cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploiting the Metal-Insulator Transition of VO2 Thin Films for Terahertz Wave Modulation and Switching

VO2 is one of the very few natural materials that can be used to modulate terahertz (THz) radiations. A 100-nm thick VO2, when in its metallic phase, has a charge density of more than ∼ 1015 cm-2 which will strongly reflect and absorb the THz radiation; while in its insulator state, the charge density is lowered by several orders of magnitude to be THz transparent. Therefore, exploiting the metal-insulator transition of VO2 is a potential approach to modulate or even switch THz radiation for THz optics. Here we report that VO2 epitaxial thin films on sapphire substrate exhibits 85% amplitude modulation depth in a broad bandwidth, while this value can be improved to 95% when VO2 film is coated on both sides of a substrate. We further demonstrate that with wafer bonding, 4-layered VO2 thin films exhibit a transmittance as low as -20 dB to -30 dB at their metallic state, enough for switching applications. We also report our proof-of-concept demonstration of THz spatial light modulator that exhibits amplitude modulation as large as 96%, -30 dB pixel-to-pixel crosstalk, and a broad THz bandwidth.
Using Mental Models to Design for Learning: Lessons from Game Development

Of the many approaches game designers take to understand the way their experiences and messages will be perceived, a good deal of these approaches include explicitly or implicitly evaluating user mental models. These mental models are formed implicitly and explicitly during a range of activities from mundane to game play. Individuals hold mental models that they use to interpret the world and experiences. When one’s mental model is incorrect or incomplete they may or may not have success on the execution of an intended action, similarly, the action may not have evaluated the situation appropriately, so their action may be ineffective or even detrimental. This phenomenon can be seen manifested in the actions in the physical world, in interaction with software applications, in interaction with various hardware, and in games. Because many solutions to real world problems that can be solved by simple shifts in mental models, this paper highlights the activities that games do well to train users (players) to grow and evolve their mental models through game play that is designed for interaction.
Influence of Session Context on Physical Activity Levels Among Russian Girls During a Summer Camp

ABSTRACTPurpose: This study investigated the effect of summer camp session context on Russian girls’ physical activity (PA). Method: Girls (n = 32, Mage = 10.7 years, SD = 0.6 years) from a resident summer camp taking place in the Vologda Region of Russia were exposed to 1 session context/day (i.e., free play, organized with no choice, organized with choice) on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for 3 weeks, with the context order counterbalanced across the 3 weeks. The organized session sport/game changed weekly. The primary outcome was accelerometer-assessed PA. Repeated-measures mixed models were used to analyze all outcome data. Results: Findings showed that girls spent a greater percentage of session time (%time) in moderate-to-vigorous PA (p < .001; effect sizes between free play and organized with no choice and organized with choice, respectively = .60, .42) and moderate PA (p < .001; effect size = .57, .39) and a lower %time in light PA (p < .001; effect size = .55, .52) in organized PA contexts comp...
Quantification of perivascular spaces at 7 T: A potential MRI biomarker for epilepsy

Abstract Purpose 7T (7T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilitates the visualization of the brain with resolution and contrast beyond what is available at conventional clinical field strengths, enabling improved detection and quantification of small structural features such as perivascular spaces (PVSs). The distribution of PVSs, detected in vivo at 7T, may act as a biomarker for the effects of epilepsy. In this work, we systematically quantify the PVSs in the brains of epilepsy patients and compare them to healthy controls. Methods T 2 -weighted turbo spin echo images were obtained at 7T on 21 epilepsy patients and 17 healthy controls. For all subjects, PVSs were manually marked on Osirix image analysis software. Marked PVSs with diameter≥0.5mm were then mapped by hemisphere and lobe. The asymmetry index ( AI ) was calculated for each region and the maximum asymmetry index (| AI max |) was reported for each subject. The asymmetry in epilepsy subjects was compared to that of controls, and the region with highest asymmetry was compared to the suspected seizure onset zone. Results There was a significant difference between the | AI max | in epilepsy subjects and in controls (p=0.016). In 72% of patients, the region or lobe of the brain showing maximum PVS asymmetry was the same as the region containing the suspected seizure onset zone. Conclusion These findings suggest that epilepsy may be associated with significantly asymmetric distribution of PVSs in the brain. Furthermore, the region of maximal asymmetry of the PVSs may help provide localization or confirmation of the seizure onset zone.
GUIDELINES FOR IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT OF SALINE WATERS ARE OVERLY CONSERVATIVE

A general trend exists toward increasing the salt concentration of surface and ground waters in the semiarid regions of the world. Quantitative knowledge on the interaction between irrigation management and crop yield is becoming increasingly important as water salinities increase. Guidelines for irrigation management with saline waters which have been based on steady-state analyses overpredict the amount of irrigation required, and/or underestimate the yield that can be achieved when irrigating with saline waters.
Efficacy and safety profile of PD-1 and pdl-1 inhibitors in African American patients.

e15080Background: The African American (AA) population has been under-represented in clinical trials for PD-1/PDL-1 inhibitors, constituting less than 5% of patients in these trials. Therefore, dif...
The global influence of national cultural values on construction permitting

This research discovers how national level culture shapes construction permitting across 62 nations. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions explain variability in components of World Bank’s dealing with Co...
Many caregivers of persons with memory loss or Alzheimer's disease are unaware of the abilities of their persons with AD to recall their drugs and medical histories.

