cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proof Techniques for the New Millennium

“Proof by intimidation” is so passe. Instead, try one of these.Proof by clickbait: One weird trick proves this theorem. Profs hate it!Proof by democracy: This theorem will be true after 1000 upvote...
(Can’t Get No) Neighborhood Satisfaction? How Multilevel Immigration Factors Shape Latinos’ Neighborhood Attitudes:

How does immigrant generation shape Latinos’ neighborhood attitudes? We extend theoretical frameworks focused on neighborhood attainment to explore how immigrant generation structures Latinos’ neig...
Evolutionary conservation and divergence of human brain co-expression networks

Mouse models have allowed for the direct interrogation of genetic effects on molecular, physiological and behavioral brain phenotypes. However, it is unknown to what extent neurological or psychiatric traits may be human or primate-specific and therefore, which components can be faithfully recapitulated in mouse models. We identify robust co-expression modules reflecting whole brain and regional patterns of gene expression and compare conservation of co-expression in 116 independent data sets derived from human, mouse and non-human primate representing more than 15,000 total samples. We observe greater co-expression changes occurring on the human lineage than mouse, and substantial regional variation that highlights cerebral cortex as the most diverged region. Cell type specific modules are the most divergent across the brain, compared with those that represent basic metabolic processes. Among these, glia are the most divergent, three times that of neurons. We show that regulatory sequence divergence explains a significant fraction of co-expression divergence. Similarly, protein coding sequence constraint parallels co-expression conservation, such that genes with loss of function intolerance are enriched in neuronal, rather than glial modules. We also identify dozens of human disease risk genes, such as COMT, PSEN-1, LRRK2, and SNCA, with highly divergent co-expression between mouse and primates or human. We show that 3D human brain organoids recapitulate in vivo co-expression modules representing several human cell types, which along with our analysis of human-mouse disease gene divergence, serve as a foundational resource to guide disease modeling and its interpretation.
Run-to-Run Control of Thermal Atomic Layer Deposition

This work focuses on the development of a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model of a batch atomic layer deposition (ALD) process and an associated run-to-run control scheme. Specifically, a cylindrical furnace reactor is analyzed for a SiO 2 thin-film ALD using BTBAS and ozone as precursors. First, a high-fidelity 2D axisymmetric multiscale CFD model for an industrial-scale furnace ALD system is developed in ANSYS Fluent to characterize the gas-phase development and the surface deposition, which is based on the previously constructed database using the kinetic Monte-Carlo (kMC) algorithm. After the validation of the multiscale CFD model, it is utilized to investigate a wide range of operating conditions, from which a regression model is developed to describe the input-output relationship between the inlet feed flow rate and the half-cycle time. Next, a run-to-run (r2r) control scheme is formulated, which uses the post-batch feedback information to adjust the operating conditions using the regression relationship and an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) algorithm. Finally, the multiscale CFD model and the r2r controller are integrated to generate a closed-loop system via a message-passing interface (MPI) and a data synchronization scheme to evaluate the performance of the r2r controller.
Novel Causative RET Mutation in a Japanese Family with Hirschsprung's Disease: Case Report and Factors Impacting Disease Severity

RET gene variances confer susceptibility to Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) with pathogenetic mutations being identified in half of familial cases. This investigation of familial HSCR was aimed to clarify the relationship between genetic mutations and clinical phenotype using next-generation sequencing. A novel c2313C > G(D771E) RET mutation was identified in all three affected family members. The mutation involved the kinase domain, which is believe to impair RET activity and intestinal function. A second RET mutation, c1465G > A(D489N), was found only in the extensive aganglionosis case. We conclude that the novel c2313C > A(D771E) mutation in RET may be pathogenic for HSCR, while the c1465C > G(D489N) mutation may be related to phenotype severity.
Prevention of Ischemic Stroke

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the latest evidence-based practice guidelines on the primary prevention of ischemic stroke. The guidelines are adapted from major professional societies, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). The ACC/AHA considers ischemic stroke as one of the outcomes of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), alongside acute coronary syndromes, myocardial infarction, stable or unstable angina, and peripheral arterial disease of atherosclerotic origin. Hence, the common risk factors for stroke are largely the same as those that are implicated in cardiovascular disease. This chapter focuses on nine vascular risk factors and their conferred stroke risk. For each risk factor, major randomized controlled trials and observational studies are included, with emphasis placed on key findings that are important for ischemic stroke prevention.
Investigating Visual Crowding of Objects in Complex Real-World Scenes:

Visual crowding, the impairment of object recognition in peripheral vision due to flanking objects, has generally been studied using simple stimuli on blank backgrounds. While crowding is widely as...
Computational and biophysical determination of pathogenicity of variants of unknown significance in cardiac thin filament.

