cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endogenous Klebsiella endophthalmitis as the presentation of both Klebsiella liver abscess and underlying anti-IFN-3 autoimmunity.

This case study is one of the first ever reported examples of infection in a patient with anti-IFN-3 autoimmunity and demonstrates how overwhelming infection can sometimes present with visual symptoms. We report the case of a previously fit middle-aged patient presenting with painless loss of vision and loss of appetite. Examination showed choroidal abscess and a pan-uveitis, leading to admission for vitreous biopsy. Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated both in the vitreous and in blood cultures. Subsequent investigation discovered a liver abscess which was treated with percutaneous drainage. Despite the administration of intravitreal antibiotics from the time of presentation, intravenous antibiotics and vitrectomy on the same day, the patient proceeded to need enucleation 19 days later, and now has only light perception in the remaining eye. The strong association between K. pneumoniae endophthalmitis and underlying liver abscess leads to a significant mortality rate. Early diagnosis is essential, with prompt aggressive treatment with antibiotics, but sadly the visual prognosis remains poor. In cases of suspected choroidal abscess, initiation of sepsis screen and immediate empirical treatment is vital to improve this prognosis. This patient had no significant past medical history, no known immunocompromise, was not diabetic and had no recent significant foreign travel. However, further immunological analysis demonstrated the presence of anti-IFN-3 antibodies, a hitherto under-reported potential cause of increased susceptibility to infection, and so cases of sepsis in previously healthy individuals should be considered for further immunology assessment.
Suggestion that recent (≤ 3 Ga) flux of kilometer and larger impactors in the Earth-Moon system has not been constant

Abstract Lunar impact crater chronologies have been developed by combining carefully measured crater densities of lunar terrains with radiometric ages provided by returned samples. However, due to the sparse coverage of the samples during the last three billion years, this part of the chronologies is not well constrained. Lunar crater chronologies generally assume that the bombardment rate has been relatively constant during this epoch for all impactor sizes. Nevertheless, evidence has been gathering that this may not be the case for impactors larger than several hundred meters; however, there may be biases related to some of this evidence. The break-up of large asteroids in the Main Asteroid Belt to make asteroid families could be a source of a changing impact flux in the Earth-Moon system, especially when the families form near strong orbital resonances with the gas giants. In order to further explore the state of the impact flux from today to three billion years ago for impactors larger than ~5 km, we calculate crater retention model ages of 43 lunar craters 50 km and larger in diameter (D). Selected craters were initially suggested by United States Geological Survey geological maps of the Moon and Wilhems (1987) to have formed during the Copernican and Eratosthenian. We use the density of small (D
Exploratory Study of Cat Adoption in Families of Children with Autism: Impact on Children's Social Skills and Anxiety.

Abstract Purpose The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) occurs in one in 54 children and companion animals (CA) are common in families of children with ASD. Despite evidence of CA ownership benefits for children with ASD, little is known about cats. The purpose was to explore the impact of shelter cat adoption by families of children with ASD. Design and methods This was the first randomized controlled trial of adoption of a temperament screened cat by families of children with ASD. Families assigned to the treatment group adopted a cat and were followed for 18 weeks. Families assigned to the control group were followed for 18 weeks without intervention, then converted to treatment, by adopting a cat and were followed another 18 weeks. Adopted cats were screened using the Feline Temperament Profile to identify a calm temperament. Surveys measured children's social skills and anxiety and parent/child cat bonding. Results Our study (N = 11) found cat adoption was associated with greater Empathy and less Separation Anxiety for children with ASD, along with fewer problem behaviors including Externalizing, Bullying and Hyperactivity/Inattention. Parents and children reported strong bonds to the cats. Conclusion This exploratory study found introduction of a cat into the home may have a positive impact on children with ASD and their parents. Based on this intial finding, future studies with larger sample sizes are recommended. Practice implications If parents of children with ASD are considering cat adoption, health care providers might consider recommending adoption of a cat screened for calm temperament.
Post‐training stimulation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex impairs working memory training performance

Research investigating transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to enhance cognitive training augments both our understanding of its long-term effects on cognitive plasticity as well as potential applications to strengthen cognitive interventions. Previous work has demonstrated enhancement of working memory training while applying concurrent tDCS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). However, the optimal stimulation parameters are still unknown. For example, the timing of tDCS delivery has been shown to be an influential variable that can interact with task learning. In the present study, we used tDCS to target the right DLPFC while participants trained on a visuospatial working memory task. We sought to compare the relative efficacy of online stimulation delivered during training to offline stimulation delivered either immediately before or afterwards. We were unable to replicate previously demonstrated benefits of online stimulation; however, we did find evidence that offline stimulation delivered after training can actually be detrimental to training performance relative to sham. We interpret our results in light of evidence suggesting a role of the right DLPFC in promoting memory interference, and conclude that while tDCS may be a promising tool to influence the results of cognitive training, more research and an abundance of caution are needed before fully endorsing its use for cognitive enhancement. This work suggests that effects can vary substantially in magnitude and direction between studies, and may be heavily dependent on a variety of intervention protocol parameters such as the timing and location of stimulation delivery, about which our understanding is still nascent.
Predicting U.S. Residential Building Energy Use and Indoor Pollutant Exposures in the Mid-21st Century