BackgroundCaregiver awareness of the abilities of those they care for has much practical importance, especially from the safety standpoint.ObjectivesTo determine whether the caregivers of persons w...
The Darkness Visible: Litigation Stories & Lawrence Joseph's Lawyerland

Once upon a time I worked for a firm on the Gold Coast in the suburbs in Connecticut. We were affectionately known to the legal community as The Professional Bastards of Fairfield County. Tough guys. Litigators. I worked for the two senior litigators, David and Mac, mostly. David’s father was one of the founders of the firm. Already in his eighties, he still came into the office nearly everyday. Mac called him the Old Man or, more bitterly, “The Ointment” because of his initials, “A.D.” as in “AD in fact, they didn’t seem to like anybody. I didn’t fit the type, but I could write. I had taught legal writing, and so the partners, ironically, and mockingly, called me “The Professor.”
The Realm of an Empire and the Reach of Empathy: Reconsideration of Humanism in Mark Twain's 'the War-Prayer'

New Perspectives on “The War-Prayer” Essays on “The War-Prayer” The Realm of an Empire and the Reach of Empathy: Reconsideration of Humanism in Mark Twain’s “The War-Prayer” ARIMITSU Michio In December 1925, The Crisis, the NAACP’s ofcial organ, carried a short article en- titled “Philippine Mulattoes.” The unsigned article quoted a cable sent by General Leon- ard Wood (1860-1927), the then governor of the Philippines, in which he had called for  nancial assistance from home: The American people have been so generous in their responses to the cries of children all over the world that I have no hesitation in appealing to them for children of their own blood who are in need of help. Especially do I have profound condence, as the problem involves the honor of the American nation. (61) By “the children of their own blood,” Wood meant 18,000 hapless children, who had been born to GIs and Filipino women, and subsequently abandoned by their American fathers. Criticizing the hypocrisy involved in the appeal “to support these illegitimate victims of white men’s lust” (61), the article nevertheless asked the readers for help: Send, in God’s name, America, two million dollars . . . and send simultaneously two million protests to Washington to lambaste the heads of Congressmen who permit the holding of the Philippines as a house of prostitution for American white men under the glorious stars and stripes. (61) In their indictment of the “American white men,” African-Americans’ segregated lives are here implicitly united with those of half-American, half-Filipino children. The article’s scathing rhetoric, directed at the (white) government’s imperial actions abroad as it is, reects African-Americans’ frustration at its racist policies at home. The Philippine-American War, leading eventually to the birth of the Filipino mulat- toes, drew as much attention from Mark Twain as from African-Americans. Just as the latter, seeing suffering images of themselves in the Filipinos, loudly voiced their rage at Washington and its injustice committed overseas, Twain took his political stand by writing “The War-Prayer” ( 1905), a satire harshly criticizing his country’s imperialism. Although Twain and African-Americans pursued a common political goal to end the
Impact of Vessel Wall MR Imaging in the Work-Up for Ischemic Stroke.

Interest in the diagnostic utility of intracranial vessel wall MR imaging (VW-MR imaging) has increased during the past 2 decades. Many studies have shown that VW-MR imaging provides supplemental anatomic information to existing lumen-based imaging techniques.[1][1],[2][2] Yet, the diagnostic
The use of collocations across proficiency levels: a literature review

This literature review focuses on the use of formulaic language by English as a second language students (L2). Research on the field of phraseology has shown that mastery of formulas is central for fluency and linguistic competence (Ellis, 1996). Studies on the use of formulaic language by native speakers (Ellis et al., 2008) have shown that native speakers process these structures as a single word. Considering the use of formulaic language by L2 students, research has shown that this can be problematic to learners as they do not know the correct word association (Men, 2018). This paper presents a literature review on the studies of formulaic language, more specifically of collocations, used by L2 learners. The first part of this paper deals with the different definitions of collocations, while the second part focuses on studies on collocation use by L2 learners.
High-Density Multilayer Graphene Microelectrode Arrays for Optogenetic Electrophysiology in Human Embryonic Kidney Cells

