cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surface Polymerization of Organic Monomers on Cu(II)-Exchanged Hectorite

Exposing layered silicate materials such as hectorite and montmorillonite to aniline vapor results in spontaneous surface polymerization as well as intergallery polymerization of the organic monomer. The inorganic−organic assemblies produced in these reactions possess many unique chemical and electronic properties, including the ability to function as chemical sensors. We have studied the polymerization of aniline on the surface of Cu(II)-exchanged hectorite thin films. The in-situ nucleation and growth of these polymer films is studied for the first time using the technique of scanning force microscopy (SFM) phase contrast imaging. A novel mechanism for the nucleation and growth of the surface polymer film is proposed. The availability of Cu(II) cations via defects or faults in the layered silicate structure is crucial to the formation of the subsequent conductive polymer layer.
Leucine-rich amelogenin peptide induces osteogenesis by activation of the Wnt pathway.

We previously showed that one of the amelogenin splicing isoforms, Leucine-rich amelogenin peptide (LRAP), induced osteogenic differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells; however, the signaling pathway(s) activated by LRAP remained unknown. Here, we demonstrated that the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling is activated upon LRAP treatment, as evidenced by elevated β-catenin level and increased Wnt reporter gene activity. Furthermore, a specific Wnt inhibitor sFRP-1 completely blocks the LRAP-mediated Wnt signaling. However, exogenous recombinant Wnt3a alone was less effective at osteogenic induction of mouse ES cells in comparison to LRAP. Using a quantitative real-time PCR array, we discovered that LRAP treatment up-regulated the expression of Wnt agonists and down-regulated the expression of Wnt antagonists. We conclude that LRAP activates the canonical Wnt signaling pathway to induce osteogenic differentiation of mouse ES cells through the concerted regulation of Wnt agonists and antagonists.
A shared-secret free security infrastructure for wireless networks

This article develops a shared-secret free wireless security infrastructure that provides confidentiality, identity authentication, message authentication, integrity, sender nonrepudiation, receiver nonrepudiation, and anonymity. Our infrastructure is based on two physical primitives, namely collaborative jamming and spatial signature enforcement, and a zero knowledge alternative for bootstrapping trust. Notably, it eschews the use of shared secrets, while providing a cryptosystem that is no less secure than conventional cryptosystems.
Hprt lymphocyte mutant frequency in relation to DNA adduct formation in rats fed the hepatocarcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene

The lymphocyte hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) assay is frequently used as a biomarker for the exposure of both humans and laboratory animals to potentially carcinogenic agents. To obtain information concerning the sensitivity of the rat Hprt lymphocyte assay toward aromatic amine carcinogens, male F344 rats were fed 0.02% 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) for 1 month and then returned to control diet for 2 months. At 4, 27, 48, 62, and 90 days after the initiation of 2-AAF-feeding, the frequency of mutants in the Hprt gene was determined. In addition, DNA was isolated from liver nuclei, spleen lymphocytes, bone marrow, and thymus, and DNA adducts were analyzed by 32P-postlabeling. 2-AAF feeding resulted in a significant induction of 6-thioguanine-resistant T-lymphocytes and the mutant frequency continued to increase after the 2-AAF feeding was stopped. The same major DNA adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene, was detected in liver, spleen lymphocytes, bone marrow, and thymus. DNA adduct levels were greatest in the tumor target tissue (liver) but occurred in all T-lymphocyte compartments, being highest in spleen lymphocytes. The DNA adduct levels were highest at the end of the 1-month 2-AAF feeding period and decreased rapidly in all tissues. The data indicate that the Hprt lymphocyte mutagenesis assay detects arylamine carcinogens, but with relatively low sensitivity.
Rapid detection of Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli in produce enrichments by a conventional multiplex PCR assay.

Abstract Faster detection of contaminated foods can prevent adulterated foods from being consumed and minimize the risk of an outbreak of foodborne illness. A sensitive molecular detection method is especially important for Shigella because ingestion of as few as 10 of these bacterial pathogens can cause disease. The objectives of this study were to compare the ability of four DNA extraction methods to detect Shigella in six types of produce, post-enrichment, and to evaluate a new and rapid conventional multiplex assay that targets the Shigella ipaH , virB and mxiC virulence genes. This assay can detect less than two Shigella cells in pure culture, even when the pathogen is mixed with background microflora, and it can also differentiate natural Shigella strains from a control strain and eliminate false positive results due to accidental laboratory contamination. The four DNA extraction methods (boiling, PrepMan Ultra [Applied Biosystems], InstaGene Matrix [Bio-Rad], DNeasy Tissue kit [Qiagen]) detected 1.6 × 10 3 Shigella CFU/ml post-enrichment, requiring ∼18 doublings to one cell in 25 g of produce pre-enrichment. Lower sensitivity was obtained, depending on produce type and extraction method. The InstaGene Matrix was the most consistent and sensitive and the multiplex assay accurately detected Shigella in less than 90 min, outperforming, to the best of our knowledge, molecular assays currently in place for this pathogen.
The End of the Federalism Five? Statutory Interpretation and the Roberts Court

