cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An online learning development and improvement cycle for an undergraduate business computer literacy course

This study describes the continuous improvement process for an undergraduate computer literacy curriculum which transforms from a teacher-pushed classroom learning to a student-pulled online learning. The four phases of the online course development and improvement cycle (analysis, development, implementation and assessment) are presented. The difference of the learning effectiveness between the teacher-pushed classroom learning and the student-pulled online learning is compared. The results indicate that the student-pulled online learning is as effective as or better than the teacher-pushed classroom learning. The experienced benefits and disadvantages of the student-pulled online learning are reported.
Luminescent metal–organic frameworks and coordination polymers as alternative phosphors for energy efficient lighting devices

Abstract The development of lower cost and higher performance phosphor materials for energy efficient lighting and other optoelectronic applications is both necessary and feasible. Luminescent metal–organic frameworks and coordination polymers (LMOFs and LCPs, respectively) are a class of materials that hold great promise for this application. Their luminescence is eminently tunable, and a myriad of structures with incredibly diverse properties have been reported, with emission wavelengths covering the entire visible spectrum, white light emission from a variety of mechanisms, and quantum yields approaching unity. This review will briefly describe the luminescence mechanisms commonly observed in these materials, discuss strategies for the rational design of LMOF/LCP phosphors, and present a number of representative examples of each mechanism and/or design strategy.
An exploratory study of salivary cortisol changes during chamomile extract therapy of moderate to severe generalized anxiety disorder

Abstract Objectives Dysfunctions in stress biology are hypothesized to contribute to anxiety disorders, and to be ameliorated during successful treatment, but limited clinical data exist to support this hypothesis. We evaluated whether increases in morning cortisol and the diurnal cortisol slope, markers of stress biology, are associated with clinical response to chamomile therapy among subjects with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Methods Among 45 subjects with DSM-IV diagnosed GAD in an open-label clinical trial of chamomile, salivary cortisol was assessed for three days each pre- and post-treatment, at 8am, 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm. Mixed model analyses assessed whether GAD symptom change predicted the degree to which cortisol levels changed during treatment. Results Symptom improvement during treatment was significantly associated with pre-to-post treatment changes in cortisol. Subjects who experienced more symptomatic improvement experienced significant increases in their morning salivary cortisol (β = 0.48, p Conclusion Increases in morning salivary cortisol and the diurnal cortisol slope are associated with symptom improvement in chamomile treatment of GAD. Response to treatment for GAD could partially stem from normalization of stress biology dysfunction, but further work involving establishing abnormalities within-sample, ruling out of confounds (e.g., sleep), and a placebo control is necessary to conclude an amelioration effect. Registration code NCT01072344 . URL https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01072344 .
Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Part II. Prognosis, Sequelae, Diagnosis, Differential Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a life-threatening, typically drug-induced, mucocutaneous disease. TEN has a high mortality rate, making early diagnosis and treatment of paramount importance. New but experimental diagnostic tools that measure serum granulysin and high-mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) offer the potential to differentiate early TEN from other, less serious drug reactions, but these tests have not been validated and are not readily available. The mainstay of treatment for TEN involves discontinuation of the offending drug, specialized care in an intensive care unit or burn center, and supportive therapy. Pharmacogenetic studies have clearly established a link between human leukocyte antigen allotype and TEN. Human leukocyte antigen testing should be performed on patients of East Asian descent before the initiation of carbamezapine and on all patients before the initiation of abacavir. The effectiveness of systemic steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, plasmapheresis, cyclosporine, biologics, and other agents is uncertain.
Generalization of the Dark Channel Prior for Single Image Restoration

Images degraded by light scattering and absorption, such as hazy, sandstorm, and underwater images, often suffer color distortion and low contrast because of light traveling through turbid media. In order to enhance and restore such images, we first estimate ambient light using the depth-dependent color change. Then, via calculating the difference between the observed intensity and the ambient light, which we call the scene ambient light differential, scene transmission can be estimated. Additionally, adaptive color correction is incorporated into the image formation model (IFM) for removing color casts while restoring contrast. Experimental results on various degraded images demonstrate the new method outperforms other IFM-based methods subjectively and objectively. Our approach can be interpreted as a generalization of the common dark channel prior (DCP) approach to image restoration, and our method reduces to several DCP variants for different special cases of ambient lighting and turbid medium conditions.
Confirming the subdimensions of teaching, social, and cognitive presences: A construct validity study

Abstract This confirmatory factor analysis study examined the construct validity of the three presences of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000). The participants of this study were graduate students enrolled in fully online courses at a large Midwestern university. The results revealed that (a) the data fit very well with the thirteen item-three factor teaching presence model, (b) the data fit very well with the nine item-three factor social presence model, and (c) the data fit very well with the twelve item-four factor cognitive presence model. The results of this study empirically supported that each presence demonstrates a clear factor solution as proposed by the CoI framework. Theoretical and practical implications of the study results are discussed.
PCB noise visualization system

