cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gene Expression Analysis of Human Prostate Carcinoma during Hormonal Therapy Identifies Androgen-Responsive Genes and Mechanisms of Therapy Resistance

The androgen-signaling pathway is critical to the development and progression of prostate cancer and androgen ablation is a mainstay of therapy for this disease. We performed a genome-wide expression analysis of human prostate cancer during androgen ablation therapy to identify genes regulated by androgen and genes differentially expressed after the development of resistance. Six hundred and fifty-four of 63,175 probe sets detected significant expression changes after 3 months of treatment with goserelin and flutamide. This included 149 genes that were also differentially expressed 36 hours after androgen withdrawal in LNCaP cells. These genes reflect the physiological changes that occur in treated tumors and include potential direct targets of the androgen receptor. Expression profiles of androgen ablation-resistant tumors demonstrated that many of the gene expression changes detected during therapy were no longer present suggesting a reactivation of the androgen response pathway in the absence of exogenous hormone. Therapy resistance was associated with differential expression of a unique set of genes that reflect potential mechanisms of reactivation. Specifically an up-regulation of the androgen receptor and key enzymes for steroid biosynthesis suggest that resistant tumors have increased sensitivity to and endogenous synthesis of androgenic hormones. The specific pathways of reactivation provide opportunities for classification of resistant tumors and targeted therapies.
An Experimental Evaluation of a School-Based Emancipatory Intervention to Promote African American Well-Being and Youth Leadership:

This study experimentally examined the effect of a school-based emancipatory intervention on the psychological and behavioral well-being of African American adolescents. Sixty-five eighth graders in an inner-city, predominantly Black school were randomly assigned to either receive the experimental intervention or a regular Life Skills course (the control condition). The class met three times a week for one semester. Growth trajectory modeling was used to test the extent to which the intervention affected students’ communal worldviews, individualism, school connectedness, motivation to achieve, and social change activities over time. Results indicated that the intervention positively affected each of these variables. Increased communalism and increased school connectedness mediated the relationship between the intervention and students’ motivation to achieve. Competitive individualistic orientation was a partial mediator for motivation to achieve. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.
Excimer laser photorefractive surgery of the cornea

The 193 nm argon fluoride (ArF) excimer laser can effectively be used to change the radius of curvature of the cornea and thus alter the refractive state of the eye. This change allows myopic (nearsighted) patients to see well with less dependence on glasses or contact lenses. The two major techniques of laser refractive surgery currently in effect in the United States are photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). This paper will discuss these refractive cornea surgical techniques.
Aqueous vapor extraction: a previously unrecognized weathering process affecting oil spills in vigorously aerated water.

Simple evaporation of spilled oil is usually thought to be restricted to the smaller hydrocarbons (<15 carbons). We show that aeration of oil in water, at 22 degrees C, substantially extends this evaporation, leading to the loss of alkanes up to at least hexatricosane (nC36) and of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with at least four rings (e.g., chrysene and its alkylated forms). This phenomenon is apparently related to steam distillation and should be considered as an important candidate pathway to explain the observed weathering of oil spilled from the OSSA II pipeline into the Rio Desaguadero on the Bolivian Altiplano (approximately 3700 m), which occurred during a very turbulent flood.
Van Allen Probes: Successful launch campaign and early operations exploring Earth's radiation belts

The twin Van Allen Probe observatories developed at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA's Heliophysics Division completed final observatory integration and environmental test activities and were successfully launched into orbit around the Earth on August 30, 2012. As the science operations phase begins, the mission is providing exciting new information about the impact of radiation belt activity on the earth. The on-board boom mounted magnetometers and other instruments are the most sensitive sensors of their type that have ever flown in the Van Allen radiation belts. The observatories are producing near-Earth space weather information that can be used to provide warnings of potential power grid interruptions or satellite damaging storms. The Van Allen Probes are operating in a challenging high radiation environment, and at the same time they are designed to make an insubstantial electric and magnetic field contribution to their surroundings. This paper will describe the challenges associated with observatory integration and test activities and observatory on-orbit checkout and commissioning. The lessons learned can be applied to other observatories and payloads that will be exposed to similar environments.
Development of generic creep–fatigue life prediction models

The objective of this research proposal is to further compile creep-fatigue data of steel alloys and superalloys used in military aircraft engines and/or rocket engines and to develop a statistical multivariate equation. The newly derived model will be a probabilistic fit to all the data compiled from various sources. Attempts will be made to procure the creep-fatigue data from NASA Glenn Research Center and other sources to further develop life prediction models for specific alloy groups. In a previous effort [1-3], a bank of creep-fatigue data has been compiled and tabulated under a range of known test parameters. These test parameters are called independent variables, namely; total strain range, strain rate, hold time, and temperature. The present research attempts to use these variables to develop a multivariate equation, which will be a probabilistic equation fitting a large database. The data predicted by the new model will be analyzed using the normal distribution fits, the closer the predicted lives are with the experimental lives (normal line 1 to 1 fit) the better the prediction. This will be evaluated in terms of a coefficient of correlation, R 2 as well. A multivariate equation developed earlier [3] has the following form, where S, R, T, and H have specific meaning discussed later.
ELECTRON EMISSION FROM A (100) TUNGSTEN SURFACE UNDER PROTON BOMBARDMENT.