The replacement of Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justice O’Connor with John Roberts and Samuel Alito led to much uncertainty about the future of federalism jurisprudence. Six terms in to the Roberts Court, clear patterns of difference from the Rehnquist Court are emerging. My analysis of all federalism decisions by the high court since John Roberts was sworn in as chief justice in 2005 demonstrates that the Federalism Five bloc of justices is no longer the dominant paradigm for understanding responses to federalism cases. The emphasis on preemption cases and the increased role of statutory rather than constitutional interpretation have led to shifting coalitions and a different course for federalism cases on the Roberts Court, although there are legitimate questions about whether this will continue.
Structural and autoradiographic observations of the infection of tobacco protoplasts with pea enation mosaic virus.

The structural changes accompanying infection of tobacco protoplasts with pea enation mosaic virus have been examined by electron microscopy. The first visible response to infection is the appearance at about 17 h post inoculation of cytoplasmic membrane bound bodies enclosing a series of fibril-containing vesicles. At later stages of infection a proportion of these bodies appear to fuse with the nuclear membrane. Intact virus is found only within the nucleus. The fibrils within the vesicles are digestible by RNAse but not DNAse and they may be labelled using [3H]uridine. These results are discussed in terms of the course of infection of plant cells by viruses.
Fluorescence spectroscopy of single-walled carbon nanotubes in aqueous suspension

Optical studies of single-walled carbon nanotubes have advanced greatly through the recent discovery of near-infrared band gap photoluminescence from single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) isolated in aqueous surfactant suspensions. This fluorescence emission has enabled the detection of many distinct optical transitions and their assignment to specific (n,m) semiconducting species of SWNT. The resulting set of precise transition energies presents a challenge to current theoretical models of nanotube electronic structure and a guide to nanotube researchers using resonance Raman spectroscopy. In the near future, structure-resolved fluorimetry should prove useful for revealing the quantitative (n,m) composition of mixed SWNT samples through sensitive, rapid, and nondestructive measurements. It will also permit detailed studies of many physical and chemical processes that vary with nanotube structure.
Necrotizing myofasciitis: an atypical cause of "acute abdomen" in an immunocompromised child.

We report the case of an immunocompromised 15-year-old boy who presented with symptoms mimicking an “acute abdomen” related to necrotizing myofasciitis of the anterior abdominal wall. CT demonstrated the abdominal wall process as the cause of the patient's symptoms and sonographically guided aspiration confirmed the diagnosis. Despite prompt diagnosis and aggressive surgical debridement, the infection continued to progress and the patient died within 24 h of presentation.
Statistical Sampling in Tax Audits

The courts, with some important qualifications, have been reluctant to uphold tax assessments based on a review of only a sample of all transactions. In this article we argue that audit assessments based on appropriately drawn and analyzed statistical samples do not suffer from the defects that the courts have correctly concluded mar assessments based on nonstatistical samples. We do, however, argue that because of the inherent imprecision of assessments based on a less-than-complete review of all records, the calculation of the assessment should include a factor to take into account the risk that the taxpayer has been overassessed. We suggest an assessment rule that does just this and also recommend guidelines for the use of statistical sampling in tax audits.
Long‐term monitoring of ULF electromagnetic fields at Parkfield, California

[1] Electric and magnetic fields in the (10−4–1.0) Hz band were monitored at two sites adjacent to the San Andreas Fault near Parkfield and Hollister, California, from 1995 to 2007. A data window (2002–2005), enclosing the 28 September 2004 M6 Parkfield earthquake, was analyzed to determine if anomalous electric or magnetic fields or changes in ground conductivity occurred before the earthquake. The data were edited, removing intervals of instrument malfunction, leaving 875 days in the 4 year period. Frequent, spikelike disturbances were common but were not more frequent around the time of the earthquake; these were removed before subsequent processing. Signal-to-noise amplitude spectra, estimated via magnetotelluric processing, showed the behavior of the ultralow frequency fields to be remarkably constant over the period of analysis. These first-order plots make clear that most of the recorded energy is coherent over the spatial extent of the array. Three main statistical techniques were employed to separate local anomalous electrical or magnetic fields from the dominant coherent natural fields: transfer function estimates between components at each site were employed to subtract the dominant field, and look deeper at the “residual” fields; the data were decomposed into principal components to identify the dominant coherent array modes; and the technique of canonical coherences was employed to distinguish anomalous fields which are spatially broad from anomalies which occur at a single site only, and furthermore to distinguish anomalies present in both the electric and magnetic fields from those present in only one field type. Standard remote reference apparent resistivity estimates were generated daily at Parkfield. A significant seasonal component of variability was observed, suggesting local distortion due to variations in near-surface resistance. In all cases, high levels of sensitivity to subtle electromagnetic effects were demonstrated, but no effects were found that can be reasonably characterized as precursors to the Parkfield earthquake.
Chromosomal aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges in lymphocytes from coke oven workers.

