cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Supraphysiological doses of glucocorticoids induce remission in a patient with retroperitoneal fibrosis but no effect on the course of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: a discordant mode of action

Glucocorticoids (GC) are widely used to treat autoimmune diseases. We describe the discordant mode of action of GC in retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) in this work. A...
Initiating Research Skills in Undergraduate Students Through Data Science Projects

This paper presents the work of several undergraduate students who have learned and practiced linear regression and data clustering over a period of 5 weeks. The projects completed by the students are on linear regression applied to various datasets available on Internet, and demonstrate the ability of collecting data, literature reviewing, research designing. Moreover, the student’s professional development has been enhanced including clarifying career path, better understanding research process, and scientific thinking.
Fast and Stable N‐Terminal Cysteine Modification through Thiazolidino Boronate Mediated Acyl Transfer

We report a novel conjugation of N-terminal cysteines (NCys) that proceeds with fast kinetics and exquisite selectivity, thereby enabling facile modification of NCys-bearing proteins in complex biological milieu. This new NCys conjugation proceeds via a thiazolidine boronate (TzB) intermediate that results from fast (k2 : ≈5000 m-1 s-1 ) and reversible conjugation of NCys with 2-formylphenylboronic acid (FPBA). We designed a FPBA derivative that upon TzB formation elicits intramolecular acyl transfer to give N-acyl thiazolidines. In contrast to the quick hydrolysis of TzB, the N-acylated thiazolidines exhibit robust stability under physiologic conditions. The utility of the TzB-mediated NCys conjugation is demonstrated by rapid and non-disruptive labeling of two enzymes. Furthermore, applying this chemistry to bacteriophage allows facile chemical modification of phage libraries, which greatly expands the chemical space amenable to phage display.
Angled Plan View FIB Sample Preparation for Accurate via Sidewall Measurements

Critical dimensions in advanced semiconductor devices are now such that a significant fraction of some structures is contained within the thickness of a TEM foil. An important example is the vias used in multilevel metallization to interconnect transistors and other structures. Current generation vias have a diameter of 300 nm, and vias in devices under development are targeted at 180 nm. These dimensions are to be compared to the thickness of a TEM foil, which may be ∼50 nm. Vias are typically fabricated by etching holes in a dielectric layer, then depositing into these holes a barrier metal, such as Ta, followed by a Cu seed layer and finally Cu fill. Critical to via processing reliability are the thicknesses of barrier and seed layers. A TEM cross section of such a via will contain sharply curved layers which, when seen in projection, will lead to inaccurate measurement of layer thicknesses. Ordinary plan view preparation of these vias avoids this projection problem, but uncertainty is introduced in the height at which the via is sectioned.We have developed an angled plan view (APV) FIB preparation technique that allows accurate measurement of barrier and seed thicknesses at discrete heights from bottom to top of a via.
Elevated glucose alters global gene expression and tenascin-C alternative splicing in mesangial cells.

Abstract Mesangial cells are the major extracellular matrix (ECM)-producing cells in the kidney glomerulus and, when exposed to elevated glucose levels, they up-regulate assembly of fibronectin (FN) and other ECM proteins. Increases in glucose concentration are known to alter gene expression; here we investigated the connection between increased ECM production and changes in gene expression in mesangial cells. Comparison of mesangial cells grown in normal or high glucose conditions by RNA-sequencing showed significant expression changes in over 6000 genes and, when grouped by KEGG pathway analysis, identified the ECM-receptor interaction and focal adhesion pathways among the top 5 upregulated pathways. Of note was the significant increase in expression of tenascin-C (TN-C), a known regulator of FN matrix assembly. Mouse TN-C has multiple isoforms due to alternative splicing of 6 FNIII repeat exons. In addition to the transcriptional increase with high glucose, exon inclusion via alternative splicing was also changed resulting in production of higher molecular weight isoforms of TN-C. Mesangial cells grown in normal glucose secreted small isoforms with 1–2 variable repeats included whereas in high glucose large isoforms estimated to include 5 repeats were secreted. Unlike the smaller isoforms, the larger TN-C was not detected in the FN matrix. This change in TN-C isoforms may affect the regulation of FN matrix assembly and in this way may contribute to increased ECM accumulation under high glucose conditions.
Respiratory and intestinal epithelial cells exhibit differential susceptibility and innate immune responses to contemporary EV-D68 isolates

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has been implicated in outbreaks of severe respiratory illness and acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) and is detected in patient respiratory samples and from stool and wastewater, suggesting both respiratory and enteric routes of transmission. Here, we used a panel of EV-D68 isolates, including a historical isolate and multiple contemporary isolates from AFM outbreak years, to define the dynamics of viral replication and the host response to infection in primary human airway cells and stem cell-derived enteroids. We show that some recent EV-D68 isolates have decreased sensitivity to acid and temperature compared with an earlier isolate and that the respiratory, but not intestinal, epithelium induces a robust type III interferon (IFN) response that restricts infection. Our findings define the differential responses of the respiratory and intestinal epithelium to contemporary EV-D68 isolates and suggest that some isolates have the potential to target both the human airway and gastrointestinal tracts.
Visual Vibration Tomography: Estimating Interior Material Properties from Monocular Video.

