cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural Stem Cell Fatty Acid Beta‐Oxidation and Autism Spectrum Disease

Inborn errors of metabolism occur with high incidence in human populations, and inborn deficiencies in fatty acid b-oxidation (FAO) are clinically associated with neurological deficits such as speech weakness, motor delay, and autism. Using in vivo assays for analyzing neural stem cells (NSCs) in the developing mammalian forebrain, we find that neural stem cell (NSC)-autonomous deficiencies in long-chain FAO deplete neural stem cell (NSC) pools from mouse embryonic neocortex. Acute interference with activity of TMLHE (catalyzes the first step in carnitine biosynthesis), or with CPT1A (the rate-limiting enzyme for carnitine-dependent transport of long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria), results in impaired NSC self-renewal. Moreover, dorsal forebrain-specific eviction of the Cpt1a gene resulted in reduced thickness of the murine neocortex at birth. Importantly, NSC deficits induced by TMLHE insufficiencies are rescued by exogenous carnitine in both cultured explants and by supplementation of the maternal...
Pathophysiology of Lymphedema

Although lymphedema is a common disease, the pathophysiology and underlying cellular changes that regulate lymphatic dysfunction after injury remain poorly understood. This lack of understanding is a major obstacle to development of targeted treatment options. As a result, the mainstay treatment of lymphedema currently is palliative options such as compression and physical therapy. Recent studies have aimed to address this gap in our knowledge and have increased our ability to identify patients who are at risk for developing lymphedema and, more importantly, to develop novel methods to treat this disease. These studies have shown that obesity, radiation, infections, and genetic changes significantly increase the risk of developing secondary or iatrogenic lymphedema. In addition, advances in animal studies have shown that fibrosis and the cellular mechanisms that regulate this process play a key role in the pathogenesis of lymphedema. The purpose of this review is to highlight these advances and identify potential areas for future research.
Parents' Knowledge and Acceptability of Mindfulness for Pediatric Asthma Care

Background: In the United States, there are 6.4 million (8.4%) children with asthma. Mindfulness has been shown to improve quality of life and reduce stress for adult asthma patients, but use of this technique has not yet been explored in pediatric asthma patients. Objective: This study aimed to assess knowledge of mindfulness and perceived acceptability to learn about this technique from a health care provider among parents of children with …
Understanding Convergence Between Non-Hispanic Black and White COVID-19 Mortality: A County-Level Approach

BackgroundNon-Hispanic Black populations have suffered greater per capita COVID-19 mortality at more than 1.5 times that of White populations. Previous work has established that, over time, rates of Black and White mortality have converged; however, some studies suggest that regional shifts in COVID-19 prevalence may play a role in the relative change between racial groups. This studys objective was to investigate changes in Black and White COVID-19 mortality over time and uncover potential mechanisms driving these changes. Methods and FindingsUsing county-level COVID-19 mortality data stratified by race, we investigate the trajectory of non-Hispanic Black mortality, White mortality, and the Black/White per capita mortality ratio from June 2020-January 2021. Over this period, in the counties studied, cumulative mortality rose by 56.7% and 82.8% for Black and White populations respectively, resulting in a decrease in mortality ratio of 0.369 (23.8%). These trends persisted even when a county-level fixed-effects model was used to estimate changes over time within counties (controlling for all time-invariant county level characteristics and removing the effects of changes in regional distribution of COVID-19). Next, we leverage county-level variation over time in COVID-19 prevalence to show that the decline in the Black/White mortality ratio can be explained by changes in COVID-19 prevalence. Finally, we study heterogeneity in the time trend, finding that convergence occurs most significantly in younger populations, areas with less dense populations, and outside of the Northeast. Limitations include suppressed data in counties with fewer than 10 deaths in a racial category, and the use of provisional COVID-19 death data that may be incomplete. ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that convergence in Black/White mortality is not driven by county-level characteristics or changes in the regional dispersion of COVID-19, but instead by changes within counties. Further, declines in the Black/White mortality ratio appear strongly linked to changes in COVID-19 prevalence, rather than a time-specific effect. Further studies on changes in exposure by race over time, or on the vulnerability of individuals who died at different points in the pandemic, may provide crucial insight on mechanisms and strategies to further reduce COVID-19 mortality disparities.
Is Off-Target Performance a Real Problem?

