cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
So Let’s Prove It!

In previous chapters, we observed students throughout middle school and high school working on and making sense of two isomorphic problems in combinatorics – the towers problems and the pizza problems. In this chapter, we see how students just finishing high-school work on another isomorphic problem, demonstrating the application of techniques and ways of thinking that they developed throughout their previous years in the study. We further address the challenge that Davis (1992a) proposes to mathematics education researchers to investigate the emergence among learners of what lies at the core of mathematics: mathematical ideas. Here, a cohort of four high-school seniors – Brian, Jeff, Mike, and Romina – elaborates mathematical ideas and reasoning through work on the Taxicab Problem. They display criteria and techniques for justifying claims and an awareness of the power of generalizing, particularly as an aid to respond to special cases.
John Lydgate and the Making of Public Culture: Tragedy and comedy: Lydgate's disguisings and public poetry

In 1590 Edward Allde printed Lydgate's Serpent of Division together with Sackville and Norton's Gorboduc as illustrations of the dangers of civil war and strife. For Allde, the link between Lydgate's treatise and the revenge tragedy was one of content rather than form; both texts serve a didactic function by showing readers the terrible consequences of political division: Three things brought ruine vnto Rome , that ragnde in Princes to their ouerthrowe: Auarice , and Pride , with Enuies creull doome, that wrought their sorrow and their latest woe. England take heede, such chaunce to thee may come: Foelix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum . But the sympathy between Serpent of Division and Gorboduc is not limited to their topicality. What Allde sensed about Serpent was that its fundamentally tragic structure resonated profoundly with the dramatic genre of tragedy as Sackville and Norton had defined it – and indeed, by identifying the tract as a precursor to Gorboduc , he constructed a literary history of tragedy that inserted the medieval into the humanist narrative of genre formation that moved from classical to Renaissance, Seneca to Hamlet . In this alternate version of literary transmission, tragedy is quintessentially a political form, bound up with the production of sovereignty and the state, with a clearly defined function in relation to authority.
Using Representational Tools to Learn about Complex Systems: A Tale of Two Classrooms.

Orchestrating inquiry-based science learning in the classroom is a complex undertaking. It requires fitting the culture of the classroom with the teacher's teaching and inquiry practices. To understand the interactions between these variables in relation to student learning, we conducted an investigation in two different classroom settings to understand how different teachers use and appropriate the same physical and computer-based tools into their teaching practices. Each worked with physical aquaria, function-oriented hypermedia for background information and reference, and NetLogo (Evanston, IL) simulations for computer-supported collaborative inquiry learning. The students engaged in inquiry as they used the NetLogo models in small groups. Because of distinct teaching styles and varying levels of comfort with the materials and content, these two enactments were extraordinarily different between the two classrooms. We present a contrasting case analysis to examine how each teacher's practices set the stage for the kinds of interactions that occurred during students' computer-supported inquiry learning. We suggest that one teacher worked from a cognitive-elaboration perspective whereas the other teacher took an approach to teaching that incorporated socio-cultural perspectives. Both of the approaches to teaching supported the active engagement of learners and may account for the similar learning outcomes measured. In light of the current move toward standards-based public education, it may seem that there is only one pathway for teaching to support of student learning. However, our results do not support this notion and we provide evidence that different instructional models, classroom norms, and appropriation of tools can support similar student learning outcomes with respect to content knowledge. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 52: 6–35, 2015
Service Operations Curriculum Recommendations For Undergraduate Business Majors

This article will review the current situation of undergraduate service operations education and will describe the direction that recent educational changes are taking. Given these needs and direction, a proposed curriculum for an undergraduate service operations course is presented. Lastly, a discussion of how undergraduate service operations education needs can be addressed by both industry and academia is included.
“A Majority is the Best Repartee”: Barack Obama and Congress, 2009-2012

Objective To trace the relationship between Barack Obama and Congress during his first term. Methods A largely qualitative review of the literature on presidential-congressional relations and of Obama's interactions with Congress and the lessons he drew from them. Results Obama's practice, if not his rhetoric, shifted even before 2010 from an effort to transcend partisanship to using it to pass his legislative program. After the debt crisis negotiations of 2011, the president has sought to run against, and around, the legislative branch. Conclusions Polarized preferences and rigid partisanship made it impossible for Obama to expect large-scale change to attract consensual support. That does not appear likely to change in the near future, whoever is president after the 2012 election.
Bankruptcy and Bad Behavior - The Real Moral Hazard: Law Schools Exploiting Market Dysfunction

