cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fission yeast Rad26 responds to DNA damage independently of Rad3

The Rad26/Rad3 complex in fission yeast detects genotoxic insults and initiates the cell cycle arrest and recovery activities of the DNA damage checkpoint. To investigate how the Rad26/Rad3 complex performs these functions, we constructed and characterized Rad26-GFP. Rad26-GFP localized to approximately six nuclear dots in cycling cells. Following treatment with a DNA damaging agent, Rad26-GFP localization changed. Damaged cells contained one or two bright Rad26-GFP spots, in addition to smaller, more numerous Rad26-GFP speckles. Genetic analyses demonstrated that these Rad26-GFP patterns (dots, spots and speckles) were unaffected by null mutations in other DNA damage checkpoint genes, including rad3+. Data obtained with our Rad26.T12-GFP fusion protein correlate spots with cell cycle arrest activities and speckles with DNA repair activities. In addition, physiological experiments demonstrated that rad26Δ and rad3Δ alleles confer sensitivity to a microtubule-depolymerizing drug. We have discovered three distinct Rad26-GFP cellular structures. Formation of these structures did not require other checkpoint proteins. These data demonstrate that Rad26 can respond to genotoxic insult in the absence of Rad3 and the other checkpoint Rad proteins.
Rousseau on Poverty

This paper presents Rousseau’s account of poverty as a means of demonstrating the connection between economic and political justice in his political writings. After briefly presenting some of the causes of poverty that he identifies, I look at three key features of poverty. Poverty is relative in nature, it adversely affects the virtue of the individual and the security of the state, and it demands both individual and collective response informed by equity.
Bruns Syndrome is a Common Presentation of Neurocysticercosis.

Dear Sir: Shahani, Garnes, and Mejia are to be congratulated on highlighting the importance of Bruns syndrome as a presentation of neurocysticercosis and the importance of neurosurgery for this condition.1 However, contrary to what is stated in their discussion, Bruns syndrome is a common presentation of neurocysticercosis that has been well recognized since Bruns' initial case report in 1902 of a patient with a fourth ventricular cysticercus.2 By the 1950s, Bruns syndrome caused by neurocysticercosis was widely recognized. Bickerstaff in 1955 felt the need to explain that there were other causes of the syndrome besides fourth ventricular cysticercosis.3 Bruns syndrome due to cysticercosis has also been frequently reported from the United States, including 11 cases described by McCormick in 1985.4 Indeed, symptoms of Bruns syndrome have been included in all case series of ventricular cysticercosis, including a number at Shahani and others' own institution.5–7 Rather than 14 cases, there are actually at least 100 cases in the literature. Furthermore, as chair of the ASTMH/IDSA guidelines committee for management of neurocysticercosis, I mention some concerns about the management of the described cases. First, experts agree that, despite their widespread availability from commercial laboratories, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for antibody have little or no role in the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis. This conclusion is based on numerous studies demonstrating high rates of false positive and false negative serology. Second, the role of antiparasitic drugs in ventricular neurocysticercosis is controversial. In reviewing the literature, I could find no role for preoperative antiparasitic drugs in ventricular cysticercosis. Indeed, cysticidal drugs can make the cysts more friable, leading to poorer surgical outcomes. Furthermore, unlike hydatid disease, cysticerci only have a single scolex, and pose no risk for spread when ruptured. Although antiparasitic treatment is an important component of management of neurocysticercosis, it is never urgent. It should only follow and never precede management of hydrocephalus.7 Finally, the role of postoperative chemotherapy is also controversial. Many centers treating large numbers of cases do not give any chemotherapy after successful cyst removal and have not noted recurrences. The data supporting postoperative chemotherapy are mostly based on studies employing earlier generation neuroimaging, which is less sensitive than current methods.
Teaching American Culture in a Global Society: Ray B. Browne's Legacy

In the course of his long and distinguishedcareer, Ray B. Browne published dozens of books, hundreds of articles, and thousands of book reviews. Curious about everything in the world around him, he epitomized the image of the scholar. Browne also excelled at teaching, and one of his favorite subjects was American culture; his penchants were popular culture of all types, detective fiction, Abraham Lincoln, Herman Melville, and Mark Twain. Not surprisingly, after establishing The Journal of Popular Culture in 1967, he founded this journal, The Journal of American Culture, in 1978. The articles that he and his advisory board members selected for publication helped to define the field of American culture studies and set the trajectory for academic inquiry in many a classroom. Browne read voraciously, and his myriad published book reviews on American culture topics helped to establish the parameters of the field of American culture studies: what was important and how to study it. Even after Browne and his wife Pat Browne retired from the day-to-day activity of publishing the journal, he continued on as book review editor, staying abreast of scholarship in the field and contributing to the intellectual discourse. Browne initiated the idea for this theme issue titled "Teaching American Culture in a Global Society," believing it was time to revisit the ways in which the field was changing in the twenty-first century. He was interested, of course, in globalization and how an international consciousness affects national studies. He looked to America's and the Americas' role on the world stage and noted that attitudes toward cultural dominance had changed considerably since he founded The Journal of American Culture decades before. He also understood, as did Marshall McLuhan, that new media technologies influence not only distribution systems for information but people's expectations, values, and thinking patterns as well. Browne, who deeply loved books, acknowledged a growing preoccupation with the visual over the literary. Finally, he saw that cultural teaching and learning occur in many spheres, not just the classroom. All of these reasons led him to believe that the time was ripe for collecting from scholars all over the world essays exploring the state of teaching American culture in the twenty-first century, and he began the process with this theme issue. Unfortunately, Browne could not see this special issue through to its completion; he died at the age of eighty-seven on October 22, 2009. …
Toll road for Toxoplasma gondii: the mystery continues

