cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is Tinder-Grindr Use Risky? Distinguishing Venue from Individuals' Behavior as Unique Predictors of Sexual Risk.

Geosocial networking apps (GSN; e.g., Tinder, Grindr) have rapidly increased in popularity, showing associations with greater sexual risk-taking. This study sought to distinguish between risks associated with intensive partner-seeking (i.e., individuals seeking out casual sex frequently across many venues) and risks associated with specific venues (e.g., GSNs, dating websites, offline activities). Expanding upon a literature predominantly focused on the population of men who have sex with men (MSM), we recruited a broader range of sexual identities. A convenience sample of 3180 participants from the U.S. (18–75 years old, 69% female, 75% Caucasian, 68% heterosexual) completed an anonymous, cross-sectional online survey. Logistic regressions yielded adjusted odds ratios highlighting the unique links between each predictor and sexual risk-taking. MSM/WSW indicators, quantity of partner-seeking and specific venues—particularly GSN use—emerged as robust predictors of sexual risk, increasing the odds of reporting all six outcomes examined: (1) having three or more sex partners in the last year, (2) having hookups in the last 2 months, (3) having hookups involving alcohol or (4) drug use, (5) condomless sexual activity with new partners in the last 2 months, and (6) ever having had a sexually transmitted infection. Although a large portion of risk originated from the proclivities of the individuals seeking casual sex, both online and offline methods of partner-seeking also contributed significant risk, suggesting that specific venues like GSN apps could be used as methods of targeting higher-risk behaviors. The results also highlight the importance of moving beyond MSM when addressing sexual risk.
Neuroendocrine System and Aging

The neuroendocrine system comprises the hypothalamus, the anterior and posterior pituitary glands, and their respective target organs. Hormones secreted by the hypothalamus regulate anterior pituitary function, whereas posterior pituitary hormones are derived from the hypothalamus directly. Hormones from the pituitary gland circulate in blood and regulate target organ function. Impairments in the secretion of specific hormones within this system contribute to physiological changes with age.
A comparative study of methods for porosity determination of cellulose based porous materials

Cellulose based foams and aerogels are gaining interest as an alternative to petroleum derived materials. The characterization of the internal void fraction, or porosity, of these materials is an essential parameter in assessing their potential for practical applications. The physical nature of these materials includes a web-like pore morphology, high compressibility, and significant roughness of both the internal and external surfaces. These issues cause the determination of porosity using standard methods to be unreliable. In this study, low density cellulose nanofibrils foams were generated, and pore volume and pore size results were compared using mercury porosimetry, Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) gas sorption, image analysis, and geometric methods. A new simple silicone oil saturation-based method to measure the porosity of these materials was also presented. Utilizing this method, the porosity of cellulose based foams and aerogels have been determined with improved accuracy compared to the existing standard methods.
The Ecological Validity of Research Studies on Function-Based Interventions in Schools for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Our main purpose in this review was to determine the extent to which ecological validity was demonstrated and assessed in single-case experimental design (SCED) studies examining the effectiveness ...
A Companion Galaxy to the Post-Starburst Quasar UN J1025-0040

UN J1025-0040 is a quasar at z = 0.6344 that shows an extremely bright post starburst population of age ~ 400 Myr (Brotherton et al. 1999). Images of UN J1025-0040 show a nearly stellar object 4.2 arcseconds SSW of the quasar. We present imaging and spectroscopy that confirm that this object is a companion galaxy at redshift z = 0.6341. We estimate an age of ~ 800 Myr for the dominant stellar population in the companion. The companion appears to be interacting with the quasar host galaxy, and this interaction may have triggered both the starburst and the quasar activity in UN J1025-0040.
Air pollution and neurological development in children

Pregnancy and early childhood are periods with high plasticity in neurological development. Environmental perturbations during these sensitive windows can have lifelong developmental consequences. This review summarizes key findings relevant to the effects of air pollution on neurological development. Mounting evidence suggests that exposure to air pollution, both during pregnancy and childhood, is associated with childhood developmental outcomes ranging from changes in brain structures to subclinical deficits in developmental test scores, and, ultimately, developmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders or autism spectrum disorders. Although the biological mechanisms of effects remain to be elucidated, multiple pathways are probably involved and include oxidative stress, inflammation, and/or endocrine disruption. Given the alarming global increase in developmental disorders in recent years, and increased human exposures to pollution, it is critical to reduce personal and community-level exposures through tight collaboration of interdisciplinary and multi-level bodies including community partners, physicians, industry partners, policy makers, public health practitioners, and researchers. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Exposure to air pollution is associated with a range of childhood developmental complications. Biological mechanisms may include oxidative stress, inflammation, and endocrine disruption.
Determination of 239Pu in urine by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) using an automated offline sample preparation technique