An object's interior material properties, while invisible to the human eye, determine motion observed on its surface. We propose an approach that estimates heterogeneous material properties of an object directly from a monocular video of its surface vibrations. Specifically, we estimate Young's modulus and density throughout a 3D object with known geometry. Knowledge of how these values change across the object is useful for characterizing defects and simulating how the object will interact with different environments. Traditional non-destructive testing approaches, which generally estimate homogenized material properties or the presence of defects, are expensive and use specialized instruments. We propose an approach that leverages monocular video to (1) measure and object's sub-pixel motion and decompose this motion into image-space modes, and (2) directly infer spatially-varying Young's modulus and density values from the observed image-space modes. On both simulated and real videos, we demonstrate that our approach is able to image material properties simply by analyzing surface motion. In particular, our method allows us to identify unseen defects on a 2D drum head from real, high-speed video.
Cell-Type-Specific Proteomics Analysis of a Small Number of Plant Cells by Integrating Laser Capture Microdissection with a Nanodroplet Sample Processing Platform

Plant organs and tissues contain multiple cell types, which are well organized in 3-dimensional structure to efficiently perform physiological functions such as homeostasis and response to environmental perturbation and pathogen infection. It is critically important to perform molecular measurements at the cell-type-specific level to discover mechanisms and unique features of cell populations that govern differentiation and respond to external perturbations. Although mass spectrometry-based proteomics has been demonstrated as an enabling discovery tool for studying plant physiology, conventional approaches require millions of cells to generate robust biological conclusions. Such requirements mask the cell-to-cell heterogeneities and limit the comprehensive profiling of plant proteins at spatially resolved and cell-type-specific resolutions. This article describes a recently developed proteomics workflow for studying a small number of plant cells by integrating laser capture microdissection, microfluidic nanodroplet-based sample preparation, and ultrasensitive liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Using poplar as a model tree species, we provide detailed protocols, including plant leaf and root tissue harvest, sample preparation, cryosectioning, laser microdissection, protein digestion, mass spectrometry measurement, and data analysis. We show that the workflow enables the precise identification and quantification of thousands of proteins from hundreds of isolated plant root and leaf cells. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Plant tissue fixation and embedding Support Protocol 1: Preparation of 2.5% CMC solution Support Protocol 2: Slow freezing of CMC blocks to avoid crack development in the block Basic Protocol 2: Preparation of cryosections Alternate Protocol: Using a vacuum manifold to dehydrate the cryosection slides (primarily for root tissues) Basic Protocol 3: Laser capture microdissection of specific types of plant cells Basic Protocol 4: Nanodroplet-based sample preparation for ultrasensitive proteomic analysis Support Protocol 3: Fabrication of nanowell chips Basic Protocol 5: Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.
Evaluating Undergraduate Alcohol Health Literacy and Education Efficacy

This study examined the U.S. undergraduate students’ knowledge of the long-term health effects of alcohol consumption. It also examined the efficacy of alcohol education programs at informing students of health effects and influencing drinking behavior. A national online questionnaire was distributed to collect self-reported data from students. Findings indicate that student knowledge of the health risks of alcohol consumption is poor. Around half of undergraduate students are aware that alcohol is associated with some negative health effects, but far fewer are aware of alcohol’s specific health risks. Additionally, findings reaffirm that alcohol consumption and binge drinking remain common behaviors among students, and suggest that, despite widespread adoption, alcohol education programs are not very effective at reducing alcohol consumption. Most research participants reported that knowledge of negative long-term health effects of alcohol consumption was unlikely to influence their drinking behavior.
Parental Divorce and Perceptions of Past Interparental Conflict

Abstract This study assesses the communication of young adults in relation to parental divorce and past interparental conflict. Results indicate that parental divorce is predictive of poorer reported intimate communication while perceived interparental conflict is predictive of poorer reported non-intimate communication, especially for females. Further analyses of specific conflict dimensions reveal that intensity of interparental conflict was associated with females' non-intimate communication while poor conflict resolution was related to both areas of communication for males. Results have implications for therapeutic settings, marriage and divorce education, and future research.
Absence of acute adverse in vitro effects on aged AS-1 red blood cells and thawed plasma after prolonged exposure to 13.56-MHz radio energy.

