cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Occupational and environmental exposures reported to poison centers

This analysis of 25,368 occupational and 7,565 environmental exposure cases characterizes the occupational and environmental exposures reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System. Compared with other poisonings, occupational and environmental exposures were predominantly inhalation exposures rather than ingestions, were more often subacute or chronic, and demonstrated greater morbidity, mortality, and increased use of health care resources. As regional poison centers evolve to fill a critical information void in the management and assessment of environmental and occupational exposures, the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System provides an important, untapped passive surveillance mechanism.
Surface residue mutations of the PML RING finger domain alter the formation of nuclear matrix-associated PML bodies

The human protein PML, was first identified as part of a fusion protein with retinoic acid receptor alpha as found in the chromosomal translocation which gives rise to acute promyelocytic leukaemia. PML is normally localised to large matrix-associated nuclear domains (known as ND10, Kr bodies, PODS or PML NBs) which comprise several multi-protein complexes. Within the PML protein, there are a number of identified zinc-binding domains, one of which called the RING finger is found in a large family of diverse and unrelated proteins. Here, we report the effect of site-directed mutations within the context of the whole PML protein, of amino acids found on the surface of the PML RING finger domain and PML NB formation in vivo. Mutations of a small region of the RING finger domain surface affect the size and numbers of PML NBs in a mouse fibroblast expression assay, resulting in fewer but larger exogenous PML NBs. Mutations of other surface RING residues, however, do not affect exogenous PML NB formation. Furthermore, all of the PML RING mutants co-localise to both endogenous and exogenous wild-type PML NBs. These data identify a specific region of the PML RING finger domain which is directly involved in correct PML NB formation. They also provide evidence to suggest that the PML RING finger is involved in mediating PML-PML oligomeric interactions, as part of a mechanism leading to the assembly of the PML NB complex.
Multimodal Solution for a Rectangular Waveguide Radiating into a Multilayered Dielectric Structure and its Application for Dielectric Property and Thickness Evaluation

Open-ended rectangular waveguides are widely used for microwave and millimeter wave nondestructive testing applications. Applications have included detecting disbonds and delaminations in multilayered composite structures, thickness evaluation of dielectric sheets and coatings on metal substrates, etc. When inspecting a complex multilayered composite structure, made of generally lossy dielectric layers with arbitrary thicknesses and backing, the dielectric properties of a particular layer within the structure is of particular interest, such being health monitoring of structures such as radomes. The same is also true where one may be interested in the thickness or more importantly thickness variation of a particular layer within such structures. An essential tool for estimating the dielectric constant or thickness is an accurate model for simulating reflection coefficient at the aperture of the probing open-ended waveguide. One issue of interest is that radiation from open-ended rectangular waveguides into layered dielectric structures has been considered only when accounting for the dominant waveguide mode. However, when using these models for recalculating dielectric constant or thickness, the results may not be accurate (depending on the measurement requirements). To this end, this paper provides an accurate model for the reflection coefficient which also accounts for the effect of higher-order modes. Finally, the potential of this model for accurately estimating dielectric constant is shown.
The McIdas System

A Man-Computer Interactive Data Access System (McIDAS) has been developed for image processing and analysis. The hardware and software design of McIDAS is outlined with specific regards to the meteorological user. A variety of image processing techniques have been implemented on McIDAS for use with many kinds of images, in particular, ATS, ERTS-A, Mariner X, and SMS-A satellite data. A flexible digital image enhancement system is included in the McIDAS design. Special mention is made of the NAVIGATION, WINDCO, and CLDHGT systems which were developed for the purpose of aligning time sequences of geosynchronous satellite pictures, and determining the motion and height of selected cloud targets. The support which McIDAS can provide to the TV broadcasting community is also discussed.
Exact Tests for Hardy–Weinberg Proportions

Exact conditional tests are often required to evaluate statistically whether a sample of diploids comes from a population with Hardy–Weinberg proportions or to confirm the accuracy of genotype assignments. This requirement is especially common when the sample includes multiple alleles and sparse data, thus rendering asymptotic methods, such as the common χ2-test, unreliable. Such an exact test can be performed using the likelihood ratio as its test statistic rather than the more commonly used probability test. Conceptual advantages in using the likelihood ratio are discussed. A substantially improved algorithm is described to permit the performance of a full-enumeration exact test on sample sizes that are too large for previous methods. An improved Monte Carlo algorithm is also proposed for samples that preclude full enumeration. These algorithms are about two orders of magnitude faster than those currently in use. Finally, methods are derived to compute the number of possible samples with a given set of allele counts, a useful quantity for evaluating the feasibility of the full enumeration procedure. Software implementing these methods, ExactoHW, is provided.
Managing faults in telecommunications networks: a taxonomy to knowledge-based approaches

