cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What Do We Really Think About Human Germline Genome Editing, and What Does It Mean for Medicine?

Genome editing has captured widespread attention because of its potential therapeutic applications. Early studies with human embryos have established the feasibility of human germline genome editing but raise complex social, ethical, and legal questions. In light of the potential impact of genome editing on the practice of cardiovascular medicine, we surveyed ≈300 attendees at a recent American Heart Association conference to elicit their opinions on somatic and germline genome editing. The results were revealing and highlight the need to broadly engage the public and solicit the opinions of various constituencies before proceeding with clinical germline genome editing. Genome editing with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat–associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) has proven so effective in vitro and in vivo that human therapeutic applications are already under pursuit. Clinical trials for somatic genome-editing therapies, that is, modification of cells, tissues, and organs in living people, have been announced in the United States and China. The first reports of human germline genome editing (GGE), that is, embryo modification, were published in 2015 and 2016, although those studies used nonviable embryos and relatively crude first-generation CRISPR/Cas9 tools. A more recent report in August 2017 of GGE to correct a disease-causing gene mutation in viable human embryos that, in principle, could have been carried to term and resulted in healthy offspring was widely heralded in the press as a breakthrough and drew considerable attention.1 What was particularly notable about this study was that the correction of the mutation was efficient and specific—unlike the earlier studies, unintended mutations were not observed elsewhere in the genome (off-target effects) in edited embryos, and mosaicism (mutations present in some cells in the embryo but not in …
Verification of Fault-Tolerant Protocols with Sally

Sally is a model checker for infinite-state systems that implements several verification algorithms, including a variant of IC3/PDR called Property-Directed K-induction. We present an application of Sally to automated verification of fault-tolerant distributed algorithms.
Polarization effect on signal from optical ROM using SIL

In high NA imaging systems such as Solid Immersion Lens ,incident angle is so large, and the polarization of incident beam is disturbed by passing through the SIL surface and by diffraction from the recording medium. Previously (ISOM'98) we reported the influence of polarization disturbance to the readout signals in phase change medium^. Here the same problem on the embossed mark is studied.
Putting Teachers First: How to Inspire, Motivate, and Connect with Your Staff

In Putting Teachers First, author and speaker Brad Johnson offers tons of invaluable tips for building and maintaining strong, dynamic relationships with your teachers, leading to greater job satisfaction, lower turnover, and improved performance across the board. You’ll learn how to boost teacher morale and drive engagement by providing sincere feedback and recognition, creating incentives for teaching excellence, building trust between all faculty members, and more. Topics covered: The Importance of Teacher Satisfaction Motivating Your Teachers to Succeed Creating a Culture of Appreciation Learning to Become a Selfless Leader Inspiring Teachers to Remember Their Purpose Developing Your Emotional Intelligence Communicating and Connecting Effectively Building a Cohesive Team Celebrating Successes Each chapter includes practical advice as well as inspiring stories and anecdotes to motivate you on your journey.
Expanding the Understanding of the Categories of Dysconscious Racism.

Dysconscious racism is generally defined as the unquestioned acceptance of culturally dominant norms and privileges, with three categories used to describe college students’ reasoning for enduring ...
Simultaneous Estimation of Means of Two Sensitive Variables Using Ranked Set Sampling

Abstract Ahmed, Sedory, and Singh (2017) introduced a pioneering idea of simultaneously estimating the means of two sensitive variables by taking a simple random and a with replacement sample. Bouza (2009) investigated the benefits of using ranked set sampling in the randomized response setup introduced by Chaudhury and Stenger (1992). In this chapter, following Bouza (2009), we have investigated the use of ranked set sampling when estimating the means of two sensitive variables. The situation when the ranking is made based on the first sensitive variable has been investigated and along similar lines other situations when ranking can be made on both or a second variable have been suggested for future studies.
Lower Blepharoplasty: Skin-Muscle Flap Approach

Lower blepharoplasty has evolved significantly over the last several decades from a volume-depleting procedure to a volume-preserving procedure. In the days past, the surgeon would remove significant amounts of fat with aggressive skin-muscle resection utilizing the skin-muscle flap approach. This led to a hollowed, surgical look that soon began to fall out of favor not to mention an unacceptably high incidence of lower eyelid retraction [1]. In the last two decades, lower eyelid blepharoplasty has progressed to a volume conservation procedure with more conservative resection of fat or repositioning of fat using a transconjunctival approach with skin maintenance using a separate method such as laser resurfacing, skin pinch, lateral orbicularis muscle or lateral canthal tightening, or excising skin laterally [2–4]. This maximally preserves orbital septum and infraciliary orbicularis muscle minimizing the risk of lower eyelid retraction and ectropion.
An observation of aquatic surface respiration by Central Stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) in isolated pools during severe drought