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are considered to be essential for the initiation of immune responses against pathogens. Although myeloid differentiation factor 88 an adaptor molecule for most TLRs, is important for protection against Toxoplasma gondii, the TLR responsible for eliciting an immune response against this obligate intracellular pathogen remains unknown. A recent article reports that mice lacking TLR9 cannot develop severe inflammatory responses to T. gondii infection. The implications of this finding are discussed here.
How community colleges can help prevent financial hardship among student borrowers

The utilization of loans by community college students is a contentious issue. In this article we broadly examine issues related to borrowing by community college students, giving attention to how loans can help, as well as hinder, borrowers at these institutions. Despite increased rhetoric about the perceived student loan crisis, caution is warranted before jettisoning student loans as a tool for access and completion at community colleges. Instead, we suggest that a more nuanced approach, aimed at helping students understand and manage their loans, is in the best interest of students and the college. Our recommendations are intended to help community colleges increase the number of borrowers who earn a credential and reduce the number who default.
Temporal stability in soil water content patterns across agricultural fields

When a field or a small watershed is repeatedly surveyed for soil water content, locations can often be identified where soil water contents are either consistently larger or consistently less than the study area average. This phenomenon has been called temporal stability, time stability, temporal persistence, or rank stability in spatial patterns of soil water contents. Temporal stability is of considerable interest in terms of facilitating upscaling of observed soil water contents to obtain average values across the observation area, improving soil water monitoring strategies, and correcting the monitoring results for missing data. The objective of this work was to contribute to the existing knowledge base on temporal stability in soil water patterns using frequent multi-depth measurements with Multisensor Capacitance Probes (MCPs) installed in a coarse-texture soil under multi-year corn production. Water contents at 10, 30, 50, and 80 cm depths were measured every 10 min for 20 months of continuous observation from May 2001 to December 2002. The MCPs revealed temporal stability in soil water content patterns. Temporal stability was found to increase with depth. The statistical hypothesis could not be rejected (P < 0.0001) that data collected each 10 min, each 2 h, each day, and each week had the same temporal stability. The locations that were best for estimating the average water contents were different for different depths. The best three locations for the whole observation period were the same as the best locations for a month of observations in about 60% of the cases. Temporal stability for a specific location and depth could serve as a good predictor of the utility of this location for estimating the area-average soil water content for that depth. Temporal stability could be efficiently used to correct area-average water contents for missing data. Soil water contents can be upscaled and efficiently monitored using the temporal stability of soil water content patterns.
SELF-TIMED ARCHITECTURE FOR MASKED SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATION ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERSION

In this paper, a novel architecture for self-timed analog-to-digital conversion is presented and designed using the NULL Convention Logic (NCL) paradigm. This analog-to-digital converter (ADC) employs successive approximation and a one-hot encoded masking technique to digitize analog signals. The architecture scales readily to any given resolution by utilizing the one-hot encoded scheme to permit identical logical components for each bit of resolution. The four-bit configuration of the proposed design has been implemented and assessed via simulation in 0.18-μm CMOS technology. Furthermore, the ADC may be interfaced with either synchronous or four-phase asynchronous digital systems.
TRANSHUMANISM AS A SECULARIST FAITH

In the second half of the twentieth century, humanism— namely, the worldview that underpinned Western thought for several centuries—has been severely critiqued by philosophers who highlighted its theoretical and ethical limitations. Inspired by the emergence of cybernetics and new technologies such as robotics, prosthetics, communications, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology, there has been a desire to articulate a new worldview that will fit the posthuman condition. Posthumanism is a description of a new form of human existence in which the boundaries between humans and nature and humans and machines are blurred, as well as a prescription for an ideal situation in which the limitations of human biology are transcended, replaced by machines. The transition from the human condition to the posthuman condition will be facilitated by transhumanism, the project of human enhancement that will ultimately yield the transformation of the human species from the human to the posthuman. As an intellectual movement, transhumanism is still very small, but transhumanist ideas exert deep and broad influence on contemporary culture and society. This essay highlights the religious dimension of transhumanism and argues that it should be seen as a secularist faith: transhumanism secularizes traditional religious themes, concerns, and goals, while endowing technology with religious significance. Science-Religion Studies is the most appropriate context to explore the cultural significance of transhumanism.
CG dinucleotide transitions in the factor IX gene account for about half of the point mutations in hemophilia B patients: a Seattle series.

