cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Nonlinear Control With Contraction Metrics

This letter derives direct adaptive control algorithms for nonlinear systems nominally contracting in closed-loop, but subject to structured parametric uncertainty. The approach is more general than methods based on feedback linearization or backstepping as it does not require invertibility or the system be in strict-feedback form. More broadly, it can be combined with learned controllers that must remain effective in the presence of structured parametric uncertainty. Simulation results illustrate the approach on a system with extended matched uncertainty.
Hypoxia: Friend or Foe for drug delivery in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most lethal solid tumors with an overall five-year survival rate of that has only just reached 10%. The tumor microenvironment of PDAC is characterized by desmoplasia, which consist of dense stroma of fibroblasts and inflammatory cells, resulting in a hypoxic environment due to limited oxygen diffusion through the tumor. Hypoxia contributes to the aggressive tumor biology by promoting tumor progression, malignancy, and promoting resistance to conventional and targeted therapeutic agents. In depth research in the area has identified that hypoxia modulates the tumor biology through hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs), which not only are the key determinant of pancreatic malignancy but also an important target for therapy. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in understanding hypoxia driven phenotypes, which are responsible for the highly aggressive and metastatic characteristics of pancreatic cancer, and how hypoxia can be exploited as a target for drug delivery.
Ameritech in the Philippines: Failure to Adjust to Filipino Cultural Norms?

An American computer supply company moves its operations to the Philippines in an effort to be more cost competitive but experiences cultural shock as it attempts to institute greater efficiency. The case details the struggles of the plant manager, William Dawson, as he learns the challenges of managing the "Filipino way." The case includes issues such as pakikisama, face saving, and collectivist behavior.
Dissecting the transcriptional regulation of proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin biosynthesis in soybean ( Glycine max )

Proanthocyanidins (PAs), also known as condensed tannins, are plant natural products that are beneficial for human and livestock health. As one of the largest grown crops in the world, soybean (Glycine max) is widely used as human food and animal feed. Many cultivated soybeans with yellow seed coats lack PAs or anthocyanins, although some soybean cultivars have coloured seed coats that contain these compounds. Here, we analyse the transcriptional control of PA and anthocyanin biosynthesis in soybean. Ectopic expression of the transcription factors (TFs) GmTT2A, GmTT2B, GmMYB5A or R in soybean hairy roots induced the accumulation of PAs (primarily in phloem tissues) or anthocyanins and led to up-regulation of 1775, 856, 1411 and 1766 genes, respectively, several of which encode enzymes involved in PA biosynthesis. The genes regulated by GmTT2A and GmTT2B partially overlapped, suggesting conserved but potentially divergent roles for these two TFs in regulating PA accumulation in soybean. The two key enzymes anthocyanidin reductase and leucoanthocyanidin reductase were differentially upregulated, by GmTT2A/GmTT2B and GmMYB5A, respectively. Transgenic soybean plants overexpressing GmTT2B or MtLAP1 (a proven up-regulator of the upstream reactions for production of precursors for PA biosynthesis in legumes) showed increased accumulation of PAs and anthocyanins, respectively, associated with transcriptional reprogramming paralleling the RNA-seq data collected in soybean hairy roots. Collectively, our results show that engineered PA biosynthesis in soybean exhibits qualitative and spatial differences from the better-studied model systems Arabidopsis thaliana and Medicago truncatula, and suggest targets for engineering PAs in soybean plants.
The dark footprint of state violence: A synthetic approach to the American crime decline

This project combines the conversation on the national crime rate with emerging discussions on the violence that the state perpetrates against civilians. To measure US lethal violence holistically,...
Team-Based Learning

Sweet defines Team-Based Learning (TBL) as “a special form of collaborative learning using a specific sequence of individual work, group work and immediate feedback to create a motivational framework in which students increasingly hold each other accountable for coming to class prepared and contributing to discussion” [1]. Beyond just the acquisition of knowledge, TBL promotes the application of knowledge. More specifically, TBL is designed to spur what the faculty want learners to do, more so than what they want learners to know. This strategy can be applied to any discipline and has been adopted in many health professions curricula.
Biobehavioral correlates of an fMRI index of striatal tissue iron in depressed patients.

Dopaminergic function is a critical transdiagnostic neurophysiological dimension with broad relevance in psychiatry. Normalized T2*-weighted (nT2*w) imaging has been previously investigated as a method to quantify biological properties of tissue in the striatum (e.g., tissue iron), providing a widely available, in vivo marker with potential relevance to dopaminergic function; but no prior study to our knowledge has examined this neuroimaging marker in clinical depression. In a treatment-seeking, clinically depressed sample (n = 110), we quantified tissue iron (nT2*w) in striatal regions. We assessed test-retest reliability and correlated values with dimensional features across levels of analysis, including demographic/biological (sex, age, Body Mass Index), neuroanatomical (hippocampal atrophy, which was quantified using a recently validated machine-learning algorithm), and performance-based (Affective Go/NoGo task performance) indices with relevance to depressive neurocognition. Across patients, decreased tissue iron concentration (as indexed by higher nT2*w) in striatal regions correlated with indices of decreased cognitive-affective function on the Affective Go/NoGo task. Greater caudate nT2*w also correlated with greater hippocampal atrophy. Striatal tissue iron concentrations were robustly lower in female patients than males but gender differences did not explain relations with other neurocognitive variables. A widely available fMRI index of striatal tissue properties, which exhibited strong psychometric properties and can be readily quantified from most fMRI datasets irrespective of study-specific features such as task design, showed relevance to multiple biobehavioral markers of pathophysiology in the context of moderate-to-severe, treatment-resistant depression. Striatal tissue iron may play a role in dimensional and subgroup-specific features of depression, with implications for future research on depression heterogeneity.
Faster $p$-Norm Regression Using Sparsity.

