cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solar-powered, wireless smart camera network: An IoT solution for outdoor video monitoring

Abstract In this paper, we present SlugCam, a solar-powered, wireless smart camera network that can be used in a variety of outdoor applications including video surveillance of public spaces, habitat and environmental monitoring, wildfire prevention and detection, to name a few. SlugCam was designed such that it can be deployed and left unattended for extended periods without requiring regular maintenance, e.g., frequent battery replacement. The system is built with off-the-shelf components which not only keeps it modular and low cost, but also facilitates its prototyping, rapid duplication, and evolution. SlugCam’s on-board processing capability allows computer vision software to run locally and autonomously. Energy efficiency in SlugCam is accomplished both in: (1) hardware by micro-managing low-power components; as well as in (2) software by having the system’s operation duty cycles automatically adapt to the current state of the battery in order to balance the trade-off between application-level requirements and power awareness. For example, SlugCam’s smart camera node changes its monitoring behavior based on how much battery charge remains. Additionally, using its computer vision software, the system only records and transmits information upon event detection which contributes both to the system’s energy efficiency as well as its low network bandwidth requirements. SlugCam’s networking functionality enables camera nodes to transfer video files, as well as collaborate on tasks such as visual processing, event detection, and object tracking. It allows node-to-node, as well as scoped- or full broadcast communication. For point-to-point communication, SlugCam uses on-demand power-aware multi-path routing to transfer video files efficiently. Another important contribution of SlugCam is to provide an open-source wireless camera network that can adapt to address the requirements of future outdoor video monitoring applications. SlugCam also includes a Web-based server where video data is stored as well as a Web-based user interface that allows end users to interact with the system, tag, query and retrieve video files, and manage SlugCam nodes remotely. In addition to a detailed description of SlugCam, this paper presents an extensive power characterization of the system’s operation and showcases its deployment in a lab testbed and a real world scenario.
Predictors of Employment Status in Male and Female Post-9/11 Veterans Evaluated for Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objectives The goal of this study was to investigate predictors of employment status in male and female post-9/11 Veterans evaluated for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the Veterans Health Administration. Prior research suggests there are gender differences in psychosocial characteristics among this cohort. Methods This was a cross-sectional analysis of post-9/11 Veterans who completed a TBI evaluation between July 2009 and September 2013. Results Women had lower prevalence of deployment-related TBI (65.5%) compared with men (75.3%), but the percentages of those unemployed across the TBI diagnostic categories were similar for men (38%) and women (39%). Adjusted log-binomial regression found that unemployment was significantly associated with age, education, marital status, moderate/severe TBI, suspected posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and drug abuse/dependence, and neurobehavioral symptom severity for men, whereas for women only more severe affective and cognitive symptoms were associated with unemployment. Conclusions Although the unemployment rate was similar across gender, there was a clearer pattern of demographic and health factors, including TBI severity, that was significantly associated with employment status in men. There may be other factors contributing to the female Veteran unemployment rate, underscoring the need to investigate unique contributors to unemployment, as well as how treatment and employment services can be expanded and tailored for post-9/11 Veterans.
EQUIPMENT DESIGN PHILOSOPHY USING INTEGRATED CIRCUITS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the equipment design philosophy using integrated circuits. The range of integrated circuits at present available to the system designer enable large sections of digital circuitry, using clock rates in the range 100 kc/s–10 Mc/s, to be engineered in integrated circuit form. The system design criteria will dictate the form of semiconductor network that is best suited to a particular application. In most applications, the potential high reliability and low cost of the semiconductor network are the main reasons for its adoption in a system. In any system design using networks, a number of important decisions have to be made at an early stage in design. Using semiconductor networks correctly in systems offers the system designer the possibility of producing an equipment which is far more reliable than its conventional component equivalent. Expected improvements of between 5 and 50 times in MTBF are typical. System reliability will be severely limited by the interconnections between networks toward the end of 1964 with projected failure rates for that period. An interconnection barrier will be reached where conventional methods of interconnection will not match the advanced circuit elements they serve.
The Speech Act: A Linguistic Frame of Reference to Study Ego Adaptation of a Psychotic Child

In recent years, infant research and early childhood studies have focused on the interaction between mother and child as the relevant unit to be explored in the march of developmental adaptation. This is the vantage point of many psychoanalytically trained infant investigators (Sander, 1975; Stern, 1971), as well as a number of animal behaviorists (Schneirla, 1960). Mahler’s (1975) view of the separation-individuation process likewise focuses on interactional matrices and postulates “psychic hatching” along with biological maturation. This dominant psychoanalytic view of the problems of infancy also derives, in part, from Hartmann’s concept of “average expectable biological equipment in an average expectable environment” that also focuses attention on interaction.
Access to Information, Access to Justice: The Challenges to Accountability in Peru

