cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
STRIPAK–PP2A regulates Hippo-Yorkie signaling to suppress retinal fate in the Drosophila eye disc peripodial epithelium

The specification of organs, tissues and cell types results from cell fate restrictions enacted by nuclear transcription factors under the control of conserved signaling pathways. The progenitor epithelium of the Drosophila compound eye, the eye imaginal disc, is a premier model for the study of such processes. Early in development, apposing cells of the eye disc are established as either retinal progenitors or support cells of the peripodial epithelium (PE), in a process whose genetic and mechanistic determinants are poorly understood. We have identified Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A), and specifically a STRIPAK-PP2A complex that includes the scaffolding and substrate-specificity components Cka, Strip and SLMAP, as a critical player in the retina-PE fate choice. We show that these factors suppress ectopic retina formation in the presumptive PE and do so via the Hippo signaling axis. STRIPAK-PP2A negatively regulates Hpo kinase, and consequently its substrate Wts, to release the transcriptional co-activator Yki into the nucleus. Thus, a modular higher-order PP2A complex refines the activity of this general phosphatase to act in a precise specification of cell fate.
Interplay of global multi-scale human mobility, social distancing, government interventions, and COVID-19 dynamics

This work quantifies mobility changes observed during the different phases of the pandemic world-wide at multiple resolutions -- county, state, country -- using an anonymized aggregate mobility map that captures population flows between geographic cells of size 5 km 2 . As we overlay the global mobility map with epidemic incidence curves and dates of government interventions, we observe that as case counts rose, mobility fell and has since then seen a slow but steady increase in flows. Further, in order to understand mixing within a region, we propose a new metric to quantify the effect of social distancing on the basis of mobility.Taking two very different countries sampled from the global spectrum, We analyze in detail the mobility patterns of the United States (US) and India. We then carry out a counterfactual analysis of delaying the lockdown and show that a one week delay would have doubled the reported number of cases in the US and India. Finally, we quantify the effect of college students returning back to school for the fall semester on COVID-19 dynamics in the surrounding community. We employ the data from a recent university outbreak (reported on August 16, 2020) to infer possible R eff values and mobility flows combined with daily prevalence data and census data to obtain an estimate of new cases that might arrive on a college campus. We find that maintaining social distancing at existing levels would be effective in mitigating the extra seeding of cases. However, potential behavioral change and increased social interaction amongst students (30% increase in R eff ) along with extra seeding can increase the number of cases by 20% over a period of one month in the encompassing county. To our knowledge, this work is the first to model in near real-time, the interplay of human mobility, epidemic dynamics and public policies across multiple spatial resolutions and at a global scale.
Cerebral perfusion and metabolism coupling during a critical time window provides rapid assessment of cardiac arrest severity and prognosis in a preclinical model

Abstract Improved quantitative understanding of the dynamic relationship among cerebral blood flow, oxygen consumption, and electrical activity is important to clinicians treating acute brain injury. Such knowledge would elucidate the neurovascular response to ischemia, helping to potentially guide treatment. Using a multimodal optical imaging platform and a clinically-relevant rat model of cardiac arrest (CA) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), we continuously measured cerebral blood flow (CBF), brain tissue oxygenation (StO2), cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2), and cerebral electrical activity (electrocorticography; ECoG). Multiple phases of cerebral hemodynamic recovery, with different degrees of mismatch between CBF and CMRO2, were observed following CPR. At 1 min post-resuscitation, we observed that the ratio CBF/CMRO2 is indicative of CA duration/severity and prognostic (with 87% accuracy) of short-term neurological recovery measured by the re-initiation of ECoG activity. These measurements provide the earliest known metrics for assessment of CA severity and prognosis post-CPR. Interestingly, the accuracy of this information is lost beyond 2-3 minutes post-CPR, highlighting a critical, easily overlooked, period immediately post-CPR. These metrics do not require pre-resuscitation data, underscoring translational potential in emergency-response settings when pre-CA information is unavailable. These metrics encourage validation in human studies, potentially offering real-time feedback during CA/CPR to optimize neurological outcome.
LGSVL Simulator: A High Fidelity Simulator for Autonomous Driving

Testing autonomous driving algorithms on real autonomous vehicles is extremely costly and many researchers and developers in the field cannot afford a real car and the corresponding sensors. Although several free and open-source autonomous driving stacks, such as Autoware and Apollo are available, choices of open-source simulators to use with them are limited. In this paper, we introduce the LGSVL Simulator which is a high fidelity simulator for autonomous driving. The simulator engine provides end-to-end, full-stack simulation which is ready to be hooked up to Autoware and Apollo. In addition, simulator tools are provided with the core simulation engine which allow users to easily customize sensors, create new types of controllable objects, replace some modules in the core simulator, and create digital twins of particular environments.
Brain Perfusion Bridges Virtual-Reality Spatial Behavior to TPH2 Genotype for Head Acceleration Events

Neuroimaging demonstrates that athletes of collision sports can suffer significant changes to their brain in the absence of concussion, attributable to head acceleration event (HAE) exposure. In a ...
Actions to enhance interactive learning in surgery.

