cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear optical dynamics in femtosecond laser processing of silicon waveguides (Conference Presentation)

In recent years, femtosecond-laser writing has recently emerged as one of the most versatile techniques for direct waveguide microfabrication of transparent optical materials. Femtosecond-laser-based fabrication of three-dimensional silicon waveguide enables compact silicon photonics and their integration as large third-order nonlinearity and the high refractive index of silicon allows for tightly confining optical waves to a sub-micron region. The writing process is however challenging because the unique features exhibited by the semiconductor crystal, such as two-photon absorption, free-carrier absorption / dispersion, anisotropic and dispersive third-order nonlinearity, which may drastically influence the writing process at high intensities required for the femtosecond-laser writing. In this work, we provide a detailed description of the underlying physics behind nonlinear optical dynamics in femtosecond laser processing of silicon waveguides, considering the generation of free carriers induced by various absorption mechanisms, plasma formation, refractive index change and their impact on the waveguide microfabrication and performance.
Relationship of Environment and Security

New definition of national security has emerged. Non-military threats, such as environmental mismanagement, natural resource depletion, overpopulation and the environmental consequences of the Cold War, economic decline, social and political instability, ethnic rivalries and territorial disputes, international terrorism and drugs have been included into the definition of national security. The relationship between environment and security has been under consideration almost two decades. Although nations continue to be central actors in international politics, they increasingly participate and are engaged in cooperation with international and regional organizations to respond to non-traditional security concerns including the environment.
Inferring occupant counts from Wi-Fi data in buildings through machine learning

Abstract An important approach to curtail building energy consumption is to optimize building control based on occupancy information. Various studies proposed to estimate occupant counts through different approaches and sensors. However, high cost and privacy concerns remain as major barriers, restricting the practice of occupant count detection. In this study, we propose a novel method utilizing data from widely deployed Wi-Fi infrastructure to infer occupant counts through machine learning. Compared with the current indirect measurement methods, our method improves the performance of estimating people count: (1) we avoid privacy concerns by anonymizing and reshuffling the MAC addresses on a daily basis; (2) we adopted a heuristic feature engineer approach to cluster connected devices into different types based on their daily connection duration. We tested the method in an office building located in California. In an area with an average occupancy of 22–27 people and a peak occupancy of 48–74 people, the root square mean error on the test set is less than four people. The error is within two people counts for more than 70% of estimations, and less than six counts for more than 90% of estimations, indicating a relatively high accuracy. The major contribution of this study is proposing a novel and accurate approach to detect occupant counts in a non-intrusive way, i.e., utilizing existing Wi-Fi infrastructure in buildings without requiring the installation of extra hardware or sensors. The method we proposed is generic and could be applied to other commercial buildings to infer occupant counts for energy efficient building control.
Emanationist Spell (with Clarice Lispector)

ABSTRACTThis paper delves into writings of Brazilian author Clarice Lispector (1920–1977) and their oracular, “spellular,” and emanationist modalities. The analysis itself follows the same axiomati...
The Human Problem of Human Genetic Engineering

In their preface to Genetics and Law II, Aubrey Milunsky and George Annas looked ahead to the advances in genetic technology by 1984 and wrote: “Our hope is that the price will not be the diminishing of human values. Genetic progress and human values must coexist.”1 Their hope and their statement are presumably favored by all of us present—unless, by chance, some unreformed veteran researchers of the German Nazi and Japanese Manchurian death labs are among us.
A conserved RNA structural motif for organizing topology within picornaviral internal ribosome entry sites.

Picornaviral IRES elements are essential for initiating the cap-independent viral translation. However, three-dimensional structures of these elements remain elusive. Here, we report a 2.84-A resolution crystal structure of hepatitis A virus IRES domain V (dV) in complex with a synthetic antibody fragment-a crystallization chaperone. The RNA adopts a three-way junction structure, topologically organized by an adenine-rich stem-loop motif. Despite no obvious sequence homology, the dV architecture shows a striking similarity to a circularly permuted form of encephalomyocarditis virus J-K domain, suggesting a conserved strategy for organizing the domain architecture. Recurrence of the motif led us to use homology modeling tools to compute a 3-dimensional structure of the corresponding domain of foot-and-mouth disease virus, revealing an analogous domain organizing motif. The topological conservation observed among these IRESs and other viral domains implicates a structured three-way junction as an architectural scaffold to pre-organize helical domains for recruiting the translation initiation machinery.
Democracy and Redistribution: The Role of Regime Revisited:

This study challenges a well-supported institutionalist theory in comparative politics that links democracy with higher levels of redistribution as well as studies that link authoritarianism with w...
Long Term Health Effect of Earned Income Tax Credit