Abstract To test whether coke oven workers, an occupational group known to be at increased cancer risk, manifest increased peripheral blood chromosomal aberration frequencies, we obtained samples from a group of 30 steelworker volunteers, who had worked several years at coke oven jobs. Exposure estimates were made using measurements of work place atmospheric coal tar pitch volatiles and work histories. No statistically significant positive regression of chromosomal aberrations on exposure estimates was found The data from the coke oven workers were also compared with the obtained concurrently and employing precisely the same laboratory protocol from a group of male Brookhaven National Laboratory employees. The coke oven workers as a group were found to have statistically significantly elevated frequencies of chromatid aberrations and of sister-chromatid exchanges.
Patient use of a computer for prevention in primary care practice

Abstract A computerized health information system for prevention can provide an efficient way to enhance the doctor-patient interaction and provide patient-specific education materials. A computer system called HealthTouch© was developed by family physicians and placed in 29 randomly selected primary care practices in Virginia for 1 year. Data were collected from three sources: randomly selected patients' charts, the HealthTouch© data base, and patient telephone interviews. Data from these sources were combined, and frequency distributions and comparisons of responses by demographic attributes were analyzed using the chi-square statistic. During the study year, 9799 adult patients used the HealthTouch© system. HealthTouch© users were younger, on average, than the overall patient population, and the majority (89%) were either very satisfied or satisfied with the system. Computers are effective tools to collect, organize, and store patient information about prevention.
Optimal placement and sizing of paired piezoactuators in beams and plates

Classical beam and plate structural models are used to derive cost functions for determining the optimum placement and thickness of embedded and surface mounted piezoactuators. An optimization procedure was used to develop a design guide for simplified determination of piezoactuator size and placement. Plots are presented that show both optimal piezoactuator location and thickness as functions of the modulus ratio between the substructure and the piezoactuator in a number of practical design scenarios.
The role of membranes and membrane trafficking in RNA localization

Eukaryotic cells possess highly sophisticated membrane trafficking pathways that define specific membrane domains and provide a means for moving vesicles between them (Mostov, Su, and ter Beest, 2003, Nat. Cell Biol. 5, 287-293). Here, I review recent data that indicate a role for membrane trafficking in mRNA localization. Specifically, I review evidence that some localized mRNAs are anchored to specific membrane domains and/or transported on membranous organelles or vesicles to specific subcellular sites. This review is not intended as a discussion on indirect influences of membrane trafficking on mRNA localization. I will not, for example, discuss the role of membrane trafficking in the regulation of extracellular signalling events that could indirectly influence mRNA localization through polarization of the actin or microtubule cytoskeleton (for examples, see reviews by Drubin and Nelson, 1996, Cell 84, 335-344; Shulman and St Johnston, 1999, Trends Cell Biol. 9, M60-M64).
What the Other Half Thinks: the Implications of Female Perceptions for Work Demands*

Three hundred fifty-three registered nurses were asked their perceptions of the economic need for continued employment, the “threat” to the husband if her salary was greater than his, and the husband's view of the need for his wife's employment. Most did not feel their husbands would be threatened if their wives had a greater income. Respondents generally saw a greater economic need than they felt their husbands did. A comparison is made between the perceptions of our sample and what other research indicated are the perceptions of men.
Convenient separation of high-purity C60 from crude fullerene extract by selective complexation with AlCl3.

Abstract A purification procedure for C60 from the fullerene extract has been developed using the differential complexation of C60 and C70 with AlCl3 (or its conjugate acid) in CS2 solution. In addition to pure C60 (>99.8%), the procedure also provides C70-enriched fullerene mixture.
THE AEQUOREA VICTORIA GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN CAN BE USED AS A REPORTER IN LIVE ZEBRAFISH EMBRYOS

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the cnidarian Aequorea victoria is capable of producing fluorescence without an exogenously added substrate. Here we demonstrate that a cDNA for GFP driven by a Xenopus elongation factor 1 alpha enhancer-promoter can confer fluorescence upon live zebrafish embryos, either as an injected plasmid or as a transgene after passage through the germline. When injected into zebrafish embryos at the one-cell stage, this construct starts to express detectable GFP after about 4 hr of development at 28 degrees C, about 1 hr after the midblastula transition. Fluorescence can be observed in cells of many tissue types in the embryo for at least 3 weeks after injection. We used three different expression constructs, each employing a modified ef1 alpha enhancer-promoter, to generate 12 transgenic lines. Eight of the 12 lines, including 5 of 5 derived from one construct with an intron, express detectable fluorescence in the F1 and, where tested, in the F2 generation. Most expressing lines showed very similar expression patterns. Generally, fluorescence is not seen in the transgenic embryos before 20 hr postfertilization, at which point it appears uniformly throughout the embryo. Fluorescence is most visible between 24-36 hr, and it becomes less visible after this, except that in many lines strong fluorescence remains visible in the eye for at least 5 days. A single inherited copy of the transgene is sufficient to produce detectable fluorescence in hemizygous F1 and F2 embryos.
Autoradiographic identification of estradiol-concentrating cells in the spinal cord of the female rat.

