cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examining the Ethics of Government-Organized Nongovernmental Organizations (GONGOs)

This article explores the ethics of an increasingly pervasive form of third-sector organization, the government-organized nongovernmental organization. GONGOs are an important means of projecting state power in a broad spectrum of foreign policy and national security contexts, from boardrooms to battlefields. As these organizations become increasingly professionalized, a need emerges for defining the bounds of their ethical conduct. Because the nature of their authority evolves in an age of public value governance, their institutional ethos also requires evaluation. This article examines existing principles of government, nonprofit, military, and private military contractor ethics to assist in defining the bounds of GONGO ethics. It uses international law to provide guidance on ethical standards for organizations supporting noncombat national security and foreign policy missions, provides prescriptive guidance for their operation, and contemplates questions for future research.
Tumors of the Cutaneous Appendages and the Epidermis

A wide range of cutaneous appendage tumors can be encountered in pediatric patients. This chapter will address those that are likely to be encountered.
"Finding the Right FIT": Rural Patient Preferences for Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) Characteristics.

Purpose Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, yet 1 in 3 Americans have never been screened for CRC. Annual screening using fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) is often a preferred modality in populations experiencing CRC screening disparities. Although multiple studies evaluate the clinical effectiveness of FITs, few studies assess patient preferences toward kit characteristics. We conducted this community-led study to assess patient preferences for FIT characteristics and to use study findings in concert with clinical effectiveness data to inform regional FIT selection. Methods We collaborated with local health system leaders to identify FITs and recruit age eligible (50 to 75 years), English or Spanish speaking community members. Participants completed up to 6 FITs and associated questionnaires and were invited to participate in a follow-up focus group. We used a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design to assess participant preferences and rank FIT kits. First, we used quantitative data from user testing to measure acceptability, ease of completion, and specimen adequacy through a descriptive analysis of 1) fixed response questionnaire items on participant attitudes toward and experiences with FIT kits, and 2) a clinical assessment of adherence to directions regarding collection, packaging, and return of specimens. Second, we analyzed qualitative data from focus groups to refine FIT rankings and gain deeper insight into the pros and cons associated with each tested kit. Findings Seventy-six FITs were completed by 18 participants (Range, 3 to 6 kits per participant). Over half (56%, n = 10) of the participants were Hispanic and 50% were female (n = 9). Thirteen participants attended 1 of 3 focus groups. Participants preferred FITs that were single sample, used a probe and vial for sample collection, and had simple, large-font instructions with colorful pictures. Participants reported challenges using paper to catch samples, had difficulty labeling tests, and emphasized the importance of having care team members provide verbal instructions on test completion and follow-up support for patients with abnormal results. FIT rankings from most to least preferred were OC-Light, Hemosure iFOB Test, InSure FIT, QuickVue, OneStep+, and Hemoccult ICT. Conclusions FIT characteristics influenced patient's perceptions of test acceptability and feasibility. Health system leaders, payers, and clinicians should select FITs that are both clinically effective and incorporate patient preferred test characteristics. Consideration of patient preferences may facilitate FIT return, especially in populations at higher risk for experiencing CRC screening disparities.
Dairy Products and Chronic Diseases: Evidence From Population Studies

Abstract In the 2015–20 Dietary Guidelines for Americas, intake of dairy products is recommended for their potential benefits on human health, although much remains uncertain about the effects of dairy products on risks of developing many chronic diseases in human populations, including cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. This chapter summarizes recent progress in this space of research particularly findings from large-scale population studies and high-quality meta-analyses with the hope to identify gaps in knowledge for future work. Overall, different types of dairy products have been reported to have different health effects. Low-fat dairy products intake is typically associated with improved health outcomes, whereas whole milk products are often associated with neutral or increased risk of chronic diseases. The high-fat content in whole milk products may offset some potential beneficial effects of dairy products, indicating that specific types of dairy products should be the focus of recommendation and that further examination for potential cardiometabolic benefits particularly when considered as a replacement for soft drinks.
Imaging spectroscopy to understand the controls on cryospheric melting in a changing world

The global retreat of Earth's cryosphere is the iconic symbol of climate change. Decades of satellite, airborne, and ground observations show clear evidence of increased melting of glaciers and ice sheets, declines in sea ice, and decreasing spring snow cover. This increased melting of cryosphere cover makes Earth more absorptive of sunlight and moves enormous volumes of stored water from frozen state to liquid, raising sea level and changing water availability to large populations. However, the distribution of forcings controlling this accelerated melting is poorly known. Atmospheric warming from greenhouse gases is contributing to this acceleration but its magnitude is uncertain due to our uncertainties in the controls on the dominant contributor to annual melt, absorbed sunlight, itself controlled by albedo. Despite this crucial role of albedo and solar radiation in snow and ice melt, sparse measurements have kept us from understanding the global distribution of controls on albedo, grain size and impurities, and from accurately modeling melt processes worldwide. Such an understanding is crucial to determining cryosphere melt and projecting its future behavior. Global spectroscopic measurements are required to improve our understanding of controls on cryosphere melt rates, enabling better predictions of future changes that will affect humankind.
Bivariate splines on Tohǎneanu partition