Abstract Introduction Many educational institutions and academic organizations provide concise and highly organized educational material for the trainees and training programs, while others do not. The role of interactive technology-enhanced learning in surgical education is not entirely explored and disseminated despite common knowledge of such interactive educational technology. Utilizing such technology in the place of textbooks could replace a peer trainee and a teacher examiner. Evidence Maximizing involvement, participation, and interactivity from both surgical trainees and their faculty has been shown to improve the quality and outcomes of surgical education. Given that there is an increasing trend towards shifting from traditional unidirectional teaching to learner-centered interactive teaching. Improving the educational activities setting from the traditional – didactic unidirectional lecture to multi-directional, interactive, engaging, and stimulating activity can enhance learners' educational outcomes. With the advent of educational technology, interactive and shared learning became more feasible and creative. Various educational technology platforms, instructional designs, and tools serve different educational purposes guided by educational activity's objective. Educational systems have integrated numerous widely technologies such as smartphones, tablets, and cloud-based services that greatly facilitate instructional strategies and teaching methods. Many institutions and programs have embraced the new technologies to enhance the overall learning process. Educational technology offers new concepts and applications in learning beyond faster communication or storage of digital resources. Furthermore, active and interactive learning in surgical education has been found to carry a strong and implied impact depending on how it is structured. To enhance and promote interactive surgical education on a broad scale, the following initiatives will be reviewed; interactive adult learning worldwide, wide sharing of knowledge and skills, and use of educational technology where it is pertinent. Conclusion Residents and surgical training programs need assistance with the process of learning amid ongoing technological innovations. This guidance would leverage the training programs' educational efforts toward effective surgery training. Interactive educational learning technology is expected to fulfill this need by promoting knowledge sharing, skills learning to enhance educational outcomes.
Selenium Requirements of Cattle and Means of Meeting Them

It is becoming much easier to talk about selenium than it was and now one is more frequently faced with the problem of what to leave out, rather than what to put in. The literature on the element has expanded at a truly remarkable rate and no less than five books, completely devoted to it, have appeared in this country in the last dozen years. The first of these, a comprehensive text published in 1964 by Rosenfeld and Beath at the University of Wyoming entitled "Selenium: Geobotany, Biochemistry, Toxicity and Nutrition," successfully bridged the gap between the toxic and essential nutrient qualities of selenium. Two years later we assembled "Selenium in Biomedicine," which was the proceedings of an international symposium held at Oregon State University. In 1971 the Committee on Animal Nutrition of the National Research Council produced "Selenium in Nutrition" which was a summary of then-current knowledge. Ralph Zingaro at Texas A&M and Charles Cooper of Noranda Mines in Canada authored the text "Selenium" which was published by Van Nostrand in 1974 and the National Academy of Sciences came out this year with "Selenium: Medical and Biological Effects of Environmental Pollutants," which incidentally lists 845 reference citations.
Responsible Stakeholders: Why the United States Should Welcome China's Economic Leadership

The Trump administration’s decision to abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) coincides with China’s interest in playing a more prominent role in advancing trade and economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region. Beijing’s willingness to leverage its growing clout to underwrite a number of high-profile economic initiatives in the region, however, has raised concerns in Washington that such efforts will come at U.S. expense. Such worries are overwrought. Rather than sound the alarm over China’s latest moves, policymakers should be open to the possibility that Beijing is finally becoming the responsible stakeholder that many have long urged it to be. On the trade front, encouragement is to be found in senior Chinese officials’ rhetorical support for free trade and its institutions, while Chinese leadership’s support for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a key steppingstone toward eventual realization of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific. Although in many ways inferior to the TPP, the RCEP’s standards could yet be improved, and even if left unchanged they still represent forward progress for free trade in the region. Meanwhile, China’s backing of both the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative holds the possibility of much-needed improvements in infrastructure and connectivity that could bolster regional and global trade. With none of its own resources or prestige at stake, the United States stands to benefit considerably, and at little cost, from China’s efforts in this regard. Moreover, zero-sum fears that China’s increasing prosperity and commensurate growth in its regional influence come at U.S. expense should be balanced against the dangers presented by a country that is, alternatively, isolated and economically flailing. Mired in its economic failures before opening up to reform in the late 1970s, China was dangerous to both its neighbors and itself, with the country engaging in several border wars as well as the disastrous Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution. Rather than reflexively viewing China’s economic initiatives as an affront to U.S. interests, the Trump administration should attempt to harness China’s emerging taste for global economic leadership. Instead of focusing so intently on the trade disputes that divide us, the Trump administration should seek to conclude the bilateral investment treaty negotiation and consider the merits of initiating negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement with China. Through such cooperation, the United States and China could become successful partners in the promotion of trade and prosperity in the increasingly vital Asia-Pacific region.
Drug-associated cues and drug dosage contribute to increased opioid seeking after abstinence.