The extent to which climate change and other factors will influence building energy use and population exposures to indoor pollutants is not well understood. Here, we develop and apply nationally r...
The Law of Implicit Bias

Considerable attention has been given to the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which finds that most people have an implicit and unconscious bias against members of traditionally disadvantaged groups. Implicit bias poses a special challenge for antidiscrimination law because it suggests the possibility that people are treating others differently even when they are unaware that they are doing so. Some aspects of current law operate, whether intentionally or not, as controls on implicit bias; it is possible to imagine other efforts in that vein. An underlying suggestion is that implicit bias might be controlled through a general strategy of “debiasing through law.” Forthcoming, California Law Review (implicit bias symposium issue) ∗ Professor of Law, Harvard Law School. ** Karl N. Llewellyn Distinguished Service Professor, Law School and Department of Political Science, University of Chicago. For helpful discussions and suggestions on implicit bias and antidiscrimination law, we thank Ian Ayres, Richard Banks, Elizabeth Bartholet, Bert Huang, Alison Morantz, Eric Posner, Frederick Schauer, Reva Siegel, Peter Siegelman, Matthew Stephenson, Adrian Vermeule, and participants at workshops at Boston University School of Law, Columbia Law School, Fordham Law School, Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, and Yale Law School. Martin Kurzweil provided outstanding research assistance.
A Bird Community Index of Biotic Integrity for the Mid-Atlantic Highlands

We report on the development and preliminary application of a songbird community-based index of biotic integrity. The bird community index (BCI) sorts bird species found at sample sites into a series of values representing the proportional species richness of 20 behavioral and physiological response guilds. Relative proportions of specialist and generalist guilds are used to assign a composite score to each site. Scores from multiple sites indicate the overall biotic integrity of the study area. The BCI is intended to function as a landscape-scale indicator of biotic integrity, integrating conditions across large sample sites containing diverse ecological resources and intensities of human use. We developed the BCI with data from a 1994 pilot study in central Pennsylvania, then applied our preliminary index in 1995 and 1996 to independent samples of sites across the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Assessment area (MAHA). The 1995 and 1996 sample sites were selected using the probability-based sampling design of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP), and therefore represent the total land area in MAHA. Our preliminary assessment indicates that MAHA exhibits six categories of biotic integrity, and that more than 40% of the land area supports the two highest biotic integrity categories. Pending BCI refinement and incorporation of landscape and vegetation explanatory variables, the BCI will be included in a suite of indicators designed to provide an assessment of overall ecological condition in MAHA.
Hypermnesia for pictures: Incremental memory for pictures but not words in multiple recall trials☆

Abstract Two studies are reported on multiple forced recall following a single visual presentation of a sequence of pictures or words. In both experiments, a hypermnesic memory function (in which performance improved with repeated recall) was obtained for pictures, while a flat, nonincremental function was obtained for words. Interpolation of intervals of thinking between recall trials further enhanced hypermnesia for pictorial items. Retrieval, whether overt (recall trials) or covert (thinking), apparently produces increased net recovery of pictures but not words.
πN scattering amplitude analysis: Effect of experimental errors on amplitude uncertaintyscattering amplitude analysis: Effect of experimental errors on amplitude uncertainty

Results of a study on the uncertainties of and possible improvements in determination of πN scattering amplitudes atp lab=6.0 GeV/c are given. The precision gained in determining the helicity amplitudes by more accurate measurements of various observables is discussed. The method presented here can be adapted for a study at regions of energy and momentum transfer different from those covered in this paper.
Computer vision and applications: a guide for students and practitioners