Point mutations within sarcomeric proteins have been associated with altered function and cardiomyopathy development. Difficulties remain, however, in establishing the pathogenic potential of individual mutations, often limiting the use of genotype in management of affected families. To directly address this challenge, we utilized our all-atom computational model of the human full cardiac thin filament (CTF) to predict how sequence substitutions in CTF proteins might affect structure and dynamics on an atomistic level.Utilizing molecular dynamics (MD) calculations, we simulated 21 well-defined genetic pathogenic cardiac troponin T and tropomyosin variants to establish a baseline of pathogenic changes induced in computational observables. Computational results were verified via differential scanning calorimetry on a subset of variants to develop an experimental correlation. Calculations were performed on 9 independent variants of unknown significance (VUS) and results were compared to pathogenic variants to identify high resolution pathogenic signatures.Results for VUS were compared to the baseline set to determine induced structural and dynamic changes and potential variant reclassifications were proposed. This unbiased, high- resolution computational methodology can provide unique structural and dynamic information that can be incorporated into existing analyses to facilitate classification both for de novo variants and those where established approaches have provided conflicting information.
Identification and Investigation of Mucin 1-Mediated Kidney Disease

Establishing a causal link between genomic variation and pathology is the foundation of the successful application of genomics to clinical medicine. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) increases the reso...
On Stock Market Return Co-Movements: Macroeconomic News, Dispersion of Beliefs, and Contagion

We document and explain the return co-movement for the U.S., U.K., and Japanese equity markets for the period of 1985-1996. Our empirical results show the importance of imperfect signal-extraction in explaining the equity market return co-movement. In such a setting, domestic investors try to extract the unobservable global factors from foreign market returns and use the extracted information in their subsequent domestic trading. In this imperfect learning environment, domestic investors respond to the foreign return signal more strongly if the signal is more precise. In addition, trading noise may also affect the return-generating process in domestic markets. We find this contagion effect is most pronounced in the extreme down markets.
John Wyclyf on Time

In considering the relationships between cosmology, history, and theology, let us go back in our thinking to the Middle Ages, particularly to the late medieval period, when the unity of all knowledge was still strongly defended, and the nature and origins of that unity hotly debated. Let us limit our focus to England, to the University of Oxford, and to the fourteenth century in particular. There the most forceful proponent of the unity of cosmology, history, and theology, and of the ability of man to perceive eternal truths concerning them, was the philosophical realist, John Wyclyf (1320–1384).
Compensatory elevation of acetylcholine synthesis in vivo by cholinergic neurons surviving partial lesions of the septohippocampal pathway

The present study characterized the effects of partial destruction of the cholinergic septohippocampal pathway on transmitter functions of surviving cholinergic neurons in the hippocampus. Partial and full fimbrial transections were performed, and 3 weeks after lesioning, cholinergic functions were assessed in vivo and in vitro. Hippocampal ChAT activity and the capacity of hippocampal slices to synthesize [3H]ACh in vitro decreased by 35% and 45%, respectively, following partial fimbrial lesions and by 68% and 85%, respectively, following full fimbrial lesions. [3H]ACh release from hippocampal slices in vitro was decreased by 57% and 87%, respectively, following partial and full fimbrial lesions. Partial lesions decreased high-affinity choline uptake into hippocampal synaptosomes by 52%. In contrast to the significant reductions in cholinergic parameters measured in vitro after partial fimbrial lesions, such partial lesions did not significantly alter in vivo measures of hippocampal cholinergic function. Levels of endogenous ACh and choline measured in the hippocampus following partial lesions were similar to that of control values. Also, the hippocampal content of newly synthesized [2H4]ACh and the [2H4]ACh synthesis rate were not significantly different from control values. However, following full fimbrial lesions, in vivo measures of hippocampal cholinergic function were decreased to a degree similar to that observed in vitro. Hippocampal levels of endogenous ACh and [2H4]ACh and the synthesis rate for [2H4]ACh were decreased by 73%, 72%, and 83%, respectively. These results suggest that, following partial destruction of afferent cholinergic fibers that innervate the hippocampal formation, residual cholinergic neurons are able to upregulate their capacity to synthesize and store ACh in vivo, thus compensating for lesion-induced losses of cholinergic neurons.
Role of N-linked oligosaccharides in the transport activity of the Na+/H+ antiporter in rat renal brush-border membrane.