Optogenetic electrophysiology offers high precision cellular analysis by electrophysiological recording under optogenetic control [1] , [2] . Such studies often use microelectrode arrays (MEA) to obtain massively parallel recording from densely packed cells. Among the MEA materials, graphene has been suggested to be well suited for optogenetic electrophysiology [1] - [3] , enabling transparent, flexible, and low-noise MEAs for in vivo recording of the local field potential (LFP) [1] . To date, most graphene microelectrodes were 25-300 μm in size to achieve high signal-to-noise ratios, and placed in a 150-900 μm pitch for single-unit recording [1] , [3] . Such device dimension however has limited spatial resolution compared to closely-packed silicon MEAs [4] , and cannot offer spatial oversampling of the cell activity. Here we present a 28-μm pitched multilayer graphene MEA with 13-μm sized electrodes, the smallest in literature, for high-density optogenetic electrophysiology in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. Our MEA was made of CVD-grown multilayer graphene for its low sheet resistance, which was one-time transferred onto a Si/SiO 2 substrate, instead of layer-by-layer transfer steps (see [2] ) that may increase the electrode impedance by contaminants. Our electrodes had 2 MΩ impedance at 1 kHz (2.38 Ω•cm 2 ) in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), 6 times smaller than those made by layer-by-layer transfer steps if they were made in the same size [2] . Our MEA was able to record optogenetically evoked extracellular signals in HEK cells co-expressed with opsins ( ChR2 ) and Ca 2+ reporters ( jRCAMP1a ) [5] . The signal amplitude increased with the intensity (not the duration) of the optogenetic stimulus, and qualitatively matched the position of optogenetically responsive cells (confirmed by jRCAMP1a imaging). Our work suggests the possible use of multiplayer graphene MEA for optogenetic electrophysiology in HEK cells.
Explicit and implicit measurement of nonsuicidal self-injury in the prediction of concurrent and prospective self-injury

Objective The relationship between explicit nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior and implicit identification with NSSI is important to understand considering the under-reported nature of NSSI and the subsequent elevated risk of more severe NSSI. It was expected that implicit assessment of NSSI at baseline would be associated with past-year NSSI frequency assessed at baseline and that it would more strongly associate with NSSI frequency than self-reported future likelihood of NSSI at a 6-month follow-up. Method Data were collected from 420 young adults (mean age = 19; 83% women, 87% White) with recent NSSI at baseline, and 324 were assessed at 6-month follow-up. Participants completed self-report measures and the Self-Injury Implicit Association Task (SI-IAT) at each time point. Results Baseline implicit NSSI scores significantly predicted NSSI frequency at baseline but not at 6-month follow-up. However, explicit ratings were strongly and significantly associated with future NSSI frequency. Conclusions These findings suggest that although implicit identification with oneself and NSSI is important to understand, there are limitations regarding the possible utility of the SI-IAT in predicting future NSSI engagement and further research is needed to fully understand why NSSI continues to be such a strong predictor of future NSSI behavior, and suicidal ideation and behavior.
Preliminary Study of Cramer-Rao Lower Bound for Subsurface Soil Moisture Estimation Using SoOp Reflectometry

Frequencies in the Very-High (VHF) to Ultra-High (UHF) range show potential for the remote sensing of soil moisture within the root-zone. This paper analyzes the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) for estimating soil moisture parameters using the SoOp Coherent Bistatic Scattering Model (SCoBi). CRLB defines the best achievable estimation variance for any unbiased estimator, hence allowing to identify optimal measurement configurations for soil moisture estimation. For different frequency, polarization and direction values SCoBi can model specular scattering surface reflection coefficients. Initial CRLB analysis are carried out using different combinations of a maximum of 120 measurements. The results indicate that surface soil moisture can reliably be measured while soil moisture values at 40 cm depth can be estimated within ± 4% accuracy if the surface and subsurface soil moisture is below 32.5% VSM. Its also shown that dual frequency measurements of soil moisture can greatly reduce the CRLB compared to using a single frequency.
Left Ventricular Assist Device Exchange to HeartMate III Using Minimally Invasive Approach

Purpose Pump thrombosis, infection or device malfunction are major complications of LVAD that may need to be treated with pump exchange. There is limited data on exchanges to HMIII. Our purpose was to review outcomes of patients undergoing any LVAD to HMIII exchange at our center using minimally invasive approach (subcostal and/or left anterolateral thoracotomy). Methods We retrospectively reviewed records of patients undergoing any LVAD to HMIII exchange from January 2016 to October 2020. Pre-operative characteristics, indication, hospitalization course and post discharge data was collected. Results Ten patients underwent LVAD (7 HMII, 2 HMIII, 1 HeartWare) to HMIII exchange. Baseline characteristics are described in Table 1. Indications for exchange were pump thrombosis (3), infection + thrombosis (2), malposition (1), malposition + thrombosis (1), outflow graft obstruction from external compression (1), outflow graft twisting and thrombosis (1) and drive line injury (1). All patients underwent minimally invasive approach but 5 needed additional sternotomy to clear abscess collection or due to anatomical complexity. Post exchange, 1 patient needed pericardial window, 1 needed short term hemodialysis, 1 had recurrence of GI bleeding, 1 had CVA on POD 1 and 3 patients needed washout and debridement or hematoma evacuation. There was no change in RV function. Mean length of stay was 20.8 ±2 days. There was only 1 re-admission (sternal wound drainage needing debridement) within 30 days of discharge. There were a total of 8 other admissions (2 for MSSA Bacteremia, 1 for HF exacerbation, 1 for GI bleeding, 1 repeat debridement of sternal wound, 1 for renal failure and 2 for unrelated reasons) within 1 year post discharge. There was no recurrence of thrombosis. Mortality was 0% at 30 days and 0% at 1 year for 5/10 patients (others are alive and less than 1 year from exchange). Conclusion LVAD to HMIII exchange with a minimally invasive approach has low surgical mortality and acceptable intermediate- term outcomes.
Responsible Majorities? How Group Composition Drives Partisan Expressive Voting