The yield of electrons from a clean (100) surface of tungsten under bombardment by protons at normal incidence is reported as a function of proton energy in the range 50 to 225 keV. The maximum value of the yield is 1.51\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03 electrons per incident proton at a proton energy of 125 keV. The yield from the (100) plane surface fell (10\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2)% below the yield from a polycrystalline surface. This difference can be attributed to the higher work function of the (100) surface. The tungsten surface was cleaned by flash-heating a single-crystal tungsten ribbon to 2400\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K in a vacuum chamber in which the total pressure was about 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ Torr. The yield was measured with the surface at room temperature, about 2 min after the surface was cleaned, while the time for a monolayer of residual gases to form on the surface was greater than 2 h.
Plasmon-in-a-Box: On the Physical Nature of Few-Carrier Plasmon Resonances.

Recent demonstrations in doped semiconductor nanocrystals establish that a plasmon resonance can be sustained by a handful of charge carriers, much smaller in number than conventionally thought. This finding raises questions about the physical nature of such a collective resonance, a fundamental question in condensed matter and many-body physics, which the author addresses here by means of a plasmon-in-a-box model. A small number of carriers confined within a nanocrystal exhibit multiple transitions of individual carriers between quantized states. However, as carriers are progressively added, spectral lines associated with single-carrier excitations evolve into a band representing a collective resonance. This evolution is gradual, and it involves an intermediate regime where single-carrier excitations and few-carrier collective excitations coexist, until, at high carrier numbers, a purely classical collective resonance involving all carriers in the nanocrystal is sustained. The author finds that the emerg...
Ex-Communication: Competition and Collusion in the U.S. Prison Telephone Industry

This paper explores the political economy of the prison telephone industry, with special emphasis on changes in the industry since the mid-1980s. Contrary to the expectations of competition advocates, the principal outcome of deregulation in the prison telephone sector has been a sharp increase in price, as new market entrants compete for monopoly service contracts on the basis of steadily escalating commissions paid to state and private prison authorities—costs which are then passed on to the (literally) captive market through exorbitant end-user rates. The sheer magnitude of such rate increases, together with explosive growth in the national prison population over the same period, has turned the prison telephone sector into a lucrative and largely invisible growth center for the U.S. telecommunication industries as a whole.
Methylphenidate-induced conditioned taste aversions: An index of toxicity

Following consumption of saccharin, groups of rats were injected with various doses of methylphenidate hydrochloride. Small aversions were found after one conditioning trial, with repeated saccharin-methlyphenidate pairings resulting in continued decrements in consumption. The strength of the aversion as well as the amount of individual variability were dose-related, with weaker aversions and greater individual variability occurring at the smaller dose (15 mg/kg). Although aversions were quite pronounced at higher doses, individual variability, although small, was still evident. The similarities and differences between methylphenidate-induced aversions and aversions based on emetics were discussed, along with the implications of these results as indices for methylphenidate-induced toxicity.
Vasoactive amine responses in murine cerebrovascular endothelial cells as measured by extracellular acidification rates

The Cytosensortrade mark microphysiometer device is capable detecting cellular responses to specific bioactive ligands by measuring the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Using microphysiometry, we were able to determine that cerebovascular endothelial cells derived from SJL/J mice were more sensitive to serotonin (maximal ECAR response at 100 nM), whereas BALB/c-derived cerebrovascular endothelial cells (CVE) were relatively insensitive (maximal ECAR response at 30 microM). Serotonin (5HT)(1) and 5HT(2) receptor antagonists inhibited the serotonin-mediated increases in ECAR. The cells' responses to histamine in both strains were similar (maximal ECAR required 100 microM of histamine). H(1) and H(3) receptor subtype antagonists specifically inhibited the histamine responses. Bradykinin also revealed sensitivity differences in that maximal ECAR changes for CVE from SJL/J mice could be observed with 1 microM, as compared to the ECAR responses from BALB/c mice CVE, which required 10 microM. Exposure to bradykinin antagonists revealed that the response was due to the stimulation of B(2) receptors. These microphysiometry results reveal that the cerebrovascular endothelial cells of SJL/J mice tend to be more sensitive to vasoactive substances than those of BALB/c mice.
Intellectual property rights and development: the spatial relationships