Abstract The role of N-linked oligosaccharide side chains in the biogenesis and function of Na+-coupled transporters in renal luminal brush-border membrane (BBM) is not known. We examined the question of how in vivo inhibition by alkaloid swainsonine of alpha-mannosidase, a key enzyme in processing of glycoproteins in the Golgi apparatus, affects Na+/H+ antiport and Na+/Pi symport as well as activities of other transporters and enzymes in rat renal BBM. Administration of swainsonine to thyroparathyroidectomized rats, control or treated with 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine, markedly decreased the rate of Na+/H+ antiport, but had no effect on the rate of Na+/Pi symport across renal BBM vesicles (BBMV). Moreover, administration of swainsonine did not change activities of Na+ gradient, ([extravesicular Na+] greater than [intravesicular Na+])-dependent transport of D-glucose, L-proline, or the amiloride-insensitive 22Na+ uptake by BBMV; the activities of the BBM enzymes alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, or leucine aminopeptidase in BBMV were also not changed. The in vitro enzymatic deglycosylation of BBM by incubating freshly isolated BBMV with bacterial endoglycosidase F also resulted in a decreased rate of Na+/H+ antiport, but not Na+-coupled symports of Pi, L-proline, and D-glucose, or the activities of the BBM enzymes were not significantly affected. Similar incubation with endoglycosidase H was without effect on any of these parameters. Both the modification of BBMV glycoproteins by administration fo swainsonine in vivo as well as the in vitro incubation of BBMV with endoglycosidase F resulted in a decrease of the apparent Vmax of Na+/H+ antiport, but did not change the apparent Km of this antiporter for extravesicular Na+ and did not increase H+ conductance of BBM. Taken together, our findings suggest that intact N-linked oligosaccharide chains of the biantennary complex type in renal BBM glycoproteins are required, directly or indirectly, for the transport function of the Na+/H+ antiporter inserted into BBM of renal proximal tubules.
Strategic Software Engineering

The focus of this minitrack—the first of its kind at HICSS—is broadly construed as Strategic Software Engineering. By this, we mean the application of strategic decision-making techniques to the software development process. A strategic decision (as opposed to a tactical one) is one that helps plan for and achieve particular project-wide cost, schedule, and quality goals as they are subject to benefit, value, and risk factors. A strategic decision-making perspective is a crucial foundation to any mature business process (software or otherwise), because it helps to set a context in which rational tactical decisions can subsequently be made.
El lenguaje de los negros congos de Panama. Estudio lingüistico

Es indiscutible la influencia africana sobre el espanol de la region caribena; y sin embargo la naturaleza de los contactos hispano-africanos de los siglos pasados es poco entendida. Al examinar los documentos historicos que llegan hasta el siglo presente, se pone de manifiesto la existencia de modalidades distintamente afrohispanicas entre los esclavos y peones de origen africano.
Type XII collagen contributes to diversities in human corneal and limbal extracellular matrices

Purpose. To characterize diversities in the extracellular matrices (ECMs) of the corneal and the surrounding limbal epithelium and stroma. Methods. Immunohistochemical analyses were employed for screening monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) developed against ECM components of the human corneal epithelial basement membrane (BM) zone. In the current study, mAb BM8 was used as the monospecific probe to characterize its antigen (AgBM8) immunochemically, and to immunoselect a complementary DNA (cDNA) clone encoding AgBM8. Direct biochemical and cDNA sequence analyses were performed for the further characterization of AgBM8. An indirect colloidal gold-conjugated antibody technique was employed for immunoelectron microscopic analysis to study the distribution of AgBM8 in the corneal ECMs. Results. The protein AgBM8, isolated from rabbit comeal stromal and epithelial tissues, was identified as the long-splice variant form of type XII collagen based on its size (approximately 340 kDa disulfide-linked subunits), the presence of collagenous domain(s) and a noncollagenous domain of approximately 300 kDa in its subunit structure, and its internal amino acid sequences. The identity of AgBM8 was further confirmed from the amino acid sequence (517 amino acids) deduced from the sequence of a cDNA immunoselected with mAb BM8. Immunofluorescence analyses indicated that the long form of type XII collagen is present in the ECMs of corneal stroma and in the sclera, as well as in the corneal epithelial BM zone but is absent in the limbal and conjunctival epithelial BM zones. It was not detectable in die subepithelial loose connective tissues in die limbus and in the bulbar conjunctiva. Immunoelectron microscopic analyses indicated that the long variant form of type XII collagen is present in corneal epithelial BM, Bowman's membrane, and the interfibrillar matrix of the comeal stroma. In the stroma, colloidal gold was distributed along the collagen fibrils widi a periodicity of 150 to 200 nm. Conclusions. The long variant form of human type XII collagen, a member of die fibril-associated collagens with interrupted triple helices, referred to as FACITs, contributes to the differences in the BM zones of the cornea and limbus. Although many of the dense connective tissues in adult animals contain die short variant form of type XII collagen, human corneal stroma, the BM zone, and the sclera contain the long variant form as the predominant form of type XII collagen. In the comeal stroma, type XII collagen may be organized along the collagen fibrils in a uniform headto-tail pattern. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1997;38:2408-2422.
Kinematic Analysis of Wave Pattern Formation in Excitable Media

A homogeneous excitable medium supports the steady propagation of impulse waves of excitation in response to a spatially localized stimulus. In a one-dimensional medium, for which the nerve axon is a prototype, a periodic stimulus produces a train of impulse waves which propagates away from the stimulus site. Successive impulses in the train interact with each other during propagation and consequently form a spatio-temporal wave pattern. When an equally spaced impulse train, whose temporal period equals the period of the stimulus, develops as a consequence of the interaction, we say the medium is entrained to the input stimulus. In some cases however, the impulses exhibit bunching during propagation to form an unequally spaced impulse train. Here we investigate these phenomena by a kinematic analysis based upon an approximation of the wave interaction. We also illustrate that, in certain parameter ranges, the one-dimensional medium can support a center wave pattern in the absence of a maintained stimulus. This wave pattern is a one-dimensional analog of the target wave pattern which is observed in some two-dimensional excitable media such as the Belousov-Zhabotinskii reagent in a shallow dish.
Topological defects and the short-distance behavior of the structure factor in nematic liquid crystals