The widespread discussion about the market for law graduates ignores an essential fact: it's not a single market at all. Employment opportunities vary dramatically across schools, yet tuition prices fail to reflect those differences. As a consequence, many schools with the worst placement rates burden their students with the highest levels of educational debt. How is that possible?The answer is market dysfunction. Current federal student loan and bankruptcy policies encourage all law school deans to maximize tuition and fill classrooms, regardless of their students' job prospects upon graduation. This law school moral hazard combines with prelaw students' unrealistic expectations about their legal careers to produce enormous debt for a JD degree that, for many graduates, does not even lead to a JD-required job.This article proposes a way to identify three distinct law school submarkets. Using those submarkets, it offers a plan to create a more functional market that enhances law school accountability, encourages meaningful price differences among schools based on outcomes, and spurs innovation.
Screening Libraries To Identify Proteins with Desired Binding Activities Using a Split-GFP Reassembly Assay

Designer protein modules, which bind specifically to a desired target, have numerous potential applications. One approach to creating such proteins is to construct and screen libraries. Here we present a detailed description of using a split-GFP reassembly assay to screen libraries and identify proteins with novel binding properties. Attractive features of the split-GFP based screen are the absence of false positives and the simplicity, robustness, and ease of automation of the screen. Here, we describe both the construction of a naive protein library, and screening of the library using the split-GFP assay to identify proteins that bind specifically to chosen peptide sequences.
Matrix Metalloproteinases and Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases Are Essential for the Inflammatory Response in Cancer Cells

Inflammation plays a critical role in the development of cancer. Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP) functions in the remodeling of the extracellular matrix that is integral for many normal and pathological processes such as morphogenesis, angiogenesis, tissue repair, and tumor invasion. The tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) family regulates the activity of multifunctional metalloproteinases. In this paper, we discuss the role and mechanism of MMP and TIMP in regulating inflammation responses in solid tumors. We discuss the mechanism of MMP and inflammation in melanoma, colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. We highlight the roles of the TIMP-2 in modulating the proinflammatory NF-κB pathway in melanoma and lung caner cells. Based on the molecular mechanisms of TIMPs and MMPs in inflammation and cancer, we can design new strategies for cancer therapy.
A functional analysis of scientific theories

Scientific theories are analyzed in terms of the role that they play in science rather than in terms of their logical structure. It is maintained that theories: (1) provide descriptions of the fundamental features of their domains; (2) on the basis of 1, explain non-fundamental features of their domains; (3) provide a guide for further research in their domains. Any set of propositions that carries out these functions with respect to some domain counts as a theory. This view of theories is developed and defended, and provides the basis for reconsidering a number of issues in the philisophy of science. It is argued that theories need not be unrestrictedly universal with respect to space and time; that the distinction between observable and theoretical entities fails because observables do function as theoretical entities in scientific theories, that there is no genuine philosophical problem of reduction; that the notion of „levels“ can be replaced by the notion of „domains”; and that theories are the basic unit of scientific knowledge.
Shorter migration distances associated with higher winter temperatures suggest a mechanism for advancing nesting phenology of American kestrels Falco sparverius

Global climate change has affected avian migration patterns and nesting phenology. Changes in one phase of a bird's cycle will most likely affect other stages, but few studies focus simultaneously on multiple life-history events. We used western North American ringing records and Christmas Bird Counts to examine whether changes in migration patterns were concordant with advancing American kestrel Falco sparverius nesting phenology. Consistent with previous findings, male kestrels migrated shorter distances than female kestrels, and kestrels nesting in southern latitudes migrated shorter distances than kestrels nesting in more northern areas. In addition, kestrel migration distance decreased significantly from 1960 to 2009 and was negatively associated with winter minimum temperatures. Christmas Birds Counts from the same time period showed increasing indices of overwintering kestrel abundance in northern states (Washington, Idaho, and Utah), where winter minimum temperatures have increased significantly, and concomitant decreases in southern states (California and Arizona). Finally, changes in nesting phenology of kestrels in southwestern Idaho were best explained by warmer winters, not springs. Warmer winters may decrease energetic demands on migrants by allowing for shorter migration distances, decreasing thermoregulatory costs, or both. Decreased energy demands during winter may allow birds to gain resources necessary for reproduction earlier in the nesting season. Higher winter temperatures that decrease (former) constraints on early nesting may be a particularly important mechanism leading to advancing nesting phenology for species with strong seasonal declines in fecundity or intense early season competition for high-quality nesting areas.
Serotonin modulates olfactory processing in the antennal lobe of Drosophila.

