cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Should Robots Feel Pain?”—Towards a Computational Theory of Pain in Autonomous Systems

We argue that investigating the biological mechanisms underlying the sensation of pain in humans and animals may lead to fundamental new insights about robot cognition, motor skill acquisition, autonomy, memory, and system integration. Despite the fact that pain plays a central role in the life of humans and more complex animals, it has received only peripheral attention in the field of robotics. In this paper, we discuss the complex web of mechanisms and functions underlying biological pain sensation and anticipation. Next, we examine the opportunities and challenges that arise when studying computational frameworks that mimic nociceptive pathways. Further, we propose two initial benchmark tasks that may be leveraged to accelerate such research. Our main objectives are to highlight a critical knowledge gap in our understanding of intelligent physical systems and to identify a new and promising avenue for further research.
Chapter 30 – Cognitive Walkthroughs

Publisher Summary The cognitive walkthrough (CW) is a method for evaluating user interfaces by analyzing the mental processes required of users. To perform a CW an analyst chooses a specific task from the suite of tasks that the interface is intended to support and determines one or more correct sequences of actions for that task. The cognitive walkthrough is used to identify problems with a user interface and to suggest reasons for these problems. The chapter begins by presenting a brief overview of the cognitive walkthrough and locates it in the space of interface evaluation methods. Following this, the chapter discusses cognitive walkthrough method in more detail, with practical instructions for its use. The chapter then describes related methods that have been developed from the cognitive walkthrough idea. It also reviews published accounts of experience with these methods.
Building Shape-Persistent Arylene Ethynylene Macrocycles as Scaffolds for 1,4-Diiodobutadiyne.

Two shape-persistent arylene ethynylene macrocycles have been designed and synthesized as scaffolds to bind the nonpolar molecule 1,4-diiodobutadiyne. Binding via halogen bonding interactions betwe...
Attracting New Investigators to Alzheimer’s Disease Research: Outcomes of Increased Funding and Outreach

Since 2015, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), has experienced significant increases in funding for Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD). This analysis assesses the impact of these funds on expanding the AD/ADRD workforce. NIA administered 860 awards to 695 AD/ADRD R01 awardees during fiscal year 2015-2018. Twenty-nine percent of awardees were new or early-stage investigators, while 38% were new to the AD/ADRD research field (NTF). Among these NTFs, 59% were established investigators, that is, experts with NIH funding in another discipline but new to AD/ADRD research. Awards were further analyzed to determine the focus of their research based on International Alzheimer's Disease Research Portfolio (IADRP) categories. Forty-six percent were focused on Molecular Pathogenesis and Physiology. Other IADRP categories, including Diagnosis, Assessment, and Disease Monitoring and Translational Research and Clinical Interventions, represented 5%-15% of awards. Significantly, NTF investigators received 50%, 42%, and 70% of the total grants awarded in Population Studies, Dementia Care, and Brain Aging, respectively, suggesting that NTF investigators are filling research gaps. While these results suggest that enhanced funding is associated with recruitment of new talent, opportunities for further growth remain, particularly related to care, caregiving, and health disparities.
Investigation of Mixing Law Efficacy for Gaseous Hydrodynamic Simulations

A computational simulation of various mixing laws for gaseous equations of state using planar traveling shocks for multiple mixtures in three dimensions is analyzed against nominal experimental dat...
Li 2 x BC 3 : Prediction of a second MgB 2 -class high-temperature superconductor

Recent synthesis of ${\mathrm{Li}}_{2x}{\mathrm{BC}}_{3}$, pseudoisostructural to ${\mathrm{MgB}}_{2}$, has been reported, with control of doping level by concentration $x$ of Li. Density-functional calculations based on the virtual crystal approximation confirm metalization over a wide range of Li concentration but predict regions of structural instability. The electron-phonon coupling strength and superconducting critical temperature ${T}_{c}$ around $x=0.5$ is found to be comparable to that in ${\mathrm{MgB}}_{2}$, but of different character, accounting for the unexpected result that a stronger bond-stretch mode and a higher B--C ${\mathrm{E}}_{g}$ mode frequency results in little increase in ${T}_{c}$. The B--C honeycomb layer contributes strong $\ensuremath{\sigma}$-bonding (${p}_{x},{p}_{y}$) cylinders similar to ${\mathrm{MgB}}_{2}$,while the corresponding C--C states lie well below the Fermi level and are dead'' for coupling. However, the $\ensuremath{\pi}$-bonding (${p}_{z}$) states on the B--C/C--C layer provide a large Fermi-level density of states and weak coupling that moderates the coupling strength and thereby ${T}_{c}$.
Imaging with Ion Channels