Patients with opioid use disorder experience high rates of relapse during recovery, despite successful completion of rehabilitation programs. A key factor contributing to this problem is the long-lasting nature of drug-seeking behavior associated with opioid use. We modeled this behavior in a rat drug self-administration paradigm in which drug-seeking is higher after extended abstinence than during the acute abstinence phase. The goal of this study was to determine the contribution of discrete or discriminative drug cues and drug dosage to time-dependent increases in drug-seeking. We examined heroin-seeking after 2 or 21 days of abstinence from two different self-administration cue-context environments using high or low doses of heroin and matched animals for their drug intake history. When lower dosages of heroin are used in discriminative or discrete cue protocols, drug intake history contributed to drug-seeking after abstinence, regardless of abstinence length. Incubation of opioid craving at higher dosages paired with discrete drug cues was not dependent on drug intake. Thus, interactions between drug cues and drug dosage uniquely determined conditions permissible for incubation of heroin craving. Understanding factors that contribute to long-lasting opioid-seeking can provide essential insight into environmental stimuli and drug-taking patterns that promote relapse after periods of successful abstinence.
Absolute radiation pressure detector using a diamagnetically levitating test mass

We have developed an absolute radiometer to measure laser power by means of radiation pressure in a closed control-loop configuration using diamagnetically levitated pyrolytic graphite as the soft spring and gravity as a contactless restoring force. Our approach takes advantage of an extremely low spring stiffness (2.95 mN/m) afforded by diamagnetic levitation above a permanent magnet array and a lock-in amplifier in the feedback loop to attain a 30mWrms noise. A horizontally directed laser beam impinges on a highly reflective dielectric stack mirror mounted on the levitating pyrolytic graphite shuttle. The light’s momentum displaces the shuttle, and its position is restored by tilting the magnet array with a piezoelectric actuator. The closed-loop configuration avoids the need for accurate knowledge of the system spring stiffness or environmental dependencies of the diamagnetic levitation. Absolute laser power measured is traceable to the mass of the diamagnetically levitating shuttle system, the local gravitational acceleration, and the interferometrically measured tilt angle of the magnet array. The system is demonstrated with a laser power of 2.7 W, yielding a combined relative expanded uncertainty (k=2) of 1.9%. The upper limit of measurable power is determined by the range of the piezoelectric actuator, and the minimum power is currently limited by the noise floor that is constrained by air currents.
The Effect of Pilocarpine and Varying Doses of Banthine on the Galvanic Skin Response

In previous experiments Perry, Mount and coworkers have reported their observations with the Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) (1, 2, 3). The results have consistently demonstrated an elevation of the GSR level after sweat stimulating drugs such as pilocarpine and a fall following sweat inhibiting compounds like Banthine. Since two distinct and antagonistic patterns were found, the possibility of using this technic to study combinations of drugs seemed to be a logical continuation of these investigations. In the present study, the GSR level of varying doses of Banthine was recorded, followed by a constant dose of pilocarpine.
Collaborative e-Work, e-Business, and e-Service

A major part of automation today is represented by collaborative e-Work, e-Business, and e-Service. In this chapter the fundamental theories and scope of collaborative e-Work and collaborative control theory (CCT) are reviewed, along with design principles for effectiveness in the design and operation of their automation solutions. The potential benefits, opportunities, and sustainability of emerging electronic activities, such as virtual manufacturing, e-Healthcare, automated inspection, e-Supply, e-Production, e-Collaboration, e-Logistics, and other e-Activities, will not materialize without the design of effective e-Work. For instance, without automatic error prevention or recovery, e-Activities in complex systems will collapse. The four-wheels of collaborative e-Work, their respective 15 e-Dimensions, and their role in e-Business and e-Service are explained and illustrated. Case studies of e-Work, e-Manufacturing, e-Logistics, e-Business and e-Service are also provided to enable readers to get a glimpse into the depth and breadth of ongoing efforts and potential inhibitors to revolutionize such e-Systems. Challenges and emerging solutions are discussed to stimulate readers to push the boundaries of collaborative e-Work.
Corn and soybean basis behavior and forecasting: fundamental and alternative approaches