Sensory systems must be able to extract features of environmental cues within the context of the different physiological states of the organism and often temper their activity in a state-dependent manner via the process of neuromodulation. We examined the effects of the neuromodulator serotonin on a well-characterized sensory circuit, the antennal lobe of Drosophila melanogaster, using two-photon microscopy and the genetically expressed calcium indicator, G-CaMP. Serotonin enhances sensitivity of the antennal lobe output projection neurons in an odor-specific manner. For odorants that sparsely activate the antennal lobe, serotonin enhances projection neuron responses and causes an offset of the projection neuron tuning curve, most likely by increasing projection neuron sensitivity. However, for an odorant that evokes a broad activation pattern, serotonin enhances projection neuron responses in some, but not all, glomeruli. Further, serotonin enhances the responses of inhibitory local interneurons, resulti...
Meconium ileus: A critical review of treatment and eventual prognosis

Abstract Forty-six patients with meconium ileus were treated from 1951 to 1969, of whom 23 (50%) patients died in the immediate postoperative period. Fourteen of the remaining are now alive and are 2 to 14 years of age. Long-term survival does not differ from other patients with cystic fibrosis. One-half of the patients survived to leave the hospital, one-half of the remainder succumbed to cystic fibrosis, leaving one-quarter of the total to live a reasonably normal life but under the constant regimen to which all children with cystic fibrosis must submit. The majority of these patients (24) were treated by enterotomy and hydrogen peroxide or acetylcystine irrigation.
Characterization of optical microring ultrasound detector by using a high frequency focused photoacoustic transmitter.

We characterize a response of optical microring resonator to high frequency focused ultrasound. To properly evaluate the response over high frequency and broadband spectrum, we use a photoacoustic concave transmitter generating and subsequently focusing the ultrasound. A detected focused profile reveals two types of spatial peaks due to the special ring-shaped detector geometry interacting with the high frequency focused ultrasound. Spectral analysis shows that those peaks are contributed by the main and the side lobes of focused ultrasound, respectively. Experimental focal widths agree with theoretical values within ±2 μm error, which can be attributed to the narrow width of waveguide.
On the Political Foundations of the Late Medieval Commercial Revolution: Genoa During the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries

Although the late medieval Commercial Revolution is considered to be a watershed in the economic history of Europe, the analysis of the interrelationship between political and economic systems in bringing about this period of economic growth has been neglected. This article conducts such an analysis with respect to the city of Genoa during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Viewing political institutions as self-enforcing agreements rather than as exogenous rules, I present and analyze the nature and evolution of Genoa's political systems and the relations between these systems and economic growth. T'he economic growth of northern Italy's city-states during the late medieval Commercial Revolution had a lasting impact on the economic development of Europe.' Although the economic aspects of the Commercial Revolution have been examined by Robert Sabatino Lopez and others, the political foundations of this growth, by and large, have been ignored.2 This article sheds light on the political foundations of the Commercial Revolution by examining the relations between economic incentives, political institutions, and economic growth in Genoa, one of the most important Italian city-states. The extent of an Italian city-state's sea-bound trade was determined by its "possessions" around the Mediterranean. These overseas possessions were both tangible and intangible and included ports, houses, customs agreements, legal rights, and so on. Possessions facilitated the expansion of trade by substantially reducing the risk and cost of
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING: A MODEL AND CASES FROM TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPERATING COMPANIES

Successfully managing project team composition, development, and learning are critical competencies for high-performing, innovative technology firms. This paper presents a conceptual model and two cases of cross-functional project teams working inside innovative, technology-based companies. The cases highlight the ways in which organizational structure, project team composition, team task and technology, project leadership, and context shaped the way each project team approached their task, shared knowledge and solutions, and completed their work. One team, a business process and system improvement team, was charged with designing and deploying a new system, while the second team crossed international, occupational, and functional boundaries to develop an international marketing strategy for a cross-national technology partnership. Following the cases, the paper suggests some implications for technology and innovation managers and team leaders, and proposes some questions and direction for future research.
pH Dependence of the photocycle kinetics of the E46Q mutant of photoactive yellow protein: protonation equilibrium between I1 and I2 intermediates, chromophore deprotonation by hydroxyl uptake, and protonation relaxation of the dark state.

The kinetics of the photocycle of PYP and its mutants E46Q and E46A were investigated as a function of pH. E46 is the putative donor of the chromophore which becomes protonated in the I2 intermediate. For E46Q we find that I2 is in a pH-dependent equilibrium with its precursor I1‘ with a pKa of 8.15 and n = 1. From this result and from experiments with pH indicator dyes, we conclude that in the I1‘ to I2 transition one proton is taken up from the external medium. The pKa of 8.15 is that of the surface-exposed chromophore in the equilibrium between I1‘ and I2 and is close to that of the phenolate group of p-hydroxycinnamic acid. The pH-dependent I1‘/I2 equilibrium with associated H+ uptake is reminiscent of the MI/MII equilibrium in the formation of the signaling state of rhodopsin. Well above this pKa no I2 is formed and I1‘ returns in a pH-independent manner to the initial state P. The decay rate for the return to P via I2 is between pH 4 and pH 8, exactly proportional to the hydroxide concentration (fir...
Use of the Discrete Variable Representation Basis in Nuclear Physics