BACKGROUND: There is growing interest in radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for tracking blood products to improve productivity and safety in the transfusion medicine supply chain. We conducted a limited study to assess the temperature and biologic effects after extreme exposure to 13.56-MHz RF radiation on aged red blood cells (aRBCs) nearing their 42-day life and three types of thawed plasma (TP). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Using a Food and Drug Administration–approved limit test protocol, test units of both aRBCs and three types of TP were subjected to high levels of RF energy for an extended duration to assess worst-case effects compared to minimally exposed control units. Three replications were performed for each product type. RESULTS: Hemolysis after 23 to 25 hours of RF energy exposure was less than 0.3% for all test and control aRBC units and well within the 1% or less acceptance criterion. Both biologic test and temperature increase results were within acceptance criteria and consistent with earlier tests on 6- to 9-day RBCs, with no detectable acceleration in cellular degradation of aRBCs. Nine different plasma coagulation factors were evaluated and, with one explainable exception, all showed less than 20% change in their measured test versus control values, meeting the acceptance criteria. The relative temperature increase between test and control units never exceeded the 1.5°C acceptance criterion for RBCs and 4°C for plasma. CONCLUSION: Use of 13.56-MHz RFID technology is unlikely to have any significant temperature or biologic effects on aRBC and plasma units under normal operating conditions.
Homogenization of generalized characteristics associated to solutions of Hamilton-Jacobi equations

It was proved in Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 162 (2002), 1-23 that singularities of solutions for Hamilton-Jacobi equa- tions will propagate along generalized characteristics. In this paper, we consider the homogenization of generalized character- istics. It is natural to think that (∗) generalized characteristics associated to viscosity solutions of oscillatory Hamilton-Jacobi equations will converge to generalized characteristics associated to solutions of the effective equation. We show that this is indeed correct if the spatial dimension is 1. For high dimensions, we need to add some extra assumptions of singularities near generalized characteristics. We provide a counterexample that (∗) fails without those assumptions. Some issues related to the weak KAM theory are also discussed.
Evidence and Feminism

This essay reviews some of the existing literature on women and evidence and suggests some directions for future research. Part I outlines a definition of feminism and an approach to feminist analysis. Part II briefly reviews some current attempts to probe the gendered nature of evidence and to apply feminist principles. Part III considers areas such as rape shield, character evidence, and privilege where feminist goals and insights offer concrete suggestions to shape evidence law. Part IV discusses expert testimony in rape trauma and battered woman syndromes where feminism proposes no changes in evidence law per se, but instead reinvigorates existing doctrine to educate the factfinder about women’s lives. Part V analyzes the notion of courtroom “truth” and how that truth influences the reception of women in the courtroom. Part VI examines hearsay. Part VII discusses the relationship between feminist method and the adversary system. Finally Part VIII considers the effect of a feminist critique on evidence teaching and scholarship.
Annual cycles of ecological disturbance and recovery underlying the subarctic Atlantic spring plankton bloom

Received 27 November 2012; revised 1 April 2013; accepted 15 May 2013; published 20 June 2013. [1] Satellite measurements allow global assessments of phytoplankton concentrations and, from observed temporal changes in biomass, direct access to net biomass accumulation rates (r). For the subarctic Atlantic basin, analysis of annual cycles in r reveals that initiation of the annual blooming phase does not occur in spring after stratification surpasses a critical threshold but rather occurs in early winter when growth conditions for phytoplankton are deteriorating. This finding has been confirmed with in situ profiling float data. The objective of the current study was to test whether satellite-based annual cycles in r are reproduced by the Biogeochemical Element Cycling–Community Climate System Model and, if so, to use the additional ecosystem properties resolved by the model to better understand factors controlling phytoplankton blooms. We find that the model gives a similar early onset time for the blooming phase, that this initiation is largely due to the physical disruption of phytoplankton-grazer interactions during mixed layer deepening, and that parallel increases in phytoplankton-specific division and loss rates during spring maintain the subtle disruption in food web equilibrium that ultimately yields the spring bloom climax. The link between winter mixing and bloom dynamics is illustrated by contrasting annual plankton cycles between regions with deeper and shallower mixing. We show that maximum water column inventories of phytoplankton vary in proportion to maximum winter mixing depth, implying that future reductions in winter mixing may dampen plankton cycles in the subarctic Atlantic. We propose that ecosystem disturbance-recovery sequences are a unifying property of global ocean plankton blooms.
Quercetin Metabolites Up‐Regulate the Antioxidant Response in Osteoblasts Isolated From Fetal Rat Calvaria