The veterinary profession continues to make greater use of production databases in serving the dairy industry. Increasingly sophisticated database management systems allow producers and practitioners to consider the biological, statistical, and economic implications of management interventions. Frequency distributions and simple descriptive statistics can be very helpful in understanding patterns that underlie commonly used measures of dairy herd productivity. Once underlying patterns are understood, statistics can be used to set feasible production targets and confidence intervals to accommodate the variability inherent in biology. This is particularly appropriate for smaller herds or when one wishes to analyze performance over short time periods. Confidence intervals and interference levels can be adjusted to lessen the chances of erroneous conclusions being drawn when sample sizes are small. Consequences of drawing the wrong conclusions are implementing changes when no intervention is warranted, or failing to act quickly enough in response to falling productivity. Practicing veterinarians can apply these simple-to-use practical techniques which help avoid the trap of confusing normal variation with real changes in productivity.
Analyzing human factor impacts of a programming pedagogy strategy at University of Coimbra: a long term assessment

This paper presents an ethnographic study, focusing on the human factor impacts, by analyzing the relation of the pedagogical strategy requirements implemented into a regular programming classes with the efficacy of the classroom changes proposed to improve teaching practice and study behavior. The paper summarizes the updates implemented in the Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (IPRP in Portuguese equivalent acronym), the first programming course offered for two undergraduates degrees, Informatics Engineering and Design and Multimedia, by the Informatics Engineering Department at the University of Coimbra. The changes applied in IPRP were inspired by pedagogical strategy recommendations developed in previous research, and its updated version has been run since 2011/12 academic year. The present study reports only the developments observed in IPRP classes from the Design and Multimedia degree through the lecturer's point of view assessments
Performance-Portable Graph Coarsening for Efficient Multilevel Graph Analysis

The multilevel heuristic is an effective strategy for speeding up graph analytics, and graph coarsening is an integral step of multilevel methods. We perform a comprehensive study of multilevel coarsening in this work. We primarily focus on the graphics processing unit (GPU) parallelization of the Heavy Edge Coarsening (HEC) method executed in an iterative setting. We present optimizations for the two phases of coarsening, a fine-to-coarse vertex mapping phase, and a coarse graph construction phase. We also express several other coarsening algorithms using the Kokkos framework and discuss their parallelization. We demonstrate the efficacy of parallelized HEC on an NVIDIA Turing GPU and a 32-core AMD Ryzen processor using multilevel spectral graph partitioning as the primary case study.
A Life Worth Pursuing: Confucian Ritual Propriety (禮) in Self-cultivation

What is Confucian ritual propriety, 禮 (li)? Why is it so important that throughout history Confucian thinkers regard it as one of the five cardinal moral/virtuous principles toward self-cultivation? Is ritual propriety still relevant to present-day people’s lives across the so-called Confucian-heritage cultures? Surprisingly, little psychological research on ritual propriety exists despite increasing scholarship on it from humanities and other social sciences. An important part of East Asian lives is amiss if their ritual way of life is not understood. To take an initial step, I start with the central meaning, importance, and practice of Confucian ritual propriety. Next, I draw on the two senses of li: (1) A set of standards for behavior (passed down traditionally), translated as rites and (2) personal learning and tendency to practice li, translated as ritual propriety, as a personal virtue. However, the former provides the cultural background, but the latter is my focus for this chapter. Ritual propriety involves cognition, emotion, motivation, and behavior among other processes; therefore, it is surely a psychological domain. I present a conceptual delineation of what Confucian ritual propriety is, what functions it serves in East Asian lives, how it is usually practiced, and what the underlying principles are. I conclude the chapter by discussing the need to conduct general psychological research on ritual propriety.
Fabricating Robust Constructs with Internal Phase Nanostructures via Liquid-in-Liquid 3D Printing

The ability to print soft materials into predefined architectures with programmable nanostructures and mechanical properties is a necessary requirement for creating synthetic biomaterials that mimic living tissues. However, the low viscosity of common materials and lack of required mechanical properties in the final product present an obstacle to the use of traditional additive manufacturing approaches. Here, a new liquid-in-liquid 3D printing approach is used to successfully fabricate constructs with internal nanostructures using in situ self-assembly during the extrusion of an aqueous solution containing surfactant and photocurable polymer into a stabilizing polar oil bath. Subsequent photopolymerization preserves the nanostructures created due to surfactant self-assembly at the immiscible liquid-liquid interface, which is confirmed by small-angle X-ray scattering. Mechanical properties of the photopolymerized prints are shown to be tunable based on constituent components of the aqueous solution. The reported 3D printing approach expands the range of low-viscosity materials that can be used in 3D printing, and enables robust constructs production with internal nanostructures and spatially defined features. The reported approach has broad applications in regenerative medicine by providing a platform to print self-assembling biomaterials into complex tissue mimics where internal supramolecular structures and their functionality control biological processes, similar to natural extracellular matrices.
Fate and Biological Action of Antigen-Antibody Complexes1

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the fate of antigen-antibody complexes in animals, which depends on both the nature of the antigen involved and the immune state of the animal. The chapter deals only with complexes composed of soluble serum protein antigens and their specific antibodies, because a correlation between the in vivo behavior of complexes and their biological activity can be made only with these systems. The chapter examines the biological activity of antigen-antibody complexes and describes the effect of complement on the behavior of antigen-antibody complexes. The in vitro reaction of complement with antigen-antibody complexes results in a number of secondary phenomena such as lysis of sensitized erythrocytes, activation of proenzymes, production of anaphylatoxin, and precipitation of soluble antigen-antibody complexes. The role of complement in the biological reactions mediated by soluble antigen-antibody complexes is evaluated. It is shown that numerous pathological reactions occur as a result of the interaction between antigen and antibody both in vivo and in isolated tissue. The chapter demonstrates that certain soluble antigen-antibody complexes prepared with excess antigen produce anaphylaxis, smooth muscle contraction, lesions of serum sickness, and cutaneous reactions.
Imaging diagnosis of brain metastasis.

