cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Manipulation and Single‐Peakedness: A General Result

This article considers environments in which individual preferences are single-peaked with respect to an unspecified, but unidimensional, ordering of the alternative space. We show that in these environments, any institution that is coalitionally strategy-proof must be dictatorial. Thus, any nondictatorial institutional environment that does not explicitly utilize an a priori ordering over alternatives in order torendera collectivedecisionis necessarilyprone to the strategic misrepresentation of preferences by an individual or a group. Moreover, we prove in this environment that for any nondictatorial institution, the truthful revelation of preferences can never be a dominant strategy equilibrium. Accordingly, an incentive to behave insincerely is inherent to the vast majority of real-world lawmaking systems, even when the policy space is unidimensional and the core is nonempty. T hequestionofmanipulation—themisrepresentation of one’s true preferences in order to achieve a more favorable collective decision—has alternately intrigued and frustrated social scientists for over two centuries. 1 Manipulation is clearly a potential problem for those interested in drawing inferences from individuals’ observed behaviors. For example, how does a legislator’s roll-call vote relate to his or her policy preferences? How does an individual voter’s vote choice reflect his or her preferences over the parties and/or candidates? Moresubtly,doesthecompositionofalegislativecommittee reflect the preferences of the members of the legislature? Does a juror’s vote to convict a defendant truthfully reflect the juror’s beliefs about the defendant’s guilt or innocence? Is the president’s choice of political appointees indicative of the policies that he or she would pursue in their positions? In short, manipulation is simultaneously
The Status and Future of the Turing Test

The standard interpretation of the imitation game is defended over the rival gender interpretation though it is noted that Turing himself proposed several variations of his imitation game. The Turing test is then justified as an inductive test not as an operational definition as commonly suggested. Turing's famous prediction about his test being passed at the 70% level is disconfirmed by the results of the Loebner 2000 contest and the absence of any serious Turing test competitors from AI on the horizon. But, reports of the death of the Turing test and AI are premature. AI continues to flourish and the test continues to play an important philosophical role in AI. Intelligence attribution, methodological, and visionary arguments are given in defense of a continuing role for the Turing test. With regard to Turing's predictions one is disconfirmed, one is confirmed, but another is still outstanding.
A Cautionary Note on Drawing Lessons from Comparative Corporate Law

Mark Roe's article comparing German, Japanese, and U.S. corporate governance extends his important research concerning the effect of political constraints on the organization of U.S. corporations.' In this latest publication, Roe painstakingly compares governance arrangements, highlighting the variability in business organization that exists across nations, to obtain guidance for reforming U.S. institutions. This is valuable comparative institutional research, but the lesson to be drawn from the mutability of the corporate form is opaque. As Roe suggests, the legal and institutional differences across the three nations make it difficult to ascertain whether one approach to corporate governance is superior to another and whether a superior organizational form could be successfully transplanted into another setting. Yet without a means to make comparative judgments, the likelihood that helpful lessons can be drawn from other nations' experiences for reforming our own institutions is diminished, and the rationale for making the comparisons in the first place becomes problematic. Roe does suggest that German and Japanese firms have been subject to less debilitating political constraints on their organization than U.S. firms (because banks were permitted to exercise control over industrial corporations), although he indicates that this may be changing as recent political trends in Germany and Japan seem to resemble U.S. politics. But he does not make clear, at least to my satisfaction, why he reaches this comparative political judgment. Why should we view the corporate organizational form produced by a political process that empowers banks as preferable to a process that does not without evidence of the superiority of the former organizational form?
Customer-centered product and brand experience design in China: what HP Is learning

With the fast economic development in emerging markets, Hewlett-Packard (HP) has to focus on satisfying the needs of customer in these markets. However, due to cross-cultural differences, HP can not automatically assume that products designed in the USA can satisfy customers in those markets. For this reason, HP wants to set up UCD teams to help design products for those markets. Setting up a UCD team in China is the first step of this plan. In this article, through a case study, we want to share what we have gained in past work, what lessons we have learned in practice, and what our next steps will be.
Using in situ cosmogenic 10Be to identify the source of sediment leaving Greenland