The world has witnessed a dramatic number of laws protecting freedom of information (FOI) in recent years. This paper examines the role of FOI legislation in allowing society to address past atrocities as well as the obstacles they face in doing so. The experience of access to information in Peru is considered, along with recent obstructions to access and the response from investigators, judges, and civil society organizations.
Understanding molecular fragmentation in blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices

Abstract We investigate molecular fragmentation in the long lived archetype blue PHOLED guest/host system based on iridium (III) tris[3-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-7-methylimidazo[1,2-f] phenanthridine] (Ir(dmp)3) and 3,3′-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-1,1′-biphenyl (mCBP) as a function of luminance loss using laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The blue phosphor experiences significant ligand loss due to its labile Ir-ligand bonds, whereas the mCBP host is relatively stable as the luminance decays to 40% of its initial value at 3000 cd/m2. Density functional theory calculations indicate that fragments from mCBP are less likely to cause luminance loss via exciton quenching compared to those of the Ir-complex. Phosphor fragments are observed by XPS only in aged samples, and the concentration of fragments is found to increase with aging time. These findings suggest that the lifetime of blue PHOLEDs can be improved by using phosphors without labile Ir-ligand and intra-ligand bonds, and a host material that does not form large mass fragments or complexes with the degraded phosphor molecules. Insights into the origin of the loss in luminance due to trap formation from molecular fragmentation of this guest/host system during use are discussed.
Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Underwater Networks & Systems

The oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface and represent one of the least explored frontiers; yet, the oceans are integral to climate regulation, nutrient production, oil retrieval, and transportation. Also, water systems in general are of vital importance to life on Earth and commerce. For these reasons, there is significant interest in monitoring aquatic environments for scientific, environmental, commercial, safety, and military purposes.
Strategies for improving sensitivity of gene expression profiling: regulation of apoptosis in the limbic lobe of schizophrenics and bipolars.

Publisher Summary Schizophrenia (SZ) was believed to be a neurodegenerative disorder with an onset during late adolescence and early adulthood. This chapter presents a two-pronged approach to the study of the hippocampus in relation to SZ and bipolar disorder (BD). The strategy includes parallel gene expression profiling (GEP) studies of amygdala and hippocampus region from postmortem brains of SZ and BD subjects and from the rodent model of neural circuitry changes in these disorders observed in the postmortem findings. This approach makes it possible to control changes in gene expression in human hippocampus that may be related to medical illnesses, medications, and the agonal state. The potential limitations to such studies include: (1) issues related to quality control of the tissue and its RNA content, (2) the inherent lack of sensitivity that occurs in working with whole extracts of the hippocampus, and (3) the need for validation of the findings. Quality control is essential at every stage as it ensures that the microarray results are valid by evaluating the presence of false positives and false negatives. The chapter describes the analysis of gene expression profiling data in brain systems and emphasizes on assessing the significance of differences in functional biopathways/clusters of genes. A low stringency approach is used for analyzing GEP data in postmortem studies. Finally, the chapter accounts for the GEP studies in hippocampus of bipolar and schizophrenic subjects.
Localized In-Situ Density Measurement in Low Earth Orbit via Drag Torque Estimation

Orbital forecasting is an essential part of precision satellite operations. The largest contributor to orbital propagation error in low orbits is atmospheric drag, which varies widely due to altitu...
The Emergence of Problem-Drinking Women as a Special Population in Need of Treatment

This chapter chronicles the development of advocacy for improvements in alcohol treatment services for women during the 1970s and 1980s, tracing its influence in terms of real change in treatment systems in the United States. We follow the development of a “women’s alcoholism movement” from its inception in the late 1970s through its transition during the late 1980s into a broader movement focused on drug abuse and perinatal addiction. We describe the new governing images of problem-drinking women that advocates presented, their claims about the nature of substance abuse problems in women, and their recommendations for a more “gender-sensitive” treatment system. We also review increased federal involvement in this issue over the course of the 1980s, as pressure mounted on policymakers to respond to the crisis over drug-exposed infants by making treatment services more accessible to women. The chapter concludes by considering these developments from the perspective of national treatment system statistics, finding modest growth in specialized and women-only treatment units, as well as moderate increases in the representation of women in substance abuse treatment caseloads.
Short Sale Constraints and Momentum Returns