Using decades of variation in the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) dataset, I examine the impact of exposure to EITC expansions in utero and during childhood on health outcomes in adulthood. In order to overcome the confounding relationship between family income and health outcomes, this study uses the maximum EITC benefit as the key variable. Reduced-form estimates show that EITC expansions had a positive impact on self-reported health status and other health measurements. Specifically, a $1000 increase in the maximum EITC exposure from ages 13 to 18 corresponds with a 0.125 point increase in the reported health status during adulthood. In addition, being exposed to EITC expansions in utero increases reported health status by 0.043 point. Relative to the range of reported health of 1 to 5 and the standard deviation of 0.97, these are very small effects. Nonetheless, these health effects are consequential, associating with increases in both family income and maternal labor supply. Labor supply induced time substitution effect competes with the income enhancement, with different relative impacts at different age intervals, creating a “U-shaped" overall health consequence.
A Bayesian approach to estimate parameters of ordinary differential equation

We develop a Bayesian approach to estimate the parameters of ordinary differential equations (ODE) from the observed noisy data. Our method does not need to solve ODE directly. We replace the ODE constraint with a probability expression and combine it with the nonparametric data fitting procedure into a joint likelihood framework. One advantage of the proposed method is that for some ODE systems, one can obtain closed form conditional posterior distributions for all variables which substantially reduce the computational cost and facilitate the convergence process. An efficient Riemann manifold based hybrid Monte Carlo scheme is implemented to generate samples for variables whose conditional posterior distribution cannot be written in terms of closed form. Our approach can be applied to situations where the state variables are only partially observed. The usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated through applications to both simulated and real data.
Retail Marijuana Deregulation and Housing Prices

Despite federal law, twelve American states and Washington D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana since 2012. Using a national housing data set from the online real estate listing database Zillow.com, we identify the cross and inter-state eﬀects of marijuana legalization on house prices in diﬀerent points of the price distribution function. We ﬁnd positive eﬀects upwards of ten percent in the top half of the price distribution following successful legalization ballot initiatives, and between ﬁve and ﬁfteen percent across the distribution after the state enacts the ballot initiative and the ﬁrst legal sales take place. A spatial diﬀerence-in-diﬀerences model reveals that within Colorado and Washington, prices in neighborhoods with new dispensary openings nearby experience a seven percent price appreciation. To summarize, our results suggest that there are second order beneﬁts to marijuana legalization.
Loss of dmrt1 restores female fates in the absence of cyp19a1a but not rbpms2a/b.

ABSTRACT Sex determination and differentiation is a complex process regulated by multiple factors, including factors from the germline or surrounding somatic tissue. In zebrafish, sex-determination involves establishment of a bipotential ovary that undergoes sex-specific differentiation and maintenance to form the functional adult gonad. However, the relationships among these factors are not fully understood. Here, we identify potential Rbpms2 targets and apply genetic epistasis experiments to decipher the genetic hierarchy of regulators of sex-specific differentiation. We provide genetic evidence that the crucial female factor rbpms2 is epistatic to the male factor dmrt1 in terms of adult sex. Moreover, the role of Rbpms2 in promoting female fates extends beyond repression of Dmrt1, as Rbpms2 is essential for female differentiation even in the absence of Dmrt1. In contrast, female fates can be restored in mutants lacking both cyp19a1a and dmrt1, and prolonged in bmp15 mutants in the absence of dmrt1. Taken together, this work indicates that cyp19a1a-mediated suppression of dmrt1 establishes a bipotential ovary and initiates female fate acquisition. Then, after female fate specification, Cyp19a1a regulates subsequent oocyte maturation and sustains female fates independently of Dmrt1 repression.
Tailoring programs for static analysis via program transformation

Static analysis is a proven technique for catching bugs during software development. However, analysis tooling must approximate, both theoretically and in the interest of practicality. False positives are a pervading manifestation of such approximations---tool configuration and customization is therefore crucial for usability and directing analysis behavior. To suppress false positives, developers readily disable bug checks or insert comments that suppress spurious bug reports. Existing work shows that these mechanisms fall short of developer needs and present a significant pain point for using or adopting analyses. We draw on the insight that an analysis user always has one notable ability to influence analysis behavior regardless of analyzer options and implementation: modifying their program. We present a new technique for automated, generic, and temporary code changes that tailor to suppress spurious analysis errors. We adopt a rule-based approach where simple, declarative templates describe general syntactic changes for code patterns that are known to be problematic for the analyzer. Our technique promotes program transformation as a general primitive for improving the fidelity of analysis reports (we treat any given analyzer as a black box). We evaluate using five different static analyzers supporting three different languages (C, Java, and PHP) on large, real world programs (up to 800KLOC). We show that our approach is effective in sidestepping long-standing and complex issues in analysis implementations.
Use of Social Media Networks and Perceptions of Firm-Generated Content in the Fitness Industry