Prairie stream fishes have adaptations to contend with seasonal stream drying, however, drought can exacerbate drying and present fishes with harsh environmental conditions. Here, I describe the harsh conditions in an isolated pool and the first observations of Central Stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) shifting to aquatic surface respiration as a means to deal with low oxygen conditions.
Religious Conversion and the Decline of Environmental Ritual Narratives

Religion has a major impact on human–environmental relationships as evidenced by cultural responses to agricultural disease. In Belize, Protestant conversion has transformed traditional Mopan Maya environment relations and paved the way for the commercialization of formerly ritual crops. The changes in the spiritual importance of cacao and nature are reflected in farmers’ responses to the emergence of Monilia (Moniliophtora roreri), a fungal disease that attacks the fruits of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), the botanical source of chocolate. Traditionally, Mopan cacao farmers relied on ritual offerings to nature spirits to cure diseased trees. However, the widespread adoption of Protestant Christianity by many Mopan has led to the discontinuation of cacao rituals, the demystification of nature spirits, and increased reliance on agro-technical disease management. The decline of Mopan ritual offerings speaks more broadly to the transformation of indigenous environmental relations in the context of Protestant conversion and capitalist agricultural development.
Digital technologies to support behavior change: challenges and opportunities

Abstract Successful self-management of diabetes includes making many daily behavioral decisions. However, a significant number of people with diabetes have above-target glycemic levels. This problem is in part due to difficulty with engagement in self-management behaviors. In this chapter, we review the current evidence and discuss opportunities for developing behavioral interventions supported by digital technologies. We discuss the role of behavioral theories in guiding the design of digital interventions and propose research directions for the development of new technologies that could enable new forms of personalized interventions.
Quantification of Serum Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim by Ultra-fast Solid-Phase Extraction-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

BACKGROUND The combination of trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is used to treat a number of bacterial infections. TMP/SMX concentrations in serum are conventionally monitored using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. These methods require laborious manual extraction techniques and relatively long sample analysis times, necessitating the development of a simple, high-throughput method. A simple, high-throughput method to measure TMP/SMX using ultra-fast solid-phase extraction (SPE)-tandem mass spectrometry has been developed. METHODS Calibration standards, quality control materials, and patient samples were precipitated with acetonitrile containing isotopically labeled internal standards. Samples were vortexed, centrifuged for 5 minutes at 2053g, and the resulting supernatant was diluted in aqueous mobile phase and injected onto the C18 SPE cartridge. MS/MS analysis was performed by electrospray ionization in positive ion mode at a rate of <20 seconds per sample. A 5-point linear 1/x calibration curve was used to calculate sample concentrations. RESULTS The intra-assay precision coefficients of variation were <6% and <7% for SMX and TMP, respectively, and <10% for both interassay precision coefficients of variation. Comparison studies using 50 patient and spiked serum samples showed r values of 0.9890 and 0.9853 and y-intercept values of -1.918 and -1.357, respectively compared with the HPLC reference method. All data points were <±15% of the mean. Linearity [r = 0.9952 (SMX) and 0.9954 (TMP)] was established from 12 to 400 mcg/mL with a detection limit of 0.47 mcg/mL, and 1.2-40 mcg/mL with a detection limit of 0.06 mcg/mL, for SMX and TMP, respectively. For either drug, no significant carryover was observed after samples at the upper limit of quantification. No interference was observed from any of the 77 drugs and respective metabolites tested. CONCLUSIONS A high-throughput SPE-tandem mass spectrometry method for TMP/SMX quantification was developed. The <20 seconds analysis time is a significant improvement compared with traditional HPLC and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry methods, without sacrificing analytical performance.
Inflammatory activity following motor progression due to critical CNS demyelinating lesions

Background:New inflammatory activity is of unclear frequency and clinical significance in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS); it is uncertain in patient cohorts with motor progression due to criti...
Territory and the divine: the intersection of religion and national identity

Despite patterns of secularisation across Europe, religion continues to exert influence. Besides theological belief, religion is deeply integrated into daily life as a social institution and marker...
Assessing Epidemiologic Risk of the Quantity of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus found to be Associated with in vivo-derived Bovine Embryos

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) has been shown to be associated with single transferable in vivo-derived and in vitro-produced bovine embryos despite washing. However, a thorough risk assessment of the potential for transmission of BVDV via transfer of in vivo-derived embryos has not been undertaken. Hence, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of BVDV to be transmitted during the transfer of in vivo-derived embryos.
Fundamentals of Radiomics in Nuclear Medicine and Hybrid Imaging

Positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) are nuclear diagnostic imaging modalities for different diseases including cardiac failures and cancer. They hold the advantage of detecting disease-related biochemical and physiologic abnormalities in advance of anatomical changes, thus widely used for staging of disease progression, identification of the treatment gross tumor volume, monitoring of disease, as well as prediction of outcomes and personalization of treatment regimens. Among the arsenal of different functional imaging modalities, nuclear imaging has benefited from early adoption of quantitative image analysis starting from simple standard uptake value (SUV) normalization to more advanced extraction of complex imaging uptake patterns; thanks chiefly to application of sophisticated image processing and machine learning algorithms. In this chapter, we discuss the application of image processing and machine/deep learning techniques to PET/SPECT imaging with special focus on the oncological radiotherapy domain as a case study. We will start from basic feature extraction to application in image-based outcome modeling in the radiomics and the deep learning fields.
New large-bodied mammals from the Late Oligocene site of Chilga, Ethiopia

Newly recovered fossil proboscideans and embrithopods from Chilga, Ethiopia are described and evaluated taxonomi− cally. They are dated to ca. 28–27 Ma (late Oligocene), temporally intermediate between late Eocene–early Oligocene Afro−Arabian faunas dominated by archaic, endemic taxa, and replacement faunas of the early Miocene marked by a mas− sive influx of Eurasian migrants. The paucity of similar−aged sites in Afro−Arabia makes Chilga critical for delineating the initiation and sequence of this faunal turnover. While most of the genera present at Chilga persist from older Afro−Arabian localities, at higher elevation and farther inland than elsewhere, there are no Eurasian mammals in the fauna. However, the archaic endemics from Chilga differ morphometrically from their older congeners, and include a new embrithopod, Arsinoitherium giganteum sp. nov., and novel species of elephantiform proboscideans, Phiomia major sp. nov., aff. Palaeomastodon sp. nov. A, and aff. Palaeomastodon sp. nov. B. New, primitive deinotheres and gompho− theres also occur at Chilga, extending the fossil records of these proboscideans considerably back in time. The Chilga deinothere, Chilgatherium harrisi sp. nov., differs sufficiently from Prodeinotherium and Deinotherium to be placed in its own subfamily, Chilgatheriinae subfam. nov. The Chilga gomphothere is smaller than Miocene elephantoids, and is referred to cf. Gomphotherium sp. nov. Together, this evidence suggests that indigenous Afro−Arabian taxa had greater ecological versatility than previously suspected and continued to enjoy successful evolutionary trajectories into the late Paleogene. Thus, as they spread into Afro−Arabia, new immigrants from Eurasia may have encountered vibrant local mammalian communities. The demise of many endemic inhabitants followed and remains poorly understood.
Microelectronics Using Electron-Beam-Activated Machining Techniques

Publisher Summary The aim of the chapter is to develop the proper apparatus and techniques for electron-beam-activated micromachining and to apply these tools in the fabrication of integrated groups of electronic components. The chapter discusses electronic components based upon the quantum mechanical tunneling of electrons from a metal into a high vacuum. With this technique, only stable metals and dielectrics arc employed in several geometries to produce diodes, triodes, and tetrodes. The chapter discusses secondary electron emission effects having high stability, high current density, negligible time delay, and temperature insensitivity for application to transmission-type electron multipliers and for coupling between tunnel effect components. Low-noise amplifiers are discussed in which a field emission cathode produces a virtual, space-charge-limited cathode for a negative grid tube. Atomic beam etching methods are discussed for application to low temperature etching of materials, such as the room temperature etching of silicon by atomic hydrogen. The construction techniques for producing accurate lens elements are reviewed and some of the tests performed on the elements are described.
Neuroimmunology and the pathogenesis of HIV-1 encephalitis in the HAART era: implications for neuroprotective treatment.

In 1991, a revision of the terminology was made by the American Academy of Neurology AIDS Task Force, which developed the term human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-associated cognitive motor complex (HIV-CMC), to encompass both the milder HIV-1- associated minor cognitive motor disorder (HIV-MCMD) and the more severe HIV-1-associated dementia complex (HIV-DC) (American Academy of Neurology AIDS Task Force, 1991). Although the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) has made great strides in extending life for AIDS patients, this longer life span may present increasing opportunity for HIV dementia (or HAD) to develop. HIV-1 encephalitis, the histo- and neuropathological correlate of central nervous system (CNS) HIV infection and HAD, occurs in most but not all cases of HAD. Infiltration of infected and/or activated immune cells from the periphery is increased with HIV infection and likely to be essential for development of HAD. Passage of infected cells or virus across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) results in the presence of activated immune cells in the brain, primarily macrophages and microglia but also astrocytes, which are thought to be directly causal to developing HAD. Continuous exposure to these noxious molecules is not necessary for progressive neuronal dysfunction and death. As a consequence of these generalized pathogenic mechanisms, numerous molecules and signaling pathways are secreted and activated that are thought to be involved in precipitating the pathophysiology of HAD, many of which share functions in both normal cellular signaling and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Multicenter evaluation of the Bayer Immuno 1™ CA 15-3™ assay