The topography and number of estradiol (E)-concentrating cells in the lower lumbar and sacral segments of the spinal cord of the female rat have been examined by the steroid autoradiography method. A nuclear-saturating dose of E was administered by intravenous infusion, which kept blood estrogen at or above proestrus levels for 3.5–4 h, much longer than usual for steroid receptor studies. The cord segments selected for examination are known to receive somatosensory information relevant for estrogen-dependent behavior, and to contain some of the motoneurons for epaxial muscles responsible for this behavior.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with invasive breast carcinoma: conceptual basis and fundamental surgical issues

Historically, radical surgery was the only potentially curative treatment for cancer. Recently, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, also termed preoperative, induction, or primary chemotherapy, has assumed an increasingly important role in the management of several solid-organ malignancies, including cancers of the breast, bone, head and neck, bladder, esophagus, and lung. In breast cancer, the use of postoperative, or adjuvant, chemotherapy is inextricably linked to the improved outcomes seen over the past several decades. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become the standard of care for patients with locally advanced breast cancer and has rapidly come to the forefront among potential treatments for patients with earlier-stage operable disease.
Effects of Cropping Seasons and Temperatures on the Dormancy of Rice ( Oryza sativa ) Seeds

The Boro (dry) and Kharif (wet) seasons of West Bengal differ appreciably in respect of atmospheric temperature, relative humidity and hours of bright sunshine each day. Post-harvest hot temperature (31°C) either in controlled conditions (in the Kharif season) or in natural (31.5°C) conditions (in the Boro season) had a more significant effect than post-harvest cool air temperature (20.4°C) in the Kharif season on the early breaking of dormancy of paddy rice seeds. However, the pre-harvest hot air temperature (31.4°C) of the Boro season was no more effective in breaking dormancy than the pre-harvest cool air temperature (20.9°C) of the Kharif season. With a mean air temperature of 20.4°C the post-harvest exposure of the seeds to the sun from sunrise to sunset during the Kharif season was much more effective in breaking dormancy than the post-harvest mean air temperature of 31.5°C during the Boro season.
Like Agamemnon and Clytemnestra: Ilse Langner's Gendered Perspective on the Politics of War and the Prospects for Peace

In her politically influenced plays and essays, German author Ilse Langner (1899–1987) rigorously analyzes her own gendered theories concerning war, peace, and guilt. This article views Langner's drama Klytamnestra (1947) along with the author's subsequent essays on peace theory as a framework for investigating her observations on the evolving relationship between German politics and gender roles. The belligerent atmosphere of Germany in the 1930s and 1940s forced Langner to recalibrate her previously rigid and traditional paradigms of male and female war involvement. After allegorically treating a temporary interruption marked by female aggressiveness with Klytamnestra, Langner returns to the notion of the enduring female role of maternal peacemaker in her theoretical writings (1946–1948). The assertion that women have the inherent ability and responsibility to administer peace in the postwar era directs Langner's work into ongoing gendered debates surrounding women's accountability for wartime violence.
POTASSIUM REVERSIBLE INHIBITION OF CEEMOTAXIS BY LEVORPHANOL

The chemotactic responsiveness of neutrophils (PMN) is dependent to Na+, K+, ATPase pump and is impaired by inhibitors of the pump such as Ouabain. Levorphanol, a morphine analogue, known to effect PMN membrane functions and cause outflaw of K+, in 1×10−3M concentrations has also been found to inhibit chemotaxis induced by Zymosan and E. coli filtrates. Inhibition was partially reversed by addition of 1×10−3M KCl. The action of levorphanol might be on the Na+, K+ activated ATPase, since it was found to inhibit the same on erythrocyte membrane fragments.
What can we learn from exercise testing beyond the detection of myocardial ischemia

Summary: Noninvasive cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) testing has proven useful in the assessment of heart and lung disease, including cardiac and ventilatory reserves. CPX includes the monitoring of respiratory gas exchange, 02 uptake and CO? production, together with minute ventilation and its components-tidal volume and respiratory rate-together with surveillance of electrocardiography and blood pressure during supervised, incremental exercise. Exercise responses in anaerobic threshold and/or maximal 02 uptake are used to grade functional capacity objectively and to predict cardiac reserve (exercise cardiac output), which grades the severity of chronic cardiac or circulatory failure. CPX also serves to distinguish primary cardiac from ventilatory-based exertional dyspnea.
Electrophysiologic monitoring characteristics of the recurrent laryngeal nerve preoperatively paralyzed or invaded with malignancy.