This project intents to visualize noises generated by electronic components or migrated through traces on Printed Circuit Board in a 3D user interactive format by measuring PCB's near field using motor moved electrical field probe. It is created to solve the problem of finding unknown noise sources on Printed Circuit Board during electronic design prototyping process. The system involves designs off line-powered power supplies, motor controller, analog front-end, FPGA data processing software, post data processing software, user interface, and system controller. Designs involve using motor control theorem, Super-heterodyne conversion, oversampling, IQ demodulation, Hilbert transform, and python OpenGL graphics.
Applications: Nanophotonics and Plasmonics

Both nanophotonics and plasmonics concern investigations into building, manipulating, and characterizing optically active nanostructures with a view to creating new capabilities in instrumentation for the nanoscale, chemical and biomedical sensing, information and communications technologies, enhanced solar cells and lighting, disease treatment, environmental remediation, and many other applications. Photonics and plasmonics share the characteristic that at least some of their basic concepts have been known for 40–50 years, but they have come into their own only in the last 10 years, based on recent discoveries in nanoscience. Photonic materials and devices have played a pervasive role in communications, energy conversion, and sensing since the 1960s and 1970s. Photonics at the nanoscale, or nanophotonics might be defined as “the science and engineering of light-matter interactions that take place on wavelength and subwavelength scales where the physical, chemical, or structural nature of natural or artificial nanostructure matter controls the interactions” [1]. Broadly speaking, over the next 10 years nanophotonic structures and devices promise dramatic reductions in energies of device operation, densely integrated information systems with lower power dissipation, enhanced spatial resolution for imaging and patterning, and new sensors of increased sensitivity and specificity.
Extramarital sex in the Netherlands

This investigation of the social psychological and demographic variables associated with extramarital sexual and erotic involvement was carried out on a heterogeneous sample of 250 subjects. About one-quarter of the men and one-fifth of the women reported extramarital coital experience during the past year. The results indicate that subjects with higher educational backgrounds and no church attendance are relatively more involved in extramarital relations. Determinants of extramarital sexual and erotic behavior appear to be quite similar for both sexes.
United States Medical Licensing Exam Step I Score as a Predictor of Neurosurgical Career Beyond Residency.

BACKGROUND United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step I score is cited as one of the most important factors when for applying to neurosurgery residencies. No studies have documented a correlation between USMLE Step I score and metrics of neurosurgical career trajectory beyond residency. OBJECTIVE To determine whether USMLE Step I exam scores are predictive of neurosurgical career beyond residency, as defined by American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) certification status, practice type, academic rank, and research productivity. METHODS A database of neurosurgery residency applicants who matched into neurosurgery from 1997 to 2007 was utilized that included USMLE Step I score. Online databases were used to determine h-index, National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding, academic rank, practice type, and ABNS certification status of each applicant. Linear regression and nonparametric testing determined associations between USMLE Step I scores and these variables. RESULTS USMLE Step I scores were higher for neurosurgeons in academic positions (237) when compared to community practice (234) and non-neurosurgeons (233, P < .01). USMLE Step I score was not different between neurosurgeons of different academic rank (P = .21) or ABNS certification status (P = .78). USMLE Step I score was not correlated with h-index for academic neurosurgeons (R2 = 0.002, P = .36). CONCLUSION USMLE Step I score has little utility in predicting the future careers of neurosurgery resident applicants. A career in academic neurosurgery is associated with a slightly higher USMLE Step I score. However, USMLE Step I score does not predict academic rank or productivity (h-index or NIH funding) nor does USMLE Step I score predict ABNS certification status.
From shell to glass: how beads reflect the changing cultural landscape of the seventeenth-century lower Potomac River valley

This article examines over 7,500 beads from eight Native archaeological sites located in the lower Potomac River valley in order to understand how changes in bead assemblages between AD 1300 and 17...
Visualization and Interpretation of Siamese Style Convolutional Neural Networks for Sound Search by Vocal Imitation

Designing systems that allow users to search sounds through vocal imitation augments the current text-based search engines and advances human-computer interaction. Previously we proposed a Siamese style convolutional network called IMINET for sound search by vocal imitation, which jointly addresses feature extraction by Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and similarity calculation by Fully Connected Network (FCN), and is currently the state of the art. However, how such architecture works is still a mystery. In this paper, we try to answer this question. First, we visualize the input patterns that maximize the activation of different neurons in each CNN tower; this helps us understand what features are extracted from vocal imitations and sound candidates. Second, we visualize the imitation-sound input pairs that maximize the activation of different neurons in the FCN layers; this helps us understand what kind of input pattern pairs are recognized during the similarity calculation. Interesting patterns are found to reveal the local-to-global and simple-to-conceptual learning mechanism of TL-IMINET. Experiments also show how transfer learning helps to improve TL-IMINET performance from the visualization aspect.
Response Cards to Increase Engagement and Active Participation of Middle School Students With EBD