Oxidative stress contributes to osteoporosis by suppressing differentiation of osteoblasts, suggesting the osteoblast antioxidant response may be a viable strategy for osteoporosis prevention. Quercetin, an antioxidant flavonol, up-regulates the antioxidant response in many cell types, but studies are needed to understand the effects of quercetin plasma metabolites on the osteoblast antioxidant response. The first specific aim was to examine antioxidant response genes and proteins in osteoblasts exposed to plasma quercetin metabolites. The second specific aim was to identify potential signaling pathways in the osteoblast antioxidant response that mediate the effect of quercetin, specifically Nrf2, ERK1/2, and NFκB p65. Osteoblasts isolated from fetal rat calvaria were treated with doses up to 20 μM of three different quercetin metabolites found in blood plasma after consumption of quercetin-rich foods or supplements: quercetin aglycone (QRC), isorhamnetin (ISO), or quercetin 3-O-glucuronide (Q3G). Alternatively, some cells received a 2:1:1 mixture of all three metabolites (10 μM Q3G: 5 μM ISO: 5 μM QRC) to evaluate synergistic effects. Antioxidant response genes and proteins known to be up-regulated by quercetin were analyzed along with Nrf2, ERK1/2, and NFκB proteins. Both QRC and ISO, but not Q3G, up-regulated heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and γ-glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) at the mRNA and protein level. Synergistic effects of metabolites were not observed. Up-regulation of HO-1 and GCLC was associated with suppression of phosphorylated ERK1/2 and NFκB, but no alterations in Nrf2 protein levels were observed. This study shows that the antioxidant response of osteoblasts is differentially stimulated by quercetin metabolites.
Brain Insulin-Like Growth Factor and Neurotrophin Resistance in Parkinson's Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies: Potential Role of Manganese Neurotoxicity

Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) frequently overlap with Alzheimer's disease, which is linked to brain impairments in insulin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and neurotrophin signaling. We explored whether similar abnormalities occur in PD or DLB, and examined the role of manganese toxicity in PD/DLB pathogenesis. Quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated reduced expression of insulin, IGF-II, and insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II receptors (R) in PD and/or DLB frontal white matter and amygdala, and reduced IGF-IR and IGF-IIR mRNA in DLB frontal cortex. IGF-I and IGF-II resistance was present in DLB but not PD frontal cortex, and associated with reduced expression of Hu, nerve growth factor, and Trk neurotrophin receptors, and increased levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein, α-synuclein, dopamine-β-hydroxylase, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), and ubiquitin immunoreactivity. MnCl2 treatment reduced survival, ATP, and insulin, IGF-I and IGF-II receptor expression, and increased α-synuclein, HNE, and ubiquitin immunoreactivity in cultured neurons. The results suggest that: 1) IGF-I, IGF-II, and neurotrophin signaling are more impaired in DLB than PD, corresponding with DLB's more pronounced neurodegeneration, oxidative stress, and α-synuclein accumulation; 2) MnCl2 exposure causes PD/DLB associated abnormalities in central nervous system neurons, and therefore may contribute to their molecular pathogenesis; and 3) molecular abnormalities in PD/DLB overlap with but are distinguishable from Alzheimer's disease.
Misalignment losses in fiber optic joints due to angular misalignment for arbitrary energy distribution

Although several models exist for calculating the loss in a fiber optic butt-joint resulting from angular misalignment between the fiber ends, these models generally assume an even energy distribution both across the face of the emitting fiber and throughout the emission angle. We present a numerical method that allows for arbitrary and physically realizable energy distributions. This approach also takes into account the physical size of the cladding on joint geometry, a previously neglected factor that becomes important for large tilt angles. Our results show loss curves that are appreciably different from those predicted by simpler models.
Infectious antecedent of immunoblastic lymphoma. Progressive immunosuppression in a patient with lymphogranuloma venereum

Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy is a nonmalignant disease of unknown etiology often progressing to immunoblastic lymphoma. Immunologic deficiency is evident in these patients as well as in those with various infections found in association with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This report describes a previously healthy young woman in whom angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy developed in association with lymphogranuloma venereum, with progressive loss of immunologic competence. This deterioration paralleled the evolution of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy into a rapidly fatal immunoblastic lymphoma.
Visualization of deep convective image sequences

The primary objective of this project is to define a methodology to depict the motion of deep convective cloud systems as observed form satellite imagery. These clouds are defined as clusters of pixels with Cloud Top Pressure (IPC) = 23 which are high in the atmosphere and sufficiently thick to produce significant rainfall. Clouds are one of the major factors in understanding the earth's climate. Evaluating cloud motion is important in understanding atmospheric dynamics and visualizations are vital because they provide a good way to observe change. IPC and TAU values have been collected for April of 1989 from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, low resolution database for the northern latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees. Each of the 240 IPC and 240 TAU images consisted of 12 rows and 144 columns with each pixel representing a 280 km square on the globe collected in three-hour intervals. Individual images were color coded according to land, sea and clouds before being put into motion. Six animations have been produced which start with the original images, progress to include daily composite images and culminate with a collage. Animations of the original images have the advantage of relatively short intervals between still frames but have many undefined pixels, which are eliminated in the composites. The results of this project can serve as an example of how to improve the visualization of time varying image sequences.
The effect of ventricular depolarization on the sequence of ventricular repolarization

