cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Can Dynamic Visualizations Improve Middle School Students' Understanding of Energy in Photosynthesis?

Dynamic visualizations have the potential to make abstract scientific phenomena more accessible and visible to students, but they can also be confusing and difficult to comprehend. This research investigates how dynamic visualizations, compared to static illustrations, can support middle school students in developing an integrated understanding of energy in photosynthesis. Two hundred 7th-grade students were randomly assigned to either a dynamic or a static condition and completed a web-based inquiry unit that encourages students to make connections among energy concepts in photosynthesis. While working on the inquiry unit, students in the dynamic condition interacted with a dynamic visualization of energy transformation, whereas students in the static condition interacted with a series of static illustrations of the same concept. The results showed that students in both conditions added new, scientific ideas about energy transformation and developed a more coherent understanding of energy in photosynthesis. However, when comparing the two conditions, we found a significant ad- vantage of dynamic visualization over static illustrations. Students in the dynamic condition were signif- icantly more successful in articulating the process of energy transformation in the context of chemical reactions during photosynthesis. Students in the dynamic condition also demonstrated a more integrated understanding of energy in photosynthesis by linking their ideas about energy transformation to other energy ideas and observable phenomena of photosynthesis than those students in the static condition. This study, consistent with other research, shows that dynamic visualizations can more effectively improve students' understanding of abstract concepts of molecular processes than static illustrations. The results of this study also suggest that with appropriate instructional support, such as making predic- tions and distinguishing among ideas, both dynamic visualizations and static illustrations can benefit students. This study underscores the importance of curriculum design in ensuring that dynamic visual- izations add value to science instructional materials. 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 218-243, 2012
Effects of sulfasalazine on 6-mercaptopurine metabolism and clinical efficacy in patients with Crohn's disease: preliminary results of a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial

Effects of sulfasalazine on 6-mercaptopurine metabolism and clinical efficacy in patients with Crohn's disease: preliminary results of a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial
Engineering density of semiconductor-dielectric interface states to modulate threshold voltage in OFETs

Threshold-voltage control is critical to the further development of pentacene organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). In this paper, we demonstrate that the threshold voltage can be tuned through chemical treatment of the gate dielectric layer. We show that oxygen plasma treatment of an organic polymer gate dielectric, parylene, introduces traps at the semiconductor-dielectric interface that strongly affect the OFET performance. Atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy using crossed-polarizers, and current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characterization were performed on treated and untreated devices. A model is presented to account for the effects of trap-introduced charges, both 1) fixed charges (2.0/spl times/10/sup -6/ C/cm/sup 2/) that shift the threshold voltage from -17 to +116 V and 2) mobile charges (1.1/spl times/10/sup -6/ C/cm/sup 2/) that increase the parasitic bulk conductivity. This technique offers a potential method of tuning threshold voltage at the process level.
Block FIR decision-feedback equalizers for filterbank precoded transmissions with blind channel estimation capabilities

In block transmission systems, transmitter-induced redundancy using finite-impulse response (FIR) filterbanks can be used to suppress intersymbol interference and equalize FIR channels irrespective of channel zeros. At the receiver end, linear or decision-feedback (DF) FIR filterbanks can be applied to recover the transmitted data. Closed-form expressions are derived for the FIR linear or DF filterbank receivers corresponding to varying amounts of transmission redundancy. Our framework encompasses existing block transmission schemes and offers low implementation-cost equalization techniques both when interblock interference is eliminated, and when IBI is present as, e.g., in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing with insufficient cyclic prefix. By applying blind channel estimation methods, our filterbank transmitters-receivers (transceivers) dispense with bandwidth consuming training sequences. Extensive simulations illustrate the merits of our designs.
Preparation of digital movie clips for online journal publication.

OBJECTIVE. This article presents general guidelines for preparing movie clips for online journal publication.CONCLUSION. As more and more radiology journals establish an online presence, radiologists wishing to submit journal articles with movie clips need to understand the electronic submission process. Viewing a movie clip via an online journal is different from viewing one with PowerPoint using a local desktop computer because the movie file must first be downloaded onto the client computer before it can be displayed. Users thus should be cautious in selecting movie format and compression when creating movie clips for online journals. This article provides step-by-step demonstrations and general guidelines for movie format and compression selections.
Effects of Intra- and Interband Transitions on Electron-Phonon Coupling and Electron Heat Capacity After Short-Pulsed Laser Heating