This study employed an A-B-A-B design to examine engagement and active participation among five middle school students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) while using response cards for mathe...
Early childhood education is critical for Treg cells

Characterization of the self antigens that neonatal regulatory T cells recognize reveals dramatic effects of age and inflammation on the fate of T cells developing in the thymus.
IEEE Radar Conference 2019 Tutorial Session I Machine Learning Techniques for Radar ATR: Monday, April 22, 2019 Time: 11:00AM – 3:00PM

Acknowledgements •DARPA MSTAR Program •DARPA TRACE PM (Dr. John Gorman) •DARPA RFMLS PM (Mr. Paul Tilghman) •IBM's TrueNorth Program (Dr. Dharmendra Modha) •AFRL Colleagues (Dr. Qing Wu, Mr. Edmund Zelnio, Dr. Vince Velten, Ms. Lori Westerkamp, Dr. Eric Branch, Dr. John Nehrbass) •AFRL Information Directorate Summer Internship Program •Mr. Nathan Inkawhich (Duke University) •Mr. Matthew Inkawhich (Duke University)
Successful treatment of visceral pseudoaneurysm after pancreatectomy using flow-diverting stent device

Aim of the study is the description of the successful management of gastroepiploic artery pseudoaneurysm with preservation of parent vessels using flow-diversion technology. The present report describes the application of a flow-diversion Pipeline™ Flex device for occlusion of a sidewall bleeding pseudoaneurysm on a patient who was status-post sub-total pancreatectomy and remote esophagectomy with a gastric conduit. The pseudoaneurysm was on the solitary vessel supplying the patient's conduit. Use of flow diversion technology excluded the sidewall pseudoaneurysm while maintaining gastric conduit perfusion. In our case, the application of flow diversion technology allowed the preservation of patency of the main arterial supply to the gastric conduit on a post-esophagectomy patient; loss of the right gastroepiploic artery in that case would had been otherwise catastrophic. Flow-diversion technology can be considered for the treatment of pseudoaneurysms post-pancreatic resections, especially when there is no other surgical or endovascular treatment option.
The effect of cooperation and competition dynamics on autonomic synchrony in teams

Autonomic synchrony, sometimes known as physiological compliance or concordance, is a special case of self-organization that involves a high degree of correlation in the physiological time series of two or more people working together. This study investigated the role of cooperation and competition dynamics on the total amount of synchrony for 11 pairs of competing teams in a series of emergency response simulations. The synchrony level was greater for the combined opponents than it was for each team.
Alzheimer's disease risk modifier genes do not affect tau aggregate uptake, seeding or maintenance in cell models

Alzheimer's disease (AD) afflicts millions of people worldwide and is caused by accumulated amyloid beta and tau pathology. Progression of tau pathology in AD may utilize prion mechanisms of propagation in which pathological tau aggregates released from one cell are taken up by neighboring or connected cells and act as templates for their own replication, a process termed 'seeding'. We have used HEK293T cells to model various aspects of pathological tau propagation, including uptake of tau aggregates, induced seeding by exogenous aggregates, seeding caused by Lipofectamine-mediated delivery to the cell interior, and stable maintenance of aggregates in dividing cells. The factors that regulate these processes are not well understood, and we hypothesized that AD risk modifier genes might play a role. We identified 22 genes strongly linked to AD via meta-analysis of genome-wide association study (GWAS). We used CRISPR/Cas9 to individually knock out each gene in HEK293T cells and verified disruption using genomic sequencing. We then tested the effect of gene knockout in tau aggregate uptake, naked and Lipofectamine-mediated seeding, and aggregate maintenance in these cultured cell lines. GWAS gene knockouts had no effect in these models of tau pathology. With obvious caveats due to the model systems used, these results imply that the 22 AD risk modifier genes are unlikely to directly modulate tau uptake, seeding, or aggregate maintenance in a cell-autonomous fashion.
Student exam performance in different proctored environments: Evidence from an online economics course

Abstract While proctored exams have been adopted widely to ensure the academic integrity of online education among colleges and universities, the impact of different proctored environments on student exam performance in online economics courses remains largely unknown. This study aims to shed light on this unexplored area of research. Specifically, the study collects data from an online graduate-level course in economics, in which a proctored final exam is required, and then empirically examines the difference in exam performance between students who take the final exam using remote online proctoring services and students who take the final exam using traditional on-site proctoring services. The findings suggest a significant difference between the two proctored environments, in which the average score for the final exam proctored onsite at testing centers is higher than the average score for the final exam administered through the remote online proctoring services. For economic education specialists, the study provides meaningful implications regarding the potential effects of different proctoring methods on student exam performance, as well as an essential starting point for further investigation on the development of appropriate test proctoring procedures to ensure consistency and standardization across online economics courses.
49483 Evaluating the Role of IFNLR1 Receptor Dynamics and Plasticity in Regulating Cellular Response to Interferons