We use the concentration of in situ 10Be in quartz isolated from fluvial and morainal sand to trace sediment sources and to determine the relative contribution of glacerized and deglaciated terrain to Greenland's sediment budget. We sampled along the western, eastern, and southern margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet, and collected sediment sourced from glacerized (n = 19) and non-glacerized terrain (n = 10), from channels where sediment from glacerized and non-glacerized terrain is mixed (n = 28), from Holocene glacial-fluvial terraces (n = 4), and from one sand dune. In situ 10Be concentrations in sediment range from 1600 to 34 000 atoms g-1. The concentration of in situ 10Be in sediment sourced from non-glacerized terrain is significantly higher than in sediment sourced from glacerized areas, in mixed channel sediment, and in terrace sediment that was deposited during the Holocene. To constrain the timing of landscape exposure for the deglaciated portion of the Narsarsuaq field area in southern Greenland, we measured in situ 10Be concentration in bedrock (n = 5) and boulder (n = 6) samples. Paired bedrock and boulder ages are indistinguishable at 1σ uncertainty and indicate rapid exposure of the upland slopes at ~10.5 ka. The isotope concentration in sediment sourced from non-glacerized terrain is higher than in sediment sourced from glacerized terrain because the non-glacerized landscape has been exposed to cosmic radiation since early Holocene deglaciation. Sediment from glacerized areas contains a low, but measurable concentration of 10Be that probably accumulated at depth during a prolonged period of exposure, probably before the establishment of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The concentration of 10Be in mixed fluvial sediment and in terrace sediment is low, and similar to the concentration in sediment from glacerized areas, which indicates that the Greenland Ice Sheet is the dominant source of sediment moving through the landscape outside the glacial margin in the areas we sampled. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synapse-specific control of synaptic efficacy at the terminals of a single neuron

The regulation of synaptic efficacy is essential for the proper functioning of neural circuits. If synaptic gain is set too high or too low, cells are either activated inappropriately or remain silent. There is extra complexity because synapses are not static, but form, retract, expand, strengthen, and weaken throughout life. Homeostatic regulatory mechanisms that control synaptic efficacy presumably exist to ensure that neurons remain functional within a meaningful physiological range. One of the best defined systems for analysis of the mechanisms that regulate synaptic efficacy is the neuromuscular junction. It has been shown, in organisms ranging from insects to humans, that changes in synaptic efficacy are tightly coupled to changes in muscle size during development. It has been proposed that a signal from muscle to motor neuron maintains this coupling. Here we show, by genetically manipulating muscle innervation, that there are two independent mechanisms by which muscle regulates synaptic efficacy at the terminals of single motor neurons. Increased muscle innervation results in a compensatory, target-specific decrease in presynaptic transmitter release, implying a retrograde regulation of presynaptic release. Decreased muscle innervation results in a compensatory increase in quantal size.
How We Engage Graduating Professional Students in Interprofessional Patient Safety.

Problem Interprofessional curricula on patient safety do not acknowledge the culture and vulnerabilities of the student experience and often do not engage students. Methods We describe a patient safety collaboration between graduating nursing and medical students during their Capstone courses that fostered conversations about the similarities and differences in professional school experiences around patient safety. Students wrote reflections about an unanticipated patient outcome. Qualitative content analysis was used to characterize themes within student reflections, and to create audience response system questions to highlight differences in each profession's reflections and to facilitate discussion about those differences during the collaboration. Findings Medical students identified events in which perceived patient outcomes were worse than events identified by nursing students. Nursing students identified more near-miss events. Nursing students positively impacted the event and attributed action to the presence of a clinical instructor and personal responsibility for patient care. Medical students described themselves as "only a witness" and attributed inaction to hierarchy and concern about grades. Conclusions Students felt the session would change their future attitudes and behaviors. Stevenson Chudgar Molloy Phillips Engle Clay.
Undersized Mitral Annuloplasty Alters Left Ventricular Shape During Acute Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation

Background— Underlying left ventricular (LV) dysfunction contributes to poor survival after operation to correct ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR). Many surgeons do not appreciate that a key component of the Bolling undersized mitral ring annuloplasty concept is to decrease LV wall stress by altering LV shape, but precise 3-dimensional (3-D) geometric data do not exist substantiating this effect. We tested the hypothesis that annular reduction decreases regional circumferential LV radius of curvature (ROC) in a model of acute IMR. Methods— Eight adult sheep underwent insertion of an adjustable Paneth-type annuloplasty suture and radiopaque markers on the LV and mitral annulus. The animals were studied with biplane videofluoroscopy during baseline conditions, then before and after tightening the annuloplasty suture during proximal left circumflex occlusion. End-systolic circumferential regional LV ROC and mitral annular area were computed. Results— Acute IMR was eliminated (MR grade 2.1±0.4 to 0.4±0.4, m...
Recent progress on conventional and non-conventional electrospinning processes

Electrospinning is a process of producing micro- and nanoscale fibers using electrostatically charged polymeric solutions under various conditions. Most synthetic and naturally occurring polymers can be electrospun using appropriate solvents and/or their blends. Because of the fascinating properties of electrospun fibers, electrospinning has recently attracted enormous attention worldwide. Initially, this method did not receive much industrial attention due to lower production rates, costs, and lack of interest in size, shape, and flexibility of electrospun nanofibers. However, with the advancement of needleless electrospinning, multiple needles in series, near-field electrospinning techniques, and nanotechnology in particular, this is no longer an issue. This paper outlines the recent progress on the production of various sizes and shapes of fibers using conventional and non-conventional electrospinning processes (e.g., rotating drum and disc, translating spinnerets, rotating strings of electrodes in polymeric solutions, and forcespinning) and presents a complete view of electrospun fiber productions techniques and the resultant products’ applications in different fields to date.
Thermal diffusion of vacancies in aluminum