Abstract In Tohǎneanu (2005), Tohǎneanu introduced a triangulation Δ T with the following property: the space of splines of smoothness r and degree 2 r defined on Δ T has a dimension not equal to the lower bound found by Schumaker in Schumaker (1979). In Minac and Tohǎneanu (2013), it was shown that for d ≥ 2 r + 1 , the dimension of the space of splines on Δ T is equal to the lower bound. We show that this phenomenon can be explained by intrinsic supersmoothness of splines. Moreover, using this supersmoothness we obtain the dimension of the space of splines of smoothness r and degree ≤ 2 r on Δ T .
Redefining fit: examining CSR company-issue fit in stigmatized industries

This study explores the impact of the “fit” of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in industries stigmatized by society, or industries whose products or production processes have a negative societal impact. While extant research suggests that CSR initiatives that are highly congruent with a company’s products or services tend to generate more favorable public outcomes, this study tested hypotheses suggesting fit would likely function differently within stigmatized industries. In these instances, although the company and CSR issue are logically connected, the association is a negative one, as the company or its products have a negative impact on society that it is attempting to address (or appear to address) through a CSR initiative. An experiment involving a fictitious cola company and its promotion of anti-obesity versus literacy CSR activities was used to examine the effect of fit with negative contribution on skepticism, attitudes toward the company and the CSR initiative, and participants’ stated supportive intentions toward the company. In partial support of the hypotheses, findings revealed that, for the high-fit negative contribution CSR initiative (anti-obesity), skepticism was heightened while both attitudes toward the company and supportive intentions toward the company’s products were negatively impacted, in comparison with the low-fit CSR initiative (literacy). While attitudes about the social initiatives of anti-obesity versus literacy were not significantly different, findings also suggest participants felt obesity was a more important cause for the cola company to undertake. The practical and ethical implications for CSR are discussed.
Parametric Resonance Production of Ultralight Vector Dark Matter

Vector bosons heavier than ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}22}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$ can be viable dark matter candidates with distinctive experimental signatures. Ultralight dark matter generally requires a nonthermal origin to achieve the observed density, while still behaving like a pressureless fluid at late times. We show that such a production mechanism naturally occurs for vectors whose mass originates from a dark Higgs. If the dark Higgs has a large field value after inflation, the energy in the Higgs field can be efficiently transferred to vectors through parametric resonance. Computing the resulting abundance and spectra requires careful treatment of the transverse and longitudinal components, whose dynamics are governed by distinct equations of motion. We study these in detail and find that the mass of the vector may be as low as ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$, while making up the majority of the dark matter abundance. This opens up a wide mass range of vector dark matter as cosmologically viable, and further motivates the experimental searches for such particles.
A Program to Discharge Individuals with Long Term Psychiatric Hospitalizations

Despite a substantial decrease in the number of people confined to state psychiatric hospitals in the last decade, some individuals remain hospitalized who are no longer determined to be a danger to themselves, property or others but for whom discharge has been problematic. The clinical issues that affect the discharge of these individuals generally fall into four categories (Boyer et al. in Barriers to discharge, optimal housing and supportive mental health services for residents with conditional extension pending placement legal status, 2006). The first occurs when hospitalized individuals are resistant to discharge, the second occurs when individuals have persistent non-dangerous psychiatric symptoms and or behavior problems that make discharge difficult. The third and fourth barriers, respectively, involve individuals with major medical co-morbidities and/or co-occurring intellectual disability. This paper describes a program designed to discharge individuals who present with one or more of these unique needs in one state psychiatric hospital in the north eastern United States. “The Special Treatment Cottage” (STC) program was initiated for hospitalized individuals who had been determined ready to be discharged but who remained in the hospital until they were willing or able to tolerate discharge and until appropriate residential services could be found. The STC program involved the development of a specialized therapeutic setting in which clinical discharge barriers would be targeted and the focus of treatment would be on discharge. In the first year of operation the STC program admitted a total of 22 residents with an average length of hospitalization of over 5 years. Fifty percent of the hospitalized individuals (11) were discharge within an average of 7 months of entering the program. The clinical strategies utilized are discussed along with a description of the critical ingredients thought to be responsible for the success of the program. Suggestions for future work in this area are also addressed.
Improving Learning Outcomes in Secondary Chemistry with Visualization-Supported Inquiry Activities.