Preface. Contributors. B. Jahne, Introduction. Sensors and Imaging. H. Haubecker,Radiation and Illumination. P. Geibler,Imaging Optics. H. Haubecker,Radiometry of Imaging. P. Seitz,Solid-State Image Sensing. R. Godding, Geometric Calibration of Digital Imaging Systems. R. Schwarte, G. Hausler, R.W. Malz, Three-Dimensional Imaging Techniques. Signal Processing and Pattern Recognition. B. Jahne, Representation of Multidimensional Signals. B. Jahne, Neighborhood Operators. H. Haubecker, H. Spies, Motion. P. Geibler, T. Dierig, H.A. Mallot, Three-Dimensional Imaging Algorithms. J. Weickert, Design of Nonlinear Diffusion Filters. C. Schnorr, Variational Adaptive Smoothing and Segmentation. P. Soille, Morphological Operators. J. Hornegger, D. Paulus, H. Niemann,Probabilistic Modeling in Computer Vision. H. Haubecker, H.R. Tizhoosh, Fuzzy Image Processing. A. Meyer-Base, Neural Net Computing for Image Processing. Application Gallery. Index.
Neural Connectivity Evidence for a Categorical-Dimensional Hybrid Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompasses a complex manifestation of symptoms that include deficits in social interaction and repetitive or stereotyped interests and behaviors. In keeping with the increasing recognition of the dimensional characteristics of ASD symptoms and the categorical nature of a diagnosis, we sought to delineate the neural mechanisms of ASD symptoms based on the functional connectivity of four known neural networks (i.e., default mode network, dorsal attention network, salience network, and executive control network). Methods We leveraged an open data resource (Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange) providing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data sets from 90 boys with ASD and 95 typically developing boys. This data set also included the Social Responsiveness Scale as a dimensional measure of ASD traits. Seed-based functional connectivity was paired with linear regression to identify functional connectivity abnormalities associated with categorical effects of ASD diagnosis, dimensional effects of ASD-like behaviors, and their interaction. Results Our results revealed the existence of dimensional mechanisms of ASD uniquely affecting each network based on the presence of connectivity-behavioral relationships; these were independent of diagnostic category. However, we also found evidence of categorical differences (i.e., diagnostic group differences) in connectivity strength for each network as well as categorical differences in connectivity-behavioral relationships (i.e., diagnosis-by-behavior interactions), supporting the coexistence of categorical mechanisms of ASD. Conclusions Our findings support a hybrid model for ASD characterization that includes a combination of categorical and dimensional brain mechanisms and provide a novel understanding of the neural underpinnings of ASD.
Virtual Microscopy: A Useful Tool for Meeting Evolving Challenges in the Veterinary Medical Curriculum

Veterinary schools, similar to many professional health programs, face a myriad of evolving challenges in delivering their professional curricula including expansion of class size, costs to maintain expensive laboratories, and increased demands on veterinary educators to use curricular time efficiently and creatively. Additionally, exponential expansion of the knowledge base through ongoing biomedical research, educational goals to increase student engagement and clinical reasoning earlier in the curriculum, and students’ desire to access course materials and enhance their educational experience through the use of technology all support the need to reassess traditional microscope laboratories within Professional Veterinary Medical (PVM) educational programs. While there is clear justification for teaching veterinary students how to use a microscope for clinical evaluation of cytological preparations (i.e., complete blood count, urinalysis, fecal analysis, fine needle aspirates, etc.), virtual microscopy may be a viable alternative to using light microscopy for teaching and learning fundamental histological concepts. This article discusses results of a survey given to assess Professional Veterinary Medical students’ perceptions of using virtual microscope for learning basic histology/microscopic anatomy and implications of these results for using virtual microscopy as a pedagogical tool in teaching first-year Professional Veterinary Medical students’ basic histology.
Investigation of propagation characteristics of CPWs on a lossy substrate with a novel equivalent circuit

CPW lines on a 0.015 0-cm resistivity silicon substrate are simulated using HFSS. The electric field distribution from HFSS is analyzed to demonstrate that silicon substrate loss plays an important role and cannot be ignored. A novel physics-based model is developed to predict the characteristics of the CPWs and compared with measured data. A good agreement is obtained up to 110 GHz and demonstrates that the propagation characteristics of CPWs on lossy substrates can be predicted and investigated by the equivalent circuit proposed.
Full-length single-gene cDNA libraries: applications in splice variant analysis.

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNA may generate many distinct proteins from a single gene: regulation of alternative exon selection constitutes control of molecular structure downstream of transcription. Identifying natural splice variants among hundreds or thousands of theoretical alternatives, and examining the regulation of exon selection at multiple sites, may require screening many full-length cDNAs. We describe methods for preparing full-length cDNA libraries comprising the splice variants from single genes. The methods employ robust long distance reverse transcription, gene-specific second strand synthesis, long PCR, and cloning: with these methods cDNAs coding full-length open reading frames were prepared for 21 ion channels (1.2-15 kb). Exon combinations in isolated clones are determined by multiplex PCR. Approximately 85% of the clones contain full-length inserts. Screening can detect even rare variants (0.1%) in linear proportion to their abundance in initial mRNA pools. Tissue-specific expression patterns are reproducible. We describe methods for quantifying and minimizing artifactual exon recombination by template switching. These methods can be used to generate thousands of full-length clones of even large transcripts (>8 kb) for the systematic identification of splice variants and the analysis of regulation of alternative exon selection.
The acid-catalyzed and uncatalyzed hydrolysis of nitriles on unactivated alumina

Abstract Nitriles are selectively converted into amides on unactivated alumina, with the surface hydroxyl groups serving as the source of water.
Bond distance inversion in the equilibrium geometry of the coupled tricyclo[3.1.0.02,6]hexyl molecule C12H14. A puzzling problem in molecular structure