We conducted a multicenter evaluation of the analytical and clinical features of the automated Bayer Immuno 1™ CA 15-3™ assay and compared assay performance to two manual tests. Results of the 10-day imprecision study of the Bayer Immuno 1 assay pooled across four evaluation sites and three lots of reagent produced total CV ≤4%. Lot-to-lot reproducibility for 26 different lots of reagents and calibrators manufactured over a 2-year period was demonstrated (CV, 1.1%). Results for the Bayer Immuno 1 assay correlated well with the Biomira TRUQUANT® BR™ 27.29 and Centocor® CA 15-3 RIAs ( r ≥0.94). The upper limit of the reference interval for the Bayer Immuno 1 assay was 35.9 kilounits/L (35.9 units/mL); values were similar for all methods. Longitudinal monitoring of healthy women yielded assay values with an average CV of 11% and 21% for the Bayer Immuno 1 and Biomira assays, respectively. The Bayer Immuno 1 assay demonstrated the analytical features, intermethod correlation, and long-term performance characteristics that are essential for longitudinal monitoring of breast cancer patients.
Nonconforming mixed finite element methods for linear elasticity using rectangular elements in two and three dimensions

We present nonconforming, rectangular mixed finite element methods based on the Hellinger-Reissner variational principle in both two and three dimensions and show stability and convergence. An optimal error estimate of $\mathcal{O}(h^2)$ is obtained for the displacement, along with a suboptimal, $\mathcal{O}(h)$ , error estimate for the stress, in both dimensions.
The phase behavior of n-alkane systems

Abstract Normal alkanes show very complicated phase transition kinetics and macroscopic phase equilibrium behavior. This paper focuses on the phase stability and equilibrium of complicated mixtures like n -alkanes and on the enabling global optimization technologies needed to gather problem knowledge. The new ideas contained in this paper include: (1) novel level set methods for gathering encoded knowledge; (2) the differential geometry for uncovering pathways to more subtle knowledge; (3) all supporting non-linearly constrained optimization techniques; (4) all data handling needed to unravel complex solution structure. These new ideas are incorporated within the integral path methodology or terrain methods recently developed by Lucia, A., & Yang, F. (2003) [Lucia, A., & Yang F. (2003). Multivariable terrain methods. AIChE Journal 49 , 2553] and Lucia, DiMaggio, and Depa (2004) [Lucia, A., DiMaggio, P.A., & Depa, P. (2004). A geometric terrain methodology for global optimization. Journal of Global Optimization 29 , 297]. This framework provides global knowledge for understanding solution structure, like the complex solution structure of n -alkanes. In particular, it is shown that knowledge of the Newton and tangent vector fields, Gauss curvature, integral path bifurcation points, and non-differentiable manifolds provides a deterministic way of finding additional solutions, saddle points, and other information that might otherwise go undetected. It is shown that the optimization tools developed in this work provide all knowledge of interest on the appropriate hypothetical single-phase or composite surface (i.e., minima, saddle points, singular points, and integral paths) in phase stability applications. This knowledge can be obtained by solving the phase stability problem exactly once, in a pre-processing step, and used to reliably initialize any multi-phase equilibrium calculation for any feed. This removes the need to repeatedly solve the phase stability problem as the feed composition changes and greatly increases computational efficiency. Numerical examples and geometric illustrations are used to elucidate key ideas and to show how the proposed approach can be used to unravel the complicated phase behavior of n -alkane mixtures.
The origin and reversible nature of poultry litter biochar hydrophobicity.

Transient changes in wettability complicate the prediction of biochar’s hydrologic effects. Biochar wetting properties were characterized from poultry litter biochar (PLBC) produced from slow pyrolysis at temperatures between 300 and 600°C with water drop penetration time (persistence of hydrophobicity) and contact angle (CA; severity of hydrophobicity) measurements. Hydrophobicity was associated with semivolatile organic compounds coating PLBC surfaces, which resulted in 24.4 carbon layers and CAs of 101.1 ± 2.9° at a pyrolysis temperature of 300°C but only 0.4 layers of surface coverage and CAs of 20.6 ± 1.3° when pyrolyzed at 600°C. Mixing PLBC with water removed organic coatings, and storage in water for 72 h decreased CA as much as 81° for the most hydrophobic PLBCs. When mixed with quartz sand of the same particle size, CAs of PLBC–sand mixtures increased from 6.6 ± 1.4° at 0% PLBC mass fraction to 48.3 ± 2.0° at 15% mass fraction. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic PLBCs increased CA by nearly identical amounts at 2 and 5% mass fractions, which was explained by the influence of PLBC particle topology on macroscopic surface roughness of PLBC–sand mixtures. For environmentally relevant situations, PLBC–sand mixtures at mass fractions ≤15% remained water wetting. However, all PLBC additions increased CA, which may alter infiltration rates and induce preferential water flow.
On the validity of implicit association measures of personality traits