Inquiry activities with component visualization tools are increasingly prevalent in K–12 STEM classrooms; however, evidence of their efficacy has primarily been collected from controlled laboratory...
Determining the Spheroid Geometry of Individual Metallic Nanoparticles by Two-Dimensional Single-Particle Dynamic Light Scattering

Single-particle dynamic light scattering (SP-DLS) is a recently developed technique that uses dark-field illumination, active real-time three-dimensional single-particle tracking, and measurements of scattered photon polarizations to nonperturbatively evaluate the shapes of single, freely diffusing particles under the assumption of the particle having either prolate or oblate spheroid geometry. As originally developed, however, SP-DLS is incapable of unambiguously assigning either of these geometries to a single particle. In this contribution, we resolve this ambiguity by introducing a second experimental observable—the scattering spectrum—so that both the scattering polarization and spectrum are simultaneously recorded and analyzed. We used numerical simulations of SP-DLS to characterize the performance of this new approach as well as the effects of key experimental parameters. We anticipate that the analyses presented here will not only form a straightforward guide for researchers seeking to optimize th...
The Effects of Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitors on FASN Intracellular Localization in Cancer Cells

Understanding mechanisms underlying cancer biology is crucial for discovering novel and effective therapies to improve patient outcome. Increased lipid production is a major metabolic feature in cancer. The fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a key enzyme for lipid synthesis and is upregulated in cancer. Although fatty acid synthesis is generally thought to take place in the cytoplasm, it has been reported that this enzyme also localizes to the nucleus in cancer cells. We hypothesize that the intracellular localization FASN could be a potential target to decrease lipid synthesis and ultimately halt cell proliferation. Protein acetylation has been shown to regulate protein intracellular localization. We aim to assess the impact histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have on the intracellular location of FASN with the goal of reducing de novo lipid production and cancer cell proliferation. We have examined intracellular localization of FASN in cells using immunofluorescence microscopy in cancer cells treated with HDACi and did not detect obvious HDACi-induced changes in FASN localization. FASN is also regulated by other mechanisms such as phosphorylation. Future studies will examine effects of kinase inhibitors on FASN intracellular localization.
Alkaline-surfactant-polymer formulation development for a HTHS carbonate reservoir

Abstract There are many HTHS (high temperature, high salinity) carbonate reservoirs where temperature (>80 °C) and salinity (>30,000 ppm) are high. The goal of this study was to develop an alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) formulation for a high temperature (~100 °C), high salinity (~60,000 ppm) giant carbonate reservoir with low surfactant retention, an essential requirement for low chemical cost. Phase behavior tests were conducted with anionic surfactants, alkali, co-solvents, brine, and crude oil to identify chemical formulations with ultra-low IFT under reservoir conditions. Corefloods were first conducted in outcrop carbonate cores and then in reservoir cores. The effluent was analyzed for oil, surfactant, pH, salinity and viscosity. Surfactant adsorption on carbonate surfaces decreases at high pH. Ammonia and a new organic alkali ethoxylated diisopropylamine (DIPA-10EO) were studied for this application since there is both anhydrite and dolomite in the formation. Sodium carbonate cannot be used as the alkali in rocks containing anhydrite, and sodium hydroxide cannot be used as the alkali in rocks containing dolomite. Ultralow IFT (~0.001 mN/m) was achieved with several ASP formulations using the reservoir oil. The first three core floods in Indiana limestone yielded excellent tertiary oil recoveries of 85.2, 89.5 and 91.8%, and very low surfactant retentions of 0.06, 0.02, and 0.11 mg/g-rock, respectively. The reservoir coreflood resulted in 93.6% tertiary oil recovery and a final oil saturation of 1.2%. The surfactant retention was 0.083 mg/g-rock. The chemical formulation developed here is applicable to this high permeability, non-fractured, HTHS carbonate reservoir. Future research should address other carbonate reservoir issues such as fractures and low permeability.
Human and rat skeletal muscle single-nuclei multi-omic integrative analyses nominate causal cell types, regulatory elements, and SNPs for complex traits

Abstract Background Skeletal muscle accounts for the largest proportion of human body mass, on average, and is a key tissue in complex diseases, mobility, and quality of life. It is composed of several different cell and muscle fiber types. Results Here, we optimize single-nucleus ATAC-seq (snATAC-seq) to map skeletal muscle cell-specific chromatin accessibility landscapes in frozen human and rat samples, and single-nucleus RNA-seq (snRNA-seq) to map cell-specific transcriptomes in human. We capture type I and type II muscle fiber signatures, which are generally missed by existing single-cell RNA-seq methods. We perform cross-modality and cross-species integrative analyses on 30,531 nuclei, representing 11 libraries, profiled in this study, and identify seven distinct cell types ranging in abundance from 63% (type II fibers) to 0.9% (muscle satellite cells) of all nuclei. We introduce a regression-based approach to infer cell types by comparing transcription start site-distal ATAC-seq peaks to reference enhancer maps and show consistency with RNA-based marker gene cell type assignments. We find heterogeneity in enrichment of genetic variants linked to complex phenotypes from the UK Biobank and diabetes genome wide association studies in cell-specific ATAC-seq peaks, with the most striking enrichment patterns in muscle mesenchymal stem cells (∼3% of nuclei). Finally, we overlay these chromatin accessibility maps on GWAS data to nominate causal cell types, SNPs, and transcription factor motifs for creatinine levels and type 2 diabetes signals. Conclusions These chromatin accessibility profiles for human and rat skeletal muscle cell types are a useful resource for investigating specific cell types and nominating causal GWAS SNPs and cell types.
Special issue on contemporary public administration from a Habermas perspective