Abstract The equilibrium geometry of the title compound has been completely optimized via ab initio quantum mechanical methods using basis sets as large as double-zeta plus polarization (DZ+P) functions, i.e. C(9s5p l d/4s2p l d), H(4slp/2slp). As hypothesized by Ermer, Bell, Schafer and Szeimies, the central CC bond distance for the coupled tricyclohexyl molecule is predicted to be significantly longer than that for the bitetrahedryl molecule. The difference in central CC bond distances is 0.022 A. Remarkably, however, the central CC distance (1.466 A) of the title compound is not predicted to be the shortest CC bond distance for this saturated hydrocarbon. In striking disagreement with experiment, the adjacent CC distance is predicted by DZ+P SCF theory to be shorter than the 1,1′ CC distance.
Identifying keystone plant resources in an Amazonian forest using a long-term fruit-fall record

The keystone plant resources (KPR) concept describes certain plant species in tropical forests as vital to community stability and diversity because they provide food resources to vertebrate consumers during the season of scarcity. Here, we use an 8-y, continuous record of fruit fall from a 1.44-ha mature forest stand to identify potential KPRs in a lowland western Amazonian rain forest. KPRs were identified based on four criteria: temporal non-redundancy; year-to-year reliability; abundance of reproductive-size individuals and inferred fruit crop size; and the variety of vertebrate consumers utilizing their fruit. Overall, seven species were considered excellent KPRs: two of these belong to the genus Ficus, confirming that this taxon is a KPR as previously suggested. Celtis iguanaea (Cannabaceae) – a canopy liana – has also been previously classified as a KPR; in addition, Pseudomalmea diclina (Annonaceae), Cissus ulmifolia (Vitaceae), Allophylus glabratus (Sapindaceae) and Trichilia elegans (Meliaceae) are newly identified KPRs. Our results confirm that a very small fraction (<5%) of the plant community consistently provides fruit for a broad set of consumers during the period of resource scarcity, which has significant implications for the conservation and management of Amazonian forests.
Transit-Based Emergency Evacuation Simulation Modeling

Several recent mass evacuations, including those in advance of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Hurricane Rita in Houston, have demonstrated the effects of limited planning for carless populations. The lack of planning left a significant portion of the mobility-limited population of both these cities unable to flee in advance of the storms. Since 2005, however, both of these cities (as well as others across the United States) have developed transit-assisted mass evacuation plans at various levels of detail. Because these plans are relatively recent and do not have a history of experience on which to base their performance, it is difficult to know how well, or even if, they will work. This article describes one of the first attempts to systematically model and simulate transit-based evacuation strategies. In it, the development of and the results gained from an application of the TRansportation ANalysis and SIMulation System (TRANSIMS) agent-based transportation simulation system to model assisted evac...
The Impact of a Workshop upon Grass-Roots Leaders in Belfast:

Nine months after 56 persons from the various communities of Belfast had attended a modified Tavistock-NTL Workshop in Scotland, 40 of them were interviewed to determine the effect of that experience. Emphasis was placed upon the changes they had observed within themselves, upon the organizations they had planned during the Workshop, and upon their own general effectiveness back in Belfast. The results are not clear-cut, but for everyone the Workshop itself was an impressive event. Many reported that they had been helped as persons. For some but not all participants the Workshop facilitated elaboration or subsequent carrying out of plans of their own devising in spite of intimidation and of the difficulties inherent within Northern Ireland.
Mapping Police Organizational Change: From a Mechanistic Toward an Organic Model

Community police organizations have been the focus of substantial research since the 1960s. Recommendations from this research have frequently suggested some degree of reform. This reform effort has been directed in part at the oragnizational design of police departments, emphasizing movement away from a mechanistic to more of an organic approach. This article describes mechanistic and organic model constructs and relates them to both continuum and matrix change perspectives and a change problem-intervention strategy typology. The matrix and typology are used to “map” the change process associated with team policing, which is one example of attempts to make police organizations more organic.
RESPONSE OF A HUMAN HEAD-NECK MODEL TO TRANSIENT SAGGITAL PLANE LOADING

A reproducible, synthetic replica of the human head and neck system utilizing a water-filled cadaver skull mounted on fiberglass-reinforced resin vertebrae and supported by passive silicone rubber muscle and ligament elements has been constructed. Contact force, head accelerations, disk pressures and intracranial pressure responses to conditions of transient saggital plane pendulum loading have been ascertained. Front and rear head impacts as well as excitation of the entire system through its rigid base were effected. Input energies ranging from 0.0089 N m to 4.63 N m were employed resulting in head accelerations up to 180 g.
Direct writing of Au nanoneedles array on glass by confined laser spinning