Here we report a new procedure to determine 239Pu in urine using a custom-made automated pre-analytical processing system (single probe) with 242Pu as a tracer followed by analysis by SF-ICP-MS. An average 242Pu recovery rate of 88% was obtained with CF-ThU-1000 columns reused > 100 times. Analytical results agree with measurements obtained using the CDC manual method with a R2 of 0.9994. Results for Oak Ridge National Laboratory reference materials align with target values with a bias range of − 3.44 to 3.05%. The limit of detection for this method is 0.63 pg/L, which is comparable to previous manual methods.
Using text mining to glean insights from COVID-19 literature

The purpose of this study is to develop a text clustering–based analysis of COVID-19 research articles. Owing to the proliferation of published COVID-19 research articles, researchers need a method...
Video Abstracts in Communication Studies

Communication Studies, like other journals published by Taylor & Francis, offers authors the opportunity to create a video abstract (Spence, 2019). A video abstract is a tool to help an author prom...
Dopant diffused Si surface passivation by H 2 S gas reaction and quinhydrone-methanol treatment

Phosphorus (n+) and boron (p+) diffused n-type textured Cz Si wafers are passivated by two different methods: gas phase H 2 S reaction and quinhydrone-methanol (QH-MeOH) solution. The dopant diffused surface passivation quality, quantified by saturation current density (J 0 ), strongly depends on the diffusion type and the passivation method. H 2 S reaction at 550°C passivates n+ diffused surface as good as state-of-the-art Si oxide/silicon nitride stack (SiO 2 /SiN X ), while QH-MeOH passivates p+ diffused surface to the same level as state-of-the-art atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide/silicon nitride stack (Al 2 O 3 /SiN X ).
Heartbeat: lower risk of dementia with a direct oral anticoagulatant, compared to a vitamin K antagonist, for patients with atrial fibrillation.

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a higher risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment, in addition to a fivefold higher risk of stroke, compared with patients in normal sinus rhythm. Potential mechanisms of cognitive impairment or dementia related to AF include recurrent micro emboli versus cerebral hypoperfusion in association with increased oxidative stress, inflammation and disruption of the blood-brain barrier. Using linked electronic health records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink in the UK, Cadogan and colleagues1 compared the incidence of dementia or mild cognitive impairment in 39 200 patients (median age 76 years, 45% women) with AF treated with either a vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) or a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC). Incident dementia was diagnosed in 3.2% with a 16% lower risk of dementia in patients treated with a DOAC versus VKA (adjusted HR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73 to 0.98) . Mild cognitive impairment was diagnosed in 4.0% with a 26% lower risk in those treated with a DOAC versus VKA (adjusted HR 0.74, 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.84) (figure 1). For patients taking a VKA, greater time with anticoagulation in therapeutic range was associated with a lower risk of dementia. Figure 1 Association between oral anticoagulant use and incident dementia and mild cognitive impairment, defined using clinical codes. ∧Adjusted for age, calendar year, time-on-treatment and sex. *Adjusted for age, calendar year, time-on-treatment, sex, body mass index, smoking status, hazardous alcohol consumption, socioeconomic status (practice level Index of Multiple Deprivation), primary care consultation frequency, diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, statins, heart failure, stroke, vascular disease, renal disease, liver disease, antiplatelet drugs, ACE/ARB inhibitors, beta-blockers, antiarrhythmics, digoxin, diuretics, antipsychotics, antidepressants and proton …
Authoring Prior Art

Patent law and copyright law are widely understood to diverge in how they approach prior art, the universe of information that already existed before a particular innovation’s development. For patents, prior art is paramount. An invention can’t be patented unless it is both novel and nonobvious when viewed against the backdrop of all the earlier inventions that paved the way. But for copyrights, prior art is supposed to be virtually irrelevant. Black-letter copyright doctrine doesn’t care if a creative work happens to resemble its predecessors, only that it isn’t actually copied from them. In principle, then, outside of the narrow question of whether someone might have drawn from a preexisting third-party source, copyright infringement disputes would seem to have little doctrinal use for prior art. But that principle turns out to be missing a big part of what’s actually going on in copyright litigation today. In this Article, we identify a surprising trend: parties in cases involving music are increasingly discussing anticipatory earlier works, and judges are increasingly holding it against them if they don’t. The concept of prior art, once for inventors only, is now for authors, too. A major cause for this change, we argue, is the influence of a small cadre of expert witnesses. We interviewed several of the most active experts in music copyright disputes, and we analyzed dozens of reports that they have filed over the last two decades. Our data revealed a group that has been focused on authorial prior art since well before the courts were. These experts’ professional self-understanding, moreover, diverges sharply from the traditionally limited role that experts are supposed to play in evaluating copyright infringement. They view prior art research as a major part of their job. And for many of them, that research is important not just because it can sift between copying and independent creation, but also because it informs their normative view of what expression deserves legal exclusivity in the first place. Because of this expert community, prior art isn’t just for patents anymore.
Affirmative Action at the Crossroads: A Social Justice Perspective