Hematogeneous spread of primary neoplasm can result in central nervous system (CNS) disease burden in various anatomically distinct regions; calvarial, pachymeningeal, leptomeningeal, and intraparench
Several manifestations of pauli correlations in energetic ion-atom collisions

In our discussion of Pauli correlation effects in collisions, we shall limit consideration to a fixed basis of spin-orbitals of the target, given by the static Hartree-Fock (HF) approximation, together with hydrogenic orbitals for electrons captured by the projectile. Moreover, we shall restrict attention to closed shell cases or to the case with one half-occupied s-shell, so that the mean field has spherical symmetry. The case of more general open shells requires multiplet theory which, strictly speaking, goes beyond the independent particle model (IPM) by involving a linear combination of determinants. In the case discussed here we can use the m-scheme in which many-electron states are specified by the quantum numbers k = (n,l,m/sub l/,m/sub s/) of each occupied spin-orbital. The initial state of an F-electron system will be specified by the spin-orbital labels h/sub 1/,...,h/sub F/. Reactions will be described in terms of occupancies and vacancies of spin-orbitals. 19 refs.
Isolation of a protein component of sodium-potassium transport adenosine triphosphatase containing ligand-protected sulfhydryl groups.

Abstract The sodium- and potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na+ + K+)-ATPase was partially purified from a microsomal fraction of whole rabbit brain, homogenized in a deoxycholate buffer. Suspension and separation by flotation of the resulting lipoproteins in a linear gradient of potassium iodide formed the basis of a rapid preparative technique, whereby the enzyme-containing lipoproteins were harvested as a lipoid pellicle, following centrifugation in 1.5 m potassium iodide. After treatment of the resulting preparation with sodium dodecyl sulfate, disc gel electrophoresis revealed seven bands, the most prominent of which had a mobility corresponding to a molecular weight of 98,000. The enzyme protein was labeled in parallel incubations with N-ethyl[14C]maleimide and N-ethyl[3H]maleimide in the absence and presence, respectively, of protecting ligands after which it was solubilized in sodium dodecyl sulfate. The initial separation of the resulting sodium dodecyl sulfate-protein complexes by agarose filtration revealed the presence of ligand-protected sulfhydryl groups on a protein of high molecular weight. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-protein complexes were subsequently resolved by preparative disc gel electrophoresis, and the protected sulfhydryl groups were found to be confined to a single component. This component was coincident with the 98,000 molecular weight band.
The Measurement And Functional Properties Of Reinforcer Value In Single-Alternative Responding: A Test Of Linear System Theory

Matching theory and linear system theory make different predictions about how the y-asymptote, k, of Herrnstein’s (1970) hyperbola varies with reinforcer value. The present experiment tested both these predictions and linear system theory’s account of how reinforcement rate and reinforcer value jointly govern response rate. Eight rats served as subjects. In Phase 1, 3 sucrose pellets of different concentration (5%, 75%, and 95%) were alternately paired with a fourth concentration (50%) on concurrent VI VI schedules. By fitting linear system theory’s equation for concurrent choice, measures of reinforcer value were assigned to each concentration for each subject. The reinforcer values for the 50%, 75%, and 95% were roughly equivalent, and the reinforcer values for the 5% concentration were lower. In Phase 2 subjects were exposed to a series of single-alternative VI schedules (8, 17, 55, 150, and 250 sec) and each sucrose concentration was studied separately, with a 25% pellet added. Herrnstein’s equation was fitted to response rate as a function of reinforcement rate for each concentration. The asymptote, k, was roughly equivalent under the 50%, 75%, and 95% pellets, but was lower for the 5% and 25% pellets. The measures of reinforcer value from Phase 1 suggest that the equivalent ks in Phase 2 were the result of equivalent reinforcer values. Matching theory predicts that k should remain constant across changes in reinforcer value. The value of k varied with reinforcer value, and the form of variability in k supported linear system theory’s prediction of a positively accelerating function. Linear system theory’s prediction about how reinforcement rate and reinforcer value jointly govern response rate was also supported. The results contradict matching theory’s account and support linear system theory’s account of single-alternative responding.
Differential Equations Driven by Hölder Continuous Functions of Order Greater than 1/2

We derive estimates for the solutions to differential equations driven by a H\"older continuous function of order $\beta>1/2$. As an application we deduce the existence of moments for the solutions to stochastic partial differential equations driven by a fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter $H>{1/2}$.
A naphthyl analog of the aminostyryl pyridinium class of potentiometric membrane dyes shows consistent sensitivity in a variety of tissue, cell, and model membrane preparations