Momentum strategy realizes positive returns across countries and asset classes. New evidences show that the cheap-minus-expensive-to-short (CME) portfolio returns can explain momentum return within the 80% of stocks that have low short fees. We use a easy-to-borrow (ETB) dataset from a retail broker dealer to show that CME portfolio do not generate statistically significant returns within the ETB stocks. We show that if were strict our trading only to ETB stocks, or just the short side is restricted to ETB stocks,we can still generate 0.09% 10 1.4% monthly excess returns. Fama French Carhart four factor model betas are similar across unrestricted and restricted portfolios. And finally we showed that a strong CME factor is present in US stock market, but the ETB list actually help retail investors to avoid the mispriced hard to borrow stocks and identify cheap to short stocks which can be exploited to avoid the negative CME return completely.Limiting our portfolio formation to low short-selling-constraint stocks, we generate better return in the short-side, thus reducing the zero cost portfolio return marginally but the reduction is not enough to explain Fama-French-Carhart 4 factor model.
Clinical Implications of Augmenter of Liver Regeneration in Cancer: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND/AIM Hepatocellular carcinoma is a substantial healthcare burden with high prevalence and poor prognosis. As such, efforts are continually made to uncover molecules relevant in cancer biology, that are exploitable as targets for therapy. The mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell and exhibits altered functionality in the malignant state, including aberrant regulation of apoptosis and cellular respiration. Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) is a multifunctional mitochondrial protein that demonstrates anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic properties and plays a key role in liver regeneration. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study systematically reviews the available literature on the role of ALR in cancer. RESULTS Systematic search of PubMed resulted in 12 studies discussing ALR in multiple types of cancer. More specifically, ALR appears to be up-regulated in malignant cells and tissues. Furthermore, treatment of cells with exogenous ALR shows an anti-apoptotic effect while silencing or inhibiting ALR decreases cell and tumor survival. CONCLUSION ALR clearly plays a role in cancer biology and demonstrates potential as a therapeutic target.
Microelectronic Test Chips for VLSI Electronics

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates the design and development of microelectronic test chips for very large-scale integration (VLSI) electronics. The microelectronic test chip is an ancillary test device that is manufactured along with product circuits on wafers. It is composed of numerous device-like test structures that are measured by a variety of means to obtain information that is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain from product circuits. The test structures are designed to provide a rapid analysis of a specific portion of the wafer fabrication process. The use of test chips is expected to enhance the reliability of the final product and reduce its cost. The test chip consists of the following eleven test structures: a bipolar transistor, base resistor, base-under-emitter resistor, step-coverage resistor, metal-sheet resistor, base-collector diode with buried layer, buried-layer resistor, metal–semiconductor contact resistor array, metal–metal contact resistor array, multi-emitter transistor, and metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor. These test structures are used in device characterization, process control, and circuit reliability evaluation. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the vital role test chips can play in the manufacture of electronic devices. This awareness can be seen in the commercial availability of multifunction parametric testers, which greatly facilitate the acquisition of test-chip data.
Malfunctioning sufentanil intrathecal pain pump: a case report.

Sufentanil is a potent opioid uncommonly used to manage pain and is rarely administered via an intrathecal pain pump system. This case illustrates the use of intrathecal sufentanil in a 50-year-old Caucasian man for the management of chronic pain; however, the intrathecal drug delivery system experienced a malfunction which led to 1/100th output of the correct dosage. Interesting aspects of this case report include the uncommon choice of sufentanil use for an intrathecal drug delivery system, as well as the unusual pharmacokinetics of this drug. Specifically, this patient did not experience the major withdrawal that would be expected given significant under dosing of opioid, and this may be explained by the lipophilicity and context-sensitive half-times of sufentanil. Because of the absence of a clinically significant withdrawal in this case report, clinicians must be aware of relevant pharmacokinetic properties and unusual intrathecal drug delivery system technologies that influence a patient’s response when device malfunction occurs.
Osmotic and activity coefficients of sodium chloride-sorbitol and potassium chloride-sorbitol solutions at 25°C

Osmotic and activity coefficients are reported for sorbitol over the range 1.8–11.1m with NaCl as the reference and 1.8–7.6m with KCl as the reference electrolyte. The osmotic coefficients over the range 0–3.7m are identical with those reported earlier by Robinson. It was found that the activity coefficients of sorbitol are uniformly about four percent lower than those of dextrose. Activity coefficients of trace quantities of NaCl in concentrated sorbitol solutions are about one-half of their value in pure NaCl solutions while the activity coefficients of trace quantities of sorbitol in concentrated NaCl solutions are about one-third of their value in pure sorbitol solutions. Potassium chloride lowers the activity coefficient of sorbitol less than does sodium chloride in solutions of similar water activity. Sorbitol lowers the activity coefficients of potassium chloride in concentrated solution but actually elevates them in dilute solutions.
X-ray fluorescence microscopy scanning of Drosophila oocytes and eggs.