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence that the U‐shaped relationship between intellectual property rights (IPRs) and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) observed in the past literature using a panel of data is not a consequence of longitudinal forces, as has been previously postulated, but instead a consequence of cross‐sectional influences.Design/methodology/approach – Differences in the longitudinal and cross‐sectional relationship between IPRs and per capita GDP are analyzed through a variety of methods, including pooled regression analysis that isolates the regional differences that are critical in making an accurate longitudinal analysis from the panel data.Findings – Analyzing the country data reveals that a longitudinal U‐shaped relationship is counterfactual, as countries generally do not weaken their IPRs once they are in place, barring a regime change or other alteration in their political economy. The significant U‐shape link between IPRs and per capita GDP empirically ...
Abortion in nineteenth century America: A conflict between women and their physicians

Near the end of the nineteenth century, a New England observer of abortion noted: "Society is indifferent, the Church asleep and the public conscience is dead. ''~ Nearly a century later, we cannot conclude that society is indifferent to abortion, that the church is asleep, or that the public conscience is dead. Rather, both pro-choice and prolife advocates demonstrate the unresolved national debate on abortion. As was the case for many nineteenth century women, this issue continues to place some women at odds with certain segments of society and with some physicians. An understanding of the nineteenth-century origins of abortion proscription in this country provides an avenue for understanding the contemporary polarity on this issue and, at least as important, the not infrequent conflict between women and their physicians over an issue of vital concern to both. The nineteenth century saw a new relationship develop between women and their physidans. 2,3 As male physidans replaced women's traditional sources of medical care and knowledge, conflicts between women and their health concerns and the growing medical profession could and did arise. It was not surprising that this cultural conflict arose because the interests and actions of women and their physicians were, and often continue to be, in conflict. The availability of knowledge and methods of family limitation provides an important illustration of this conflict. Contraceptive methods, including abortion, became increasingly important for nineteenth century women, whereas physicians were increasingly reluctant to provide information on available methods of preventing pregnancy that they regarded as unnatural and immoral and that prevented women's completion of their natural biologic function of motherhood. In particular, nineteenth century abortion practice provides a specific example of how women and their physicians found themselves at odds about methods of family limitation in an era when many women sought control of their own reproductive lives. In short, women who had abortions performed or employed contraception, and their sisters who supported their decisions, were no longer passively controlled by reproduction.
Gibberellins and the photoperiodic control of stem elongation in the long-day plant Agrostemma githago L.

Agrostemma githago is a long-day rosette plant in which transfer from short days (SD) to long days (LD) results in rapid stem elongation, following a lag phase of 7–8 d. Application of gibberellin A20 (GA20) stimulated stem elongation in plants under SD, while 2-isopropyl-4-dimethylamino-5-methylphenyl-1-piperidine-carboxylate methyl chloride (AMO-1618, an inhibitor of GA biosynthesis) inhibited stem elongation in plants exposed to LD. This inhibition of stem elongation by AMO-1618 was overcome by simultaneous application of GA20, indicating that GAs play a role in the photoperiodic control of stem elongation in this species. Endogenous GA-like substances were analyzed using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and the d-5 corn (Zea mays L.) assay. Three zones with GA-like activity were detected and designated, in order of decreasing polarity, as A, B, and C. A transient, 10-fold increase in the activity of zone B occurred after 8–10 LD, coincident with the transition from lag phase to the phase of rapid stem elongation. After 16 LD the activity in this zone had returned to a level similar to that under SD, even though the plants were elongating rapidly by this time. However, when AMO-1618 was applied to plants after 11 LD, there was a rapid reduction in the rate of stem elongation, indicating that continued GA biosynthesis was necessary following the transient increase in activity of zone B, if stem elongation was to continue under LD. It was concluded that control of stem elongation in A. githago involves more than a simple qualitative or quantitative change in the levels of endogenous GAs, and that photoperiodic induction alters both the sensitivity to GAs and the rate of turnover of endogenous GAs.
Three-year-old child with middle aortic syndrome treated by endovascular stent implantation.