Research on social media in the fitness industry has focused mostly on the impacts of images on body image and how interventions on social media can impact behavior change. Little research explores the managerial aspects of using social media in the fitness realm. This study explored how fitness facility members valued firm-generated content on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. After surveying 467 fitness facility members, descriptive statistics and regression analyses were run to determine if they valued content and what content valuations drove interaction on each network. Overall, consumers evaluated firm-generated content as relevant, useful, interesting, high quality, appropriate, important, and engaging. Content that was rated as high quality and important drove interactive behaviors on social media in general. Fitness managers should put resources into determining what content members perceive as important and creating high quality photos and videos to drive interaction with content.
EXACT RESULTS FOR PERTURBATION TO TOTAL POSITIVITY AND TO TOTAL NONSINGULARITY

A study of the maximum number of equal entries in totally positive and totally nonsingular m-by-n, matrices for small values of m and n, is presented. Equal entries correspond to entries of the totally nonnegative matrix J that are not changed in producing a TP or TNS matrix. It is shown that the maximum number of equal entries in a 7-by-7 totally positive matrix is strictly smaller than that for a 7-by-7 totally non-singular matrix, but, this is the first pair (m; n) for which these maximum numbers differ. Using point-line geometry in the projective plane, a family of values for (m; n) for which these maximum numbers differ is presented. Generalization to the Hadamard core, as well as larger projective planes is also established. Finally, the relationship with C4 free graphs, along with a method for producing symmetric TP matrices with maximal symmetric arrangements of equal entries is discussed.
Identification of apoptosis pathway in Treacher Collins Syndrome

IDENTIFICATION OF APOPTOSIS PATHWAY IN TREACHER COLLINS SYNDROME By Khaled Alsayegh, B.S A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Major Director: Rita Shiang Associate Professor, Department of Human & Molecular Genetics Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by severe craniofacial defects. The syndrome is associated with mutations in the TCOF1 gene, which encodes a nucleolar phosphoprotein called treacle. Model organisms have been generated to model the disease and have revealed knowledge about the etiology and pathogenesis of the disorder. The craniofacial abnormality observed in TCS patients is found to be caused by an increased level of apoptosis in the neuroepithelium and from this it has been suggested that treacle is important for proper formation and proliferation of neural crest cells that will ultimately contribute to the face. The best attempt to rescue the phenotype of TCS was made by inhibiting the expression of p53 in both zebrafish and mouse models. Although both rescues were successful, it resulted in tumor formation in mice which limits the potential of using this type of rescue in humans. Therefore, it is very important to identify p53-downstream genes that were not 5
Generalized Conditions for Liveness Enforcement and Deadlock Prevention in Petri Nets

This paper presents new results concernedwith liveness, liveness of a subset of transitions and deadlock in Petri nets. Liveness is seen as a particular case of what we call T-liveness: all transitions in the set T are live. The first results characterize the relation between supervisors enforcing liveness and T-liveness with supervisors preventing deadlock. Then we introduce a class of Petri net subnets allowing us to extendt wo well known results. Specifically we generalize the result relating deadlock to siphons and the extension to asymmetric choice Petri nets of the Commoner's Theorem. We conclude by considering how the theoretical results of this paper can be used for deadlock prevention, least restrictive deadlock prevention and least restrictive T-liveness enforcement.
Studies of the binding of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase to DNA: II. The kinetics of the binding reaction

Abstract The kinetics of binding RNA polymerase to T7 DNA have been studied using a membrane filter assay to follow the association. At DNA molecule concentrations as low as 2.6 × 10−10 m a first-order reaction with a rate constant k1 = 3 × 10−2 sec−1 ( t built1 2 = 22 sec ) is rate limiting in the formation of both the non-filterable and the non-dissociable RNA polymerase holoenzyme-T7 DNA complex. Assuming that there are ten sites on the T7 genome at which this complex can be formed, this result indicates that the true second-order rate constant for binding of enzyme to one of these sites is probably at least 108 m−1 sec−1. The first-order kinetics of binding has been interpreted by a model in which, over the range of DNA concentration studied, the rate-determining step in the formation of the non-filterable, non-dissociable enzyme-DNA complex is the release of enzyme from the non-specific sites on the DNA, at which the enzyme can attach but does not bind strongly enough to form either the non-filterable or the non-dissociable complex. The apparent rate constant for the binding of core polymerase to T7 DNA is too large to measure at DNA concentrations ≥2.6 × 10−10 m, but it is at least 10 times greater than that measured in the presence of sigma. This effect of sigma on the apparent rate constant for enzyme-DNA association probably results because the number of sites on the T7 genome at which a non-filterable enzyme-DNA complex can be formed is greater for the core polymerase than for RNA polymerase holoenzyme.
The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Ulcerative Colitis