We describe the incorporation of gated ion channels into probes for scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) as a robust platform for collecting spatial information at interfaces. Specifically, a dual-barrel pipet is used, where one barrel controls the pipet position and the second barrel houses voltage-gated transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels excised in a sniffer-patch configuration. Spatially resolved sensing with TRPV1 channels is demonstrated by imaging a porous membrane where a transmembrane potential across the membrane generates local electric field gradients at pores that activate TRPV1 channels when the probe is in the vicinity of the pore. The scanning routine and automated signal analysis demonstrated provide a generalizable approach to employing gated ion channels as sensors for imaging applications.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication for Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disability: A Mega-Review of the Literature

Establishing evidence- and research-based practices relies upon research synthesis of individual studies in reviews and meta analyses. Further summarizing scientific evidence about a specific topic by synthesizing reviews is an area of need to determine practices that have a strong evidence base and to identify areas of methodological weakness and gaps in the literature. A mega-review of literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses on interventions using aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities from 2000 to mid-2020 was conducted. Participant and interventionist demographics, interventions, settings, outcomes, and recommendations of each review were reported and summarized. A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews Revised (AMSTAR 2; Shea et al., 2017) was used to examine the methodological rigor of 84 included reviews. Over the past 20 years, published reviews have increased slightly in methodological rigor but demonstrate a number of methodological weaknesses that detract from the strength of evidence for AAC interventions with this population. Suggestions for improving the methodological rigor of literature reviews and areas for future research specific to AAC interventions are discussed.
Reversible Total Vision Loss Caused by Severe Metformin-associated Lactic Acidosis: A Case Report.

Author(s): Koons, Andrew; Amaducci, Alexandra M.; Katz, Kenneth D. | Abstract: Introduction: Metformin is a biguanide used to treat diabetes mellitus (DM). Metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) carries a high mortality and can occur in patients with renal failure from drug bioaccumulation. Reversible vision loss is a highly unusual, rarely reported complication of MALA. We present a case of a patient whose serum metformin concentration was unusually high and associated with vision loss.Case Report: A 60-year-old woman presented to an outside hospital emergency department with acute vision loss after being found at home confused, somnolent, and hypoglycemic, having last being seen normal two days prior. She reported vomiting and diarrhea during that time and a recently treated urinary tract infection. The visual loss resolved with continuous renal replacement therapy.Conclusion: This novel case of a patient with Type II DM prescribed metformin and insulin who developed reversible vision loss while suffering from MALA highlights the potential for vision loss in association with MALA.
Statistical Estimation from Dependent Data

We consider a general statistical estimation problem wherein binary labels across different observations are not independent conditioned on their feature vectors, but dependent, capturing settings where e.g. these observations are collected on a spatial domain, a temporal domain, or a social network, which induce dependencies. We model these dependencies in the language of Markov Random Fields and, importantly, allow these dependencies to be substantial, i.e do not assume that the Markov Random Field capturing these dependencies is in high temperature. As our main contribution we provide algorithms and statistically efficient estimation rates for this model, giving several instantiations of our bounds in logistic regression, sparse logistic regression, and neural network settings with dependent data. Our estimation guarantees follow from novel results for estimating the parameters (i.e. external fields and interaction strengths) of Ising models from a {\em single} sample. {We evaluate our estimation approach on real networked data, showing that it outperforms standard regression approaches that ignore dependencies, across three text classification datasets: Cora, Citeseer and Pubmed.}
Immigrant Identity and Experiences in U.S. Higher Education Research: A Systematic Review

As immigrant students continue to enter the U.S. educational pipeline at growing rates, it has become increasingly important for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to understand these students’ pathways into and through college as well as the factors impacting their success. Using a systematic review, this analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of how global mobility shapes and is shaped by U.S. higher education, particularly in how immigrant identity and immigrants’ experiences are depicted in U.S. higher education scholarship.
Suspected ARVC in the Athlete: Do T-Wave Findings Really Help in Diagnosis?

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) associated with exercise in young athletes is a rare and tragic event. These deaths are usually due to a variety of cardiac diseases, which may be structural, electrical, or acquired abnormalities that are unsuspected and may become manifest in the setting of strenuous
Reactions of β-substituted amines-IV: Kinetics and stereochemistry of the thermal to (r) 3-chloro-1-ethylpiperidine, and the stereo-chemical course of their reactions with nucleophiles