As a second-generation critical theorist from the Frankfort School, Jurgen Habermas remains an influential theorist in multiple disciplines including political science, public administration, socio...
Choice suppression is achieved through opponent but not independent function of the striatal indirect pathway in mice

The dorsomedial striatum (DMS) plays a key role in action selection, but little is known about how direct and indirect pathway spiny projection neurons (dSPNs and iSPNs) contribute to choice suppression in freely moving animals. Here, we used pathway-specific chemogenetic manipulation during a serial choice foraging task to test opposing predictions for iSPN function generated by two theories: 1) the 9select/suppress9 heuristic which suggests iSPN activity is required to suppress alternate choices and 2) the network-inspired Opponent Actor Learning model (OpAL) which proposes that the weighted difference of dSPN and iSPN activity determines choice. We found that chemogenetic activation, but not inhibition, of iSPNs disrupted learned suppression of nonrewarded choices, consistent with the predictions of the OpAL model. Our findings suggest that iSPNs9 role in stopping and freezing does not extend in a simple fashion to choice suppression. These data may provide insights critical for the successful design of interventions for addiction or other conditions in which suppression of behavior is desirable.
Government Policy, Continental Collaboration and the Diffusion of Open Source Software in China, Japan, and South Korea

The scale of development and deployment of open source software (OSS) in the three Northeast Asian countries–China, Japan, and South Korea–is large enough to be noticed at the global level. OSS has redefined the dynamics of software markets in the three countries and has brought significant structural changes in their software industries. Governments have played a pivotal role in the development of OSS industry in the region. Governments in the three countries have also created impetus for continental collaborations in OSS projects. This paper examines the roles and contributions of governments to the OSS initiative in the three countries in terms of a number of technology visions and goals.
Regional variation, holdouts, and climate treaty negotiations

We develop a model of international agreements to price a transboundry externality and provide a new heuristic to aid in interpreting negotiation behavior. Under conservative assumptions, a country’s net benefits will be positive under an efficient pollution price if its share of global damages is less than half its share of worldwide abatement costs. We solve for a permit allocation scheme consistent with that heuristic such that every region will have positive net benefits in an agreement to price the pollution externality at the globally efficient level. We then apply this framework to climate change using regional data from Integrated Assessment Models and test the feasibility of a global climate change treaty. The results indicate that several regions have positive net benefits from a globally efficient price on carbon, including Western Europe, South Asia (including India), and Latin America. We then solve for a permit allocation scheme that should produce worldwide agreement on a climate treaty. Using the same model, we show that differential carbon taxes aimed at producing universal agreement would produce tax rate differences of an order of magnitude. We also argue that shares of global GDP might be an appropriate proxy for exposure to climate damages and find that a global climate treaty would be cost-benefit justified for all countries without transfers when that assumption is used.
Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistor-Based 3-D NAND Architecture for Energy-Efficient on-Chip Training Accelerator

Different from the deep neural network (DNN) inference process, the training process produces a huge amount of intermediate data to compute the new weights of the network. Generally, the on-chip global buffer (e.g., SRAM cache) has limited capacity because of its low memory density; therefore, off-chip DRAM access is inevitable during the training sequences. In this work, a novel ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET)-based 3-D NAND architecture for on-chip training accelerator is proposed. The reduced peripheral circuit overheads due to the low operation voltage of the FeFET device and ultrahigh density of 3-D NAND architecture enable storing and computing all the intermediate data on chip during the training process. We present a custom design of a 108-Gb chip with a 59.91-mm2 area with 45% array efficiency. The relevant data mapping schemes for weights/activations/errors that are compatible with the 3-D NAND architecture are investigated. The training performance was explored, while the ResNet-18 model is trained on this architecture with the ImageNet data set by 8-bit precision. Due to the minimized off-chip memory access, 7.76 TOPS/W of energy efficiency was achieved for 8-bit on-chip training.
Detecting Software Security Vulnerabilities via Requirements Dependency Analysis