Abstract Thermal diffusion of vacancies in pure aluminum has been studied by use of the technique employed in our earlier paper. In this approach, the entire sample is held at an elevated temperature (between 480°C and 630°C) with a linear temperature gradient of 150°/cm. A contraction of a 1-cm long specimen of about 70 μ is observed in an interval of 46 days. From the data a value of ( Q∗ − ΔHν ) equal to −1.5 ± 0.3 kcal/g-atom is obtained where Q∗ and ΔHν are the heat of transport and vacancy formation energy respectively. Substitution of the data for ΔHν available in the literature leads to a value for Q∗ of 16 kcal/g-atom. This value corresponds to the value of ΔHm, the enthalpy of motion of an atom into a vacancy which on the basis of a large number of measurements is found to lie between 14.3 and 16.5 kcal/g-atom. This agreement is in quantitative agreement with the predictions of simple kinetic theories. The observation may also be rationalized qualitatively in terms of a discussion involving an analysis of localized vibrational modes.
[]-azoxybis(methylene) bis(3-chlorobenzoate): potent mutagen from reaction of hexamethylphosphoramide, -methylhydroxylamine and []-nitrosomethane dimer with 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid

Abstract [ E ]-Azoxybis(methylene) bis(3-chlorobenzoate), an exceptionally potent mutagen (3050 revertants/nmol) in the Salmonella typhimurium (strain TA100) assay, is formed in trace ( E ]-nitrosomethane dimer on treatment of hexamethylphosphoramide or N -methylhydroxylamine with 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid.
Using the volumetric effect of a finite-sized detector for routine quality assurance of multileaf collimator leaf positioning.

Intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) is an advanced form of radiation therapy and promises to improve dose conformation while reducing the irradiation to the sensitive structures. The modality is, however, more complicated than conventional treatment and requires much more stringent quality assurance (QA) to ensure what has been planned can be achieved accurately. One of the main QA tasks is the assurance of positioning accuracy of multileaf collimator(MLC) leaves during IMRT delivery. Currently, the routine quality assurance of MLC in most clinics is being done using radiographic films with specially designed MLC leaf sequences. Besides being time consuming, the results of film measurements are difficult to quantify and interpret. In this work, we propose a new and effective technique for routine MLC leaf positioning QA. The technique utilizes the fact that, when a finite-sized detector is placed under a leaf, the relative output of the detector will depend on the relative fractional volume irradiated. A small error in leaf positioning would change the fractional volume irradiated and lead to a deviation of the relative output from the normal reading. For a given MLC and detector system, the relation between the relative output and the leaf displacement can be easily established through experimental measurements and used subsequently as a quantitative means for detecting possible leaf positional errors. The method was tested using a linear accelerator with an 80-leaf MLC. Three different locations, including two locations on central plane (X1=X2=0) and one point on an off-central plane location (X1=−7.5, X=7.5), were studied. Our results indicated that the method could accurately detect a leaf positional change of ∼0.1 mm. The method was also used to monitor the stability of MLC leaf positioning for five consecutive weeks. In this test, we intentionally introduced two positional errors in the testing MLC leaf sequences: −0.2 mm and 1.2 mm. The technique was found to be robust and could detect the positional inaccuracy in each week’s test. The influence of other possible error sources, including the ion chamber placement, jaw settings, gantry and collimator angle read-outs, and the positioning errors of the adjacent leaves, on detection accuracy were also investigated. The principle of our method is independent of the types of the MLC and the detector and may have significant practical implications in facilitating routine MLC QA for IMRT delivery.
Molecular evolutionary analyses of mariners and other transposable elements in fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Screens of a library of genomic DNA made during a recent study of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta revealed the presence of three distinct types of transposable elements (TEs). Two of the recovered sequences showed a high similarity to long-terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, while the third showed a high homology to mariner elements. To investigate the distribution and relationships of mariners in related ants, we PCR-amplified these elements from additional Solenopsis species. Phylogenetic analyses showed that they form a single group within the mauritiana subfamily that is part of a larger clade derived from hymenopteran species. We also present partial sequence data for the two LTR-retrotransposons and describe their phylogenetic affinities.
Management of primary urethral cancer