Abstract The pathway of depolarization of the ventricular myocardium was changed by a single pulse which stimulated the entire ventricular myocardium. The T wave following the stimulus was recorded and compared to T waves following a normal ventricular depolarization. It was found that when the QRS was not lengthened the T wave following the stimulus did not change. When the QRS was lengthened sufficiently, the T wave following was always changed. It was concluded that the normal sequence of repolarization is determined by factors other than the pathway of depolarization.
CFD Modeling of the Performance of a Prechamber for Use in a Large Bore Natural Gas Engine

The topic of this paper is the performance of a prechamber for use in a large bore two stroke natural gas engine. With increased regulation of emissions from stationary natural gas engines, there has been interest in modification of the combustion process, such as extending the lean limit, to reduce NOx emissions. One promising combustion technique uses an ignition prechamber. CFD models of a prechamber and the cylinder were developed in order to simulate the performance of a prechamber ignition system. The modeling included a full three dimensional transient analysis with scavenging, moving piston, and main chamber fuel injection. The CFD analysis included the fuel injection into the prechamber, pressurization by the inflowing main chamber gases, spark ignition, combustion, and flame propagation into the main combustion chamber. The computations indicated that the prechamber is more well mixed than the main engine chamber, with the prechamber mixture close to stoichiometric for better ignition. There is a strong, well-organized vortex in the prechamber induced by the incoming jet from the main chamber. The combustion flame in the prechamber travels in the direction of the gas vortex along lines of increasing equivalence ratio. The flame then propagates across the main cylinder in a very uniform fashion, indicating that there is sufficient energy to ignite the lean, partially mixed mixture in the main chamber. The orientation of the prechamber nozzle was also investigated, and an orientation of twenty degrees relative to the main chamber was found to produce a flame that did not impinge on the piston.© 2005 ASME
Computational Predictions of Exponential and Non-Exponential Tryptophan Fluorescence Decay in NATA, the Villin Headpiece Subdomain, and other Proteins

Decay of fluorescence from a single Tryptophan (Trp) in a peptide or protein is sometimes exponential and sometimes non-exponential. Understanding the details of this behavior has proven elusive. We have had qualitative success predicting average fluorescence quantum yields for a variety of proteins based on the stabilization of the charge transfer (CT) state arising from electron transfer from the aromatic ring to a backbone amide by the protein electrostatic environment. Here we report 100ns - 1 microsecond MD simulations, augmented by quantum mechanical (ZINDO) computations of the fluorescing and CT states, on N-acetyl-tryptophan-amide (NATA) and 20 single Trp proteins, including the highly studied fast folding villin headpiece. Although the environment for NATA in water is very similar to that of solvent exposed Trps on the surface of a protein, which almost always exhibit non-exponential decay, NATA shows a surprisingly pure single-exponential decay. In our simulations, all possible rotamer states are well represented, and transitions between rotamers happen at a rate of about 1 per 5 ns. Preliminary results indicate that rare conformations in which an amide carbonyl is H-bonded by 2-3 waters produce spikes of high quenching, more or less independent of rotamer state. Survival curve averaging of the 600 ns trajectory yields a single exponential decay of near 3 ns. For folded villin at 300 K, we find that rotamer transitions on Trp occur only every ∼100 ns and that quenching by the nearby His+ happens only during these transient events, although the helix is always intact. Villin is therefore predicted to show extreme heterogeneity in lifetimes. This provides a mechanism for Trp fluorescence to report the global folding rate. Heterogeneity for the other proteins will also be discussed.
Infant Mortality--The Lesser Known Reliability Issue

