cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optical tools for analyzing and repairing complex biological systems

Understanding and repairing complex biological systems, such as the brain, requires new technologies that enable such systems to be observed and controlled with great precision, across extended spatial and temporal scales. We are discovering new molecular principles that are leading to such technologies. For example, we recently discovered that it was possible to physically magnify biological specimens manyfold, in an even way, by embedding them in dense swellable polymers, mechanically homogenizing the specimens, and then adding water to isotropically swell the specimens. In this method, which we call expansion microscopy (ExM), we enable scalable, inexpensive diffraction-limited microscopes to do large-volume nanoscopy, in a multiplexed fashion – important, for example, for brain mapping. As another example, we discovered that microbial opsins, genetically expressed in neurons, could enable their electrical activities to be precisely driven or silenced in response to millisecond timescale pulses of light. These tools, called optogenetic tools, are enabling causal assessment of the contribution of defined neurons to behaviors and pathologies in a wide variety of basic science settings. Finally, we have developed new methods of directed evolution, and discovered mutant forms of optogenetic tools that enable precision fluorescent imaging of the high-speed voltage of neurons in the living brain. We share all these tools freely, and aim to integrate the use of these tools so as to lead to comprehensive understandings of neural circuits.
Managing orchard groundcover to reduce pollinator foraging post-bloom.

BACKGROUND Agricultural insecticides are believed to play a role in global pollinator decline. In mass-flowering orchard crops, recommendations to reduce exposure of pollinators to insecticides include spraying at periods when bees aren't foraging, such as dusk and dawn and outside of crop flowering times. However, the presence of flowering weeds within orchards mean pollinators may still be found foraging throughout the growing season, increasing the likelihood that exposure will still occur. We hypothesized that removing these weeds within orchard groundcover may reduce pollinator foraging post-bloom and thus reduce exposure of this group to pesticides. We tested this hypothesis by using herbicide to remove flowering broadleaf weeds in the sod middles ('groundcover') between rows of a nectarine orchard in New Jersey, USA, and assessing the effect on pollinator visitation via three different methods. RESULTS Significantly lower abundance, richness, diversity, and evenness of pollinators were found in plots where herbicide treatment had removed the majority of flowering weeds, compared to untreated plots. This was the case for bees, and for pollinators overall, and was reflected in both visual observations and active sampling through sweep netting. Passive sampling with blue vane traps failed to detect a difference between treatments. CONCLUSION Groundcover management in orchards is often employed as part of integrated pest management programs to remove alternative host plants of insect pests. The findings of this study show that it is also effective in reducing post-bloom pollinator foraging in orchards, thus potentially preventing exposure of these beneficial organisms to harmful insecticides. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Stroke Prevention in Patients with Patent Foramen Ovale.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is widely prevalent and studies have suggested an association with ischemic stroke. In this review, we aim to highlight current management of patients with ischemic stroke in the setting of PFO and discuss some areas of controversy. Upon reviewing the literature, we have found that the evidence regarding the management of patients with cryptogenic stroke and PFO has come a long way in the past several years, and many uncertainties remain in clinical practice. The Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) score helps to predict the probability of a pathogenic PFO, and recent trial data confirms the benefit of closure in carefully selected patients. The benefit of closure in older patients and in patients with alternate, competing mechanisms is still uncertain, and the long-term risks of closure are not known. Finally, the efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in this patient population as compared to other medical therapy or mechanical closure has not yet been investigated. Randomized data is needed to help answer these questions. PFO closure is a safe and effective strategy in reducing stroke risk in carefully selected patients with cryptogenic stroke in the setting of a PFO. More studies are needed to test optimal medical treatment strategies and the safety and efficacy of PFO closure in patient subgroups not included in prior PFO closure trials.
Improved surface temperature estimates with MASTER/AVIRIS sensor fusion

Abstract Land surface temperature (LST) is an important parameter in many ecological studies. The current Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) in standard MODIS and ASTER LST products is greater than 1 K, and for ASTER can be as large as 4 K for graybody pixels such as vegetation. Errors of 3 to 8 K have been observed for ASTER in humid conditions, making knowledge of atmospheric water vapor content critical in retrieving accurate LST. For this reason improved accuracy in LST measurements through the synthesis of visible-to-shortwave-infrared (VSWIR) derived water vapor maps and Thermal-Infrared (TIR) data is one goal of the Hyperspectral Infrared Imager, or HyspIRI, mission. The 2011 ER-2 Delano/Lost Hills flights acquired data with both the MODIS/ASTER Simulator (MASTER) and Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instruments flown concurrently. This study compares LST retrieval accuracies from the standard JPL MASTER temperature products produced using the temperature–emissivity separation (TES) algorithm, and the water vapor scaling (WVS) atmospheric correction method proposed for HyspIRI. The two retrieval methods are run both with and without high spatial resolution AVIRIS-derived water vapor maps to assess the improvement from VSWIR synthesis. We find improvement using VSWIR derived water vapor maps, with the WVS method being most accurate overall. For closed canopy agricultural vegetation we observed temperature retrieval RMSEs of 0.49 K and 0.70 K using the WVS method on MASTER data with and without AVIRIS derived water vapor, respectively.
General linear second-order consensus control with guaranteed rate of convergence