For a matrix $A\in \mathbb{R}^{n\times d}$ with $n\geq d$, we consider the dual problems of $\min \|Ax-b\|_p^p, \, b\in \mathbb{R}^n$ and $\min_{A^\top x=b} \|x\|_p^p,\, b\in \mathbb{R}^d$. We improve the runtimes for solving these problems to high accuracy for every $p>1$ for sufficiently sparse matrices. We show that recent progress on fast sparse linear solvers can be leveraged to obtain faster than matrix-multiplication algorithms for any $p > 1$, i.e., in time $\tilde{O}(pn^\theta)$ for some $\theta < \omega$, the matrix multiplication constant. We give the first high-accuracy input sparsity $p$-norm regression algorithm for solving $\min \|Ax-b\|_p^p$ with $1 < p \leq 2$, via a new row sampling theorem for the smoothed $p$-norm function. This algorithm runs in time $\tilde{O}(\text{nnz}(A) + d^4)$ for any $1<p\leq 2$, and in time $\tilde{O}(\text{nnz}(A) + d^\theta)$ for $p$ close to $2$, improving on the previous best bound where the exponent of $d$ grows with $\max\{p, p/(p-1)\}$.
Carcass Lipid Iodine Values Taken from Three Carcass Sites are Affected by Dietary Fat Level and Source during the Finishing Period

The inclusion of unsaturated fats in pig diets has raised issues related to pork carcass lipid quality. The objective of this experiment was to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how dietary fat affects the composition of body fat during the finishing period and at market. A total of 42 gilts and 21 barrows (PIC 337 X C22/29) with an average initial weight of 77.8±3.06 kg were allotted based on sex and weight to 7 treatments: 3 and 6% of each of tallow (TAL; iodine value (IV)=41.9), choice white grease (CWG; IV=66.5) or corn oil (CO; IV=123.1), and a control (CNTR) corn-soy based diet with no added fat. Pigs were individually housed to track dietary fat and energy intake. Pigs were weighed and adipose samples were collected from the jowl, belly, and loin on days 0, 18, and 35 and at harvest. Iodine value was determined on diet and carcass lipid samples. Belly weights were recorded at harvest along with a subjective belly firmness score (1-3 with 1 firmest and 3 least firm) 24 h post-mortem. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED and PROC CORR. Carcass lipid IV was affected by source (TAL=66.8, CWG=70.3, CO=76.3, CNTR=65.4; P<0.0001). Carcass lipid IV for TAL and CWG was not affected by inclusion level; however, CO was affected by level (3%=72.6, 6%=80.0; P<0.0001). Carcass lipid IV was also affected by sex (barrows=69.1, gilts=71.5; P<0.001). The correlation between carcass lipid IV and dietary lipid IV was R2=0.592. Belly weight was increased by inclusion level (CNRT=8.3 kg, 3%=8.8 kg, 6%=9.4 kg; P<=0.02). Belly firmness score was affected by source (CNTR=1.8, TAL=1.7, CWG=2.0, CO=2.2; P<0.05) and sex (barrows=1.6, gilts=2.3; P<0.0001). ADG was increased by inclusion level (CNTR=0.93 kg, 3%=1.04 kg, 6%=1.10 kg; P<0.02). G:F was also improved by inclusion level (CNTR=0.301, 3%=0.337, 6%=0.358; P<0.01). In conclusion, an increase of dietary fat can improve feed efficiency and performance. Dietary fat sources that are highly unsaturated will increase carcass fat IV in a dose dependent manner.
Numbers, measurements, and numerical mathematics

This chapter begins by stating that the first application of mathematics to chemistry deals with various physical quantities that have numerical values. It introduces the correct use of numerical values to represent measured physical quantities and the use of numerical mathematics to calculate values of other quantities. Such values generally consist of a number and a unit of measurement, and both parts of the value must be manipulated correctly. It also introduces the use of significant digits to communicate the probable accuracy of the measured value. The factor-label method, which is a routine method of expressing a measured quantity in terms of a different unit of measurement, is reviewed in the chapter. The principal facts and ideas behind the numbers and units are first listed. Numbers and measurements in the context used by chemists are discussed in this section. Real numbers, integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, imaginary units, and vectors are also described in this part of the chapter. Measurements, accuracy, and significant digits are also detailed as a significant part of the chapter. Scientific notation and rounding are also discussed in this section. The chapter also describes numerical mathematical operations, units of measurement, numerical calculations, and the factor-label method.
RMR Estimation Model Accuracy Using Air Displacement Plethysmography–Derived Body Composition Measures in Young Adults