This article reviews the basis for the policy of affirmative action within the context of changing social values. Both the aims and unanticipated consequences of affirmative action are explored, the latter of which have resulted in substantial backlash and the real possibility of policy overturn. Within this context, the position of the social welfare community toward and involvement in affirmative action is traced. An agenda for social work in current and future debates about affirmative action is offered which takes into account the original social problem - discrimination - within redefined societal values and political realities. Alternative remedies to affirmative action, it is argued, can be congruent with the mission and values of the social welfare community in its quest to achieve social justice. Such options include targeting specific professions that interface with the inner city African-American underclass; reframing the purpose of affirmative action from that of correcting injustice for the victims of racial discrimination to social engineering; and targeting specific geographical areas which are characterized by economic deprivation
A Cause for Concern: The Need for Proximate Cause in SEC Enforcement Actions and How the Third Circuit Got It Wrong in SEC v. Teo

On February 10, 2014, in SEC v. Teo, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that, in an action for disgorgement of profits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) does not have the burden of proving proximate cause. The court reasoned that the SEC must only prove but-for causation between alleged wrongdoing and ill-gotten profits. This Comment argues that, going forward, the Third Circuit should reject Teo and apply a proximate cause standard, especially regarding proceeds. Should the Supreme Court reach the issue in the future, it should similarly reject the Third Circuit’s reasoning in Teo. Courts should require the SEC to show a proximate link between the alleged securities violation and the profits to be disgorged in order to avoid turning the remedy into an impermissible penalty.
Motif signatures in stretch enhancers are enriched for disease-associated genetic variants

Stretch enhancers (SEs) are large chromatin-defined regulatory elements that are at least 3,000 base pairs (bps) long, in contrast to the median enhancer length of 800 bps. SEs tend to be cell-type specific, regulate cell-type specific gene expression, and are enriched in disease-associated genetic variants in disease-relevant cell types. Transcription factors (TFs) can bind to enhancers to modulate enhancer activity, and their sequence specificity can be represented by motifs. We hypothesize motifs can provide a biological context for how genetic variants contribute to disease. We integrated chromatin state, gene expression, and chromatin accessibility [measured as DNase I Hypersensitive Sites (DHSs)] maps across nine different cell types. Motif enrichment analyses of chromatin-defined enhancer sequences identify several known cell-type specific “master” factors. Furthermore, de novo motif discovery not only recovers many of these motifs, but also identifies novel non-canonical motifs, providing additional insight into TF binding preferences. Across the length of SEs, motifs are most enriched in DHSs, though relative enrichment is also observed outside of DHSs. Interestingly, we show that single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with diseases or quantitative traits significantly overlap motif occurrences located in SEs, but outside of DHSs. These results reinforce the role of SEs in influencing risk for diseases and suggest an expanded regulatory functional role for motifs that occur outside highly accessible chromatin. Furthermore, the motif signatures generated here expand our understanding of the binding preference of well-characterized TFs.
Intertwined development and formal verification of a 60/spl times/ bus model

We describe a project in which the IBM/Motorola 60/spl times/ bus protocol was incrementally modeled at an abstract level in Verilog and verified using Motorola's Verdict model checker. The primary purpose of the modeling activity was to acquaint verification personnel with details of the 60/spl times/ bus protocol and to document specific properties of the 60/spl times/ bus that are necessary to guarantee compliance with hand-written protocol documentation. Our Verilog 60/spl times/ bus model documents the 60/spl times/ bus protocol for other Motorola business units.
Incremental version-space merging

This chapter describes the generalized version-space approach, as well as incremental version-space merging, the incremental learning method developed as part of the framework. The chapter begins with a description of the new, generalized form of version spaces. This is followed by a description of version-space merging, an algorithm for intersecting two version spaces in boundary-set notation. The chapter concludes with a description of its use in incremental version-space merging.
Shaking Off Our Lassitude: Creating a Global Health Service-Learning Program Founded in Social Medicine

This paper describes the creation and implementation of a global health service-learning elective. The elective was supported by Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital. It was designed for fourth year medical students and internal medicine residents during the winter of 2012, based in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The aim of the course was to create a structured global health elective with principles based in social medicine and social justice. Following a service-learning paradigm, one half of the course was a clinical experience, based in a large, urban teaching hospital, a primary care clinic, and a rural health promotion program. The other half of the course was a structured compilation of assigned readings, lectures, films, field visits, and reflection sessions that placed the clinical experiences into a national and international context. The course analyzed systemic causes of poverty as well as the role of structural violence in creating poor health. Finally, using Rudolf Virchow’s call for physicians to be the “natural attorneys of the poor” as a foundation, we explored the role of the physician-advocate in terms of social justice and solidarity with the poor.
Epidermal growth factor-induced truncation of the epidermal growth factor receptor.