This paper presents necessary and sufficient conditions to achieve consensus for a homogeneous network of linear second-order systems. Simple controllers to achieve consensus with a guaranteed rate of convergence are proposed. The only requirement is that the network graph contain a spanning tree. The eigenvalues of the graph Laplacian can be complex and the consensus behavior of the systems will not be altered. The paper concludes with an example where the proposed controllers were used to synchronize a network of damped oscillators.
Development and sensory evaluation of a trans fat‐free sugar cookie

Recent research linking trans fats to adverse health effects has caused many companies to eliminate trans fats from the foods they produce and sell. A local Pennsylvania-based restaurant chain is one such company that has been proactive in taking such steps by reformulating its signature treat: the smiley cookie. The aim of this study was to develop a trans fat-free smiley cookie that would at least be as acceptable to consumers as the current smiley cookie. Sensory evaluation was performed on both cookies. Responses revealed that the trans fat-free cookies scored significantly higher than the original cookie for several attributes. As a result, the restaurant will begin to produce the trans fat-free cookie for sale to consumers.
What is a Family - Conflicting Messages from Our Public Programs

* Roger J. Traynor Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall). This article draws on work done in the seminar I taught with Professor Ira Ellman on The Family in Public Programs. Seminar contributors are acknowledged below in the sections relevant to their projects. Considerable general assistance was provided by Christine Fujita, University of California Berkeley (Boalt Hall) class of 2009 and Pam Spritzer, Columbia Law School. 1. See generally ALL OUR FAmILIES: NEw POLICIES FOR A NEw CENTURy (mary Ann What Is a “Family”? Conflicting Messages from Our Public Programs
RNA Polymerase, a Scrunching Machine

RNA polymerase stores energy to break its initial bonds with DNA by scrunching the single strands of DNA that were unwound in the region where the polymerase started RNA synthesis.
Don't try for the triple 20

Significance not only increases your understanding of statistics, it also increases your score at darts. Where you should aim depends on just how bad a player you are. Ryan Tibshirani shares the story of how his own lack of skill called for a better darts strategy. Now you can learn from his mistakes, and rack up more points the next time you play!
Aldolase: I. Colorimetric Determination

The Sigma and Boehringer reagent kits for measuring aldolase activity by a colorimetric method were examined critically. The original Sibley and Lehninger (1) procedure was more satisfactory than the modifications made by the kit manufacturers. Serum aldolase activity measured by the Sigma procedure and our modification of the Sibley-Lehninger method agreed within a standard deviation of ± 2 IU; values obtained with the Boehringer kit were about 50% low.
Semifunctional Site-Specific Mutants Affecting the Hydrolytic Half-Reaction of Microsomal Epoxide Hydrolase†

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (MEH) is a member of the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold family of enzymes, each of which has a catalytic triad consisting of a nucleophile involved in the formation of a covalent intermediate and a general base and charge relay carboxylate that catalyze the hydrolysis of the intermediate. The rate-limiting step in the catalytic mechanism of MEH is hydrolysis of the ester intermediate. An efficient bacterial expression system for a C-terminal hexahistidine tagged version of the native enzyme, which facilitates the isolation of mutant enzymes in which residues involved in the hydrolytic half-reaction have been altered, is described. The H431S mutant of this enzyme is efficiently alkylated by substrate to form the ester intermediate but is unable to hydrolyze the ester to complete the catalytic cycle, a fact that confirms that H431 acts as the base in the hydrolytic half-reaction. The charge relay carboxylate, which is not apparent in paired sequence alignments with other alpha/beta-hydrolase fold enzymes, is thought to be located between residues 340 and 405. A mutagenic survey of all eight Asp and Glu residues in this region reveals that only two (E376 and E404) influence the catalytic mechanism. Steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetic analyses of these residues suggest that both E404 and E376 may serve the charge relay function in the hydrolysis half-reaction. Finally, the tryptophan residue (W150), which resides in the oxyanion hole sequence HGWP, is demonstrated to contribute to the large change in intrinsic protein fluorescence observed when the enzyme is alkylated.
In Search of Input: The Case Study of a Learner of Polish as a Foreign and Second Language

This paper addresses the role of input and interaction and attitudes and motivation on second and foreign language acquisition. Through the case study of an American English learner of Polish, the paper examines classroom instruction in the United States and the “natural” learning situation of living in the target language country. Long (26) has suggested that most research in second language acquisition addresses the direct impact of a variable on SLA, and has called for more research to investigate variables that have an indirect effect on SLA. This paper suggests that input and interaction are triggers for positive attitudes and motivation and thus are indirect, rather than direct, contributors to second and/or foreign language acquisition. Finally, the author explores the implications of input and interaction as triggers for SLA on language programs and language classrooms.
CELLULAR SITES OF SYNTHESIS OF RABBIT IMMUNOGLOBULINS DURING PRIMARY RESPONSE TO DIPHTHERIA TOXOID-FREUND'S ADJUVANT