Objective: Predictive equations derived from regression techniques based on large samples are extensively utilized in estimating resting metabolic rate (RMR). Body composition assessments utilize model equations to estimate RMR. However, the agreement of these predictive models with indirect calorimetery (IC) has come into question. Our aim is to investigate the agreement of RMR estimation models using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) measures against a gas exchange IC system (RMR-C).Methods: Sixty-six participants (25 men, 41 women) completed the study. RMR measurements were obtained from IC and ADP within 10 minutes of one another. IC RMR estimates were tested against 9 other validated models using ADP measures via analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques with multiple comparisons testing and Bland-Altman analysis.Results: Based on the ANOVA, the Nelson (1992) model underpredicted RMR compared to IC (p < 0.001). The Dore et al. (1982) model was the best predictor of RMR compared to the IC measures ...
PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY, AND THE SUB-BOARDS

MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN about the "crisis" in Pediatrics in recent years. The pages of this journal were filled at one time with discussions on the New Pediatrics, and still a sporadic Letter to the Editor reveals the soul-searching of a colleague. It may perhaps be timely to comment upon formal subspecialization, a type of New Pediatrics, representing a career opportunity for a limited number of physicians. My remarks will obviously pertain principally to the Sub-board of Pediatric Cardiology, though I understand that they are more or less pertinent to the Allergy Sub-board as well. The first question to be answered is, why is a Sub-board necessary?
Assessing ENSO Simulations and Predictions Using Adjoint Ocean State Estimation

Simulations and seasonal forecasts of tropical Pacific SST and subsurface fields that are based on the global Consortium for Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) ocean-state estimation procedure are investigated. As compared to similar results from a traditional ENSO simulation and forecast procedure, the hindcast of the constrained ocean state is significantly closer to observed surface and subsurface conditions. The skill of the 12-month lead SST forecast in the equatorial Pacific is comparable in both approaches. The optimization appears to have better skill in the SST anomaly correlations, suggesting that the initial ocean conditions and forcing corrections calculated by the ocean-state estimation do have a positive impact on the predictive skill. However, the optimized forecast skill is currently limited by the low quality of the statistical atmosphere. Progress is expected from optimizing a coupled model over a longer time interval with the coupling statistics being part of the control vector.
Programming of Poliovirus Inhibition of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis in HeLa Cells

Ackermann, W. W. (The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), and D. Wahl. Programming of poliovirus inhibition of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in HeLa cells. J. Bacteriol. 92:1051–1054. 1966.—Deletion of arginine from a culture medium reduced the rate of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis in uninfected HeLa cells. The normal rate was promptly restored by addition of arginine. Deletion of arginine also prevented poliovirus from inhibiting DNA synthesis in HeLa cells. However, the inhibitory potential of the infection and the capacity of the host cell for stimulation with regard to DNA synthesis were both retained in arginine-depleted cells which were infected. Upon addition of arginine late in the infection, DNA synthesis was first stimulated and then inhibited.
Standing your ground to exoribonucleases: Function of Flavivirus long non-coding RNAs

Members of the Flaviviridae (e.g., Dengue virus, West Nile virus, and Hepatitis C virus) contain a positive-sense RNA genome that encodes a large polyprotein. It is now also clear most if not all of these viruses also produce an abundant subgenomic long non-coding RNA. These non-coding RNAs, which are called subgenomic flavivirus RNAs (sfRNAs) or Xrn1-resistant RNAs (xrRNAs), are stable decay intermediates generated from the viral genomic RNA through the stalling of the cellular exoribonuclease Xrn1 at highly structured regions. Several functions of these flavivirus long non-coding RNAs have been revealed in recent years. The generation of these sfRNAs/xrRNAs from viral transcripts results in the repression of Xrn1 and the dysregulation of cellular mRNA stability. The abundant sfRNAs also serve directly as a decoy for important cellular protein regulators of the interferon and RNA interference antiviral pathways. Thus the generation of long non-coding RNAs from flaviviruses, hepaciviruses and pestiviruses likely disrupts aspects of innate immunity and may directly contribute to viral replication, cytopathology and pathogenesis.
Engaging Pillow Talk: The Challenges of Studying Communication After Sexual Activity

“Oh, have I got a story for you” is a phrase I’ve grown accustomed to hearing. As a researcher of relationships, such a response is not unexpected, but it was not until I started studying communication that takes place after sexual activity that this reaction became commonplace. Despite the increased visibility of sex in American life (D’Emilio & Freedman, 1997), opportunities for people to talk about sex remain uneven. For example, the sex lives of celebrities are frequent fodder for tabloids, but talking about sex for educational purposes in a classroom setting is often frowned upon. Thus, we live in a society where people learn conflicting ideas about what is and is not appropriate to discuss when it comes to sex.
Serum 2-Methoxyestradiol, an Estrogen Metabolite, is Positively Associated with Serum HDL-C in a Population-Based Sample