The overall goal of our Demonstration Project is to address the hypothesis that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To circumvent the confounding effects of mucosal inflammation and medications that independently bias microbial selection, we have set out to study a unique clinical model of ulcerative colitis (pouchitis) where the development and status of the gut microbiota can be assessed prospectively and relative to the outcome of disease. Pouchitis is an inflammatory condition of a surgically-created pseudorectum that is unique to ulcerative colitis and rarely occurs when this procedure is performed for treatment of other non-IBD diseases. Since the incidence of developing pouchitis within one year is over 50%, the likelihood of detecting antecedent changes in microbiota is high. Our multi-center study involves an integrated team of researchers with expertise in clinical manifestations of pouchitis (Univ. Chicago), cultivation of diverse microorganisms (MSU), molecular microbial ecology (MSU/UMich/MBL), and metagenomics (ANL). Our goal is to enroll up to 50 patients with pouchitis who will be followed clinically and endoscopically (sampling from the unprepped pouch) for a period of 18 months each. Though the use of high-throughput, cost-effective technologies, which members of this team have played a key role in developing, we intend to demonstrate a critical role for the gut microbiome in the development of the dysregulated mucosal immune response that is the hallmark of IBD. In order to identify associations between the structure and dynamics of the gut microbial community and specific clinical endpoints, we will scan for markers in the fecal microbial community that are associated with specific, quantifiable measures of disease activity or progression. Collectively, these studies will provide insights into how enteric microbiota cause or contribute to the etiopathogenesis of human ulcerative colitis. This knowledge will lead the way to novel ways to monitor patients with IBD and to guide the development of novel preventative and therapeutic interventions.In accordance with the guidelines of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP), data generated by this study (NCBI Project ID 463154) will be subject to a 12 month publication moratorium from the date of data submission to dbGaP and SRA.
Differentiating chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans using collision- induced dissociation; uronic acid cross-ring diagnostic fragments in a single stage of tandem mass spectrometry

The stereochemistry of the hexuronic acid residues of the structure of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) is a key feature that affects their interactions with proteins and other biological functions. Electron based tandem mass spectrometry methods, in particular electron detachment dissociation (EDD), have been able to distinguish glucuronic acid (GlcA) from iduronic acid (IdoA) residues in some heparan sulfate tetrasaccharides by producing epimer-specific fragments. Similarly, the relative abundance of glycosidic fragment ions produced by collision-induced dissociation (CID) or EDD has been shown to correlate with the type of hexuronic acid present in chondroitin sulfate GAGs. The present work examines the effect of charge state and degree of sodium cationization on the CID fragmentation products that can be used to distinguish GlcA and IdoA containing chondroitin sulfate A and dermatan sulfate chains. The cross-ring fragments (2,4)A(n) and (0,2)X(n) formed within the hexuronic acid residues are highly preferential for chains containing GlcA, distinguishing it from IdoA. The diagnostic capability of the fragments requires the selection of a molecular ion and fragment ions with specific ionization characteristics, namely charge state and number of ionizable protons. The ions with the appropriate characteristics display diagnostic properties for all the chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate chains (degree of polymerization of 4-10) studied.
Cis‐suppression to arrest protein aggregation in mammalian cells

Protein misfolding and aggregation are implicated in numerous human diseases and significantly lower production yield of proteins expressed in mammalian cells. Despite the importance of understanding and suppressing protein aggregation in mammalian cells, a protein design and selection strategy to modulate protein misfolding/aggregation in mammalian cells has not yet been reported. In this work, we address the particular challenge presented by mutation-induced protein aggregation in mammalian cells. We hypothesize that an additional mutation(s) can be introduced in an aggregation-prone protein variant, spatially near the original mutation, to suppress misfolding and aggregation (cis-suppression). As a model protein, we chose human copper, zinc superoxide dismutase mutant (SOD1A4V) containing an alanine to valine mutation at residue 4, associated with the familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We used the program RosettaDesign to identify Phe20 in SOD1A4V as a key residue responsible for SOD1A4V conformational destabilization. This information was used to rationally develop a pool of candidate mutations at the Phe20 site. After two rounds of mammalian-cell based screening of the variants, three novel SOD1A4V variants with a significantly reduced aggregation propensity inside cells were selected. The enhanced stability and reduced aggregation propensity of the three novel SOD1A4V variants were verified using cell fractionation and in vitro stability assays. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 462–474. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Celebrating the Chemical Education Connections to Health and Medicine

Chemists play an important role in educating medical professionals. Chemical education connections to health and medicine are discussed as part of the celebration of the 2011 National Chemistry Week.
ITC voting behavior on sunset reviews

This paper is the first attempt to analyze ITC Commissioner voting behavior on sunset reviews of antidumping cases. Sunset determinations entail greater complexity than initial antidumping investigations because ITC commissioners must account for the impact of dumping protection as well as competitive forces on industry conditions. Empirical findings indicate that ITC voting is based on both sunset regulation and nonstatutory factors. Results reveal apparent biases against Chinese competitors and poorer nations generally, and favorable treatment toward U.S. steel producers and high-wage industries. There is also evidence of preferential treatment of industries located in states of Senate oversight committee members. JEL no. F13
Ventilation of the Deep Western Boundary Current and Abyssal Western North Atlantic: Estimates from Tritium and 3He Distributions