Cyber attacks targeting software applications have a tremendous impact on our daily life. For example, attackers have utilized vulnerabilities of web applications to steal and gain unauthorized use of sensitive data stored in these systems. Previous studies indicate that security testing is highly precise, and therefore is widely applied to validate individual security requirements. However, dependencies between security requirements may cause additional vulnerabilities. Manual dependency detection faces scalability challenges, e.g., a previous study shows that the pairwise dependency analysis of 40 requirements would take around 12 hours. In this paper, we present a novel approach which integrates the interdependency among high-level security requirements, such as those documented in policies, regulations, and standards. We then use automated requirements tracing methods to identify product-level security requirements and their dependencies. Our manual analysis of HIPAA and FIPS 200 leads to the identification of five types of high-level security requirements dependencies, which further inform the automated tracing methods and guide the designs of system-level security tests. Experimental results on five projects in healthcare and education domains show the significant recall improvements at 81%. Our case study on a deployed production system uncovers four previously unknown vulnerabilities by using the detected requirements dependencies as test paths, demonstrating our approach's value in connecting requirements engineering with security testing.
Incidence of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy and Other Neovascular Sequelae at 5 Years Following Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence and risk factors for developing proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), tractional retinal detachment (TRD), and neovascular glaucoma (NVG) at 5 years after the initial diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Insured patients aged ≥18 years with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 5 years of continuous enrollment were identified from a nationwide commercial claims database containing data from 2007 to 2015. The incidences of PDR, TRD, and NVG were computed at 5 years following the index diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Associations between these outcomes and demographic, socioeconomic, and medical factors were tested with multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS At 5 years following the initial diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, 1.74% (1,249 of 71,817) of patients had developed PDR, 0.25% of patients had developed TRD, and 0.14% of patients had developed NVG. Insulin use (odds ratio [OR] 3.59, 95% CI 3.16–4.08), maximum HbA1c >9% or >75 mmol/mol (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.54–2.69), renal disease (OR 2.68, 95% CI 2.09–3.42), peripheral circulatory disorders (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.25–2.83), neurological disease (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.24–2.11), and older age (age 65–74 years) at diagnosis (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.28–2.03) were identified as risk factors for development of PDR at 5 years. Young age (age 18–23 years) at diagnosis (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.29–0.74), Medicare insurance (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.70–0.76), morbid obesity (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.59–0.87), and smoking (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.70–1.00) were identified as protective factors. CONCLUSIONS A subset of patients with type 2 diabetes develop PDR and other neovascular sequelae within the first 5 years following the diagnosis with type 2 diabetes. These patients may benefit from increased efforts for screening and early intervention.
Charge Transport Dynamics in Microwave Synthesized One-Dimensional Molybdenum Chalcogenides

Scalable synthesis of one-dimensional molybdenum chalcogenides with tunable electronic properties may be critical for the development of nanoscale electronic device components as well as functional...
Chapter 173 – Mouthparts

Publisher Summary The mouthparts of insects are structures surrounding the mouth that are involved in the mechanics of feeding and processing and manipulating the food so that it can be ingested. Although functionally equivalent to the jaws of vertebrates, they lie outside the mouth, not within a buccal cavity. The aim of this chapter is to supplement these basic accounts by briefly considering some of the variations associated with different feeding habits and different types of food. It also gives some information on the functioning of the mouthparts. Insect mouthparts are derived from the appendages of four of the segments forming the insect head. They surround the mouth and are external to it, unlike the condition in vertebrates in which the teeth are within the oral cavity. The basic segmental character of the mouthparts is most apparent in insects that bite off fragments of food and then chew it before ingesting it. Insects that do this are said to be mandibulate because the mandibles are relatively unmodified compared with those of fluid-feeding insects. These are also commonly called biting mouthparts. Further, many insects feed on liquid food and their mouthparts are modified to form a tube through which fluid can be drawn into the mouth and, often, another tube through which saliva is injected into the food so that it is digested to some extent before being ingested.
Development of the beam extraction synchronization system at the Fermilab Booster

The new beam extraction synchronization control system called “Magnetic Cogging” was developed at the Fermilab Booster and it replaces a system called “RF Cogging” as part of the Proton Improvement Plan (PIP). [1] The flux throughput goal for the PIP is 2.2×1017 protons per hour, which is double the present flux. Thus, the flux increase will be accomplished by doubling the number of beam cycles which, in turn, will double the beam loss in the Booster accelerator if nothing else is done.
All-polymer based fabrication process for an all-polymer flexible and parallel optical interconnect