Serum HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) is inversely associated with coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke, and atherosclerosis in men and women. Among postmenopausal women, oral conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) increases serum HDL-C. This is due to activation of hepatic nuclear estrogen receptors, resulting in increased HDL-C expression, as well as modulation of proteins which metabolize HDL-C. 2-methoxyestradiol (2-MeOE2), an estrogen metabolite, has several vasculoprotective effects and may play a role in HDL-C production. 2-MeOE2 inhibits HMG-CoA reductase in vitro but no study has examined the relationship between serum 2-MeOE2 and serum HDL-C. A population-based sample provided information regarding demographic characteristics and use of antihyperlipidemic medications. Serum was analyzed for 17β-estradiol (E2), estrogen metabolites (EMs), and lipoproteins. Results included serum EM data from 51 men and 47 postmenopausal women. Preliminary analysis revealed no correlation between 2-MeOE2 and serum HDL-C in men so the current analysis includes only women (N = 40) with no missing demographic, medication, EM, or lipoprotein data. Linear regression revealed that serum 2-MeOE2 and antihyperlipidemic medications were positively associated with serum HDL-C (β = 0.276, P = 0.043, and β = 0.307, P = 0.047, respectively) when age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index were held constant. Prospective studies are needed to determine if 2-MeOE2 is causally related to HDL-C in women.
Impedance spectroscopy of single chamber SOFC

Abstract The mechanism of operation of a single chamber solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), where a mixture of fuel and oxidant is utilized, is not completely understood. In this study, electrolyte supported single chamber SOFCs consisting of lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite cathode, yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte and nickel cermet anode have been fabricated and investigated in the intermediate temperature range (500–700 °C) using propane–air mixtures as fuel. An attempt has been made to separate the cathode and anode overpotentials on the fuel cell performance using impedance spectroscopy and utilizing different anode compositions. Low and high frequency relaxations of impedance data were attributed to the anode and cathode overpotentials, respectively.
The Boston Ocular Surface Prosthesis as a Novel Drug Delivery System for Bevacizumab

Corneal neovascularization causes deterioration of visual acuity and increases surface irregularities. Various techniques have been employed to help control the progression of corneal neovascularization; bevacizumab is a medication that targets the specific pathway of corneal neovascularization. The Boston Ocular Surface Prosthesis (BOSP) is a large diameter contact lens that aids in maintaining corneal surface integrity and may serve as a delivery system for topical bevacizumab. This paper reviews five patients who were treated with topical bevacizumab in their BOSP. All patients demonstrated improvement in their visual acuity and clinical exam. No adverse reactions were noted.
A study of regenerated synovium after synovectomy of the knee in rheumatoid arthritis.

The knee joints of 12 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were biopsied to study the regenerated synovium 6 months to 6 years after synovectomy. Three of the 12 patients had clinical and microscopic evidence of the recurrence of rheumatoid inflammation. Biopsies in the remaining 9 patients all showed mild-to-moderate synovitis. In 4 of these 9 patients who were biopsied at intervals of 31/2 to 6 years after synovectomy, microscopic features of rheumatoid inflammation were quantitatively less severe than those observed in the initial specimens.
A Concise Report of Family and Consumer Sciences Graduate Research Productivity Reported for 2007

Twenty-three universities reported 149 master's level theses and 105 doctoral dissertations completed in 2007. There continues to be a gradual decline in the number of universities that report this information each year although data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicate there are increasing numbers of graduate students in the field. This article reports only the theses and dissertations completed and does not report research or other projects completed in nonthesis graduate degree options.
Matroid basis graphs. II

Abstract Several graph-theoretic notions applied to matroid basis graphs in the preceding paper are now tied more specifically to aspects of matroids themselves. Factorizations of basis graphs and disconnections of neighborhood subgraphs are related to matroid separations. Matroids are characterized whose basis graphs have only one or two of the three types of common neighbor subgraphs. The notion of leveling is generalized and related to matroid sums, minors, and duals. Also, the problem of characterizing regular and graphic matroids through their basis graphs is discussed. Throughout, many results are obtained quite easily with the aid of certain pseudo-combivalence systems of 0–1 matrices.
Interface morphology and relaxation in high temperature grown Si 1−x Ge x /Si superlattices

High resolution diffraction is used to investigate the interface morphology and strain relaxation in Si 1-x Ge x /Si superlattices grown at high temperatures. A test structure (ten-period superlattice of 15 nm period length) grown using different deposition rates (0.1-0.4 nm/s), temperatures (420-750°C) and Ge compositions x (0.3-0.46) is examined. Reciprocal space mapping reveals that all these structures, despite their metastability, retain the substrate lattice constant parallel to the surface. However, superlattice features broaden with increasing temperature, growth rate and germanium concentration indicating local variations of the lattice spacing and orientation. Superlattice peaks also exhibit side lobes in reciprocal space, consistent with a lateral undulation of the interfaces. Angle of incidence 113 rocking scans show that the wavelength of the undulation is of the order of 200 nm and tends to increase with growth temperature and decrease with increasing Ge composition or growth rate.
Predicting Patients' Deterioration and Recovery:

The purpose of this study was to identify patient cues that expert nurses identify as a patient moves to/from deterioration and/or recovery. The sample of 33 nurses was drawn from a medical intensive care unit (MICU). Data were collected through interviews regarding nurses' knowledge about caring for patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding, heart failure/post-myocardial infarction, and pulmonary edema. Using the constant comparative technique, cues were identified and grouped into early, imminent, and late patterns for deterioration and into categories of early, midway, and complete for recovery. Rationales for the nurses' decisions included memories of patients with similar cues, using multiple not single cues, and clustering both physiological and psychological cues together. This study is a beginning effort toward validating nurses' intuitiveness and provides knowledge about expert practice that can be taught to novice practitioners and incorporated into protocols for care.
The Great Climate Experiment

The article discusses how climate change and other anthropogenic ecological crises will affect the planet in the future. Topics include how ecologists use historical climate data to produce forecasts about future climate models, how human activity has resulted in the release of nearly 2,000 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, and how increases in carbon dioxide produce a positive feedback loop whereby global warming produces less precipitation. Additional information is presented on how average global temperatures could rise by ten degrees Celsius. INSET: Climate: Past as Future.
Dermatoglyphic patterns in patients with mitral valve prolapse: A clue to pathogenesis

Fingerprints were obtained from 100 patients with mitral valve prolapse and compared with those of 100 control subjects matched for sex and race. Arches were found in 16.8 percent of all digital patterns in patients with mitral valve prolapse but in only 2.5 percent of all digits in the control group. Whereas no patient in the control group had four or more arches, 19 percent of patients with mitral valve prolapse had this finding. In addition, arches were found on 16 and 9 percent, respectively, of digits IV and V in patients with mitral valve prolapse but were not found on these digits in the control group. The finding of four or more arches or arches on digits IV or V may be important supportive evidence of mitral valve prolapse when evaluating patients with atypical chest pain and palpitations. Antenatal factors may be involved in the pathogenesis of mitral valve prolapse since it is possible that a genetic or environmental factor that interferes with the development of the mitral valve may also influence epidermal ridge patterns.
Classical NF-κB Activation Negatively Regulates Noncanonical NF-κB-dependent CXCL12 Expression

Ligation of the lymphotoxin-β receptor (LTβR) by LIGHT (lymphotoxin-related inducible ligand that competes for glycoprotein D binding to herpes virus entry mediator on T cells (TNFSF14)) activates the noncanonical (NC) NF-κB (nuclear factor-κB) pathway and up-regulates CXCL12 gene expression by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). In contrast, TNF only activates classical NF-κB signaling and does not up-regulate CXCL12. To determine whether cross-talk between the classical and NC pathways affects CXCL12 expression, we investigated the effects of TNF on LIGHT signaling in HUVEC. We show here that TNF inhibits both basal and LIGHT-induced CXCL12 expression. Negative regulation by TNF requires the classical NF-κB pathway as inhibition of basal and induced CXCL12 was reversed in HUVEC-expressing dominant negative IκB (inhibitor of NF-κB) kinase (IKK)β (IKKβK44M). TNF did not inhibit the NC NF-κB pathway activation as LIGHT-induced p100 processing to p52 was intact; however, TNF either alone or together with LIGHT up-regulated p100 and RelB expression and induced the nuclear localization of p100-RelB complexes. Enhanced p100 and RelB expression was inhibited by IKKβK44M, which led us to question whether the IκB function of elevated p100 mediates the inhibition of CXCL12 expression by TNF. We retrovirally transduced HUVEC to express p100 at a level similar to that up-regulated by TNF; however, basal and LIGHT-induced CXCL12 expression was normal in the transduced cells. In contrast, ectopic RelB expression recapitulated the effects of TNF on NC signaling and inhibited basal and LIGHT-induced CXCL12 expression by HUVEC. Our findings therefore demonstrate that TNF-induced classical NF-κB signaling up-regulates RelB expression that inhibits both basal and NC NF-κB-dependent CXCL12 expression.
Remote desymmetrization at near-nanometer group separation catalyzed by a miniaturized enzyme mimic.

The chirality of biological receptors often requires syntheses of therapeutic compounds in single enantiomer form. The field of asymmetric catalysis addresses enantioselective synthesis with chiral catalysts. Chemical differentiation of sites within molecules that are separated in space by long distances presents special challenges to chiral catalysts. As the distance between enantiotopic sites increases within a substrate, so too may the requirements for size and complexity for the catalyst. The extreme of catalyst complexity could be defined by macromolecular enzymes and their amazing capacity to effect stereospecific reactions over long distances between reactive sites and enzyme−substrate contacts. We report here a synthetic, miniaturized enzyme mimic that catalyzes a desymmetrization reaction over a very long distance.
The rhetoric of practising ethnicity

(1999). The rhetoric of practising ethnicity. Indonesia and the Malay World: Vol. 27, No. 78, pp. 96-121.
The Academic Effects of Summer Instruction and Retention in New York City