Middle aortic syndrome (MAS) is an extremely rare anomaly and represents both a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, particularly in young children. A case of a 3.5 year-old child with MAS and arterial hypertension is reported, where owing to the patient’s young age and the length of the hypoplastic aortic segment, surgical correction with end-to-end anastomosis was not feasible. Instead of palliative bypass grafting between the thoracic and abdominal aorta, successful percutaneous balloon angioplasty and stenting of the lesion was performed with the assistance of three-dimensional rotational angiography.
Efficacy Report: Early Education Project

The Early Education Project is a center-based program conducted in a home demonstration center. The project serves parents of children under 6 years of age who are diagnosed or strongly suspected to have educationally significant hearing impairment. The primary goal of this early intervention is to initiate the acquisition of receptive and expressive language by these children. Although the pupils in the program are the parents, tools to assess their skills were not available for our evaluation. Since the ultimate goal was development of the child's language we elected to evaluate it. However, existing scales of language development in the normally hearing child are inappropriate for measuring language growth in the deaf child since many of the items describe responses to auditory stimuli. Therefore, the Scales of Early Communication Skills were designed by Moog and Geers specifically for hearing-impaired children just beginning to acquire language skills. The items were intended to evaluate speech and la...
An inhibitory factor for cell-free protein synthesis from Salmonella enteritidis exhibits cytopathic activity against Chinese hamster ovary cells.

A factor inhibiting cell-free protein synthesis was purified from Salmonella enteritidis cell lysate by sequential ammonium sulfate precipitation, chromatography on anion exchange and hydrophobic interaction columns, and polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis. The purified factor, which was named SIPS (Salmonella inhibitor of protein synthesis), inhibited in vitro protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocyte lysate and had a molecular mass of 38 kDa, estimated by PAGE under denaturing conditions. SIPS was also cytopathic for Chinese hamster ovary cells. The N-terminal amino acid sequence (20 residues) of SIPS was found to be identical to that of mature L-asparaginase II of Escherichia coli. Indeed, the purified SIPS exhibited asparaginase activity, E. coli L-asparaginase II had cytopathic activity and inhibited in vitro protein synthesis. The results suggest that at least a part of cytotoxicity and inhibition of cell-free protein synthesis caused by S. enteritidis is a property of the bacterial L-asparaginase.
Automatic Home Medical Product Recommendation

Web-based personal health records (PHRs) are being widely deployed. To improve PHR's capability and usability, we proposed the concept of intelligent PHR (iPHR). In this paper, we use automatic home medical product recommendation as a concrete application to demonstrate the benefits of introducing intelligence into PHRs. In this new application domain, we develop several techniques to address the emerging challenges. Our approach uses treatment knowledge and nursing knowledge, and extends the language modeling method to (1) construct a topic-selection input interface for recommending home medical products, (2) produce a global ranking of Web pages retrieved by multiple queries, and (3) provide diverse search results. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our techniques using USMLE medical exam cases.
A passive fuel delivery system for portable direct methanol fuel cells

A passive device is utilized for transferring methanol into water through a wick material. The wick material preferentially has a higher wicking capability with respect to methanol than water, and operates in a siphon fashion with the intake end in contact with methanol and the discharge end in contact with water. Due to the difference of wicking capabilities, a net amount of methanol is pumped into water. The device described above is used as a fuel delivery component for a liquid-feed fuel cell system, such as a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), which directly utilizes a liquid fuel without an intermediate reforming process. In the present experimental study, methanol and water are stored separately in two containers and a wick is positioned between the containers as a siphon, with the aqueous methanol solution communicating with the anode of the DMFC. Methanol is siphoned from the methanol container to the water container in situ when the methanol in the water is consumed during the operation of the fuel cell. Through a proper selection of the wick and the containers, the methanol concentration near the anode of the DMFC was maintained within a preferred range.
The MPD thruster development program

Recent research results have inferred that the self-field magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster can attain efficiency and specific impulse levels which are competitive with ion thrusters. Based on these results, a program was initiated at JPL to develop this thruster for application on future spacecraft. Preliminary mission analyses have shown that the high thrust density MPD arcjet is advantageous for high power missions, such as a short trip time earth orbit transfer vehicle or a nuclear powered outer planet explorer. Direct thrust stand verification of the inferred performance levels used in these analyses is planned for a facility being assembled at Princeton University. A parallel effort at JPL is considering various thruster system configurations, energy storage concepts and propellant control techniques. In addition, a one pulse per second thruster test facility is planned at JPL to be used for thruster optimization studies including erosion and lifetime measurements.
Facilitating the Meaningful Participation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families in the IFSP and IEP Process

This article briefly reviews literature regarding the involvement and participation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families in the special education process. Barriers to family part...
Robust Engine Torque Control by Discrete Event Disturbance Observer

Abstract A model-based approach is applied to robustly control torque generation in four-stroke spark ignition (SI) engines. Discrete event engine model (DEM) is adopted to describe the torque generation process consisting of discrete combustion strokes. Disturbance observer (DOB) is utilized to achieve robust stability and performance of the torque generation process. For a single-input, single-output model with throttle air intake as input and generated torque as output, the desired plant behavior is stably realized by the DOB over a desired frequency band which is sufficient for powertrain control applications. Numerical and experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed DOB scheme.
Compare word problems: Consistency hypothesis revisited