We proposed and demonstrated a new all-polymer based fabrication process for an all-polymer flexible and parallel optical interconnect cable in which a vertical light coupler is integrated. The approach potentially cut down the cost by eliminating a metallization process for alignment of multiple masks. Throughout the process we used a polyimide as the substrate, coated by Epoclad as claddings, then AP2210B and WPR 5100 were used to fabricate waveguides and 45 degree mirror couplers, respectively. In addition, precisely aligned mirror couplers to waveguides are achieved by using polymer-based, non-metallic, and transparent phase-based alignment marks. We tested a feature specific phase-based alignment system. In addition, the shape and depth of the phase-based alignment marks are optimized for phase contrast and Schlieren imaging. Our results shows that a contrast of the image is enhanced compared to that of observed by a conventional imaging system. Such process enables to integrate polymer based waveguides by only using the polymer based alignment marks on the WPR 5100 layer.
Bis-(disubstitutedphosphinyl)-alkanes—VI: The interaction of bidentate phosphine oxides and tri-n-octyl phosphine oxide with water☆

Abstract Proton magnetic resonance and infra-red spectroscopic data as well as chemical analyses suggest that bidentate phosphine oxides [(C 6 H 13 ) 2 P(O)(CH 2 ) n P(O)(C 6 H 13 ) 2 , n = 1, 2, 3, 4] and tri-n-octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO) form complexes with water when dilute solutions (>0sd1 M) of these compounds in an “inert” diluent are equilibrated with an aqueous phase. Solubilities of water in the organic phase indicated formation of a monohydrate for bis-(di-n-hexylphosphinyl)-methane (HDPM) ( n = 1) and dihydrates for bis-(di-n-hexylphosphinyl)-ethane (HDPE) ( n = 2), bis-(di-n-hexylphosphinyl)-propane (HDPP) ( n = 3) and bis-(di-n-hexylphosphinyl)-butane (HDPB) ( n = 4). Water-solubility data for TOPO indicated formation of a complex with the stoichiometry H 2 O·2TOPO.
Dominant Negative Mutants Implicate STAT5 in Myeloid Cell Proliferation and Neutrophil Differentiation

STAT5 is a member of the signal transducers and activation of transcription (STAT) family of latent transcription factors activated in a variety of cytokine signaling pathways. We introduced alanine substitution mutations in highly conserved regions of murine STAT5A and studied the mutants for dimerization, DNA binding, transactivation, and dominant negative effects on erythropoietin-induced STAT5-dependent transcriptional activation. The mutations included two near the amino-terminus (W255KR-->AAA and R290QQ-->AAA), two in the DNA-binding domain (E437E-->AA and V466VV-->AAA), and a carboxy-terminal truncation of STAT5A (STAT5A/triangle up53C) analogous to a naturally occurring isoform of rat STAT5B. All of the STAT mutant proteins were tyrosine phosphorylated by JAK2 and heterodimerized with STAT5B except for the WKR mutant, suggesting an important role for this region in STAT5 for stabilizing dimerization. The WKR, EE, and VVV mutants had no detectable DNA-binding activity, and the WKR and VVV mutants, but not EE, were defective in transcriptional induction. The VVV mutant had a moderate dominant negative effect on erythropoietin-induced STAT5 transcriptional activation, which was likely due to the formation of heterodimers that are defective in DNA binding. Interestingly, the WKR mutant had a potent dominant negative effect, comparable to the transactivation domain deletion mutant, triangle up53C. Stable expression of either the WKR or triangle up53C STAT5 mutants in the murine myeloid cytokine-dependent cell line 32D inhibited both interleukin-3-dependent proliferation and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-dependent differentiation, without induction of apoptosis. Expression of these mutants in primary murine bone marrow inhibited G-CSF-dependent granulocyte colony formation in vitro. These results demonstrate that mutations in distinct regions of STAT5 exert dominant negative effects on cytokine signaling, likely through different mechanisms, and suggest a role for STAT5 in proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells.
Ubiquinol reduces leukocyte-endothelium interactions in the mesenteric microcirculation following hemorrhagic shock and fluid resuscitation (667.1)

Hemorrhagic shock (HS) and fluid resuscitation (FR) generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) which is a major factor in post-hemorrhage inflammation and tissue injury. The hypoxia created by HS/reper...
The Separation of Powers: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld - The Anti-Roberts

Douglas W. Kmiec*In the war on terror, the President does not have a blank check.The question is: was he short-changed?The Supreme Court, in a five-to-three decision, resolved Hamdan v.Rumsfeld' against the President of the United States and his effort to create amilitary tribunal system for purposes of trying those who are being detainedin Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hamdan, in my judgment, is the anti-Roberts. Itis the antithesis of judicial humility over a subject matter that byConstitutional plan has been given to the President and Congress. Roberts,of course, can't be blamed. He was recused.
On greatness : foreword

Derek Scott Henderson, a Durban boy, educated at St. John's, Rhodes, Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard, was one of a very few people worldwide who trod the road in the 1950s that led to the unbelievable explosion of computers in our lives today, and to computer science as the academic subject as we know it.
Stereospecific polymerization considered as copolymerization