Participants (N = 200) completed self-report and implicit association (IAT) measures of Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Emotional Stability. Peer trait ratings and supervisor ratings of job performance were also collected. Results suggested low convergence between IAT and self-report trait measures. Cognitive ability and self-positive bias both explained significant portions of the method variance expressed by IAT measures. Correlations between IAT trait measures and job performance were statistically non-significant, of similar magnitudes to their self-report counterparts, and of magnitudes consistent with past research on criterion validities of self-report trait measures. The results offer only very limited support for the use of IAT trait measures in applied assessment settings.
Apolipoprotein E-e4, Processing Speed, and White Matter Volume in a Genetically Enriched Sample of Midlife Adults:

Healthy midlife children of a parent with Alzheimer's disease ([AD] N = 23; 9 male) participated in neuropsychological testing, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain volumetrics were obtained. In all, 35% of the sample were apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-e4 positive (n = 8; 5 male). The ApoE-e4 group exhibited significantly slower performances on an executive function and processing speed measure and had less white matter volume than the non-ApoE-e4 group. Lesser white matter volume was significantly correlated with slower processing speed. Processing speed and changes in white matter volume might be indicators of preclinical decline in AD.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome: A rare presentation of amantadine toxicity

Patient: Male, 64 Final Diagnosis: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Symptoms: Generalized myoclonic jerks • impaired concentration • memory decline • visual hallucinations Medication: Amantadine HCl Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Toxicology Objective: Adverse events of drug therapy
The Effect of Halotlmne on Phytohemagglutinininduced Transformation of Human Lymphocytes in Vitro

The authors determined the effect of halothane on phytohemagglutinin-induced transformation of human lymphocytes in vitro, measured in terms of incorporation of tritiated thymidine. After 57 hours of exposure, 0.5 per cent halothane had not inhibited transformation, 1 per cent halothane had caused 16 per cent inhibition, and 2 per cent halothane had caused 43 per cent inhibition. When lymphocytes were incubated in 2 per cent halothane for 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours, inhibition was evident within 48 hours and increased progressively with time. These data suggest, but do not prove, that halothane interferes with DNA synthesis. Cell viability studies confirmed that these effects of halothane were not the result of cell death. Inhibition of PHA-induced lymphocyte transformation in vitro is correlated with depressed cell-mediated immunity in vico. Immunosuppressant effects of halothane could play a role in postoperative infections, in the metastatic spread of cancer during operation, and in organ transplant immunology.
Effects of hemin and other porphyrins on protein synthesis in a reticulocyte lysate cell-free system.

Abstract In the absence of added hemin, the rate of protein synthesis in a lysate cell-free system from rabbit reticulocytes falls almost to 0 after 15 minutes incubation at 35 °C and the proportion of ribosomes present as polyribosomes falls from 50 to about 15%. Addition of hemin at this time restores protein synthesis to 60 to 70% of the initial rate in the presence of added hemin, and polyribosomes to almost 80% of the initial level (40% ribosomes as polyribosomes). If hemin is added before the start of incubation, a high rate of protein synthesis is sustained well beyond 20 minutes and the conversion of polyribosomes to monoribosomes is greatly retarded or prevented. Metal derivatives of protoporphyrin IX have been synthesized and tested for ability to replace hemin in sustaining the rate of protein synthesis in the intact cell and in the lysate system. Aggregation of these compounds in the solution added to the lysate has been found greatly to influence their effectiveness in this respect. When care is taken to reduce aggregation, it is found that the cobalt, nickel, magnesium and zinc derivatives will replace hemin in the lysate system, whereas the copper derivative will not. Fe 2+ and Co 2+ will not replace hemin in this system. It has been shown previously that the latter ions do replace hemin in the intact cell. Cobalt protoporphyrin IX and protoporphyrin IX sustain protein synthesis in the intact cell as well as Fe 2+ or hemin. Magnesium and zinc protoporphyrin IX derivatives are about half as effective as Fe 2+ in sustaining protein synthesis, whereas the copper and nickel derivatives are not effective at all in this respect. Stimulation of protein synthesis by hemin is prevented by the addition of Pb 2+ to the lysate system. Concentrations of Pb 2+ that prevent the hemin effect also strongly promote aggregation of hemin.
Regulation of autophagy: Modulation of the size and number of autophagosomes

Autophagy as a conserved degradation and recycling process in eukaryotic cells, occurs constitutively, but is induced by stress. A fine regulation of autophagy in space, time, and intensity is critical for maintaining normal energy homeostasis and metabolism, and to allow for its therapeutic modulation in various autophagy-related human diseases. Autophagy activity is regulated in both transcriptional and post-translational manners. In this review, we summarize the cytosolic regulation of autophagy via its molecular machinery, and nuclear regulation by transcription factors. Specifically, we consider Ume6-ATG8 and Pho23-ATG9 transcriptional regulation in detail, as examples of how nuclear transcription factors and cytosolic machinery cooperate to determine autophagosome size and number, which are the two main mechanistic factors through which autophagy activity is regulated.
Photodissociation Dynamics of Methanol at 157 nm