A taxonomy is presented of knowledge-based approaches to fault management for telecommunications networks. Fault management systems are first characterized as multistage process systems. Using this characterization, a discussion is presented of a variety of current systems reported in the open literature that implement automated fault management and which span all processing stages (from alarm receipt to fault correction). The authors then focus on the diagnostic stage of each system and categorize the methods in terms of the major artificial intelligence methods employed. They conclude by considering an apparent trend in automated fault management systems toward an increased use of semantic knowledge and other approaches to describe network behavior. The emphasis throughout is on the use of information technology for automating fault management, rather than on engineering-level details of any specific subsystem. >
A heat-driven monochromatic light source

The efficiency with which heat may be converted into resonance radiation in a cesium thermionic diode is investigated theoretically. An analytical model of a thermionic converter is used which combines the coupled effects of line radiation transport, excited-state kinetics, and plasma diffusion. Operating regimes are established for various degrees of optical density in the plasma. The results indicate that monochromatic radiation can be produced with efficiencies on the order of 30% provided there is an adequate voltage drop across the plasma. A drop of one volt was used since it can be maintained without any electrical power input to the device. It is found that high efficiencies are due to the higher interelectrode distances which the solutions will accommodate, and that radiation can be generated efficiently, even with optically dense gases. >
A dynamic partitioning scheme for parallel transient stability analysis

A dynamic partitioning scheme for a large power system is used to speed up the transient stability solution by utilizing different step sizes for the different portions. The partitioning and the different step sizes naturally lend themselves to a parallel implementation. Results are obtained by utilizing the successive overrelaxation (SOR) Newton parallel algorithm on the Alliant FX/8, an eight-processor parallel computer. For a 662 bus system, a total speedup, by partitioning and parallelizing, of 33.5 is obtained. Since parallelization by itself with 8 processors can produce a speedup of about 7, the partitioning scheme provides a speedup factor of about 5. The partitioning scheme is not specific to either the SOR Newton algorithm or the Alliant machine, and its application to any other parallel method should result in a similar speedup. >
Bioavailability of Organic Compounds Sequestered in Soils

The pollutants present in soil and sediments usually are not recent introductions, rather they were typically added one, two and frequently more than three decades ago. This fact was one of the concerns as we devised our initial studies. The studies were also prompted by a number of long- and medium-term field studies that showed that persistent pesticides (such as DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor and kepone) and a number of other compounds initially disappear from soil at reasonable rates, but the rate subsequently slows appreciably. Indeed, the subsequent disappearance is often so slow that the rate of decline in concentration sometimes cannot be estimated. Because the compounds were initially subject to biodegradation by microorganisms (as well as loss by volatilisation or other abiotic processes in some instances), clearly something was occurring in soil that was slowly but progressively making the compounds less and less bioavailable, at least to microorganisms (Alexander 1995).
The Right to Reparations for War Damages: Theoretical Perspectives and Practical Applications in Post-1999 Timor-Leste

A right to reparations for war damages has been progressively consolidating in international law. The paper explores the extent to which three common justifications for reparations apply to war contexts: the preservation of individual autonomy, a Lockean procedural conception of property rights, and the integrity of market exchange. The ideal type of a "massively destructive war" is defined for that purpose, and it is found that, the closer a war is to this ideal type, the less the standard justifications apply. The paper argues that, when it comes to the allocation of resources during and in the aftermath of war, the forward-looking imperatives of satisfying basic rights and creating conditions of equal opportunity should be prioritized. The closer a war is to being massively destructive, the weaker the imperative of reestablishing previous entitlements. This normative conclusion provides the basis for a critique of a transitional property law currently under discussion in Timor-Leste, which prioritizes past entitlements over need and ongoing de facto possession.
Application of Carbon Monoxide for Transplantation

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, chemically inert, colorless and odorless gas and is toxic at high concentrations due to its interference with oxygen delivery. However, CO is endogenously and physiologically generated in mammalian cells via the catabolism of heme in a rate-limiting step of heme oxygenase systems, and CO potently protects against cellular injury. CO relaxes blood vessels and exerts anti-thrombotic effects by inhibiting platelet aggregation and derepressing fibrinolysis. In addition, CO reduces ischemia/reperfusion injury and inflammatory responses. CO inhibits apoptosis of endothelial and epithelial cells and reduces proliferation of smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts and T lymphocytes. Thus, there is accumulating evidence to support the notion that CO treatment of transplant donors, organs, or recipients can prevent graft dysfunction due to rejection or ischemia/reperfusion injury. This invited review discusses recent advances and current knowledge pertaining to CO research in the field of transplantation. In addition, we will discuss the clinical applicability of CO as a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of transplant patients.
Interface hybridization and spectral distribution in strongly correlated itinerant magnetic systems.