Individuals sometimes do not ``vote their beliefs" but rather to affirm their partisan affiliation. We design an experiment to determine the conditions under which voters engage in partisan expressive voting. Democrats and Republicans are asked to vote on the answers to factual questions about politics and are rewarded if the majority of their group answers correctly. To evaluate both compositional and audience effects, we vary the number of affected co-partisans and public dissemination of vote totals. We find that voters are more expressive as the numbers of co-partisans in either the population or the voting pool increase, despite the potential costs of such behavior for co-partisans. Our results thus indicate that large majorities will sometimes produce outcomes that all could regret.
Use of Patient Identifiers at the University of Washington School of Medicine: Building Institutional Consensus to Reduce Bias and Stigma.

Background and objectives Patient identifiers are used in the opening lines of case presentations and written documentation in health care and medical education settings. These identifiers can reflect physicians' implicit biases, which are known to impact patient care. Yet, no clear recommendations for the use of patient identifiers to reduce bias and stigma in patient care and medical education learning environments currently exist. We describe a process and outcomes for articulating such recommendations. Methods The University of Washington School of Medicine convened a group of diverse stakeholders to create patient identifier recommendations for use in the undergraduate medical education program. After a literature review, 22 recommendations for the use of patient identifiers were articulated. These underwent public comment periods reaching 11,150 potential respondents across our 5-state institution. Feedback from 437 respondents informed modifications to the recommendations. We used consensus methodology with three rounds of surveys and an expert group of 27 stakeholders to adopt recommendations with an a priori threshold of 90% agreeing the recommendation should be used. Results We adopted 12 recommendations for patient identifiers for age, gender/sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, size, and stigma; nine in round one, three in round two, and none in the third round. Discussion Our institution vetted these patient identifier recommendations via public comment and consensus methodology. Next steps include implementation across the undergraduate medical education program, including classroom and clinical settings. Other institutions could consider similar processes as key steps to reduce bias and stigma in their medical education programs.
A Mathematical Model of a Three-Phase Induction Motor with a Phase Rotor

A mathematical model of an induction motor (IM) with a phase rotor is developed on the basis of the usual assumptions that does not use the supposition that there is an annular rotating field in its air gap and various transformations of coordinates. The model is valid for both transient and steady-state modes and with various ways of control by changing the parameters of the three-phase feeding voltage system of the IM stator coil. It is shown that the desired stationary operation mode that exists in the developed nonlinear IM model at a constant feeding voltage of the stator and load torque corresponds to the constant electromagnetic torque and spinning frequency of the rotor at sine-wave rotor and stator currents. A digital IM model is developed in the MATLAB system. An analytical solution is derived for the system of linear differential equations that describes the IM with a retarded rotor and allows evaluating the nonlinear digital model for correctness. Examples of applying the IM model in analyzing transient and steady-state operation modes of this motor are provided.
Tricuspid Valve Vegetation Secondary to Ovarian Cancer Leading to Acute Stroke via Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation

We report a case of non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis in a 52-year-old woman due to ovarian cancer that was complicated by acute ischemic stroke through pulmonary arteriovenous malformation. Echocardiography showed tricuspid valve vegetation and a positive bubble study that revealed pulmonary arteriovenous malformation in the absence of patent foramen ovale. The patient opted for palliative management and was discharged home with comfort care.
Breathing and Dying in 2020

Every ethnographer balances participation and observation during fieldwork in their own unique way. For those whose primary role is participation, field notes represent an avenue for reflecting on trends that may not be immediately obvious when one is mired in the ethnographic setting. The author, an emergency physician and anthropologist, reflects on racial injustices and transformations in biomedical rituals to do with death and dying, from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Volatile compound characterization of modified atmosphere packaged ground beef held under temperature abuse