Polymerization of an unsymmetrically substituted olefin can be considered as an example of copolymerization of two stereoisomers with four typical propagation rates k** and probabilities P**. Stereospecific catalysts which operate only by increasing the probability of Pdd over Pdl and Pll over Pld produce isotactic polymers of the same sequence length distribution as typical copolymers with like propagation probabilities. Stereospecific catalysts with stereoisomeric sites at which Pdd ≠ Pdl should be capable of producing isotactic polymers in which sequences of a single configuration on each polymer chain are greatly preferred.
Mechanism of decay of ammonia in flame gases from an NH3/O2 flame

Abstract Measurements are reported on the decay of NH 3 , NH, NO, and OH in the flame gases from an NH 3 /O 2 flame burning on a flat flame burner at atmospheric pressure. Cold gas velocity was 7.8 cm/sec and the measured temperature was 2010°K; concentrations were determined by optical absorption. The data are interpreted in terms of a relatively complete mechanism containing 12 species by simplifying the mechanism into a set of 6 pseudo-first-order reactions. Analysis was carried out with an electrical analog of the system. It is concluded that the decay occurs through the combination of one set of reversible reactions that convert the various NH i (NH i  NH 3 , NH 2 , NH, or N) into each other, and another set of irreversible reactions that remove one or more of the NH i permanently. The behavior of NO is accounted for. It is proposed that the observation that [OH] is below equilibrium can be accounted for by the fact that some dissociation process, which produces radicals, cannot keep up with the consumption of radicals required by the mechanism.
Power and Role-Taking: A Review of Theory, Research, and Practice

Power and role-taking theory argues that social structural arrangements influence face-to-face communication processes. Specifically, powerful and powerless interactants tend to differ in their motivation to take the other's role and in the accuracy of their interpersonal understandings. Basic concepts of the theory and its interrelated propositions are identified. A comprehensive literature review gauged its empirical support. With some qualifications, a set of 26 quantitative studies supported propositions regarding the relationship of unequal power to role-taking propensity, accuracy, and empathy. Examination of 8 qualitative studies offered fruitful directions for theoretical refinements. A set of 15 practice effectiveness studies suggest that role-taking processes in asymmetrical relationships can be changed. Practice implications for social workers committed to challenging the power imbalances typical to crossgender, interracial, interclass, and crossposition relationships are suggested.
A computational comparison of NiII and PtII hydrido-tris(pyrazolyl)borate supported hydroarylation catalysis

Abstract As alkyl-arenes are important feedstock chemicals, synthetic methods more atom economical than traditional Friedel-Crafts and bond-coupling reactions are needed. Pt II complexes have been experimentally demonstrated to facilitate olefin hydroarylation. A TpPt II catalyst model (Tp = hydrido- tris (pyrazolyl)borate) was selected for computational studies. Nickel's low cost prompted its evaluation as it is isoelectronic to platinum. Computational results indicate that nickel and platinum operate through different mechanisms. The TpPt catalyst model activates benzene through a two-step oxidative addition/reductive elimination mechanism with a Pt IV intermediate. However, the TpNi catalyst forms ethylbenzene product and closes the catalytic loop via a single step (sigma-bond metathesis) mechanism. Despite these differences in mechanism, comparable energy barriers (differing by ca. 2 kcal/mol), are derived from density functional theory (DFT) simulations. The present results suggest that attempts to “reverse engineer” precious metal catalyst substitutes with Earth-abundant metals ( e.g. , Pt → Ni) may require reconsideration of typical structure–property relationships in catalyst design.
Influence of dl-methionine and other substances on the nephrotoxic action of dl-serine.

dl-SERINE introduced either by stomach tube or by intraperitoneal injection causes severe kidney damage in young rats1,2. In view of the probable interaction of serine and methionine in the rat3,4, the influence of methionine on the serine effect was studied. Male rats weighing approximately 100 gm. were given 100 mgm. dl-serine by stomach tube and killed 24 hours later. Litter mates received the same amount of serine, and in addition dl-methionine in amounts varying from 100 to 600 mgm. subcutaneously in several injections preceding and following the administration of serine. 24 rats given serine alone showed extensive renal necrosis localized in the region of the corticomedullary junction (see Fig. 1). Of 39 animals given methionine in addition, 30 showed no lesions or only minute lesions (see Fig. 2). Only in two rats was no protective effect seen.
Criminal consequences of childhood sexual victimization