Infant Mortality problems have been around for a long time (maybe that is why sometimes we have a shorter warranty period for many electronic products). Anyway, the explanation of infant mortality is that these are left over (or latent) defects. Defects that do not necessarily expose themselves and they can skip by all the manufacturing tests, including system test. However, with electrical and thermal stresses during use, they will eventually degrade to cause a significant functionality problem and will result as a failed system in the field. Product may last for hours to months if such a latent defect is trapped within. Since field failures are undesirable and field failures have to be below a certain level so as not to create general customer resentment, some kind of infant mortality acceleration is needed. Burn-in is the process to accelerate these latent defects that eventually will lead to infant mortality failures. The same electrical and thermal stress is applied to the chip during the burn-in test step, though at a much elevated level such that months to years of life time of the product is consumed in hours. Hence these latent defects will be detected and screened within the manufacturing test flow and will not be shipped to customers. So, if this is a production worthy process and has been used extensively in many kinds of chip manufacturing, why is there a problem? The issue is that scaling has created very short channel transistors and very thin gate oxide. These shorter channel transistors bring along higher electrical field around the source-drain and create hot electrons which lead to gate damage and shortening the life of the transistors. Higher Vcc also cause more stress to the gate oxide and can cause more soft-breakdown. The electrical and thermal acceleration essentially exacerbate this wearout effect, even though it reduces infant mortality. We are therefore trading one type of reliability for another. Process change (like changeover to a different gate stack) would push back this wearout effect by a generation, but the drive to scale to ever smaller devices will continue and the problem may come back. Lowering Vcc will likely contain the long term wearout effect but it will hurt performance and voltage scaling has already slowed down substantially in recent years. Traditional solution of placing test guardband into manufacturing test will not be cost effective in the long run, especially facing a competitive environment. It is likely that we need both circuit and architectural level solutions to deal with this. Will online testing or fault tolerance come to the rescue? Will fault tolerant techniques be sufficient for dealing with infant mortality problem? Will these high reliability system features eventually move into main stream computing products? Or better yet, will we have latent defect acceleration or screening without the ill effect of degrading long term lifetime of our product? All of these remain to be answered.
Beyond False Beliefs: The Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Perceptions of Children’s Theory of Mind Measure—Experimental Version (PCToMM-E)

The Perceptions of Children’s Theory of Mind Measure (Experimental version; PCToMM-E) is an informant measure designed to tap children’s theory of mind competence. Study one evaluated the measure when completed by primary caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Scores demonstrated high test–retest reliability and correlated with verbal mental age and ToM task battery performance. No ceiling effects were observed. In addition, caregivers accurately predicted their children’s ToM task battery performance. In study two the scores of primary caregivers of typically developing children demonstrated high test–retest reliability and distinguished children on the basis of age and developmental status. Ceiling effects were not evident until late childhood. The utility of the PCToMM-E and directions for future research are discussed.
Emergence of Supersteps on KH 2 PO 4 Crystal Surfaces

In situ AFM investigation of growth on the {100} face of ${\mathrm{KH}}_{2}{\mathrm{PO}}_{4}$ in the presence of Al(III) and other trivalent metals reveals the emergence of a new type of morphological feature---the superstep. Supersteps, or step bunches consisting of 50--1500 elementary steps, are responsible for growth at all supersaturations and exhibit behavior not predicted by accepted models. The step velocity of the superstep is greater than that of single atomic steps and increases with step height. The steepness of the step riser reaches a limiting value of only $11.8\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$.
Social Validation of the Outcome Questionnaire-45: An Assessment of Asian and Pacific Islander College Students.

This study tested the appropriateness of Outcome Questionnaire-45 norms for Asian and Pacific Islander students. Both groups scored higher, based on participants' self-reported general functioning, than the norms and more frequently met criteria for clinical classification, a possible indication of greater distress. The authors discuss findings and therapeutic applications. Este estudio probo la conveniencia de Resultado del Cuestionario—45 normas para los estudiantes Asiaticos y Isleno Pacifico. Los dos grupos estubirieron un puntaje alto, basado en la funcion general de ser-informo, que las normas, y con mas frecuencia encontro los criterios para la clasificacion clinica, una indicacion posible de anguista mas alta. Los autores discuten los hallazgos y las aplicaciones terapeuticas.
Development of a noninvasive corneal birefringence-compensated glucose-sensing polarimeter

In the recent past, optical polarimetry has been shown as a potential method for noninvasive physiologic glucose sensing in the eye. Although the necessary sensitivity and accuracy have been demonstrated experimentally through in vitro studies using a range of media from simplistic glucose doped-water to more complex media such as aqueous humor, the main problem currently hindering long-term in vivo measurements is corneal birefringence coupled with motion artifact. This is due to the inability to distinguish E-field rotation due to glucose from the effects of time varying corneal birefringence. In this investigation, the effect of corneal birefringence will be discussed and a potential method to overcome this problem will be presented with supporting results.
Structure and fragmentation mechanisms of isomeric T-rich oligodeoxynucleotides: a comparison of four tandem mass spectrometric methods.