Hemophilia B is due to multiple molecular defects in the factor IX gene. Over 80% of mutations are single base substitutions. By amplification and direct sequencing, 51 single base substitutions were found in the transcribed sequence of the factor IX genes of patients from 50 distinct families with hemophilia B. These include 30 mutations in 29 families not previously reported by us; of these, 12 are novel, i.e., not previously published in other series. Of the 51 substitutions in our overall series 23 (45%) occurred as C-to-T or G-to-A transitions at 11 sites within CG dinucleotides. It is estimated that CG transitions occur from one to two orders of magnitude more frequently than mutations in nucleotides that are not within a CG pair. More than one family had identical defects for 6 of the CG mutations. At 4 of these sites, most patients had different haplotypes compatible with distinct mutations. Non-CG-type mutations occurred thoughout the coding regions with only one mutation in more than one family. The latter included 7 families with a 397 Ile-to-Thr defect that all share a rare haplotype, suggesting a common ancestor.
Alumina Nanoparticles Enhance the Flow Boiling Critical Heat Flux of Water at Low Pressure

Many studies have shown that addition of nanosized particles to water enhances the critical heat flux (CHF) in pool boiling. The resulting colloidal dispersions are known in the literature as nanofluids. However, for most potential applications of nanofluids the situation of interest is flow boiling. This technical note presents first-of-a-kind data for flow boiling CHF in nanofluids. It is shown that a significant CHF enhancement (up to 30%) can be achieved with as little as 0.01% by volume concentration of alumina nanoparticles in flow experiments at atmospheric pressure, low subcooling 20° C, and relatively high mass flux 1000 kg/ m 2 s. DOI: 10.1115/1.2818787
Leukotrienes: Clinical significance

The leukotrienes, so named because of their initial identification in leukocyte preparations and the presence of three conjugated double bonds (a conjugated triene), are metabolites of the same polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g., arachidonic acid) that give rise to the prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and several other families of biologically active lipids. Their potential clinical importance derives from their effects on vascular and other smooth muscle reactivity and on leukocyte function. Several leukotrienes may markedly influence the cellular and vascular responses that constitute an integral part of hypersensitivity and inflammatory reactions of the skin. Preliminary data from several laboratories have been presented that implicate a specific leukotriene in the evolution of the lesions of psoriasis.
Fracture mechanics of dissimilar materials bonded through an orthotropic interfacial zone

Abstract In this paper the fracture mechanics of orthotropic materials containing collinear interface cracks is considered. The primary objective is to study the influence of the thickness and the structure of the interfacial regions on the crack driving force. The interfacial region is assumed to be a relatively thin orthotropic elastic layer. The stress intensity factors or the strain energy release rates are assumed to be the main measure of the crack driving force. A relatively simple and efficient method is presented to solve the related elasticity problem. The results are obtained for a wide range of actual material combinations. In order to study the influence of the structure of the interfacial zone, the problem is also solved for isotropic and orthotropic materials bonded through a layer with hypothetically selected material properties. The results show that the effect of the thickness, the mechanical properties and the material orientation of the interfacial zone on the strain energy release rate could be very significant. An interesting and a rather useful result obtained from the collinear crack solutions is that the strain energy release rates for multiple cracks in bonded orthotropic materials with or without an interfacial layer may be predicted by using the results obtained for an isotropic homogeneous plane provided that the normalization factors are selected properly.
Rat enterocyte cultures on human amniotic membranes

Abstract Background Rat enterocytes were cultured on human amniotic membranes. Methods Intestine of neonatal DA rats was digested using collagenase and dispase according to the technique developed by Evans. The harvested enterocytes were cultured on human amniotic membranes using standard cell culture techniques. Results After the second day of culture, some intestinal epithelial units started to gradually detach from the membrane, dispersing as single cells and disappearing within a few days. On the contrary, other units showed signs of cell proliferation. The cultured cells underwent morphologic changes, survived, and remained attached to the amniotic membrane for 3 weeks. Paraffin sections of the membrane showed cultured cytokeratin-positive cells attached to the membrane as a monolayer. Conclusions Human amniotic cell membranes help to maintain rat enterocytes in culture for a long time period (3 weeks), possibly via secretion of trophic factors. This technique may provide a valuable tool to study the development and the properties of these epithelial cells in a culture environment.
Grades and College Students' Evaluations of Their Courses and Teachers.