Generation of gold nanoneedles on glass by confined laser spinning was explored by using a nanosecond pulsed laser. When the coated Au thin film was irradiated under the confinement of glass, gold nanoneedles were formed by spreading the molten liquid of gold under high pressure. The mechanism of the confined laser spinning process is studied. The maximum velocity and instability of molten liquid during confined laser spinning were estimated. The diameter of nanoneedles can be controlled by changing the thickness of coated gold thin film. Large scale of gold nanoneedles can be formed by this direct writing method and collected by confined glass.
Personality Disorder Characteristics and Adjustment Following Spinal Cord Injury

Persons with personality disorders exhibit many health-compromising behaviors including impulsivity, poor social judgment, interpersonal turmoil, and maladaptive coping strategies. These behaviors are often observed among some persons who incur spinal cord injuries (SCIs); such behaviors are also suspected in the development of psychological problems and pressures sores. We conducted two studies to examine these issues. In the first study, we studied the rate at which personality disorder characteristics were observed among persons recuperating from surgical repair of a severe pressure sore and the rate of these characteristics among persons with recent-onset SCI. In the second study, we examined the relation of personality disorder characteristics to emotional adjustment and pressure sore occurrence among persons with recent-onset SCI. Our findings suggest that these personality characteristics may be observed among many persons with SCI, but they may not be uniquely predictive of pressure sore development.
Irradiation of Nucleic Acids and Uracil

GUHA and Chakravorty1 recently announced the formation of vitamin B1 by the ultra-violet irradiation of adenine sulphate. We wish to report similar experiments with nucleic acids and uracil.
Proton transport along water chains and NADH hydride transfer in solution

This paper presents simulations of two biologically important processes involving proton or hydride transfer reactions. The first process is proton transport along a protonated chain of three water molecules. This process is induced with a linearly increasing external electric field. The multiconfigurational molecular dynamics with quantum transitions (MC-MDQT) method is utilized to calculate the real-time nonequilibrium quantum dynamics of this process. The results illustrate that nonadiabatic effects play an important role in the proton dynamics for water chains under certain nonequilibrium conditions. The second process discussed in this paper is the hydride transfer reaction from ethanol to an NAD + analog (1.-methyl-nicotinamide) in water with a divalent zinc ion catalyst. The structures, relative energies, and charge distributions are calculated for the reactant, product, and transition state of a complex including the NAD + analog, ethanol, zinc, and three water molecules at the Hartree-Fock level with a polarized valence double zeta basis set. This information is utilized to parametrize an augmented molecular mechanical potential, which is implemented to calculate the classical free energy curve for this reaction in water. The results indicate that solvation effects significantly alter the energetics of this reaction.
Electricity wheeling and incentive regulation

This paper relates social contract regulation strategies to a particularly important comtemporary issue in energy regulation—electricity wheeling; we find that substantial gains in economic efficiency may be possible. First, social contracts give potential wheelers more monetary incentive than traditional regulatory procedures to provide wheeling services to interested third parties. Second, social contract regulation gives potential wheelers better incentives to measure marginal costs accurately. Third, under social contract regulation, wheelers have proper incentives to install efficient amounts of transmission capacity, thereby avoiding Averch-Johnson and other regulatory distortions that emerge in traditional regulation.
The political economy of gender in Jewish Federations

The 187 area based Jewish Federations are the major focus of contemporary Jewish communal philanthropy in the United States and Canada. In 1986 there were 816,747 individual contributions to the annual campaign and 1,500,000 people received services from the more than 1,300 social agencies these gifts support. The aggregate cost of services in the Jewish voluntary sector including Federation allocations, government and third party payments, client fees, etc. was about $4 billion in 1986. The Federation is both a fund-raising and allocating institution. Around half its annual campaign dollars are sent to Jews in need around the world through their partnership with the United Jewish Appeal. However, it is the local level rather than the associated national and international activities of Federations which is the focus of this paper. At the local level the Federation is both a charitable and an operative decision-making body touching upon local services usually including a hospital, a family and children's service, institutional and other programs for the aged, community centers, Jewish educational and vocational agencies. The impetus for this philanthropic endeavor and the moral basis of Federations lies deep in Jewish values and history. It is epitomized by the biblical concept of Tzedakah which can be *This paper was presented to the Conference on ~Women and Philanthropy: Past, Present and Future ~ Center for the Study of Philanthropy, Graduate Center, CUNY, June 17-18, 1987
Numerical investigation of a response probability density function of stochastic vibroimpact systems with inelastic impacts

Abstract The paper is devoted to numerical calculations of a response probability density function of stochastic vibroimpact systems excited by additive Gaussian white noise. An impact in the considered systems is modeled as a classical, inelastic one against motionless barrier(s) with values of a restitution coefficient both very small and close to unity. Certain empirical formulas are derived based on the results of numerical simulation.
Microwave System and Modular Components for the Illinois Superconducting Linac

The microwave system using feedback stabilization methods to control the phase and amplitude of various rf fields in the linac is described. Emphasis is given to the design of modular system components using microstrip transmission line techniques to permit integration of microwave and electronic circuits.
Comment on “the effect of reagent rotation on steric requirements of elementary exchange reactions” by H. Kornweitz, A. Persky and R.D. Levine