Abstract Objectives. To determine the best therapeutic approach for treatment of patients with urethral cancer according to tumor location and clinical-pathologic stage. Methods. A retrospective review of 21 consecutive patients diagnosed with primary urethral carcinoma was performed. Clinical-pathologic staging, treatment modality, and outcome were analyzed. Results. The overall survival rate was 62%. In patients with clinical Stage Ta-2N0M0 tumors, 8 of 9 patients (89%) are free of disease compared to 5 of 12 patients (42%) with Stage T3-4N0-2M0 tumors (P = 0.03). Best treatment outcome for patients with Stage T3 disease or higher was obtained when multimodality therapy (neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy with or without surgery) was administered, with a disease-free survival rate of 60%. Conclusions. Clinical-pathologic stage was a strong predictor of disease-free survival rate. For patients with Ta-2N0M0 tumors, multimodality therapy may not be required. Conversely, best treatment outcomes in patients with T3-4N0-2M0 tumors are obtained by administering a multimodal therapy combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy with surgical resection.
Thermal instability in the endoplasmic reticulum of the rat hepatocyte

The rates of heat denaturation of a protein component of endoplasmic reticulum, NADPH cytochrome c reductase, measured in the temperature range of 37–47° C, show that this protein is highly unstable in the range of temperatures used in clinical hyperthermia. The rate of enzyme inactivation increases some 20-fold as the temperature increases from 37° C to 45° C. The enzyme has an in vitro half-life of only 7 h due to thermal inactivation at 37° C. This suggests a general scheme for the physiological degradation pathway of intracellular proteins in which the first step is rapid thermal denaturation of the molecule followed by a second and slower step of proteolytic degradation. The rapid physiological turnover of intracellular proteins may be an unavoidable cost of maintaining metabolic precision in the presence of thermal noise at normal body temperature.
Neurogenesis in the adult rat: electron microscopic analysis of light radioautographs

Three-month-old rats were injected intraperitoneally with [3H]thymidine (4.3 microcuries per gram of body weight) and allowed to survive for 30 days. Radioautography of 1-micrometer sections revealed labeled cells in the granular layers of dentate gyrus and olfactory bulb; these were confirmed as neurons by electron microscopy of reembedded 1-micrometer sections.
Decomposition of gold nanoshells in carbon tetrachloride

We report a surprising chemical reactivity of gold nanoshells with carbon tetrachloride. Gold nanoshells are nanoparticles constructed from a silica core encapsulated in a gold shell. An aminoalkoxysilane linker molecule is used to derivatize the silica surface, which facilitates the attachment of the gold shell. Evidence is shown for the decomposition of the gold shell due to a reaction with carbon tetrachloride. The reaction is believed to proceed through the formation of a charge transfer complex between carbon tetrachloride and the gold-amine complex. The reaction is facilitated by the presence of defects in the shell layer.
The effects of hydrogen annealing on gate oxide integrity of U-shaped trench MOSFET with 400 A gate oxide

The effects of hydrogen (H 2 ) annealing on the thick gate oxide integrity of the U-shaped trench metal-oxide-semiconductor-field effect transistor (UMOSFET) were investigated. H 2 annealing was performed after trench etch and before gate oxidation. It was observed that the gate oxide integrity (GOI) of the 400 A gate oxide grown after H 2 annealing can be comparable to the standard approach (soft etch and sacrificial oxidation) when the trench width is kept at 0.65 μm. When the trench width was reduced to 0.45 μm the GOI of H 2 annealing samples was degraded slightly due to faceting at the transition region between trench sidewall and bottom. It was proven that using high-temperature gate oxidation, the UMOSFET with 0.45 μm trench width and H 2 annealing has very high-quality gate oxide. The reduction of process steps and time and the potential for narrower trench make H 2 annealing an attractive process in trench MOSFET processing.
Utility of the PANAS-X in Predicting Social Phobia in African American Females

Burgeoning literature in the field of social anxiety suggests that social phobia may diverge from the other anxiety disorders in terms of the association it shares with low positive affect. Researc...
An ergonomic evaluation of steel and composite access covers

Abstract Twenty males and 20 females participated in a study undertaken to provide an ergonomic basis for deciding between the conventional steel access cover (less expensive and heavier, and therefore undesirable) and a new composite access cover (relatively more expensive but lighter, and therefore more desirable). The results indicated that the conventional steel cover (weighing 80.35 kg and 91.44 cm in diameter) is too heavy for safe manual handling. The steel cover weight not only exceeded the average individual psychophysical lifting capacity of males and females (33.83 kg and 29.56 kg, respectively), it exceeded the average psychophysical lifting capacity of two-member male and female teams as well (76.04 kg and 67.08 kg, respectively). The spinal compression, if lifting the steel access cover was permitted, would have been approximately 13210 N for individual lifting and 6190 N for team lifting. Only 4 males were able to lift the composite access covers (weighing 38.13 kg and 91.44 cm in diameter) straight up using built-in handles, individually. The average spinal compressive force generated in this case (5849 N) also exceeded the spinal column strength of most males and females. Lifting the composite cover by a two-person team was found to be much safer (average spinal compression for team lifting the composite cover = 2501 N) and is a viable solution. The factor of safety for team lifting the composite access cover is at least 36% for females and 56% for males. Removing the composite cover individually using a rod type handle (unseating the cover by first rotating it and then pulling it for removal) resulted in somewhat greater physical stress (21.33 kg vertical force and 2898 N spinal compressive force) than lifting it by a team but, on the average, provided a factor of safety of at least 49% for males and 26% for females. Removing the composite access cover with the aid of the rod handle was also perceived to be “light” (average RPE value of 10.25 for males and 10.00 for females).
The Assessment of the Ability of Various Heat Stress Indices to Predict Safe Work Behavior