Abstract The effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on headspace volatile compounds of raw ground beef, as profiled by solid phase microextraction (SPME), was studied. Raw ground beef patties (81:19 lean:fat) were packaged in high oxygen MAP (80% O2, 20% CO2) or carbon monoxide MAP (COMAP) (69.6% N2, 0.4% CO, and 30% CO2) atmospheres. Packages were stored at 22 °C under continuous fluorescent lighting (1530 lux). Package headspace was sampled over a three consecutive day trial by SPME and then analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In total, 20 volatile compounds were separately identified in the headspace of COMAP and high oxygen MAP packages; the progression of time evidenced development of known spoilage-associated compounds including several hydrocarbons and hexanal. The identification of compounds in similar relative abundance in both package types suggest their development via alternative oxidation and non-oxidation pathways.
Clonal Diseases of Large Granular Lymphocytes

Three distinct clinical syndromes occur in patients with increased numbers of circulating LGL. Patients with T-LGL leukemia have clonal proliferations of CD3+ LGL typically associated with chronic neutropenia and autoimmune features. NK-LGL leukemia is characterized by clonal CD3- LGL proliferation with an acute clinical presentation marked by massive hepatosplenomegaly and systemic illness. However, most patients with increased numbers of CD3- LGL do not have clinical features of NK-LGL leukemia and have a chronic clinical course. X-linked gene analyses have supported a polyclonal LGL lymphocytosis in this syndrome. Further studies are needed to determine whether clonal progression can occur in these patients.
Applications of the MasPar MP-1 at NASA/Goddard

Massively parallel systems are targeted for accelerated development and maturation by NASA's upcoming five-year High Performance Computing Initiative. A summary of the broad range of applications currently running on the MP-1 is presented along with descriptions of the parallel algorithmic techniques employed in five of them. The following applications are described in some detail: finite element simulation, tridiagonal solver, neural networks, image deblurring, and point plotting. The MasPar MP-1 has replaced the MPP (Massively Parallel Processor) and with 8K processors installed is providing more than twice the megaflop power and 64 times the high-speed memory. All the MPP users have migrated their development activities to the MasPar along with many of their application codes. User feedback has been positive due to the more capable hardware and its excellent reliability. >
Neurobiology of Overeating

The fact that some people are able to maintain a healthy weight, despite the omnipresence of high-fat and high-sugar foods, whereas others experience unhealthy weight gain, has prompted theories regarding individual difference factors that may increase risk for overeating. Some have proposed that individuals who experience less reward from food intake overeat to compensate for this reward deficit. Others have suggested that it is individuals who experience greater reward from food intake who are at risk for overeating. There is data from neuroimaging studies that investigate individual differences in response to food intake and food cues, as well as animal studies that support the reward deficit model, yet there is similar data to support the reward surfeit model. However, neither of these models fit with all of the data. We have therefore proposed a dynamic vulnerability model that appears to better account for the findings in the literature. This working model points to initial vulnerability factors as well as neural adaptations to overeating which may perpetuate overeating in a feed forward manner. Key Concepts: Advances in neuroimaging techniques allows for the direct assessment of how food reward can impact eating behaviour. Multiple, conflicting theories of food reward and obesity have been presented. Emerging animal and prospective human data suggest that reduced reward when consuming foods and hyper-responsivity to food cues may evolve from overeating and perpetuate further overeating. Initial hyper-responsivity of brain regions that encode the reward value of food cues, coupled with greater responsivity of gustatory/oral somatosensory regions may be initial vulnerability factors of overeating. Reduced inhibitory activation in response to food stimuli, and genotypes associated with compromised dopamine function may increase risk for overeating/weight gain. Collectively, data point toward a dynamic vulnerability of overeating and obesity. Keywords: neuroimaging; functional MRI; food reward; obesity; striatum; dopamine; addiction
Self-Cleaning Materials—Lotus Effect Surfaces

The lotus effect represents superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning properties of natural lotus leaves. Since it was first explained by Professor Wilhelm Barthlott in 1997, lotus effect has gained much attention, and various applications of lotus effect surfaces have been proposed. However, superhydrophobic surfaces have been prepared and studied since 1950s. In this work, the relationship between the two concepts, the lotus effect and superhydrophobicity, is discussed. We also briefly review the fundamental theories on the wettability of hydrophobic rough surfaces, recent modeling works on superhydrophobic and self-cleaning properties, as well as the processing of lotus effect films. Based on the properties of lotus effect surfaces, different applications were introduced. Keywords: lotus effect; superhydrophobic; self-cleaning; wetting; contact angle
Constitutive Modeling of a Glass Fiber-Reinforced PTFE Gasketed-Joint Under a Re-torque

Joints gasketed with viscoelastic seals often receive an application of a secondary torque, i.e., retorque, in order to ensure joint tightness and proper sealing. The motivation of this study is to characterize and analytically model the load and deflection re-torque response of a single 25% glass-fiber reinforced polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) gasket-bolted joint with serrated flange detail. The Burger-type viscoelastic modeling constants of the material are obtained through isolating the gasket from the bolt by performing a gasket creep test via a MTS electromechanical test frame. The re-load creep response is also investigated by re-loading the gasket after a period of initial creep to observe the response. The modeling constants obtained from the creep tests are used with a Burger-type viscoelastic model to predict the re-torque response of a single bolt-gasket test fixture in order to validate the ability of the model to simulate the re-torque response under various loading conditions and flange detail.
Neyman, Jerzy (1894-1981)