Abstract Compare problems involve relationships between quantities. In inconsistent language (IL) formats, relational terms conflict with solution operations. Lewis and Mayer’s (1987) consistency hypothesis, which explains likely translations of IL problems to match problem solvers’ schemas, is examined Using think-aloud and recall data. Supporting hypotheses, students committed more errors overall and reversal errors specifically (i.e., used opposite operation) on IL than their consistent language (CL) counterparts and recalled IL problems as CL problems especially following reversal errors. Counter to expectations, language consistency did not result in differences in behaviors, reading or response times, or quality of recall. Additional analyses indicate a strong impact of fraction-of-a-number relational terms and provide evidence of difficulties forming representations and solving problems involving fraction-of-a-number construction.
Polarization of Prostate Cancer-associated Macrophages Is Induced by Milk Fat Globule-EGF Factor 8 (MFG-E8)-mediated Efferocytosis

Tumor cells secrete factors that modulate macrophage activation and polarization into M2 type tumor-associated macrophages, which promote tumor growth, progression, and metastasis. The mechanisms that mediate this polarization are not clear. Macrophages are phagocytic cells that participate in the clearance of apoptotic cells, a process known as efferocytosis. Milk fat globule- EGF factor 8 (MFG-E8) is a bridge protein that facilitates efferocytosis and is associated with suppression of proinflammatory responses. This study investigated the hypothesis that MFG-E8-mediated efferocytosis promotes M2 polarization. Tissue and serum exosomes from prostate cancer patients presented higher levels of MFG-E8 compared with controls, a novel finding in human prostate cancer. Coculture of macrophages with apoptotic cancer cells increased efferocytosis, elevated MFG-E8 protein expression levels, and induced macrophage polarization into an alternatively activated M2 phenotype. Administration of antibody against MFG-E8 significantly attenuated the increase in M2 polarization. Inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation using the inhibitor Stattic decreased efferocytosis and M2 macrophage polarization in vitro, with a correlating increase in SOCS3 protein expression. Moreover, MFG-E8 knockdown tumor cells cultured with wild-type or MFG-E8-deficient macrophages resulted in increased SOCS3 expression with decreased STAT3 activation. This suggests that SOCS3 and phospho-STAT3 act in an inversely dependent manner when stimulated by MFG-E8 and efferocytosis. These results uncover a unique role of efferocytosis via MFG-E8 as a mechanism for macrophage polarization into tumor-promoting M2 cells.
SU-D-18A-02: Towards Real-Time On-Board Volumetric Image Reconstruction for Intrafraction Target Verification in Radiation Therapy

Purpose: To expedite on-board volumetric image reconstruction from limited-angle kV—MV projections for intrafraction verification. Methods: A limited-angle intrafraction verification (LIVE) system has recently been developed for real-time volumetric verification of moving targets, using limited-angle kV—MV projections. Currently, it is challenged by the intensive computational load of the prior-knowledge-based reconstruction method. To accelerate LIVE, we restructure the software pipeline to make it adaptable to model and algorithm parameter changes, while enabling efficient utilization of rapidly advancing, modern computer architectures. In particular, an innovative two-level parallelization scheme has been designed: At the macroscopic level, data and operations are adaptively partitioned, taking into account algorithmic parameters and the processing capacity or constraints of underlying hardware. The control and data flows of the pipeline are scheduled in such a way as to maximize operation concurrency and minimize total processing time. At the microscopic level, the partitioned functions act as independent modules, operating on data partitions in parallel. Each module is pre-parallelized and optimized for multi-core processors (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs). Results: We present results from a parallel prototype, where most of the controls and module parallelization are carried out via Matlab and its Parallel Computing Toolbox. The reconstruction is 5 times fastermore » on a data-set of twice the size, compared to recently reported results, without compromising on algorithmic optimization control. Conclusion: The prototype implementation and its results have served to assess the efficacy of our system concept. While a production implementation will yield much higher processing rates by approaching full-capacity utilization of CPUs and GPUs, some mutual constraints between algorithmic flow and architecture specifics remain. Based on a careful analysis of the prototype performance, it will be feasible to resolve such issues through appropriate algorithmic modifications or special-purpose hardware, thus enabling target verification in seconds with the LIVE system. This work was partially supported by a research grant from Varian Medical Systems.« less
Heat Capacities and Excess Enthalpies of 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids and Water