The discrete variable representation (DVR) basis is nearly optimal for numerically representing wave functions in nuclear physics: Suitable problems enjoy exponential convergence, yet the Hamiltonian remains sparse. We show that one can often use smaller basis sets than with the traditional harmonic oscillator basis, and still benefit from the simple analytic properties of the DVR bases which require no overlap integrals, simply permit using various Jacobi coordinates, and admit straightforward analyses of the ultraviolet and infrared convergence properties.
The Effect of Inclusions on Densification; III, The Desintering Phenomenon

In the first two papers of this series, a model, cosistent with observations, was proposed for the densification of a ceramic powder matrix in the presence of dense inclusions. One aspect of the model concerned the breakup of grain bridges linking polycrystalline clusters. This breakup phenomenon results in the formation of large cracklike voids. The mechanism that produces this breakup phenomenon, which we called desintering, is the subject of this third paper, where we (1) present further experimental results concerning the breakup of polycrystalline bridges that undergo grain growth and (2) calculate the free energy of two evolving bridge configurations. The instability of grain bridges is shown to be a function of the grain size to bridge length ratio. That is, when the ratio exceeds a critical value, the bridge will break up, e.g., desinter, to reduce the free energy of the system. This instability condition can be independently achieved either by grain coarsening at constant bridge length or by extending the bridge length under an applied tensile stress at constant grain size.
Low order approximations in deconvolution and regression with errors in variables

Summary. We suggest two new methods, which are applicable to both deconvolution and regression with errors in explanatory variables, for nonparametric inference.The two approaches involve kernel or orthogonal series methods. They are based on defining a low order approximation to the problem at hand, and proceed by constructing relatively accurate estimators of that quantity rather than attempting to estimate the true target functions consistently. Of course, both techniques could be employed to construct consistent estimators, but in many contexts of importance (e.g. those where the errors are Gaussian) consistency is, from a practical viewpoint, an unattainable goal. We rephrase the problem in a form where an explicit, interpretable, low order approximation is available.The information that we require about the error distribution (the error-in-variables distribution, in the case of regression) is only in the form of low order moments and so is readily obtainable by a rudimentary analysis of indirect measurements of errors, e.g. through repeated measurements. In particular, we do not need to estimate a function, such as a characteristic function, which expresses detailed properties of the error distribution.This feature of our methods, coupled with the fact that all our estimators are explicitly defined in terms of readily computable averages, means that the methods are particularly economical in computing time.
A prospective study of perinatal depression and trauma history in pregnant minority adolescents.

Objective Adolescent pregnancy is common and minority adolescents are at high risk. We sought the following: (1) to prospectively assess prevalence of antenatal depression (AND) and postpartum depression (PPD) in minority adolescents and (2) to examine the association of social support and adjustment, trauma, and stress on depression status. Study Design A total of 212 pregnant adolescents were recruited from public prenatal clinics and administered a prospective research survey during pregnancy and 6 weeks' postpartum. Depression was measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were performed using logistic regression to assess predictors of AND and PPD. Results In our cohort, 20% screened positive for AND and 10% for PPD. The strongest predictor of PPD was AND (odds ratio [OR], 4.89; P P P P P P = .002), poor social adjustment ( P P P Conclusion Significant independent risk factors for PPD include AND, view of pregnancy, and social support. Trauma history was highly prevalent and strongly predicted AND and PPD. Point prevalence decreased postpartum, and this may be due to transient increased social support following the birth, warranting longer follow-up and development of appropriate interventions in future work.
Investigation of the Effects of Benomyl on Rat Nasal Mucosa

Investigation of the Effects of Benomyl on Rat Nasal Mucosa. Hurtt, M. E., Mebus, C. A., and Bogdanffy, M. S. (1993). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 21, 253-255. Benomyl [methyl 1-(butylcarbamoyl)-2-benzimidazolecarbamate, CAS Registry No. 17804-35-2] is a widely used agricultural fungicide. Previously, olfactory epithelial lesions were produced following a 45-day inhalation exposure to 50 and 200 mg/m3 benomyl. The present study, part of a range-finding study for a two-generation reproduction study, was conducted to determine if the previously reported effects on the nasal mucosa are the result of systemic toxicity or attributable to the inhalation route of exposure. Groups of 10 7-week-old male Crl:CD BR rats were fed diets containing 0, 5000, 10000, or 15000 ppm benomyl for 32 days. Individual body weights and food consumption were determined weekly and on the last day of the study. After 32 days on test, rats were euthanatized by pentobarbital anesthesia and exsanguination and were examined for gross alterations. The nasal cavity was processed for pathological examination. Mean body weight gain was statistically significantly decreased during the first week of treatment and the overall test period (Days 0-32) at the two highest dose levels. A significant decrease in food consumption also was seen during test interval Days 0-7 for the two highest dose groups. In addition, statistically significant decreases in food consumption were observed at the Day 7-14 interval for the 15,000 ppm dose group and at the 21-28 and 28-32 intervals for the two highest dose groups compared with controls. No histopathological lesions were noted in the nasal epithelium of any of the control or benomyl-treated rats. These results suggest that the nasal cavity is not a target following dietary administration of benomyl and the olfactory epithelial damage reported following inhalation exposure is specific to the route of exposure.
Human RAD9 checkpoint control/proapoptotic protein can activate transcription of p21