From a review of existing research, it is concluded that college students' anticipated or actual grades in class are positively related to their evaluation of their courses and teachers. In general, the size of the association is small but not unimportant. A student's overall grade-point average appears to have little or no relationship to teacher or course evaluation, although limited evidence shows that a discrepancy between a student's grade-point average and his or her grade in a class is related to evaluations. Also, teacher- or course-induced interest in the subject is positively associated with evaluation, as are students' perceptions of the amount they have learned in a class and their performance on “objective” or standardized tests of achievement. Although it is thus possible that either these or other motivational and learning variables may account for the relationship between grades and evaluation, there is no evidence one way or the other that this indeed is the case. In all, currently available evidence cannot be taken as definitely establishing a bias in teacher evaluation due to the grades students receive or expect to receive in their courses, but neither is it presently possible to rule out such bias.
Secondary Interference in the Fresnel Zone of Gratings

The Fresnel zone of optical gratings—the region behind the grating where secondary interference between the light coming through the different openings produces real images of the grating—can be understood by comparison with other types of wave phenomena. In the Fresnel zone of light diffracted by an optical grating, different types of amplitude modulation of the wave front are observable. Gratings of stationary ultrasonic waves, being phase gratings to the light passing through them, produce similar, though not identical Fresnel patterns. Between the planes in which the secondary interference patterns are true images of the gratings, the modulation changes from amplitude to phase modulation. This change can be demonstrated by an ultrasonic wave analog. Patterns formed by the diffraction of ultrasonic waves by an amplitude grating are given. Similar patterns in surface waves are given for both the phase grating and the amplitude grating analog.
WebCAT: Enhancement through Analysis of Additional Data

Since the year 2000, the University of Virginia Systems and Information Engineering Department has been working with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (VDCJS) on WebCAT, the Web-Based Crime Analysis Toolkit. WebCAT provides users with crime analysis tools ranging from data query options to graphs and reports generation. Previously, WebCAT allowed users to analyze incident occurrences, such as robberies or kidnappings. The authors have expanded the analysis tools of WebCAT to include arrests, calls for service, offenses, people, and warrants data types. The addition of these data types provides users with analysis capabilities beyond the previous version of WebCAT. For each additional data type, the authors adapted previous WebCAT tools, and created new took specific to each data type. User testing has shown that these additions either drastically reduced the time required to conduct common analysis tasks, or provided the user with analysis options that they did not have before.
Ionization Cross Section of Argon-Argon Collisions near Threshold

The ionization cross section of argon-argon collisions near threshold is calculated by using a semiclassical method. The wave function of the eight electrons in the $M$ shell is obtained approximately by considering the core as having an atomic number of eight. Products of hydrogenic functions are used for the eight $M$ electrons with the screening constants of Slater. The agreement between theory and experiment is satisfactory.
Heat Capacity Associated with Phase Transitions in Micellar Cesium Perfluoro-Octanoate Solutions

We have carried out a study of the ordering of cesium perfluoro-octanoate (CsPFO) micelles in water using high-resolution ac calorimetric techniques and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Aqueous solutions of CsPFO undergo two order-disorder phase transitions: a second-order nematic-smectic A (or lamellar) transition and a very weakly first-order nematic-isotropic transition. Small excess heat capacity peaks associated with each of these transitions have been observed for solutions that are 41 wt% CsPFO and 65 wt% CsPFO. The integrated transition enthalpy \(\int{\varDelta}C_{\text{p}}{\text{d}}T\) for the N-SmA transition is about 0.14 J g -1 (Joule per gram of CsPFO solute) at 65 wt% and about 0.10 J g -1 at 41 wt%. No qualitative difference was observed in the character of these Δ C p (N-SmA) peaks in spite of a reported change in the transition from second order at 41 wt% to tricritical near 65 wt%. The integrated transition enthalpy was larger for the N-I transition: about 0.23 J g -1 at 65 wt% ...
The Effects of Evaluating Video Examples of Staffs' Own Versus Others' Performance on Discrete-Trial Training Skills in a Human Service Setting

Many studies have been conducted evaluating the use of feedback in staff training in organizational settings. Central to this literature has been the use of a variety of forms of feedback, including videotaped feedback. A distinction is outlined between video modeling and a variety of possible video feedback procedures. Previous studies have indicated a possible positive training effect on staff skills from simply being exposed to relevant videotaped performances of those skills or as a result of evaluating video modeled performances. This study evaluated the effectiveness for training teaching skills of having staff evaluate videotaped teaching skills as performed by themselves versus others. The current study results replicate earlier research on the effectiveness of evaluating video models as a training method and do not suggest a difference between observing oneself as opposed to observing someone else. Future research suggestions for the general use of video in training are provided.
Private Equity and Academic Education