This work considers the effects of intra- and direct interband transitions on electron heat capacity and the electron-phonon coupling factor in metals. In the event of an interband transition, the population of the electron bands around the Fermi level will change, affecting the electron density of states and subsequently the thermophysical properties. In the event of photon-induced interband transitions, this repopulation can occur even at relatively low temperatures. This introduces a photon energy-dependent population term into density of states calculations when examining the effects of direct interband transitions on electron heat capacity and the electron-phonon coupling factor in temperature regimes where traditionally only intraband transitions are considered. Example calculations are shown for copper and the two-temperature model is solved using the interband-dependent values of electron heat capacity and electron-phonon coupling factor to examine the effect of these transitions on the transient ...
Can We Predict Bevacizumab Responders in Patients With Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is among the most devastating of oncologic diagnoses, with the disease being characterized by its aggressive recurrent nature and poor prognosis. Initial treatment with temozolomide in addition to radiation has been demonstrated to confer a modest survival benefit. 1 Since the US Food and Drug Administration approval of temozolomide in 2005, no other systemic therapies have been approved on the basis of demonstration of improvement in overall survival. Bevacizumab was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2009 for monotherapy in patients with recurrent glioblastoma on the basis of two phase II trials that demonstrated durable objective response rates. 2,3 The hope was that the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0825 (Temozolomide and Radiation Therapy With or Without Bevacizumab in Treating Patients WithNewlyDiagnosedGlioblastoma)andAVAglio(AStudyofAvastin (Bevacizumab) in Combination With Temozolomide and Radiotherapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma) studies would demonstrate an overall survival benefit with the use of bevacizumab. Both of these studies included patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma who were undergoing standard of care treatment with concurrenttemozolomideandradiationandwererandomlyassigned to either bevacizumab or placebo. They demonstrated benefits in progression-free survival favoring the bevacizumab arm, but no such benefit was demonstrated in overall survival. 4,5 Looking at the subgroup analysis in the AVAglio study population, clinical prognostic factors such as extent of resection, performance status, recursive partitioning analysis class, baseline steroid use, and O 6 -methylguanineDNA-methyltransferase analysis of tumor tissue, did not seem to be predictiveofresponse. 4 Patientsinthisstudydidseemtobenefitfrom bevacizumabintermsofmaintenanceofqualityoflife. 4 However,the RTOG 0825 study had conflicting results, with higher rates of neurocognitive decline in patients on the bevacizumab arm. 5
Dimensions underlying psychotic and manic symptomatology: Extending normal-range personality traits to schizophrenia and bipolar spectra

Abstract Objective Covariance among psychiatric disorders can be accounted for by higher-order internalizing, externalizing, and psychosis dimensions, but placement of bipolar disorder within this framework has been inconsistent. Moreover, whether deviations in normal-range personality can explain psychosis and vulnerability to severe mood lability, as seen in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, remains unclear. Methods Exploratory factor analysis of interviewer-rated clinical symptoms in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, their first-degree biological relatives, and nonpsychiatric controls (total N = 193), followed by examination of associations between symptom dimensions and self reports on personality questionnaires. Results Covariance in symptoms was accounted for by five factors: positive symptoms of psychosis, negative symptoms of psychosis, disorganization, mania, and depression/anxiety. Schizophrenia and bipolar patients/relatives reported elevated negative emotionality and absorption and lower positive emotionality relative to controls. Personality did not differ between schizophrenia and bipolar patients/relatives, but there was a different pattern of associations between symptoms and personality in these groups. Conclusions Discrete dimensions reflecting psychotic, manic, and depressive symptoms emerge when a broad set of clinical symptoms is examined in a sample overrepresented by psychotic experiences and affective disturbances. Although normal-range personality traits index common phenotypes spanning schizophrenia and bipolar spectra, the same symptoms may carry different significance across disorders.
Energy Levels of Er ii

Eight low-lying levels of Er ii 4f12 6s have been observed to be grouped according to their energy in four close pairs. The centers of gravity of the pairs correspond to the energies of the four lowest levels of the core 4f12; the spacings between the two components of the pairs depend on the Coulomb interaction between the s electron and core and are determined by the single Slater integral G3(4f,6s). The levels of the core can be fitted very closely with integrals Fk(4f,4f) whose ratios one to another are the same as those for a hydrogenic 4f eigenfunction. The integral F2(4f,4f) is found to be 427 cm−1 and ζf the spin-orbit coupling constant, 2237 cm−1. The spacings are fitted moderately well by a value of 1580 cm−1 for G3; discrepancies are ascribed to configuration interaction. The g values of the levels are found to agree closely with those calculated on the basis of perfect Jj coupling.
In touch: plant responses to mechanical stimuli

Perception and response to mechanical stimuli are likely essential at the cellular and organismal levels. Elaborate and impressive touch responses of plants capture the imagination as such behaviors are unexpected in otherwise often quiescent creatures. Touch responses can turn plants into aggressors against animals, trapping and devouring them, and enable flowers to be active in ensuring crosspollination and shoots to climb to sunlit heights. Morphogenesis is also influenced by mechanical perturbations, including both dynamic environmental stimuli, such as wind, and constant forces, such as gravity. Even individual cells must sense turgor and wall integrity, and subcellular organelles can translocate in response to mechanical perturbations. Signaling molecules and hormones, including intracellular calcium, reactive oxygen species, octadecanoids and ethylene, have been implicated in touch responses. Remarkably, touch-induced gene expression is widespread; more than 2.5% of Arabidopsis genes are rapidly up-regulated in touch-stimulated plants. Many of these genes encode calcium-binding, cell wall modifying, defense, transcription factor and kinase proteins. With these genes as tools, molecular genetic methods may enable elucidation of mechanisms of touch perception, signal transduction and response regulation.
Modulation of Oral Heat and Cold Pain by Irritant Chemicals