The scattering of light at large wave-vector magnitudes k in nematic systems containing topological defects is investigated theoretically. At large k the structure factor S(k) is dominated by power-law contributions originating from singular order-parameter variations associated with topological defects and from transverse thermal fluctuations of the nematic director. These defects (nematic disclinations and hedgehogs) lead to contributions of the form rho A k^{-xi} (``the Porod tail''), where rho is the number density of a given type of defect, A is a dimensionless Porod amplitude, and xi is an integer-valued Porod exponent. The Porod amplitudes and exponents are calculated for all types of topologically stable defects occurring in uniaxial and biaxial nematics in two or three spatial dimensions. The range of wave-vectors in which the contributions to the scattering intensity due to defects dominate the contribution due to thermal fluctuations is estimated, and it is concluded that for experimentally accessible defect densities the range of observability of the Porod tail extends over one to three decades in scattering wave-vector magnitude k. Available experimental results on phase ordering in uniaxial nematics are analyzed, and applications of our results are suggested for light-scattering studies of other nematic systems containing numerous defects.
Where the Children Are

In June of 2007, a brief news item appeared in the New York Times under the headline, "Mother Charged After Sons' 4 A.M. Walk." It reported that two boys?one three years old, the other eighteen months?were found wandering around outside an A&P super market in northern New Jersey "like they were in their backyard," according to a cab driver who was nearing the end of his shift when a man approached him in the store's parking lot to alert him about the unaccompanied children. "They weren't dressed at all," he added. "One was in a pajama top and underwear, and the older one had on pajama bottoms, no shirt and a blanket." Before settling the boys into the warm back seat of his vehicle, the cabbie radioed his dispatcher, who in turn called the police, who "a short time later" arrested the boys' twenty-four-year-old mother. She'd been out of the house, which belonged to a friend the family was visiting, when the boys left through what was assumed to be either an unlocked or open door. I read about it in bed, late the next night. I had just started to fold the paper, too tired to finish it, when the headline roused me: where did the children go in that dead hour, I wanted to know, and how far did they travel? The answer to the first question?a supermar ket?struck me as somehow both humdrum and strange. (There was no mention of the boys actually entering the store, if indeed it was open.) But the answer to the second?that they traveled "about a block"?was decidedly anti-climactic. In fact, it wasn't much of a story, and I wondered why it was published. Crucial details were missing: where the mother had gone and for how long, and whether a father also was responsible. I was puzzled by the emphasis on the pajamas (never mind that contradictory statement that "they weren't dressed at all"): would it have been better if no one had bothered to prepare the boys for bed? It wasn't a trifling matter, of course, had a nightmarish quality about it to be sure, but the children were found before they were lost, hadn't been abducted or abused (they proved to be healthy and well cared for, I would learn
Evaluation of 16 Measures of Mental Workload using a Simulated Flight Task Emphasizing Mediational Activity

As aircraft and other systems become more automated, a shift is occurring in human operator participation in these systems. This shift is away from manual control and toward activities that tap the higher mental functioning of human operators. Therefore, an experiment was performed in a moving-base flight simulator to assess mediational (cognitive) workload measurement. Specifically, 16 workload estimation techniques were evaluated as to their sensitivity and intrusion in a flight task emphasizing mediational behavior. Task loading, using navigation problems presented on a display, was treated as an independent variable, and workload-measure values were treated as dependent variables. Results indicate that two mediational task measures, two rating scale measures, time estimation, and two eye behavior measures were reliably sensitive to mediational loading. The time estimation measure did, however, intrude on mediational task performance. Several of the remaining measures were completely insensitive to mediational load.
Elliptic flow fluctuations in 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC

We present first results on event-by-event elliptic flow fluctuations in Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV obtained with the PHOBOS detector. Over the measured range in centrality, large relative fluctuations of 40--50% are found. The elliptic flow fluctuations are well described as being proportional to fluctuations in the shape of the initial collision region, as estimated event-by-event with the participant eccentricity using Glauber Monte Carlo.
Emotional Contagion: Mechanisms of emotional contagion: II. Emotional experience and facial, vocal, and postural feedback