The present studies are based on previous observations that the intravenous injection of diphtheria toxoid and complete Freund's adjuvant into rabbits resulted in an increased proliferation of cells associated with antibody synthesis; an accelerated, enhanced, and prolonged synthesis of antibody; and a lengthened interval between the appearance of γM- and γG-hemagglutinating antibodies in the circulation. The molecular species of antibodies that were synthesized by fragments of the spleens were determined by the incorporation of labeled amino acid into antibody and by binding of radioactive antigen by antibody. These studies were paralleled by determination of the presence and type of antibody within the cell by immunofluorescence. Evidence was obtained that non-phagocytic mononuclear cells in the walls of the sinusoids of the red pulp of the spleen are a major source of 19S γM-antibody and plasma cells in the non-follicular white pulp are a major source of γG-antibody. The data did not exclude the synthesis of γG-antibodies by the mononuclear cells, the synthesis of γM-antibodies by the plasma cells, or the synthesis of both antibodies by an occasional cell of either morphology. It was hypothesized that the 19S and 7S antibody responses evolved independently with the development of at least two different cell types, a mononuclear cell with capacity for 19S immunoglobulin synthesis and a plasma cell with capacity for 7S immunoglobulin synthesis.
Proper names, predicative uses: an essay on logical form

In this paper it is argued that there is not, in general, any fact of the matter about the correct logical representation of proper names in predicative constructions. Many predicative uses of proper names are ambiguous with respect to logical type, even though they are not ambiguous simpliciter. This phenomenon is explored both for its own interest and in connection with the more general ideas that (a) if there are (exceptionless) rules for semantics, it is not likely that they are to be found by representing human discourse in the terms of formal logic, and (b) such rules may not even be possible.
Treatment services for children with ADHD: a national perspective.

ABSTRACT Objective To summarize knowledge on treatment services for children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), trends in services from 1989 to 1996, types of services provided, service mix, and barriers to care. Method A review of the literature and analyses from 2 national surveys of physician practices are presented. Results Major shifts have occurred in stimulant prescriptions since 1989, with prescriptions now comprising three fourths of all visits to physicians by children with ADHD. Between 1989 and 1996, related services, such as health counseling, for children with ADHD increased 10-fold, and diagnostic services increased 3-fold. Provision of psychotherapy, however, decreased from 40% of pediatric visits to only 25% in the same time frame. Follow-up care also decreased from more than 90% of visits to only 75%. Family practitioners were more likely than either pediatricians or psychiatrists to prescribe stimulants and less likely to use diagnostic services, provide mental health counseling, or recommend follow-up care. About 50% of children with identified ADHD seen in real-world practice settings receive care that corresponds to guidelines of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Physicians reported significant barriers to service provision for these children, including lack of pediatric specialists, insurance obstacles, and lengthy waiting lists. Conclusions The trends in treatment services and physician variations in service delivery point to major gaps between the research base and clinical practice. Clinical variations may reflect training differences, unevenness in the availability of specialists and location of services, and changes in health care incentives.
Prospecting for new collaborations: mining syllabi for library service opportunities

Online course syllabi provide a convenient source of information about library use. This article discusses the strategies used to retrieve syllabi, analyze library use, and develop new opportunities to collaborate with faculty. A new Web-based service was developed to pull course- and library-related materials into a convenient package.
Snuper computer: a computer in instrumentation automaton

Classically the preponderance of measurements made on information processing systems is done for purposes of prediction or diagnosis of malfunction. The environment is monitored with observations of the ambient temperature, common system voltages and currents, and clocking pulse streams. Micromeasurements of system elements are made on-line with oscilloscope or meter and off-line by specialized more complex testing systems. Systems are used to test themselves by generation of diagnostic programs using predefined data sets and by explicit controls permitting degradation of the environment. As opposed to equipment malfunction, programs malfunction only in the sense that there is an inconsistency between the intent of the programmer and the finally executed machine code. Diagnostic programs aid in making measurements related to consistency.
Characterization and modeling of the nitrogen passivation of interface traps in SiO2/4H–SiC

The relationship between nitrogen content and interface trap density (Dit) in SiO2/4H–SiC near the conduction band has been quantitatively determined. Nitridation using NO significantly reduces Dit near the conduction band, but the effect saturates after ≈2.5×1014 cm−2 of nitrogen. These results are consistent with a model of the interface in which defects such as carbon clusters or silicon suboxide states produce traps with energies corresponding to the sizes of the defects. Nitrogen passivation results in the dissolution of the defects, which then lowers the energies of the traps in the band gap.
Create a TII of IEEE 1451.1 under DART