Abstract NIH-3T3 cells expressing the human epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor were used in experiments to determine the fate of the EGF receptor in cells continuously exposed to EGF. EGF receptor was immunoprecipitated from cells labeled for 12 h with [35S] methionine in the absence or presence of 10 nM EGF. As expected, a single Mr = 170,000 polypeptide representing the mature EGF receptor was immune-precipitated from control cells. Surprisingly, immune precipitates from EGF-treated cells contained a prominent Mr = 125,000 receptor species, in addition to the Mr = 170,000 mature receptor. The Mr = 125,000 species was shown to be derived from the Mr = 170,000 form by pulse-chase experiments, in which the Mr = 170,000 receptor chased into the Mr = 125,000 form when EGF was included during the chase and by partial proteolysis. Both proteins became extensively phosphorylated on tyrosine residues in immune precipitate kinase assays. Treatment of immune precipitates with endoglycosidase F changed the apparent molecular weight of the Mr = 170,000 receptor to Mr = 130,000 and of the Mr = 125,000 form to Mr = 105,000, indicating that the appearance of the Mr = 125,000 protein was probably due to proteolysis. Antibody against the carboxyl terminus of the mature EGF receptor recognized the Mr = 125,000 protein, whereas antibody against the amino terminus did not. Incubation of cells with leupeptin prior to and during EGF addition inhibited processing to the Mr = 125,000 species. Methylamine and low temperature also inhibited the EGF-induced processing to the Mr = 125,000 form. These data suggest a possible role for proteolysis of the EGF receptor in receptor function.
Mixed H 2 and H ∞ optimal robust control design

This paper introduces a design methodology for a dynamic compensator that simultaneously minimizes the upper bound of a quadratic performance index and the H∞-norm of a disturbance transfer function matrix of a multiple-input/multiple-output system whose model contains parameter uncertainty in the state and input matrices. The real parameter uncertainty is modelled as additional measurement outputs and as additional weights on the existing noise inputs and measurement outputs of the system. The compensator equations are derived by taking the dual of a system with parameter variation in the state and output matrices, for which the compensator equations have previously been derived, and then taking the dual of the compensator equations. An algorithm for applying this theory is given and an example is shown.
Orthogonal Stack of Global Tide Gauge Sea Level Data

Yearly and monthly tide gauge sea level data from around the globe are fitted to numerically generated equilibrium tidal data to search for the 18.6 year lunar tide and 14 month pole tide. Both tides are clearly evident in the results, and their amplitudes and phases are found to be consistent with a global equilibrium response. Global, monthly sea level data from outside the Baltic sea and Gulf of Bothnia are fitted to global atmospheric pressure data to study the response of the ocean to pressure fluctuations. The response is found to be inverted barometer at periods greater than two months. Global averages of tide gauge data, after correcting for the effects of post glacial rebound on individual station records, reveal an increase in sea level over the last 80 years of between 1.1 mm/yr and 1.9 mm/yr.
Identification and Quantitation of Equine Serum and Secretory Immunoglobulin A

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) was demonstrated in equine serum and secretions. This immunoglobulin had a molecular weight extending from 150,000 to 700,000 and reacted with specific antihuman alpha-chain antiserum. Antigenic determinants specific for secretory IgA were demonstrated and found to be absent on serum IgA. Antigen binding activity was detected in IgA from tears. Purified IgA was antigenically distinct from equine IgG, IgM, IgG(T), and aggregating immunoglobulin. Quantitative studies demonstrated that IgA was the predominant immunoglobulin in tears and milk but not in colostrum. The electrophoretic mobility, size, presence of secretory component, and reaction with specific antihuman alpha-chain antiserum demonstrates that this immunoglobulin is the equine homologue of human IgA.
Riding the Wheel: Selling American Women Mobility and Geographic Knowledge

The bicycle's “prime” was a mere decade, 1890-1900, but in this brief window, it had a profound impact on American women’s lives. This paper will examine the role of the media in transforming women's relationship to their world, altering how, where and why they moved through the landscape, drawing from work on cartographic culture, actor-network theory and consumption and mass culture. Through popular magazine articles, stories, advertisements, and maps, American women (as well as men) were “informed” of the possibilities the bicycle had to offer, modeling geographic mobility, greater spatial awareness, and the practice of both cartography and landscape. Women had to tackle a network of new technologies – bicycles, maps, spatial information – to successfully transcend their sphere on their cycle. While women's roles in society did not substantially change, it did lead to greater personal freedoms in mobility and the need for more detailed geographic information.
Depression and Suicide in Schizophrenic Patients