Abstract The rate of the thermal rearrangement of (S) 2 chloromethyl-1-ethylpyrrolidine [(S)-1a] to (R)-3-chloro-1-ethylpiperidine [(R) 2a] has been examined at three temperatures in benzene by PMR and polarimetry. The rearrangement was shown to be completely stereospecific and to obey a simple first order rate law. The calculated Ea ΔH‡ and ΔS‡ were 22 ± 2 kcal mole (25°), 21 ± 2.5 kcal mole (25°) and - 10 ± 2 e.u. (0°K) respectively. The effect of solvents having differing dielectric constants was also studied. A transition state 9'a and an ion pair intermediate 3a are suggested for the rearrangement. The stereochemical course of the reactions of (S)-1a, (R)-2a and (S)-2a with hydroxide and methoxide ions have been shown to be 100% stereospecific with an uncertainty of about 1%. The absolute configurations of all optically active reactants and products [(S)- and (R)-4a, (S)-4b (R)- and (S)-5a, (R)-5b, (S,S')-6a, (S,R')-7a and (R,R')-8a] were established by chemical correlations with known compounds or by ORD and chemical inference. The ring opening of both the primary and secondary aziridinium ion positions of 1-azonia-1-ethylbicyclo [3.1.0]hexane [(S)-3a] by nucleophiles proceeds entirely by SN2 processes. The conversion of (R)-1-ethyl-3-hydroxypiperidine [(R)-5a] to (S)-2a. HCl with thionyl chloride in chloroform proceeds by inversion with 4.8% racemization, whereas the thermal rearrangement of (S)-1a to (R)-2a occurs with complete retention of absolute configuration.
Comparison of NAA measures by MRS and HPLC.

This work investigates the accuracy of an in vivo estimation of absolute N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) concentrations by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) using cerebral water as an internal reference standard. Single-voxel, proton spectroscopy was carried out in two groups of rats (normal and diffuse head injury), using a PRESS sequence with TR = 3 s, TE = 135 ms. Fully relaxed water spectra and water-suppressed proton spectra were obtained from a 7 x 5 x 5 mm3 volume of tissue. MRI-based brain water content measurements were also performed. Following MRS, HPLC determinations of NAA were carried out. In the normal rats the MRS yielded 10.98 ± 0.83 mmol/kg w.w. vs 10.76 ± 0.76 for HPLC with a mean absolute difference of 0.8. In the injured rats the corresponding results were 9.41 ± 1.78 (MRS) and 8.16 ± 0.77 (HPLC) with a mean absolute difference of 1.66. The in vivo absolute method accurately documented the temporal NAA changes compared to the NAA/Cr approach.
Depressed cellular formation of antibody to Shigella antigens in vitro by spleen cell cultures from unresponsive mice.

Abstract Specific antibody plaque-forming cells (PFC) to Shigella-soluble antigen did not appear in spleen cell cultures from Shigella-tolerant mice, as occurred with similar cultures prepared from normal mice immunized with Shigella antigen prior to sacrifice. Cultures from tolerant mice also failed to form serologically detectable amounts of agglutinins in vitro. Exposure of cell cultures from tolerant mice in vitro to additional antigen had little or no effect on appearance of plaque-forming cells to Shigella. Spleen cells from normal control mice formed readily detectable levels of antibody, as well as specific antibody plaque-forming cells, after similar stimulation with antigen either in vivo or in vitro. The absence of antibody-forming cells in cultures prepared from spleens of tolerant mice was specific since such cultures, as well as those from normal control mice, formed numerous antibody plaques to unsensitized sheep erythrocytes in vitro after in vivo challenge of the mice with sheep erythrocytes. Tolerance to Shigella antigen, as assessed by absence of antibody-forming cells in vitro, persisted for several months. Spleen cell cultures from tolerant mice less than 3 to 4 months of age did not form significant numbers of antibody plaques, even after in vitro exposure to specific antigen. However, spleen cultures prepared from neonatally treated mice, approximately 6 to 8 months old, formed essentially normal numbers of specific PFC in vitro, indicating that the animals had “recovered” from tolerance and that their lymphoid cells were capable of responding to Shigella antigen in vitro. Absence of specific PFC in cell cultures from tolerant animals supports the concept that tolerance is due to a central failure of specific immunocompetent cells and not due to an inhibitory effect caused by either “excess” antigen or humoral antibody.
Novel millimeter wave sensor concepts for energy, environment, and national security

Millimeter waves are ideally suited for sensing and diagnosing materials, devices, and processes that are broadly important to energy, environment, and national security. Thermal return reflection (TRR) techniques that detect and use thermal emission as a probe to diagnose materials and systems make possible accurate noncontact thermal analysis measurements that can resolve emissivity and temperature simultaneously. Scientific basis of TRR, 2-D and potentially 3-D measurements, and applications of TRR are discussed.
157 Identification of intein inhibitors as novel anti-microbials with relevance to tuberculosis

Inteins are naturally occurring protein elements that autocatalytically excise themselves from a nonfunctional precursor and ligate the flanking protein segments with a peptide bond, resulting in a functional protein. Inteins interrupt three proteins essential for the viability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Preventing intein splicing, and thus, the formation of functional post-processed proteins suggests that intein inhibition may be used as a novel antimycobacterial strategy (M. Belfort, US Patent, 5795,731). Due to the growing problem of multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis infections, such alternatives to traditional antibiotic regimens are especially appealing. It has been shown that cisplatin, an FDA approved anticancer drug, is a potent inhibitor of intein splicing, both in vitro and in vivo (Zhang et al., (2011) JBC, 286, 1277). Due to its high toxicity, however, cisplatin has limited clinical value as an antimycobacterial. Several cisplatin analogs were selected for further study using an in vitr...
Assessment of basic human performance resources predicts operative performance of laparoscopic surgery.