The fast potentiometric indicator di-4-ANEPPS is examined in four different preparations: lipid vesicles, red blood cells, squid giant axon, and guinea pig heart. The dye gives consistent potentiometric responses in each of these systems, although some of the detailed behavior varies. In lipid vesicles, the dye displays an increase in fluorescence combined with a red shift of the excitation spectrum upon hyperpolarization. Similar behavior is found in red cells where a dual wavelength radiometric measurement is also demonstrated. The signal-to-noise ratio of the potentiometric fluorescence response is among the best ever recorded on the voltage-clamped squid axon. The dye is shown to be a faithful and persistent monitor of cardiac action potentials with no appreciable loss of signal or deterioration of cardiac activity for periods as long as 2 hr with intermittent illumination every 10 min. These results, together with previously published applications of the dye to a spherical lipid bilayer model and to cells in culture, demonstrate the versatility of di-4-ANEPPS as a fast indicator of membrane potential.
Effects of 5-fluorouracil on exocrine glands. I. gland weights in mice receiving synthetic polynucleotides.

SummaryBody weights and weights of major salivary glands and pancreas of mice given sublethal doses of 5-FUR were studied after pilocarpine or poly A:U injection. Body weights showed a significant decrease during the first 5 days after 5-FUR alone, while in the same period the glandular weights increased in all 4 organs. Injections of pilocarpine prior to sacrifice abolished the increase in glandular weights in salivary glands, but the pancreas failed to respond. This increase in organ weight was thought to be due to the inability of the organs to release synthesized secretory products. An injection of poly A:U 24 hr prior to sacrifice produced a uniform release of secretory products during the recovery phase in all of the organs studied. Such effect was notably absent on day 5 when the 5-FUR effect was at a maxium. It is concluded that the introduction of synthetic poly A:U might improve the recovery processes following nucleotide insult, as well as trigger release mechanisms in a manner which is differe...
Construction of a BAC Library for a Defoliating Insect-Resistant Soybean and Identification of Candidate Clones Using a Novel Approach

Positional cloning of an insect-resistance quantitative trait locus (QTL) requires the construction of a large-insert genomic DNA library from insect-resistant genotypes. To facilitate cloning of a major defoliating insect-resistance QTL on linkage group M of the soybean genetic map, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library for PI 229358 was constructed and characterized. The HindIII BAC library contains 55,296 clones with an average insert size 131 kb. This library represents a 6-fold soybean haploid genome equivalents, allowing a 99.8% probability of recovering any specific sequence of interest in soybean. BAC filters were screened with a genomic DNA probe Sat_258sc2 obtained through genome walking from flanking sequences of a simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker, Sat_258, which links to the insect-resistance QTL. Thirteen BAC clones were identified positive for Sat_258sc2, and two of them were confirmed to carry Sat_258. The results suggest that this library is useful in positional cloning of the major insect-resistance QTL, and the approach presented here can be used to screen a BAC library for a SSR marker without requiring the creation of BAC pools.
Neuro-intelligence, neuro-metrics and the next phase of brain imaging studies

Abstract Twenty years have passed since the first neuro-imaging study of intelligence. Researchers from around the world are now using a variety of imaging techniques to investigate the neural basis of intelligence, establishing the field of “neuro-intelligence”. The papers in this special issue help usher in the next phase of neuro-intelligence research. Among other issues, they illustrate some of the progress made in identifying key brain areas and in elucidating the concept of brain efficiency. Samples include children, adults, and seniors. Imaging includes structural assessments and functional determinations during cognitive tests of memory and processing speed. Intelligence measures address g and other factors. Some brain/intelligence relationships apparently differ for males and females. The data are intriguing. The field is maturing. The pace is quickening. As intelligence research engages 21st century neuroscience, new hypotheses and new controversies are inevitable. What a terrific time to work in this field.
Adaptive and big data scale parallel execution in oracle

This paper showcases some of the newly introduced parallel execution methods in Oracle RDBMS. These methods provide highly scalable and adaptive evaluation for the most commonly used SQL operations - joins, group-by, rollup/cube, grouping sets, and window functions. The novelty of these techniques is their use of multi-stage parallelization models, accommodation of optimizer mistakes, and the runtime parallelization and data distribution decisions. These parallel plans adapt based on the statistics gathered on the real data at query execution time. We realized enormous performance gains from these adaptive parallelization techniques. The paper also discusses our approach to parallelize queries with operations that are inherently serial. We believe all these techniques will make their way into big data analytics and other massively parallel database systems.
Shuttle-C, evolution to a heavy lift launch vehicle

NASA is defining an unmanned, expendable derivative of the Space Shuttle, called Shuttle-C, that can provide a near-term heavy lift launch capability. The major Shuttle-C program guidelines and objectives are outlined, and the background to the concept is reviewed. Possible Shuttle-C payloads and a typical mission are briefly described. The present status and goals of the Shuttle-C concept are considered.
Exploring potential energy surfaces for chemical reactions: An overview of some practical methods