ABSTRACT IMPACT: We hope to provide a more nuanced understanding of the type-III IFN system, thereby exploring its therapeutic potential in the realm of infectious diseases. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The role of IFNLR1 receptor dynamics and plasticity in regulating the type-III IFN response is largely unknown. As a specific, powerful component of innate immunity, understanding how the type-III IFN system is regulated could lead to the development of novel therapeutic targets and strategies to face a multitude of viral illnesses. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: To facilitate our investigation, we will generate doxycycline-inducible FLAG-tagged IFNLR1-expression plasmids representing all known transcriptional variants. These plasmids will allow us to: 1) Evaluate the effect of IFNLR1 surface abundance on the type-III IFN transcriptional profile and 2) Assess the extent of IFNLR1-FLAG co-localization with several notable intracellular structures using immunofluorescence, before and after stimulation with IFNL3. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We have successfully generated three IFNLR1-FLAG transcriptional variants and confirmed inducible-expression and function in vitro. We are currently assessing the role of surface abundance, internalization, differential isoform expression, and trafficking. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: By completing this study, we hope to provide a more nuanced understanding of the type-III IFN system, thereby exploring its therapeutic potential in the realm of infectious diseases.
Reimagining Inclusivity in Health Care for Sexual Minorities to End the HIV Epidemic: A Student Perspective

Over the last 40 years, the HIV epidemic has disproportionally burdened men who have sex with men (MSM), and especially MSM of color, in the United States.1 This subpopulation alone accounted for 69% of the nation's transmissions in 2018, with one in six MSM expected to acquire HIV in their lifetime without intervention.1 The high incidence among MSM is multifactorial, incorporating factors beyond individual behavior.2 Social and structural risk factors (classism, racism, heterosexism) place this marginalized community at increased risk for HIV.2,3 Systems of oppression operate at the provider level through provider-based heterosexism and cultural incompetence among providers serving queer individuals.4,5 These provider-based factors contribute to the HIV disparity among MSM at the societal level by reducing access to inclusive health care and reducing progression across the preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) continuum.4-6 Effectively reducing HIV incidence among MSM necessitates access to inclusive and queer-competent health care. We must view diversity and inclusion efforts-and all interventions against heterosexism, classism, and racism in medicine-as a part of the national HIV response and the efforts to end the HIV epidemic.7 Until we achieve these goals, HIV prevention and treatment efforts will continue to be impeded by provider-based heterosexism and heteronormative standards, perpetuating the stereotype of MSM as victims of the epidemic. However, to foster greater inclusivity in our health care system as an intervention for MSM, we must first ask ourselves how to define an inclusive, queer-competent provider. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print June 10, 2021: e1-e2. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306346).
Healthcare Cost Analysis of Short-Course vs. Long-Course Pre-Operative Radiotherapy Schedules for Rectal Cancer.

Purpose/objective(s) One aspect of alternate radiotherapy (RT) techniques for rectal cancer not well studied in the United States is cost. Herein, we report a financial analysis to assess cost savings associated with short course (SC) versus long course (LC) RT and determine which parties (payor, patient, or both) benefit from the aforementioned savings. Materials/methods A focused analysis on neoadjuvant RT for operable rectal cancer was designed to study four regimens: (1) SC utilizing three-dimensional conformal RT (3DCRT) [SC-3D], (2) SC utilizing intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) [SC-IMRT], (3) LC utilizing 3DCRT [LC-3D], and (4) LCRT utilizing IMRT [LC-IMRT]. Variable and fixed patient costs were reported. Patient and payor costs based on regimen were summated to determine societal costs. A sensitivity analysis based on 40 rectal cancer patients per year using SC and LC RT was performed. Results Technical costs account for most of the disparity between payor costs when selecting between IMRT and 3D ($2,472.25-7,623.13), while professional costs remain somewhat stable ($651.25-1,645.58). LCRT-related patient costs ($1,382.94) were found to be higher than SCRT patient costs ($353.22) as patients undergoing LCRT had a greater number of treatment days. This disparity persists when evaluating total societal cost, as the costliest regimen, LC-IMRT ($20,810.77), is almost twice the next expensive regimen, LC-3D ($11,503.00). Conclusion Societal burden varies significantly with technique and length of treatment for pre-operative rectal cancer RT. Anticipated changes in health policy and reimbursement patterns are likely to disincentivize routine LC and IMRT use in rectal cancer. Further study into patient-centric and resource-conscious medical decision making is warranted.
Additively Manufactured, Low Loss 20 GHz DC Contact RF MEMS Switch Using Laterally Actuated, Fix-Free Beam