The violinist Itzak Perlman, in trying to play a difficult note raises his eyebrows (if it is a high note) and keeps them raised until the note has been played … it is generally believed that these motions are secondary and ancillary. But suppose that a good part of musical memory is in fact lodged in these peculiar movements. Suppose that they are significant. –Zajonc & Markus (1984, pp. 83–84) Introduction We have defined emotional contagion as a multiply determined family of psychophysiological, behavioral, and social phenomena. In chapter 1, we reviewed evidence that there is a pervasive tendency automatically to mimic and synchronize expressions, vocalizations, postures, and movements with those of another person. This mimicry coordinates and synchronizes social interactions while freeing the interactants to think about other issues, such as what one or both of them are trying to achieve and what each is saying. In this chapter, we focus on another important but often overlooked consequence of mimicry: the tendency for mimicked acts to cultivate a convergence of emotions among the interactants. Thus, Proposition 2. Subjective emotional experiences are affected, moment to moment, by the activation and/or feedback from such mimicry . As was outlined in chapter 1, subjective emotional experience could theoretically be influenced by either: the central nervous system commands that direct such mimicry/synchrony in the first place; afferent feedback from such facial, verbal, or postural mimicry/synchrony; or conscious self-perception processes, wherein individuals make inferences about their own emotional states on the basis of their own expressive behavior.
Town, Gown and Place-Based Sustainability: Collaborating in the Shared Space

The locational and spatial circumstances of town and gown present opportunities to advance sustainability. This essay examines these areas of opportunity by proposing collaborative frameworks between town and gown. In what we describe as “place-based collaborations,” we identify three areas for productive collaboration by two mutually compatible institutions. Part I of this essay introduces the impacts of the sustainable curriculum and other projects that implement the educational mission of the institution, including the more progressive notion that pedagogical strategies for engaged learning, combined with the introduction of sustainability in the curriculum, may serve as drivers for nested sustainable practices. Part II considers the special relationship that towns may foster in their nested universities by recognizing shared space. Part III illustrates interaction and collaboration possibilities that build on the intellectual capital occurring in educational institutions.
Sound production in Scolytidae: Stridulation by “silent” Ips bark beetles

Stridulation during “aggressive” behaviour was recorded from males in three species of Ips bark beetles, though the host-selecting sex was previously believed to be silent. Female Ips tridens tridens, also believed silent, stridulated. Oscillograms show chirps and clicks of I. concinnus males and brief “clicks” of I. pini males and I. tridens tridens males and females. Scanning electron micrographs show stridulatory structures on the gula and prosternum of male and female I. concinnus, but not of I. pini or I. tridens tridens. The possibility that some species of Ips have evolved chemoacoustic mechanisms of behaviour analogous to those in in the genus Dendroctonus is suggested. Zusammenfassung Gerauscherzeugung bei Scolytiden: Stridulationssignale, erzeugt durch die “stillen” Arten der Gattung Ips Es wurde nachgewiesen, das die sich in die Wirtspflanze einbohrenden Mannchen der Gattung Ips, namlich I. concinnus, I. tridens tridens und I. pini, die bislang als stille oder nicht stridulierende Borkenkafer betrachtet wurden, klare Stridulationssignale produzieren. Die Stridulation der Mannchen wurde auf Phonoplatte aufgenommen und die Oszillogramme mit der Mikroskulptur verglichen. Auch die Weibchen von I. tridens tridens, die bislang ebenfalls als “still” angesehen wurden, erzeugten Stridulationssignale. Die Oszillogramme zeigten, das der Rivalengesang der Mannchen von I. concinnus aus Multiimpulsen, jener der Mannchen von I. pini, und der beiden Geschlechter von I. tridens tridens dagegen aus getrennten Einzelimpulsen besteht. Die Stridulationsapparate (streichen mit der Pars stridens an der Gula und mit dem Plektrum am Prosternum) werden fur beide Geschlechter von I. concinnus beschrieben. Auf die Moglichkeit, das die Arten der Gattung Ips eine chemoakustische Kommunikation (ahnlich wie in der Gattung Dendroctonus) entwickelt haben, wird hingewiesen.
Fish assemblages on artificial and natural reefs in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, USA

Visual censusing was used to characterize fish assemblages on artificial and natural reefs located within the boundaries of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Emphasis was placed on determining spatial and temporal patterns in habitat utilization by fishes on an offshore artificial reef (Mobil Platform HI-A389A). Overall, 43 species were observed during diurnal surveys in the upper 24 m of the artificial reef. Midwater pelagic fishes (i.e., carangids and scombrids) accounted for over 50% of all taxa enumerated on the artificial reef; however, these taxa were transient members of the assemblage and were observed infrequently. Labrids, pomacentrids, and serranids were the dominant reef-dependent taxa. Distinct trends in vertical, diel, and seasonal abundances were observed for juvenile and adult fishes. Of the three designated depth zones (upper 1.5–9.0, middle 9.0–16.5; lower 16.5–24.0 m), abundance and species diversity were lowest in the upper zone. Nocturnal counts were characterized by a marked reduction or complete absence of most species, due in part to twilight cover-seeking and movement activities. Seasonal variation in community composition and species abundance (May versus September) was primarily due to recruitment of juveniles (0-age fishes) to the artificial reef in late summer. Increases in total fish abundance (all taxa combined) coincided with both increasing habitat rugosity and degree of fouling. Species richness on natural coral reefs in the FGBNMS was higher than on the artificial reef. Unlike the artificial reef, fish assemblages on the natural reefs were dominated by a single family (Pomacentridae) which accounted for over 50% of all individuals observed.
Mechanism of Catch Force: Tethering of Thick and Thin Filaments by Twitchin