Potential energy surfaces form a central concept in the application of electronic structure methods to the study of molecular structures, properties, and reactivities. Recent advances in tools for exploring potential energy surfaces are surveyed. Methods for geometry optimization of equilibrium structures, searching for transition states, following reaction paths and ab initio molecular dynamics are discussed. For geometry optimization, topics include methods for large molecules, QM/MM calculations, and simultaneous optimization of the wave function and the geometry. Path optimization methods and dynamics based techniques for transition state searching and reaction path following are outlined. Developments in the calculation of ab initio classical trajectories in the Born-Oppenheimer and Car-Parrinello approaches are described.
Liquid, Glass, and Protein Vibrational Dynamics: Infrared Vibrational Echo Experiments

Abstract The vibrational dynamics of polyatomic molecules in polyatomic liquids, glasses and proteins are examined using picosecond infrared vibrational echo experiments and pump-probe experiments as a function of temperature. The vibrational echo experiments measure T2, the homogenous dephasing time, while the pump-probe experiments measure the vibrational lifetime, T1, and orientational relaxation dynamics. By combining these measurements, a complete analysis of vibrational dynamics is obtained. Systems studied include tungsten hexacarbonyl in the organic glasses 2-methylpentane, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, and dibutylphthalate, and wild-type and mutant myoglobin-CO in glycerol/water.
Negotiation Theory and the Intifadat

The evolution of the Arab Spring in eight countries is primarily a matter of negotiation. The instances can be broken down into Short Track (Tunisia, Egypt) and Long Track (Syria, Libya, Yemen) Transitions and Short Track (Algeria, Morocco, Bahrain) Reactions. They bring a number of lessons for negotiation analysis, primarily on scope and power, and their deviation from an ideal type model can be explained by the predominance of distributive over integrative negotiation and the imposition of a three-dimensional scene for negotiation and legitimization, with an Islamic dimension overlaying the usual left-right spectrum.
Mothers' and Fathers' Depressive Symptoms and Conflict-Resolution Strategies in the Marriage and Children's Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors

Abstract The authors examined mothers' and fathers' avoidance and attacking conflict-resolution strategies in the marriage and their depressive symptoms as they related to children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors. A nonclinical community sample of 51 families and their children's 1st-grade teachers (N = 41) participated. Both mothers and teachers completed a behavior-problem checklist in order to evaluate the incidence of internalizing and externalizing behaviors in the children. Correlational statistics revealed significant associations between parents' avoidance and attacking strategies and their depressive symptoms. Also, parents' use of avoidance was related to more internalizing behaviors in the children. When hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine the contributions of the parents' attributes to children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors, mothers' avoidance and an interaction between mothers' and fathers' avoidance were identified as significant predictors of chil...
Cumulative integrated electromyographic activity of selected speech-related muscle groups of nonstutterers during massed oral readings

Abstract The electromyographic (EMG) integrated amplitude of masseter and laryngeal muscle groups were analyzed during five massed oral readings of 16 nonstuttering adult subjects. Reduction in dysfluencies were observed over the five trials as was a reduction in reading time across trials. Significant decreases in EMG activity across trials were found for the laryngeal, but not the masseter, EMG activity. This suggests that changes in vocal behavior thought to accompany adaptation are reflected in decreases in EMG activity of select speech-related muscle groups.
Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs and Behaviors Among American Indian Women in Kansas and Missouri: a Qualitative Inquiry

American Indian women have rising incidence and disproportionate mortality rates due to breast cancer. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we conducted ten focus groups with American Indian women in Kansas and Missouri to understand their barriers to mammography and identify ways to intervene to improve screening rates. Focus groups were stratified by screening status, including women who were up to date with current screening mammography recommendations (mammogram within the last 2 years, N = 7 groups, 66 participants) and women who were not (N = 3 groups, 18 participants). While many similarities were identified across strata, some differences emerged, particularly descriptions of prior negative experiences with the health care system among women who were not up to date with screening recommendations. Primary areas identified by participants for intervention included culturally appropriate educational materials and interventions directed specifically at improving American Indian women’s trust in Western medicine and alleviating feelings of discrimination.
A sparse approximate inverse preconditioner for parallel preconditioning of general sparse matrices

A factored sparse approximate inverse is computed and used as a preconditioner for solving general sparse matrices. The algorithm is derived from a matrix decomposition algorithm for inverting dense nonsymmetric matrices. Several strategies and special data structures are proposed to implement the algorithm efficiently. Sparsity patterns of the factored inverse are exploited to reduce computational cost. The preconditioner possesses greater inherent parallelism than traditional preconditioners based on incomplete LU factorizations. Numerical experiments are used to show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed sparse approximate inverse preconditioner.
Sputtered Pb(Zr, Ti)O 3 Thin Films for Ferroelectric Capacitors