Given the rapid changes in traditional and alternative investments, education remains a primary focus for all investors. Both professional and academic courses provide a means for investors to learn the basics of the alternative investment area as well as more advanced subjects of interest to the alternative asset investor. In this issue, we concentrate on several academic sites on courses which concentrate primarily on private equity. Other websites which focus on other areas of educational interest will be covered in future issues.
Changing career attitudes and corporate governance in Japan

Purpose – Japan is well known for having a strong stakeholder environment. However, a more than ten‐year recession and globalization pressures have put a strain on many aspects of the country's approach to corporate governance. The main goal of this paper is to investigate institutional change by examining the perceptions and expectations of an important stakeholder in the Japanese corporate governance arena.Design/methodology/approach – In this bottom‐up approach to corporate governance analysis, surveys were collected on employees’ perceptions of national and firm level developments in order to verify to what extent their views had an impact on their career management attitudes. Factor analysis and multiple regression techniques were used to test a number of research propositions.Findings – The results showed that although there is still strong support for a within‐company success orientation (stakeholder view) in Japan, there are a growing number of employees who prefer a personal career success orient...
Immunoprecipitation of the in vitro translation product of rabbit muscle protein phosphatase C-I mRNA

Rabbit muscle polyA + mRNA was translated in vitro using a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system in the presence of [ 35 S]methionine. A mouse monoclonal antibody to the catalytic subunit of rabbit muscle phosphorylase phosphatase (“phosphatase C-I”) was used to immunoprecipitate the products which were then analyzed by SDS-PAGE and autoradiography. These studies showed that the major product of the phosphatase mRNA is a single ca . 36 kDa polypeptide. These findings are significant in view of suggestions that the catalytic subunit is derived from a larger precursor, and in view of the molecular cloning of two cDNAs for the phosphatase, which encode polypeptides of 35.4 kDa and 37.5 kDa, respectively.
Teaching of optics and photonics in a college astronomy course

Astronomy is among the most popular courses that students select to fulfill their college science requirement at Queensborough Community College, New York City. Recent advances in photonics now enable us to observe celestial objects from exoplanets to ultra deep space galaxies that are 13 billion light years away. These results are regularly reported in the popular press such as the New York Times and “Sky & Telescope” magazine. We upgraded our astronomy course to keep pace with these advances in optics and photonics. The laboratory hands-on exercises include observations in our observatory using a telescope with digital camera and CCD; spectrum analysis with grating; Java photonics simulation delivered over the Internet; the use of virtual instruments in optics and photonics written with Labview. Advanced techniques such as interferometry are also included as demonstrations in the laboratory. Light is described light as an electromagnetic wave to avoid confusion with the dictionary description. As a result of these teaching designs, the students gain a clearer understanding of the optics and photonics basis of the astronomy instrumentation reported in popular articles.
Effect of boundary radiation on thermal stabilitv in horizontal layers

Abstract Thermal radiation across radiatively non-participating horizontal fluid layers increases the critical Rayleigh number by affecting the thermal boundary conditions. Modification of the convective boundary condition by radiation can be characterized by two modified Biot numbers that include a radiative contribution. Disturbance amplitude ratios needed to calculate the modified Biot numbers are presented. The wave number of the most unstable disturbance is shown to depend primarily on critical Rayleigh number and only weakly on the ratio of the modified Biot numbers, thus facilitating engineering applications.
Crosscutting relations and relative ages of ridges and faults in the Tharsis region of Mars

The results of a detailed photogeologic analysis and classification of ridge-fault cross-cutting relationships on ridged plains units of the Tharsis region is reported. The problems involved in using the morphology of ridge-fault intersections to determine relative timing of structural events are discussed. The implications of using intersection angles as well as morphology to determine possible age relationships for the tectonic history of the region are presented. It is concluded that the major ridge-forming events in the Tharsis region were roughly coincident with, and possibly prior to, the extensional events that produced the faulting of the Tempe and Mareotis regions, the Coprates and Memnonia regions, and the rifting of the Valles Marineris. The compressional events that formed most of the ridges are restricted in time both by their relationship to regional extensional events and by the age of the units on which they formed.
Drug use expectancies among nonabstinent community cocaine users.

Abstract Previous research has shown that one's expectations about the effects of using a particular substance (i.e., substance use expectancies) are associated with the quantity and frequency of actual use. An extensive literature supports the importance of expectancies in predicting alcohol use, but less is known about the association between expectancies and use of other substances. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the association between cocaine expectancies and frequency of use in a heterogeneous community sample of drug users. Participants were 157 self-identified primary cocaine users recruited from the community as part of a hepatitis prevention study. Participants completed a structured interview that assessed demographic variables, current and past drug use, and drug expectancies. Results from multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that frequency of cocaine use was positively associated with higher expectation that drug use would increase social and physical pleasure (OR = 1.67, p p
Modulation of Mu Suppression in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Response to Familiar or Unfamiliar Stimuli: The Mirror Neuron Hypothesis.