A model is developed to analyze the nearby basis behavior of corn and soybeans in several markets across the U.S. Results suggest that basis behavior has a seasonal pattern, and that different variables affect nearby corn and soybean basis at various periods. The most important factors affecting basis are storage cost (opportunity cost), transportation cost (barge rates), and supply (regional production relative to regional storage capacity). Nine conventional (naive three-year-average forecasts, econometric, ARIMA and composite forecast models) and less conventional forecasting techniques (State Space and Neural Networks models) are utilized to forecast out-of-sample basis for one-month up to 12-month ahead. The performance of all methods in forecasting 1991-1995 basis is analyzed. The forecasting performance comparison shows that adding current market information to the three-year-average model and the seasonal ARIMA model can slightly improve basis forecasts compared to the benchmark simple three-year-average forecast model.
Mode of Cell Wall Growth of Bacillus megaterium

Abstract The growth of the cell wall of Bacillus megaterium KM was examined by labeling the cell wall uniformly with 3H-α, e-diaminopimelic acid and examining by radioautography the distribution of labeled cell wall material in daughter cells. The results indicate that the label is distributed uniformly to all daughter cells and rule out a single growth point, either central or apical, for these cells. The results strongly suggest that cell wall growth occurs by uniform deposition of new wall over the whole cell surface.
Team teaching: advanced materials design and manufacturing

The crossing of disciplinary boundaries is one of the main issues being addressed in this study which is directed towards the development of materials design and manufacturing courses by the team teaching approach. The proposed approach allows the pooling of resources from different academic units and also encourages students as well as faculty to transcend the disciplinary boundaries. This paper reports our experiences of team teaching a freshman-level materials design course. Four faculty members from ceramic, chemical, civil and electrical engineering participated in this experimental project. The concepts introduced in this project are equally applicable to manufacturing courses.
An ATPG for threshold testing: obtaining acceptable yield in future processes

When VLSI scaling reaches closer to the limits of laws of physics and to the limits of fabrication processes, yields will decrease, especially at desired speed. However, for a large class of applications, chips need not be perfect to be acceptable. In this paper, we describe the notion of threshold testing that can help improve effective yield for future processes. We then develop an ATPG and demonstrate that significant increase in effective yield can be attained at negligible increase in test application cost.
Bis(imido) W(VI) Complexes Chelated by N,N′-Disubstituted 1,8-Diamidonaphthalene: An Analysis of Bonding, Isocyanate Insertion, and Al-Me Transfer

Bis(imido)W(VI) complexes of dianionic N,N′-disubstituted 1,8-diamidonaphthalene (R2DAN2−) (R = iPr, 3,5-Me2C6H3) are reported, and an X-ray structure and computational analysis of W(═NtBu)2[1,8-(iPrN)2C10H6] 1 revealed that the nonplanar coordination of the iPr2DAN2− ligand to the W center is favored to allow for increased electron donation from the amido N centers to the W. Experimental studies revealed that the R2DAN2− amido linkage is the preferred reaction site with isocyanates to yield tridentate amido/N,N′-ureato ligands and that reactions with Al2Me6 lead to methylation of W and formation of heterobimetallic species via a μ2-bridging interaction of the R2DAN2− ligand.
Temporal quantum fluctuations in stimulated Raman scattering: Coherent-modes description.

Temporal quantum fluctuations of the intensity of light pulses produced in the linear regime of stimulated Raman scattering are observed. A theoretical description based on the concept of coherent temporal modes is presented. The method makes use of a minimum number of random variables, which are the excitation amplitudes of the temporal modes, and allows an estimate of the probability for generating a Stokes pulse that is likely to form a soliton in the nonlinear propagation regime.
Introducing “Advanced” Tuned Vibration Absorbers in an Undergraduate Vibrations Course

The primary objective of this paper is to bridge the theory of tuned vibration absorbers (TVA) with the practice of implementing TVAs in systems. Often, the practice of implementing TVAs in systems is a far departure from the theory expressed in many textbooks. These departures are often required in practice to account for the less than ideal conditions that the TVAs will be operating under. Many retrofitted TVAs use “smart” or active materials along with various control techniques to improve the performance of the traditional TVA proposed in textbooks. The intent of the current paper is to demonstrate several of these modern methods of implementing retrofitted TVAs to undergraduate students. The first author introduced the methods in a junior level vibrations course, and is developing a laboratory experiment. Teaching these advanced TVAs to undergraduate engineering students will help them understand how theories learned in class are used in real world problems, and motivate them to explore new fields of research. After introducing a “textbook” vibration absorber theory, this paper describes principles and operations of a new class of vibration absorbers. In reviewing conventional TVAs, students are introduced to many of the engineering challenges encountered in the implementation of TVAs. One such challenge is inevitable off-tuning caused by system parameter changes with time. After identifying many of the challenges associated with the implementation of TVAs, the students are introduced to many modern solutions to these problems. Many of these solutions involve the use of smart materials, such as piezoceramics, magnetorheological fluids, magnetorheological elastomers, shape memory alloys, etc. Through this experience, students are introduced to many smart materials and have the opportunity to see how these smart materials can provide solutions to many engineering challenges and improve existing technologies.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Practical recommendations for population PK studies with sampling time errors