Sputtered Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 thin films with superior ferroelectric properties were successfully obtained by controlling the grain structure and the film compositions. We found that amorphous PbTiO3 buffer layers are effective in forming PZT thin films with fine dense grains. The sputtered PZT thin films with Ti-rich phase showed excellent ferroelectric properties. The polarization retention properties of PZT capacitors with Ti-rich phase are remarkable, and the value of the retained polarization density after 10 years is expected to be larger than 40 μC/cm2. Further, 150-nm-thick PZT capacitors with Zr/Ti=30/70 showed 2P, at 1.5 V of more than 30 μC/cm2, and good retention property. These results indicate the potential of the lower voltage operation of sputtered PZT capacitors by optimizing the film composition and thickness.
Determination of gold-layer and dead-layer thicknesses for a Si(Li) detector☆

Abstract Proton-induced C(K α ) and O(K α ) X-rays have been used to determine the efficiencies for detection of these X-rays by a Si(Li) detector. The efficiencies permitted evaluation of the effective gold-layer and dead-layer thicknesses for the detector.
Community Service Self-Efficacy and Summer Service-Learning: Comparative Analyses Among Academically Talented Youth

This article presents findings from a pre-/post-comparative study of the levels of community service self­ efficacy of academically-talented adolescents enrolled in a summer academic camp. Students required to complete community service activities as part of their social science-based community service-learning class are compared to students in humanities and science courses, which did not include a civic education component. Findings revealed significant overtime changes in community service self­ efficacy scores for students who participated in the service-learning program as compared to those who did not complete a service-learning experience.
Effects of cast-gold mandibular dentures on the vertical dimension of rest position

Abstract This investigation compared the weight of gold-base lower dentures with the weight of the hard and soft tissues lost by patients with residual ridge resorption. The vertical dimension of rest position was determined electromyographically and checked at intervals following the wearing of mandibular dentures with gold bases. The five patients in this study demonstrated an average 0.9 mm. increase in their vertical dimension of rest position. This increase appeared to be well tolerated, and all patients adjusted well to their dentures.
Asymmetric Information: A Rationale for Corporate Speculation

Abstract This paper demonstrates how managers with private information about firms′ exposure to risk may, in the best interest of shareholders, engage in speculation instead of hedging as the conventional wisdom tells us. The reason is that when profits serve as a signal of firms′ values, speculative trades can be used to distort profits and hence manipulate stock prices to the shareholders′ advantage. A consequence of such corporate speculation is that stock prices become less informative about firms′ true worth. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: D82, G14, G32.
Juvenile granulosa cell tumour in an equine weanling.

Abstract A juvenile granulosa cell tumour is described in a 3-month-old Arabian filly. The 32 × 27 × 27 cm tumour had replaced the right ovary. The neoplasm was composed of multiple nodules of neoplastic granulosa cells which formed microfollicles, macrofollicles and cysts, as well as solid nests and trabeculae. The supporting stroma contained theca cells. Mixing of the neoplastic granulosa cells and theca cells in disorderly fashion was noted. The diagnosis was based on age of occurrence and histological appearance.
The CESR Control System

Computer control of CESR, the Cornell (8 + 8)GeV e+e- colliding-beam facility, places special emphasis on response speed, operator convenience, and economy of programming effort. Individual subsystem computers (PDP-11/34@) run autonomously under standard operating systems. Each has its own high-speed data bus network through which it controls accelerator components and accepts operator commands. Message traffic between computers is restricted to links which give a central DECsystem-1070 direct memory access to each of the PDP-11s. The 1070 can control higher-level operations by using slave tasks running in the PDP-11s; it also makes its resources available for data storage and manipulation, editing of program source files (mostly FORTRAN), and preprocessing by the FLECS translator.
The E162 radiant panel flammability test and foamed plastics

A limited number of flammability tests of foamed plastics indicates that the ASTM E162 radiant panel test will rank thermosetting foamed plastics in a plausible merit sequence. The method attributes undue merit, however, to the influence of the low emissivity of aluminum-foil-facing and rates thermoplastic foams very favorably because of their melting and dripping characteristics.
Missed lesions at CT colonography: lessons learned

Misinterpretation at CT colonography (CTC) can result in either a colorectal lesion being missed (false-negative) or a false-positive diagnosis. This review will largely focus on potential missed lesions—and ways to avoid such misses. The general causes of false-negative interpretation at CTC can be broadly characterized and grouped into discrete categories related to suboptimal study technique, specific lesion characteristics, anatomic location, and imaging artifacts. Overlapping causes further increase the likelihood of missing a clinically relevant lesion. In the end, if the technical factors of bowel preparation, colonic distention, and robust CTC software are adequately addressed on a consistent basis, and the reader is aware of all the potential pitfalls at CTC, important lesions will seldom be missed.
Psychological preparation of patients for surgical procedures

Techniques developed over the last 30 years for preparing patients for surgical procedures include supplying information, cognitive coping strategies, relaxation and hypnosis, reassurance and support, and rehearsal. Intending to provide a practical guide for health-care practitioners, the author reviews research on the efficacy of these methods and on comparisons between methods and makes recommendations for further studies.
Characterization of equilibrium intermediates in denaturant-induced unfolding of ferrous and ferric cytochromes c using magnetic circular dichroism, circular dichroism, and optical absorption spectroscopies.