When human cells incur DNA damage, two fundamental responses can follow, cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. Human RAD9 (hRAD9) and p53 function in both processes, but the mechanistic relationship between their activities is unknown. p53 mediates checkpoint control at G(1) by transcriptional regulation of p21. In this report, we show that hRAD9, like p53, can also regulate p21 at the transcriptional level. We demonstrate that overexpression of hRAD9 leads to increased p21 RNA and encoded protein levels. The promoter region of p21 fused to a luciferase reporter can be transactivated by either hRAD9 or p53, indicating that hRAD9 regulates the p21 promoter for transcriptional control of expression. Using an electrophoretic mobility-shift assay, we show that hRAD9 specifically binds to a p53-consensus DNA-binding sequence in the p21 promoter. Microarray screening coupled with Northern analysis reveals that hRAD9 regulates the abundance of other messages in addition to p21. Our data reveal a previously undescribed mechanism for regulation of p21 and demonstrate that hRAD9 can control gene transcription. We suggest that hRAD9 and p53 co-regulate p21 to direct cell cycle progression by similar molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, hRAD9 might regulate other cellular processes as well by modulating transcription of multiple down-stream target genes.
The future of the red–green alliance

The red–green alliance is a manifold phenomenon whose future is connected to Western security.
Evaluating Educational Computer Games in Geography: What is the Relationship to Curriculum Requirements?

Abstract Computer games, whether accessed online or through commercial software, have learning potential in educational settings. However, alignment with national, state, or local curriculum requirements can create a barrier. The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of selected games that could be used in a sixth grade geography or social studies classroom. Analysis showed that the content of the games align with curriculum requirements set forth in the sixth grade social studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) as well as Geography for Life: National Standards in Geography (1994). This study also highlights implementation strategies that could be used with the games. With proper implementation, it is possible that the learning potential of games can be achieved in a formal classroom. Further studies should be undertaken to demonstrate this notion.
Wind‐ACE solar wind correlations, 1999: An approach through spectral analysis

[i] Solar wind correlations are investigated with a spectral analysis. We employed magnetic field and plasma data from Wind and ACE for a whole year (1999), when the interspacecraft separation varied over a wide range in all directions. We derived the amplitude ratio, coherence, and phase lag for periods between 16 and 2048 min, which allowed us to compare the dependence of the correlation on periods. The amplitude ratio lies typically between 1/2 and 2 in the whole period range, while the coherence is only large for periods longer than ∼ 128 min. When the coherence decreases at short periods the phase lag becomes random, indicating that it is hard to predict the arrival time of fluctuations over such short periods at downstream points. The power spectral density of short-period fluctuations follows a -5/3 power law variation with frequency, indicative of turbulence. The average values of the coherence depend on the spacecraft separation in the direction parallel to the Sun-Earth line as well as in the direction perpendicular to it. The coherence scale length parallel to the Sun-Earth line is estimated as 125 R E , while that perpendicular to it is 44 R E . One possible reason for this difference might be the convective effect of the solar wind.
Detectives Stories and City Life

Detective stories take place mainly in two settings, constantly changing, many faceted big cities filled with strangers, and stable, fairly homogeneous, innocent small towns whose members know one another. The differences in each clarify the qualities of the other. In solving the mystery of the small town, the detective provides moral instruction and restores the town’s innocence. In solving the mystery in the big city the detective reveals the city as part of the mystery and provides the reader with temporary orientation to the city. Mysteries have grown with the growth of the cities and now appear in every country of the world.
The solution of axisymmetric problems near singular points and computation of stress intensity factors

The computation of the stress intensity factors for axially symmetric domains, in the vicinity of singular points in the framework of linear elastostatics, is presented. It is shown that the decomposition of the solution in the neighborhood of any singular point, in an axisymmetric domain, is identical to the decomposition corresponding to plane strain condition, and an extraction vector, to be used in conjunction with the contour integral method and the p-version of the finite element method, is developed for crack singularities. Although the contour integral is shown to be path dependent for axisymmetric 2-D domains, in the limiting case it is valid for the computation of the crack stress intensity factors. Numerical examples support our analysis, extending the application of the superconvergent contour integral in conjunction with the p-version of the finite element method to the axisymmetric crack case.
Relationship Between Optic Nerve Appearance and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness as Explored with Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.