This paper presents a new type of 3D printed, electrostatically actuated DC contact RF MEMS switch that is integrated within a suspended finite-ground coplanar waveguide (FG-CPW). The design, 3D printing processes, and RF characterization are detailed. In this design, CPW lines are patterned over a printed fixed-fixed beam and the RF switches in the form of a cantilever beam are laser machined within the RF signal path. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and CB028 silver paste are used to fabricate the suspended CPW lines and the switch over an air cavity. Pull-in voltage in the range of 29-36 Volts along with isolation of 20 dB and insertion loss of 0.37 dB at 20 GHz are demonstrated. The proposed method of fabrication enables designs on mm-length scales with ~5 micron-level realized feature sizes, providing a unique solution for reconfigurable packaging with flexibility in terms of RF performance and actuation voltage requirements.
On Strong Consistency of Kernel Estimators Under Dependence Assumptions

Some considerations on the uniform consistency of the kernel estimator of a density and of a regression function are made for certain dependent samples.
Misappropriation and the Morality of Free-Riding

Concern about free-riding drives intellectual property law, especially its misappropriation doctrine. Freely enjoying goods that are costly to produce may be bad for society as a whole (because it weakens private incentives to create such goods) and also unfair to those who have created them (because they are not compensated for all the value they produced). In recent decades, courts in misappropriation disputes have focused exclusively on the incentives worry, believing the fairness worry yields an unbounded misappropriation doctrine that conflicts with and is preempted by copyright law. But this view misunderstands the morality of free-riding. Whether free-riding is morally objectionable depends on the particular characteristics of the free-rider, not the fact of free-riding alone. And under copyright case law, that means the misappropriation doctrine can be based on ethics and yet not preempted. A better understanding of free-riding’s moral dimensions helps repair a now broken doctrine, and more than that shores up intellectual property law’s broader response to one of its driving concerns.
GI Tract Unraveling in Volumetric CT

Gastrointestinal (GI) tract examination with computed tomography (CT) is currently performed by slice-based visual inspection despite the volumetric nature of the problem. The entire abdomen may now be continuously scanned within a single breath-hold with spiral CT. The GI tract can be computationally extracted from spiral CT images, the lumen explicitly unraveled onto a plane, and colonoscopy virtually simulated via fly-through display. A semi-automatic approach was developed for fly-through and unraveling in vivo. Automation of this approach was investigated in numerical simulation. The techniques are promising for colon cancer screening.
Insulin as a Cellular Growth Regulator

Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that insulin treatment greatly stimulates liver cell growth in chronically diabetic rats. The effect is striking, being preceded by massive glycogen deposition and water imbibition as well as enchanced RNA and protein synthesis. More recently we have directly confirmed the stimulatory effects of insulin on liver RNA and glycogen synthesis in intact hepatocytes isolated from normal and diabetic rats. The hepatocytes specifically bind insulin (KD = 3.5X10(-9) M) and the bound hormone is degraded systematically, indicating the possibility of receptor-mediated uptake of the hormone. Recent studies in other laboratories of the growth factors, non-suppresible insulin-like activity (NSILA) and nerve growth factor (NGF), as well as of relaxin, have disclosed structural relationships between these peptides and pro-insulin, indicating the existence of families of closely related anabolic effectors. A new hypothesis regarding the role of the insulin-receptor complex in initiating the metabolic and mitogenic effects of the hormone is briefly discussed.
Tropical bubbles : asset prices in Latin America, 1980-2001

The authors test for the existence of asset price bubbles in Latin America in 1980-2001, focusing mainly on stock prices. Based on unit root and cointegration tests, they find that they cannot reject the hypothesis of bubbles. They arrive at the same conclusion using Froot and Obstfeld's intrinsic bubbles model. To examine empirical regularities of these bubble episodes in the region, the authors identify periods of significant stock price overvaluation. They quantify the relative importance of different factors that determine the probability of bubble occurrence, focusing on the contrast between the country-specific variables and the common external factors. They include as country-specific variables both the level and the volatility of domestic credit growth, the volatility of asset returns, the capital flows to each country, and the terms of trade. As common external variables, they consider the degree of asset overvaluation in the U.S. stock and real estate markets and the term spread of U.S. Treasury securities. To quantitatively assess the relative importance of each factor, they estimate a logit model for a panel of five Latin American countries from 1985 to 2001. In general, the authors find that the marginal probabilities of common and country-specific variables are of roughly the same order of magnitude. This finding contrasts with those of previous studies that real asset returns in Latin America are dominated by local factors. Finally, the authors explore the main channels through which asset prices affect real economic activity, with the most important being the balance sheet effect and its impact on bank lending. They show how the allocation of bank lending across different sectors responded sensitively to real estate prices during the boom years in countries that experienced banking crises. Thus asset price bubbles have long-lasting effects in the financial sector and, through this channel, on growth. Another channel through which asset prices-particularly stock market prices-affect long-run growth is through their effect on investment. The authors find a strong positive association between stock prices and investment and a negative effect of stock price volatility on investment. An additional motive for the central bank to monitor asset prices is the general coincidence of the crash episodes identified by the authors with currency crises in the region in the past two decades.
Innervation and vasculature of human sweat glands: an immunohistochemistry-laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy study