Six major heat stress indices are evaluated through this paper by the efficiencies at predicting workers' safety behavior. Actual temperature and safety sampling data were taken in two industrial plants for a five month period (July through November). Those data were converted to computer and analyzed in different models. HSI (Heat Stress Index) appears to be the best predictor because of its including the factor of metabolic work load. NET (New Effective Temperature) seems to be the best one among the pure thermal indices. WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) and DB (Dry Bulb Temperature) are two easily obtained thermal indices for predicting human safety behaviors.
Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers and Applications

We report our development of record-performance THz quantum cascade lasers and their applications in sensing and imaging.
Motivational determinants of the “contingent negative variation”

Abstract 1. 1. The motivational correlates of the vertex negative slow potentials shift seen during reaction time foreperiod, called “the contingent negative variation” or “expectancy wave”, have been studied in two experiments with young adult human males. 2. 2. In the first experiments, a manual response to a visual stimulus was determined by the position of the preceding auditory signal. Measurable CNVs following the auditory signal were seen in all conditions, but they were significantly larger when a manual response was made to the second, visual, stimulus. No significant relationships were seen between CNV magnitude and either reaction time or anticipatory EMG activity. 3. 3. In the second experiment, left and right tones wre followed by weak and by painful finger shock, respectively. Key-press to both shocks was instructed on one half of the trials with order counterbalanced. CNVs were larger when the warning signal indicated painful rather than weak shock would occur, and VNVs were alos larger during response than non-response conditions. No interaction was seen. Although reaction times were signficantly shorter to the strong shock, a significant correlation between CNV magnitude and reaction tiem could be demonstrated only within the weak shock condition. 4. 4. These results were interpreted as indicating that if the contingent negative variation is a measure of “expectancy’ then the definition of such a term must explicity include motivational factors.
Molecular signal processing and detection in T-cells

Biological cells in mammalian immune systems use groups of molecules to process signals for the purposes of detecting and eliminating pathogens from the body. Immunologists strive to understand the key molecular components of these living detectors. The size and complexity of cells makes detailed, quantitative data very difficult to collect. One approach to modeling with limited quantitative data is to assume that the system is optimal (e.g., due to natural selection) for the function it performs. In our work, we apply this approach to an extended, stochastic version of McKeithan's model for T-cell signal transduction [9]. This model is interpreted as a binary detector on which we impose mutual information as the optimality criterion. With a model structure, a performance metric, and an optimization algorithm, we then estimate the parameters of a molecular signal processing model.
Differential surface models for tactile perception of shape and online tracking of features

The online kinematic problem for gliding or rolling on an unknown surface is addressed, treating it as a simple two-rigid-body problem. A planar rigid-body end effector is considered that maintains contact with a rigid body of unknown shape by gliding or rolling on it. The smooth surface of the end effector is assumed to be known implicitly or parametrically in its own coordinate system. The authors present the main results both in equation form and diagrammatically. The figure given implies that if the parameters of the robot are known as well as its state, the forces of contact can be computed. However, due to the extensive amount of data required for this condition to be met, the required sensory and computational machinery may be exorbitant. Moreover, the presence of noise and the cost of removing it sufficiently make this approach impractical at present. >
Two functional O‐polysaccharide polymerase wzy (rfc) genes are present in the rfb gene cluster of Group E1 Salmonella enterica serovar Anatum