ObjectiveTo elucidate electrophysiologic responses of the recurrent laryngeal nerves that were preoperatively paralyzed or invaded by malignancy and to use this information as an added functional p...
Results and methodological quality of smoking and health studies

Abstract Empirical studies from the 1985 Smoking and Health Abstracts were collected and reviewed. The quality of the methods employed in each study was rated by two Ph.D. experimental psychologists who did not know the authors or results of the studies they rated. The relationships between smoking and the health variable(s) in each study were converted to a standard effect size and correlation for comparison. Results were presented for 10 categories of health variables. The relationship between smoking and health was small for all categories with an overall relationship equivalent to a correlation of 0.13. Poorer studies yielded larger relationships between smoking and health than did methodologically stronger studies. A similar analysis of the 1982 Surgeon General's Report produced an overall correlation of 0.17 between smoking and cancer. The relationship between smoking and disease as shown in recent empirical investigations is very weak and would be even weaker if only methodologically adequate studies were considered.
An operation sequence based similarity coefficient for part families formations

Abstract To date, similarity of parts in group technology research has been defined and operationalized primarily on the basis of the machine requirements of parts. In this paper, a similarity coefficient based on the similarity of operation sequences is presented, and its use for parts grouping is discussed. It is also illustrated that such a coefficient, augmented with an advanced clustering algorithm, can improve production effectiveness by identifying part families that allow machines to interleave between identical operations of different parts.
Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance in Division 1 Collegiate Football Players

ABSTRACTPurpose:To estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in a cohort of Division 1 collegiate football players.Methods:Ninety football players were evaluated in a cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and associated
ADP-Ribosylation Factor (ARF) Interaction Is Not Sufficient for Yeast GGA Protein Function or Localization

Golgi-localized gamma-ear homology domain, ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF)-binding proteins (GGAs) facilitate distinct steps of post-Golgi traffic. Human and yeast GGA proteins are only ~25% identical, but all GGA proteins have four similar domains based on function and sequence homology. GGA proteins are most conserved in the region that interacts with ARF proteins. To analyze the role of ARF in GGA protein localization and function, we performed mutational analyses of both human and yeast GGAs. To our surprise, yeast and human GGAs differ in their requirement for ARF interaction. We describe a point mutation in both yeast and mammalian GGA proteins that eliminates binding to ARFs. In mammalian cells, this mutation disrupts the localization of human GGA proteins. Yeast Gga function was studied using an assay for carboxypeptidase Y missorting and synthetic temperature-sensitive lethality between GGAs and VPS27. Based on these assays, we conclude that non-Arf-binding yeast Gga mutants can function normally in membrane trafficking. Using green fluorescent protein-tagged Gga1p, we show that Arf interaction is not required for Gga localization to the Golgi. Truncation analysis of Gga1p and Gga2p suggests that the N-terminal VHS domain and C-terminal hinge and ear domains play significant roles in yeast Gga protein localization and function. Together, our data suggest that yeast Gga proteins function to assemble a protein complex at the late Golgi to initiate proper sorting and transport of specific cargo. Whereas mammalian GGAs must interact with ARF to localize to and function at the Golgi, interaction between yeast Ggas and Arf plays a minor role in Gga localization and function.
Formal specification in collaborative design of critical software tools

Engineers use software tools to analyze designs for critical systems. Because important decisions are based on tool results, tools must provide valid modeling constructs, engineers must understand them to validate their models; and tools must be implemented without major error. Such tools thus demand careful conceptual and software design. One aspect of such design is the use of rigorous specification and design techniques. This paper contributes a case study on the use of such techniques in the collaborative development of a dynamic fault tree analysis tool. The collaboration involved software engineering researchers knowledgeable in software specification and design and reliability engineering researchers expert in fault tree analysis. Our work revealed conceptual and implementation errors in an earlier version of the tool. Our study supports the position that there is a need for rigorous software specification and design in developing novel analysis tools, and that collaboration between software engineers and domain experts is feasible and profitable.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone increases cleavage rates of bovine oocytes fertilized in vitro.