Heat capacities and excess enthalpies were determined for three different binary water + ionic liquid systems, from (283.15 to 348.15) K, and covering the entire composition range. Specifically, the three completely water-miscible ionic liquids used were 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoroacetate. The influence of temperature and composition was assessed, and suitable equations were used to correlate the experimental data. In addition, it was found that 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate decomposes in the presence of water to form 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate and ethanol under ambient conditions.
Incoming international students and the library: a survey

Purpose – To assess incoming international students' library and computer experience before coming to the US, and to determine their current library needs.Design/methodology/approach – A study was undertaken to assess incoming international students' exposure to libraries, computer literacy skills, and to determine their library needs. Results from a survey conducted in August 2003 include demographic information about incoming students, computer and library use before coming to the US, library concepts that are new to them, and opinions about the library.Findings – Survey results show that international students arrive in the US with high levels of computer literacy and that most incoming students have used a library in their home country. Findings suggest that international students would benefit from specialized library information competence and orientation programs.Research limitations/implications – This study was conducted just over 3 weeks after the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Library opened its doo...
Adhesion of nanostructured diamond film on a copper–beryllium alloy

Microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was used to coat nanostructured diamond onto a copper–beryllium alloy (∼1.7 wt% Be) commonly used as a nonmagnetic gasket material in diamond anvil cell devices. The coating is expected to be useful in preventing plastic flow of Cu–Be gaskets in diamond anvil cell devices, thus allowing for increased sample volume at high pressures and leading to improved sensitivity of magnetic measurements. The coatings were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, glancing-angle x-ray diffraction, microscopy (optical, scanning electron, and atomic force), Rockwell indentation, and nanoindentation. CVD diamond deposition on pure copper substrates has historically resulted in poor coating adhesion caused by the very large thermal expansion mismatch between the substrate and coating as well as the inability of copper to form a carbide phase at the interface. While an interfacial graphite layer formed on the pure copper substrates and resulted in complete film delamination, well-adhered 12.5 μm thick nanostructured diamond coatings were produced on the copper–beryllium (Cu–Be) alloy. The nanostructured diamond coatings on Cu–Be exhibit hardness of up to 84 GPa and can withstand strains from Rockwell indentation loads up to 150 kg without delamination.
Plant Photosynthetic Responses During Insect Effector-Triggered Plant Susceptibility and Immunity

Gall-inducing insects are known for altering source-sink relationships within plants. Changes in photosynthesis may contribute to this phenomenon. We investigated photosynthetic responses in wheat [Triticum aestivum L. (Poaceae: Triticeae)] seedlings attacked by the Hessian fly [Mayetiola destructor (Say) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae], which uses a salivary effector-based strategy to induce a gall nutritive tissue in susceptible plants. Resistant plants have surveillance systems mediated by products of Resistance (R) genes. Detection of a specific salivary effector triggers downstream responses that result in a resistance that kills neonate larvae. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used to study maximum leaf photosynthetic assimilation and stomatal conductance rates. The plant treatments were-resistant or susceptible wheat lines expressing or not expressing the H13 resistance gene. The insect treatments were-no attack (control) or attack by larvae killed by H13 gene-mediated resistance. Photosynthesis was measured for the second and third leaves of the seedling, the latter being the only leaf directly attacked by larvae. We predicted effector-based attack would trigger increases in photosynthetic rates in susceptible but not resistant plants. For susceptible plants, attack was associated with increases (relative to controls) in photosynthesis for the third but not the second leaf. For resistant plants, attack was associated with increases in photosynthesis for both the second and third leaves. Mechanisms underlying the increases appeared to differ. Resistant plants exhibited responses suggesting altered source-sink relationships. Susceptible plants exhibited responses suggesting a mechanism other than altered source-sink relationships, possibly changes in water relations that contributed to increased stomatal conductance.
How does grasping the underlying causal structures of ecosystems impact students' understanding?

Students have difficulty understanding ecosystem concepts. This article argues that the difficulty stems partly from not grasping the underlying causality that structures the concepts. We report on an intervention study designed to teach eight- and nine-year-olds to reason about domino, cyclic, and mutual causality by infusing causally focused activities and explicit discussion about the nature of each type of causality into a teachertaught unit on ecosystems. The teacher-taught unit was typical of ecosystems units taught in many elementary schools. The students were third graders from a suburban middle class community and ranged from low to high achieving students. Three conditions were contrasted: 1) activities with discussion; 2) activities only; and 3) no infused activities. Students who participated in both the activities designed to reveal the underlying causal structure and the discussion of the nature of causality showed significantly deeper understanding of the connectedness within ecosystems and...
The Importance of Nickel Phytoavailable Chemical Species Characterization in Soil for Phytoremediation Applicability