Purpose Population pharmacokinetic (PK) data collected from routine clinical practice offers a rich source of valuable information. However, in observational population PK data, accurate time information for blood samples is often missing, resulting in measurement errors (ME) in the sampling time variable. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects on model parameters when a scheduled time is used instead of the actual blood sampling time, and to propose ME correction methods.
A variationally coupled FE-BE method for elasticity and fracture mechanics

A new method for coupling finite element and boundary element subdomains in elasticity and fracture mechanics problems is described. The essential feature of this new method is that a single variational statement is obtained for the entire domain, and in this process the terms associated with tractions on the interfaces between the subdomains are eliminated. This provides the additional advantage that the ambiguities associated with the matching of discontinuous tractions are circumvented. The method leads to a direct procedure for obtaining the discrete equations for the coupled problem without any intermediate steps. In order to evaluate this method and compare it with previous methods, a patch test for coupled procedures has been devised. Evaluation of this variationally coupled method and other methods, such as stiffness coupling and constraint traction matching coupling, shows that this method is substantially superior. Solutions for a series of fracture mechanics problems are also reported to illustrate the effectiveness of this method.
Low-loss monolithic extended cavity laser by low-energy ion-implantation induced intermixing

The fabrication and characterisation of a monolithic extended cavity ridge laser using low-energy ion-implantation induced quantum well intermixing on InGaAs/InGaAsP quantum-well structure are presented. An extremely low propagation loss of 2 cm/sup -1/ in the passive waveguide section has been measured.
Surface and depth profiling techniques using XPS applied to the study of nickel-containing environmental particles

Abstract The objective of this study was to characterize the surface chemistry of micrometer-sized particles to determine their potential environmental impact. XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) was employed to differentiate between the surface and bulk components of nickel-containing atmospheric pollutants from industrial sources. Three types of measurements using XPS were used to access compositional information progressively deeper into the particle interiors. AR-XPS (angle-resolved XPS) was used to obtain a nondestructive depth profile of the outer surface (∼ 10 nm). The composition was fairly homogeneous, including large concentrations of NiSO 4 . Selective solvent leaching was then used to remove the NiSO 4 and access information at greater depths than available using AR-XPS of the native surfaces. Citrate leaching resulted in removal of most of the NiSO 4 and revealed other nickel-containing species present (e.g. sulfides). Ion beam sputtering also was used to remove the outer surface layers of the particles and obtain XPS information about the composition of particle interiors. After ion beam sputtering, XPS results were obtained in close agreement with bulk analysis results obtained using traditional wet chemical methods.
Phosphatidylcholine Vesicle Diameter, Molecular Weight and Wall Thickness Determined by Static Light Scattering

Abstract Phosphatidylcholine vesicles in the diameter range, 40 to 115 nm scatter light as isotropic hollow spheres within the Rayleigh-Gans-Debye (RGD) approximation. A more complex model (i.e., the exact or Lorenz-Mie theory) is not required for accurate interpretation of the static light scattering data. The scattered light intensity measurements also allow for the determination of the vesicle weight-average molecular weight through a Zimm plot analysis. This information, in combination with the vesicle size as determined within the RGD approximation, indicates that the vesicle wall thickness is close to 3.6 nm as previously determined by X-ray diffraction methods. Thus, static light scattering techniques may provide excellent estimates of surfactant vesicle wall thicknesses.
Leukemic Infiltration of Peripheral Nerve: Case Series and Review of the Literature (P06.133)

Objective: To review the clinical, laboratory, electrophysiologic, radiologic and pathologic characteristics of leukemic infiltration of peripheral nerve. Background Leukemic infiltration of peripheral nerve is rare. Reported cases have occurred solely in patients with known systemic disease. Design/Methods: Mayo Clinic cases of leukemic infiltration of peripheral nerve identified between January, 2004 and October, 2011 were reviewed. Results: Five patients were identified. All were men with median age of 68 yrs (range 46-72) at time of symptom onset. Three patients had acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 2 had chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In 3 patients the diagnosis of leukemia preceded neurological symptoms by 3-25 months. Two patients presented with peripheral nerve involvement and were found to have positive CSF cytology confirming the diagnosis of AML. All patients had painful, progressive motor and sensory deficits. Clinical patterns were mononeuropathy (1), multiple mononeuropathies (1), and plexopathy (3). Electrophysiological examination in 3/4 patients demonstrated a chronic axonal process and 1/4 demonstrated both axonal and demyelinating features. MRI detected mass lesions in 4/5 cases with PET imaging demonstrating avid FDG uptake. Three patients underwent peripheral nerve biopsy, 2 of which were diagnostic of leukemic infiltration. All patients received systemic chemotherapy (three with additional intrathecal chemotherapy) and 3 received radiation therapy. Patients experienced improvement in pain and partial improvement of neurological deficits. Four patients had disease relapse, 4 systemic and 1 also in peripheral nerve. Conclusions: Leukemic infiltration of peripheral nerve is rare. Patients may present with a progressive, painful mononeuropathy or plexopathy. CSF cytology can be diagnostic of leukemia in the absence of systemic involvement. MRI and PET imaging are useful in suggesting a hypermetabolic mass, raising suspicion of neoplasm. Nerve biopsy aids in confirming leukemic infiltration. Treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation is recommended, but most patients ultimately experience disease relapse. Disclosure: Dr. Reddy has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mauermann has nothing to disclose. Dr. Begna has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ringler has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jerath has nothing to disclose. Dr. Amrami has nothing to disclose. Dr. Spinner has nothing to disclose.
A Qualitative Comparative Approach to Latin American Revolutions