Abstract The tritium and excess 3He data from the 1981 TTO/NAS program are used to study the time scales for the ventilation of the deep western basin by recently formed North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). The large-scale distributions of tritium and 3He in the deep North Atlantic are presented, and tracer inventories are computed for individual deep water basins. The bulk of the bomb tritium (and thus new NADW) resided in 1981 in the deep Labrador Sea and western subpolar gyre, with a slightly smaller amount in the deep western subtropical gyre. The maximum excess 3He values were located south of the overflows in the Labrador Sea the result of competition between ventilation and in situ tritium decay. The subpolar gyre was also the site of the strongest increase in decay-corrected tritium (∼120%) and excess 3He (∼100%) between the 1972 GEOSECS survey and the 1981 TTO/NAS program. The observed deep water tritium inventory is in reasonable agreement with model tracer inputs computed for the combined overflow...
Molecular cloning and physical mapping of the nitrogenase structural genes from the filamentous, non-heterocystous cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena sp. PCC7409

Sequences homologous to the structural genes for dinitrogenase (nifD and nifK) and nitrogenase reductase (nifH) have been cloned from the filamentous, non-heterocystous cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena PCC7409. The nifHDK− homologous sequences were shown to reside on a 6.5-kb EcoRI restriction fragment by using a restriction fragment encoding the Klebsiella pneumoniaenifHDK genes as a heterologous hybridization probe. This 6.5-kb restriction fragment was cloned from a λ gt.wes EcoRI library of the Paseudanabaena sp. PCC7409 genome. This fragment was subcloned into the plasmid vector pUC9 to generate plasmid pPSU20. A detailed physical map of the insert in plasmid pPSU20 was determined, and relative positions of the nifH, nifD, and nifK homologous sequences on this fragment were determined by hybridization analysis with gene-specific fragments derived from the corresponding Anabaena sp. PCC7120 genes. The results indicate that these genes are contiguous in Pseudanabaena sp. PCC 7409 and are arranged in the order nifH, nifD, and nifK. This arrangement resembles that observed for other non-heterocystous cyanobacteria but differs from that observed for Anabaena, Calothrix, and Nostoc species.
Studies on the binding of 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate to very low density and high density himan serum lipoproteins.

Abstract Very low density and high density lipoproteins have been isolated from human plasma and their interaction with 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate has been studied under different conditions of pH and added salt. Intrinsic fluorescence of bound 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate was higher for high density lipoproteins than for very low density lipoproteins, but was unaffected by salt in both systems. Binding of 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate by both these lipoproteins was saturable and was higher in the presence of added NaCl or CaCl 2 , Ca 2+ having a greater effect than Na + in enhancing fluorescence. The binding data were analyzed by Scatchard plots; the number of binding sites and the affinity of 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate for the site increased with increasing salt concentration. Fluorescence pH curves were similar to those published for phospholipids. From these and previous observations it is suggested that the phospholipids probably represent the major binding sites for 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate.
UV light from the ground term of Ti-like ytterbium, tungsten, and bismuth

We have used an electron-beam ion trap to measure the wavelength of the $J=2--3$ magnetic dipole transition in the ${3d}^{4}$ ground term of Ti-like ytterbium, tungsten, and bismuth. This fills in a gap in previous measurements along this isoelectronic sequence, as well as extending previous work to the highest Z yet. With the addition of our results, measurements of this line now cover a sufficient range of Z to allow an interpolation of reliable wavelength estimates for the unmeasured members of the isoelectronic sequence from $Z=52$ to 83. We provide a table of these wavelengths for each member of the sequence in this range, and compare the measured wavelengths to recent calculations. Our results show that a long-standing discrepancy between prediction and experiment disappears in the high-$Z$ limit.
Differential expression of two calmodulin genes in response to physical and chemical stimuli.