Defined regions of the rfb gene cluster of Group E1 Salmonella enterica serovar Anatum were introduced into a mutated derivative of this strain that lacks O-polysaccharide polymerase activity. Three different kinds of assays performed on the various transformants all indicate that two functional wzy (rfc) genes reside within the Group E1 Salmonella rfb gene cluster. The product of ORF9.6, positioned near the center of the rfb gene cluster, joins O-polysaccharide repeat units together by α-glycosidic linkages to produce antigen O10, the major serological determinant of Group E1 S. enterica. The product of ORF17.4, positioned at the downstream end of the rfb gene cluster, can join repeat units together by β-glycosidic linkages to produce antigen O15, the major serological determinant of Group E2 S. enterica.
The Fumagillin Gene Cluster, an Example of Hundreds of Genes under veA Control in Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus is the causative agent of invasive aspergillosis, leading to infection-related mortality in immunocompromised patients. We previously showed that the conserved and unique-to-fungi veA gene affects different cell processes such as morphological development, gliotoxin biosynthesis and protease activity, suggesting a global regulatory effect on the genome of this medically relevant fungus. In this study, RNA sequencing analysis revealed that veA controls the expression of hundreds of genes in A. fumigatus, including those comprising more than a dozen known secondary metabolite gene clusters. Chemical analysis confirmed that veA controls the synthesis of other secondary metabolites in this organism in addition to gliotoxin. Among the secondary metabolite gene clusters regulated by veA is the elusive but recently identified gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of fumagillin, a meroterpenoid known for its anti-angiogenic activity by binding to human methionine aminopeptidase 2. The fumagillin gene cluster contains a veA-dependent regulatory gene, fumR (Afu8g00420), encoding a putative C6 type transcription factor. Deletion of fumR results in silencing of the gene cluster and elimination of fumagillin biosynthesis. We found expression of fumR to also be dependent on laeA, a gene encoding another component of the fungal velvet complex. The results in this study argue that veA is a global regulator of secondary metabolism in A. fumigatus, and that veA may be a conduit via which chemical development is coupled to morphological development and other cellular processes.
Making It “Count”: Mental Weighing and Identity Attribution

Research on identity suggests that a critical factor in identity concerns presentation or the behaviors actors perform in order to convince others of their identity. Yet identity also involves the attributions others make on the basis of these behaviors. In this paper, I argue that all acts do not fare equally in the process of attribution. Rather, individuals making attributions engage in a process of mental weighing as a way to determine which acts “count” toward identity and to what extent. While various components of the act contribute to its social weight-its presence or absence, markedness, frequency, context, and the manner in which it is performed-the lens through which the attributer views the act also influences the weighing process.
FERROELECTRIC LIQUID CRYSTAL FIBER WAVEGUIDE

Abstract In this paper, we present the results on the fabrication and characterization of the FLC-in-fiber waveguides, in which hollow core optical fibers with typical core diameters of 2 to 10 μms are filled with FLCs. Proper alignment of the FLC inside the fiber core, allows for the electro-optic modulation of the liquid crystal refractive index resulting in a new class of devices for optical communication and sensors. We describe the fabrication process of the FLC-in-fiber waveguides. The propagation loss is measured to be 3.5 dB/cm. Linear modulation of the tilt angle up to 10 degrees is obtained by applying the electric fields up to 5 volts/μm. And a 10/24 μsecs rise/fall time is demonstrated with an E-field of 1 volt/μm applied across a fiber of 1 cm in length.
Formulary management as a tool to improve medication use and gain physician support.

Q: Physicians can be resistant to formulary management activities focused on reducing pharmacy costs. What can be done to institute needed formulary changes and garner physician support for those actions? A: Historically, hospital pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) commit- tees have focused
α-Naphthylisothiocyanate induced alterations in hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes and liver morphology: implications concerning anticarcinogenesis

Alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) is a biliary toxin with anticarcinogenic properties. The studies described were designed to investigate the effects of continuous ANIT feeding on liver function. Male F-344 rats were fed ANIT at 0.01%, 0.022%, 0.047%, and 0.1% of the diet for 2, 4, and 6 weeks. Microscopic evaluation of liver sections revealed time- and dose- dependent bile duct proliferation, bile duct cell hypertrophy, and focal hepatocytic necrosis. Liver derived serum enzyme activity and serum bilirubin concentrations were increased in a fashion which correlated closely with the histological observations. A dose dependent decrease in hepatic cytochrome P-450 content, ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylase activity, and benzphetamine-N-demethylase activity was observed after 2 and 4 weeks of feeding ANIT. However, these enzyme activities returned to control values at 6 weeks in all except the 0.1% group. ANIT increased microsomal epoxide hydrolase and cytosolic DT-diaphorase activity (200-6005 of control). The enhancement was dose related and peaked at 2 and 4 weeks for epoxide hydrolase and DT-diaphorase, respectively. Both epoxide hydrolase and DT-diaphorase activity remained elevated at 6 weeks. These results suggest that ANIT mediated anticarcinogenesis, previously hypothesized to be the result of reduced mixed function oxidase activity, also may be accounted for by enhanced epoxide hydrolase and DT-diaphorase activity.
The effects of various hormones on the surface morphology of testicular cells in culture

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effects of various hormones on the surface morphology of 20-day-old rat testicular cells in culture. Aggregates containing primarily Sertoli cells and germinal cells were obtained by enzymatic digestion. The surface morphology of the cells composing these aggregates was characterized under various culture conditions using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The cytoplasmic processes of Sertoli cells became highly branched and filamentous after being cultured in the presence of rat, human or ovine FSH. Identical branching and filamentation was observed when Sertoli cells were cultured in rat TSH. Finally, numerous large blebs were observed on the surfaces of germinal cells cultured in the presence of insulin. These results suggest that the branching and filamentation of Sertoli cell cytoplasm observed after FSH stimulation are not specific for that hormone.
Driving After Drinking Among Young Adults of Different Race/Ethnicities in the United States: Unique Risk Factors in Early Adolescence?