Summary X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) is a powerful tool for mapping and quantifying the spatial distribution of elemental composition of biological samples. Recently, it was reported that transition metal fluctuations occur during Drosophila reproduction, analogous to what is seen in mammals and nematodes, and may contribute to Drosophila female fertility. To further support XFM studies on Drosophila reproduction, we describe procedures for isolating oocytes and activated eggs and examining their elemental composition by XFM scanning and analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Hu et al. (2020) .
Shifting Mandates: The Federal Reserve's First Centennial

The mandate of the Federal Reserve has evolved considerably over its hundred-year history. From an initial focus in 1913 on financial stability, to fiscal financing in World War II and its aftermath, to a strong anti-inflation focus from the late 1970s, and then back to greater emphasis on financial stability since the Great Contraction. Yet, as the Fed's mandate has expanded in recent years, its range of instruments has narrowed, partly based on a misguided belief in the inherent stability of financial markets. We briefly discuss the active use in an earlier era of multiple instruments, including reserve requirements, credit controls and interest rate ceilings.
An Emerging Trend of Rapid Increase of Leukemia But Not All Cancers in the Aging Population in the United States

Background: Age is a major risk factor for human cancers. The "baby boomers" born in 1946-1964 in the United States (U.S.) started to reach the age of 65 in 2011, rapidly accelerating the population aging. There were great public concerns about its impact on the health care especially with anticipation of rising cancer incidences. Methods: We examined the rates of incidences and deaths of leukemia and overall cancer in the U.S. from 1998 to 2018 and determined the influence of the population aging using the cancer statistics data collected by the American Cancer Society. Findings: The rates of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) incidences remained almost constant prior to 2011 but have climbed up substantially since then, and the rate of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) incidence has been increasing continuously since 1998. The significant increase of myeloid leukemia and CLL incidence rates was strongly correlated with the U.S. population aging. The rate of all cancers was increased in correlation with a small increase in aging population prior to 2011, but surprisingly has changed marginally since 2011, which was not significantly correlated with the accelerated population aging. We observed the most substantial decline of deaths with CML, whereas AML deaths continued to rise in the past 20 years. Interpretation: The overall cancer incidence rate was not increased as fast as previously feared in aging Americans possibly due to better cancer prevention. However, the rate of myeloid leukemia and CLL significantly outpaced that of all cancers. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (UH2/3 CA213385), the City of Hope Center for Cancer and Aging, and the Norton Basic Research Fund. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Reducing Bloom Filter CPU Overhead in LSM-Trees on Modern Storage Devices

Bloom filters (BFs) accelerate point lookups in Log-Structured Merge (LSM) trees by reducing unnecessary storage accesses to levels that do not contain the desired key. BFs are particularly beneficial when there is a significant performance difference between querying a BF (hashing and accessing memory) and accessing data (on secondary storage). This gap, however, is decreasing as modern storage devices (SSDs and NVMs) have increasingly lower latency, to the point that the cost of accessing data can be comparable to that of filter probing and hashing, especially for large key sizes that exhibit high hashing cost. In an LSM-tree, BFs are employed when querying each level of the tree, thus, exacerbating the CPU cost as the data size - and thus, the tree height - grows. To address the increasing CPU cost of BFs in LSM-trees, we propose to re-use hash calculations aggressively within and across BFs, as well as between different levels, and we show both analytically and experimentally that we can maintain a close-to-ideal false positive rate while significantly reducing the runtime. The reduced CPU cost for queries using the proposed hash sharing leads to 10% higher lookup performance in an LSM-tree with 22GB of data (5 levels) stored in a state-of-the-art PCIe SSD. The benefit further increases for faster underlying storage. Specifically, we show that for faster NVM devices, hash sharing leads to performance gains up to 40%.
Percutaneous trigeminal tractotomy for trigeminal neuralgia: Postoperative MRI findings

Background and purpose Percutaneous trigeminal tractotomy is an ablative procedure that can be used to treat trigeminal neuralgia in patients who have failed prior pharmacologic and surgical treatments. Using perioperative computed tomography (CT) guidance, ablation of the descending spinal trigeminal nucleus and trigeminal tract can be performed precisely to mitigate damage to surrounding structures. These patients are subsequently followed with postoperative imaging and clinical visits to assess long-term pain relief. Methods In this report, we present a series of four patients with trigeminal neuralgia who were had refractory disease after prior medical and surgical interventions. These patients underwent CT-guided percutaneous trigeminal tractotomy for pain relief. The patients underwent postoperative MRI and were followed for up to 6 months for long-term clinical outcomes. Results For intraoperative CT, we find that preprocedure lumbar contrast injection enables better visualization of the cord during placement of the ablation probe. On postoperative imaging, we find that all four patients have hyperintense lesions on T2-weighted MRI that correspond with the location of the trigeminal nucleus and tract. Three patients had short-term pain relief, one of which continued to have long-term relief. Conclusion Intraoperative CT and postoperative MRI serve as useful modalities for confirming localization, evaluating complications, and can be used as a metric for quality control.
Research on Fault Location of Distributed Low-Voltage Distribution Network Based on Internet of Things