We report the results of a theoretical study of the effect of the interface s-d hybridization on the photoemission spectral distribution in a one-monolayer Co on Cu(001) structure. The single-particle electronic structure and many-body interactions are treated on an equal footing in a numerical scheme that incorporates both band-structure and interaction effects. Using exact diagonalization method on small clusters with periodic boundary conditions, spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectra are calculated. We study the effect of the interface hybridization on the spectral distribution by first calculating the spectra of an unsupported Co(001) monolayer in the absence of the substrate. Then we calculate the spectra with the substrate included. In the latter case, the s-d hybridization is first turned off to isolate the contribution from the crystal-field effect. Eventually, the one-monolayer Co on Cu(001) with full interface s-d hybridization, the realistic system, is studied. The calculated spectra are analyzed in a many-body picture and compared to available experimental data. Further experimental measurements are called for to test some theoretically predicted features.
A behavioral foundation for a structural theory of power in exchange networks

In this paper I propose structural criteria for power based only on simple and valid assumptions about how individuals in exchange networks make decisions. The implication of the model is that exchange networks contain four types of components, identified by the solution to a set of equations. In coreless components, the equations are inconsistent and trading behavior is unstable. In strong power components, the equations have a unique solution and some positions have complete power, In equal power components, the equations have a unique solution, and all positions are equal in power, In indeterminate components, the equations have an infinity of solutions and power is not determined strongly by structure. Formal criteria are developed for these four types of components.
Motor control in sleep.

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates that control during sleep is complex, lacking the need to modulate movement of an individual through the external world that is frequently, but not always, generated by the conscious desires of the waking brain. When disease damages the multiple checks placed on organized movement during non-rapid eye movements (NREM) or rapid eye movements (REM) sleep, life-threatening events are possible. Cessation of movement, reduction of muscle tone, and periodically striated muscle atonia interrupted by irregularly occurring twitches are cardinal signs of sleep in all land mammals, including human beings. This progression parallels the changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) as an individual becomes drowsy and then progresses through the various stages of NREM sleep and, finally, the “paralytic” state of REM sleep with its periodic myoclonic twitches. Thus, a thorough understanding of the neural mechanisms responsible for motor control during sleep is a prerequisite to the development of more refined treatments.
Deregulation and the American Education Marketplace

The deregulation movement has impacted the social, political, and economic landscape in the United States and continues to do so. In this article, we briefly summarize the general history of deregulation in this country and the meaning of deregulation within the specific context of education policy and reform. We focus on deregulation efforts designed to provide families and students with greater choice in where and how their K–12 schooling occurs, including magnet schools, charter schools, open-enrollment programs, and vouchers. We discuss different forms of deregulation in the K–12 education system, competition effects, and various issues related to deregulation, including potential future issues that may arise in a deregulated education marketplace. In our analysis, we conclude that education deregulation has the potential to serve some members of society, but at the detriment of others, and that a great deal of future work is needed to determine the effects—both anticipated and unintended—of deregulat...
A mixed-method exploratory study of interprofessional education in social work at historically Black colleges and universities: A faculty perspective

ABSTRACTA mixed-method approach was used to capture social work faculty experiences in integrating interprofessional education (IPE) in the social work curriculum at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Questions measured attitudes, needs, preparation, and readiness of HBCU faculty to participate in preprofessional and graduate IPE courses. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used. The 23 participants indicated that there was strong interest and endorsement for participation in IPE as an educational tool to improve interdisciplinary team work and social care outcomes. However, faculty had limited previous involvement with IPE courses. Many partners were identified for IPE courses with almost all endorsing alcohol and substance abuse counseling, mental health counseling, public health, early childhood education, nursing, rehabilitation counseling, school of divinity, and school of psychology. The following IPE teaching methods were endorsed by almost all of the faculty: seminar...
Material informatics driven design and experimental validation of lead titanate as an aqueous solar photocathode

Abstract Materials informatics is a rapidly emerging data- and knowledge-driven approach for the identification of novel materials for a range of applications, including solar energy conversion. Despite significant experimental effort, the development of highly efficient, stable, and cost-effective photovoltaic materials remains a challenging scientific problem. The quest for precisely defined semiconductor properties revolves around an immensely broad landscape of structural parameters. Here, we have resolved this challenge by applying material informatics to design a novel photocathode material for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). By conducting a virtual screening of 50,000 known inorganic compounds, we have identified lead titanate (PbTiO 3 ), a perovskite, as the most promising photocathode material. Notably, lead titanate is significantly different from the traditional base elements or crystal structures used for photocathodes. The fabricated PbTiO 3 DSSC devices exhibited the best performance in aqueous solution, showing remarkably high fill factors compared to typical photocathode systems. The results highlight the pivotal role materials informatics can play in streamlining the experimental development of materials with the desired properties.
Strained quantum-well leaky-mode diode laser arrays