Because a direct effect of GnRH on spermatozoa has been implied in clinical studies with subfertile bulls and stallions, we added GnRH to in vitro fertilization media to study effects on cleavage rates of bovine oocytes obtained from slaughterhouse ovaries. Cleavage rates were higher (p 0.10) effect on percentage blastocysts per cleaved ovum was detected in any experiment. No specific binding of a GnRH analog to sperm was detected in radioreceptor assays. However, mRNA for the GnRH receptor was detected in matured cumulus-oocyte complexes by means of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and was verified by Southern hybridization with cDNA for the ovine GnRH receptor. In summary, GnRH and GnRH agonists enhance bovine in vitro fertilization, and detection of mRNA for the GnRH receptor in cumulus-oocyte complexes is suggestive that GnRH may act through its receptor.
Hydroperiod and Metamorphosis in Small-mouthed Salamanders (Ambystoma texanum)

Ambystoma texanum (Small-mouthed Salamander) breeds primarily in temporary wetlands, and while natural history studies have suggested a minimum larval period of about 2 mo, it is not clear how hydroperiod (the length of time that a temporary wetland holds water) infl uences populations. I conducted a mesocosm experiment to investigate the effects of hydroperiod on the completion of metamor- phosis, as well as age and size at metamorphosis. I used hydroperiods of 50, 75, and 100 d, and a non-drying treatment as a control. Survival to the end of each hydroperiod was consistent among all groups, but no individuals completed metamorphosis in the 50-d treatment. The proportion of individuals completing metamorphosis increased with longer hydroperiods, as did the age at metamorphosis. The size at metamorpho- sis, however, was not affected by the length of the hydroperiod. My results show that a minimum hydroperiod of 2.5 mo is necessary for populations of Small-mouthed Salamander. Maintenance of natural hydroperiods in wetlands under the threat of de- velopment is a critical consideration for the long-term persistence of Small-mouthed Salamander populations.
Diffusion tensor imaging: Application to the study of the developing brain.

ABSTRACT Objective To provide an overview of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and its application to the study of white matter in the developing brain in both healthy and clinical samples. Method The development of DTI and its application to brain imaging of white matter tracts is discussed. Forty-eight studies using DTI to examine diffusion properties of the developing brain are reviewed in the context of the structural magnetic resonance imaging literature. Reports of how brain diffusion properties are affected in pediatric clinical samples and how they relate to cognitive and behavioral phenotypes are reviewed. Results DTI has been used successfully to describe white matter development in pediatric samples. Changes in white matter diffusion properties are consistent across studies, with anisotropy increasing and overall diffusion decreasing with age. Diffusion measures in relevant white matter regions correlate with behavioral measures in healthy children and in clinical pediatric samples. Conclusions DTI is an important tool for providing a more detailed picture of developing white matter than can be obtained with conventional magnetic resonance imaging alone. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry , 2007;46(2):213-223.
Reading in their Own Interests: Teaching Five Levels of Analysis

This article examines the usefulness of engaging culturally relevant texts with five levels of analysis to foster critical thinking and academic writing. Teachers who are not critical of seemingly a theoretical, ahistorical reading methods often overlook the ways that cultural biases in instructional methods ignore the cultural and critical needs of urban students of color (Bartolome, 1994; Morrell, 2008). Using five levels of analysis (explicit, implicit, theoretical, interpretive, and applicable) addresses this concern by challenging students to comprehend the central ideas of texts, interrogate in terms of social justice, connect concepts to their immediate realities and extrapolate useful ideas to apply to their everyday lives.
Simulation of transients in VLSI packaging interconnections

An approach to electrical analysis of VLSI packaging interconnections using computer simulation is discussed. Corresponding simulation software developed during the course of research on VLSI interconnections is described. Examples of application to prototypical interconnections (two-transmission-line systems joined by a lumped-parameter network and a transmission line terminated by a network of bipolar and MOS transistors) are provided. Simulation results for the above examples are presented and analyzed. The current status of work is discussed, and directions of future research are delineated. >
Arterial Spin-Labeling MRI Can Identify the Presence and Intensity of Collateral Perfusion in Patients With Moyamoya Disease

Background and Purpose— Determining the presence and adequacy of collateral blood flow is important in cerebrovascular disease. Therefore, we explored whether a noninvasive imaging modality, arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI, could be used to detect the presence and intensity of collateral flow using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and stable xenon CT cerebral blood flow as gold standards for collaterals and cerebral blood flow, respectively. Methods— ASL and DSA were obtained within 4 days of each other in 18 patients with Moyamoya disease. Two neurointerventionalists scored DSA images using a collateral grading scale in regions of interest corresponding to ASPECTS methodology. Two neuroradiologists similarly scored ASL images based on the presence of arterial transit artifact. Agreement of ASL and DSA consensus scores was determined, including kappa statistics. In 15 patients, additional quantitative xenon CT cerebral blood flow measurements were performed and compared with collateral grades. Results— The agreement between ASL and DSA consensus readings was moderate to strong, with a weighted kappa value of 0.58 (95% confidence interval, 0.52–0.64), but there was better agreement between readers for ASL compared with DSA. Sensitivity and specificity for identifying collaterals with ASL were 0.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.77–0.88) and 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.76–0.87), respectively. Xenon CT cerebral blood flow increased with increasing DSA and ASL collateral grade ( P Conclusions— ASL can noninvasively predict the presence and intensity of collateral flow in patients with Moyamoya disease using DSA as a gold standard. Further study of other cerebrovascular diseases, including acute ischemic stroke, is warranted.
Conscious vs. subconscious perception, as a function of radiological expertise