Abstract Purpose National guidelines for alcohol screening and brief interventions advise practitioners to consider age, drinking frequency, and context to identify at-risk youth. The purpose of this study was to identify the contextual risk and protective factors in high school-aged adolescents associated with future driving after drinking (Drinking Under the Influence [DUI] at age 21) by race/ethnicity. Methods Data included 10,271 adolescents (67% white, 12% Hispanic, 16% black, 3.6% Asian; 49% Male) who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Waves I, II, and III) from 1995 to 2001. A lagged panel design and survey logistic regression was used to examine the association between multiple contextual factors (e.g., demographics, parents, peers, social context) during adolescence and self-reported DUI in young adulthood. Results As expected, the likelihood of DUI was higher among whites followed by Hispanics, Asians, and blacks in all models. Perception of easy home access to alcohol increased risk for future DUI for whites (OR: 1.25 CI: 1.04–1.49), Hispanics (OR: 2.02 CI: 1.29–3.16), and Asians (OR: 1.90 CI: 1.13–3.22), but not for black youth. Drinking frequency and prior DUI were not risk factors for Hispanics. Risk-taking attitudes, marijuana use, and religious affiliation were risk factors for whites only. Conclusions Findings suggest that in addition to screening for drinking behaviors, brief interventions and prevention efforts should assess perceived home access to alcohol and other race-specific factors to reduce alcohol-related injuries and harm.
Successful management of uric acid nephrolithiasis with potassium citrate.

Successful management of uric acid nephrolithiasis with potassium citrate. Eighteen patients with uric acid nephrolithiasis (six with uric acid stones alone and 12 with both uric acid and calcium stones) underwent long–term treatment (1 to 5.33 years, mean of 2.78 years) with potassium citrate (30 to 80 mEq/day, usually 60 mEq/day). Urinary pH increased from low (5.30 ± 0.31 SD) to normal (6.19 to 6.46) during treatment. Urinary content of undissociated uric acid, which was high to begin with at 204 ± 82 mg/day, decreased to the normal range (64 to 108 mg/day) following treatment. Urinary citrate rose from 503 ± 225 mg/day to 852 to 998 mg/day. Urinary saturation of calcium oxalate significantly declined with potassium citrate treatment. New stone formation rate declined from 1.20 ± 1.68 stones/year to 0.01 ± 0.04 stones/year (P
Collisional cooling in a quadrupole ion trap at sub-ambient temperatures

Abstract Quadrupole ion traps have been used successfully as ion storage devices for infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) experiments. Recently there has been interest in doing low temperature action spectroscopy experiments using ion traps as detectors for IRMPD spectroscopy. Cooling the trapping electrodes has the effect of cooling the trapped ions to the same internal temperature, because quadrupole ion traps operate at He bath gas pressures high enough to produce equilibrium ion internal energy distributions. It has previously been shown that collisions of the ions with the bath gas cool the ions’ internal vibrational modes at a rate that competes with IRMPD excitation at ambient temperatures. To investigate the implications of doing IRMPD in a quadrupole ion trap at lower trapping temperatures, the present study measures the collisional cooling rate constants at sub-ambient temperatures down to 25 K. The change in collisional cooling rate constant with trap temperature is correlated to the increased energy needed to dissociate the ions at these lower trap temperatures. It is found that both the energy needed to effect dissociation and the collisional cooling rate increase exponentially as trap temperature drops.
Physical sputtering model for fusion reactor first-wall materials

Abstract A model has been developed to provide energy-dependent physical sputter yields for various plasma particles (ions and neutrals) incident on candidate first-wall materials. The physical sputter yield is expressed in terms of the atomic and mass numbers of the projectile and target atoms, the surface binding energy of the targets and the energy of the incident particle. The general shapes of the yield curves are based on theoretical models, whereas the magnitudes of the yields are derived primarily from experimental data. The model applies to both high- and low-Z incident particles bombarding high- and low-Z wall materials. Although the model was developed for metal first-wall materials, it has been extended, with minor modifications, to predict physical sputter yields of several stable compound wall materials. A comparison of predicted yields with available experimental data has been made for a number of candidate first-wall materials.
Ultrafast Photoinduced Electron Transfer in a Chlorophyll-Based Triad: Vibrationally Hot Ion Pair Intermediates and Dynamic Solvent Effects