A new type of diode laser array (denoted 'leaky-mode' or 'antiguided') has recently been reported. Despite their success, these devices are difficult to fabricate since they require a deep wet-chemical etch which must be accurately controlled. The authors report a new strained GaInAs quantum well device structure which is produced by etching a thin (0.12 micrometers ), transparent GaAs waveguide layer. These devices have demonstrated fundamental mode operation up to 2A (172 mW/facet at 1A) at 1% duty cycle pulsed condition and 700 mA (62.5 mW/facet) for cw operation.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Donald Trump and the Legacy of Bacon’s Rebellion:

Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election was the biggest upset in American history. Trump propelled himself to victory by running a racist campaign that targeted the White working-c...
Sensitive Topics, Missing Data, and Refusal in Social Network Studies: An Ethical Examination

We describe our ethics-driven process of addressing missing data within a social network study about accountability for racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, cis-sexism, ableism, and other forms of oppression among social justice union organizers. During data collection, some would-be participants did not return emails and others explicitly refused to engage in the research. All refusals came from women of color. We faced an ethical dilemma: Should we continue to seek participation from those who had not yet responded, with the hopes of recruiting more women of color from within the network so their perspectives would not be tokenized? Or, should we stop asking those who had been contacted multiple times, which would compromise the social network data and analysis? We delineate ways in which current discussions of the ethics of social network studies fell short, given our framework and our community psychology (CP) values. We outline literature that was helpful in thinking through this challenge; we looked outside of CP to the decolonization literature on refusal. Lessons learned include listening for the possible meanings of refusals and considering the level of engagement and the labor required of participants when designing research studies.
Social and latent identities that contribute to diverse students' belongingness in engineering

This work-in-progress (WIP) research paper investigates contributing factors for how students describe what it means to be an engineer and what particular characteristics enable students to belong in engineering. We answer the research question, “What are the key contributing factors that influence how diverse students feel that they belong in engineering?” We used a semi-structured protocol to interview 12 diverse engineering students during Fall 2016 about their pathways into engineering, identities, and belongingness in engineering. The participants were selected from a pool of students who completed an attitudinal survey during Fall 2015 as a part of a larger study. They were purposefully recruited to maximize the number of women, students of color, first-generation college students, students with visible and non-visible disabilities, and LGBTQ+ students. The interviews were coded inductively to understand the emergent themes of how students described their social and individual identities and how they did or did not fit with what it means to be an engineer. The themes are emergent and this work-in-progress paper will describe our findings to date.
Securing Vehicular Controller Area Networks: An Approach to Active Bus-Level Countermeasures

With the increasing number of embedded processors and wireless interfaces being incorporated into modern automobiles, cybersecurity is emerging as a major concern for the automotive industry [1], [2]. Numerous remote attack surfaces and a high level of computer-controlled critical systems make security of automotive networks an increasingly complex technical challenge [3], [4]. Many researchers have demonstrated attacks that leverage a car's wireless interfaces to gain access to internal communication buses [5], [6]. With bus level access, an attacker has the ability to control or manipulate critical systems, such as the antilock brakes and cruise control, potentially affecting driver safety [7], [8].
Optimal high-bandwidth control of ball-screw drives with acceleration and jerk feedback

Abstract This paper presents an optimal non-collocated control strategy for flexible ball-screw feed drives. Within the non-collocated controller framework, all the feedback measurements are taken from table (load) side. The table acceleration and jerk feedback measurements are used to control both rigid body and the structural dynamics, which enables modal damping capability. Linear quadratic regulator (LQR) framework is then utilized to achieve optimal placement of the poles. State based LQR weights are mapped to frequency domain performance targets, i.e. crossover frequency and phase margin, and hence a novel frequency domain optimal tuning strategy is achieved. A kinematic state observer design is also presented to fuse analog accelerometer measurements with linear encoder feedback to realize high-fidelity state feedback and wide bandwidth motion control. Finally, robustness analysis of non-collocated control is carried out, and comparison against conventional full closed-loop collocated controllers is presented. Comprehensive experimental validations and performance benchmarks are conducted on an industrial scale precision ball-screw driven motion stage.
Genetics of Benzodiazepines, Barbiturates, and Anesthetics