Abstract Background Interest in laparoscopic surgery has prompted development of educational programs designed to teach and assess laparoscopic skills. Although these programs are beneficial, because of the inherent demands imposed by laparoscopy some aspects of operative performance might not improve with practice. This suggests that innate ability could predict level of operative skill. Assessment of operative and technical potential to date has relied largely on subjective rather than objective criteria. In this study, the relationships between objective measures of human basic performance resources (BPRs) and laparoscopic performance were evaluated using Nonlinear Causal Resource Analysis (NCRA), a novel predictive and explanatory modeling approach based on General Systems Performance Theory. Study design Twenty urology residents were voluntary enrolled. Thirteen validated BPRs were measured and analyzed relative to operative laparoscopic performance (assessed by two experts) of two porcine laparoscopic nephrectomies (LN). The laparoscopic procedure, representing a High Level Task (HLT), was evaluated using a modified Global Rating of Operative Performance Scale. NCRA models were devised to predict performance of the HLT laparoscopic nephrectomies based on BPRs and to determine the limiting performance resource. Results NCRA models predicted excellent agreement with actual operative performance, suggesting that measures of innate ability (or BPRs) predicted performance of laparoscopic nephrectomy. In 65%, the prediction by NCRA was near identical to the expert rating on the HLT. In 25% of cases, NCRA overpredicted performance; in 10%, NCRA underpredicted performance of the HLT compared to the subjective ratings. Neuromotor channel capacity was the most common performance-limiting resource. Conclusions Preliminary findings suggest objective prediction of laparoscopic performance with limiting resource diagnostics for an individual surgeon is possible and practical using appropriate new measurement and modeling methods. Selection of surgical candidates, training, and educational curriculum could be positively affected.
Seismic predictors of El Ni˜o revisited

With the termination in 1998 of the most publicized El Nino in history, it may be appropriate to consider whether El Ninos have a discrete triggering mechanism or whether they occur merely as the result of episodic conditions in the atmosphere and ocean. This is an important consideration because the discovery and understanding of a discrete mechanism could lead to predictions that are more reliable than those based only on secondary interactions. Thus far, most Earth scientists agree that a discrete trigger for El Ninos has not been found and is unlikely, and that differing atmospheric and oceanic parameters must be considered if there are to be reliable predictions of future El Ninos. Contrary to these opinions, the process that triggers episodic seafloor spreading and higher than normal levels of reported seismic activity along portions of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) may also trigger El Ninos.
The polarity, field and fluence dependence of interface trap generation in thin silicon oxide

Abstract The interface trap generation in thin silicon oxide (SiO) during high-voltage stressing has been measured for oxides fabricated on p- and n-type substrates as a function of stress polarity, field and fluence. The generation of midgap interface traps was independent of stress polarity and substrate type and was dependent on the fluence of electrons through the oxide modulated by the stress voltage. The interface trap generation rate varied as (fluence) − 1 2 . Generation rates of midgap interface traps as high as 1016 states eV−1C−1 were measured at low fluences with the generation rate dropping to 1012 states eV−1C−1 at high fluences as the oxide approached breakdown. The large variation in the interface trap generation rate suggested that high-voltage stress measurements may not be easily extrapolated to lower operating voltages. It has been proposed that the decrease in the trap generation rates as the fluence increased was due to the variable energies required for the breaking of bonds at the silicon-oxide interface. The polarity independence of the interface trap generation was in contrast to the polarity dependence observed in breakdown of SiO. Thus, breakdown in SiO was not correlated with interface trap generation.
String resonances at the Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider promises to discover new physics beyond the standard model. An exciting possibility is the formation of string resonances at the TeV scale. In this article, we show how string resonances may be detected at the LHC in the $pp\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\gamma}+\mathrm{\text{jet}}$ channel. Our study is based on event-shape variables, missing energy and momentum, maximum transverse momentum of photons and dijet invariant mass. These observables provide interesting signatures which enable us to discriminate string events from the standard model background.
The effects of nonionic surfactants on the tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-tripropylamine electrochemiluminescence system

The electrochemistry and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of Ru(bpy)32+ (bpy = 2,2‘-bipyridyl) were studied in the presence of the nonionic surfactants Triton X-100, Thesit, and Nonidet P40. The anodic oxidation of Ru(bpy)32+ produces ECL in the presence of tri-n-propylamine in both aqueous and surfactant solutions. Increases in both ECL efficiency (≥8-fold) and duration of the ECL signal were observed in surfactant media. A shift to lower energies of the Ru(bpy)32+ ECL emission by ∼8 nm was also observed. The one-electron oxidation of Ru(bpy)32+ to Ru(bpy)33+ occurs at +1.03 V vs Ag/AgCl in aqueous buffered (0.2 M potassium phosphate) solution as found by square wave voltammetry. This potential did not shift in surfactant systems, indicating that the red-shifts in ECL emission are due to stabilization of ligand π* orbitals in the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer excited state. These results are consistent with hydrophobic interactions between Ru(bpy)32+ and the nonionic surfactants.
Power Doppler: It's a good thing