This article examines the impacts of summer instruction and test-based grade retention in New York City. We use a research design that exploits test score cutoffs used in assignment to these treatments. We find modest positive effects of summer instruction on English language arts (ELA) achievement for students assigned to summer instruction because of poor ELA performance but find little evidence of positive effects of summer instruction on math outcomes. After netting out estimates of differential test score growth within grades across years, the estimated effects of grade retention are substantial and positive through seventh grade on both math and ELA outcomes, suggesting that the additional year of instruction in fifth grade leads to improvements in subsequent grade achievement.
The role of declarative and procedural memory in disorders of language

Language is often assumed to rely on domain-specific neurocognitive substrates. However, this human capacity in fact seems to crucially depend on general-purpose memory systems in the brain. Evidence suggests that lexical memory relies heavily on declarative memory, which is specialized for arbitrary associations and is rooted in temporal lobe structures. The mental grammar instead relies largely on procedural memory, a system that underlies rules and sequences, and is rooted in frontal/basal-ganglia structures. Developmental and adult-onset disorders such as Specific Language Impairment, autism, Tourette syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and non-fluent aphasia each seem to involve particular grammatical deficits and analogous non-linguistic procedural memory impairments, as well as abnormalities of procedural memory brain structures. Lexical and declarative memory remain relatively intact in these disorders, and may play compensatory roles. In contrast, Alzheimer’s disease, semantic dementia, fluent aphasia and amnesia each affect lexical and declarative memory, and involve abnormalities of declarative memory brain structures, while leaving grammar and procedural memory largely intact. Overall, the evidence suggests that declarative and procedural memory play critical roles in language disorders, as well as in language more generally.
Ion thermal confinement in the enhanced-confinement regime of the TFTR tokamak

Central ion temperatures up to 30 keV and rotation speeds up to 8/times/10/sup 5/ m/sec have been confirmed with new diagnostic measurements in the TFTR hot-ion enhanced-confinement regime, and the ion thermal diffusivity is found to be non-neoclassical and comparable to the anomalous electron thermal diffusivity. The dominant effect of strong rotation is the down-shifting of the neutral beam energies in the plasma frame, which results in reduced ion and electron heating on axis, and the presence of off-axis ion heating from viscous damping of the plasma rotation.
The crystal structure of iododimethyl(trimethylamine)aluminum

Abstract The crystal structure of iododimethyl(trimethylamine)aluminium has been determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collected by counter methods. I(CH3)2Al · N(CH3)3 crystallizes in the othorhombic space group Pnma with cell dimensions a=12.59(1), b=10.75(1), c=7.58(1)a, and pcalc=1.58 g·cm−3 for Z=4. Least-squares refinement gave a final weighted R Value of 0.071 for 574 independet observed reflections. Each monomeric molecule lies on a crystallographic mirror plane with the trimethylamine and iododimethylaliminium groups in a staggered configuration about the aluminum  nitrogen bond.
Does low perceptual load enable capture by colour singletons

There is considerable debate as to whether colour singletons can capture attention in a stimulus-driven manner. In this study, we explore one potential capture enabling condition—low perceptual load. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated perceptual load in a flanker task in which flanking letters sometimes were colour singletons. If low load enhances capture by colour singletons, then colour singletons should produce an especially large increase in overall reaction times and in flanker–target compatibility effects. Neither of these predictions was confirmed in any of the four experiments reported here, although we did replicate the classic load effects from previous studies. These experiments indicate that although perceptual load does strongly modulate overall performance, it does not facilitate capture by colour singletons. This finding contrasts sharply with findings from other types of salient stimuli (abrupt onsets and moving objects). Implications for theories of attentional capture will be discussed.
Comparative study of reversible hydrogen storage in alkali-doped fulleranes

Abstract In this report we describe and compare the hydrogen storage properties of lithium and sodium doped fullerenes prepared via a solvent-assisted mixing process. For the preparation of these samples either NaH or LiH was utilized as the alkali metal source to make material based on either a Na 6 C 60 or Li 6 C 60 . Both of the alkali-doped materials can reversibly absorb and desorb hydrogen at much milder conditions than the starting materials used to make them (decomposition temperatures of NaH > 420 °C, LiH > 670 °C, and fullerane > 500 °C). The hydrogen storage properties of the materials were compared by TGA, isothermal desorption, and XRD analysis. It was determined that the sodium-doped material can reversibly store 4.0 wt.% H 2 while the lithium doped material can reversibly store 5.0 wt.% H 2 through a chemisorption mechanism indicated by the formation and measurement of C–H bonds. XRD analysis of the material demonstrated that a reversible phase transition between fcc and bcc occurs depending on the temperature at which the hydrogenation is performed. In either system the active hydrogen storage material resembles a hydrogenated fullerene (fullerane).
Evaluation of the effects of future controls on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions on the acid–base status of a northern forest ecosystem