The behavioral effects of the benzodiazepines (BZs) first attracted attention when chlordiazepoxide was observed to produce a taming effect in previously vicious monkeys. Clinical trials soon followed, and chlordiazepoxide (Librium®) was introduced into clinical practice in 1960, followed closely by diazepam (Valium®) in 1963. Primarily because of their extraordinary safety, these drugs rapidly replaced the barbiturates as anxiolytics of choice. The benzodiazepines soon became the most widely prescribed psychoactive drugs, arid indeed the most-prescribed drugs of any class, until attention was directed to their overuse and potential dependence liability. They continue to be used widely for their sedative-hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, and muscle relaxant effects, and despite the abovementioned dependence liability, they remain among the most useful and safest drugs available.
Rapid Solidification Processing

This book has developed the subject of solidification kinetics and interfacial processes at crystal-melt interfaces by considering near-equilibrium phenomena occurring over a few layers of atoms, some temporally associated with the crystal, and some temporally associated with the melt. This thin microscopic zone of transition was usually approximated mathematically as a ‘sharp’ interface of zero thickness. Also, the rate-limiting kinetic processes that were considered thus far acted both separately and simultaneously, and consisted of heat conduction and solute diffusion. Both of these transport mechanisms normally develop fields over macroscopic distances, as compared to the near-atomic interface thickness. Moreover, the dynamic interchanges among the host and solute atoms at sharp interfaces were considered to occur rapidly enough, and to repeat frequently enough, to approximate closely the condition of local interfacial thermodynamic equilibrium. Global, i.e. total, thermodynamic equilibrium, was shown to be inoperative, as it is precluded for virtually all crystal-melt processes on the basis that the relevant length scales over which heat transfer and solute diffusion operate on practical time scales for the motion of the interface are much too small to allow total equilibrium to be achieved.
Cplus 2ASP: Computing Action Language ${\cal C}$+ in Answer Set Programming

We present Version 2 of system Cplus2ASP, which implements the definite fragment of action language ${\cal C}$ +. Its input language is fully compatible with the language of the Causal Calculator Versioni?ź2, but the new system is significantly faster thanks to modern answer set solving techniques. The translation implemented in the system is a composition of several recent theoretical results. The system orchestrates a tool chain, consisting of f2lp, clingo, iclingo, and as2transition. Under the incremental execution mode, the system translates a ${\cal C}$ + description into the input language of iclingo, exploiting its incremental grounding mechanism. The correctness of this execution is justified by the module theorem extended to programs with nested expressions. In addition, the input language of the system has many useful features, such as external atoms by means of Lua calls and the user interactive mode. The system supports extensible multi-modal translations for other action languages, such as ${\cal B}$ and ${\cal BC}$ , as well.
UWB Physical Layer Adaptation for Best Ranging Performance within Application Constraints

Indoor localization has been a hot area of research for many years. There are many research proposals and commercial products which can accurately locate moving objects inside the buildings. Wireless communication signals have been a good alternative for existing indoor localization solutions due to their accurate results and scalability. Ultra-wideband signals can locate objects with less than 5 cm error in the reasonably inexpensive price. Despite very accurate localization achievable by UWB based systems, building a robust and reliable indoor localization system based on UWB signals remains as a challenge. In this paper, we investigated the impact of different channel configuration parameters on the robustness of UWB-based indoor localization. Based on conducted experiments, we proposed an efficient algorithm to find the best setting for UWB communication channel to meet accuracy, power, and air utilization requirements. We evaluated the performance of our framework in real-world environment scenarios, and our results show an average 20% reduction in range errors achieved by our proposed method through proper setting of UWB physical layer parameters.
EUV Photoresists: A Progress Report and Future Prospects

Moore's Law has been the golden rule of the electronics industry for over 50 years. This law, first published in 1965 by Dr. Gordon Moore [1], has driven innovation that has revolutionized the way ...
Expanding the pool: the use of hepatitis C RNA positive organs in lung transplantation

Lung transplantation still remains the definitive treatment for patients with end-stage pulmonary disease. It provides health care providers the ability to not only prolong survival but improve quality of life for these patients. The success of this surgery is dependent on a number of variables such as the conduct of surgery. However, what is equally if not more important is the postoperative care that we tell patients will be continued for the rest of their lives. This care requires the use of immunosuppression to prevent immune graft injury as well as careful monitoring for opportunistic and chronic infections that may arise.
The Names of Gawain in Medieval Arthurian Tradition

Generally seen as the source of English Gawain and its congeners, the Welsh name Gwalchmei is traced to an Old British *uolco-ma(g)ios ‘great falcon’, a derivation consistent with both the formal and semantic features of northwestern European heroic onomastics and the specifics of Gwalchmei’s status in Arthurian tradition. To be rejected, then, are explanations of the name as ‘hawk of the plains’ or ‘of May’. A second onomastic trail, marked by Latin Gualguanus and Walwen, French Gauvain, Dutch Walwein, English Gawain, leads to a hypothetical Indo-European compound meaning ‘wolf-killer’ and a consideration of tabu or language avoidance.
An Investigation of the Seasonal Variation of Equatorial Electrodynamics and Scintillation Using a Coupled Atmosphere-Ionosphere Model

Abstract : The goal of this work is to determine the physical processes responsible for the observed seasonal patterns in the occurrence and intensity of scintillation in the Earth's low-latitude ionosphere. An improved understanding of the physics will result in more sophisticated modeling and forecasting tools that will benefit the Navy.
Progress in Modeling of Biomass Fast Pyrolysis: A Review

Fast pyrolysis of biomass is an important technology in the conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to value-added fuels and chemicals. Significant efforts have been dedicated to modeling of these...
An intra-operative video comparison of laparoscopic versus robotic transabdominal lateral adrenalectomy.