Secreting tubules, nerves fibers, and blood vessels in human sweat glands (SGs) were fluorescently stained by immunohistochemical and lectin methods for examination with a laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). Using these techniques, the three-dimensional distribution of up to three substances within a single specimen was investigated by collecting a series of optical sections for each of three fluorophores. Each SG received several nerve fibers. These branched into delicate bands of one or more axons that ran longitudinal to the sweat tubule then encircled the tubule. A heavy complement of capillaries was interwoven among the sweat tubules. Sweat ducts were accompanied from the SG toward the skin surface by one or two longitudinally oriented nerve fibers and capillaries. Immunoreactive staining of nerves was heaviest with protein gene product 9.5 antibody, but triple labeling showed that immunoreactivity to calcitonin gene- related peptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and synaptophysin was also present in the same axons. Substance P-immunoreactive axons were sparse in SGs but were present in other areas of the skin. The techniques used have considerable potential in examination of human skin biopsies for diagnosis of disorders affecting the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
New Results Concerning Probability Distributions with Increasing Generalized Failure Rates

Lariviere and Porteus (2001) introduce the concept of generalized failure rate of a continuous random variable and demonstrate its importance. If the valuation distribution of a product has an increasing generalized failure rate (that is, the distribution is IGFR), then the associated revenue function is unimodal, and when the generalized failure rate is strictly increasing, the global maximum is uniquely specified. Assuming that the distribution is IGFR is thus useful and frequently-held in recent pricing, revenue and supply chain management literature. This note extends the IGFR concept in three ways. First, it investigates left and right truncations of valuation distributions — truncations arise when price floors or price ceilings are imposed. Second, it generalizes the IGFR definition to situations where the buyer’s payment is different from the seller’s receipt due to, say, taxes or subsidies. Third, we extend the IGFR notion to discrete distributions and contrast it with the continuous distribution case. The note also addresses two errors in the previous IGFR literature. Finally, we analyze all common (continuous and discrete) distributions for the prevalence of the IGFR property, and derive and tabulate their generalized failure rates, for future reference.
The Synthetic and Catabolic Enzyme Systems for Acetylcholine and Serotonin in Several Discrete Areas of the Developing Rabbit Brain

Publisher Summary Proteins, phospholipids, DNA-phosphorus, choline acetylase, cholinesterase, 5-hydroxytryptophan decarboxylase, and monoamine oxidase have been measured in 5 discrete areas of developing rabbit brain. Adult albino rabbits, as well as animals of 3, 6, 12, 15, 19, and 32 days of age were used in this chapter. The data obtained for DNA-phosphorus on a wet weight basis showed a decrease during the course of development for all the brain areas studied. In marked contrast, the DNA content of whole well-defined anatomical parts showed a continuing increase past 30 days of development. When the enzymatic and chemical results are placed on a DNA-phosphorus basis, the increase in 5-hydroxytryptophan decarboxylase, choline acetylase, and cholinesterase shows a good correlation with cell maturation, for example, increase in dendritic volume, myelination, and appearance of mature electrophysiologic responses. In the case of virtually all of the enzymatic and chemical constituents studied, there is a definite caudal-rostra1 gradient. The various constituents are generally lower in the cortex and caudate nucleus and higher in the medulla oblongata in the 3-day animals. Further the adult level of the various constituents is generally observed earlier in the medulla oblongata and thalamus.
Stochastic identification of defects under sensor uncertainties

SUMMARY This paper presents a new methodology for identifying defects under the presence of both sensor and defect uncertainties. This methodology introduces a representation of the beliefs of both the locations of defects and the sensors each by a probability density function and updates them using the extended Kalman filter. Because the beliefs are recursively maintained while the sensor is moving and the associated observation data are updated, the proposed approach considers not only the current observation data but also the prior knowledge, the past observation data and beliefs, which include both sensor and defect uncertainties. The concept of differential entropy has been introduced and is utilized as a performance measure to evaluate the result of defect identification and handle the identification of multiple defects. The verification and evaluation of the proposed methodology performance were conducted via parametric numerical studies. The results have shown the successful identification of defects with reduced uncertainty when the number of measurements increases, even under the presence of large sensor uncertainties. Furthermore, the proposed methodology was applied to the more realistic problem of identifying multiple defects located on a specimen and has demonstrated its applicability to practical defect identification problems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Variability in conversion of β-carotene to vitamin A in men as measured by using a double-tracer study design