In an early description of the mu rhythm, Gastaut and Bert [Gastaut, H. J., & Bert, J. (1954). EEG changes during cinematographic presentation. Clinical Neurophysiology, 6, 433–444] noted that it was blocked when an individual identified himself with an active person on the screen, suggesting that it may be modulated by the degree to which the individual can relate to the observed action. Additionally, multiple recent studies suggest that the mirror neurons system (MNS) is impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which may affect their ability to relate to others. The current study aimed to investigate MNS sensitivity by examining mu suppression to familiarity, i.e., the degree to which the observer is able to identify with the actor on the screen by using familiar versus unfamiliar actors. The participants viewed four 80 s videos that included: (1) stranger: an unfamiliar hand performing a grasping action; (2) familiar: the child’s guardian or sibling’s hand performing the same action; (3) own: the participant’s own hand performing the same action; (4) bouncing balls: two balls moving vertically toward and away from each other. The study revealed that mu suppression was sensitive to degree of familiarity. Both typically developing participants and those with ASD showed greater suppression to familiar hands compared to those of strangers. These findings suggest that the MNS responds to observed actions in individuals with ASD, but only when individuals can identify in some personal way with the stimuli. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A modular and extensible macroprogramming compiler

Translation of a macroprogram to node-level microprograms is a complex and challenging task for a compiler. Developing of a robust macroprogramming compiler framework poses a unique challenge because users need to create optimized function decompositions, in a modular way, such that they can be composed with other compiler functionality such as optimization and debugging. This differs from most compilers because they typically employ a fixed set of code optimizations for a particular target platform. We present a macroprogramming compiler for MacroLab which has a modular architecture that provides users with a two layer interface: one to tackle user created optimized function decompositions and another to handle low-level compiler modifications. Our results show that the introduction of new decompositions and compiler optimizations can be accomplished with a small number of lines of code and typically written in a matter of hours.
Monte Carlo modeling of time-resolved fluorescence for depth-selective interrogation of layered tissue

Computational approaches for simulation of light-tissue interactions have provided extensive insight into biophotonic procedures for diagnosis and therapy. However, few studies have addressed simulation of time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) in tissue and none have combined Monte Carlo simulations with standard TRF processing algorithms to elucidate approaches for cancer detection in layered biological tissue. In this study, we investigate how illumination-collection parameters (e.g., collection angle and source-detector separation) influence the ability to measure fluorophore lifetime and tissue layer thickness. Decay curves are simulated with a Monte Carlo TRF light propagation model. Multi-exponential iterative deconvolution is used to determine lifetimes and fractional signal contributions. The ability to detect changes in mucosal thickness is optimized by probes that selectively interrogate regions superficial to the mucosal-submucosal boundary. Optimal accuracy in simultaneous determination of lifetimes in both layers is achieved when each layer contributes 40-60% of the signal. These results indicate that depth-selective approaches to TRF have the potential to enhance disease detection in layered biological tissue and that modeling can play an important role in probe design optimization.
A pore-scale investigation of a multiphase porous media system.

Pore-scale processes govern fundamental behavior in multiphase porous media systems. A high-resolution, three-dimensional image of the interior of a multiphase porous media system was obtained using synchrotron X-ray tomography. The system was imaged at a resolution of 12.46 μm following entrapment of the nonwetting phase at residual saturation. First, the physically representative network structure of the porous media system is extracted from the void space. This provides a direct mapping of the pore bodies and throats and enables pore-level calculations of coordination numbers, aspect ratios, and pore body and throat correlations. Next, algorithms developed to calculate properties of the entrapped nonwetting phase, such as volume, sphericity, interfacial area, and orientation, are applied to the residual nonwetting phase blobs. Finally, correlations between the pore network structure and nonwetting phase characteristics are examined. As expected, it was found that the nonwetting phase was trapped primarily in the largest pore spaces, the pore bodies with the highest aspect ratios, and the pore bodies with the highest coordination numbers. This work shows that, while there may be limitations related to the ability to capture REV-sized domains for some of the multiphase flow properties and phenomena, high-resolution X-ray tomography is able to provide the high quality datasets needed to observe and quantify the pore-scale phenomena and processes that govern multiphase flow in unconsolidated porous media systems.
Proton magnetic resonance studies of butadiene-1,3 and some of its derivatives