ABSTRACT In this work Ni speciation in natural and spiked soils (with similar total concentration) was studied. Spiked soils were prepared by addition of NiSO4.6H2O to obtain concentration similar to the one in natural soils. In soils mobile species were determined with a simplified sequential extraction as follows: H2O for water-soluble metal, KNO3 for exchangeable species, DTPA for complexed/adsorbed species. Results show that in spiked soils the exchangeable and adsorbed Ni concentrations are considerably higher than in natural soils. A study of plant uptake was carried out in order to evaluate the relation between mobile species and phyto-availability. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), even though it is not a hyperaccumulator, was selected for its tolerance to high metal concentrations in soil. Preliminary results show a very high correlation between Ni mobile species and Ni uptake by alfalfa. Significant differences were found between spiked and natural soils. In the latter, high levels of total Ni did n...
Multiple-family group intervention for incarcerated adolescents and their families: a pilot project.

The Multiple-Family Group Intervention (MFGI) was developed to address the need for an effective and yet affordable treatment for reducing recidivism for incarcerated adolescents and altering the families’ coercive interactional patterns from an affect regulation and attachment perspective. The 8-week MFGI program was conducted in two Indiana juvenile correctional institutions. The research study utilized pre- and postintervention assessments and a 6-month follow-up assessment. Data from both male (n = 43) and female (n = 30) adolescents were combined, yielding a total sample of 140 respondents (73 adolescents, 67 caretakers). The 6-month follow-up assessment indicated a recidivism rate of only 44% compared to the national norm of 65–85%. Linear growth models were fit to determine the nature of the changes in adolescent behavior over the three assessments. Adolescents and caregivers reported that adolescents’ externalizing behaviors significantly declined over time. Adolescent-reported internalizing symptoms as well as their alcohol and drug use significantly declined over the follow-up period, while caregiver reports of these behaviors showed no change over time. Adolescent-reported attachment to their parents, particularly mothers, increased significantly as did both adolescent and caregiver-reported functional affect regulation. At present, many adolescents after release from correctional facilities to which they have been remanded for criminal behavior return to these delinquent behaviors, alcohol and drug abuse, and sexual offending (Santos, Henggeler, Burns, Arana, & Meisler, 1995). The recidivism rate for incarcerated adolescents is extremely high, hovering in the range of 65–85%; 1 many re-offend and are re-incarcerated at great cost to communities, court systems, and mental health
Structure comparison of co-crystallized 6- and 12-sided large cancrinite crystals

Abstract Single crystals of hexagonal and dihexagonal morphology cancrinites, crystallized in the same batch reaction with sodalite, have been characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. Although the unit cell values are almost identical, Si–O bond lengths are greater for the di-hexagonal form (1.650 A vs. 1.624 A) and the Al–O bond lengths are shorter (1.710 A vs. 1.724 A), possibly indicating greater T-site Si–Al disorder in the di-hexagonal form. 27 Al–MASNMR also indicates that the hexagonal form contains minor occluded Al ( OH ) 4 - ions (as does the co-crystallized sodalite). In addition to forming homogeneous single crystals, the di-hexagonal form frequently occurs as an overgrowth on hexagonal crystals, indicating that it results from a secondary crystallization, possibly coincident with the dissolution of sodalite coincident with the final phase of fractional crystallization.
Color Image Quality Index Based on the UIQI

A new full-reference color image quality index based on the universal image quality index (UIQI) of Bovik and Wang, (2002) is presented. Because the UIQI only takes into consideration distortions of the luminance component of the image, a measure on the chrominance components has been added. The chromatic image components are represented in an opponent color space that better represents the color perception of the human eye. A measure of cross-correlation between the chrominance components of the original and coded image expresses the color distortion due to image compression. Our color image quality index combines the UIQI measure and the cross-correlation measures through regression analysis using the LIVE database (H.R. Sheikh et al.). The correlation of the CIQI with the differential subjective mean opinion score (DMOS) is more than 0.8 and it is higher than the UIQI alone. A comparison between the performances of the CIQI and the PQS of Miyahara et al., (1995) is presented
Enhanced Influenza Virus-Like Particle Vaccines Containing the Extracellular Domain of Matrix Protein 2 and a Toll-Like Receptor Ligand

The extracellular domain of matrix protein 2 (M2e) is conserved among influenza A viruses. The goal of this project is to develop enhanced influenza vaccines with broad protective efficacy using the M2e antigen. We designed a membrane-anchored fusion protein by replacing the hyperimmunogenic region of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium flagellin (FliC) with four repeats of M2e (4.M2e-tFliC) and fusing it to a membrane anchor from influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA). The fusion protein was incorporated into influenza virus M1-based virus-like particles (VLPs). These VLPs retained Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) agonist activity comparable to that of soluble FliC. Mice immunized with the VLPs by either intramuscular or intranasal immunization showed high levels of systemic M2-specific antibody responses compared to the responses to soluble 4.M2e protein. High mucosal antibody titers were also induced in intranasally immunized mice. All intranasally immunized mice survived lethal challenges with live virus, while intramuscularly immunized mice showed only partial protection, revealing better protection by the intranasal route. These results indicate that a combination of M2e antigens and TLR ligand adjuvants in VLPs has potential for development of a broadly protective influenza A virus vaccine.
SCALP: an iterative-improvement-based low-power data path synthesis system