In this paper, we issued an interface to solve the problems between sensors and remote host through internet that is based on the novel standard of IEEE 1451 family. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to design and implement a STIM (Smart Transducer Interface Module) with UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) interface to realize the Transducer Independent Interface (TII), which is defined in the standard of IEEE 1451.2. This UART-STIM was configured under Altera MAX II Starter Kit CPLD. We also used C++ Builder 6.0 to design the dialogue to easy set the network capable application processors (NCAP), which with traditional Chinese version for end user. To prove this implemented UART STIM is workable, the following performance, data loss rate and accuracy, is evaluated.
Distribution and evolution of visual pigments in salmonid fishes.

Abstract 1. The visual pigments and liver retinols of salmonid fishes in Great Britain and Southern Germany have been analysed. Genera examined wereCoregonus (9 species or subspecies),Salvelinus (3 landlocked subspecies ofS. alpinus),Thymallus (one species) andOsmerus (one species). 2. Some species have rhodopsin, some have porphyropsin, while others have mixtures of the two pigments. These results have been correlated with data published by other workers. From a consideration of λmax, it is possible to deduce the distribution of differentopsins among the salmonids, irrespective of whether these have been combined with retinal (as rhodopsins) or 3-dehydroretinal (as porphyropsins). 3. Evolutionary pressure has brought about the development of new visual pigments to cope with changing environmental light conditions. Many salmonids have been exposed to this pressure over a comparatively short period, particularly in cases where landlocking has occurred as a result of glaciation. The response to a purely freshwater environment requires evolution of visual pigments conferring red-sensitivity, and in the saimonids this has often been achieved by evolution of porphyropsins, probably as the result of an ocular system of dehydrogenases for converting retinol into 3-dehydroretinol. The second alternative has involved an opsin modification, yielding high λmax rhodopsins. If the opsins represent a series of homologous proteins, as some evidence suggests, they evolved by a simple process of amino-acid substitution. Even though the nature of this substitution must be severely restricted (in order to preserve the steric properties of the chromophore site), it appears that new visual pigments have evolved over time periods as short as 20,000–1,000,000 years. This represents a rate of evolution that is considerably higher than that reported for other proteins.
A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR MICROVASCULAR SLEEVE ANASTOMOSIS

This study describes our experience using an improved technique for microsurgical sleeve anastomosis of arteries. Modifications of previously described techniques include utilization of a sidecut and placement of the two stitches within separate vertical planes. In 40 arteries, we attained a patency rate of 97.5%. Histology, in vivo observation, and flow study using high-frequency pulsed ultrasound Doppler at 2 hr to 8 weeks demonstrate that the sidecut sleeve anastomosis shows patency and flow characteristics similar to those of standard end-to-end anastomosis, but with a dramatic decrease in operative time.
Investigating the Relationship of Nutrition- and Exercise-Compromising Health Impairments With Autism Spectrum Disorders Among Children With Special Health Care Needs

Background Because children with special health care needs (SHCN) or disabilities are more likely to be obese or overweight than children without disabilities, the author of the current study investigated the relationship between nutrition- and exercise-compromising health impairments with currently having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Purpose To determine whether there was a relationship between nutrition- and exercise-compromising impairments and having ASDs among children with special health care needs. Methods Data were collected through telephone interviews of 40,242 parents/guardians with at least one child under 18 years of age with a special health care need. The data collection tool was the 2009/2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between health impairments and currently having an ASD. Odds ratios for ASD were also generated, adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, and age group. Re...
Cefpodoxime vs Ciprofloxacin for Short-Course Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Cystitis: A Randomized Trial