Two different calmodulin (CaM) cDNAs (MBCaM-1 and MBCaM-2) were isolated from a vigna radiata λgt 11 library by screening with a heterologous Arabidopsis cDNA probe (TCH-1). Both cDNAs are 85% homologous inside the coding region but are highly divergent outside this region. The polypeptides encoded by MBCaM-1 and MBCaM-2 are identical except for two conservative substitutions at positions 7 and 10. Southern analysis revealed that both cDNAs are encoded by different genes. Expression studies revealed different patterns of expression of both genes. MBCaM-1 mRNA exhibited a dramatic transient increase in response to touch, while MBCaM-2 expression showed a steady but small increase as compared to MBCaM-1. When plants were grown in complete darkness MBCaM-1 was undetectable and MBCaM-2 exhibited very low levels of expression. One hour after exposure of etiolated seedlings to light MBCaM-1 showed no change, while MBCaM-2 expression was increased. After a 6 h exposure to light there was an induction of both MBCaM-1 and MBCaM-2; however, the magnitude of this increase was much greater for MBCaM-2. When plants were grown under a 16 h light/8 h dark cycle the mRNA levels for MBCaM-1 were lower during the light period and increased during the beginning of the night cycle, while MBCaM-2 showed no change. Plants treated with indole-3-acetic acid had a peak in MBCaM-1 expression 6 h after treatment initiation with a slight decline 3 h after the peak, while MBCaM-2 showed a steady but small increase over time as compared to MBCaM-1. When plants were subjected to salt stress they showed an increase in MBCaM-1 expression 2 h after treatment initiation reaching a maximum after 4 h with no further increase after 6 h, while MBCaM-2 remained unchanged over the time course.
Factor Structure of the Job-Related Tension Index Among Social Workers:

Objectives: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the factor structure of the 15-item Job-Related Tension Index (JRTI). Method: Data were derived from a larger cross-sectional study using a modified tailored design method to mail a self-administered survey to a random stratified sample of the National Association of Social Workers, Maryland Chapter. The 15-item four-factor structure described by Rogers, Li, and Ellis was tested. Results: CFA resulted in a 12-item three-factor structure with acceptable fit. JRTI internal consistency reliability was 0.87. Conclusion: Findings are preliminary but suggest the JRTI may be useful in examining job-related tension among social workers. Future research is needed to further develop the JRTI and establish its reliability, validity, and factor structure.
Vasculitis in chronic urticaria.

Abstract We have explored the problem of the histologic basis of chronic urticaria and its relation to vasculitis and immune complex disease. In a prospective study, 42 consecutive patients with chronic urticaria (from twice weekly to daily episodes lasting more than 6 wk) had skin biopsies and were studied for immunologic variables. Twenty-two patients (52%) had vasculitis on biopsy as defined by the presence of cellular infiltrates within the vessel wall. The other 20 patients (48%) had either edema only or perivascular infiltrates with mononuclear cells (perivasculitis). The group with vasculitis could be subdivided into seven patients with neutrophilic venulitis including three with fibrinoid change, seven with mixed-cellular vasculitis, four with lymphol monocytic vasculitis, and four with eosinophilic vasculitis. Vascular deposits of immunoreactants were found in only four (18%) of the vasculitis patients, compared with 65% of concurrently studied patients who had cutaneous venulitis manifested as palpable purpura, i.e., Henoch-Schonlein syndrome. Urticarial patients with vasculitis were more often male and had a longer mean duration of hives compared with the nonvasculitis group. We saw no differences between the vasculitis and nonvasculitis cases of urticaria with regard to the incidence of arthralgia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), or hypocomplementemia. The group with vasculitis did not have more generalized disease nor were the hives more resistant to therapy. We have discussed the definition and histologic criteria for the diagnosis of vasculitis when it occurs in very small blood vessels.
Integration of cytokine and heterologous receptor signaling pathways

Cytokines are soluble mediators of cell communication that are critical in immune regulation. They induce specific gene-expression programs in responsive cells. Recent findings, however, indicate that cytokine receptors can regulate immune cell functions by transcription-independent mechanisms. Here we review the current understanding of how cytokine signaling regulates the functions of other signaling pathways by first discussing the 'traditional' transcription-mediated consequences of cytokine signaling and then providing a detailed description of transcription-independent lateral communications between cytokine receptors and other cellular receptors.
Compartmentation of Animal Enzymes: Physiological and Evolutionary Significance

Many enzymes of animals, especially enzymes that regulate metabolic pathways, exhibit one or more types of inter - and intracellular compartmentation. A given type of catalytic activity is effected by different isoforms (isozymes) of a class of enzyme in different tissues, cells, or organelles, and many enzymes alter their locations within the cell under different physiological conditions. These compartmentation properties reflect major features of animal organization and function, e.g. , the occurrence of different metabolic tasks in different tissues or cellular compartments, and enormous changes in muscle metabolic rate during intense locomotion. Enzymes of glycolysis, notably phosphofructokinase (PFK) and hexokinase (HK), manifest these forms of compartmentation. PFK occurs in several isozyme forms that differ in kinetic properties. Skeletal muscle PFK binds reversibly to actin in a pH-dependent manner. Binding of PFK to actin affects the enzyme's catalytic activity, sensitivity to regulatory modulators, and structural stability in the face of decreasing intracellular pH (pHi). Eucaryotic PFKs arose from a gene duplication/fusion event of an ancestral procaryotic PFK. This increase in subunit mass from 36 kDa to 82 kDa in animal PFKs facilitated the evolution of additional regulatory sites and, we hypothesize, an actin binding capacity which varies among PFK isoforms. In vertebrates, hexokinase occurs in several isoforms that differ in kinetic properties and ability to bind to the outer surface of the mitochondrion. Binding of HK to mitochondria plays an important role in regulating glucose metabolism in glucose-dependent tissues like brain. The different abilities of vertebrate HK isozymes to bind to mitochondria are due to charge differences on the isozymes' surfaces. Invertebrate HKs are smaller than vertebrate HKs ( ca . 50 kDa vs . 100 kDa), and cannot bind to mitochondria. The evolution of multiple isozyme forms of animal enzymes, and the evolution of capacities for reversible intracellular compartmentation through increases in protein size, are discussed in the context of the large genome sizes characteristic of most animals
Security check: a formal yet practical framework for secure software architecture