Much qualitative analysis does not employ careful causal inference, and the quantitative alternative cannot be applied successfully where there are few cases, as in the study of social revolution. I apply Boolean algebra to 28 Latin American national cases since 1956, to explain the revolutionary successes in Cuba and Nicaragua and the failures or absence of revolution elsewhere. I reject various one-sided explanations of these patterns, including theories that focus only on the strengths of guerrilla movements or only on United States' military assistance or its withdrawal. Boolean analysis indicates that the convergence of five elements produced two revolutions in Latin America: (1) the attempt at guerrilla warfare, (2) guerrilla successes in securing high levels of peasant support, (3) guerrilla achievement of substantial military strength, (4) at the national level, the presence of a patrimonial praetorian regime, and (5) the withdrawal of U.S. support for that regime. Revolutionary failure or absence in the region's other 26 cases can be reduced to three basic sub-patterns, in which one or more of these five elements were absent.
Prekindergarten in Public Schools: An Examination of Elementary School Principals' Perceptions, Needs, and Confidence Levels in North Carolina

This article presents the results of a statewide survey that examined the perceptions and needs of elementary school principals in North Carolina who have prekindergarten classrooms on their campus. The survey examined principals' knowledge about early childhood education and their attitudes towards prekindergarten. Results suggest that few principals report having experience or education to administer prekindergarten. A further examination demonstrated that the more training a principal had in early childhood, the more confident they were in supervising prekindergarten. Implications for policy and practice around professional development and licensing requirements for public school leaders who supervise prekindergarten are discussed.
Nonlinear Partial Difference Equations for the Two-dimensional Ising Model

The two-point function of the two-dimensional Ising model at arbitrary temperature is expressed in terms of the solution of a nonlinear partial difference equation. From this difference equation the known results for the two-point function of the Ising field theory may be regained as a special case.
Black germanium solar selective absorber surfaces

Abstract Semiconductor films with an appropriate bandgap (approximately 0.5-1.25 eV) have a high absorption coefficient in the solar spectral region and high transmission in the IR thermal emission region and thus make nearly ideal selective absorbers when coated on polished metal surfaces with low IR emittance. However, owing to their high refractive index, semiconductor films have high reflectance (approximately 45%) which limits their total solar absorption. We have shown that by controlling the sputtering preparation conditions of non-crystalline germanium films the surface microstructure can be drastically altered by simply etching in 30% H2O2. The resulting surface has a total reflectance of less than 3% in the solar spectrum. This flat-back surface appearance is shown to be due to a dense array of aligned needle-like protrusions which have an extremely high aspect ratio and both a cross-sectional area and a separation between needles of the order of the wavelength of solar radiation.
Interaction of rat liver glucocorticoid receptor with a newly synthesized antisteroid ZK98299.

Abstract Steroid receptor antagonists are important biochemical probes for understanding the mode of steroid hormone action. We have studied the interaction between rat liver glucocorticoid receptor and a newly synthesized antisteroid ZK98299 (13-antigestagen; [11-β-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-17a-hydroxy-17s-(3-hydroxypropyl)-13α-methyl-4,9-gonadien-3-onel). Glucocorticoid receptor from freshly prepared hepatic cytosol bound [3H]ZK98299 with affinity approximately equal to that of [3H]triamcinolone acetonide. The binding of both steroids reached a maximum at 4 h at 0°C. Both ligands were able to compete for the steroid binding site but progesterone, estradiol and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) failed to compete for the [3H]ZK98299 and [3H]triamcinolone acetonide binding. While [3H]ZK98299 binding to glucocorticoid receptor could occur in the presence of iodoacetamide and N-ethylmaleimide [3H]triamcinolone acetonide binding capacity was completely abolished following such treatments. The [3H]ZK98299-receptor complexes sedimented as 9 S and 4 S molecules under control (4 °C) and receptor transforming (23 °C) conditions, and exhibited a faster rate of dissociation at 23°C when compared with [3H]triamcinolone acetonide-receptor complexes. These results indicate that ZK98299 interacts with hepatic glucocorticoid receptor. The differential effects of iodoacetamide and NEM on the interaction of glucocorticoid receptor with ZK98299 and triamcinolone acetonide, and the faster rate of dissociation of [3H]ZK98299-receptor complexes suggest that treatment with these agents (NEM and iodoacetamide) results in distinct conformational changes in glucocorticoid receptor structure with respect to triamcinolone acetonide and ZK98299 binding. Alternatively, ZK98299 may be interacting with a site which is distinct from one which accepts triamcinolone acetonide.
The Text of Lucretius 2.1174