In this paper, we present SCALP, a comprehensive low-power data path synthesis system that performs the various high-level synthesis tasks (transformations, scheduling, clock selection, module selection, and hardware allocation and assignment) with an aim of reducing the power consumption in the synthesized data path. Focusing on only one or a small subset of the high-level synthesis tasks makes it difficult to realize the full potential for power savings at the algorithm and architecture levels. Our synthesis algorithms, which are based on an iterative improvement strategy with efficient pruning techniques, are capable of performing the various high-level synthesis tasks (and considering their interactions) in an efficient manner. Supply voltage and clock period pruning strategies are used for quickly eliminating inferior design points during the search for the minimum power solution. Estimating switched capacitance accurately at intermediate stages during high-level synthesis can be challenging since the exact structure of the circuit, which affects both physical capacitance and switching activity, may not be available, and due to the high computational complexity of running register-transfer level power analysis tools several times during high-level synthesis. SCALP overcomes the above problems by maintaining a complete image of the structural register-transfer level (RTL) circuit (this is possible since we have a complete solution at any point during iterative improvement), and employing a very fast switched capacitance estimation technique that Is based on the concept of switched capacitance matrices. Our system can handle diverse module libraries and utilize complex scheduling constructs such as multicycling, chaining, and structural pipelining. Retiming and functional pipelining are used in our system to meet tight performance constraints, and to enable the ensuing synthesis steps to better explore the implementation space. Results on several real-life examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. Power estimates obtained using switch-level simulation after layout indicate that up to an order-of-magnitude of power savings can be obtained using our synthesis system.
The influence of N-vinyl pyrrolidone on polymerization kinetics and thermo-mechanical properties of crosslinked acrylate polymers

Polymerization of multifunctional acrylate monomers generates crosslinked polymers that are noted for their mechanical strength, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. A common reactive diluent to photopolymerizable formulations is N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP), which is known to reduce the inhibition of free radical photopolymerization by atmospheric oxygen. In this work, the copolymerization behavior of NVP was examined in acrylate monomers with two to five functional groups. At concentrations as low as 2 wt %, NVP increases the polymerization rate in copolymerization with multifunctional acrylate monomer. The relative rate enhancement associated with adding NVP increases dramatically as the number of acrylate double bonds changes from two to five. The influence of NVP on polymerization kinetics is related to synergistic cross-propagation between NVP and acrylate monomer, which becomes increasingly favorable with diffusion limitations. This synergy extends bimolecular termination into higher double bond conversion through reaction diffusion controlled termination. Copolymerizing concentrations of 5–30 DB% NVP with diacrylate or pentaacrylate monomer also increases Young's modulus and the glass transition temperature (Tg) in comparison to neat acrylate polymers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4062–4073, 2007
Multiple sexual partners among U.S. Adolescents and young adults

This study estimated the prevalence of having multiple sex partners (MSPs) and examined potential risk factors associated with having MSPs among adolescents and youth in the US. Data were obtained from the 1992 National Health Interview Survey and Youth Risk Behavior Survey among a multistage probability cluster sample that was weighted to represent the youth aged 12-21 years. This analysis was based on a limited sample of 4075 youth who were sexually experienced (SE). Initial factor analysis yielded 2 clusters related to first intercourse: substance use and weapon carrying or fighting. Weapons was excluded due to poor internal consistency. Orthogonal rotation revealed 2 cluster factors: alcohol use and illicit drug use. Cross-tabulations were used to identify potential independent predictors. Logistic regression was used to estimate the independent influence of predictors. Findings indicate that most had 2 or more lifetime partners (LPs). The proportion of those with 6 or more LPs rose from 8% at age 14 to 31% at age 21 among females and from 14% to 45% among males. Only 20% of SE females and 13% of SE males reported 1 lifetime partner. Alcohol use illicit drug use and young age at first intercourse were associated with increased odds of females having 2 or more partners in the preceding 3 months. Marriage lowered the odds for both sexes. The same 3 factors in addition to being Black or Hispanic increased the odds for males. Increases in alcohol-related behaviors contributed to increases in adjusted proportions of recent MSPs from 8% to 48% among females and from 23% to 61% among males.