Abstract The conclusion that reagent rotation in O+HCl enhances reactivity at high impact parameter, but suppresses reactivity at low impact parameter has been examined. It is found instead that rotation enhances reactivity as effectively for low as for high impact parameter.
Trauma Primes Cells: Editorial Review

ABSTRACT Trauma induces many dramatic and complex changes in host cellular response. This complexity arises from the constellation of signals induced by stress, infection, and injury. Cellular priming, defined as altered response to an agonist induced by an antecedent stimulus, appears to be operative after trauma. If the interaction between two signalling pathways is such that one augments (or depresses) the other, subsequent stimulation of the second “primed” pathway can result in an exaggerated (or attenuated) response. Thus, trauma can prime cells in either a constructive or destructive fashion. Receptor stimulation by priming agents results in the activation of receptor-specific cell signalling pathways. These intracellular signalling pathways can “crosstalk” modifying each other in either a positive of negative fashion. The positive or negative character of interpathway crosstalk eventually manifests itself physiologically as constructive or destructive priming. Could the characteristics of the initial priming stimulus predict the sense of the final cellular message? Although the magnitude of both the priming stimulus and subsequent stimuli are important, the temporal relationship between the two stimuli as well as the positive or negative character of their interacting signal pathways need to be considered. It is unclear whether any one characteristic alone determines the sense of the priming effect. In general, it is the interaction of two stimuli with a cell at all three levels (magnitude, character, and temporal relationship) that dictates the final cellular response.
The Impact of e-Book Technology on Book Retailing

In 2008, Amazon the dominant online book retailer unveiled Kindle, an e-book reader called by many observers the "iPod of books" as it is likely to transform how people read books. E-book technology offers a third important channel for delivering books to consumers and possibly transforming the book industry. Two other major channels of delivering books to consumers have been available so far: purchasing physical books from physical bookstores, predominantly book-chains like Barnes-and-Noble, or purchasing physical books online, from online book retailers like Amazon. The main objective of this article is to analyze how e-book technology affects strategic interaction in the book markets and ultimately impact book sellers, publishers and consumers. Developing a stylized game-theoretic model based on product differentiation literature and information goods literature, we examine how entry of an e-book seller affects competitive interaction in the book market. Factors explored include the differentiation of sellers in the physical book market, consumers' preferences for e-books, and ownership of the e-book seller. Implications for managing in the book industry are discussed.
Piezoelectric 3D nanostructures for developing point-of-care biosensors

Minimal invasive determinations of various physiological parameters are more and more demanding for medical applications. Many techniques have been evolved in nanotechnology using one dimensional nanostructures to aid the analytical tools for chemical and biosensing, disease diagnosis and treatment. Nanowire sensing probes have potential applications not only in electronics and optoelectroncs industry, but have tremendous potential in evaluating minute changes in cellular level, particularly for designing various sensing and diagnosis tools. A review of the development of vertically aligned piezoelecronic nanowire arrays and 3-D nanostructures for the design of biomedical sensors for pointof- care applications are presented in this paper. The deflections of a vertically aligned piezoelectric nanowire arrays can be used for the generation of voltages and can be used for the measurement of various parameters such as pressure, temperature, blood flow and glucose detection. Vertically aligned ZnO nanostructure has the advantages of generating piezoelectric voltages that can be coupled with MEMS sensors for the development of point-of-care biosensors.
Talc-quartz equilibria and the stability of magnesium chloride complexes in NaCl-MgCl2 solutions at 300, 350, and 400°C, 500 bars

Solubility measurements for the assemblage talc + quartz were used to investigate the speciation of magnesium in NaCl-MgCl2 solutions at 300, 350, and 400°C, 500 bars, for total chloride concentrations <1 m. At constant temperature and pressure, measured pH (25°C) systematically decreases upon increasing the MgCl ratio of the solution, consistent with buffering of aMg2+a2H+ by talc-quartz equilibria. Measured quartz solubilities increase with increasing concentration of total dissolved salts (NaCl + MgCl2), suggesting a salting-in behavior for aqueous SiO2 at these conditions. A thermodynamic analysis of talc-quartz-solution equilibria in the Na2O-MgO-SiO2-H2O-HCl system indicates that ion-pairing between Mg2+ and Cl− is necessary to account for our measured talc solubilities. At 300, 350, and 400°C, 500 bars, the experimental results are consistent with log K values for MgCl+ dissociation of −2.30, −2.83, and −3.40, respectively. The MgCl02 ion-pair was found to be unnecessary in fitting the data. Theoretical predictions of the dissociation constant for MgCl+ computed from an equation of state for aqueous ions and complexes are in good agreement with these experimental values. Fluid speciation calculations show that MgCl+ predominates over Mg2+ in NaCl-MgCl2 solutions with near neutral pH and chloride concentrations close to those for seawater (~0.5 m), representing 70 to 80% of the total Mg at 300 to 400°C, 500 bars. The retrieval of thermodynamic data for Mg minerals from solubility measurements in chloride solutions must, therefore, take into account MgCl+ explicitly. We apply our results to the stability of caminite (magnesium-hydroxide-sulfate-hydrate), an important constituent of hydrothermal vent deposits on the seafloor. At 300 to 350°C, 500 bars, the stability of caminite is predicted to increase relative to estimates originally computed from solubility measurements in hydrothermal seawater experiments where no provision was made for ion-pairing between magnesium and chloride. The data presented in this study should, therefore, improve the accuracy of mass-transfer calculations designed to predict the fate of seawater-derived Mg in the oceanic crust.
Glioblastoma heterogeneity and more accurate representation in research models.