Catch is a mechanical state occurring in some invertebrate smooth muscles characterized by high force maintenance and resistance to stretch during extremely slow relaxation. During catch, intracellular calcium is near basal concentration and myosin crossbridge cyctng rate is extremely slow. Catch force is relaxed by a protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of sites near the N- and C- temini of the minititin twitchin (approximately 526 kDa). Some catch force maintenance car also occur together with cycling myosin crossbridges at submaximal calcium concentrations, but not when the muscle is maximally activated. Additionally, the link responsible for catch can adjust during shortening of submaximally activated muscles and maintain catch force at the new shorter length. Twitchin binds to both thick and thin filaments, and the thin filament binding shown by both the N- and Cterminal portions of twitchin is decreased by phosphorylation of the sites that regulate catch. The data suggest that the twitchin molecule itself is the catch force beanng tether between thick and thin filaments. We present a model for the regulation of catch in which the twitchin tether can be displaced from thin filaments by both (a) the phosphorylation of twitchin and (b) the attachment of high force myosin crossbridges.
Effect of elevated hemoglobin A1c in diabetic patients on complication rates after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Abstract Background Little is known regarding the effect of chronic hyperglycemia, expressed by glycated hemoglobin, on the healing-related complication rates in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Methods We retrospectively examined the rate of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus undergoing RYGB according to the preoperative glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, focusing specifically on the complications related to wound healing (i.e., anastomotic leak, stomal stenosis, and wound infection). Two groups were formed separating those with HbA1c values >7 and Results A total of 342 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus underwent laparoscopic RYGB during a 3-year period (2008–2011). Of the 342 patients, 170 had elevated HbA1c values >7 g/dL (average 9.0) preoperatively, of which there were 4 superficial surgical site infections and 1 stomal stenosis, but no anastomotic leaks. Of the remaining 172 diabetic patients whose HbA1c level was P = .50). Conclusion In the present study, an elevated HbA1c >7 g/dL in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus did not convey increased complication rates after RYGB.
Suppression of radiation damage microstructure in aluminum by trace impurities

Abstract The elements Ag, Ca, Fe, In, Mg, Ni, Si, Sn, and Zn at a concentration of 100 at ppm have little or no effects on damage microstructure in aluminum irradiated with neutrons to doses up to 2.6 dpa at 0.37 Tm. The elements Cr, Cu, Mn, Ti, V, and Zr at the 100 at ppm level retard formation of voids and dislocations; Mg and Si suppress damage at higher concentrations. The effective elements reduce the concentrations of voids rather than the void sizes. Fine precipitates occur in all damage structures, some of which are probably transmutation-produced Si of which up to 1000 at ppm was created. In some alloys where voids are suppressed the precipitates are of a plate-like form on a scale and distribution similar to those of earlier loops. Copious, bulky precipitation occurs in Al-Zn alloys with no correlated suppression of voids. There is no correlation of damage suppression with atomic size or with abnormal thermal diffusion coefficients. All elements that retard void formation have solid solubility limits close to 100 at ppm at the irradiation temperature, and for the most part are known to decrease the lattice parameter of aluminum and to have much larger binding energies with interstitial atoms than with vacancies. These conditions are consistent with damage suppression models involving trapping of interstitial atoms by elements with negative lattice misfit.
Alternative control mechanisms for cyclical scheduling systems

This paper investigates the relative performance of alternative mechanisms for controlling the cycle length in a cyclical scheduling system. While all methods investigated are able to maintain a target long run average cycle length, some provide greater inventory efficiency than others, with more informed application of idle time. Simulation results demonstrate that a fixed idle time policy provides worst results, while an aggregate workload heuristic based on earlier dynamic policy characterisation provides superior performance. The importance of the control mechanism is shown to be greatest when the process is subject to high demand intensity, particularly when the demand process is sporadic.
Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum on Bedside Ultrasound: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare disease process with no clear etiology, although it is thought to be related to changes in intrathoracic pressure causing chest pain and dyspnea. We present a case of a 17-year-old male with acute chest pain evaluated initially by bedside ultrasound, which showed normal lung sliding but poor visualization of the parasternal and apical cardiac views due to significant air artifact, representing air in the thoracic cavity. The diagnosis was later verified by chest radiograph. We present a case report on ultrasound-diagnosed pneumomediastinum, and we review the diagnostic modalities to date.
Molecular communication between tumor-associated fibroblasts and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Over the past few decades, it has become increasingly clear that the lethality of cancers depends on more than the malignant cells themselves. The environment those malignant cells are exposed to is just as important a determinant of their behavior. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is both common and deadly. It is the 6th most frequently occurring cancers, and prognosis is still generally poor. Recent evidence indicates that activated fibroblasts residing within the tumor stroma play a significant role in promoting the aggressive spread often seen in head and neck cancer. Tumor associated fibroblasts (TAFs) have also been implicated in facilitating angiogenesis and suppressing the normal anti-tumor function of immune cells. Studying the signaling molecules involved in these processes will facilitate the development of promising targets and inhibitors to prevent tumor-associated fibroblasts from exerting their reinforcing effects on the tumor. In this article, we review the recent literature on the signals used in tumor associated fibroblast communication, with a focus on potential therapeutic targets. Further, we highlight the lead candidates for TAF-targeted therapeutic interventions. Future anti-cancer strategies may achieve better results than current approaches by targeting the support cells in tumor stroma in addition to the cancerous cells.
Plasticization and Antiplasticization in Polycarbonates: The Role of Diluent Motion