Common food irritants elicit oral heat or cool sensations via actions at thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. We used a half-tongue, 2-alternative forced-choice procedure coupled with bilateral pain intensity ratings to investigate irritant effects on heat and cold pain. The method was validated in a bilateral thermal difference detection task. Capsaicin, mustard oil, and cinnamaldehyde enhanced lingual heat pain elicited by a 49 � C stimulus. Mustard oil and cinnamaldehyde weakly enhanced lingual cold pain (9.5 � C), whereas capsaicin had no effect. Menthol significantly enhanced cold pain and weakly reduced heat pain. To address if capsaicin’s effect was due to summation of perceptually similar thermal and chemical sensations, one-half of the tongue was desensitized by application of capsaicin. Upon reapplication, capsaicin elicited little or no irritant sensation yet still significantly enhanced heat pain on the capsaicin-treated side, ruling out summation. In a third experiment, capsaicin significantly enhanced pain ratings to graded heat stimuli (47 � Ct o 50� C) resulting in an upward shift of the stimulus–response function. Menthol may induce cold hyperalgesia via enhanced thermal gating of TRPM8 in peripheral fibers. Capsaicin, mustard oil, and cinnanamdelyde may induce heat hyperalgesia via enhanced thermal gating of TRPV1 that is coexpressed with TRPA1 in peripheral nociceptors.
Statistical Yield Modeling for Sub-wavelength Lithography

Photolithography is at the heart of semiconductor manufacturing process. To support continued scaling of transistors, lithographic resolution must continue to improve. At today's volume manufacturing process, a light source of 193 nm wavelength is used to print devices with 45 nm feature size. To address sub-wavelength printability, a number of resolution enhancement techniques (RET) have been used. While RET techniques allow printing of sub-wavelength features, the feature length itself becomes highly sensitive to process parameters, which in turn detracts from yield due to small perturbations in manufacturing parameters. Yield loss is a function of random variables such as depth-of-focus, exposure dose, lens aberration and resist thickness. The loss-of-yield is also a function of systematic components such as specific layout structure and out-of-band radiation from optical source. In this paper, we present a yield modeling technique for a given layout, based on a statistical model for process variability. The key issues addressed in this paper are (i) layout error modeling, (ii) avoidance of mask simulation for chip layouts, (iii) avoidance of full Monte-Carlo simulation for variational lithography modeling, (iv) building a methodology for yield estimation based on existing commercial tools. Results based on our approach show that yield sensitivity increases at smaller feature sizes.
Distribution of OH within silent discharge plasma reactors

Barrier discharges in humid air generate large quantities of OH and are well suited for the treatment of gas-based pollutants. In order to understand and optimize the formation and utilization of OH, we have imaged the spatial and temporal distribution of the OH radical with resolution of 40 /spl mu/m and 100 ns. Using a flowing mix of Ar/O/sub 2//H/sub 2/O (78.5/20/1.5), we have found that OH exists only within the 85-/spl mu/m radius channel formed by the transient microdischarge. At modest power densities of 0.1 W/cm/sup 2/, over l0/sup 6//cm/sup 2//s of these small filaments quickly fill the entire reactor volume.
Efficacy of either a single or split treatment of PGF2α after a 14 day melengestrol acetate treatment to synchronize estrus and induce luteolysis in Bos indicus × Bos taurus heifers

Two experiments evaluated a modified delivery of prostaglandin F2a (PGF2a) after a melengestrol acetate (MGA) treatment in Angus and Bos indicus Bos taurus (BI) heifers. Experiment 1 was replicated three times with yearling BI heifers (n = 695). Heifers received MGA (0.5 mg head 1 day 1 ) for 14 days. In Replications 1 and 2, heifers received either 25 mg of PGF2a im 19 days after MGA (single) or 12.5 mg of PGF2a im 19 and 20 days after MGA (split). In Replication 3, heifers received the same treatments, with PGF2a initiated either 18 or 19 days after MGA. Estrus was detected for 72 h after PGF2a, with AI commencing 8‐12 h after a detected estrus. Heifers not observed in estrus by 72 h were timed-AI concomitant with GnRH (100 mg im). Heifers from Replication 2 (n = 146) had blood samples collected at the initial PGF2a and at timed-AI to determine corpus luteum (CL) regression by evaluating plasma progesterone concentrations. The interval from MGA withdrawal to PGF2a did not have a significant effect on any variable in Replication 3 and there were no treatment by replication effects for any variables, therefore data were pooled. Modifying the PGF2a treatment from a single treatment to two treatments on consecutive days increased (P < 0.05) 72 h estrous response (43.2% versus 50.1%), timed-AI (23.9% versus 33.5%) and total-AI pregnancy rates (34.5% versus 42.5%), and CL regression (79.1% versus 92.5%), respectively. In Experiment 2, yearling Angus (n = 66) and 2-year-old BI (n = 68) heifers were synchronized as per Experiment 1 (with the initial PGF2a 19 days after MGA). Neither breed
Carcinogen derived biomarkers: applications in studies of human exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke.