PURPOSE To study the relationship between the appearance of the optic nerve and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness determined by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS Records from patients with spectral domain-OCT imaging in a neuro-ophthalmology practice were reviewed. Eyes with glaucoma/glaucoma suspicion, macular/optic nerve edema, pseudophakia, and with refractive errors > 6D were excluded. Optic nerve appearance by slit lamp biomicroscopy was related to the RNFL thickness by spectral domain-OCT and to visual field results. RESULTS Ninety-one patients (176 eyes; mean age: 49 ± 15 years) were included. Eighty-three eyes (47%) showed optic nerve pallor; 89 eyes (50.6%) showed RNFL thinning (sectoral or average peripapillary). Average peripapillary RNFL thickness in eyes with pallor (mean ± SD = 76 ± 17 μm) was thinner compared to eyes without pallor (91 ± 14 μm, P < 0.001). Optic nerve pallor predicted RNFL thinning with a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 75%. Optic nerve appearance predicted RNFL thinning (with a sensitivity and specificity of 81%) when RNFL had thinned by ∼ 40%. Most patients with pallor had RNFL thinning with (66%) or without (25%) visual field loss; the remainder had normal RNFL and fields (5%) or with visual field abnormalities (4%). CONCLUSIONS Optic nerve pallor as a predictor of RNFL thinning showed fair sensitivity and specificity, although it is optimally sensitive/specific only when substantial RNFL loss has occurred. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE Finding an acceptable relationship between the optic nerve appearance by ophthalmoscopy and spectral domain-OCT RNFL measures will help the clinician's interpretation of the information provided by this technology, which is gaining momentum in neuro-ophthalmic research.
High diastereoselection in the claisen rearrangement of enantiomerically pure butyrolactones

Abstract The Claisen rearrangement permits the stereoselective formation of butyrolactone 5b,c or 13b,c through the utilization of enantiomeric lactone 1a and enantiomeric alcohols 2b , ent- 2b , 2c , and ent- 2c .
The traditional scholarly journal publishers legitimize the Web

This article examines the entry of the major academic publishing houses into World Wide Web (Web) publishing. The study identified that during 1997, traditional academic publishers made significant commitments to putting tables of content, abstracts, and the full-text of their print journals on the Web (FirstSearch Electronic Colelctions Online, Catchword; IDEAL, Elsevier, JSTOR, Institute of Physics, MUSE). At the same time, new services and organizations emerged that could ultimately compete with, or eliminate, the need for certain segments of the industry. The authors suggest that these early experiments in Web publishing began unevenly with areas that needed improvement. The article concludes with a discussion about the implications of the traditional academic publisher's presence on the Web.
Medullary thyroid cancer: Are practice patterns in the united states discordant from american thyroid association guidelines?

Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), with long-term patient outcomes associated with adequacy of resection. This study benchmarked national practice patterns against 2009 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines for MTC regarding use of thyroidectomy, lymphadenectomy, radioactive iodine (RAI), and external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT). This is a cross-sectional, retrospective cohort study of MTC patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database, 1973 to 2006. ATA recommendations 61 to 66 (extent of surgery), 85 (RAI), and 93 (EBRT) were analyzed. Outcome of interest was practice accordance with these recommendations. Predictors of accordance were determined and Kaplan–Meier survival analyses were performed. A total of 2033 patients with MTC were identified. Fifty-nine percent were women; 78% were white. Forty-one percent of patients did not receive appropriate surgical therapy (recommendations 61 to 63). Most patients with distant metastatic disease had less aggressive surgery and more EBRT (P 65, female sex, earlier year of diagnosis (1988 to 1997), geographic region, intrathyroidal tumor extent, and tumor size of ≤1 cm. Patients receiving surgery discordant with recommendations had shorter survival than those receiving surgery according to recommendations (P < 0.05). Variation in practice patterns exist in the United States with regard to extent of surgery and lymphadenectomy for MTC. Dissemination of standardized guidelines is important to ensure optimal treatment with less variation in quality of care.
Graphene/Phase Change Material Nanocomposites: Light-Driven, Reversible Electrical Resistivity Regulation via Form-Stable Phase Transitions