With security becoming an important concern for both users as well as designers of large-scale software systems, it is necessary to introduce security considerations very early in the system development life-cycle namely in the modeling phase itself. But the main problem in the widespread adoption of security modeling has been that representations of even moderate-size systems consume so much memory (due to the infamous state space explosion problem) that designers are loathe to spend time increasing the complexity of their models by introducing security aspects in the design phase itself. In this paper we propose a technique called security check which entails taking small units of a system, putting them in a "security harness" that exercises relevant executions appropriately within the unit, and then model checking these more tractable units. For most systems whose security requirements are localized to individual system components or interactions between small numbers of components, security check offers a means of coping with state explosion. Another major benefit of security check is that it enables us to detect system vulnerabilities even when the attack behavior is not known. And for known attack patterns security check can provide models of suspicious behavior which can then be used for intrusion detection at a later stage.
Isotope effect in BEDT-TTF based organic superconductors

Abstract The results of our comprehensive isotope effect studies, in which seven different isotopically labeled (involving 13 C, 34 S and 2 H labeling) BEDT-TTF derivatives and isotopically labeled anion [Cu( 15 N 13 CS) 2 ] − were utilized, are summarized. For the first time, convincing evidence for a genuine BCS-like mass isotope effect in an organic superconductor is revealed in our studies.
An Improved Synthesis of 2′-Deoxy-9-deazaadenosine and an N-7 Blocked Derivative Useful for the Synthesis of Modified Oligonucleotides Containing 2′-Deoxy-9-deazaadenosine

Abstract As an epimerization resistant synthon in the synthesis of oligo-nucleotides consisting of C-nucleoside analogues, hitherto unknown 5-benzyloxy-methyl-3-(2-deoxy-β-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimpyrimidine (7-benzyloxymethyl-2′-deoxy-9-deazaadenosine) was prepared in seven steps from the known 3-amino-2-cyano-4-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-5-O-trityl-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-pyrrolpyrrole (1). Treatment of 1 with benzyl chloromethyl ether in the presence of potassium t-butoxide and 18-crown-6 afforded the N-protected pyrrole 2, which was converted into the 9-deazapurine derivative 3 in high yield by heating in EtOH. 7-Benzyloxymethyl-9-deazaadenosine 4 was obtained from 3 by acid hydrolysis in 2.5% methanolic hydrogen chloride. After protection of the hydroxyl groups of 4 with Markievicz's reagent, the product 5 was converted into the 2′-O-phenoxythiocarbonyl derivative 6. Reduction of 6 with butyltin hydride in the presence of 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile), followed by desilylation with trie...
Intermediate sums and stochastic compactness of maxima

Abstract A connection between the convergence in distribution of sums of intermediate order statistics and the stochastic compactness of maxima is established.
Risk, Resilience, and Adjustment of Individuals with Learning Disabilities

This article uses the concepts of risk and resiliency to frame our understanding of how having a learning disability affects nonacademic outcomes such as emotional adjustment, family functioning, adolescent problems of school dropout, substance abuse and juvenile delinquency, and adult adaptation. The presence of a learning disability is viewed as a risk factor that, in and of itself, does not predict positive or negative outcomes. Rather, other risk and protective factors, as highlighted in the literature, interact with the presence of a learning disability to facilitate or impede adjustment. These risk and protective factors may be internal characteristics of the individual or external characteristics of the family, school and community environments. Implications for the development of proactive interventions and areas for future research are discussed.
Deepwater advanced diving systems that support the offshore oil field

This paper reviews deepwater diving technology which provides offshore oilfield support during all phases of exploration, construction and production. Mobile Observation Bells (MOB), Atmospheric Diving Suits (ADS), Remotely-Operated Vehicles (ROV), and saturation diving techniques are discussed. The term ''deep water'' is defined in relation to the water depths off the U.S. west coast. All diving system parameters are analyzed for each alternative; cost-effectiveness and safety are the two main objectives. Specific jobs are described which have used this high technology equipment for offshore operations on the U.S. west coast. These include drilling rig support, platform inspection and maintenance, and pipeline construction. Finally, future developments in diving systems are discussed.
A high school athlete with a single coronary artery passing between the great vessels