Understanding the product-ion spectra of T-rich tetradeoxynucleotides is a starting point in the development of a mass spectrometric scheme to determine the mutagenicity of individual types of DNA damage. We obtained product-ion spectra for electrospray-produced ions that were activated in the ion source (electrospray ionization-source collision-activated-dissociation) and by high-energy collisions in the MS/MS mode of a four-sector instrument. We also activated singly and doubly charged ions by low-energy collisions in an ion-trap mass spectrometer and investigated post source decompositions of matrix-assisted laser desorbed ions in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The various methods of extracting structural information give remarkably consistent results. The difference in the relative abundances of wn and dn ions of the singly charged oligonucleotides and the formation of [a3 − B3] ions, where B3 is the base on the third position, are effective for identification and distinction of pairs of isomeric tetranucleotides. A sufficient number of tetramers and pentamers were studied to enable us to propose a charge-remote mechanism for the formation of site-specific [an − Bn] ion.
Patterns of protein synthesis in imaginal discs of Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract Patterns of polypeptide synthesis in wing, leg and eye-antenna imaginal discs and in whole larvae of wild-type and mutant Drosophila melanogaster have been examined using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. After 2 hr of labeling with 35 S during the third larval instar, the synthesis of more than 318 polypeptides has been detected in imaginal discs. Of these, 268 are present in similar amounts in all three disc types. The remaining polypeptides detected in the three imaginal disc types fall into two categories: those unique to a particular disc type, and those specific for a particular pair of disc types. These results are discussed in relation to the spectrum of gene expression in imaginal discs.
The role of dysregulated glucagon secretion in type 2 diabetes

Excessive production of glucose by the liver contributes to fasting and postprandial hyperglycaemia, hallmarks of type 2 diabetes. A central feature of this pathologic response is insufficient hepatic insulin action, due to a combination of insulin resistance and impaired β-cell function. However, a case can be made that glucagon also plays a role in dysregulated hepatic glucose production and abnormal glucose homeostasis. Plasma glucagon concentrations are inappropriately elevated in diabetic individuals, and α-cell suppression by hyperglycaemia is blunted. Experimental evidence suggests that this contributes to greater rates of hepatic glucose production in the fasting state and attenuated reduction after meals. Recent studies in animal models indicate that reduction of glucagon action can have profound effects to mitigate hyperglycaemia even in the face of severe hypoinsulinaemia. While there are no specific treatments for diabetic patients yet available that act specifically on the glucagon signalling pathway, newer agents including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors reduce plasma glucagon and this is thought to contribute to their action to lower blood glucose. The α-cell and glucagon receptor remain tempting targets for novel diabetes treatments, but it is important to understand the magnitude of benefit new strategies would provide as preclinical models suggest that chronic interference with glucagon action could entail adverse effects as well.
Novel catalyst support materials for PEM fuel cells : current status and future prospects

Catalyst support materials exhibit great influence on the cost, performance, and durability of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. This feature article summarizes several important kinds of novel support materials for PEM fuel cells (including direct methanol fuel cells): nanostructured carbon materials (carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, mesoporous carbon), conductive doped diamonds and nanodiamonds, conductive oxides (tin oxide/indium tin oxide, titanium oxide, tungsten oxide), and carbides (tungsten carbides). The advantages and disadvantages, the acting mechanism to promote electrocatalytic performance, and the strategies to improve present catalyst support materials and search for new ones are discussed. This is expected to shed light on future development of catalyst supports for PEM fuel cells.
Estimating postmortem interval using RNA degradation and morphological changes in tooth pulp

The accurate determination of time since death, or postmortem interval (PMI), can be critical in the investigation of suspicious deaths. Knowing when a suspicious death occurred can limit the number of potential suspects to those without a viable alibi for the time of the crime. The forensic techniques currently employed to determine PMI: pathology, entomology, and anthropology, are accurate over different time periods following death. A large gap in time exists between the capabilities of forensic entomology and traditional anthropology, leaving a period in which PMI is difficult to estimate. In this study, time-dependent differences in RNA decay rates were examined to extend the time frame over which early PMI estimates can be made. Comparing the decay rates of a large, labile segment of β-actin RNA and a smaller, more stable, non-overlapping segment of the same RNA from tooth pulp, we were able to estimate PMI values of pigs buried within a shallow grave for up to 84 days. This compares favorably to an estimate of PMI using insect data. Full skeletonization and loss of insect activity was observed by day 28 of our study. In addition to differences in RNA decay rates, morphological changes were observed in the pulp as it aged postmortem. To provide a quantitative measure of progressive color changes, analysis of digital photographs of each tooth's pulp were used to construct a simple colorimetric assay. This assay was then used to cluster ages of pulp samples by color. The two assays, used in combination with one another, can create a more precise estimate of PMI. The potential advantages of this molecular means of estimating PMI include extending the time frame for such estimates, is applicable to samples collected worldwide (no specialized knowledge of local insect fauna is required), is relatively fast, and inexpensive.
Resonance Reactions Involving Dirac-Type Incident Particles

An investigation has been made to determine whether the results of Wigner and Eisenbud can be extended to include the scattering of a particle which obeys a Dirac-type wave equation. It is found that no additional difficulties arise as a result of the use of Dirac particles, and that the treatment of Wigner and Eisenbud can be carried through step by step with relatively minor changes.In order to carry out this program, however, it was necessary to determine the appropriate relativistic boundary conditions to be satisfied by the external and internal wave functions at the boundary of the internal region. It is hoped that a comparison of the relativistic and non-relativistic boundary conditions will lead to a clearer understanding of the boundary conditions in the non-relativistic problem.
A quantitative and qualitative description of electromyographic linear envelopes for synergy analysis