Photofragment time-of-flight (TOF) spectra at m/e = 1(H), 2(H2, D), 3(HD), and 4(D2) have been measured for CH3OH, CH3OD, and CD3OH at 157 nm excitation. TOF spectra for photofragments at m/e = 12, 13, 14, 15, 29, 30 from the photodissociation of CH3OH at 157 nm were also obtained. Analysis of these experimental results reveals three different atomic H loss processes: one type of direct hydroxyl H elimination and two types of methyl H elimination. Experimental results also indicate that two molecular hydrogen elimination channels are present: 3-center elimination from the methyl group, which displays two different micro-pathways, and 4-center elimination involving hydrogen atoms on both the C and O sites. The relative branching of the atomic versus molecular hydrogen elimination channels was found to be 1:0.21, indicating that the atomic hydrogen process is still much more significant than the molecular hydrogen process. The C−O bond cleavage channel was also experimentally observed. These results prese...
Chemically facilitated microinjection of proteins into intact monolayers of tissue culture cells

Microinjection of physiologic quantities of macromolecules into tissue culture cells can facilitate the study of the biological effects of such macromolecules. In this communication, we describe a chemical technique which can be used to microinject proteins into monolayers of intact cells. Protein is loaded into erthrocyte ghosts, and the ghosts are then fused to the monolayer with polyethylene glycol 1000. Receipient cells can be injected with an efficiency of greater than 90% and contain an average of 3.8×106 microinjected molecules per cell. This technique circumvents certain problems encountered in virus-induced microinjection.
Synthetic Biology: Integrated Gene Circuits

A major goal of synthetic biology is to develop a deeper understanding of biological design principles from the bottom up, by building circuits and studying their behavior in cells. Investigators initially sought to design circuits "from scratch" that functioned as independently as possible from the underlying cellular system. More recently, researchers have begun to develop a new generation of synthetic circuits that integrate more closely with endogenous cellular processes. These approaches are providing fundamental insights into the regulatory architecture, dynamics, and evolution of genetic circuits and enabling new levels of control across diverse biological systems.
Metabolism of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 by primary cultures of chick kidney cells

The primary culture of kidney cells from vitamin D deficient chicks is described. After four days in culture the cells reach confluency and retain their ability to metabolize 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Addition of one unit of bovine parathyroid hormone to the culture medium for 48 hours prior to assay had no effect on the cells' ability to produce 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3, whereas after 24 hours in the presence of 5×10−8M 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 the cells produced not this metabolite, but 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. This cell culture system will allow the investigation of the regulation of renal 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 metabolism under controlled in vitro conditions.
Power-engineering research in the USA

The changing availability and price of fuel sources; the partnership between RD and the policies of the new US Administration are all factors which, as this review illustrates, affect the direction and progress of power-engineering research in the USA
Super finished surface roughness measurement sensor for hard access area

The accurate measurement of surface roughness is essential in ensuring the desired quality of machined parts. Today the most common method to check roughness is to use a contact stylus profiler. There are many challenges for the application of a contact stylus for measuring the surface roughness of machined parts especially for the hard to access areas such as slots, deep holes and curved pockets. This study proposes a surface roughness measurement technique for these hard to access areas that are based on the measurement of the statistical analysis of the specular and scattered light intensity. In order to solve the accessibility issue, a miniaturized roughness measurement sensor with an O3mm diameter was designed using a dual laser emitting configuration. This dual laser approach makes the system more durable and reliable for different materials and machining processes such as polishing, lapping and precision grinding. This paper will present initial research results that demonstrate the applications of this approach to real industrial parts. Tests were performed to evaluate the sensitivity and feasibility of the proposed technique with various machined surfaces and materials.
Amniotic fluid concentrations of iodothyronines and thyrotropin do not reliably predict fetal thyroid status in pregnancies complicated by maternal thyroid disorders or anencephaly.

In this study we report measurements of amniotic fluid (AF) concentrations of iodothyronines and TSH in 69 normal and 16 complicated pregnancies. The latter group included 2 women with untreated hyperthyroidism, 1 patient with untreated hypothyroidism, 5 hyperthyroid patients who received propylthiouracil (3 with Graves' disease, 1 with a multinodular goiter, and 1 with chronic thyroiditis), 3 women with Graves' disease who were hypothyroid after treatment, but who were receiving replacement therapy, and 5 anencephalic pregnancies. AF hormone levels could not be correlated with either maternal or cord serum values, neonatal serum measurements, and/or the clinical status of the infant. AF TSH and T4 levels were markedly elevated in 1 patient with Graves' disease and severe Rh isoimmunization and in 2 pregnancies complicated by anencephaly without identifiable pituitary tissue in the fetus. We conclude that measurements of AF concentrations of thyroid hormones and TSH do not reliably predict fetal or neonat...
A 3bit/cell 32Gb NAND flash memory at 34nm with 6MB/s program throughput and with dynamic 2b/cell blocks configuration mode for a program throughput increase up to 13MB/s