Power Doppler is a new method of ultrasound flow imaging the utility of which is currently under investigation. This technique creates a flow map based on the integrated power of the Doppler spectrum, rather than mean Doppler frequency. Power Doppler imaging is inherently more sensitive in terms of flow detection than standard color Doppler imaging; therefore, power Doppler can display flow for situations in which color Doppler is ineffective and can even display tissue perfusion in highly vascular organs such as the kidneys. Furthermore, power Doppler is not effected by aliasing, nor is it effected by blooming in the same way as color Doppler, which has deleterious effects on color Doppler flow images. The control of blooming with power Doppler may be of great importance in the clinical application of echo-enhancing agents. This review article discusses in detail the technological advantages and disadvantages of power Doppler flow imaging. In addition, it provides a synopsis of the preliminary research studies that have been conducted to date with respect to the clinical applications of power Doppler.
Mutations in α-subunit of Escherichia coli F1-ATPase obtained by hydroxylamine-mutagenesis of plasmids carrying the uncA gene

Abstract In order to generate mutants randomly in the Escherichia coli uncA gene (encoding the α-subunit of F 1 -ATPase), plasmids carrying uncA were treated in vitro with hydroxylamine. Restriction fragments of the mutated uncA gene were then reconstructed into plasmid pDP34, which expresses all of the F 1 F 0 structural genes, and the reconstructed mutant plasmids were expressed in a strain carrying a deletion of chromosomal uncA . Each of the mutations was characterized by DNA sequencing, growth assays, and biochemical assays of membrane preparations. Three nonsense and one frameshift mutation were identified and their properties were studied briefly. Eight new missense mutations were identified and characterization of their properties is described. These eight mutations were R139H, A177V, R210C, R303C, A306V, T343I, G351S, and P370L.
Subject case marking and verb morphology in normally developing and specifically language-impaired children.

Recent theories of language development propose a direct relationship between children’s use of verb morphology and their use of subject case pronouns. Such proposals might contribute to an underst...
Hard and Soft X-MCD Studies of CrO2

Chromium dioxide is investigated by X-MCD measurements on the Cr L 2/3 , Cr K-edges and on the O K-edge in combination with Ligand Field Multiplet Model (LFM) calculations and Linearized Augmented Plane Wave (LAPW) band-structure calculations. Applying so called Sum Rules [2, 3] to the Cr L 2/3 - edges one deduces an upper limit for the orbital-moment of 10 -2 μB which is in good agreement with magneto-meter-measurements. Both Cr K-edge and O K-edge X-MCD measurements reflect a significant polarization of the p-like bands and are well described by a spin-density calculation.
The ϕ6 cystovirus protein P7 becomes accessible to antibodies in the transcribing nucleocapsid: a probe for viral structural elements.

Protein P7 is a component of the cystovirus viral polymerase complex. In the unpackaged procapsid, the protein is situated in close proximity to the viral directed RNA polymerase, P2. Cryo-electron microscopy difference maps from the species ϕ6 procapsid have demonstrated that P7 and P2 likely interact prior to viral RNA packaging. The location of P7 in the post-packaged nucleocapsid (NC) remains unknown. P7 may translocate closer to the five-fold axis of a filled procapsid but this has not been directly visualized. We propose that monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) can be selected that serve as probe- reagents for viral assembly and structure. A set of Mabs have been isolated that recognize and bind to the ϕ6 P7. The antibody set contains five unique Mabs, four of which recognize a linear epitope and one which recognizes a conformational epitope. The four unique Mabs that recognize a linear epitope display restricted utilization of Vκ and VH genes. The restricted genetic range among 4 of the 5 antibodies implies that the antibody repertoire is limited. The limitation could be the consequence of a paucity of exposed antigenic sites on the ϕ6 P7 surface. It is further demonstrated that within ϕ6 nucleocapsids that are primed for early-phase transcription, P7 is partially accessible to the Mabs, indicating that the nucleocapsid shell (protein P8) has undergone partial disassembly exposing the protein’s antigenic sites.
Social Support and Positive Events as Suicide Resiliency Factors: Examination of Synergistic Buffering Effects

This study examines the role of social support and positive events as protective factors in suicide. Participants (n = 379) were administered measures of social support, life events, depressive symptoms, and suicide ideation. Results indicated that (1) social support had a direct protective effect on suicide ideation, (2) social support and positive events acted as individual buffers in the relationship between negative events and suicide ideation, and (3) social support and positive events synergistically buffered the relationship between negative events and suicide ideation. Our results provide evidence that positive events and social support act as protective factors against suicide individually and synergistically when they co-occur.
Phosphorylation of the vitellogenin polypeptides of Drosophila melanogaster