The phrase ire ad scopulum has long been the victim of a conspiracy of silence. The caput coniurationis, one might say, is an editorial prejudice against the transmitted text born of a rather misguided enthusiasm for Vossius' conjecture capulum. That conjecture has been a reliable fixture in the modern Lucretian vulgate since Havercamp first printed it in his text of the de rerum natura (Leiden, 1725). Before the publication of Havercamp's edition, however, scholars had not baulked at the transmitted text, rightly glossing it as a nautical metaphor for ‘ruin, destruction’: in the words of Lambinus (Paris, 1565), ‘ad interitum: translatum a navi, quae infligitur scopulo’. But after the appearance of Havercamp's edition editors and commentators strangely refused to give due consideration to the reading of the manuscripts, ignoring it for no better reason than a presumption of error. I propose, therefore, in the following discussion to expose the fallacious reasoning that undergirds such a presumption and to vindicate ire ad scopulum.
State of the Art: Background and Recent Developments--Millimeter and Submillimeter Waves

The aim of this survey is to discuss the basic problems encountered in the general areas of generation, transmission, and detection of millimeter waves. Representative examples of work in these three areas since 1959 are reviewed with respect to the methods and techniques employed to circumvent present limitations and extend the frontier into the submillimeter range. Subject classifications include classical and quantum electronics, harmonic generation optical frequency pumping and mixing, waveguide and optical transmission systems, resonators, and detectors. At the end of each section, a few critical evaluation remarks are made on the work in progress and the prospects of success in the near future. A fairly comprehensive list of some 157 references dating from 1959 is listed by year and subject title. While substantial progress has been made, especially in technology, in the last few years, the submillimeter wave problem appears as formidable as ever and no breakthrough idea has yet been recognized.
Joint Attention Initiation With and Without Positive Affect: Risk Group Differences and Associations with ASD Symptoms

Infants at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may have difficulty integrating smiles into initiating joint attention (IJA) bids. A specific IJA pattern, anticipatory smiling, may communicate preexisting positive affect when an infant smiles at an object and then turns the smile toward the social partner. We compared the development of anticipatory smiling at 8, 10, and 12 months in infant siblings of children with ASD (high-risk siblings) and without ASD (low-risk siblings). High-risk siblings produced less anticipatory smiling than low-risk siblings, suggesting early differences in communicating preexisting positive affect. While early anticipatory smiling distinguished the risk groups, IJA not accompanied by smiling best predicted later severity of ASD-related behavioral characteristics among high-risk siblings. High-risk infants appear to show lower levels of motivation to share positive affect with others. However, facility with initiating joint attention in the absence of a clear index of positive affective motivation appears to be central to the prediction of ASD symptoms.
Review of Genetic Investigations into the Aging Processes of Drosophila

The field has progressed to the point where a genetic investigation of the aging processes in Drosophila can be viewed as constituting both a serious and a feasible research program. There now exists at least one single gene mutant which yields an accelerated aging phenotype, at least two single gene null mutants affecting enzymes implicated in regulating the aging process and resulting in premature death, and at least two strains created by artificial selection which produce extended-longevity phenotypes. In addition, genes such as adh have an indirect and interactive effect upon the animal's longevity and might also play an important role in the genetic regulation of this process. Although far from complete, some essential tools are now in place and are being used to answer some of the questions posed by Martin. Of the several theories put forth to explain aging in Drosophila, it appears as if the data best uphold the free radical and the protein synthesis/gene expression theories. It is entirely possible that these two theories are complementary aspects of a broader underlying process. The genetic mechanisms controlling these physiological processes clearly do so in concert with certain environmental factors. The net effect of their interactions may be the decreased synthetic and repair ability of the cell as suggested by Lamb and by Webster. It is probably true that aging and longevity are multicausal phenotypes. Our only hope of understanding such a complex phenotype is to dissect it genetically, one (or a few) genes at a time under rigidly controlled conditions. Thorough genetic description of each system will be the prerequisite to their molecular analysis. This will likely result in multiple explanations, ideally one for each system. Yet these multiple molecular genetic explanations may well enable us to see some commonality underlying the aging process in this organism. The fact that several different lines of evidence appear to be converging on a small number of theoretical explanations is an encouraging sign. We should also be heartened by the extraordinary increase in our knowledge of embryonic development in Drosophila as a result of just such a strategy. And we should not forget that the homeotic mutants which now play such a large role in the deciphering of embryogenesis were once classified as "complex loci" and that the then-accepted explanations gave no hint of the underlying molecular relationships. For now it is fair to conclude that aging in Drosophila may be viewed as a genetically-determined, environmentally-modulated, event-dependent process.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Regulating Angiogenesis: A New Therapeutic Strategy