Radiological images constitute a special class of images that are captured (or computed) for a specific purpose (i.e. diagnosis) and their “correct” interpretation is vitally important. However, because they are not “natural” images, radiologists must be trained to visually interpret them. This training involves perceptual learning that is gradually acquired over an extended period of exposure to radiological images. This implicit (subconscious) knowledge is difficult to pass along explicitly (i.e. verbally) to less experienced radiologists. Multimedia technology has the potential to facilitate perceptual learning in new radiologists. However, it is important to have an objective and quantitative method for evaluating the progress of trainees using this approach. This paper proposes an eye-tracker-based metric for determining the level of expertise of a radiologist in training, based on where he/she lies along a scale based on the visual scanning behavior of radiologists, ranging from novice to expert.
TWO-PHASE FLOW SIMULATION OF MIST FILM COOLING WITH DIFFERENT WALL HEATING CONDITIONS

Effective cooling of gas turbine combustor liners, combustor transition pieces, turbine vanes (nozzles) and blades (buckets) is a critical task to protect these components from the flue gas at extremely high temperature. Air film cooling has been successfully used to cool these hot sections for the last half century. However, the net benefits from the traditional methods seem to be marginally incremental, but the temperature of working gas is continuously increasing to achieve a high thermal efficiency. Therefore, new cooling techniques need to be developed. One of the promising techniques is to enhance film cooling with mist injection. While the previous study reported the effect of mist on the cooling effectiveness with an adiabatic wall, this paper focuses on the effect of mist injection on heat transfer of film cooling with a non-adiabatic flat wall, using commercial CFD software package Fluent. Both 2-D and 3-D cases are considered with a 2-D slot and diffusive compound angle holes. Modellings of interaction of droplet with uniformly cooled wall as well as conjugate heat conduction inside the solid base are conducted. Different mist droplet sizes and mist concentrations are adopted. Both conditions at a gas turbine operating environment (15 atm and 1561K) and in the laboratory environment (1 atm and 450K) are considered. Results show that injecting 2~10% mist successfully reduces the heat transfer coefficient and the wall temperature. Especially, mist has the prolonged effect of cooling the region downstream of 15 jet hole diameters, where the conventional air film cooling is not effective.
Multiphase saturation equations, change of type and inaccessible regions

We identify a class of flux functions which give rise to conservation laws which are hyperbolic except along a codimension one subspace of state space. We show that a number of systems modelling porous medium flow can be regarded as perturbations of such systems, and describe the phenomenon of change of type for these perturbations. We also discuss a property of solutions of such systems, the existence of inaccessible regions - subsets of state space which appear to be avoided by solutions.
Factors Associated With Meniscus Repair in Patients Undergoing Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background:Meniscus injuries are common in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Patient demographics, surgeon characteristics, and concurrent diagnostic factors affecting the prevalence of meniscus repairs in patients undergoing ACL reconstruction (ACLR) by community-based orthopaedic surgeons have not been fully studied.Hypothesis:Patient (age, sex, race, and body mass index [BMI]), surgeon (sports medicine fellowship training status and case volume), and injury characteristics (1 or both menisci injured, injury location, and concurrent cartilage injury) and surgical venue (case volume) are associated with a higher likelihood of meniscus repair.Study Design:Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:A cross-sectional study using data from a large community-based ACLR registry was performed. Patients with a meniscus injury and primary ACLR between February 2005 and June 2010 were included in the study. Meniscus repair rates by patient, surgeon, and injury characteristics were des...
Genetic Loci for Coaggregation Receptor Polysaccharide Biosynthesis in Streptococcus gordonii 38