In vivo labelling of female Drosophila melanogaster with [32P]-inorganic phosphate, followed by immunoprecipitation of the vitellin and vitellogenin polypeptides, has shown that all three polypeptides contain covalently attached phosphate moieties. By transplanting ovaries into males, it was possible to demonstrate that the polypeptides produced in the ovary are phosphorylated in a manner that was not distinguishable from that found for haemolymph vitellogenin polypeptides. Two dimensional gel electrophoresis, however, of [32P]-labelled vitellin polypeptides suggests that phosphorylation alone probably does not account for the charge heterogeneity of the polypeptides.
Changes in the microbial flora, chlorophenols and chloroanisoles in broiler house litter during a chicken rearing cycle

The changes in the microbial flora, chlorophenol loss, and chloroanisole production have been studied in the litter from four broiler houses through a single rearing cycle. An increase in species of Scopulariopsis and Aspergillus over the first 4 to 5 weeks of the rearing cycle coincided with a decrease in the levels of 2, 4, 6-tri-, 2, 3, 4, 6-tetra-, and pentachlorophenols, a rise in pH and moisture content of the litter and a decline in the fungal species normally present in the fresh shavings. The maximum levels of chloroanisoles occurred at approximately the same stage of the rearing cycle as the highest viable count of the predominant litter fungi.
Emotional display rules and emotion self‐regulation: Associations with bullying and victimization in community‐based after school programs

We explored linkages among different components of emotional competence and bullying and victimization in children enrolled in community after school programs. Seventy-seven children were recruited from after school programs and their display rule knowledge for sadness and anger was evaluated. Their emotion self-regulation skills and bullying experiences were also assessed. Knowledge of display rules for sadness was a negative predictor of physical victimization whereas emotional lability/negativity was positively related to bullying. Boys bullied more than girls and family income was negatively related to bullying and emotional lability/negativity and positively associated with emotion self-regulation. Emotion self-regulation mediated the relation between family income and bullying. Analyses also suggested that bullies and bully-victims had poorer emotion self-regulation skills than non-bullies/victims or victims. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Longitudinal study of participation in adult education: a theoretical formulation and empirical investigation

Few studies and theoretical frameworks have treated participation in adult education (PAE) from a longitudinal perspective. This paper presents a theoretical framework which posits that PAE is embedded in the adult developmental process and is an interactive result of individual internal and external forces. These forces can be further explained by several variables that have been revealed to be significant to PAE in the literature. The proposed longitudinal model was supported in part by an empirical investigation. Based on the proposed theoretical framework, an empirical model of PAE was drawn and tested with a US national sampled data set. A structural equation modelling technique was used to assess the model and data. The results suggested that the empirical model established on one proposed conceptual framework had fitted the data reasonably well.
A novel vibration-based monitoring technique for bridge pier and abutment scour

The overall health of a bridge is degraded by scouring by removing the bed material surrounding the piers and abutments. Scour may lead to the catastrophic failure of a bridge, if undetected, resulting in hundreds of millions in repair costs. The loss of a bridge due to undetected scour formations can also hinder emergency evacuations since riverbed scouring typically occurs in peak flow periods such as hurricane or flood events. A monitoring system that can reliably detect scour formation, without being adversely affected by the environmental conditions, is essential in order to take requisite precautions against such catastrophic events. A novel scour monitoring technique is presented in this article that exploits the differences between the low-frequency ambient excitations exerted on a thin, flexible plate located in the flow versus the same device located in the sediment. The underlying principle is that, compared to an identical plate surrounded by sediment, a flexible plate excited by the turbulent flow vibrates at significantly higher amplitudes. A simplified numerical model is developed in order to validate this principle to guide the design of the scaled laboratory device; next, a prototype model is built in the laboratory and tested in an indoor flume. The energy content of the sensor in the flow is measured to be one to two orders of magnitude greater than the sensor in sediment. It is indicated by the findings obtained at various flow conditions that this technique can supply reliable information on the water/sediment interface, and thus scour and refill processes. It is also demonstrated by experimental results that the presence of a scour hole further improves the ability to detect the interface location. Additionally, the results show that as a feature to estimate the water/sediment interface, maximum slope of the sensor energy content as a function of the sensor depth can be used.
Integer sparse distributed memory: Analysis and results

Sparse distributed memory is an auto-associative memory system that stores high dimensional Boolean vectors. Here we present an extension of the original SDM, the Integer SDM that uses modular arithmetic integer vectors rather than binary vectors. This extension preserves many of the desirable properties of the original SDM: auto-associativity, content addressability, distributed storage, and robustness over noisy inputs. In addition, it improves the representation capabilities of the memory and is more robust over normalization. It can also be extended to support forgetting and reliable sequence storage. We performed several simulations that test the noise robustness property and capacity of the memory. Theoretical analyses of the memory's fidelity and capacity are also presented.
Regional risk of exporting cattle seropositive for bluetongue virus from the United States.