This study supports the idea that schizophrenic patients represent a distinctive subgroup of patients who can suffer from a major depressive illness and also can commit suicide. The study showed that 22.4% of the schizophrenic population in a medium-sized psychiatric facility showed severe depressive symptoms that met the criteria for the diagnosis of a major depressive episode according to the DSM-III classification. Seven patients committed suicide during the acute phase of the illness--five during hospitalization, and two within a year of discharge. Nine patients attempted suicide during the hospitalization period, and 10 attempted suicide within a year of discharge. Nearly one-third (215) of the patients were readmitted during that year because of a recurrence of acute schizophrenic symptoms; of these, 84 were having severe depressive symptoms. The study also provides indications of the causes of suicide in these patients.
In vivo parahippocampal white matter pathology as a biomarker of disease progression to Alzheimer's disease.

Noninvasive diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are limited. Postmortem diagnosis is based on density and distribution of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and amyloid-rich neuritic plaques. In preclinical stages of AD, the cells of origin for the perforant pathway within the entorhinal cortex are among the first to display NFTs, indicating its compromise in early stages of AD. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess the integrity of the parahippocampal white matter in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD, as a first step in developing a noninvasive tool for early diagnosis. Subjects with AD (N = 9), MCI (N = 8), or no cognitive impairment (NCI; N = 20) underwent DTI-MRI. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean (MD) and radial (RD) diffusivity measured from the parahippocampal white matter in AD and NCI subjects differed greatly. Discriminant analysis in the MCI cases assigned statistical membership of 38% of MCI subjects to the AD group. Preliminary data 1 year later showed that all MCI cases assigned to the AD group either met the diagnostic criteria for probable AD or showed significant cognitive decline. Voxelwise analysis in the parahippocampal white matter revealed a progressive change in the DTI patterns in MCI and AD subjects: whereas converted MCI cases showed structural changes restricted to the anterior portions of this region, in AD the pathology was generalized along the entire anterior–posterior axis. The use of DTI for in vivo assessment of the parahippocampal white matter may be useful for identifying individuals with MCI at highest risk for conversion to AD and for assessing disease progression. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:4300–4317, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mining speech: automatic selection of heterogeneous features using boosting

We investigate feature selection applied to automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems. We focus on systems based on support vector machines (SVM), which can naturally use features optimized for each classifier. We present a new method for feature selection based on the AdaBoost algorithm. This method was an order of magnitude faster than a similar one, while leading to equivalent accuracy. Experiments with phone classification using TIMIT and a total of 760 features (PLP, MFCC, Seneff's, formants, etc.) indicated that the proposed method automatically discovered important information in the data. When using only 25 selected features per SVM, the accuracy was higher than when using a homogeneous set of 118 features based on PLP (perceptual linear prediction) coefficients.
Construction of a 3D model of the cannabinoid cb1 receptor: Determination of helix ends and helix orientation

Abstract The goal of this study was to determine the ends and orientations of the seven transmembrane helices of the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor, a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR). After initial sequence alignment, Fourier transform methods were used with the nPRIFT hydrophobicity scale and with a variability profile to calculate the alpha-helical periodicity (AP) in the primary amino acid sequence of the human CB1 receptor and of its alignment. AP plots were used to identify the amino acids which comprise each of the seven CB1 transmembrane helices. An intracellular α helix extension of Helix 7 was characterized by analyzing the relative direction of variability and hydrophobic moment vectors. Variability moment vectors were then used to delineate the orientation of each helix in the membrane. Based upon these vector calculations, a tentative helix bundle arrangement was obtained. This arrangement is largely consistent with the proposed transmembrane helix bundle arrangement in rhodopsin, a GPCR.
Reproducibility of an electronic probe in relative attachment level measurements

Abstract 4 probing designs have been employed to investigate the reproducibility of the Florida Probe. 3 groups (each composed of 10 subjects) were selected for the study: healthy adults, gingivitis subjects, and periodontitis subjects. The 4 probing designs were as follows: (a) the probe tip was left in the sulcus between successive probings: (b) the probe tip was removed from the gingival margin between probings but the next probing followed immediately; (c) successive whole-mouth probings were interrupted by a 5-min interval and a mouthrinse; (d) there was a 4-week interval between each probing. 3 measurements were taken for each design. The main purpose of this study was to identify variance components in the attachment level variation. The maximum probing error standard deviation was found to be around 0.3 mm, which is considerably smaller than that found in most previous studies. The errors associated with the periodontal condition and probing effect were also estimated. The variance components obtained here can be used for determining the sample size in controlled clinical studies.
Accurate discovery of expression quantitative trait loci under confounding from spurious and genuine regulatory hotspots.