Born in 1894, Jerzy Neyman began his career as a promising Polish statistician working in Warsaw and Crakow. After meeting Egon Pearson in the 1920s during studies abroad, Neyman began a decade-long collaboration with Pearson that led to a systematic theory of statistical tests of hypotheses. When Egon Pearson succeeded his father Karl as professor of Statistics at University College London, Neyman joined him, continuing to make fundamental contributions to the theory of statistical estimation and testing. Initially on cordial terms with R. A. Fisher, the relationship between the two deteriorated, and Neyman elected to move to the University of California, Berkeley, leading to the formation of one of the most important centers of statistics in the United States. Although Neyman continued to make important contributions to mathematical statistics after his move to the United States, his efforts largely shifted to applied statistics and departmental administration.
Structures of Glycopeptides from a Glycoprotein from Bovine Aorta

Abstract A glycoprotein present in low amounts was isolated from bovine aorta by extraction with NaCl, precipitation with (NH4)2SO4 and fractionation by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel. The purified material was found to be homogeneous by ultracentrifugal criteria and by orthogonal gel electrophoresis. Galactose, glucose, fucose, glucosamine, and sialic acid were found in an approximate proportion of 6:1:1:4:2. After removal of sialic acid by mild acid hydrolysis and subsequent hydrolysis with pronase, two glycopeptides were obtained. One was found in approximately twice the amount of the other. A sequence of -Phe-Thr-Gly-Asn-Leu- was found for the major glycopeptide, and its carbohydrate unit consisted of N-acetylglucosamine and galactose. A disaccharide was obtained after mild acid hydrolysis; further study indicated this to be 4-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-d-glucosamine. The other glycopeptide contained glucose, galactose, and fucose. Mild acid hydrolysis released fucose from the glycopeptide, and further hydrolysis yielded glucose and galactose. These results suggest that fucose occupies the terminal position, and glucose and galactose are in the inner part of the oligosaccharide unit. -Leu-(Gln-Ser)-Gly- composed the amino acid chain of the peptide.
Performance and Reliability of Third-Generation Image Intensifies

Publisher Summary Over the years, third-generation image intensifiers have been developed to a point where first production can be initiated, and most of the performance characteristics initially envisioned can now be obtained routinely. For practical applications, it is most important that these performance characteristics do not degrade under various and often extreme environmental and operational conditions. In all image intensifiers, the basic detection mechanism is the photoelectric effect. Electrons are released from the photocathode by incoming photons. These electrons are accelerated and/or multiplied by the gain mechanism and focused onto the output phosphor screen where they generate photons, generally in the visible region. This chapter describes the performance currently obtainable and the reliability characteristics of third-generation image intensifiers, together with some of the remaining problem areas and possible improvements. It also discusses the trade-offs that had to be made in respect of performance to achieve satisfactory reliability.
Identification of surfaces using discrete triangular approximation of Gaussian curvature

Object recognition is one of the prime probems of computer vision. One way of extracting information is to compute the Gaussian curvature for the given surfaces. The algorithm uses discrete approximation using triangularization methods to compute Gaussian curvature. The images are initially broken down into different segments and the Gaussian curvature for each pixel in the segment is computed with respect to its eight neighboring pixels. These computed values are then converted into intensity format for graphical visualization. The images with improved edge information have been taken from previous work. Synthetic images containing signal object scenes have been tested.
Advancing Renewable Normal Human Cell Assays for Drug Discovery

Preclinical Research A major shortcoming in current drug development evaluation assays is the routine absence of renewable normal human tissue cells. Renewable tumor-derived and transformed cell lines are pervasive in human cell culture panels used in drug screens and for drug evaluations. Although there are examples of inclusion of preparations of primary human tissue cells (e.g., human hepatocytes), the quality of these materials is variable and their availability is unreliable. The absence of renewable normal tissue cells in drug assays reflects a normal characteristic of most mature cells in human tissues. With few exceptions, they are terminally differentiated and do not divide, in vivo or in vitro, and those which do divide are developmentally programmed to undergo a permanent cell cycle arrest after a limited number of divisions. Because of these intrinsic tissue cell properties, producing normal human tissue cells in sufficient quantity for routine use in drug evaluation studies has proven essentially impossible. Tissue-specific distributed stem cells (DSCs), which divide by asymmetric self-renewal to continuously renew mature differentiated tissue cells, may be the key to addressing this unmet need for more effective drug discovery. However, DSCs, which are exceedingly scarce in tissues, are notoriously difficult to identify and, previously, inexplicably refractory to expansion in culture. Here, recent advances in the discovery of DSC-specific biomarkers and methods for ex vivo expansion of human DSC strains are discussed in terms of their potential to enable a new era of drug discovery and development by advancing renewable normal human cell assays into routine practice.
Through Tinted Eyeglasses