When the low-voltage distribution network breaks down, it needs to respond quickly, and the method of finding fault by manual line inspection is time-consuming and laborious. In order to solve the problem of lack of effective fault location method in low-voltage network, a fault location method based on distributed nodes is proposed. The method is based on the chaotic reflection method, set up multiple test points in the low voltage power grid, the real-time monitoring of power grids, power grid failure, contrast analysis of test results, the test point each test point is determined according to the principle of the shortest path with the shortest distance of fault point, set up by the recent test point measurements of potential fault branch collection, to determine the fault subnetwork, Then, multiple information sources in the fault subnetwork are fused to determine the specific fault branch, and the specific fault location is determined by the nearest test point. Finally, the fault detection and alarm system of the low-voltage distribution network is designed based on the power Internet of Things. Key technologies such as IED, LOLA wireless AD organization network and intelligent gateway are used to realize the collection, communication and intelligent research and judgment of global line information, and realtime monitoring and alarm reception of the mobile terminal are realized through the cloud platform.
Note on Nonstationary Slender-Body Theory

If we consider the quantity Jcc cos <XCL, which appears in the yawing equation of motion, as a yawing moment per unit pitch rate— i.e., Cnq—then the value of Cnq for one of the modern jet airplanes at low indicated air speeds is twice as large as Cnr. This is a definite indication of a sizeable coupling between the lateral and longitudinal modes of motion. This coupling, when included in the equations of motion, leads to the following general results: (a) an increase in the calculated lateral damping at low indicated air speeds; (b) a small decrease in the calculated longitudinal damping; (c) an insignificant change in the frequency of both modes; (d) small excitation of either mode when the other is disturbed—small enough, in fact, that a pilot seldom if ever notices it; (e) a small difference in the first few seconds of a calculated rolling time history. Fig. 3 shows the relative effects of coupling on the calculated damping for a modern jet airplane. Note on Nonstationary Slender-Body Theory J. D. Cole Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. July 14, 1953
The Family's Role in Society

How is the family different from other basic social institutions? Using Aristotle's distinction between a thing's form and its matter, I argue that the family produces society's matter while a market, pact, and political constitution are, at least in part, society's form. I draw upon Lucretius, John Rawls, and recent findings in endocrinology to argue that family life prepares adults for social cooperation and helps them evaluate whether their society is just. In other words, the family is important not only for bearing and raising children to become functioning members of society. It also conditions adults for constructive participation in society.
Kinematics mappings and robotics

Simple kinematic mappings have been used in robotics for the specification of robot motion in obstacle avoidance problems. Different kinematic mappings have been highly developed by kinematics researchers for the design of mechanisms, focussed primarily on single degree of freedom motion. It is possible that a more general theory of kinematic mapping will unite this effort. Presented here is a survey of the theory of the kinematic mappings of planar, spherical, and spatial displacements used in mechanical design, together with examples of loci of planar and spherical displacements which satisfy a general constraint.
Visual Scene Perception

When studying a scene, viewers can make as many as three or four eye fixations per second. A single fixation is typically enough to allow comprehension of a scene. What is remembered, however, is not a photographic replica, but a more abstract mental representation that captures the ‘gist’ and general layout of the scene along with a limited amount of detail. Keywords: visual perception; scenes; transsaccadic memory; boundary extension; change blindness
Real-Time X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Uranium, Iron, and Manganese in Contaminated Sediments During Bioreduction

The oxidation status of uranium in sediments is important because the solubility of this toxic and radioactive element is much greater for U(VI) than for U(IV) species. Thus, redox manipulation to promote precipitation of UO2 is receiving interest as a method to remediate U-contaminated sediments. Presence of Fe and Mn oxides in sediments at much higher concentrations than U requires an understanding of their redox status as well. This study was conducted to determine changes in oxidation states of U, Fe, and Mn in U-contaminated sediments from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Oxidation states of these elements were measured in real-time and nondestructively using X-ray absorption spectroscopy on sediment columns supplied with synthetic groundwater containing organic carbon (OC, 0, 3, 10, 30, and 100 mM OC as lactate) for over 400 days. In sediments supplied with OC ≥ 30 mM, 80% of the U was reduced to U(IV), with transient reoxidation at about 150 days. Mn(III,IV) oxides were completely reduced to Mn(II) i...
Superconducting quasiparticle lifetimes due to spin-fluctuation scattering

Superconducting quasiparticle lifetimes associated with spin-fluctuation scattering are calculated. A Berk-Schrieffer interaction with an irreducible susceptibility given by a BCS form is used to model the quasiparticle damping due to spin fluctuations. Results are presented for both [ital s]-wave and [ital d]-wave gaps. Also, quasiparticle lifetimes due to impurity scattering are calculated for a [ital d]-wave superconductor.
TECHNIQUES FOR IMPROVING THE ACCURACY AND EFFICIENCY OF THE SPERM PENETRATION ASSAY