In genomewide mapping of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), it is widely believed that thousands of genes are trans-regulated by a small number of genomic regions called “regulatory hotspots,” resulting in “trans-regulatory bands” in an eQTL map. As several recent studies have demonstrated, technical confounding factors such as batch effects can complicate eQTL analysis by causing many spurious associations including spurious regulatory hotspots. Yet little is understood about how these technical confounding factors affect eQTL analyses and how to correct for these factors. Our analysis of data sets with biological replicates suggests that it is this intersample correlation structure inherent in expression data that leads to spurious associations between genetic loci and a large number of transcripts inducing spurious regulatory hotspots. We propose a statistical method that corrects for the spurious associations caused by complex intersample correlation of expression measurements in eQTL mapping. Applying our intersample correlation emended (ICE) eQTL mapping method to mouse, yeast, and human identifies many more cis associations while eliminating most of the spurious trans associations. The concordances of cis and trans associations have consistently increased between different replicates, tissues, and populations, demonstrating the higher accuracy of our method to identify real genetic effects.
The Nkx5/HMX homeodomain protein MLS-2 is required for proper tube cell shape in the C.elegans excretory system

Cells perform wide varieties of functions that are facilitated, in part, by adopting unique shapes. Many of the genes and pathways that promote cell fate specification have been elucidated. However, relatively few transcription factors have been identified that promote shape acquisition after fate specification. Here we show that the Nkx5/HMX homeodomain protein MLS-2 is required for cellular elongation and shape maintenance of two tubular epithelial cells in the C. elegans excretory system, the duct and pore cells. The Nkx5/HMX family is highly conserved from sea urchins to humans, with known roles in neuronal and glial development. MLS-2 is expressed in the duct and pore, and defects in mls-2 mutants first arise when the duct and pore normally adopt unique shapes. MLS-2 cooperates with the EGF-Ras-ERK pathway to turn on the LIN-48/Ovo transcription factor in the duct cell during morphogenesis. These results reveal a novel interaction between the Nkx5/HMX family and the EGF-Ras pathway and implicate a transcription factor, MLS-2, as a regulator of cell shape.
Nonclassical "explosive" nucleation in Pb/Si(111) at low temperatures.

In this study, the onset of nucleation is defined in terms of a critical cluster of the condensed phase, which forms from the gradual aggregation of randomly diffusing adatoms. Experiments in Pb/Si(111) at low temperature have discovered a dramatically different type of nucleation, with perfect crystalline islands emerging “explosively” out of the compressed wetting layer after a critical coverage Θc=1.22 ML is reached. The unexpectedly high island growth rates, the directional correlations in the growth of neighboring islands and the persistence in time of where mass is added in individual islands, suggest that nucleation is a result of the highly coherent motion of the wetting layer, over mesoscopic distances.
Theory of Optical Free-Induction Decay and Two-Photon Superradiance

The Stark-pulse technique of Brewer and Shoemaker allows one to observe phenomena such as optical free-induction decay, optical nutation, and two-photon superradiance. In this paper, we develop a theoretical treatment of these phenomena under the appropriate experimental conditions. The calculations of the free-induction decay and the corresponding optical nutation are shown to be in excellent agreement with experiment. We also discuss the two-photon superradiance phenomenon of Brewer and Shoemaker as a Raman effect appearing in first-order perturbation theory. The analysis illustrates the essential features of the experimental observation.
Neuronal populations and single cells representing learned auditory objects.

The neural representations associated with learned auditory behaviours, such as recognizing individuals based on their vocalizations, are not well described. Higher vertebrates learn to recognize complex conspecific vocalizations that comprise sequences of easily identified, naturally occurring auditory objects1,2, which should facilitate the analysis of higher auditory pathways. Here we describe the first example of neurons selective for learned conspecific vocalizations in adult animals—in starlings that have been trained operantly to recognize conspecific songs. The neuronal population is found in a non-primary forebrain auditory region, exhibits increased responses to the set of learned songs compared with novel songs, and shows differential responses to categories of learned songs based on recognition training contingencies. Within the population, many cells respond highly selectively to a subset of specific motifs (acoustic objects) present only in the learned songs. Such neuronal selectivity may contribute to song-recognition behaviour, which in starlings is sensitive to motif identity3,4. In this system, both top-down and bottom-up processes may modify the tuning properties of neurons during recognition learning, giving rise to plastic representations of behaviourally meaningful auditory objects.
Empirical interatomic potential for Si-H interactions.

An empirical many-body interatomic potential has been developed to describe Si-H interactions. The potential was fitted to various gas-phase silicon hydride species and interstitial sites of atomic hydrogen in bulk silicon, and gives a reasonable description of hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces. The potential is computationally efficient and may be used, with caution, for molecular-dynamics investigations of Si-H interactions on hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces and hydrogenated amorphous silicon.
Mixed-integer nonlinear programming techniques for the synthesis of engineering systems

The development of new mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) algorithms, coupled with advances in computers and software, is opening promising possibilities to rigorously model, optimize, and automate the synthesis of engineering systems. A general overview of the MINLP approach and algorithms will be presented in this paper with the aim of gaining a basic understanding of these techniques. Strengths and weaknesses will be discussed, as well as difficulties and challenges which still need to be overcome. In particular, it will be shown how proper problem representations, effective modeling schemes, and solution strategies can play a crucial role in the successful application of these techniques. The application of MINLP algorithms in synthesis will be illustrated with several examples.
A consideration of current clinical options for stress imaging in the diagnosis and evaluation of coronary artery disease.