Using a prospective cohorts design, we assess the long-term criminal consequences of childhood sexual abuse through an examination of official criminal histories for a large sample of validated cases of childhood sexual abuse, compared to cases of physical abuse and neglect and a control group matched for age, race, sex, and approximate family socioeconomic status. Compared to other types of abuse and neglect, early childhood sexual abuse does not uniquely increase an individual's risk for later delinquent and adult criminal behavior. Childhood sexual abuse victims were at increased risk of arrest as a juvenile for being a runaway. As adults, child sexual abuse victims were at higher risk of arrest for sex crimes than controls, as were victims of physical abuse and neglect. Childhood sexual abuse victims were more likely to be arrested for prostitution as adults than other abuse and neglect victims and controls, regardless of gender. However, there was no support for a direct relationship among child sexual abuse, arrests for running away in adolescence, and adult arrests for prostitution. The findings also suggest an association for males between physical abuse and arrests for violent sex crimes (rape and/or sodomy). Caution is needed in interpreting these findings because of exclusive reliance on official record data and the possible impact of agency intervention.
Activity-dependent regulation of dendritic growth and maintenance by glycogen synthase kinase 3β

Activity-dependent dendritic development represents a crucial step in brain development, but its underlying mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. Here we report that glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) regulates dendritic development in an activity-dependent manner. We find that GSK3β in somatodendritic compartments of hippocampal neurons becomes highly phosphorylated at serine-9 upon synaptogenesis. This phosphorylation-dependent GSK3β inhibition is mediated by neurotrophin signalling and is required for dendritic growth and arbourization. Elevation of GSK3β activity leads to marked shrinkage of dendrites, whereas its inhibition enhances dendritic growth. We further show that these effects are mediated by GSK3β regulation of surface GABAA receptor levels via the scaffold protein gephyrin. GSK3β activation leads to gephyrin phosphorylation to reduce surface GABAA receptor clusters, resulting in neuronal hyperexcitability that causes dendrite shrinkage. These findings thus identify GSK3β as a key player in activity-dependent regulation of dendritic development by targeting the excitatory-inhibitory balance of the neuron.
Imaging of fluorescent and chemiluminescent DNA hybrids using a 2-D CCD camera

Fluorescent and chemiluminescent detection of DNA hybrids on polymer membranes has been investigated using a cryogenically cooled, slow readout, two dimensional CCD camera in an imaging mode. The fluorescent background characteristics of commercially available nylon blotting membranes and a polypropylene membrane modified to bind DNA have been studied. The polypropylene membrane exhibits a 15-fold increase in DNA binding, 3-fold less background fluorescence and less background noise than nylon blotting membranes. However the detection limits determined from vacuum slot blots of crosslinked fluoresceinlabelled oligonucleotides show that the improved qualities of the polypropylene support do not result in a lower detection limit. This is mainly due to background noise arising from sources other than the membrane itself during the blotting/washing procedure and to a low signal-to-amount of DNA ratio with the polypropylene membrane. The lowest amount of fluorescein-labelled oligonucleotide detectable is 1.4 femtomol, with a typical exposure time of 10 minutes to image a 6x9 cm area of the membrane. The detection of chemiluminescence was done using a biotin-avidin complex in combination with an enzymatic assay. The assay was carried out after hybridization with biotin-labelled probes on vacuum slot blots with crosslinked target DNA. The detection limit is 0.12 femtomol of DNA target, a result obtained after 30 mm exposure. Further improvements are necessary to image sequencing blots with typically 1 femtomol or less of DNA per band in an acceptable exposure time.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Introduction to the special issue on agricultural productivity growth: a closer look at large, developing countries

Productivity is a centrally important issue in economicsbecause it is one of the principal determinants of economicwelfare. Analysis of agricultural productivity has a specialplace in agricultural economics because of the largedependency on natural resources in this sector and periodicconcerns that we may be reaching limits in natural resourcecapital available for food production. The sharp rise inagricultural commodity prices over 2007–2008 elevatedconcerns of global supply and demand imbalances—thatthe rising demand for grain from the increasingly largerand wealthier world population and from the newlyemerging biofuel industry was outstripping the ability offarmers to raise production, thus leading to a permanent eraof higher real agricultural prices.
Effects of donepezil on emotional/behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's disease patients.

BACKGROUND This open-label study examined the effects of the reversible cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil on emotional/behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. METHOD Patients were diagnosed as having probable/possible AD by National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS/ADRDA) criteria. This study used the CERAD Behavior Rating Scale for Dementia (CBRSD) and its subscales to evaluate a group of 25 AD patients treated with donepezil. Dosage was increased at 4 months for most patients from 5 to 10 mg q.h.s. Analysis of variance was used to compare scores over a period of 12 months. These patients were also compared, using t tests, to a reference group that had received no donepezil or other anticholinesterase. RESULTS Donepezil administration was associated with improvement in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and CBRSD total scores at 3-month evaluation (p< or =.05). CBRSD depression and behavioral dysregulation scores improved transiently at 4 months (p< or =.05). MMSE, CBRSD total, CBRSD depression, and CBRSD behavioral dysregulation scores returned to baseline levels at 12 months, in contrast to the reference group, whose MMSE and CBRSD total scores worsened minimally over the 12 months. CONCLUSION Donepezil has a mildly positive effect on emotional/behavioral symptoms in AD in addition to its effect on cognitive function.