In recent years applications such as mp3 players, SSD, digital cameras and video camcorders have driven the development of increasingly higher density NAND memories. In the presented 3b/cell memory the read and programming throughputs are been enhanced with the adoption of a quad-plane architecture and an industry standard even-odd bitline (BL) decoding scheme. The architecture, while featuring same page size of 16KB as recently disclosed ABL architectures [3,4], avoids the shortcomings such an ABL scheme exhibits in programming mode due to floating-gate-to-floating-gate coupling. The chip features both the newly developed synchronous DDR interface and the standard, asynchronous NAND flash interface. A 66-cell string is adopted to optimize the die size at 126mm2.
Induction of mitosis in the cultured rabbit lens initiated by the addition of insulin to medium KEI-4

Abstract The epithelium of lenses cultured in KEI-4, a completely defined medium formulated with specific reference to the biochemistry and physiology of the rabbit lens, exhibits a pattern of cell division similar to that noted for the organ in situ. Initial fluctuations in mitotic activity occurred in the area of the germinative zone during the first 24 hr of culture. Mitosis decreased at 1 hr, was extremely low at 3 hr and returned to values comparable for lens in vivo by 22 hr. The precipitous drop in mitosis noted at 3 hr is in part attributable to the isolation of the lens from adjoining tissue. The addition of insulin to KEI-4 triggers a parasynchronous burst of DNA synthesis throughout the central lens epithelium. The activation requires the intact hormone; neither proinsulin nor the A and/or B chains of insulin, nor glucagon nor zine chloride can initiate mitosis. The gamma-globulin-rich fraction of rabbit serum can also stimulate mitosis. The addition of dibutyryl adenosine 3′:5′ cyclic monophosphate (DBcAMP) plus theophylline to KEI-4-insulin inhibits mitosis and prevents the cells from entering the synthetic phase of the cell cycle. Theophylline alone or DBcAMP alone brings about a 90% reduction in the insulin-induced mitotic responses. Lenses exposed to insulin show a marked increase in RNA synthesis and also exhibit an increased binding of tritiated actinomycin D at 1 and 3 hr of culture relative to KEI-4 controls. The hormone apparently activates the genome including those genes governing cell division. The system is amenable for long-term culture of the mammalian lens and since the constituents of the medium are known it should be possible to determine the factor(s) in the medium which, in conjunction with insulin, are needed for the induction of cell division.
A novel coordinated connection access control and resource allocation framework for 4G wireless networks

In the academic literature on cellular network design, resource allocation algorithms often attempt to maximize total utility or throughput over a short time period, and connection access control often admits arrivals if and only if there are sufficient resources. In this paper, we investigate how connection access control and resource allocation can be coordinated to jointly achieve maximum total utility. We propose a decomposition in which resource allocation maximizes long-term average utility for each system state, and connection access control maximizes long-term average utility over all system states. We discuss the resulting interface and give examples of algorithms that satisfy this decomposition and interface. Simulation results illustrate that the optimal connection access control policy may block applications with relatively low average utility per unit rate even when capacity is available, and that coordinated connection access control and resource allocation can outperform uncoordinated approaches.
ITSEED: hands-on labs for IT security education (abstract only)

With NSF funding, we have developed a collection of instructional laboratories to enhance the security component in IT education. The labs are developed with a layered and modular design that can be tailored for different courses, accommodating new tools and being conducted in various environments with minimum modifications. This workshop introduces to participants these labs and the environment to conduct them. The workshop proceeds in four sessions in which we: 1) introduce the labs, techniques and environment; 2) demonstrate a lab; 3) guide participants to practice with a lab, 4) debrief. The intended audience is educators who teach IT security courses or other courses with security components at colleges or universities. Experience is not required. Each participant receives an electronic version of 1) the lab assignments that we have developed and used in our teaching practice, and 2) preconfigured virtual machines and tools used to conduct the labs. Laptop required.
Factors associated with primary cytomegalovirus infection during pregnancy

We compared a group of 40 susceptible pregnant women who acquired CMV during gestation with a group of 86 women of similar race and socioeconomic background who remained seronegative to define factors associated with the risk of CMV infection during pregnancy. A logistic regression model using a stepwise procedure showed that a positive statistically significant correlation occurred with the age of the mother, the father's high-intensity contact with young children, and children living at home. A negative correlation occurred with mother's high-risk intensity contact with children outside the home. This study underlines the possibility that pregnant women may acquire CMV infection introduced into the household by their young children and husbands, a phenomenon that is reminiscent of rubella infection.
Exploring pavement crack evaluation with bidimensional empirical mode decomposition