EIC Roy Want introduces the special issue on cross-reality environments and discusses alternate realities including virtual reality, augmented reality, embodied virtuality, cross-reality, and mixed reality.
Mega Trends in the Financial Services Industry

Even after the dramatic fallback of the worldwide stock markets — particularly in the high-tech sector — the fast evolving IT-development remains the most important driver of structural change in the financial services industry. Fig. 5 provides a quick overview of the development of important German and international stock markets in the last two years. Particularly shares of high-tech companies — listed at the Neuer Markt in Germany (NEMAX Index) or at the Nasdaq in the U.S. — have suffered severely as the dotted circles illustrate.
When Church and Cinema Combine: Blurring Boundaries through Media-savvy Evangelicalism

The use of social media presents new religious groups with opportunities to assert themselves in contrast to established religious institutions. Intersections of church and cinema form a central part of this phenomenon. On one hand, many churches embrace digital media, from Hollywood clips in sermons to sermons delivered entirely via video feed. Similarly and overlapping with this use of media, churches in cinemas have emerged around the world as a new form of Sunday morning worship. This paper investigates intersections of church and cinema through case studies of two representative congregations. CityChurch, in Wurzburg, Germany, is a free evangelical faith community that meets in a downtown Cineplex for Sunday worship. LCBC (Lives Changed by Christ) is one of the largest multi-sited megachurches on the American East Coast. While LCBC’s main campus offers live preaching, sermons are digitally streamed to the rest. Both CityChurch and LCBC exemplify growing numbers of faith communities that rely on popular musical and social media to 1) redefine local and global religious relationships and 2) claim identity as both culturally alternative and spiritually authentic. By engaging with international flows of worship music, films, and viral internet sensations, new media-centered faith communities like CityChurch and LCBC reconfigure established sacred soundscapes. CityChurch’s use of music and media strategically differentiates the congregation from neighboring traditional forms of German Christianity while strengthening connections to the imagined global evangelical community. LCBC creates what cultural geographer Justin Wilford dubs a “postsuburban sacrality” that carves out meaning from the banality of strip-mall-studded suburban existence. Analyzing the dynamics of music and media in these new worship spaces assumes growing importance as transnational music and media choices play an increasingly a central role in locally differentiating emergent worship communities from historically hegemonic religious neighbors.
Intracellular motility: How can we all work together?

Abstract Recent results reinforce the view that actin-based and microtubule-based motility systems do not operate independently, but are used in a coordinated fashion to determine intracellular localization of cargo such as organelles.
Human values and cocaine use.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prioritized rankings of human values among persons who either use or do not use cocaine. Three hundred eighty-three college-aged subjects were given the Wellness Activity Profile, a questionnaire that yielded data on cocaine use and human values. Discriminant analyses indicated that the value profiles of cocaine and non-cocaine users were significantly different for both males and females. The results support the contention that dominant value orientations differ between those using cocaine and those abstaining. Personal values are more important to users, while social values are more important to non-users. Results of the study suggested that prevailing theories informing educational and treatment protocols need to account for value structures that discriminate cocaine users from non-users.
Semiempirical analysis of electron-induced K -shell ionization

We report the results of an analysis of the available experimental data on electron-induced K-shell ionization which show that the data can be described by the Bethe theory of ionization corrected for relativistic energies by a classical correction. This analysis, which extends over five orders of magnitude in the ratio of bombarding energy to ionization potential, appears to be superior to the available theoretical treatments, and suggests where further work would be useful. (AIP)
Sp1 and Sp3 Regulate Expression of the Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor β4 Subunit Gene

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors play important roles in signal transduction within the nervous system. The receptors exist in a variety of functionally distinct subtypes that are determined by their subunit structures. The subunits are encoded by 11 genes, α2–α9 and β2–β4. Three of the genes, α3, α5, and β4, are tightly clustered, and their encoded proteins make up the predominant receptor subtype in the peripheral nervous system. The tight linkage of the genes suggests there may be a common regulatory mechanism underlying their expression. However, although their expression patterns significantly overlap, they are not identical, indicating that independent regulatory mechanisms must also exist. Our studies have focused upon the gene encoding the β4 subunit for which we have identified several transcriptional regulatory elements. One of these elements, E2, specifically interacts with the general transcription factor Sp1. Here we show that another member of the Sp family of factors, Sp3, can specifically interact with E2 whereas two other members, Sp2 and Sp4, cannot. Co-transfection experiments indicate that Sp3 can transactivate a β4 promoter/reporter gene construct and, furthermore, that Sp1 and Sp3 can transactivate the β4 reporter construct synergistically. The transactivation is dependent upon an intact E2 and may involve direct interactions between Sp1 and Sp3.
FROM RACE RELATIONS TO COMPARATIVE RACIAL POLITICS: A Survey of Cross-National Scholarship on Race in the Social Sciences