In their study, Inoue et al. characterized two types of orthotopic brain tumors obtained from cells of a single parental spontaneous glioblastoma (GB) implanted in a murine model. Despite their common origin, these tumors had striking differences in important features, such as angiogenesis dependence and invasive patterns. The finding that a single tumor is able to give rise to two distinct cell types and form different types of brain tumors speaks to the heterogeneity of GBs and shows the possibility of finding different tumor-initiating cells within a tumor. In adult humans, GB is the most common and lethal primary malignancy of the central nervous system. GB represents approximately 50% of all gliomas. Despite the best treatment modalities presently available, GBs have a median survival of only 14–16 months and a 2-year survival rate of < 10%−15% (26). These tumors are refractory to the combination of surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy. Morphologic characteristics of GBs include diffuse infiltration, angiogenesis, and necrosis; molecular characteristics include chromosomal aberrations and genomic instability. Histopathologically, GBs are poorly delineated tumors with abundant undifferentiated mitotic cells and nuclear atypia. Necrosis and microvascular proliferation are also present (17). GBs are characteristically heterogeneous and vary with respect to histologic findings and distinct chromosomal and genetic aberrations (16, 19). A review on the subject by Bonavia et al. (4) deepened the understanding of the origin and maintenance mechanisms of such heterogeneity. The concept of clonal evolution applies to tumor clonal cell populations, which under selective therapeutic or pathologic pressure acquire properties to resist challenges and survive. A second concept that may explain cancer heterogeneity is associated with the role of cancer stem cells (CSCs), a poorly differentiated subpopulation of cells with tumor initiation capabilities. These two concepts are not mutually exclusive because CSCs can undergo a process of clonal evolution as they proliferate (12). The presence of different tumor cells capable of reproducing the pathology in orthotopic models as reported by Inoue et al. may be explained by this phenomenon.
Effects of diquat applied to exposed roots of black willow

Practical and environmentally benign methods are continually being sought to chemically control tree root obstructions in municipal and agricultural drainage systems. In a greenhouse study designed to simulate sewer line conditions, diquat applications of 0.48 and 0.96 g ai/L resulted in partial and complete control, respectively, of treated roots of black willow (Salix nigra Marsh.). The higher rate significantly reduced the number and weight of new roots developing proximal to the area of herbicide exposure, suggesting that diquat was translocated. No damage to the shoot was observed, and diquat activity were unaffected by the presence of clay particles. These results suggest a previously undocumented mode of action for diquat that may have use in the management of tree root obstructions in municipal sewers and other drainage systems.
Plasmon resonance enhanced mechanical detection of ligand binding

Small molecule binding to the active site of enzymes typically modifies the mechanical stiffness of the enzyme. We exploit this effect, in a setup which combines nano-mechanics and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) enhanced optics, for the label free detection of ligand binding to an enzyme. The large dynamic range of the signal allows to easily obtain binding curves for small ligands, in contrast to traditional SPR methods which rely on small changes in index of refraction. Enzyme mechanics, assessed by nano-rheology, thus emerges as an alternative to electronic and spin resonances, assessed by traditional spectroscopies, for detecting ligand binding.
Did Descartes Have a Jamesian Theory of the Emotions

Rene Descartes and William James had “body first” theories of the passions or emotions, according to which sensory stimulation causes a bodily response that then causes an emotion. Both held that this bodily response also causes an initial behavioral response (such as flight from a bear) without any cognitive intervention such as an “appraisal” of the object or situation. From here they differ. Descartes proposed that the initial processes that produce fear and running are entirely mechanical. Even human beings initially run from the bear as a result of physiological processes alone, without mental contribution. These physiological processes also cause a mental passion, which is a cognitive representation of the situation (as regards novelty, benefit, or harm), and which motivates the will to continue the behavior already in progress. According to James, emotions are caused by instinctive bodily responses that are triggered by noncognitive but nonetheless conscious perceptual states. Emotions are bare fee...
Dialectics of power