Objective: To review the literature on carcinogen derived biomarkers of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS). These biomarkers are specifically related to known carcinogens in tobacco smoke and include urinary metabolites, DNA adducts, and blood protein adducts. Method: Published reviews and the current literature were searched for relevant articles. Results: The most consistently elevated biomarker in people exposed to SHS was 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) and its glucuronides (NNAL-Gluc), urinary metabolites of the tobacco specific lung carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). The tobacco specificity of this biomarker as well as its clear relation to an established lung carcinogen are particularly appropriate for its application in studies of SHS exposure. Conclusion: The results of the available carcinogen derived biomarker studies provide biochemical data which support the conclusion, based on epidemiologic investigations, that SHS causes lung cancer in non-smokers.
Comparisons of alloreactive potential of clinical hematopoietic grafts.

Background. We sought to compare the immunoreactive potential of human cord blood (CB) versus normal adult bone marrow (BM) versus mobilized blood (peripheral blood stem cells; PBSC) from cancer patients. Methods. Forty mice were randomized to receive a range of doses of T cell-replete cell preparations from one of the above three cell sources. Twenty-eight control mice underwent transplantation with T cell-depleted cells. Mice were observed for 60 days for the development of fatal xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease-like syndrome (GVHDLS). Results. For the mice that had received T cell-replete grafts of CB or BM or PBSC, the duration of GVHDLS-free survival of the chimeras was inversely proportional to the number of T cells transplanted. After adjustment for the number of T cells transplanted, the relative hazard of developing fatal GVHDLS was 62-fold higher for PBSC and 210-fold higher for BM as compared with CB. Flow cytometric and histologic analyses of selected chimeras that died of GVHDLS showed extensive proliferation of human T cells in multiple organs. In contrast, mice that survived to day 60 were engrafted with human myeloid and B lymphoid cells. Conclusions. The immunoreactive potential, as measured by this in vivo assay, differed among clinical grafts: BM > PBSC > CB.
Absolute and relative changes in tree growth rates and changes to the stand diameter distribution of Pinus taeda as a result of midrotation fertilizer applications

Silvicultural treatments have the potential to change the diameter distribution of a stand, which can alter the final product mix of the stand. Growth and yield models need to account for these changes in the diameter distribution to assess the economic viability of the silvicultural operations. We investigated how the diameter distribution of Pinus taeda L. stands changes as a result of midrotation fertilization. Data from 43 installations of a nitrogen and phosphorus midrotation fertilizer trial series established in the southeastern United States were used in the study. The results indicated that both the absolute growth response and the relative growth response of individual trees were greater among the larger trees. A three-parameter Weibull distribution fitted at each study site was used to investigate how the parameters of the distribution changed with time and treatment. The location and scale parameters of the Weibull distribution were both affected by fertilization. Stand variables, such as site...
Automation of Microwave Processing of Graphite / Epoxy Composite Materials using an Expert Systems Technique

Microwave curing of composite materials is a novel technology which can be an alternative to conventional thermal curing and has many advantages over thermal curing, i.e, fast and direct heating, selective heating, and controllability. Currently, the existing technology is more empirical and cannot be easily described by traditional process models. One key enabling step for realizing the advantages of the microwave curing technology is a capability for utilizing all the available existing knowledge in a concise manner. The major elements of a control system which utilizes traditional control techniques and (non-traditional) expert systems techniques in a real time microwave cure monitoring and control is discussed.
Parallel savings heuristics for designing multi-center tree networks

Parallel savings heuristics are presented for the multicenter tree-network design problem, where the objective is to find the least cost connection between a given set of user and backbone nodes (centers). Each subtree has to satisfy the capacity restriction of the backbone nodes. This approach combines the savings method with the matching problem, and is compared to L.R. Esau and K.C. Williams' (1966) heuristic modified to handle the multicenter case. This parallel savings heuristic allows one to decide how many backbone nodes to open and how to connect the user nodes to these backbone nodes. The performance of the parallel savings algorithms is demonstrated on a very large set of test problems. >
Genome-wide CIITA-binding profile identifies sequence preferences that dictate function versus recruitment