The muscular synergy patterns of human locomotion can be described by the phasic activity of electromyographic linear envelopes (LE) and the interphasic spatio-temporal relations. To represent the phasic activity, the LE is modeled as the summation of Gaussian pulses of various lengths. The parameters of interest are the temporal features: time, duration, and amplitude of the phases of activity. A maximum likelihood approach to the parameter estimation for a mixture of normal distributions is adopted for extracting the temporal features. Based on the derived temporal features, a set of relational descriptors can be defined to describe the spatio-temporal relations between the multichannel phasic activities. The strength of this approach is not only that the plastic activity of the LE can be quantitatively represented accurately, but also that the resulting synergy patterns can be easily interpreted by observers. >
Backbone and sidechain 1H, 15N and 13C assignments of Tyrosine Phosphatase related to Biofilm formation A (TpbA) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The backbone and side chain resonance assignments of the Tyrosine Phosphatase related to Biofilm formation A (TpbA) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been determined based on triple-resonance experiments using uniformly [13C,15N]-labeled protein. This assignment is the first step towards the determination of the 3-dimensional structure of TpbA.
The Elections of 1809: Transforming Political Culture in New Spain

In the face of French occupation, the people of Spain in 1809 organized a Junta Suprema Central y Gubernativa del Reino (Supreme Central and Governing Junta of the Kingdom) to represent all the Spanish Monarchy, including the American territories, to coordinate resistance against the French and to sustain and finance the Monarchy in the absence of the Spanish king. Elections of representatives to the Junta Central were held throughout the Spanish world during the year. This article relates the processes and results of the elections in New Spain and examines their importance in the development of a democratic political culture in pre-independence Mexico.
Enzymatic synthesis of geranyl acetate inn-hexane withCandida antarctica lipases

Geranyl acetate is an important flavor and fragrance compound. Two immobilizedCandida antarctica lipases, SP382 and SP435, were investigated for their use in the synthesis of geranyl acetate by direct esterification. Yields between 95 and 99% molar conversion were obtained with 2 and 15% (w/w reactants) of SP435 and SP382 lipases, respectively. Optimum yields were obtained at 0.1M acetic acid and 0.12M geraniol after 16-h incubation. No inhibitory effect was observed at increasing concentrations of geraniol. Addition of 60% (w/w reactants) water led to 50 and 60% reduction in the esterification activity of SP382 and SP435 lipases, respectively. The best yields were obtained at added water contents between 0–5% (w/w reactants). Solvents with a logP value of 0.85 or more gave reaction yields of more than 80% molar conversion. Higher logP values did not necessarily lead to higher conversion yields. The immobilized lipase SP382 was still active after reusing ten times in the direct esterification reaction.
NMY-2 maintains cellular asymmetry and cell boundaries, and promotes a SRC-dependent asymmetric cell division

The nonmuscle myosin II NMY-2 is required for cytokinesis as well as for the establishment of zygote asymmetry during embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we describe two conditional nmy-2 alleles that rapidly and reversibly inactivate the protein. We show that NMY-2 has late-cell-cycle roles in maintaining embryonic asymmetries and is also required for a surprisingly late step in the maintenance of the cytokinesis furrow. Finally, during a signaling-induced asymmetric cell division, NMY-2 is required for SRC-dependent phosphotyrosine signaling and acts in parallel with WNT-signaling to specify endoderm.
Australia and New Zealand Exchange Rates: A Quantitative Assessment

The paper describes three empirical models commonly used to conduct exchange rate assessments and applies them to data for Australia and New Zealand. The baseline results using data and mediumterm projections available as of October 2008, suggest that the Australian and New Zealand dollars were broadly in line with fundamentals, but with a wide variation across models. A battery of sensitivity tests illustrate that altering the underlying assumptions can yield substantially different assessments. The results are particularly sensitive to the choice of assessment horizon, the set of economies included in the sample, medium-term forecasts, and the exchange rate reference period.
Temperature and pressure effects on respiration of thecosomatous pteropods

Abstract The respiration of four species of thecosomatous pteropods, Diacria trispinosa, Cuvierina columnella, Clio pyramidata and Limacina helicoides , was determined at various temperatures (0–30°C) and pressures (1–200 atm). Respiration of Diacria, Cuvierina and Clio , is controlled only by temperature over their normal depth ranges of occurrence, but is significantly stimulated by pressure at greater depths. Limacina helicoides is normally found below 490 m and its respiration is constant from 500 to 2000 m, influenced primarily by temperature.