Crack evaluation is essential for effective classification of pavement cracks. Digital images of pavement cracks have been analyzed using techniques such as fuzzy set theory and neural networks. Bidimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD), a new image analysis method recently developed, can potentially be used for pavement crack evaluation. BEMD is an extension of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD), which can decompose non-linear and non-stationary signals into basis functions called intrinsic mode functions (IMF). IMFs are monocomponent functions that have well defined instantaneous frequencies. EMD is a sifting process that is non-parametric and data-driven; it does not depend on an a priori basis set. It is able to remove noise from signals without complicated convolution processes. BEMD decomposes an image into two-dimensional IMFs. The present paper explores pavement crack detection using BEMD together with the Sobel edge detector. A number of images are filtered with BEMD to remove noise, and the residual image analyzed with the Sobel edge detector for crack detection. The results are compared with results from the Canny edge detector, which uses a Gaussian filter for image smoothing before performing edge detection. The objective is to qualitatively explore how well BEMD is able to smooth an image for more effective and speedier edge detection with the Sobel method.
Silicide contacts for shallow junction devices

Abstract The miniaturization of integrated circuit devices necessitates modification of the present design and fabrication of their electrical contacts. In this review the miniaturization process is discussed and the requirements for contacts to sshallow junction devices are listed. The review is concluded with the presentation of three possible contact schemes, namely the metal-polycrystalline silicon contact, the shallow silicide contact and the silicide contact with dopant redistribution.
Hyperspectral anomaly detection based on uniformly partitioned pixel

The objective of this paper is to develop an algorithm to detect anomaly in a hyperspectral image. The algorithm is based on a subspace model that is derived statistically. The anomaly detector is defined as the Mahalanobis distance of a residual from a pixel that is partitioned uniformly. The high correlation among adjacent components of the pixel is exploited by partitioning the pixel uniformly to improve anomaly detection. The residual is obtained by partialling out the main background from the pixel by predicting a linear combination of each partition of the pixel with a linear combination of the random variables representing the main background. Experimental results show that the anomaly detector outperforms conventional anomaly detectors.
Are Minority Children Disproportionately Represented in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education

We investigated whether and to what extent children who are racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in early intervention and/or early childhood special education (EC/ECSE). We did so by analyzing a large sample of 48-month-olds (N=7,950) participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), a nationally representative dataset of children born in the U.S. in 2001. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicate that boys (OR=1.66), children born at very low birthweight (OR=3.98) or with congenital anomalies (OR=2.17), and children engaging in externalizing problem behaviors (OR=1.10) are more likely to be represented in EI/ECSE. Children from low SES households (OR=.48), those displaying greater numeracy or receptive language knowledge (ORs=.96 and .76, respectively), and children being raised in households where a language other than English is primarily spoken (OR=.39) are less likely to be represented in EI/ECSE. Statistical control for these and an extensive set of additional factors related to cognitive and behavioral functioning indicated that 48-month-old children who are Black (OR=.24) or Asian (OR=.32) are disproportionately under-represented in EI/ECSE in the U.S.
Formation of multilamellar vesicles by oscillatory shear

The formation of multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) from the lamellar phase of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) in brine can be controlled by steady, oscillatory shearing. Increasing stress amplitude or decreasingfrequency leads to more rapid onion formation. The formation kinetics can be scaled onto constant controlled shear stress experiments; this scaling demonstrates that a minimum strain amplitude of ∼14 that is independent of frequency is required for onion formation. Further, the ratio of deformation driving onion formation to the reversible, elastic deformation can be predicted from the loss tangent. The final size of the MLVs decreases with the stress amplitude, independent of frequency, in quantitative agreement with MLVs formed under steady, applied shear stress.
Aquatics, health-promoting self-care behaviours and adults with brain injuries.

Primary objective: To determine the effect of an aquatic programme on the health promoting behaviours of adults with brain injuries.Main outcomes and results: Eighteen individuals participated in the programme and were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 9) or control group (n = 9). Health promoting behaviours, physical self-concept and self-esteem were measured pre- and post-intervention. Significant differences and large effect sizes were found between scores for the experimental group only, indicating an increase in health promoting behaviours, physical self-concept and self-esteem.Conclusions: Results have useful implications for health professionals as exercise prescription may enhance health promoting behaviours and decrease health care costs after a brain injury.
File cloning in open source Java projects: The good, the bad, and the ugly

We present a study of the extent to which developers copy entire files or sets of files into their applications with little or no modification. Our aim is to determine the prevalence of such activity within open source Java development, and to identify the circumstances under which files are reused in this manner. To accomplish this aim, we developed a novel method of file-level code clone detection that is scalable to millions of files. We applied our method to the Sourcerer Repository, which contains over 13,000 Java projects aggregated from multiple open source repositories. Our method detected that in excess of 10% of files are clones, and that over 15% of all projects contain at least one cloned file. In addition to computing these raw numbers, we manually examined a large number of the reported clones. We found the most commonly cloned files to be Java extension classes and popular third-party libraries, both large and small. We also discovered a number of projects that occur in multiple online repositories, have been forked, or were divided into multiple subprojects.