The class II transactivator (CIITA) is essential for the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) genes; however, the role of CIITA in gene regulation outside of MHC-II biology is not fully understood. To comprehensively map CIITA-bound loci, ChIP-seq was performed in the human B lymphoblastoma cell line Raji. CIITA bound 480 sites, and was significantly enriched at active promoters and enhancers. The complexity of CIITA transcriptional regulation of target genes was analyzed using a combination of CIITA-null cells, including a novel cell line created using CRISPR/Cas9 tools. MHC-II genes and a few novel genes were regulated by CIITA; however, most other genes demonstrated either diminished or no changes in the absence of CIITA. Nearly all CIITA-bound sites were within regions containing accessible chromatin, and CIITA's presence at these sites was associated with increased histone H3K27 acetylation, suggesting that CIITA's role at these non-regulated loci may be to poise the region for subsequent regulation. Computational genome-wide modeling of the CIITA bound XY box motifs provided constraints for sequences associated with CIITA-mediated gene regulation versus binding. These data therefore define the CIITA regulome in B cells and establish sequence specificities that predict activity for an essential regulator of the adaptive immune response.
Teaching Information Assurance Online

Cyber security threats, systems vulnerabilities, privacy concerns, and other security developments are progressing and proliferating rapidly. This article describes experience accumulated in teaching an online Information Assurance course at a 4-year college for graduate and undergraduate students. The course content is based on the security curriculum structured by ten security domains of knowledge, as defined by the (ISC)² for professional certification programs CISSP of (ISC)². Only eight out of ten domains are included in the 10-week IA-Study course. The courses uses several basic e-learning activities online studies supported with Via Voice-narrated slides presentation, video presentation, online reference book and supplemental readings; collaborative and individual coursework supported by Online WorkBook (WB) in Google Docs, assessment quizzes administered online via Blackboard/WebCT, and team/class discussions and networking supported with a dedicated Google Blog. WB facilitates collaborative students’ work using Wiki technology; it provides both work instructions and the place to submit the students work. Using a log in the Google Docs, the instructor can see individual contributions of team members to a collaborative project. In addition, each team is required to submit members’ peer evaluations. WikiDigest project – a value-added work-in-progress - opens opportunities for the instructor and the students to work together on collecting Tips and Recommendations for an Information Security Awareness knowledge base that can be used on campus by students and faculty. In conclusion, the article reviews students’ perceptions of online learning such as acceptance of online learning in general, time needed and actually spent to study the course, and effectiveness of team collaboration.
Relationships among forest age, composition and elemental dynamics of Adirondack northern hardwood forests1

Abstract We conducted a biogeochemical analysis of four Adirondack northern hardwood forests (two old-growth and two maturing second-growth) to elucidate correlations among stand age, site conditions and several nutrient cycling processes. One each of the old-growth and maturing forests were located on base-rich sites, while the other two were on base-poor sites. At each site we analyzed soil solution chemistry and estimated nutrient flux rates; measured annual litter production, and nutrient and lignin content; measured annual N mineralization and nitrification rates; and characterized herb- and canopy-layer vegetation, and coarse woody debris volumes. Vascular plant communities of the two base-rich sites were dominated by several rich-site indicator species, while such indicators were lacking at the base-poor sites. Tree basal areas and annual litter production did not differ among the study sites, but the old-growth stands contained 3-fold more coarse woody debris than the maturing stands. Foliar litte...
HANLE EFFECT IN 2$sup 1$P HELIUM.

The oscillator strength for the resonance ($1^{1}S\ensuremath{-}2^{1}P$) transition in atomic helium has been determined from a measurement of the lifetime of the $2^{1}P$ state. This lifetime was obtained using a modified zero-field level crossing (Hanle) method. The scattering sample was a thermal velocity beam of $2^{1}S$ metastable atoms. Resonant 2-\ensuremath{\mu} ($2^{1}S\ensuremath{-}2^{1}P$) radiation is absorbed by the $2^{1}S$ atoms, which are excited to the $2^{1}P$ state. This state then primarily decays to the ground $1^{1}S$ state with the emission of resonance (584 \AA{}) radiation. The lifetime of the $2^{1}P$ state was determined from measurements of the magnetic-field dependence of the angular distribution of the 584 \AA{} intensity. This new technique eliminates the problem of constructing a vacuum ultraviolet resonance lamp. The measured lifetime $\ensuremath{\tau} (2^{1}P)$ is (5.63 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.22) \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ sec. The resulting absorption oscillator strength for the resonance transition is 0.273 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.011. This oscillator strength agrees with the theoretical value.
Decreasing the polarization resistance of (La,Sr)CrO3-δ solid oxide fuel cell anodes by combined Fe and Ru substitution