Protein unfolding during guanidine HCl denaturant titration of the reduced and oxidized forms of cytochrome c is monitored with magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), natural CD, and absorption of the heme bands and far-UV CD of the amide bands. Direct MCD spectral evidence is presented for bis-histidinyl heme ligation in the unfolded states of both the reduced and oxidized protein. For both redox states, the unfolding midpoints measured with MCD, which is an indicator of tertiary structure, are significantly lower than those measured with far-UV CD, an indicator of secondary structure. The disparate titration curves are interpreted in terms of a compound mechanism for denaturant-induced folding and unfolding involving a molten globulelike intermediate state (MG) with near-native secondary structure and nonnative tertiary structure and heme ligation. A comparison of the dependence of the free energy of formation of the MG intermediate on the redox state with the known contributions from heme ligation and solvation suggests that the heme is significantly more accessible to solvent in the MG intermediate than it is in the native state.
GRACE Mission Promises improved maps of Earth gravity

Twin satellites, each the size of a sub-compact car, flying in formation around the Earth 16 times each day in a polar orbit, are set to revolutionize our knowledge about gravity on the planet. Launched on 17 March from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) promises to produce 60 gravity maps of the Earth, one each month for 5 years. Scientists estimate the maps will be 100–1,000 times more accurate than those currently used. In addition to providing basic gravity information, the mapping information will be used to study oceanography hydrology glaciology and other fields.
Independent influence of chronic hypoxia and sexual development upon circulating erythrocyte concentration in male chickens.

SummaryIn cockerels raised at high altitude and sea level, and with the sexual development of some repressed by stilbestrol treatment, it is possible to differentiate the erythropoietic effect of androgens and chronic hypoxia. The actions of these factors appear to be independent of each other, a particular level of androgen (indicated by gonad size) producing equal increments in the hematocrit, in either the presence or absence of hypoxia.
Thermodynamic Equations for Dysprosium-Aluminum Garnet near Its Néel Point

A thermodynamic argument is used to derive equations describing a cubic antiferro-magnet during a stress-broadened first-order phase transition. A linear relation between the heat capacity and the thermal expansivity of dysprosium-aluminum garnet is found to be consistent with the present results as well as those obtained by Janovec for a lambda-transition. It is concluded that agreement with an equation of this type is not sufficient to determine the nature of a phase transition.
Soil moisture and plant residue addition interact in their effect on extracellular enzyme activity

Abstract Water availability strongly affects soil microbial activity and community composition. In a laboratory incubation we investigated the combined effect of soil moisture potential (−10 kPa, −135 kPa, and
Effects of theophylline and dibutyryl cyclic AMP on proliferation and keratinization of human keratinocytes.

SUMMARY Recent evidence suggested that cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) may be involved in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. The effects of theophylline and dibutyryl cAMP on cell division and keratinization of human epidermal cultures were examined. Nine to 12-dayold cultures were treated with these agents, separately and in combination, for various intervals. Both agents, either singly or in combination, depressed mitoses. The maximum mitotic inhibition was obtained in cultures treated with theophylline or theophylline plus dibutyryl cAMP. Tritiated thymidine studies showed that the test agents had no effect on labelling index (LI) at 4 h, but a 74% inhibition of LI was observed at 24 h. The maximum inhibition of LI (93%) occurred at 96 hours. In contrast to the control cultures, which rarely contain keratohyaline granules (KG), a marked increase in the production of these granules occurred in cultures treated with dibutyryl cAMP plus theophylline. The KG were present over the whole outgrowth. Theophylline alone also stimulated the production of KG, whereas dibutyryl cAMP had no effect. These data show that these agents inhibit cell division and this inhibition may be accompanied by an increased production of KG.
Magnesium Lauryl Sulfate in Tableting: Effect on Ejection Force and Compressibility

Abstract The effect of magnesium lauryl sulfate on tablet ejection force and filler compressibility was evaluated and compared to magnesium stearate in four direct compression fillers (micro- crystalline cellulose, compressible starch, spray-dried lactose, and direct compression sucrose) and a typical wet granulation (terra alba) using a rotary tablet press instrumented to monitor ejection and compression forces. Generally, higher concentrations of magnesium lauryl sulfate were required to produce ejection forces similar to those obtained with magnesium stearate. However, batches employing magnesium stearate were generally less compressible than batches employing magnesium lauryl sulfate at levels sufficient to produce similar or lower ejection forces.
Hedgehog patterns midbrain ARChitecture