The preparticipation physical examination in the athlete is commonly encountered and performed in Family Practice. The primary care physician needs to take care during this examination to be alert to the various risks and warning signs that may signal a risk for sudden cardiac death. This case involves a 17-year-old athlete and a single coronary artery passing between the great vessels.
Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind. By Robert Kurzban

Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind. By Robert Kurzban (Princeton, NY: Princeton University Press; 2010), x + 274 pp. $27.95/£19.95 cloth; $15.37/£12.46e-book. Robert...
Tracking Acropora fragmentation and population structure through thermal-stress events

Fragmentation of reef corals spreads the risk of encountering unfavorable environments. High rates of fragmentation, however, may give the false impression of expanding, diversifying populations when instead the populations are simply cloning. We developed a discrete model that tracked the contribution of fragments to the coral populations by monitoring two thermally sensitive corals, branching coral Acropora palmata and corymbose Acropora colonies before, during, and after thermal-stress events at Haulover Bay, in the US Virgin Islands (Caribbean) and at Aka Jima in southern Japan (Pacific), respectively. We hypothesized that fragmentation rates would increase following disturbance years for both Acropora taxa. Using a Bayesian approach we tested the fit of the models with the observed data. Fragmentation was more frequent for A. palmata in the Caribbean than for corymbose Acropora in southern Japan. The highest frequency of fragmentation for A. palmata occurred during and soon after thermal stress, increasing the population density but shifting the size-frequency distribution toward small colonies. Fragmentation of corymbose Acropora in southern Japan was generally low and relatively constant throughout the study, except during thermal stress, which resulted in the loss of the smallest and largest colonies, effectively narrowing the size-frequency distribution.
Study of interfacial curvature in a three-component microemulsion with equal volumes of water and oil

We have used a double-contrast-variation method in small-angle neutron scattering to study the structure of a single-phase microemulsion containing equal amounts of oil (decane) and water stabilized with an aerosol OT surfactant. It is determined that the water-internal-droplet structure persists in this concentrated regime. We believe that this is the first observation of a nonvanishing mean curvature of the interfacial surfactant film in microemulsions with an oil-water ratio of unity.
Optical measurements of electrodynamically levitated microparticles

Development of the electrodynamic balance with laser light-scattering capabilities has made it possible to perform a wide variety of measurements on solid particles and liquid droplets with sizes ranging from about 0.1 to 200 micrometers and masses in the range 10-15-10-5 g. An introduction to the principles and design of electrodynamic balances is provided, and recent advances in their application to the measurement of optical properties, chemical composition and chemical reaction rates via elastic and inelastic scattering from microparticles are reviewed. Of particular emphasis are the phenomena of morphological or structural resonances, which can be used to determine optical properties of dielectric spheres with very high precision, and Raman and fluorescence spectroscopies, which provide information on the chemical nature of the microparticle. It is demonstrated that elastic and inelastic scattering measurements on levitated microdroplets can be used to measure chemical composition changes of multicomponent droplets. It is also shown that the complex refractive index of weakly absorbing droplets can be determined by measuring their evaporation rates via optical resonance spectra. The major problem associated with the interpretation of Raman spectra for microparticles is examined, and that is the effect of morphological resonances on the Raman emission. Data on the enhancement of Raman signals by such resonances are presented.
Learning from multiple perspectives: global implications for speech-language and hearing professionals.

The concept of cross-cultural communicative competence provides the framework for the discussion of global communication. A global communicator must be willing to continue to learn and embrace cultura
Nutrition Socialization Experiences of children in the Head Start Program

Abstract Some preschoolers may be at risk for overweight and obesity. To gain greater insight into children's early nutrition socialization experiences, the association of adult nutrition attitudes and mealtime behaviors to young children's eating behaviors and weight-for-height was investigated. Forty-six parent–child pairs and 8 Head Start teachers participated. Children were weighed and measured; parents completed measures of child eating behaviors, nutrition attitudes, and family mealtimes; teachers reported their own nutrition attitudes and were observed during mealtimes. Correlational findings indicated that parents' negative mealtime practices were associated with higher child weight-for-height and that parents' positive nutrition attitudes were related to more pleasant family mealtimes, fewer negative mealtime practices, and less troublesome child eating behaviors. The Head Start mealtime environment was developmentally appropriate and predictable for children. Although teachers engaged in some nutrition teaching during meals, a number of opportunities were missed for promoting children's nutrition socialization. In sum, these results identified potential opportunities for improving children's early nutrition socialization experiences. J Am Diet Assoc. 2001;101:572–577.
On time varying risk premia in the foreign exchange market: An econometric analysis

Abstract A generic intertemporal asset pricing model is applied in an international setting to generate a (possibly time varying) risk premium in the market for forward foreign exchange. The model is fitted and statistical tests of its general specification are performed. These specification tests provide weak evidence against the model.