Context Although fluoroquinolones remain the most reliable urinary antimicrobial, resistance rates have increased and effective fluoroquinolone-sparing antimicrobials are needed. Objective To determine whether cefpodoxime is noninferior to ciprofloxacin for treatment of acute cystitis. Design, Setting, and Patients Randomized, double-blind trial of 300 women aged 18 to 55 years with acute uncomplicated cystitis comparing ciprofloxacin (n = 150) with cefpodoxime (n = 150); patients were from a student health center in Seattle, Washington, and a referral center in Miami, Florida. The study was conducted from 2005 to 2009 and outcomes were assessed at 5 to 9 days and 28 to 30 days after completion of therapy. Intent-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were performed; 15 women in the ciprofloxacin group and 17 women in the cefpodoxime group were lost to follow-up. Interventions Patients were given 250 mg of ciprofloxacin orally twice daily for 3 days or 100 mg of cefpodoxime proxetil orally twice daily for 3 days. Main Outcome Measures Overall clinical cure (defined as not requiring antimicrobial treatment during follow-up) at the 30-day follow-up visit. Secondary outcomes were clinical and microbiological cure at the first follow-up visit and vaginal Escherichia coli colonization at each follow-up visit. The hypothesis that cefpodoxime would be noninferior to ciprofloxacin by a 10% margin (ie, for the difference in the primary outcome for ciprofloxacin minus cefpodoxime, the upper limit of the confidence interval would be Results The overall clinical cure rate at the 30-day visit with the intent-to-treat approach in which patients lost to follow-up were considered as having clinical cure was 93% (139/150) for ciprofloxacin compared with 82% (123/150) for cefpodoxime (difference of 11%; 95% CI, 3%-18%); and for the intent-to-treat approach in which patients lost to follow-up were considered as having not responded to treatment, the clinical cure rate was 83% (124/150) for ciprofloxacin compared with 71% (106/150) for cefpodoxime (difference of 12%; 95% CI, 3%-21%). The microbiological cure rate was 96% (123/128) for ciprofloxacin compared with 81% (104/129) for cefpodoxime (difference of 15%; 95% CI, 8%-23%). At first follow-up, 16% of women in the ciprofloxacin group compared with 40% of women in the cefpodoxime group had vaginal E coli colonization. Conclusions Among women with uncomplicated cystitis, a 3-day regimen of cefpodoxime compared with ciprofloxacin did not meet criteria for noninferiority for achieving clinical cure. These findings, along with concerns about possible adverse ecological effects associated with other broad-spectrum β-lactams, do not support the use of cefpodoxime as a first-line fluoroquinolone-sparing antimicrobial for acute uncomplicated cystitis. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00194532
Thermal decomposition of tricaproin

Tricaproin was used as model system to study thermal decomposition of simple triglycerides. The tricaproin samples were pyrolyzed under three different conditions: at 250 C for 1 hr, 270 C for 1 hr and 270 C for 15 hr. Hydrocarbons, acrolein, methyl hexanoate, hexanal, hexanoic acid, 6-undecanone, 2-oxoheptyl hexanoate, propanediol dicaproate, propenediol dicaproate, oxopropanediol dicaproate and dicaproin were identified. Mechanisms involving both free radical and nonfree radical reactions were proposed for the formation of these compounds.
Enhancement of anaerobic methanogenesis from napiergrass by addition of micronutrients

Mesophilic anaerobic digestion of Napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.), supplemented with nitrogen and phosphorous, resulted in a low rate of methane production and high volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations. Daily addition of micronutrients — nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, selenium and sulfate (as a sulfur source) — increased methane production by approximately 40% and significantly decreased the VFA concentrations.
The effect of interferon on SV40 T antigen production in SV40-transformed cells

Abstract Continuous passage in the presence of interferon failed to reduce the content of SV40 T antigen in a line of SV40-transformed mouse cells (3T3). However, marked inhibition of SV40 T antigen formation resulted when normal 3T3 cells were pretreated with interferon and subsequently infected with SV40 virus. The implications of the undiminished translation of viral genetic information in transformed cells in which an interferon-induced antiviral state exists are discussed. It is suggested that SV40-transformed cells produce molecules of messenger RNA (mRNA) containing both host and viral information, and that the presence of some host genetic information on the mRNA molecule renders it insensitive to the interferon system.
Partial rank estimation of duration models with general forms of censoring

Abstract In this paper we propose estimators for the regression coefficients in censored duration models which are distribution free, impose no parametric specification on the baseline hazard function, and can accommodate general forms of censoring. The estimators are shown to have desirable asymptotic properties and Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate good finite sample performance. Among the data features the new estimators can accommodate are covariate-dependent censoring, double censoring, and fixed (individual or group specific) effects. We also examine the behavior of the estimator in an empirical illustration.
Ice Floe Identification in Satellite Images Using Mathematical Morphology and Clustering about Principal Curves

Abstract Identification of ice floes and their outlines in satellite images is important for understanding physical processes in the polar regions, for transportation in ice-covered seas, and for the design of offshore structures intended to survive in the presence of ice. At present this is done manually, a long and tedious process that precludes full use of the great volume of relevant images now available. We describe an accurate and almost fully automatic method for identifying ice floes and their outlines. Floe outlines are modeled as closed principal curves, a flexible class of smooth nonparametric curves. We propose a robust method of estimating closed principal curves that reduces both bias and variance. Initial estimates of floe outlines come from the erosion-propagation (EP) algorithm, which combines erosion from mathematical morphology with local propagation of information about floe edges. The edge pixels from the EP algorithm are grouped into floe outlines using a new clustering algorithm. Th...
A method for planning industrial robot networks for automotive welding and assembly lines

Automotive robot network planning needs sound methods, new management style, and practices that are based on co‐operation, respect and trust. This is fundamental because networking means sharing and exchanging quality information at all levels of the enterprise. Robots working in welding and assembly lines need to communicate with each other, with their cell/line control computer, with the factory production control systems, with quality control systems, assuring that quality is checked at process level in order to gain valuable feedback from the shop floor. In this paper, we introduce some of the most important network planning and engineering/technology management principles and rules that robot networkers should keep in mind. In the follow‐up paper we illustrate actual simulation case studies and results, based on our established methods.
Microcomputers and Teaching Actions in the Context of Historical Inquiry