Objective—To create a stochastic model to quantify the risk that shipments of cattle from regions within the United States would contain animals seropositive for bluetongue virus and to determine shipment-level accuracy of serologic testing by use of a competitive ELISA (c-ELISA). Sample Population—19,216 shipments containing 528,918 cattle and calves. Procedure—Data were obtained on number of animals and state of origin of cattle in export shipments originating within the United States between January 1994 and March 2002. Probability distributions for size of export shipments were determined for all states within the United States, and distributions for agar gel immunodiffusion and c-ELISA accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) were determined from expert opinion and review of the literature. The model simulated selection of a shipment and then determined the probability that a threshold number or percentage of cattle within that shipment would have a positive c-ELISA result. Shipment-level sensitivity, ...
Detecting leaf area and surface resistance during transition seasons

Abstract In this study we seek empirical relationships among canopy resistance to water vapor transport, the time-varying leaf area index (LAI), in situ radiative flux observations, and a satellite-based estimate of leaf state (NDVI, the normalized difference vegetation index) from a leafless deciduous forest to a covered canopy and vice versa. These relationships can be used in numerical models such as verification in global climate models. They also can be useful tools for developing remote sensing techniques. LAI was found through analysis of frequent video images of canopy evolution in spring and autumn during 1992 and 1993 at a deciduous forest in central Massachusetts. We examined the impact of leaf presence on water vapor transport during spring and autumn using an LAI time series during leaf emergence and leaf fall for the four study seasons. The canopy resistance to water vapor transport ( r c ) decreased abruptly at leaf emergence in each year but then also continued to decrease slowly during the remaining growing season, owing to slowly increasing LAI. One remarkable result is that a single linear relationship between r c . and LAI during leaf emergence can be used to estimate the minimum seasonal r c associated with the maximum foliage cover. Canopy resistance and PAR-albedo (albedo from photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) instruments) began to increase about 1 month before leaf fall with the diminishment of CO 2 gradient above the canopy as well, at which time evaporation began to be controlled as if the canopy were leafless. We present empirical linear regressions relating NDVI, r c , and PAR-albedo. The NDVI linear regressions with surface measurements indicate that tower-based measurements can represent at least a satellite pixel region. These results reinforce the notion that relationships among these parameters are scale independent from tower-based measurements spatial scale to a satellite pixel resolution (1.1 km X 1.1 km area)., at least.
27Al(n, n′γ) reactions and the 3002 keV level

Abstract The neutron inelastic scattering cross sections to the 2980 and 3002 keV levels of 27Al have been seperately determined from the (n, n′γ) reactions to those levels and the known branching ratios for their decay. The cross sections are well reproduced by Hauser-Feshbach formalism calculations. The angular distribution of γ-rays from the 3002 keV level is consistent only with J = 7 2 or 9 2 assinged to the level and supports the recent 9 2 assignment. The excitation energies of observed levels are 843, 1013, 2213, 2730, 2980 and 3002 keV, all ±1 keV.
Flooding in vivo for a case of Vermiphobia

Abstract A young woman with an incapacitating fear of worms and snakes, who was refractory to psychoanalysis and to desensitization, was treated by in vivo flooding. Live worms and a European grass snake were used as the phobic stimuli in six therapy sessions ranging from 3 hr to 1 2 hr in duration. After the 10 hr of therapy the patient showed a marked reduction in phobic behavior.
Optical interconnects in commercial BiCMOS

In this work, we demonstrated a practical means to construct wafer-level optical interconnects in commercial BiCMOS electronics. Through modifying the layout and design of commercially available SiGe Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (HBT) through MOSISTM foundry, we obtained high performance SiGe Heterojunction Phototransistors (HPT) that utilize the SiGe Base and Collector junction for photo-detection and the transistor action for the amplified photocurrent. Responsivities of 2.4A/W and 0.2A/W were achieved for the phototransistor detecting light of 850nm and 1060nm, respectively. The external quantum efficiency of 350% was obtained. The photocurrent gain was shown to be 78. Furthermore, we investigated the integration of optical waveguides and elements with the SiGe commercial platform to demonstrate an effective approach of the wafer-level optical interconnects. The leaky-mode waveguide routed on the chip surface can couple the light laterally from the input fiber to the buried photodetection region. A 20% coupling efficiency is obtained in the SiGe layer, and provides a response about 40 times higher than that of the vertical illumination. The integrated on-chip waveguides and photodetectors in the commercial platform offer efficient optical-to-electrical conversion and a low-loss routing scheme useful for on-chip computational architectures.
Estimation of fetal weight before and after amniotomy in the laboring gravid woman.