Background The aim was to compare intraoperative conduct of adrenalectomy between laparoscopic and robotic approaches. Methods Intraoperative video-recordings of patients who underwent robotic (n = 30) and laparoscopic adrenalectomy (n = 30) were analysed using Mann-Whitney U, chi-square and multivariate regression analyses. Results Demographics, indications and outcomes were similar between groups. For all tumour sizes, camera was more engaged to surgical task and exhibited less vision problems in robotic versus laparoscopic group. There was less instrument exchange and restriction of exposure with robotic approach. For dissection, robotic approach allowed for a wider range of instrument reach around adrenal. Robotically, there was an increased ability to do fine dissection, rather than en bloc division with rigid laparoscopic vessel sealers. Bleeding problems were less robotically. Conclusion Despite similarities in post-operative morbidity and hospital stay, there was a superiority in quality of procedure performed with robotic versus laparoscopic adrenalectomy for both small and large adrenal tumours.
On the relationship between Type Ia supernova luminosity and host-galaxy properties

A string of recent studies have debated the possible presence of an evolutionary trend between the peak luminosity attained by Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and the properties of the galaxies that host them. We shed new light on the discussion by presenting an analysis of ~200 low-redshift SNe Ia in which we measure the separation of Hubble residuals (HR; as probes of luminosity) between two host-galaxy morphological types (as a probe of both age and mass). We show that this separation can test the predictions made by recently proposed models, using an independently and empirically determined distribution of each morphological type in host-property space. Our results are consistent with the previously known HR-mass step (or slope), but inconsistent with newly proposed HR-age slopes, which we find to significantly overstate what amounts only to a slight trend. In addition, we show that these two trends -- HR-mass and HR-age correlation -- need to be consistent with each other, given the significant correlation that we identify between age and mass in a sample of galaxies. While our result clearly rejects the recently proposed large HR-age slope, the correlations between mass, age, morphology, and HR values are evident, keeping the HR-age slope relevant as an interesting topic for discussion. Our results encourage further studies to determine the physical origin of this relation between host environments and luminosity of SNe~Ia.
Primitive reflex retention and attention among preschool children

Primitive reflexes are a critical part of early development but eventually integrate to give rise to volitional and cortically directed movements and higher-level cognitive skills. Failure to integ...
Orientation order parameters and effective conductivity of a 2-D solid with partially disordered array of circular inhomogeneities:

The paper focuses on the quantitative characterization of the microstructure of a two-dimensional heterogeneous solid with circular inhomogeneities that may vary from perfectly periodic arrangement...
Pion Double Charge Exchange

The pion double charge exchange data on the oxygen isotopes is reviewed and new data on 9Be, 12C, 24Mg, 26Mg and 28Si are presented. Where theoretical calculations exist, they are compared to the data.
Hemozoin: A Paradigm for Biominerals in Disease

Biomineralization is the formation of organic–inorganic composites by organisms. Originally evolved as a protective mechanism, this complex process has also become a recognized contributor to several disease states, which range from kidney stone disease (nephrolithiasis) to parasitic diseases like malaria. The characteristic three-step process for the formation of biominerals is defined by the supramolecular preorganization of a nucleating template, the interfacial molecular recognition of crystal nuclei and the cellular processing of resultant aggregates. Hemozoin formed in the heme detoxification pathway used by the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum represents a paradigm for pathogenic biominerals. Current research indicates that a supramolecular lipid template organizes heme released previously during hemoglobin catabolism. Nucleation and growth of the heme aggregate serves to protect the parasite from the toxic effects of free heme. Given the mechanisms of biomineralization, it is not surprising to discover that century-old antimalarial compounds function by disrupting key interactions between the heme substrate and template. Subsequently, the heme-aggregate is released into the host vasculature and deposits in patients' brains, spleens, and livers where it disrupts host innate immune response. The underlying basis of this immunomodulating activity seems to result from hemozoin mediated lipid peroxidation. Understanding the relationships between hemozoin formation and its pathogenic activity with the host immune response represents a significant challenge to chemical biology.
Design and development of linked data from The National Map