The perovskite compounds La0.33Sr0.67Cr1–x–yFexRuyO3−δ (LSCrFeRu, x = 0.62, 0.57, and 0.47; y = 0.05, 0.14, and 0.2, respectively) were synthesized and assessed as a new type of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode in composite with Gd0.1Ce0.9O2-β (GDC) in La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.8Mg0.2O3-e/La0.4Ce0.6O2 bilayer electrolyte-supported cells. By comparing anode polarization resistance RP,A values for the LSCrFeRu compounds to the either exclusively Fe- or Ru-substituted (La,Sr)CrO3−δ perovskites, the present results demonstrate that the two substituent cations work synergistically to provide further reduction in RP,A from 0.290 Ω·cm2 for La0.33Sr0.67Cr0.33Fe0.67O3−δ (LSCrFe) and 0.235 Ω·cm2 for La0.8Sr0.2Cr0.8Ru0.2O3−δ (LSCrRu) to 0.195 Ω·cm2 for LSCrFeRu (all measured in humidified hydrogen at 800 °C). These impedance results also strongly suggest that hydrogen dissociative adsorption was the rate-limiting step in the hydrogen oxidation reaction sequence for LSCrFe anodes at some of the pH2 and temperatures measured. H...
KINETIC STUDY OF THE REACTION OF IR(A4F9/2) WITH CH4, O2, AND N2O

The gas-phase reactivity of ground-state Ir(a4F9/2) with CH4, O2, and N2O is reported. Iridium atoms were produced by the photodissociation of [Ir(CO)2(acac)] and detected by laser-induced fluorescence. The reaction rate of the a4F9/2 state with CH4 is very slow and temperature-dependent. The methane reaction is pressure-independent indicating a bimolecular reaction. The bimolecular rate constant from 398 to 498 K is described in Arrhenius form by (7 ± 5) × 10-11 exp(−37 ± 3 kJ/mol/RT) where the uncertainties represent ±2σ. The reaction rates of the a4F9/2 state with O2 and N2O are pressure-dependent, indicating adduct formation. The limiting low-pressure third-order, k0, and limiting high-pressure second-order, k∞, room-temperature rate constants with O2 in nitrogen buffer are (4.8 ± 1.6) × 10-30 cm6 s-1 and (3.6 ± 0.4) × 10-12 cm3 s-1, respectively. For N2O, k0 and k∞ are (2.2 ± 0.5) × 10-33 cm6 s-1 and (5.9 ± 0.8) × 10-15 cm3 s-1, respectively. A lower limit for the activation energy for the abstractio...
Effects of Morphine on Behavioral Task Performance in SIV-Infected Rhesus Macaques

The abuse of opiates such as morphine in synergy with HIV infection not only exacerbates neuropathogenesis but significantly impacts behavioral attributes in HIV infected subjects. Thus, the goal of the current study was to characterize behavioral perturbations in rhesus macaques subjected to chronic morphine and SIV infection. Specifically, we assessed three behavioral tasks: motor skill (MS), forelimb force (FFT) and progressive ratio (PR) tasks. After collecting baseline control data (44 weeks) and data during the morphine-only dependency period (26 weeks), a subset of animals were productively infected with neurovirulent strains of SIVmac (R71/E17) for an additional 33 weeks. A general pattern in the results is that behavioral decline occurred with high CSF viral loads but not necessarily with high plasma viral loads. Compared to saline controls, all treated animals showed significant decreases in performance on all three behavioral tasks during the morphine-only dependency period. During the post infection period, only the morphine plus SIV group showed a significant further decline and this only occurred for the MS task. Taken together, these data demonstrate a clear effect of morphine to produce behavioral deficits and also suggest that morphine can act synergistically with SIV/HIV to exacerbate behavioral deficits.
Bayesian interactive decision support for multi-attribute problems with even swaps

Even swaps is a method for solving deterministic multi-attribute decision problems where the decision maker iteratively simplifies the problem until the optimal alternative is revealed (Hammond et al. 1998, 1999). We present a new practical decision support system that takes a Bayesian approach to guiding the even swaps process, where the system makes queries based on its beliefs about the decision maker's preferences and updates them as the interactive process unfolds. Through experiments, we show that it is possible to learn enough about the decision maker's preferences to measurably reduce the cognitive burden, i.e. the number and complexity of queries posed by the system.
Food Spoilage and the Requirements for Preservation and Distribution

Food processing in the forms of peeling, milling, mixing, slaughter of animals, cooking, baking, etc., and food preservation in the forms of drying, canning, cooking, freezing, etc., are so much a part of American culture and that of other economically developed areas of the world that few people ask why foods are processed and preserved in a particular manner even though without these devices our society would be doomed. Primitive cultures developed systems of food processing and preservation that, although they may not have been as sophisticated as our own, were equally important. Many of these very old techniques are still practiced. In previous chapters we have alluded to certain aspects of the need for food processing and preservation, and now we shall look into these matters more systematically.
Therapeutic Embolization of Symptomatic Secondary Renal Tumors