Abstract Objective: This study was undertaken to search for differences between fetal weights estimated both ultrasonographically and clinically before and after amniotomy in laboring gravid women. Study Design: Estimates of fetal weight (ultrasonographic and clinical) were obtained for laboring gravid women before and after amniotomy. These estimates were compared with actual birth weights determined post partum. Results: One hundred sixty-two patients completed the study protocol. Comparisons made with unpaired Student t test analyses demonstrated a difference ( P R = 0.717; ultrasonographic postamniotomy estimate, R = 0.630; clinical preamniotomy estimate, R = 0.742; and clinical postamniotomy estimate, R = 0.788). Of all ultrasonographic parameters measured, preamniotomy abdominal circumference correlated best with actual birth weight ( R = 0.730). Conclusion: Clinical estimates of fetal weight after amniotomy correlated well with actual birth weights. Preamniotomy abdominal circumference was the ultrasonographic parameter best for prediction of actual birth weight. Maternal weight affected clinical but not ultrasonographic estimates of fetal weight in this study. However, clinical estimates of fetal weight were actually superior to ultrasonographic estimates of fetal weight in this study. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:1117-20.)
Provision of Emergency Contraception at Student Health Centers in California Community Colleges

Abstract Background Approximately half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, with the highest rates reported among college-age women. The availability of emergency contraception (EC) pills can be an important component of efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy. Student health centers at community colleges can uniquely support student retention and academic achievement among college students by making EC available to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy and prevent college drop-out. This article highlights findings from an assessment of EC provision in student health centers within the California community college system (n = 73). Methods A web-based survey was used to explore the provision of EC, challenges and barriers of EC administration, promotion of EC availability, and attitudes toward EC. Findings Descriptive statistics conducted revealed that more than 6 out of 10 (62%) student health centers provided EC, 77% of which dispense EC on site during clinic visits. The most common EC promotion methods were providing brochures at the health center (80%) and through information provided at family planning or primary care visits (73%). Challenges to EC administration included a perceived lack of awareness of EC among students (71%), followed by the notion that some students may overutilize EC (40%). Attitudes toward EC provision were more favorable among health center staff whose campuses offered EC than those who did not (p Conclusion This article provides recommendations for community college health centers to improve access and delivery of EC by addressing issues such as cost and offering more novel EC promotion methods.
A message from IEEE CEFC 2010 Editorial Board chair and the CEFC international steering committee chair

On behalf of the Editorial Board of the IEEE 2010 14th Biennial Conference on Electromagnetic Field Computation, CEFC 2010, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Chicago Illinois, USA. We are delighted to offer you an informative conference and stimulating peer reviewed technical program that discusses the current and future state-of-the-art developments Computational Electromagnetics. This major International Conference is fully sponsored by IEEE Magnetics Society and this round, CEFC2010 is technically co-sponsored by the Antennas and Propagation Society of IEEE.
Relationships between weight and caloric intake of men who stop smoking: the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial.

Abstract Data from 6,569 middle-aged men in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial were analyzed to determine whether the weight change associated with smoking cessation resulted primarily from appetite or metabolic alterations. The appetite hypothesis attributes weight gain to an enhanced appetite and subsequent increase in caloric intake. The metabolic change hypothesis attributes weight gain to a metabolic alteration and subsequent decrease in basic caloric needs. Caloric intake and weight changes were tabulated for men who quit smoking and were compared to similar changes in men who continued smoking over 12 months. The difference between caloric intake changes in men quitting smoking versus men continuing smoking, controlled for weight change, was attributed to the metabolic change hypothesis. Men who quit smoking consumed 103 calories per day more (95% confidence interval = 29 to 177) than men who continued smoking with similar body weight changes. The increase in caloric intake attributed to smoking cessation was proportional to the number of cigarettes smoked prior to cessation.
Categorical time series models for contingency tables

Models for time-dependent contingency tables are presented. Multinomial-logit, conditional exponential family, Markov chain and multinomial-Dirichlet models are discussed for bivariate binary time series. The models are applied to two real data sets.
Thermal infrared absorption cross-sections of CF4 for atmospheric applications

Abstract Spectral absorption cross-sections, k ν ( cm 2 molecule −1 ), have been measured in the 7.8 μm band of CF4 at temperatures between 180 and 296 K and pressures between 10 and 1013 mb (hPa) with a high-resolution Fourier-transform spectrometer. Our data were obtained at pressures and temperatures that parameterize several of the commonly adapted model atmospheres, represent tangent heights in solar-occultation type remote-sensing observations of the atmosphere, and the conditions recorded in atmospheric observations at polar latitudes. The combined absolute intensity of all of the bands contributing to the absorption around 7.8 μm is (1.926±0.012)×10 −16 cm molecule −1 . The spectral absorption cross-section data have been incorporated into the two established and widely used spectroscopic databases.