Angiogenesis is the proliferation of endothelial and smooth muscle cells to form new blood vessels. Largely muted after adolescence, angiogenesis may be reignited by cancerous cells. Neoangiogenesis plays a primary role in tumor growth and metastases. Antiangiogenic therapy to limit and even reverse the growth of tumors are under investigation and showing promise. A derivative of fumagillin, TNP 470, is the first angiogenesis inhibitor to be given to humans. Surprisingly, several potent inhibitors are derived from tumors themselves. Researchers nowc recognize that stimulation of angiogenesis may have a place in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Reestablishing blood flow to ischemic tissue through angiogenesis may provide a biologic "bypass" for patients with ischemic heart disease. The same applies to the treatment of peripheral vascular disease.
Scaling of the fidelity susceptibility in a disordered quantum spin chain

The phase diagram of a quantum $XY$ spin chain with Gaussian-distributed random anisotropies and transverse fields is investigated, with focus on the fidelity susceptibility, a recently introduced quantum information theoretical measure. Monitoring the finite-size scaling of the probability distribution of this quantity as well as its average and typical values, we detect a disorder-induced disappearance of criticality and the emergence of Griffiths phases in this model. It is found that the fidelity susceptibility is not self-averaging near the disorder-free quantum-critical lines. At the Ising critical point the fidelity susceptibility scales as a disorder-strength independent stretched exponential of the system size, in contrast with the quadratic scaling at the corresponding point in the disorder-free $XY$ chain. Along the line where the average anisotropy vanishes the fidelity susceptibility appears to scale extensively, whereas in the disorder-free case this point is quantum critical with quadratic finite-size scaling.
Production costs for first rotation biomass plantations

Abstract A series of short rotation Populus plantations involving alternate management strategies were evaluated in terms of the financial and energy costs required in the production process. The plantations used hybrid poplar NE-388 ( Populus maximowiczii × trichocarpa ), a tree spacing of 0·6 m × 0·8 m and a rotation length of 4 years. Four production strategies (control, irrigation, fertilization, and fertilization-irrigation) were employed on sites representing favorable and unfavorable growing conditions. The production costs were based on a proposed commercial design involving a plantation unit of 924 hectares, with 4 such units providing a sustainable supply of biomass. The control strategy on the better site was least expensive, with base stumpage costs of $28·71 Mg −1 ovendry (od). The addition of fertilizer on the better site increased the financial costs for the product by 24·0% and the energy costs by 5·4%. Irrigation on the better site more than tripled the financial costs for the stumpage product and caused a 20·6% increase in its energy costs.
Variation and predictors of vaginal douching behavior.

Introduction Vaginal douching is a widespread practice among American women. Little research has been done examining variation in the practice or identifying risk factors. Methods We collected data on douching, as well as hypothesized predictors of vaginal douching, as part of a cohort study on preterm birth. African-American women residing in Baltimore City, Maryland, were enrolled if they received prenatal care or delivered at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institution. Interview data were collected on 872 women between March 2001 and July 2004, with a response rate of 68%. Logistic regression analysis was selected to identify factors associated with douching in the 6 months prior to pregnancy. Results Almost two thirds of women reported ever douching and more than two thirds of those women reported douching in the 6 months prior to pregnancy. Variation was seen in the practice of douching with regard to frequency as well as technique. After adjusting for several confounders, prenatal enrollment (odds ratio [OR], 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29, 2.53), more unmet needs for time for “nonessentials” (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.27, 2.63), smoking in the year prior to the birth (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.22, 2.60), and age >19 years (OR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.36, 4.97) were significant predictors of douching in the 6 months prior to pregnancy. Discussion We identified considerable heterogeneity in the practice of vaginal douching in a cohort of low income African-American women. Conclusions Future studies should incorporate measures of the predictors of douching and detailed exposure information to determine the independent contribution of vaginal douching to health outcomes.
Fiber optic detector probes for laser light scattering

An experimental investigation of the role of fiber optic detector probes in laser light scattering is presented. A quantitative comparison between different detector configurations is accomplished by measuring the time taken for one million photocounts to be accumulated in the extrapolated zeroth delay channel of the net unnormalized intensity time correlation function. A considerable reduction in the accumulation time is achieved by relaxing a rather stringent requirement for the spatial coherence of the optical field.