Recent work from Agarwala et al. has uncovered exquisite ventral patterning in the mesencephalon. Using electroporation in chicks, they show that ectopic expression of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) in dorsal mesencephalon can recapitulate this patterning in its entirety. These results are discussed in the context of the purported role of Shh as a morphogen.
Dynamic Radiography: A New Technique For Epicardial Imaging*

A new radiographic system has been developed for use in mapping three-dimensional epicardial motion. The new radiograph consists of an array of detectors arranged such that they monitor 1 cm strip of scattering photons along a contour across the cardiac surface. Synthesis of the detector data permits immediate display of the beating cardiac contour on a CRT screen for observation and analysis. The entire radiographic system is under microprocessor control. Location of the cardiac surface and initial cardiac contour display is possible within ten seconds of a scan's initiation. The system has been carefully validated on mechanical models. Studies with anesthetized canines demonstrate the new radiograph in a physiological environment. Eventual clinical use is expected to provide the physician with accurate data on ventricular function at patient costs and radiation dose rates lower than those of other available techniques.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Signature of the intermediate mass Higgs boson at the CERN LHC with flavor tagging.

We examine the exclusive signature {ital e}{sup {plus_minus}}({mu}{sup {plus_minus}})+{ital b{bar b}} in the associated production of the intermediate mass Higgs boson with a {ital W} boson. We show that it is feasible to use this signature to identify the Higgs boson in the lower intermediate mass region (90 to 130 GeV) at the CERN LHC with reasonable acceptance cuts by assuming effective bottom-jet identification. We further demonstrate that the background can be reduced with judicious cuts down to the level of the signal.
Review: Vitamin D supplementation improves some balance measures but not muscle strength in older adults

Source Citation Muir SW, Montero-Odasso M. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength, gait and balance in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011;59...
Brushite crystals grown by diffusion in silica gel and in solution

Abstract Brushite, CaHPO4·2H2O, occurs in phosphatic deposits and in biological systems as one of the components of human urinary and dental calculi. Because of its occurrence in biological systems; it is important that the conditions for the crystal growth of brushite and its relationship with the other biologically important calcium phosphates (e.g., octacalcium phosphate, Ca8H2(PO4)6·5H2O; whitlockite; β-(Ca, Mg)3(PO4)2; and apatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2; are understood. Two crystals growth methods which utilize the slow diffusion of ions, and therefore best simulate the conditions under which biological crystals form, are reported here: (i) growth by diffusion in silica gel and (ii) growth by diffusion in dilute acid solution. A variation of the latter was made by growing brushite crystals on the surface of teeth suspended in phosphate solutions. Differences in growth morphology are observed as influenced by temperature, and presence of other ions (such as F−, CO32− P2O74−, Sr2+, Mg2+). It is demonstrated that the gel system offers a convenient tool for observing effects of various ions and conditions (pH and temperature) on the growth morphology of brushite crystals and on its co-existence and relationship with octacalcium phosphate, whitlockite and apatite.
Growth of Pinned Quantized Vortex Lines in Helium II

A model is proposed for the onset of instability of superflow in a narrow tube assuming growth of a primordial vortex pinned to irregularities on the wall. A description of subcritical and supercritical flow is obtained closely paralleling that proposed by Donnelly on a phase-slip argument. The critical velocity corresponds to the minimum radius of curvature of the pinned vortex line. The operation of a quantized-vortex-ring mill is described.
Restorative effects of alpha-1A adrenergic are detectable using T2* and targeted nanoparticles in a mouse myocardial infarction (MI) model

Background Apoptosis is believed to play a major role in the progressive weakening of the peri-infarct and remote zone myocardium after myocardial infarction (MI). Our laboratory previously developed an in vivo, MRI-detectable apoptosis probe. Annexin-V (ANX), which binds to cells undergoing apoptosis, was conjugated to superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles, allowing for the non-invasive detection of early apoptotic cell populations (ANX-SPIO r1: 8.6 ±0 .61 mM-1 s-1 and r2: 326 ±1 6 mM-1 s-1). In recent work, we demonstrated A61603 (A6), an a1adrenergic receptor agonist, can rescue cardiac cells from apoptosis through activation of the cardio-protective ERK pathway. We tested whether pre-treatment with A6 was able to prevent the functional decline after MI via an antiapoptotic mechanism, and whether T2* cardiac MRI, using ANX-SPIO, was sensitive to this dynamic protective effect. Our hypothesis was that A6 pre-treatment protects against MI-induced cardiomyopathy more effectively than A6 treatment after MI. Methods Female fvb/n mice were divided into three experimental groups. The A6 PREMI group underwent subcutaneous pump implant that delivered A6 two days before LAD ligation. The A6 MI and vehicle (VEH) groups underwent MI surgery simultaneously with subcutaneous A6 or vehicle pump implantation. Pump rate was 10 ng/kg/day over a course of two weeks, and all groups had their pumps reimplanted after two weeks. Cardiac MRI (CMR) was performed at 1, 2, and 4 weeks post MI. ANX-SPIO was delivered via tail vein one day prior to CMR to simultaneously