The evolution of technology and our health care system, tinctured by advocacy groups for specific imaging modalities, has produced controversy, relating to the optimal stress imaging method for coronary disease evaluation. Stress perfusion scintigraphy and stress echocardiography advocates seem to make claims that each nulify the other. This extensive, in-depth review of the subject presents facts as well as opinion and experience in an effort to assess the full portrait of the issue for consideration by advocates as well as those many yet undecided. The issue is an evolving one, affected strongly by the reader’s own experience. The presentation is not meant to be the final word. Rather, it seeks to present a basis for understanding and progress in both fields.
Targeting of leptin to the regulated secretory pathway in pituitary AtT-20 cells

Abstract Leptin, a key regulator of fat homeostasis, is the product of the obese gene [1–3], and is secreted from adipocytes and binds to receptor sites in the choroid plexus [4,5]. Several studies have implicated serum insulin levels in the upregulation of leptin gene expression [6–8]. It is currently not known whether leptin levels are also subject to regulation at the level of secretion. Leptin is normally produced in adipocytes, the secretory pathways of which are not well characterized. Here, we used pituitary AtT-20 cells, which serve as a model system for both regulated and constitutive secretory pathways, to examine the intracellular targeting and secretion of leptin. Confocal immunofluorescence analysis of AtT-20 cells expressing an epitope-tagged human leptin (FLAG–leptin) demonstrated that FLAG–leptin colocalized with endogenous adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) at the tips of processes extended from these cells, where regulated secretory granules accumulate. FLAG–leptin secretion was increased in the presence of 8-Br-cAMP, which stimulates the secretion of ACTH. For FLAG–leptin, the calculated sorting index, a quantitative measure of the efficiency of protein sorting to the regulated pathway, was similar to those of other regulated secretory proteins. These results demonstrate that FLAG–leptin behaves like a regulated protein in cells with a biosynthetic regulated secretory pathway.
Hispanic adolescent conception and contraception profiles. A comparison.

Abstract Marital status, contraception, desire for pregnancy, and social support relationships were analyzed by ethnicity for a group of pregnant and postpartum adolescents. Although no significant differences were found among ethnic groups for birth control information and use, the desire for pregnancy, grouped by marital status at conception, was significantly different for Hispanics. Positive evaluations of the life changes associated with pregnancy were found more frequently among Hispanic mothers. Hispanic teen mothers, however, were least likely to understand the menstrual cycle. The role of ethnic background in adolescent fertility behavior is discussed, and potential clinical applications for more effectively serving sexually active Hispanic adolescents are presented.
Development of hot-electron THz bolometric mixers using MgB2 thin films

Terahertz high-resolution spectroscopy of interstellar molecular clouds greatly relies on hot-electron superconducting bolometric (HEB) mixers. Current state-of-the-art receivers use mixer devices made from ultrathin (~ 3-5 nm) films of NbN with critical temperature ~ 9-11 K. Such mixers have been deployed on a number of groundbased, suborbital, and orbital platforms including the HIFI instrument on the Hershel Space Observatory. Despite its good sensitivity and well-established fabrication process, the NbN HEB mixer suffers from the narrow intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth ~ 2-3 GHz and is limited to operation at liquid Helium temperature. As the heterodyne receivers are now trending towards “high THz” frequencies, the need in a larger IF bandwidth becomes more pressing since the same velocity resolution for a Doppler shifted line at 5 THz requires a 5-times greater IF bandwidth than at 1 THz. Our work is focusing on the realization of practical HEB mixers using ultrathin (10-20 nm) MgB 2 films. They are prepared using a Hybrid Physical-Chemical Vapor Deposition (HPCVD) process yielding ultrathin films with critical temperature ~ 37-39 K. The expectation is that the combination of small thickness, high acoustic phonon transparency at the interface with the substrate, and very short electron-phonon relaxation time may lead to IF bandwidth ~ 10 GHz or even higher. SiC continues to be the most favorable substrate for MgB 2 growth and as a result, a study has been conducted on the transparency of SiC at THz frequencies. FTIR measurements show that semi-insulating SiC substrates are at least as transparent as Si up to 2.5 THz. Currently films are passivated using a thin (10 nm) SiO2 layer which is deposited ex-situ via RF magnetron sputtering. Micron-sized spiral antenna-coupled HEB mixers have been fabricated using MgB2 films as thin as 10 nm. Fabrication was done using contact UV lithography and Ar Ion milling, with E-beam evaporated Au films deposited for the antenna. Measurements have been carried out on these devices in the DC, Microwave, and THz regimes. The devices are capable of mixing signals above 20 K indicating that operation may be possible using a cryogen-free cooling system. We will report the results of all measurements taken to indicate the local oscillator power requirements and the IF bandwidth of MgB 2 HEB mixers.
Injection molded optical backplane for broadcast architecture