AbstractA patient with colic and hematuria from renal involvement with osteogenic sarcoma who was palliated by percutaneous arterial embolization is described. While there has been much experience with embolization of primary renal tumors, this represents the first reported case of therapeutic embolization of a secondary renal tumor. Embolization is recommended as an adjunct to chemotherapy in the poor-risk patient with a symptomatic secondary renal tumor.
Understanding Central Processes: The Case against Simple Stimulus-Response Associations and for Complex Task Representation

Abstract The act of choosing an action based on stimulus information and a set of arbitrary rules is termed response selection. It embodies the core of voluntary behavior and plays a critical role in most experimental tasks, yet the processes supporting it are poorly understood. Often, response selection is assumed to arise through the activation of stimulus-response (S-R) associations that bridge perceptual and motor processes. As others have pointed out before us, this conceptualization does little to account for many findings relating to choice response tasks. In the present chapter, we describe data from eight areas of research that bear on theories of response selection: task switching, the Hick–Hyman law, S-R compatibility, congruency effects, dual-task performance, task configuration, learning, and memory. We then turn to neuroimaging and neurophysiological data and examine what they indicate about how stimulus information can be flexibly mapped to motor output. Across these diverse domains, the shortcomings of the simple S-R association view consistently cohere around two related properties: First, conceptual aspects of the task trump physical properties of the stimulus and responses with regard to determining the varying demands on central processes. Second, task representations are highly structured, such that some actions are more closely related than others, and these relationships affect performance. We conclude by delineating alternative theoretical frameworks that might better capture the nature of the central processes supporting response selection.
Preclinical Models of Glioblastoma in Radiobiology: Evolving Protocols and Research Methods

Gliomas are the most common form of primary brain tumors with glioblastoma (GBM) being the most malignant. The standard therapy for newly diagnosed malignant gliomas involves maximal surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy with a median survival of 9–14 months. The combination of RT with chemotherapeutic agents that sensitize tumor cells to the cytotoxic effects of RT has been studied in an attempt to enhance tumor control and minimize the radiation toxicity. Although such combination chemoradiation protocols have improved treatment outcomes in several human malignancies, they are still less than optimal, as the existing agents can cause undesirable toxicity. Therefore, a continuing endeavor in experimental and translational oncology research has been to identify more effective agents to augment the radiosensitivity of tumor cells. Recent efforts toward this goal have focused on molecularly targeted agents directed against certain components of intracellular signaling pathways involved in tumor growth and radioresistance.
The Jewish Gandhi Question, or, Ich and Swa : Martin Buber and the Five Minute Mahatma

On 21 November 1938, a South Indian Jewish lawyer named Abraham Barak Salem attended “a special prayer recited for the German Jews’ persecution by Hitler and [the] Nazis” at his synagogue in the port city of Cochin. Salem is known as the “Jewish Gandhi” for his leadership of non-violent satyagraha campaigns to end caste-based discrimination within his local Indian Jewish community—of which he occupied the lowest rung or meshuchrarim. The special prayer was responding to Kristallnacht, the widespread violence against Jews in Nazi Germany and Austria foreshadowing Hitler’s Final Solution. Kristallnacht’s global profile demanded a response from Gandhi himself, who had hitherto remained silent on the Jews’ position in fascist Europe. On 26 November 1938, Gandhi published “The Jews” in which he claimed “[m]y sympathies are all with the Jews,” dismissed a Jewish Palestine as “a crime against humanity,” and encouraged Jews to engage in non-violent satyagraha against the Nazis:
Visual Analogies: A Framework for Defining Aspect Categorization

Analogies are common simple word problems (calf is to cow as x is to sheep?) and we use them to identify analogies between images. Let \(\mathcal {I}[\mathcal {A},\theta ]\) be an image of object \(\mathcal {A}\) at view \(\theta \). We show how to learn to choose an image \(\mathcal {I}\) such that \(\mathcal {I}[\mathcal {A},\phi ]\) is to \(\mathcal {I}[\mathcal {A},\theta ]\) as \(\mathcal {I}\) is to \(\mathcal {I}[\mathcal {B},\theta ]\). We introduce a framework to identify an image of a familiar object at an unfamiliar angle and extend our method to treat unfamiliar objects. By doing so, we identify pairs of objects that are good at finding new views of one another. This yields an operational notion of aspectual equivalence: objects are equivalent if they can predict each other’s appearance well.
Interventional Approach for Path-Specific Effects

Standard causal mediation analysis decomposes the total effect into a direct effect and an indirect effect in settings with only one single mediator. Under the settings with multiple mediators, all mediators are often treated as one single block of mediators. The effect mediated by a certain combination of mediators, i. e. path-specific effect (PSE), is not always identifiable without making strong assumptions. In this paper, the authors propose a method, defining a randomly interventional analogue of PSE (rPSE), as an alternative approach for mechanism investigation. This method is valid under assumptions of no unmeasured confounding and allows settings with mediators dependent on each other, interaction, and mediator-outcome confounders which are affected by exposure. In addition, under linearity and no-interaction, our method has the same form of traditional path analysis for PSE. Furthermore, under single mediator without a mediator-outcome confounder affected by exposure, it also has the same form of the results of causal mediation analysis. We also provide SAS code for settings of linear regression with exposure-mediator interaction and perform analysis in the Framingham Heart Study dataset, investigating the mechanism of smoking on systolic blood pressure as mediated by both cholesterol and body weight. Allowing decomposition of total effect into several rPSEs, our method contributes to investigation of complicated causal mechanisms in settings with multiple mediators.
Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening among US and non US Born African American Muslim Women in New York City.