The cell wall polysaccharide of Streptococcus gordonii 38 functions as a coaggregation receptor for surface adhesins on other members of the oral biofilm community. The structure of this receptor polysaccharide (RPS) is defined by a heptasaccharide repeat that includes a GalNAcβ1→3Gal-containing recognition motif. The same RPS has now been identified from S. gordonii AT, a partially sequenced strain. PCR primers designed from sequences in the genomic database of strain AT were used to identify and partially characterize the S. gordonii 38 RPS gene cluster. This cluster includes genes for seven putative glycosyltransferases, a polysaccharide polymerase (Wzy), an oligosaccharide repeating unit transporter (Wzx), and a galactofuranose mutase, the enzyme that promotes synthesis of UDP-Galf, one of five predicted RPS precursors. Genes outside this region were identified for the other four nucleotide-linked sugar precursors of RPS biosynthesis, namely, those for formation of UDP-Glc, UDP-Gal, UDP-GalNAc, and dTDP-Rha. Two genes for putative galactose 4-epimerases were identified. The first, designated galE1, was identified as a pseudogene in the galactose operon, and the second, designated galE2, was transcribed with three of the four genes for dTDP-Rha biosynthesis (i.e., rmlA, rmlC, and rmlB). Insertional inactivation of galE2 abolished (i) RPS production, (ii) growth on galactose, and (iii) both UDP-Gal and UDP-GalNAc 4-epimerase activities in cell extracts. Repair of the galE1 pseudogene in this galE2 mutant restored growth on galactose but not RPS production. Cell extracts containing functional GalE1 but not GalE2 contained UDP-Gal 4-epimerase but not UDP-GalNAc 4-epimerase activity. Thus, provision of both UDP-Gal and UDP-GalNAc for RPS production by S. gordonii 38 depends on the dual specificity of the epimerase encoded by galE2.
Increased Intragenic IGF2 Methylation is Associated with Repression of Insulator Activity and Elevated Expression in Serous Ovarian Carcinoma

Overexpression of insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF2) is a prominent characteristic of many epithelial ovarian malignancies. IGF2 imprinting and transcription are regulated in part through DNA methylation, which in turn regulates binding of the insulator protein, CTCF, within the IGF2/H19 imprint center. We have shown that IGF2 overexpression in ovarian cancer is associated with hypermethylation of CTCF binding sites within the IGF2/H19 imprint center. The aim of this study was to investigate the methylation and binding capacity of a novel putative CTCF binding motif located intragenic to IGF2 and determine how this relates to IGF2 expression. In 35 primary serous epithelial ovarian cancer specimens, methylation of two CpGs, including one within the core binding motif and another adjacent to this motif, was higher in the 18 cancers with elevated IGF2 expression versus 10 with low expression (avg. 68.2% vs. 38.5%; p 92%; avg. 93.2%; N=16). We confirmed binding of CTCF to this region in ovarian cancer cells, as well as the paralog of CTCF, BORIS, which is frequently overexpressed in cancers. The unmethylated CTCF binding motif has insulator activity in cells that express CTCF or BORIS, but not in cells that express both CTCF and BORIS. These intragenic CpG dinucleotides comprise a novel paternal germline imprint mark and are located in a binding motif for the insulator protein CTCF. Methylation of the CpG dinucleotides is positively correlated with IGF2 transcription, supporting that increased methylation represses insulator function. These combined results suggest that methylation and CTCF binding at this region play important roles in regulating the level of IGF2 transcription. Our data have revealed a novel epigenetic regulatory element within the IGF2/H19 imprinted domain that is highly relevant to aberrant IGF2 expression in ovarian malignancies.
Selective Antimetastatic Activity of Cytosine Analog CS-682 in a Red Fluorescent Protein Orthotopic Model of Pancreatic Cancer

In this study we demonstrate the ability of a novel, p.o.-administered cytosine analogue, CS-682, to effectively prolong survival and inhibit metastatic growth in an imageable orthotopic mouse model of pancreatic cancer. MIA-PaCa-2-RFP pancreatic cancer cells were transduced with the Discosoma red fluorescent protein (RFP) and orthotopically implanted onto the pancreas of nude mice. Tumor RFP fluorescence facilitated real-time, sequential imaging, and quantification of primary and metastatic growth and dissemination in vivo. Mice were treated with various p.o. doses of CS-682 on a five times per week schedule until death. At a dose of 40 mg/kg, CS-682 prolonged survival compared with untreated animals (median survival 35 days versus 17 days; P = 0.0008). At nontoxic doses, CS-682 effectively suppressed the rate of primary tumor growth. CS-682 also decreased the development of malignant ascites and the formation of metastases, which were reduced significantly in number in the diaphragm, lymph nodes, liver, and kidney. Selective RFP tumor fluorescence enabled noninvasive real-time comparison between groups during treatment and facilitated identification of micrometastases in solid organs at autopsy. Thus, we have demonstrated that CS-682 is an efficacious antimetastatic agent that significantly prolongs survival in an orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer. The antimetastatic efficacy of CS-682 and its p.o. availability confer significant advantages and clinical potential to this agent for pancreatic cancer.
Integer sub-optimal Karhunen-Loeve transform for multi-channel lossless EEG compression

In this paper, a method for approximating the Karhunen-Loeve Transform (KLT) for the purpose of multi-channel lossless electroencephalogram (EEG) compression is proposed. The approximation yields a near optimal transform for the case of Markov process, but significantly reduces the computational complexity. The sub-optimal KLT is further parameterized by a ladder factorization, rendering a reversible structure under quantization of coefficients called IntSKLT. The IntSKLT is then used to compress the multi-channel EEG signals. Lossless coding results show that the degradation in compression ratio using the IntSKLT is about 3% when the computational complexity is reduced by more than 60%.