A low cost, blind mate, injection molded optical backplane is presented. The optical backplane is comprised of 12 channel optical broadcast buses, operating at 10Gbps/channel with six blindmate optical output ports spaced 1U apart.
Ligand-directed retroviral targeting of human breast cancer cells.

Abstract We explored the feasibility of designing retroviral vectors that can target human breast cancer cells with characteristic receptors via ligand-receptor interaction. The ecotropic Moloney murine leukemia virus envelope was modified by insertion of sequences encoding human heregulin. Ecotropic virus, which normally does not infect human cells, when pseudotyped with the modified envelope protein now crosses species to infect human breast cancer cell lines that overexpress HER-2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor; also called ERBB2) and HER-4 (also called ERBB4), while human breast cancer cell lines expressing low levels of these receptors remain resistant to infection. Since about 20% of human breast cancers overexpress HER-2 and some of breast cancer cell lines overexpress both HER-2 and HER-4, cell-specific targeting of retroviral vectors may provide a different approach for in vivo gene therapy of this type of breast cancer.
Diagnoses and presenting symptoms in an infant psychiatry clinic: comparison of two diagnostic systems.

ABSTRACT Objective To present data from a general infant psychiatry clinic, including range and frequency of presenting symptoms, relationship between symptoms and diagnoses, and comparison of two diagnostic systems, DSM-IV and Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood (DC: 0–3). Method A retrospective chart review was conducted for 177 children, ages birth to 58 months, who were seen between 1982 and 1997. Presenting symptoms were identified. Subjects were given diagnoses using both DSM-IV and DC: 0–3. Presenting symptom variables were reduced using subjective and empirical determinants. Stepwise regression analyses were used to determine whether presenting symptoms and demographic variables predicted diagnoses. Results Descriptive statistics on the distribution of current presenting symptoms and assigned diagnosis were compared with previous studies. The study demonstrated interrater reliability for diagnoses using both diagnostic systems, evidence of diagnostic validity via the regression analyses, and good concordance where DSM-IV and DC: 0–3 overlap. DSM-IV disruptive behavior disorders may be better conceptualized in DC: 0–3 as regulatory disorders, leading to alternative conceptualization of the disorder and a different course of treatment. Conclusions This study clarifies a developmental progression of presenting symptoms and diagnoses and suggests the need for continued diagnostic re-evaluation in early childhood. Greater attention to relationship factors and consideration of trauma factors is encouraged.
He(3/sup 3/P) states excited in 1. 5- and 3. 0-keV He/sup +/---H/sub 2/ charge-transfer collisions

The linear polarization of 3889-A radiation in coincidence with scattered neutral particles has been measured for 1.5- and 3.0-keV He/sup +/--H/sub 2/ collisions at selected scattering angles. At one scattering angle the measurements show a stronger polarization than is presently observed in He/sup +/--He at any scattering angle; this result is surprising in view of the many final states available to the recoiling H/sub 2//sup +/ ion. (AIP)
Attitudes of Louisiana practitioners toward rehabilitation of juvenile offenders

This study addresses attitudes of juvenile justice practitioners in Louisiana toward rehabilitation. A statewide survey was mailed to 3,947 lawyers, judges, probation officers, social workers, and volunteer coordinators. Respondents were grouped by legal training and casework training. Conclusions indicate Louisiana practitioners have not abandoned the concept of rehabilitation for juvenile offenders. However, they do support punishment as a viable option when treating offenders. Furthermore, job descriptions are less important in determining support for rehabilitation than are demographic variables. In addition, perceptions of juvenile crime also help shape these opinions.
Reflections on Case Method Teaching

Abstract Teacher educators are exploring various formats for case-based instruction. By examining their own decision-making processes as they learn to teach with cases, teacher educators can foster informed conversations about the pedagogy within their institutions and the profession. In this article the author offers some personal reflections about her use of case method pedagogy in preservice teacher education. The discussion focuses on areas of consideration proposed in some of the recent literature on case methodology, including the conceptual structure of the subject matter, the pedagogical structure of the class, the cognitive structure of the students, the social structure of the class, and student feedback relative to their learning experiences in case-based courses. Finally, the author recommends that teacher educators consider information about how one plans and implements particular strategies within the broader context of program planning and outcomes assessment.