BACKGROUND Blood beta-carotene and vitamin A responses to oral beta-carotene are variable in humans. Some individuals are characterized as responders and others as low- or nonresponders. A better understanding of the conditions that produce the variability is important to help design public health programs that ensure vitamin A sufficiency. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to assess variability in absorption and conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A in vivo in humans by using a novel double-tracer ?hexadeuterated (D(6)) beta-carotene and D(6) retinyl acetate approach. DESIGN Eleven healthy women were housed at the US Department of Agriculture Western Human Nutrition Research Center metabolic unit for 44 d, where they consumed diets adequate in vitamins and minerals except for carotenoids. After an adaptation period, the women were given 30 micromol D(6) retinyl acetate orally, followed 1 wk later with 37 micromol D(6) beta-carotene (approximately equimolar doses). Time-dependent plasma concentration curves were determined for D(6) retinol, D(6) beta-carotene, and trideuterated (D(3)) retinol (derived from D(6) beta-carotene). RESULTS Mean (+/-SE) absorption of D(6) beta-carotene was 3.3 +/- 1.3% for all subjects. The mean conversion ratio was 0.81 +/- 0.34 mol D(3) retinol to 1 mol D(6) beta-carotene for all subjects. However, only 6 of the 11 subjects had plasma D(6) beta-carotene and D(3) retinol concentrations that we could measure. The mean absorption of D(6) beta-carotene in these 6 subjects was 6.1 +/- 0.02% and their conversion ratio was 1.47 +/- 0.49 mol D(3) retinol to 1 mol D(6) beta-carotene. The remaining 5 subjects were low responders with </=0.01% absorption and a mean conversion ratio of 0.014 +/- 0.004 mol D(3) retinol to 1 mol D(6) beta-carotene. CONCLUSION Variable absorption and conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A both contribute to the variable response to consumption of beta-carotene. Our double-tracer approach is adaptable for identifying efficient converters of carotenoid to retinoid.
Diffuse-reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of vegetable oil triglyceride adsorption on silicic acid

The adsorption of triglyceride by silicic acid from hexane miscellas was observed with diffuse-reflectance Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy. Triglyceride was adsorbed by hydrogen bonding to silanol groups through the ester carbonyl group. Addition of isopropanol (IPA) to the triglyceride-hexane solution prior to adsorption resulted in unchanged triglyceride adsorption on silicic acid despite IPA's ability to adsorb on silicic acid and hydrogen-bond with triglyceride. Washing the triglyceride, adsorbed on silicic acid, with hexane containing IPA resulted in partial desorption of the triglyceride and a small amount of IPA being adsorbed. Triglyceride desorption into fresh hexane-IPA is due to the establishment of a new equilibrium of lipid and IPA between hexane and silicic acid. The relative strengths of all the possible pairwise interactions among triglyceride, IPA and silicic acid are revealed by the relative amounts of adsorption under various conditions.
The Dump: A Visual Exploration of Illegal Dumping on Public Lands in Rural America

This study examines a commonly overlooked form of criminal activity in the countryside – the act of illegally dumping piles of waste materials onto public lands. After a visual examination of the various types of debris that are commonly dumped in these areas, consideration is given to the attitudes, motives and rationalizations that lead to the act of dumping. This study attempts to contextualize this activity within the framework of environmental sociology, emphasizing how attitudes about the natural environment, but also how the physical environment itself, can affect the propensity to dump. This study employs the more specific and quantifiable activity of illegal dumping piles of debris onto public lands in order to more clearly distinguish this activity from similar or related criminal enterprises that occur in rural America; however, it is important to note that the deviant element of this activity is central to the investigation. More specifically, the extent to which this criminal activity is viewed (by either the perpetrator or the community) as deviant has bearing on whether the activity is discouraged, whether penalties or alternatives are provided, the extent and frequency of this activity and, arguably, whether or not illegal dumping occurs in the first place. Finally, solutions to the problems posed by illegal dumping are considered in terms of wiser public policy informed by these social scientific findings. The Dump: A Visual Exploration of Illegal Dumping on Public Lands in Rural America Vol. 6, Issue 2 (2011)
Characterization of phytol-phytanate conversion activity in rat liver.

Abstract The enzymatic conversion of phytol to phytanic acid was investigated in rat liver postnuclear and other subcellularp fractions using [1- 3 H]phytol as the substrate. The assay method involved incubation of the substrate with appropriate cofactors and the enzyme source, followed by subjecting the mixture to Folch partition and measuring the radioactivity in the upper layer. The phytol-phytanate conversion activity was present in mitochondrial and microsomal fractions. Cytosol had no activity. In mitochondrial fraction, investigation of cofactor requirements indicated that only NAD was required for activity. Other pyridine nucleotides supported the activity to a lesser extent when compared with NAD. FAD at 1 mM concentration did not support the activity. Bovine serum albumin (0.4 mg/ml) stimulated the activity. The reaction did not require molecular oxygen. From substrate kinetic studies, an apparent K m of 14.3 and 11.1 μM was calculated for phytol in mitochondrial and microsomal fractions, respectively. The amount of tritiated water produced from incubation increased linearly up to 7–8 min. The activity was the amoun of mitochondrial and microsomal protein up to 200 and 40 μg, respectively. Among the various rat tissue homogenates tested, liver had the highest activity. Spleen and kidney had 8–9% of the activity of liver. Brain possessed negligible activity. Both ethanol and pyrazole had no inhibitory effect on phytol-phytanate conversion. This observation and the absence of activity in cytosol suggests that alcohol dehydrogenase may not be involved in phytol-phytanate conversion.
Geologic framework of the offshore region adjacent to Delaware