Abstract The proton magnetic resonance (pmr) spectra of butadiene-1,3, 2-methoxybutadiene-1,3, 2-t-butyl-butadiene-1,3, and 2,3-dichlorobutadiene-1,3 have been obtained and analyzed at 60 Mc/sec with deuterated species of butadiene-1,3 being used to facilitate the analysis. The chemical shifts for 2,3-dimethylbutadiene-1,3 are also reported. The pmr parameters for the entire series of compounds are compared and discussed in terms of electron densities, s-cis and s-trans isomerism, and anisotropy. For the dienes studied here, an approximately linear relationship has been found between the proton chemical shift at the 4-trans-position and the log of the Diels-Alder rate constant for addition to maleic anhydride.
FACILITATING THE MAINTENANCE OF SAFETY-CRITICAL SYSTEMS

As software is increasingly used to control safety-critical systems, correctness becomes paramount. Formal methods in software development provide many benefits in the forward engineering aspect of software development. Reverse engineering is the process of constructing a high-level representation of a system from existing lower level instanti-ations of that system. Reverse engineering of program code into formal specifications facilitates the utilization of the benefits of formal methods in projects where formal methods may not have previously been used, thus facilitating the maintenance of safety-critical systems.
What Does the No Child Left Behind Act Mean to Early Childhood Teacher Educators?: A Call for a Collective Professional Rejoinder

This article is a call to become more critically aware of the new law commonly referred to as No Child Left Behind Act, which was put into effect in 2002 in the United States. The article is also an invitation to early childhood educators worldwide to engage in a dialogue that raises several questions: (a) How does such legislation affect early childhood educators and teacher preparation programs?; (b) How might teacher educators react and respond to the new law as they continuously practice informed decision-making about teacher preparation that is socially responsible? In view of these questions, it is a hope that we can see the initiation of nationwide dialogue regarding the issue of the No Child Left Behind Act. Primarily, how does the new law affect teacher educators and teachers? It is inevitable for us to be united and politically informed to prevent further scrutiny of questionable politically and economically driven educational practices in the United States, not to mention “test-heavy” evidence-based education reform.
TREATMENT WITH RECOMBINANT METHIONYL GROWTH HORMONE OF HYPOPITUITARY PATIENTS PREVIOUSLY TREATED WITH PITUITARY GROWTH HOROMONE

Sixteen patients (15m, 1f) with growth hormone (GH) deficiency were treated with methionyl GH (Somatrem, Lilly) for one year after previous therapy with pituitary GH. Mean duration of treatment with pituitary GH was 5,5±3.3 yrs (x±SD), this treatment was interrupted for 0,4 yrs on average before onset of Somatrem therapy. AL this time chronological age was 15,1 ± 3,8 yrs, bono age was 12,3±2,7 yrs and height was -2,8±1,1 SD. Somatrem dose was 0,16U/kg i.m. 3 times weekly. The protocol was approved by the ethical committee and informed consent was obtained. Growth velocities during the various periods were: last, year on pituitary GH: 7,3±1,9 cm/yr; interval without treatment: 2,3±0,9 cm/yr; first 6 months on Somatrem: 7,5±1,2 cm/yr; second 6 months on Somatrem: 6,6±1,9 cm/yr. Bone-age-related growth velocity during Somatrem treatment was high indicating catch up growth even in this advanced age group. Bono age did not proceed unduly during treatment (0,96 “years”/yr). The height deficit decreased from -2,8 to -2,1 SD. There was no indication of glucose intolerance. Mean somatomedin concentrations increased significantly. GH-antibodies demonstrated a slight decrease from onset to 6 months of therapy and no sample was evaluated as positive; however, one patient with allergic diathesis developed increacing titers but continued to grow well. No patient developed significant E.coii polypeptide-antibodies. In conclusion, Somatrem is equipment to pituitary GH in its growth promoting action. In contrast to the high percentage of GH-antibodies found in previously untreated patients, Somatrem did not induce antibodies in patients pretreated with pituitary GH due to a hitherto unknown mechanism.
The effects of induced nausea upon shock-elicited aggression

Albino rats were used to investigate the effects of a nausea-inducing drug (lithium chloride) upon shock-elicited aggression. Of the five groups of Ss, one received lithium chloride only, one shock only, and the remaining three groups received different levels of the injected drug plus shock. Results indicated that small amounts of the nausea-inducing drug increased aggressive responding, while larger amounts inhibited aggression. Neither simple restraint nor the drug without shock were sufficient to elicit biting responses.
Large Circular Dichroism Ellipticities for N-Templated Helical Polypeptides Are Inconsistent with Currently Accepted Helicity Algorithms.