Teachers' exhibition of selected teaching behaviors related to inquiry instruction in secondary United States History classes was compared under the conditions of 1) use and non-use of microcomputers and specially developed software, and 2) high and low preparation of teachers to teach inquiry-based lessons. Results, which are discussed in terms of assertions amenable to further testing, suggest that the support of microcomputers may be beneficial to success of inquiry teaching. They also indicate, however, that such support may not be sufficient for successful inquiry teaching in the absence of appropriate teacher preparation.
A Behavioral Change Model with Implications for Faculty Development.

A model of voluntary behavior change is developed and applied to faculty in higher education and the process of instructional innovation. The model identifies individual and organizational variables that determine whether or not a faculty member will change his instructional practices by adopting methods, techniques, or ideas that are new to him and the likelihood that he will succeed if he decides to try to innovate. Some implications of the model for faculty development programs are discussed.
Hostility or Indifference? The Marginalization of Homeschooling in the Education Profession.

Reasons for neglect of homeschooling in educational research literature are explored. The ideological hostility that occasionally surfaces in policy debates is unlikely to have a major influence on mainstream researchers. An alternative explanation based on Kuhn's concept of normal science is proposed. The dominant paradigm of educational research emphasizes quantitative analyses, standardized settings, and large randomized samples. Unlike homeschooling, public schools, with their state-mandated curricula, age-graded classrooms, and tight regulation of facilities and personnel, provide an ideal setting for this paradigm. The congruence between setting and method is reinforced by universities. The training of licensed public school teachers generates most of the revenue that supports faculty positions in colleges of education. Consequently there is little incentive to study homeschooling. The article concludes that a scientific revolution in educational research is not in prospect. Moving beyond the curren...
Concurrent validity of two language screening tests.

Abstract The importance of ascertaining the validity of clinical instruments used to make decisions about individuals is discussed and the need for additional validation studies is emphasized. Steps that can be taken to confirm the validity for a particular application, setting, or population are described. As an example, the concurrent validity of two language screening instruments, the Fluharty Preschool Screening Test and the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test, and their subtests was examined. Decisions from these screening tests and subtests were compared to a validity criterion of passing or failing the Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development for 182 white middle-class children, ages 36–47 months. The results showed that the screening tests differed in their validity, depending upon the content of the test and each subtest. The consequences of using either screening test are explored, to illustrate how the outcomes of such studies should be interpreted.
TOPOLOGICAL QUANTUM FIELD THEORY AND INVARIANTS OF SPATIAL GRAPHS

According to Sir Michael Atiyah [At], the study of topological quantum field theory is equivalent to the study of invariant quantities associated to three-dimensional manifolds. Although one has long considered the classical homology and cohomology structures and their extremely successful generalizations, the real subject of the Atiyah assertion is the new invariants proposed by Witten associated to the Jones polynomials of classical knots and links in the three-dimensional sphere. There have been many manifestations described by Reshetikhin & Turaev [Re1&2], Turaev & Viro [TV], Lickorish [Li 11– 15]. Kirby & Melvin [KM1&2], and Blanchet, Habegger, Mausbaum & Vogel [BHMV]. In these notes I describe some of the fundamental aspects of this theory, discuss the interest in these invariants and their extensions to the class of spatial graphs by Jonish & Millett [JonM], Kauffman & Vogel [KauV], Yamada [Ya2], Millett [Mi1&2], Kuperberg [Ku1&2], and Jaeger, Vertigan and Welsh [JaVW].
Finite and infinite dimensional bilinear realizations

Abstract In this paper we discuss the realization of Volterra series by finite and infinite dimensional bilinear systems. We observe that realizing a given Volterra series with various weights leads naturally to a particularly interesting class of bilinear systems with a rich mathematical structure. We are able to use certain results on the shift realization of linear systems to arrive at a suitable analog of shift realizations for bilinear realizations.
Non-puerperal uterine inversion in association with uterine sarcoma: Case report in a 26-year-old and review of the literature.

Introduction. Inversion of the uterus associated with a uterine sarcoma is extremely rare with only 17 cases reported since 1887, so that its clinical presentation and appearance at laparotomy may be confusing. Case. A 26-year-old woman presented with a vaginal mass and bleeding. At laparotomy, her uterus appeared depressed or concave. The final diagnosis of uterine sarcoma and inversion was unique in her age group. Conclusions. Uterine sarcoma with inversion can occur in the premenopausal age group. It presents as a vaginal mass with bleeding. As a clue to the diagnosis, the uterus per se may not be palpable or it may appear concave on physical exam or at laparotomy.
Prenatal Influence on Behavior of Offspring of Crowded Mice

Pregnant albino mice were subjected to stress by crowding. When the litters encountered unfamiliar stimuli, they were less active, they were slower to respond, and they defecated less than control mice. These differences persisted at 30 and 100 days of age, whether the mice were raised by a crowded or by an uncrowded mother, and in spite of starvation. One explanation may be that aberrant endocrine activity in the crowded, pregnant female impairs the development of fetal response systems.
Application of the keyhole technique to T1rho relaxation mapping.