A phosphorus-31 solid echo chemical shift anisotropy line shape study of tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate in tetramethyl polycarbonate determined the rate and amplitude of diluent motion in this mixed glass as a function of temperature and concentration. The dynamics of the diluent are observed to be bimodal with diluent in contact with other diluent on a random basis, displaying much greater mobility than diluent surrounded by polymer. A lattice model adequately accounts for the population of each type of diluent. The diluent in contact with other diluent considered to be a microcluster undergoes isotropic Brownian rotational diffusion with an apparent activation energy of 56 kJ/mol. The isolated diluent molecules undergo Brownian rotation restricted to a cone, and the rate and amplitude of this motion increase slowly with temperature. The temperature and breadth of the mechanical loss peak at a frequency of 1 Hz associated with rotation of the diluent in microclusters can be calculated from the interpretati...
Theory of electrophoretic mobility in stabilized media.

Abstract The role of two phenomena which serve to hinder ionic migration in porous materials is discussed. These two are tortuosity and the constriction effect. The latter, of approximately the same importance as tortuosity, has not been previously related to electrophoretic mobility. The necessity for considering both factors is demonstrated in terms of certain geometrical properties of porous materials. A physical model, based on the assumed existence of a characteristic cell, is mathematically developed to account for the quantitative role of tortuosity and constriction. With no adjustable parameters, the calculations are quite satisfactory for spherical and cubical particles over a wide porosity range. The calculated dependence of mobility on porosity in fibrous materials is in good agreement with experimental values, but the absolute values differ by about 15%. Various factors are discussed which might be responsible for discrepancies between theory and experiment.
Reliability of Amorphous Metallizations for GaAs FETS

Amorphous W-Si, TiW-Si and Ni-Si diffusion barriers have been developed for GaAs field effect transistors to achieve improved reliability of ohmic contacts and Schottky barriers, particularly in high temperature ambients. The amorphous films were formed by a new method in which alternate layers of 500A° (W, TiW or Ni) and 300A° Si were sputter deposited and subsequently annealed just below the glass transition temperature Tg (~ 500°C) and rapidly cooled. Electron channeling was used to determine the amorphous nature of the film after 4 hr. anneals at Tg. Amorphous regions were present in the deposited films due to the rapid quenching process of sputter deposition. After annealing at 500°C for 4 hours, the films were completely amorphous with no evidence of crystallization. High magnification SEM (20,000X) examination of the films after annealing revealed smooth and continuous surfaces with no evidence of grain boundaries. Diffusion along grain boundaries between Au and GaAs in Au/W-Si/GaAs structures is thus virtually eliminated, thereby minimizing both electromigration and contact reactions. Interdiffusion in Au/W-Si/GaAs and Au/TiW-Si/GaAs layers was studied by Auger electron spectroscopy sputter profiling techniques. No interdiffusion of Au or GaAs was observed after 8 hour anneals at 450°C. This is a significant improvement over previous polycrystalline diffusion barriers (e.g., TiPt) which interdiffuse after 2-3 hours at 350°C. Two micron gate (small signal) FETs were fabricated with amorphous TiW-Si gates and AuGeNi ohmic contacts. Accelerated life tests were carried out at 300°C.
Approximately reducing subspaces for unbounded linear operators

We give sufficient conditions for generation of strongly continuous contraction semigroups of linear operators on Hilbert or Banach space. Let L be a dissipative (unbounded) linear operator in a Hilbert space H and let {Pn} be an increasing sequence of self-adjoint projections converging weakly to the identity projection. We show that if there is a positive integer k such that for all n the range of Pn is contained in the domain of L and mapped by L into the range of Pn + k, and if the sequence {LPn − PnLPn} is dominated in norm (∥LPn − PnLPn∥ ⩽ an) by some {an} ⊂ R+ with ∑n = 1∞ an−1 = ∞, then the closure of the restriction of L to ∪n = 1∞ range (Pn) is the infinitesimal generator of a strongly continuous contraction semigroup on H. Applications to an important class of finite perturbations, properly larger than the finite Kato perturbations, are given. We also give sufficient conditions for generation of contraction semigroups when {Pγ} (indexed by a directed set) is a set of bounded self-adjoint operators converging weakly to the identity and each having range contained in D(L). In the latter theorem, and in an analogous theorem for dissipative linear operators L in a Banach space, we do not assume that L interchanges at most finitely many of the approximately reducing operators Pγ.
Parafoveal word perception: a case against semantic preprocessing.