Tefft, Stanton K. The Dialectics of Secret Society Power in States. Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey: Humanities Press International, 1992. xi + 231 pp, including notes, references, and index. $39.95 cloth. Gailey, Christine Ward, ed. Dialectical Anthropology: Essays in Honor of Stanley Diamond. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1992. Volume I: xvi + 3667 pp. including index. $44.95 cloth, $22.95 paper. Volume II: xiii + 531 pp. including index. $49.95 cloth, $24.95 paper. Bartra, Roger [translated by Claire Joysmith]. The Imaginary Networks of Political Power. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1992. x + 241 pp. including index. $37.00 cloth, $15.00 paper.
Downscaling aerosols and the impact of neglected subgrid processes on direct aerosol radiative forcing for a representative global climate model grid spacing

[1] Recent improvements to many global climate models include detailed, prognostic aerosol calculations intended to better reproduce the observed climate. However, the trace gas and aerosol fields are treated at the grid cell scale with no attempt to account for subgrid impacts on the aerosol fields. This paper begins to quantify the error introduced by the neglected subgrid variability for the shortwave direct aerosol radiative forcing for a representative climate model grid spacing of 75 km. An analysis of the value added in downscaling aerosol fields is also presented to give context to the WRF-Chem simulations used for the subgrid analysis. We found that the impact of neglected subgrid variability on the direct aerosol radiative forcing is strongest in regions of complex topography and complicated flow patterns. Evidence also suggests that scale-induced differences in emissions, particularly for emissions calculated online, such as dust, contribute strongly to the impact of neglected subgrid processes on the aerosol radiative forcing. The two of these effects together, when simulated at 75 km versus 3 km in WRF-Chem, result in an average daytime mean bias of over 30% error in top-of-atmosphere shortwave direct aerosol radiative forcing for a large percentage of central Mexico during the Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) field campaign and an average mean bias of 10% when averaged over the entire analysis region and 17 day period.
Catastrophic multiple organ ischemia due to an anti-Pr cold agglutinin developing in a patient with mixed cryoglobulinemia after treatment with rituximab

Cold agglutinin disease occurring with cryoglobulinemia is a rare occurrence. Here, we report a patient with mixed cryoglobulinemia that was treated with rituximab and, after response, developed an anti-Pr cold agglutinin that manifested with hemolysis and microvascular occlusion causing mesenteric ischemia and cerebral infarction. Unlike previous reports of patients with cryoglobulinemia and cold agglutinin disease, our patient did not have a detectable cryoprecipitate when his cold agglutinin manifested.
Synthesis, physics, and applications of ferroelectric nanomaterials

Improvement of both solution and vapor-phase synthetic techniques for nanoscale ferroelectrics has fueled progress in fundamental understanding of the polar phase at reduced dimensions, and this physical insight has pushed the boundaries of ferroelectric phase stability and polarization switching to sub-10 nm dimensions. The development and characterization of new ferroelectric nanomaterials has opened new avenues toward future nonvolatile memories, devices for energy storage and conversion, biosensors, and many other applications. This prospective will highlight recent progress on the synthesis, fundamental understanding, and applications of zero- and one-dimensional ferroelectric nanomaterials and propose new directions for future study in all three areas.
New hyperspectral discrimination measure for spectral similarity

Spectral angle mapper (SAM) has been widely used as a spectral similarity measure for multispectral and hyperspectral image analysis. It has been shown to be equivalent to Euclidean distance when the spectral angle is relatively small. Most recently, a stochastic measure, called spectral information divergence (SID) has been introduced to model the spectrum of a hyperspectral image pixel as a probability distribution so that spectral variations can be captured more effectively in a stochastic manner. This paper develops a new hyperspectral spectral discriminant measure, which is a mixture of SID and SAM. More specifically, let xi and xj denote two hyperspectral image pixel vectors with their corresponding spectra specified by si and sj. SAM is the spectral angle of xi and xj and is defined by [SAM(si,sj)]. Similarly, SID measures the information divergence between xi and xj and is defined by [SID(si,sj)]. The new measure, referred to as (SID,SAM)-mixed measure has two variations defined by SID(si,sj)xtan(SAM(si,sj)] and SID(si,sj)xsin[SAM(si,sj)] where tan [SAM(si,sj)] and sin[SAM(si,sj)] are the tangent and the sine of the angle between vectors x and y. The advantage of the developed (SID,SAM)-mixed measure combines both strengths of SID and SAM in spectral discriminability. In order to demonstrate its utility, a comparative study is conducted among the new measure, SID and SAM where the discriminatory power of the (SID,SAM)-mixed measure is significantly improved over SID and SAM.
Timing yield enhancement through soft edge flip-flop based design

The first evaluation of a soft-edge flip-flop is presented as an alternative to useful-skew and latch-based designs for variation compensation in a 16-bit 8-tap FIR filter in 0.13 mum CMOS. An 11.2% performance improvement was achieved over a standard hard edge data flip-flop (9.2% when post-silicon useful-skew is applied).