Abstract Several multichannel, common depth point (CDP) seismic reflection profiles concentrated in the area of the entrance to Delaware Bay provide a tie between the known onshore geology of the Coastal Plain of Delaware and the offshore geology of the Baltimore Canyon Trough. The data provide a basis for understanding the geologic framework and petroleum resource potential of the area immediately offshore Delaware. Our research has focused on buried early Mesozoic rift basins and their geologic history. Assuming that the buried basins are analogous to the exposed Newark Supergroup basins of Late Triassic-Early Jurassic age, the most likely possibility for occurrence of hydrocarbon source beds in the area of the landward margin of the Baltimore Canyon Trough is presumed to be lacustrine, organic-rich shales probably present in the basins. Although buried basins mapped offshore Delaware are within reach of drilling, no holes have been drilled to date; therefore, direct knowledge of source, reservoir, and sealing beds is absent. Buried rift basins offshore Delaware show axial trends ranging from NW-SE to NNE-SSW. Seismic reflection profiles are too widely spaced to delineate basin boundaries accurately. Isopleths of two-way travel time representing basin fill suggest that, structurally, the basins are grabens and half-grabens. As shown on seismic reflection profiles, bounding faults of the basins intersect or merge with low-angle fault surfaces that cut the pre-Mesozoic basement. The rift basins appear to have formed by Mesozoic extension that resulted in reverse motion on reactivated basement thrust faults that originated from compressional tectonics during the Paleozoic. Computer-plotted structure contour maps derived from analysis of seismic reflection profiles provide information on the burial history of the rift basins. The postrift unconformity bevels the rift basins and, in the offshore area mapped, ranges from 2000 to 12,000 m below present sea level. The oldest postrift sediments that cover the more deeply buried rift basins are estimated to be of Middle Jurassic age (Bajocian-Bathonian), the probable time of opening of the Atlantic Ocean basin and onset of continental drift about 175–180 m.y. ago. By late Oxfordian-early Kimmeridgian time, the less deeply buried basins nearshore Delaware had been covered. A time-temperature index of maturity plot of one of the basins indicates that only dry gas would be present in reservoirs in synrift rocks buried by more than 6000 m of postrift sediments and in the oldest (Bathonian?-Callovian?) postrift rocks. Less deeply buried synrift rocks landward of the basin modeled might still be within the oil generation window.
Derivation of Exact Distributions Following an Up-and-Down Design

Use of large sample theory in sequential designs, such as the up-and-down designs, to estimate parameters of interest may not be appropriate when the sample size is small, as is the case with many phase I clinical trials. In these situations, it may be desirable to derive the exact distribution of various statistics of interest. Having the exact distribution will enable us to calculate exact probabilities, moments or confidence intervals. We show how one can derive these exact distributions by enumerating all possible outcomes. We also derive a formula to obtain the total number of all possible treatment outcomes using the biased up-and-down design. These results will enable the experimenter to plan a phase I study with more confidence.
Color-octet scalars at the CERN LHC

Color-octet scalars, if present at the TeV scale, will be produced in abundance at the LHC. We discuss in some detail the phenomenology of scalars in the $(8,2{)}_{1/2}$ representation, recently identified by Manohar and Wise as an addition to the standard model Higgs sector consistent with the principle of minimal flavor violation. Couplings of this multiplet to the Higgs lift the mass degeneracy among its states, possibly allowing for two-body decays of a heavier colored scalar to a lighter one and a gauge boson. We perform a renormalization group analysis of these couplings and find that limits from Tevatron searches leave little room for these decays. This fact, and the assumption of minimal flavor violation, lead us to study the case where the octets decay to the heaviest kinematically accessible fermion pairs. Focusing on pair-production events leading to $t\overline{t}t\overline{t}$, $b\overline{b}b\overline{b}$, and $b\overline{b}t\overline{t}$ final states, we find that discovery at the LHC should be possible up to masses exceeding 1 TeV.
A new route to bulk nanocrystalline materials

Despite their interesting properties, nanostructured materials have found limited use as a result of the cost of preparation and the difficulty in scaling up. Herein, the authors report a technique, friction stir processing (FSP), to refine grain sizes to a nanoscale. Nanocrystalline 7075 Al with an average grain size of 100 nm was successfully obtained using FSP. It may be possible to further control the microstructure of the processed material by changing the processing parameters and the cooling rate. In principle, by applying multiple overlapping passes, it should be possible to produce any desired size thin sheet to nanostructure using this technique. We expect that the FSP technique may pave the way to large-scale structural applications of nanostructured metals and alloys.