply to B. pertussis FHA as well. We also show that the C-terminus of mature FHA, which we name the MCD, mediates adherence to epithelial and macrophage-like cells and is required for colonization of the rat respiratory tract and modulation of the inflammatory response in mouse lungs. We could not, however, detect a role for the RGD in any of these processes.
Does training to criterion influence improvement? A follow-up study of EMG and thermal biofeedback

On follow-up 1 to 5 years after therapy, patients in six diagnostic groups who received EMG (N=53)and/or thermal (N=54)biofeedback and who reached criterion levels (EMG ≤1.1 μV; thermal ≥95° F) reported a higher improvement rate than those who had not achieved these criterion levels. Neither the patients nor the therapist were aware of these training criteria during therapy. Most patients received both EMG and thermal biofeedback training. Of the EMG achievers, 93% improved, compared to 65% of the nonachievers. Of the thermal achievers, 96% improved, compared to 76% of the nonachievers. These percentages significantly exceed the high base rate (81%) of long-term improvement in this study. Failure to achieve the criterion level in both modalities was associated with a lower improvement rate (73% did notimprove), while achieving the criterion in only one modality was sufficient to be associated with improvement. Of the patients who did notimprove, 80% had notachieved the EMG criterion, and 88% had not achieved the thermal training criterion. These results question biofeedback therapy outcome studies which show low improvement rates without determining whether self-regulation skills had, in fact, been acquired.
Notes of a protein crystallographer: the beauty of rose windows and the different meanings of symmetry.

The magnificent rose windows of the Gothic cathedrals provide artistic illustrations of many of the planar point groups of symmetry. It is suggested that the presence of certain symmetry elements and their selection by the artists could have been motivated to convey specific meaning to the resulting compositions.
Effects of 3D Virtual Reality of Plate Tectonics on Fifth Grade Students' Achievement and Attitude toward Science.

This study examines the effects of a teaching method using 3D virtual reality simulations on achievement and attitude toward science. An experiment was conducted with fifth-grade students (N = 41) to examine the effects of 3D simulations, designed to support inquiry-based science curriculum. An ANOVA analysis revealed that the 3D group scored significantly higher on the achievement test (F = 7.03, p < .05) than the control group using traditional 2D visuals. A positive change of attitude toward science was identified in both 3D and 2D groups, but it was not statistically significant. A robust regression analysis revealed that neither gender nor ethnicity had any significant effect on achievement tests or attitude. However, prior attitude had a significant determining effect for later attitude in both groups.
The effect of torsional vibrations on the minimum value of T1 for methyl protons in solids

Abstract It is demonstrated that currently accepted theories of spin-lattice relaxation for protons in methyl groups, undergoing hindered rotation, predict minimum values of T1 which are significantly smaller than those found experimentally. It is shown that the decrease in the efficiency of spin relaxation can result from the partial averaging of the magnetic dipolar Hamiltonian by torsional oscillations. A calculation of this effect, based on the harmonic approximation, is presented, which improves the agreement with experiment.