Abstract The integrated biogeochemical model, PnET-BGC, was used to simulate the response of soil and surface water at the reference watershed (W6) at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, to changes in atmospheric deposition. The performance of the model was assessed using two objective statistical criteria, the normalized mean absolute error, and the efficiency, in order to compare simulated results with observed values between 1980 and 1998. Model results showed good agreement with measured concentrations of stream Ca 2+ , and SO 4 2− , while stream NO 3 − and Al concentrations and soil solution Ca/Al ratios were over predicted after 1990. Model simulations showed that there was some improvement in soil and stream chemistry in response to the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act (CAAA) compared to conditions without this legislation. However, the 1990 CAAA will not result in substantial changes in critical indicators (e.g. soil base saturation, soil solution Ca/Al, stream pH, acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) and Al concentrations). The slow recovery rates suggest that additional reduction in strong acid inputs will be required to significantly alleviate ecosystem stress from acidic deposition. Simulation of the impact of equivalent reductions in SO 4 2− and NO 3 − deposition indicated slightly greater recovery under the SO 4 2− reductions compared with NO 3 − . An inter-annual pattern of stream NO 3 − concentrations suggests that nitrification under snowpack is a significant source of N in the ecosystem. Vegetation N uptake during summer greatly limits NO 3 − loss, and as a result, summer utility controls of NO x emissions will not significantly mitigate stream NO 3 − loss and associated surface water acidification.
Detecting local events using global sensing

In order to create low power, low latency and reliable sensing systems, we propose a sensing strategy that identifies local events by the means of global measurements. We claim that capturing events globally, although seems against intuition, can save energy by enabling the organization of effective searching queries. To enable this capability, sensor readings can be combined using electronic switches and therefore enable event detections in groups of sensors with single measurements. We demonstrate this sensing mechanism on a prototype keyboard system made from E-Textile pressure sensors.
THERMOELASTOPLASTIC DEFORMATION OF POROUS MATERIALS

Abstract A thermoplastic deformation theory which is based on a proposed general yield criterion and associated flow rule is presented for fully saturated nonisothermal porous materials. The theory can be applied to prediction of stresses and strains in thermoconsolidation of many engineering materials, e.g., soils, concrete, ceramics, etc.
Temperature dependence of strength and fatigue of fused silica fiber in the range 77 to 473 K

The strength of optical fiber at low temperature is an important parameter since it approximates the inert strength, i.e. the starting strength of the material before degradation by fatigue. Published data suggest that the fatigue may abruptly slow below some temperature. However, published data are limited to strength vs temperature or fatigue in liquid nitrogen. We report strength and fatigue data for both bare (stripped) and metal coated fused silica optical fiber at temperatures down to 77 K. While fatigue slows as the temperature is reduced (i.e. the stress corrosion parameter increases with falling temperature) fatigue is still measurable at 77 K. This is the case even for hermetic metal coated fiber with extremely low water activity at the glass surface. The results confirm that fused silica exhibits intrinsic fatigue, i.e. fatigue in the absence of moisture.
Successful stabilization of graphene oxide in electrolyte solutions: Enhancement of biofunctionalization and cellular uptake

Aqueous dispersions of graphene oxide are inherently unstable in the presence of electrolytes, which screen the electrostatic surface charge on these nanosheets and induce irreversible aggregation. Two complementary strategies, utilizing either electrostatic or steric stabilization, have been developed to enhance the stability of graphene oxide in electrolyte solutions, allowing it to stay dispersed in cell culture media and serum. The electrostatic stabilization approach entails further oxidation of graphene oxide to low C/O ratio (∼1.1) and increases ionic tolerance of these nanosheets. The steric stabilization technique employs an amphiphilic block copolymer that serves as a noncovalently bound surfactant to minimize the aggregate-inducing nanosheet–nanosheet interactions. Both strategies can stabilize graphene oxide nanosheets with large dimensions (>300 nm) in biological media, allowing for an enhancement of >250% in the bioconjugation efficiency of streptavidin in comparison to untreated nanosheets....
Endothelin receptor-A antagonist attenuates retinal vascular and neuroretinal pathology in diabetic mice.

PURPOSE We sought to determine the effects of atrasentan, a selective endothelin-A receptor antagonist, on the retinal vascular and structural integrity in a db/db mouse, an animal model of type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. METHODS Diabetic mice, 23 weeks old, were given either atrasentan or vehicle treatment in drinking water for 8 weeks. At the end of the treatment period, eyes underwent trypsin digest to assess the retinal vascular pathology focusing on capillary degeneration, endothelial cell, and pericyte loss. Paraffin-embedded retinal cross sections were used to evaluate retinal sublayer thickness both near the optic nerve and in the retinal periphery. Immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assay were done to evaluate retinal cellular and vascular apoptosis. RESULTS Compared with untreated db/db mice, atrasentan treatment was able to ameliorate the retinal vascular pathology by reducing pericyte loss (29.2% ± 0.4% vs. 44.4% ± 2.0%, respectively, P < 0.05) and capillary degeneration as determined by the percentage of acellular capillaries (8.6% ± 0.3% vs. 3.3% ± 0.41%, respectively, P < 0.05). A reduction in inner retinal thinning both at the optic nerve and at the periphery in treated diabetic mice was also observed in db/db mice treated with atrasentan as compared with untreated db/db mice (P < 0.05). TUNEL assay suggested that atrasentan may decrease enhanced apoptosis in neuroretinal layers and vascular pericytes in the db/db mice. CONCLUSIONS Endothelin-A receptor blockade using atrasentan significantly reduces the vascular and neuroretinal complications in diabetic mice. Endothelin-A receptor blockade is a promising therapeutic target in diabetic retinopathy.
Analysis of erectile responses to imatinib in the rat.