The development of linked data on the World-Wide Web provides the opportunity for the U.S. Geological Survey USGS to supply its extensive volumes of geospatial data, information, and knowledge in a machine interpretable form and reach users and applications that heretofore have been unavailable. To pilot a process to take advantage of this opportunity, the USGS is developing an ontology for The National Map and converting selected data from nine research test areas to a Semantic Web format to support machine processing and linked data access. In a case study, the USGS has developed initial methods for legacy vector and raster formatted geometry, attributes, and spatial relationships to be accessed in a linked data environment maintaining the capability to generate graphic or image output from semantic queries. The description of an initial USGS approach to developing ontology, linked data, and initial query capability from The National Map databases is presented.
Integrity and Performance in Network Attached Storage

Computer security is of growing importance in the increasingly networked computing environment. This work examines the issue of high-performance network security, specifically integrity, by focusing on integrating security into network storage system. Emphasizing the cost-constrained environment of storage, we examine how current software-based cryptography cannot support storage's Gigabit/sec transfer rates. To solve this problem, we introduce a novel message authentication code, based on stored message digests. This allows storage to deliver high-performance, a factor of five improvement in our prototype's integrity protected bandwidth, without hardware acceleration for common read operations. For receivers, where precomputation cannot be done, we outline an inline message authentication code that minimizes buffering requirements.
Featured Review: Mother-to-Infant Trauma Transmission: Assessment and Treatment

One of the most significant and compelling areas of inquiry in psychology in the past 20 years has been the focus on attachment, the ability of the human infant to bond with a maternal person and t...
Phospholipid metabolism by phagocytic cells: VII. The degradation and utilization of phospholipids of various microbial species by rabbit granulocytes

Abstract The fate of the [ 14 C] fatty acid labeled lipids of several microorganisms exposed to intact or disrupted rabbit granulocytes was studied. Whereas the phospholipids of intact Escherichia coli undergo degradation of no more than 25%, even when killing is virtually complete, spheroplasts prepared from E. coli are degraded by as much as 80% in 2 h. This degradation probably was due in part to activation of E. coli phospholipases which remain associated with the bacterial cell envelope during formation of spheroplasts. When E. coli phospholipases were inactivated, however, bacterial lipid degradation by intact or disrupted granulocytes was as great as that seen with untreated spheroplasts. We propose that the 20% of labeled lipid, degraded during incubation of intact E. coli with granulocytes, represents only the surface lipid of this Gram negative organism, and that the cell wall prevents the granulocyte phospholipase(s) from reaching the E. coli membrane lipids. In contrast to the extensive degradation of E. coli lipids after (partial) removal of the outer layers of the bacterial envelope, the lipids of Mycoplasma hominis , an organism naturally devoid of a cell wall are not broken down under similar conditions. Further, the lipids of the Gram positive Micrococcus lysodeikticus are also incompletely broken down even though its cell wall is readily removed by (granulocyte) lysozyme. Evidence is presented, indicating that the extent of microbial lipid degradation by granulocytes depends on accessibility of the lipids and not on their substrate properties with respect to granulocyte phospholipase(s). Accessibility of the lipids appears to be determined by other structural components of the bacterial coat, that resist the action of the granulocyte's degradative enzymes. In different microorganisms such barriers occupy different locations within the envelopes. The results also indicate that granulocyte phospholipases participate in the digestion that accompanies phagocytosis and that this lipid-splitting activity takes place within the phagocytic vacuole. The products of degradation are used for granulocyte lipid synthesis.
Cloning, Expression, and Regulation of a Glucocorticoid-Induced Receptor in Rat Brain: Effect of Repetitive Amphetamine

Behavioral sensitization to psychostimulants involves neuroadaptation of stress-responsive systems. We have identified and sequenced a glucocorticoid-induced receptor (GIR) cDNA from rat prefrontal cortex. The full-length GIR cDNA encodes a 422 amino acid protein belonging to G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily. Although the ligand for GIR is still unknown, the dendrogram construction indicates that GIR may belong to peptide receptor subfamily (e.g., substance P receptor), with more distant relationship to subfamilies of glycoprotein hormone receptors (e.g., thyrotropin receptor) and biogenic amine receptors (e.g., dopamine receptor). GIR shares 31–34% amino acid identity to the tachykinin receptors (substance P receptor, neurokinin A receptor, and neurokinin B receptor). GIR mRNA is expressed preferentially in brain, and its neuronal expression is relegated to limbic brain regions, particularly in forebrain. GIR transcript levels are increased significantly and persistently in prefrontal cortex for 7 d after discontinuation of chronic amphetamine exposure. The induction of GIR expression by amphetamine is associated with augmented behavioral activation. These findings suggest that modulation of GIR expression may be involved in behavioral sensitization, and GIR may play a role at the interface between stress and neuroadaptation to psychostimulants.
The Capstone Experience for the Religious Studies Major