Innovative photoresponsive materials are needed to address the complexity of optical control systems. Here, we report a new type of photoresponsive nanomaterial composed of graphene and a form-stable phase change material (PCM) that exhibited a 3 orders of magnitude change in electrical resistivity upon light illumination while retaining its overall original solid form at the macroscopic level. This dramatic change in electrical resistivity also occurred reversibly through the on/off control of light illumination. This was attributed to the reversible phase transition (i.e., melting/recrystallization) behavior of the microscopic crystalline domains present in the form-stable PCM. The reversible phase transition observed in the graphene/PCM nanocomposite was induced by a reversible temperature change through the on/off control of light illumination because graphene can effectively absorb light energy and convert it to thermal energy. In addition, this graphene/PCM nanocomposite also possessed excellent mec...
Near-Infrared Surface Plasmon Resonance Measurements of Ultrathin Films. 1. Angle Shift and SPR Imaging Experiments

The application of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements to the study of ultrathin organic and inorganic films adsorbed onto gold surfaces utilizing near-infrared (NIR) excitation from 800 to 1152 nm is described. SPR scanning angle measurements of film thickness are demonstrated at 814 and 1152 nm using low-power diode and HeNe laser sources, respectively. Several advantages of SPR in the NIR are noted. The in situ reflectivity versus angle of incidence curves sharpen greatly (as compared to 632.8 nm) at longer wavelengths so that there is no loss in sensitivity in the measurement of film thickness despite a doubling of the excitation wavelength. The sharper resonance and longer wavelengths also allow for the measurement of thicker films. Examples of SPR thickness measurements for self-assembled alkanethiol monolayers and composite biopolymer/SiO2 nanoparticle electrostatic multilayer films are given. SPR imaging experiments are also performed at various NIR wavelengths using an incoherent white l...
An Advanced TALSPEAK Concept Using 2-Ethylhexylphosphonic Acid Mono-2-Ethylhexyl Ester as the Extractant

A method for separating the trivalent actinides and lanthanides is being developed using 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (HEH[EHP]) as the extractant. The method is based on the preferential binding of the actinides in the aqueous phase by N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine-N,N’,N’-triacetic acid (HEDTA), which serves to keep the actinides in the aqueous phase while the lanthanides are extracted into an organic phase containing HEH[EHP]. The process is very robust, showing little dependence upon the pH or the HEH[EHP], HEDTA, and citrate concentrations over the ranges that might be expected in a nuclear fuel recycling plant. Single-stage runs with a 2-cm centrifugal contactor indicate that modifications to the process chemistry may be needed to increase the extraction rate for Sm, Eu, and Gd. The hydraulic properties of the system are favorable to application in centrifugal contactors.
Quantum interference devices fabricated using molecular-beam epitaxy and ultra-high-resolution electron-beam lithography

Summary form only given. The authors have fabricated various new lateral quantum interference devices (QIDs) using molecular-beam epitaxy and ultra-high-resolution electron-beam lithography and have observed conductance oscillations in these devices. These QIDs have a structure which is similar to that of a conventional MODFET, except for the gate(s), which consists of various nanometer patterns instead of a plain gate. The gate nanometer patterns create electrostatic potential barriers and well(s) in the channel. At low temperatures, as the electron mean-free path approaches or becomes longer than the gate length, quantum interference of the electron wave with the barriers and wells results in the formation of quasi-bound states or subbands, and, as a result, the conductance oscillates as either the gate voltage or the source-drain voltage is scanned. Several novel QIDs are presented with emphasis on a new lateral quantum box transistor (LQBFET), which has a railway track gate. >
Social Control in Applied Social Science: A Study of Evaluative Researchers' Conformity to Technical Norms

Abstract This paper is a preliminary exploration of the relationship between social factors, and conformity to a set of prescribed methodological norms in applied social science. Focusing our attention on evaluative research, we seek to estimate how variation in type and nature of research sponsorship, research context, and researcher relationship with sponsor and host affect reported conformity to methodological prescriptions. Analyzing the self-reported responses of 152 evaluative researchers to a mail questionnaire, we find: (a) that conformity to methodological prescriptions is very variable among evaluative researchers: (b) that the social factors here examined seem to affect systematically the degree of conformity; (c) that while no single social factor has a large net effect on conformity, simultaneously occurring values seem more conducive to conformity, i.e., characteristics associated with our “academic model” are correlated with reported higher conformity, whereas characteristics associated with our “entrepreneurial model” are correlated with reported lower conformity. Our findings suggest that, while traditional social control mechanisms increase the likelihood of adherence to methodological prescriptions for those whose work fits or resembles the “academic model,” when the model of work moves toward the “entrepreneurial” type, reported conformity decreases with the absence of those traditional mechanisms of social control. Insofar as the “entrepreneurial model” is increasingly becoming the predominant work model in applied social science, our findings suggest that future research should seek to explain variation in conformity among the “entrepreneurs” and to explore the variety of means by which to increase conformity within this model.
Responsibility, reciprocity, and social distance in help-giving: An experimental investigation of english social class differences ☆