Six different techniques were evaluated for improving the accuracy and efficiency of the sperm penetration assay (SPA). Flushing and puncture of the oviduct were found to result in similar recovery of eggs from the oviduct, percentage of penetrated eggs, and penetrations per egg. However, the time required to flush the oviduct tended to be longer than for the puncture technique. Exposure of eggs to a 5% formalin solution prior to mounting resulted in fewer ruptured eggs, greater recovery of eggs, and a reduced time to mount and read the eggs compared to eggs not exposed to formalin. The percentage of penetrated eggs and penetrations per egg were similar for formalin exposed and nonexposed eggs. Significantly fewer penetrated eggs and penetrations per egg were noted when eggs were read as fresh mounts compared to eggs that were fixed and stained prior to evaluation. A significantly longer time was also required to read the freshly mounted eggs compared with the stained eggs. The results of these studies indicate that to maximize the accuracy and efficiency of the SPA, cumulus masses should be removed from the oviducts by puncture, eggs should be placed in a 5% formalin solution before mounting on slides, and eggs should be fixed and stained prior to evaluating for penetrations.
An experimental investigation of facilitation in an EMS decision room

Electronic meeting systems (EMS) provide a way for information technology to support groups meeting together for a variety of tasks. Some systems have been designed to depend on facilitators to guide groups through EMS use, whereas others have been designed to be used without facilitators. Yet little empirical research has been conducted to determine the differences between facilitated and nonfacilitated EMS use. This article describes an experiment that compared facilitated and nonfacilitated EMS groups. No differences were found between these two modes of EMS use for the number of alternatives generated, decision quality, ability to reach consensus, or satisfaction with the group process. However, if the number of alternatives generated is treated as a covariate, facilitated groups made better decisions, but nonfacilitated groups were more likely to reach consensus.
Realities of Teaching in Racially/Ethnically Diverse Schools Feedback from Entry-Level Teachers

This study identified similarities and differences among two groups of entry-level teachers from 10 different teacher-preparation institutions (N = 1,700)—those who began their careers in racially/ethnically diverse schools (25% or more racial minority students) and those who taught in schools with low levels of racial/ethnic diversity (10% or fewer racial minority students). Although the two groups did not differ on most measures, beginning teachers in high diversity schools did report (a) lower levels of job satisfaction, (b) greater difficulties in establishing meaningful relations with students, and (c) higher levels of complexity in the teaching environment.
A Fungal P450 (CYP5136A3) Capable of Oxidizing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Endocrine Disrupting Alkylphenols: Role of Trp129 and Leu324

The model white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium, which is known for its versatile pollutant-biodegradation ability, possesses an extraordinarily large repertoire of P450 monooxygenases in its genome. However, the majority of these P450s have hitherto unknown function. Our initial studies using a genome-wide gene induction strategy revealed multiple P450s responsive to individual classes of xenobiotics. Here we report functional characterization of a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, CYP5136A3 that showed common responsiveness and catalytic versatility towards endocrine-disrupting alkylphenols (APs) and mutagenic/carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Using recombinant CYP5136A3, we demonstrated its oxidation activity towards APs with varying alkyl side-chain length (C3-C9), in addition to PAHs (3–4 ring size). AP oxidation involves hydroxylation at the terminal carbon of the alkyl side-chain (ω-oxidation). Structure-activity analysis based on a 3D model indicated a potential role of Trp129 and Leu324 in the oxidation mechanism of CYP5136A3. Replacing Trp129 with Leu (W129L) and Phe (W129F) significantly diminished oxidation of both PAHs and APs. The W129L mutation caused greater reduction in phenanthrene oxidation (80%) as compared to W129F which caused greater reduction in pyrene oxidation (88%). Almost complete loss of oxidation of C3-C8 APs (83–90%) was observed for the W129L mutation as compared to W129F (28–41%). However, the two mutations showed a comparable loss (60–67%) in C9-AP oxidation. Replacement of Leu324 with Gly (L324G) caused 42% and 54% decrease in oxidation activity towards phenanthrene and pyrene, respectively. This mutation also caused loss of activity towards C3-C8 APs (20–58%), and complete loss of activity toward nonylphenol (C9-AP). Collectively, the results suggest that Trp129 and Leu324 are critical in substrate recognition and/or regio-selective oxidation of PAHs and APs. To our knowledge, this is the first report on an AP-oxidizing P450 from fungi and on structure-activity relationship of a eukaryotic P450 for fused-ring PAHs (phenanthrene and pyrene) and AP substrates.
Model membrane systems and their applications

The complexity of biological membranes has motivated the development of a wide variety of simpler model systems whose size, geometry, and composition can be tailored with great precision. Approaches highlighted in this review are illustrated in Figure 1 including vesicles, supported bilayers, and hybrid membrane systems. These have been used to study problems ranging from phase behavior to membrane fusion. Experimental membrane models continue to advance in complexity with respect to architecture, size, and composition, as do computer simulations of their properties and dynamics. Analytical techniques such as imaging secondary ion mass spectrometry have also been developed and refined to give increasing spatial resolution and information content on membrane composition and dynamics.
Accessory nucleoli in microsporocytes of hybrid Phlox