The purpose of this essay is to offer a survey of religious studies capstones from twenty-nine U.S. colleges and universities, to identify the most common frustrations about the capstone, and to observe how departments resolve such frustrations. I conclude that the most successful capstones – in terms of students' performance and faculty satisfaction – are those that are carefully linked to their department's major curriculum, pedagogies, and staffing, that set out to achieve a reasonable set of objectives, and that are aligned with their institutional mission, culture, and expectations for assessment. Yet, I argue that it is becoming increasingly difficult to design our capstone experiences according to the above principles because of the proliferation of departmental and institutional pressures we presently face. Finally, I offer some guidelines by which we might devise or revise our capstones to alleviate some of the most common pressures.
Characterizing the site and mode of action of dynorphin at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses in the guinea pig.

Extracellular field potential recordings from the CA3 region in guinea pig hippocampal slices were used to study the release and action of dynorphin at the mossy fiber synapse. Dynorphin A(1–17) or U69593 inhibited mossy fiber synaptic responses in preparations in which the CA3 region was surgically isolated from the rest of the hippocampus. This inhibition was completely reversed by the κ1selective antagonist nor-BNI, thus establishing the presence of functional κ1 receptors in CA3. Inhibitory effects of dynorphin on mossy fiber responses were unaltered in the presence of the N- or P-type Ca2+ channel blockers, ω-CgTx or ω-Aga IVA, respectively. This indicates that the action of dynorphin is independent of the particular type of Ca2+ channel that mediates transmitter release at the mossy fiber terminal. Heterosynaptic inhibition of mossy fiber responses was observed in the presence of nifedipine, ω-CgTx, or ω-Aga IVA, indicating that dynorphin release does not depend specifically on L-, N-, or P-type Ca2+ channels. The blockade of heterosynaptic inhibition by the membrane-permeant Ca2+ chelator EGTA-AM suggests the involvement of a slow Ca2+-dependent process in dynorphin release. On the basis of a variety of experimental evidence, we propose that the time course of heterosynaptic inhibition is determined primarily by the time course of clearance of dynorphin in the extracellular space.
Location of BK Ion Permeation Gate Revealed by Cd2+-Cys Coordination in the BK Inner Pore Region

The BK-type potassium channels contains a K+-selective ion permeation pathway that opens and closes in response to changes of transmembrane voltage or intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Previous studies using large probes such as cytosolic blockers and MTS reagents have suggested that, unlike the voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels, the BK ion permeation gate may not reside at the cytosolic entrance of the pore. However, this issue remains incompletely resolved. Here we utilize Cd2+, a probe of comparable sizes to K+, to further test state-dependent access to the BK inner cavity. We introduced cysteines at A316, a BK pore lining position inside the proposed Kv cytosolic gate, and determined Cd2+-Cys coordinating rate at this position in both and closed states. The result shows that the state-dependence of coordination between Cd2+ and A316C is moderate, with coordinating rate less than 10 times faster in the open state. In addition, the coordinating rate of A316C with Cd2+ in a closed BK channel is comparable to that of an inner cavity cysteine (I361C) with Cd2+ in an open CNG channel. We also examined Cd2+-Cys coordination in the YVP motif (V319C) near the cytosolic entrance of the pore. The counterpart region in Kv channel forms a tight steric exclusion when channel is closed. As a result, the homologous site of V319 in Kv channel (V474) is not accessible to Cd2+ in closed state. In BK channel, Cd2+ coordinates with V319C in both open and closed states, with open-state coordinating rate less than 1-fold faster than that of closed-state coordinating rate. These results suggest that the BK ion permeation gate is not located at its cytosolic entrance. Instead, the selectivity filter is the only possible region in BK to control ion flow.
Nitrogen excretion in Lymnaea stagnalis: An effect of ingested carbohydrate

Abstract 1. Nitrogenous excretory products of Lymnaea stagnalis were determined for an initial period of starvation and a subsequent period after feeding rice starch. 2. Fed carbohydrate appears to cause a noticeable drop in the output of ammonia, an effect similar if not identical to the “sparing effect” of carbohydrate on protein metabolism noted generally in animal nutrition.
Hypnotic paradigm-substitution therapy in a case of hypochondriasis.

Abstract Physical complaints and avoidance behavior (lying on a sofa) decreased and positive social behaviors increased in a hypochondriacal patient following hypnotic “paradigm-substitution” therapy, a technique in which more adaptive “mental health” beliefs emphasizing interpersonal themes were suggested to be acted upon posthypnotically in place of the patient's “physical illness” beliefs. There was no recurrence or substitution of symptoms one year after treatment.