Purpose To demonstrate the feasibility of using the keyhole technique to minimize error in a least squares regression estimation of T1ρ from magnetic resonance (MR) image data. Materials and Methods The keyhole method of partial k-space acquisition was simulated using data from a virtual phantom and MR images of ex vivo bovine and in vivo human cartilage. T1ρ maps were reconstructed from partial k-space (keyhole) image data using linear regression, and error was measured with relation to T1ρ maps created from the full k-space images. An error model was created based on statistical theory and fitted to the error measurements. Results T1ρ maps created from keyhole images of a human knee produced levels of error on the order of 1% while reducing standard image acquisition time approximately by half. The resultant errors were strongly correlated with expectations derived from statistical theory. Conclusion The error model can be used to analytically optimize the keyhole method in order to minimize the overall error in the estimation of the relaxation parameter of interest. The keyhole method can be generalized to significantly expedite all forms of relaxation mapping. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2003;18:745–749. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Studies on persistent circulating immunoreactive glucagon (IRG) and immunoreactive insulin (IRI) found in eviscerated rats with a functional liver.

Eviscerated rats (animals without gastrointestinal tract or pancreas, but with intact liver and kidneys) are diabetic with blood glucose levels of 287 ± 10 mg% (n = 35) 24 h after surgery. Immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and immunoreactive glucagon (IRG) persisted in these animals at plasma levels of 36 ± 4 μU/ml and 0.29 ± 0.02 ng/ml, respectively. Twenty-four h fasted sham-operated controls, on the other hand, had blood glucose levels of 101 ± 3mg%, plasma IRI levels of 62 ± 8 μU/ml and plasma IRG levels of 0.38 ± 0.05 ng/ml (n = 21). IRG levels were not increased in eviscerated animals by surgical stress, fasting, arginine infusion, or insulin-induced hypoglycaemia, nor did they decrease following somatostatin infusion. IRI levels were similarly unresponsive. An unexplained decrease in IRG followed arginine infusion. Gel filtration studies showed plasma IRI and IRG to consist mainly of the larger molecular weight components with little of the smaller “native hormone” species. The disappearance rates of injected 125I-insulin and 125I-glucagon did not differ from sham-operated controls. Removal of the submaxillary glands from eviscerated animals had no effect on the circulating levels of IRG. Bilateral nephrectomy doubled plasma IRG. It is suggested that persistent IRG and IRI in eviscerated rats represents retained immunoreactive materials with slow rates of degradation, although an unresponsive extravisceral source of IRG can not be ruled out.
Vagal cooling and concomitant portal norepinephrine infusion do not reduce net hepatic glucose uptake in conscious dogs

We examined the role of efferent neural signaling in regulation of net hepatic glucose uptake (NHGU) in two groups of conscious dogs with hollow perfusable coils around their vagus nerves, using tr...
A Lipemic Sample

A 69-year-old male patient with nonischemic cardiomyopathy was admitted for biventricular systolic heart failure. Initial laboratory tests were cancelled due to a high lipemic index of 7 (Beckman UniCel® DxC). A redrawn sample yielded the same flag. The lipemic index did not change following ultracentrifugation in an airfuge. The sample was clear upon visual inspection but precipitated …
Detecting cerebral functional slow and fast signals by frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy using two different sensors

Using near-infrared-spectroscopy a slow signal due to hemodynamic changes following brain activity is well characterized, while a fast signal is not enough investigated. With our frequency-domain-spectrometer and two different sensors we detected both signals.
What Limits Microbial Growth at High Pressure

Elevated hydrostatic pressure is an important but relatively unstudied thermodynamic parameter that has influenced the evolution and distribution of life on and in Earth. Piezophiles are deep-sea and deep-subsurface microorganisms whose pressure optima for growth exceeds atmospheric pressure. In this presentation multiple lines of inquiry will be described which provide new details on piezophiles and piezophily. This will include the isolation and characterization of piezophilic and piezotolerant microbes from the Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench and from the Mid-Cayman Rise hydrothermal vent system. Microbes recently isolated which are capable of growth above the known upper pressure limit for life (130 megapascals) will be described. Comparative analyses of genomes obtained from single cells extracted from trenches, from pure cultures of piezophiles, and from one deep trench metagenome indicate that life at high pressure includes an expansion of regulatory features and of pathways of carbon and energy acquisition. Curiously deep ocean microbes also contain a high proportion of genes encoding aquaporins, channels used for water and solute transport in and out of the cells. The possible significance of this discovery to the interplay between osmotic pressure and hydrostatic pressure will be discussed. Finally, laboratory-based directed evolution experiments will be described in which cells of the mesophile Escherichia coli which are capable of enhanced growth at high pressure and decreased growth at atmospheric pressure have been isolated. Analyses of a mutant derived from this selection indicates that changes in membrane physical state brought about by the introduction of increased proportions of unsaturated fatty acids are necessary but not sufficient for the resulting evolutionary changes driving the cells in the direction of piezophily.The time is now ripe to utilize the tools of biophysics to examine the basis and limits of life at high pressure.
The extracellular matrix of the regenerating newt limb: Synthesis and removal of hyaluronate prior to differentiation☆