Understanding racial dynamics and power relations in comparative, cross-spatial perspective is a topic which should have an extensive archive in the literature of comparative politics. Yet, the field of comparative racial politics remains at its infancy. While we have witnessed a resurgence in the study of race and ethnicity in the social sciences and humanities, much of the debate has been concerned with the meaning and relevance of the race concept, rather than its implementation. The authors believe comparative politics has a potentially distinctive and important contribution to make in the study of racial politics, as opposed to race relations, by foregrounding the role of politics in the social and political mobilization of various social groups premised upon the race concept, racial hierarchy, and distinction. This article provides a categorical review of the major trends and approaches to the comparative study of race in the social sciences, and provides an alternative conceptualization of racial politics.
Alternative Schools: Better Guardians than Family or State?

Alternative schools have become increasingly popular in this country in the last few years, at least as measured by the amount of attention focused on them by magazines and TV networks. A whole new genre of books has emerged, too, beginning with Paul Goodman's Compulsory Mis-Education and followed by the Kozol-Holt-Herndon series on the failings of most public schools. A. S. Neil's Summerhill and Maria Montessori were rediscovered; Jay Featherstone publicized the British Infant School model; and George Dennison described his experiences with a new school for poor inner-city children. Alternative schools began appearing as well, growing in the last five years from perhaps twenty-five to over 600. Over 200 were founded in the past year alone,1 and these statistics do not reflect the growing number of public schools which have been remodeled drastically enough to deserve the label "alternative schools." This is not to suggest that demands for alternatives to public schools are new. Rather, there have been strong clashes between families and the state over how to educate children since
Partial urogenital mobilization: A limited proximal dissection

Abstract Introduction The treatment of urogenital sinus malformations is complex and controversial. Despite numerous and significant contemporary surgical advances, the dissection of the urogenital sinus remains technically challenging. Methods Based on total urogenital mobilization, we describe a technique whereby this dissection is limited to the pubourethral ligament. Our short-term results with partial urogenital mobilization (PUM) performed on 15 patients are retrospectively reviewed. Results There were no intraoperative complications and the short-term cosmetic results are excellent. No patients have developed voiding dysfunction or urinary tract complications. Conclusions While total urogenital mobilization is a very effective procedure, we believe that the PUM approach limits potential morbidity in the reconstruction of these complex problems.
The effect of an immunoglobulin μ transgene on B cell maturation

In μ 17.2.25-transgenic (M54) mice the absolute number of surface IgM (slgM) B cells in lymphoid organs is drastically reduced compared to normal C57BL/6 mice and a high frequency of B cells express the immunoglobulin (Ig) encoded by the transgene rather than endogenous Ig on the surface. To determine the effect of a μ trangene on B cell development, adoptive cell transfers were performed using μ transgenic (M54) bone marrow and fetal liver cells. The data presented support the following conclusions: (a) adult transgenic bone marrow contains functional B cell precursors able to mature and repopulate the spleen and peritoneum of recipient mice. The relative frequency of transgene (sIgMa) and endogenous (sIgMb) surface sIgM-positive B cells reconstituted by transgenic bone marrow in allotype-matched C57BL/6 recipients is the same as in the M54 donors; (b) serum analysis indicates that transgenic bone marrow donor cells can reconstitute B cells in congenic and severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) recipient mice; (c) transgenic fetal liver cells are not a richer source of precursors for B cells expressing endogeneous Ig; (d) in transgenic mice sIgM+ B cells are not restricted to the CD5+ phenotype, however, the relative frequency of sIgMb B cells that are CD5+ is higher in transgenic than normal mice; and (e) bone marrow cells from adult normal and transgenic mice are able to generate CD5+ B lymphocytes in the spleen and peritoneum of allotype-congenic and neonatal SCID recipient mice. The results indicate that the presence of a complete μ heavy chain transgene does not result in a selective developmental block of “conventional” bone marrow-derived pre-B and B cells.
Influence of the Hofmeister Series on the Retention of Amines in Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography

The chromatographic behavior of protonated amines in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) is influenced markedly by the identity of the mobile-phase anion. For example, retention factor values, k, obtained from protonated nordoxepin, nortriptyline, and amitriptyline increase almost 1 order of magnitude across the following series of anions employed as mobile-phase modifiers: H2PO4- < HCOO- < CH3SO3- < Cl- < NO3- < CF3COO- < BF4- < ClO4- < PF6-. Early eluting primary, secondary, and tertiary benzylamines are retained and resolved using BF4-, ClO4-, and PF6- but elute in or very near the void using all other mobile-phase anions tested. In contrast, a neutral hydrophobic marker, acenaphthene, shows no significant changes in retention with mobile-phase anion identity. Such large differences in amine retention with anion identity can be rationalized via both an ion-pairing model and the Hofmeister effect. Two key findings are reported. First, the dependence of amine retention on mobile-phase anion iden...