Abstract As a partial replication of an experiment with American male adolescents, an experiment was conducted with 192 white teenage volunteers from the state schools in Oxford, England. The subjects, who came from either bureaucratic middle-class or working-class families, had an opportunity to help a peer after they themselves had received great or little assistance when they were in need of help. This other person was either the same, or not the same, person they had encountered earlier and, supposedly, was from either a middle-class or a working-class background. As in the American study, the help-giving by the bureaucratic middle-class subjects was relatively unaffected by the level of assistance they had received earlier, and these boys were said to display a responsibility orientation. Unlike their American counterparts, however, the Oxford working-class boys tended to exhibit a strong reciprocity orientation in that their help-giving was greatly affected by the level of help they had gotten earlier. These reciprocity tendencies were most pronounced when the person the boys could help came from a different social-class level. It is suggested that the American group possessing the strongest reciprocity orientation (boys from entrepreneurial middle-class families) showed essentially similar behavior. Finally, the work for the dependent person did not parallel liking for him in cither the responsibility-oriented bureaucratic middle-class group or in the reciprocity-oriented working-class group.
Evidence for Orbital Dispersion in the Fragmentation of O 16 at 90 and 120 MeV/Nucleon

The parallel- and transverse-momentum distributions have been measured for fragments of $Zg~3$ produced by the fragmentation of $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ at 90 and 120 MeV/nucleon. A strong anisotropy is observed with ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{p\ensuremath{\perp}}\ensuremath{\approx}200$ MeV/c for all fragments, which can be explained by considering the dispersion due to orbital deflection of the projectile prior to breakup.
α-Isopropylmalate synthase from Salmonella typhimurium Carboxypeptidase digestion studies of parent and feedback-insensitive enzymes

Abstract α-Isopropylmalate synthase was purified from Salmonella typhimurium strains CV123 and CV241. The enzyme from the latter strain is relatively insensitive to feedback inhibition by leucine due to a mutation at the extreme operator-distal end of leuA . The amino acid composition of the enzymes from both strains were very similar. Carboxypeptidase A treatment of the wild-type enzyme from strain CV123 released 1.21 moles of valine per 47 500 g of protein. Digestion with a mixture of carboxypeptidase A and carboxypeptidase B established-Ala-Arg-(Lys,Arg)-Val-COOH as the sequence of amino acids at the carboxyl-terminal end of the enzyme. Similar studies established the sequence-Ala-Arg-Lys-COOH for the feedback-insensitive enzyme. The simplest interpretation of these studies is that the feedback-insensitive enzyme differs from the parent enzyme in lacking the penultimate arginine and COOH terminal valine residues.
Lower lip displacement during in-vivo stimulation of human labial muscles

Abstract Displacement was measured at the lower lip midline and the corner of the mouth during direct electrical stimulation of labial muscles. Trains of electrical stimuli were delivered through hooked-wire electrodes to produce tetanic contractions in depressor labii inferior, mentalis, orbicularis oris inferior and depressor anguli oris. Stimulation of mentalis moved the lip superiorly and anteriorly, and depressor labii inferior stimulation produced movement in the opposite direction. When stimulated at a lateral electrode placement, orbicularis oris inferior moved the midline of the lip superiorly and posteriorly. Stimulation of orbicularis oris inferior at the midline produced wrinkling of the skin in and around the vermilion of the lip. The major influence of depressor anguli oris stimulation was a large inferior movement at the corner of the mouth. The movements measured during stimulation were very similar to those observed previously during electromyographic activity of mentalis and depressor labii inferior ( Archs oral Biol. 23 , 189–194).
Low-temperature deposition of diamond films for optical coatings

A low‐temperature (≊400 °C) plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition process has been developed to grow diamond films for optical coatings application. Films with fine grains (≤3000 A) have been obtained by controlling diamond nucleation. The surface roughness of the films is on the order of 50–200 A. The optical transparency of the films is over 60% in the range 0.6–2 μm wavelength, which is comparable to that of Type IIa natural diamond. Using a block‐on ring tribotester, it is found that the diamond films adhere well to quartz substrates.
Discovery Channel Telescope software key technologies

The Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) is a 4.3-meter astronomical research telescope being built in northern Arizona as a partnership between Discovery Communications and Lowell Observatory. The project software team has designed and partially implemented a component-based system. We describe here the key features of that design (state-based components that respond to signals) and detail specific implementation technologies we expect to be of most interest: examples of the Command Pattern, State Pattern, and XML-based configuration file handling using LabVIEW classes and shared variables with logging and alarming features.