Active synthesis of hyaluronate has been demonstrated in the early “dedifferentiated” blastema of the regenerating newt limb. Incorporation of isotopic precursors in vivo into hyaluronate is maximal at approximately 10 days of regeneration, whereas incorporation into chondroitin sulfate is maximal at 25–35 days. At 10 days, incorporation into hyaluronate is greatest in the most distal portion of the stump, grading off in the distal to proximal direction. Concomitant with a sharp decrease in incorporation into hyaluronate after 10–15 days of regeneration, hyaluronidase activity becomes measurable in the blastema and persists at a significant level until 40 days of regeneration, i.e., during the period of maximal chondroitin sulfate synthesis and cartilage differentiation. Turnover experiments indicated that hyaluronate was degraded rapidly at 25 days but not at 10 days of regeneration. Incorporation into hyaluronate was considerably greater than into chondroitin sulfate at all time points tested between 3 and 48 hours after administration of isotope to animals with 10-day regenerates. The reverse was true in animals with 25-day regenerates. It is concluded that hyaluronate is associated with blastema formation, and its possible role in the regulation of mesenchymal cell behavior is discussed.
Fault chronology and uplift history of the southern Wind River Range, Wyoming: Implications for Laramide and post-Laramide deformation in the Rocky Mountain foreland

The stratigraphy, provenance, and structural involvement of tectogenic sedimentary rocks along the southern and western margins of the Wind River Range in western Wyoming record a complex Laramide and later uplift history and identify the timing and position of individual faulting events. The chronology of these events is (1) main uplift of the range by displacement on the Wind River fault between 90 and 49 to 50 Ma, (2) the formation of reverse faults in the hanging wall of the Wind River fault ca. 50 to 51 Ma, (3) sagging of the toe of the Wind River fault into sedimentary fill of the Green River basin between 46 and 23 Ma, (4) uplift of the core of the range along reactivated Precambrian shear zones between 30 and 23 Ma, and (5) collapse of the southern part of the range along normal faults beginning at 13 Ma. The sedimentary record of uplift and erosion indicates that erosion and basin fill kept pace (or caught up) with uplift, so that by the end of the Laramide, there was little topographic relief between the crest of the range and the adjacent Green River basin. The present topography of the range, characterized by a high-level erosion surface and distinct crestal ridge, derives from uplift of the erosion surface by the late Laramide reverse faulting, post-Laramide uplift of the crest of the range, and Neogene exhumation. Initial uplift of the range as early as 110 Ma and prior to displacement on the Wind River fault suggests either a pre-Laramide event of unknown origin or that Laramide crustal shortening began nearly 35 m.y. earlier than commonly assumed.
A comparison of numerical simulations of eddy generation performed with a two- and a three-layer quasi-geostrophic model of oceanic mesoscale eddies

Abstract The generation of eddies by a large-scale flow over mesoscale topography is studied with the help of two- and three-layer nonlinear quasi-geostrophic models of the open ocean. The equations are integrated forward in time with no eddies present initially. For a given time, the displacement of the interface between layers two and three (ζ) tends to a well-defined limit (function of the horizontal spatial coordinates) as ρ 3 - ρ 2 → 0 (ρr is the density of layer r). Even for values of α[= (ρ 3 - ρ 2)/(ρ 2 - ρ 1)] as small as 0.01 the potential energy due to ζ is not negligible and it can reach, in some cases, a considerable fraction of the total eddy energy.
MHD Equilibrium and Stability Properties of a Bipolar Current Loop

A study is made of equilibrium and stability properties of a semi-toroidal current loop imbedded in a high temperature plasma. The loop carries a toroidal current density Jt and poloidal current density Jp. By explicity including the global curvature of the loop, the net Lorentz and pressure forces acting along the major radius are calculated. Requirement of equilibrium force-balance gives rise to conditions that must be satisfied by the physical parameters and geometry. On the basis of these conditions, we deduce a class of equilibrium semi-toroidal current loops satisfying c#X2212;1J × B − ▽p = 0. It is found that the averge pressure inside the loop is less than the ambient coronal pressure in equilibrium. Furthermore, this class of equilibria is shown to be stable to a number of destructive MHD modes. The theoretical results are discussed in the context of solar bipolar current loops.