Studies were conducted on the number of nucleoli present during diplotene and diakinesis in plants adjacent to, at the edge, and at the center of a zone of secondary intergradation between Phlox pilosa subsp. pilosa and P. pilosa subsp. fulgida. Assessory nucleoli were present in some cells of about 75% of the plants examined. Nucleolar numbers varied from 1 to 5. Where 2 or more nucleoli were present they were usually attached to different chromosomes. As the number of nucleoli increased, the volume of single nucleoli decreased so that volume of all nucleoli was roughly that of a normal single nucleolus. — Only 1% of the microsporocytes from populations adjacent to the zone had accessory nucleoli as compared to 4.6% of the cells in populations at the edge of the zone, and 7.7% in populations in the center. The correlation between population hybridity and incidence of accessory nucleoli is r = 0.80.
Keratocan and Lumican Regulate Neutrophil Infiltration and Corneal Clarity in Lipopolysaccharide-induced Keratitis by Direct Interaction with CXCL1

Keratocan and lumican are keratan-sulfate proteoglycans (KSPG), which have a critical role in maintaining corneal clarity. To determine whether these KSPGs have a role in corneal inflammation, we examined Kera(-/-) and Lum(-/-) mice in a model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced keratitis in which wild-type mice develop increased corneal thickness and haze due to neutrophil infiltration to the corneal stroma. Corneal thickness increases caused by LPS mice were significantly lower in Kera(-/-) and Lum(-/-) than wild-type mice. Further, LPS-injected Lum(-/-) mice had elevated corneal haze levels compared with that of Kera(-/-) and wild-type. At 24 h post-injection, total enhanced green fluorescent protein-positive bone marrow-derived inflammatory cells in chimeric mice was significantly lower in Kera(-/-) mice and Lum(-/-) mice compared with wild-type mice. Neutrophil infiltration was inhibited in Kera(-/-) and Lum(-/-) mice at 6 and 24 h post-stimulation, with Lum(-/-) corneas having the most profound defect in neutrophil migration. Reconstitution of keratocan and lumican expression in corneas of Kera(-/-) and Lum(-/-) mice using adeno-keratocan and adeno-lumican viral vectors, respectively, resulted in normal neutrophil infiltration in response to LPS. Immunoprecipitation/Western blot analysis showed that lumican and keratocan core proteins bind the CXC chemokine KC during a corneal inflammatory response, indicating that corneal KSPGs mediate neutrophil recruitment to the cornea by regulating chemokine gradient formation. Together, these data support a significant role for lumican and keratocan in a corneal inflammatory response with respect to edema, corneal clarity, and cellular infiltration.
Conduction-band offsets in pseudomorphic In x Ga 1-x As/Al 0.2 Ga 0.8 As quantum wells (0.07<=x<=0.18) measured by deep-level transient spectroscopy

The variation of the potential of a quantum well is similar to that of a deep trap. In that respect a quantum well can capture and emit carriers in much the same way as a trap. The thermal emission energy from a quantum well is closely related to the appropriate band offset. With that in mind, we have carried out deep-level transient spectroscopy measurements on Schottky-barrier diodes containing one or more pseudomorphic ${\mathrm{In}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As/${\mathrm{Al}}_{0.2}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{0.8}$As (0lx\ensuremath{\le}0.18) quantum wells. The objective was to estimate the conduction-band offset, \ensuremath{\Delta}${E}_{c}$, as a function of x and the resulting strain. From detailed balance between emission and capture, an Arrhenius-type expression was derived to analyze the transient emission data. It is seen that the percentage band offset \ensuremath{\Delta}${E}_{c}$/\ensuremath{\Delta}${E}_{g}$ varies from 62% for x=0.07 to 70% at x=0.18. Furthermore, a linear interpolation of the data leads to \ensuremath{\Delta}${E}_{c}$/\ensuremath{\Delta}${E}_{g}$=58% at x=0, which is close to the widely accepted value. Our results support recent theoretical calculations from which a monotonic increase in \ensuremath{\Delta}${E}_{c}$ with strain in this heterostructure system is predicted.
Diverging tendencies in multidimensional secession

We review mean-field and fluctuation-dominated behaviors exhibited by the Seceder Model, which moves an evolving population to various critical states of self-organized segregation, delicately balancing opposed sociological pressures of conformity & dissent, and giving rise to rich ideological condensation phenomena. The secession exponent and finite societal Seceder limits are examined.
Fidelity in topological quantum phases of matter