The present experiment investigated semantic information extraction in parafoveal word perception. An ambiguous word (bank) was presented in foveal vision, and simultaneously a disambiguating word (water, money) was presented in the parafovea. Subjects were required to make a forced choice between two phrases, and the task was constructed so that a correct choice could be made if semantic information about both the foveal and parafoveal word had been obtained. However, the results indicated that the forced-choice results could be explained by two factors: identification of the parafoveal word and correct guessing. Hence, it was concluded that those models of reading which rely on unconscious semantic preprocessing of parafoveal words were not supported.
More is less: Emotion induced prefrontal cortex activity habituates in aging

Abstract Several recent studies have documented age-related changes in brain activity—less amygdala activity and higher prefrontal activity in response to emotional stimuli. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined whether aging also affects the maintenance of activity to emotional stimuli and whether maintenance differs by the valence (negative, neutral and positive) of the pictures. Younger participants had a larger volume of activity in the amygdala but less in the prefrontal cortex than the old. The old showed more habituation to highly arousing negative but not positive or neutral stimuli in prefrontal cortex as compared to younger participants. Thus prefrontal cortex activity indexes emotion in the elderly, but not the young. Amplified prefrontal activity suggests elderly increase cognitive control for negative, highly arousing emotional stimuli, but it is not maintained. Taken together, age-related increases in prefrontal activity and reduced amygdala activity may underlie observed affective changes in aging.
Assisted Living, Elderly Women and Sense of Self: Communicating the Impact of Reduction of Long-Standing Activities

ABSTRACT Through the use of in-depth interviews this study examines elderly women's communication about transitioning to assisted living and personal sense of self. A combination of communication and aging theory and socio historical factors aid in understanding the communication elderly women use to describe themselves within the context of life events prior to and after becoming an assisted living resident. Findings reveal that decrease in long-standing feminine sphere (traditionally female household) tasks due to the transition to assisted living is the major factor leading to the inability to communicate the sense of self. Inability to adjust and accept the downsizing of feminine sphere activities leads to several mental, physical and social implications.
Athletics and nutrition.

W HAT constitutes the “optimum” diet for athIetes training for competitive contests is a perennia1 question. For centuries trainers and coaches have advocated special dietary schemes, stemming from older traditions and superstitions, and based on the beIief that the ingestion of particuIar foods would augment the physical capacity or efficiency of the performer. One of the most widespread of such practices has been the advocacy of ingesting large quantities of meat meant to repIenish “muscular substance” following the “losses” supposedly incurred during severe muscuIar work. This particular practice was first recorded in Greece during the fifth century B.C., and ascribed to two athletes who had deviated from the hitherto traditional (chieAy vegetarian) diet of the time to a regimen entaiIing the intake of large quantities of meat which lead to increased body bulk and weight. The fifth century also saw a change in the cuttural outlook on physical fitness: instead of being considered essentiallya broad prerequisite for participation in the defense of the country, physical litness became subordinate to training for specilic sports, excellence in which became superior to aImost all other vaIues [21]. An attitude of this sort has not disappeared among the athIetes specializing in particular sports. In sports, such as boxing and wrestling, present day athletes, professiona and amateur (and, among the latter, even high school students), not infrequently pIace themseIves on such stringent regimens as “crash diets” combined with dehydration so as to Iose weight. This regimen causes rapid weight loss and the athIete can thus make Iower weight classifications. While it may be desirable for an overweight person to Iose weight, a crash diet is not the method to be recommended. More often the intention of those athletes is not t,o attain their most “desirabIe” weight for competition, but rather to compete with advantage against those who reaIIy do belong in a lower weight bracket. When such weight classifications have been set up to provide competition on an equitable basis, the violation of these standards by sudden self-inflicted starvation and I)>temporarydehydration serves no more the ethics of sportsmanship than it does the health of the people concerned. Such practices have recentIy been condemned by the A. AI. A. [r2i].
Influence of K2CO3 catalyst on rate of hydrogen gasification of carbon black

Abstract Kinetic rate measurements of the hydrogen gasification of a graphiticed carbon black at 865°C and 500 psig hydrogen are reported for K2CO3 loadings of 0, 1, 5 and 10 wt. %. Potassium loss was measured during reaction; surface area and catalyst loading of residual samples were measured after experiment. A twentyfold increase in gasification rate at 50%–70% conversion is observed upon addition of 10 wt. % K2CO3. Specific reaction rate is approximately constant in the presence of 5% and 10% catalyst but decreases for the uncatalyzed sample. These results, as well as the results of experiments in which the carbon is first degassed, support the postulate that surface oxygen is the primary catalytic entity in the hydrogen gasification and that K2CO3 merely stabilizes and provides additional oxygen on the surface.