Objective To investigate the erectile and cardiovascular responses to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib in the rat. Materials and Methods The effect of intracavernosal injection of imatinib on the intracavernosal pressure (ICP), ICP/mean arterial pressure (MAP) ratio, area under the curve, and duration of the increase in ICP and the effect of intravenous injection of imatinib on the MAP, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance were investigated. The effect of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester on the responses to imatinib was investigated. Results Intracavernosal injection of imatinib produced significant dose-related increases in the ICP, ICP/MAP ratio, area under the curve, and duration of the increase in ICP and decreases in the MAP. The erectile responses to imatinib were rapid in onset and short in duration. The erectile responses to imatinib were not significantly altered by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester or cavernosal nerve crush injury, and imatinib was significantly less potent than the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside in inducing erection. Intravenous injection of imatinib produced significant dose-related decreases in the MAP without significantly changing the cardiac output, and imatinib was significantly less potent than sodium nitroprusside in decreasing the MAP. Systemic vascular resistance was decreased in a significant dose-related manner, and the vasodilator responses to imatinib were not altered by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. Conclusion The present results have indicated that imatinib has significant erectile and systemic vasodilator activity in the rat that is not dependent on nitric oxide release. Another tyrosine kinase inhibitor, nilotinib, also increased the ICP and decreased the MAP in the rat. These data suggest that tyrosine kinases might play a constitutive role in maintaining penile tumescence and the baseline vasoconstrictor tone in the peripheral vascular bed.
The Sidney Hook memorial award address: Speaking truth to power

I deeply appreciate this honor. I am particularly honored that it comes from the hands of Senator Moynihan who, more than any other individual, represents the ideal of the scholar in public life, more concerned with what is objectively t r u e than what is politically expedient or subjectively reassuring. The Almanac of American Politics, 1996, has justly called him "the nation's best thinker among politicians since Lincoln and its best politician among thinkers since Jefferson." The Almanac goes on to say that Moynihan is "the kind of philosopher-politician who the Founding Fathers hoped would people the Senate." Though American universities have emerged in the past century in ways that have expanded our intellectual horizons, increasingly the university's underlying responsibility to truth has been violated by those controlling the academic power structure. Rather than speaking truth to power, they have spoken power to truth. They have done this by denying the possibility of objective truth, by forbidding consideration of certain subjects, by refusing to acknowledge error in past judgments, and by shamelessly separating behavior from rhetoric. James Coleman, the first recipient of the Hook Award, in 1990, noted that the "greatest enemies of academic freedom in the university are the norms that exist about what kinds of questions may be raised in research. "1 Those norms, he said, were more often than not established by "self-suppression," for fear that the research "might lead to results that would elicit disapproval by those colleagues we see regularly. "~ Coleman was nearly expelled from the American Sociological Association for violating those norms. To Fang Li-Zhi, the second Hook Award recipient, norms established by political commissars were greater enemies of academic freedom than the norms of timorous faculties. Fang insisted that "free research is one of the effective ways to break down ideological barriers erected by totalitarians. "s Fang risked more than the disapproval of his colleagues. Like other Chinese--Harry Wu, for example-he risked his life pursuing freedom of inquiry. How much more are we in the West, with our tradition of scientific inquiry and religious tolerance, obligated to raise academic questions whether or not they are embarrassing or "politically incorrect"? As C. Vann Woodward, the third Hook Award recipient, put it, "the university is a place where the unthinkable can be thought, the unment ionable can be discussed, and the unchallengeable can be challenged. "4 At least it should be such a place.
Dynamic reconfiguration of CPU and WebSphere on IBM pSeries servers

This paper studies the effects that dynamic reconfiguration (DR) has on a WebSphere workload while CPUs are dynamically added to and removed from the underlying AIX instance. DR is a new technology available in AIX 5.2. This study shows that the resource allocations for a complex and function-rich middleware system such as WebSphere can be efficiently and dynamically managed by the DR technology, without WebSphere having to explicitly accommodate for the DR features of the operating system.
Fabrication and Characterization of Mesostructured Silica, HUM-1, and Its Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Replica

The consecutive replications initiated with MCM-48 silica were carried out to synthesize ordered mesostructures of carbon and silica as evidenced by powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. However, ordered mesoporous carbon obtained via replication of the MCM-48 silica exhibited different structural symmetry than that of MCM-48, and its replication afforded a new silica mesostructure, HUM-1. The subsequent nanocasting of HUM-1 led to a new second-generation carbon replica. The pore size analysis performed on the basis of nitrogen adsorption isotherms indicates that the HUM-1 silica possesses larger mesopores in comparison to those present in the initial MCM-48 silica, which is probably due to the structural change occurring during the first replication of MCM-48. The pore size distributions are similar for both mesoporous carbons and show bimodal shape.