Quantum phase transitions that take place between two distinct topological phases remain an unexplored area for the applicability of the fidelity approach. Here, we apply this method to spin systems in two and three dimensions and show that the fidelity susceptibility can be used to determine the boundary between different topological phases particular to these models, while at the same time offer information about the critical exponent of the correlation length. The success of this approach relies on its independence on local-order parameters or breaking symmetry mechanisms, with which nontopological phases are usually characterized. We also consider a topological insulator-superconducting phase transition in three dimensions and point out the relevant features of fidelity susceptibility at the boundary between these phases.
Unraveling the Diffusion of Bulk Ti Interstitials in Rutile TiO2(110) by Monitoring Their Reaction with O Adatoms

The diffusion of interstitial Ti3+ species (Tii3+) in rutile TiO2(110) from the bulk to the surface has been studied utilizing two experimental techniques. Electron-stimulated desorption of O+ ions was employed to kinetically monitor the reaction between oxygen adatoms with Tii3+ species at temperatures between 360 and 400 K. Scanning tunneling microscopy was also used to measure the Tii3+ diffusion rate. Both methods yield a rate constant kTii3+ = 5 × 10−4 s−1 at 393 K. The activation energy as measured by the rate dependence on temperature is ∼1.0 eV.
Invariance of Fock spaces under the action of the Heisenberg group

Abstract We show that there is only one non-trivial Hilbert space of entire functions that is invariant under the action of a certain unitary representation of the Heisenberg group.
Hypothesizing structures in edge-focused cerebral magnetic resonance images using graph-theoretic cycle enumeration

Abstract We present a novel method for the automatic generation of structure hypotheses (that is, educated guesses) suitable for recognition in medical images. The notion is that computer-based image analysis cannot be accomplished in a purely bottom-up fashion; the system should first organize the image structure into promising hypotheses, each of which is then compared to elements of the system modelbase for recognition or rejection. In this work, we tackle the hypothesis generation problem, for which computational efficiency is a major concern. We base our approach on segment-based edge-focusing to delineate significant boundaries precisely, and graph-theoretic cycle enumeration to produce natural closures and, therefore, plausible tissue structures of interest from incomplete boundary information. An efficient edge focusing algorithm selects significant fine scale boundaries as those natural descendants (in scale space) of prominent coarse scale edges. The fine scale representation provides the localization precision necessary, while the focusing ensures that only significant contours surviving over a range of scales are considered and so eliminates much of the "clutter" associated with a fine scale edge map. The spatial relationships among the edge segments are stored in the form of a directed graph. Possible extensions (closures) of broken edge segments are searched using time- and space-efficient voting methods. Cycle enumeration techniques for directed graphs then generate the structure hypotheses. The overall paradigm is fairly general and can be used in other problem domains, certainly for images of other parts of the anatomy. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method with extensive experimental results on various magnetic resonance images of the human brain.
Learning Theories Implicit in Medical School Lectures

FACULTY lectures are the primary method for teaching first- and second-year medical students. Lecture styles have an enduring quality of sameness that suggests that the lecturers possess unvarying theories about the value of lectures and the way medical students learn. Medical school faculty rarely have formal training as educators, and four out of five have never had a college-level course in teaching. 1 Their lecture styles must be derived from personal experience as students and later as faculty; their approaches to lectures may not have anything in common with those of educational theorists. 2,3 Observation suggests that faculty subscribe to different theories of medical student learning. The theories include passive diffusion, receptor, queuing , and vigilance . A few lecturers use a style inconsistent with any underlying theory, apparently believing that learning does not occur during lectures. The underlying learning theories (or lack of theory) implicit in each style are discussed herein.
Cicero as a Reporter of Aristotelian and Theophrastean Rhetorical Doctrine

Abstract This article is based on a general principle: the study of a fragmentary author should begin with a study of the sources. The particular subject is Cicero as a source for Theophrastus' rhetorical doctrine. The works On Invention , On the Orator and Orator are considered one after the other. The reliability of Cicero is tested by comparing what is said about Aristotle with what we read in the existing Rhetoric . Grounds for caution will be found. In the case of Theophrastus, we shall discover that Cicero does have value as a source, but his value should not be overstated. The reports are often quite general and sometimes they involve Ciceronian additions.
Foliar nitrogen and larval parasitism as determinants of leafminer distribution patterns on Spartina alterniflora

, 1. In northwest Florida, Hydrellia valida hew (Diptera: Ephydridae) frequently mines the leaves of salt marsh cord, grass, Spartina alterniflora. Larvae and pupae are more commonly found in shoreline plants within 3 m of the sea than in inland plants. 2. Shoreline plants contain over twice as much total foliar nitrogen as inland plants. In transects from inland to shoreline plants, leafminer density is positively correlated with total leaf nitrogen content. 3. We experimentally increased foliar nitrogen content on inland Spartina patches to levels above those of shoreline plants. Leafminer densities on experimental centres remained far below those on control edges. 4. Larval parasitism by Opius sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Pteromalus sp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) reaches over 90%, with parasitism increasing from shoreline to inland plants. We suggest that gradients in leafminer densities are caused by differences in parasitoid abundance.