Health disparities related to breast and cervical cancer among African American and African-born Muslim women in the United States have been identified in previous literature. Our study aimed at exploring the breast and cervical screening rates and factors that influence this population’s disposition to adhere to cancer screening exams. Methods: Mixed methods were used to collect data with African American and African-born Muslim women in New York City. Data were collected from a total of 140 women; among them, 40 participated in four focus groups. Findings: Focus groups revealed nine themes: healthcare practices; lack of knowledge/misconceptions; negative perceptions and fear; time; modesty; role of religion; role of men; role of community; stigma and shame. Among 130 women who reported their cancer screening status, 72.3% of those age 21 and over were adherent to cervical cancer screening; 20.0% never had a Pap test. Among women age 40 and over, 80.2% reported adherence to recommended mammogram; 12.8% never had one. Among women under age 40, 52.2% had their last clinical breast exam (CBE) less than three years ago. Among women age 40 and over, 75.0% were adherent to yearly CBE. Conclusions: While rates of screenings were above the national average and higher than expected, specific barriers and facilitators related to religious and health beliefs and attitudes that influence the decision to adhere to screening were revealed. These factors should be further explored and addressed to inform future research and strategies for promoting regular breast and cervical cancer screenings.
Advances in understanding the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in blood pressure control and recent pivotal trials of RAAS blockade in heart failure and diabetic nephropathy

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a fundamental role in the physiology of blood pressure control and the pathophysiology of hypertension (HTN) with effects on vascular tone, sodium retention, oxidative stress, fibrosis, sympathetic tone, and inflammation. Fortunately, RAAS blocking agents have been available to treat HTN since the 1970s and newer medications are being developed. In this review, we will (1) examine new anti-hypertensive medications affecting the RAAS, (2) evaluate recent studies that help provide a better understanding of which patients may be more likely to benefit from RAAS blockade, and (3) review three recent pivotal randomized trials that involve newer RAAS blocking agents and inform clinical practice.
Solvable Multi-Fingered Hands for Exact Kinematic Synthesis

Multi-fingered hands are kinematic chains with a tree topology, that is, with a set of common joints that span several branches and end-effectors. When performing dimensional kinematic synthesis with simultaneous tasks for all the end-effectors, a new solvability criterion needs to be applied that includes checking the solvability of sub-chains. This criterion yields as a result that not all possible topologies are solvable for a common number of positions for all end-effectors. This article shows and proves the solvability criterion and derives some properties of the kinematic chains with tree topology for a single branching and identical fingers.
Abstract 17961: Conundrum of Sudden Death With a Psychiatric Diagnosis: Disease Process or Culprit Drug?

Introduction: Mechanisms of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with a psychiatric diagnosis could be related to clinical risk factors/comorbidities, QT interval-prolonging therapeutic drugs or ...
Development of Plastic Microneedles for Transdermal Interfacing Using Injection Molding Techniques

This paper presents microfabricated plastic microneedles with through-hole capillaries using high aspect ratio microinjection molding technique and subsequent laser drilling technique. The microneedles mold was fabricated by micromachining on nickel and aluminum mold disks for various plastic microneedle structures. Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were used as the fabrication materials of the needles. Laser drilling was done on the cone shaped needle for obtaining through-hole capillaries. Experiments were performed to characterize the microneedles and numerical simulations were performed to predict the mechanical strength of the fabricated microneedle. The plastic microneedles fabricated using injection molding techniques show a feasibility for the practical applications of the microneedles in low-cost.
The complex quantum potential and wave–particle duality

The equation of motion for a particle moving in complex space is obtained and then solved. The interaction between the real and imaginary components of motion can produce what can be regarded as a ...
History of focus-concord constructions and focus-associated particles in Sinhala, with comparison to Dravidian and Japanese

This study traces the historical development of the focus concord construction of Sinhala from the language of the pre-second millennial graffiti on the Mirror Wall at Sigiriya to the modern colloquial language, with comparison to the historical development of focus concord constructions in the south Dravidian languages Malayalam and Tamil, as well as the focus concord ( kakari-musubi ) construction of Japanese. I argue that the Sinhala focus concord construction originated as one particular usage of impersonal verbal nominalisations in Old Sinhala, developed into a predicative clefting construction in Classical Sinhala, and in the modern colloquial language has become a phenomenon involving verb forms showing a sort of agreement with focussed elements.