We report ultrafast transient absorption studies of photoinduced electron transfer in the triad molecule zinc methyl 131-desoxopyropheophorbide a−pyromellitimide−1,8:4,5-naphthalenediimide (ZC−PI−NI) in solution. The absorption spectra of the radical anions of PI and NI possess narrow and well-separated absorption bands which permit the direct observation of both the intermediate and final charge-separated states. Selective optical excitation of the ZC donor results in the formation of the intermediate charge-separated state, ZC+−PI-−NI, in less than 2 ps in nonpolar solvents. The PI radical ion within the ZC+−PI-−NI intermediate is vibrationally excited as illustrated by time-dependent changes in the band shape of its transient absorption spectrum. The rate of the initial charge separation reaction forming ZC+−PI-−NI and the subsequent charge shift reaction to form the final state, ZC+−PI−NI-, as well as the appearance of the vibrationally excited intermediate are all highly solvent dependent even for so...
Tacrolimus-induced paranoid delusions and fugue-like state

We report the case of a 43 year old male with no prior psychiatric history with apparent tacrolimus-induced psychosis. Previous reports have identified other neurotoxic adverse effects due to tacrolimus, however, to our knowledge, there are few reports that describe psychosis induced by the immunosuppressant drug. Although psychosis may be a rare adverse effect, it can have significant impact on the long-term prognosis and treatment in transplant recipients. It is imperative to quickly identify patients who develop a mental status change while on tacrolimus and to work with the appropriate transplant team in managing these patients. Treatment usually calls for prompt discontinuation of tacrolimus, substituting with another immunosuppressant, and possible use of antipsychotics.
Assessing software libraries by browsing similar classes, functions and relationships

Comparing and contrasting a set of software libraries is useful for reuse related activities such as selecting a library from among several candidates or porting an application from one library to another. The current state of the art in assessing libraries relies on qualitative methods. To reduce costs and/or assess a large collection of libraries, automation is necessary. Although there are tools that help a developer examine an individual library in terms of architecture, style, etc., we know of no tools that help the developer directly compare several libraries. With existing tools, the user must manually integrate the knowledge learned about each library. Automation to help developers directly compare and contrast libraries requires matching of similar components (such as classes and functions) across libraries. This is different than the traditional component retrieval problem in which components are returned that best match a user's query. Rather, we need to find those components that are similar across the libraries under consideration. In this paper, we show how this kind of matching can be done.
Update on pediatric photosensitivity disorders.

Purpose of reviewAlthough rare in the pediatric population, photosensitive dermatoses may begin prior to adulthood. The causes of photosensitivity are diverse, ranging from primary, immunologically mediated disorders of photosensitivity to inherited genetic or metabolic disorders. This review will h
Progress in applying the high-voltage electron microscope to biomedical research

This review attempts a physical definition of the technical problems and achievements in applying the high-voltage electron microscope (HVEM) to biological and medical research. It is hoped that the review will summarize for biologists, funding agencies, and institutions the achievements of the HVEM, its future prospects, and the main problem areas that still need to be explored.
Deep time: the emerging role of archaeology in landscape ecology

Given the goals of landscape ecology, information from archaeological sites provides a useful source of evidence regarding cultural practices, anthropogenic change, local conditions, and distributions of organisms at a variety of scales across both space and time. Due to the time depth available from the archaeological record, long-term processes can be studied and issues of land use legacies, human influence on landscape heterogeneity, and system histories can be addressed. Archaeological data can produce a diachronic record of past population size, population structure, biogeography, age-at-death, and migration patterns, useful for making ecosystem and wildlife management decisions. Researchers can use archaeological knowledge to differentiate between native and alien taxa, inform restoration plans, identify sustainable harvesting practices, account for modern distributions of taxa, predict future biogeographic changes, and elucidate the interplay of long- and short-term ecological processes.
Aggregation of heterogeneous units in a swarm of robotic agents

Formation of patterns in a system of interacting units of heterogeneous types is a self-organized behavior which is seen in many biological systems. Earlier research in this area has indicated that such pattern formation behaviors in biological cells and tissues are made possible because of difference in the adhesivity between different types of cells or tissues. Inspired by this differential adhesivity model, in our earlier research, we had presented a decentralized approach based on differential artificial potential to achieve the segregation behavior in a swarm of heterogeneous robotic agents in which agents of different types formed spatially separate clusters. In this paper, we extend that work by presenting an approach to achieve aggregation in which agents of different types get uniformly mixed with each other. The method is based on the proposition that agents of different types experience varying magnitude of potential while interacting with the agents of different types. An analysis of the system with the proposed approach in Lyapunov sense is carried out for stability. Extensive simulation studies and numerical analysis suggest that the proposed method would lead a population of heterogeneous agents to an aggregated configuration.
High resolution vortex simulation of bluff body flows

Abstract New advances in vortex methods for the simulation of unsteady incompressible flows, the fast-vortex algorithm for convection and the method of particle-strength exchange for viscous diffusion, are discussed. The application to bluff body flows is demonstrated for transient flows past a circular cylinder for Re = 40 to 9500.