Anunprecedented, highdegreeofhelicity as judged by CD spectroscopy is observed in N-templated model peptides of the type AcHel-(Ala4Lys)nAla2-NH2 (AcHel-Ala peptide pictured; AcHel is an N-terminal helix-inducing template for polypeptides). These results raise concern over the current methods for determining 100 % helicity.
Measurement and analysis of the plastic films green supply chain performance

The uncertainty of data and weighting of variables are prima facie problems to model the green supply chain (GrSC) performance. The paper modelled GrSC performance of plastic film by fuzzy logic analysis-fuzzy analytic network process approach to overcome these hurdles. Fuzzy logic analysis is used to derive fuzzy score of variables using MATLAB. Further, fuzzy analytic network process is used to calculate global weights of variables. Thus, green score of supply chain performance for plastic film is computed as 28.83. Green supply chain performance analysis of plastic films is done for present status and computed as 48.62. The solutions developed by author’s viz. adoption of best practices for blown film extrusion process and ‘design for environment’ tool for segregating MSW at source are analysed. It is found that, if the tools adopted simultaneously, the GrSC performance score resulted in 27.38. This is well below green score making the plastic film industry environment friendly. Approach is suitable fo...
Optic nerve‐dependent changes in adult frog tectal cell phenotypes

Optic nerve activity helps determine the placement of retinal ganglion cell terminals in the optic tectum of the frog. We investigated whether the presence of this nerve might also influence a characteristic of its target structure, neurotransmitter biosynthesis. We performed unilateral optic nerve transections on adult animals and assayed the percent and intensity of substance P- and serotoninlike immunoreactive (SP-ir and 5-HT-ir, respectively) cells in the deafferented and afferented tectal lobes. Regeneration of the optic nerve was prevented. The percent of SP-ir cells in the afferented tectal lobes was significantly less than that in the deafferented ones either 6 weeks or 5 months following optic nerve lesion. Comparison to normal animals indicated that the change in SP-ir expression was due to a decrease in the percent of immunoreactive cells in the afferented tecta ipsilateral to the optic nerve lesion. The serotoninlike immunoreactivity of tectal cells was also significantly different in the two lobes following optic nerve lesions. This difference resulted from an increase in the percent of 5-HT-ir cells in the deafferented tectum. In addition, the intensity of 5-HT-ir cells in the deafferented lobe was significantly greater than in the afferented one. The staining intensity of SP-ir cells underwent only a transient, relative decrease in the deafferented tectum. We conclude that the optic nerve does regulate substance P and serotonin expression in the tectum, but that this regulation likely occurs through different pathways.
Post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant immunization practices in the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium.

Background A survey of National Marrow Donor Program transplant centers in 1995 demonstrated a wide range of immunization practices in post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients, which led to the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for vaccination after HSCT. We surveyed the principal investigators of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC) to identify immunization practice patterns after HSCT and assess compliance with the 2000 CDC guidelines. Procedure Approval was obtained from the Medical University of South Carolina Institutional Review Board. A 33 question survey using surveymonkey.com was distributed by email to principal investigators in the PBMTC. Results Forty-one (40%) of the 102 pediatric HSCT centers participating in the PBMTC responded. Thirty of the responding centers completed the entire survey. For individual vaccines, compliance with the CDC guidelines ranged from 22% to 93%. Less than 20% of the centers reported schedules consistent with the 2000 CDC recommendations for both allogeneic and autologous HSCT recipients. Conclusion Despite the 2000 CDC guidelines, wide variation in post-HSCT immunization practices still exists. Updated guidelines have been needed, particularly to address the use of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. In conjunction with multiple other groups, the CDC recently released new immunization guidelines in October 2009. Additional data are still needed to adequately address the utility of incorporating immunologic parameters with the timing of vaccination after HSCT. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2010;54:970–975 © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Emotion and the Ultimate Attribution Error

The influence of specific emotions (fear and anger) on the ultimate attribution error was investigated. Participants were recruited from an undergraduate population. There were 420 participants (156 male) with a mean age of 19.26 years. Participants took part in an online study. The study identified participants’ political in-groups (Democrat or Republican), induced them to feel an emotion (fear, anger, or neutral), and asked them to make an attribution (dispositional or circumstantial control) for the good or bad behaviors of Democratic or Republican politicians. Results revealed an ultimate attribution error (participants made in-group favoring/out-group derogating attributions), and an influence of emotion over the pattern of attributions made within this attribution error. The hypothesis that the valence of emotions influences attributions within the ultimate attribution error was supported. No support was found for the hypothesis that appraisal dimensions of emotions influence attributions within the ultimate attribution error. Theoretical implications and future directions were discussed.
3He superfluidity in the presence of aerogel

Abstract Aerogels introduce disorder into the p-wave-paired superfluid 3 He and suppress Tc. Quantifiable (by small angle X-ray scattering) differences in the long-range structure of two identical density aerogels are primarily responsible for their different transition temperatures. We also demonstrate that alteration of the short-range correlations by the addition of 4 He does not strongly affect Tc. Acoustic measurements of the fast and slow modes of 3 He in aerogel are described. These can be used to explore the superfluid component. We also outline future prospects.