cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surface Electrolyte Interphase Control on Magnetite, Fe3O4, Electrodes: Impact on Electrochemistry

In battery systems, a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is formed through electrolyte reaction on an electrode surface. The formation of SEI can have both positive and negative effects on electrochemistry. The initial formation of the layer protects the electrode from further reactivity, which can improve both shelf and cycle life. However, if the layer continues to form, it can impede charge transfer, which increases cell resistance and limits cycle life. The role of SEI is particularly important when studying conversion electrodes, since phase transformations which unveil new electroactive surfaces during reduction/oxidation can facilitate electrolyte decomposition. This manuscript highlights recent developments in the understanding and control of SEI formation for magnetite (Fe3O4) conversion electrodes through electrolyte and electrode modification.
Magnetic and Thermodynamic Properties of The 3-D Anderson Lattice Hamiltonian

Tight -binding models capture many of the qualitative features of interaction induced effects in solids. For example, the simplest such model, the single band Hubbard Hamiltonian, [1]describes the “Mott” insulating phase which occurs in correlated systems, despite the fact that the one electron band is nominally only half--filled, as well as the tendency Cowards magnetic order. Both phenomena occur in the transition metal oxides. The Periodic Anderson Model (PAM) is a step towards incorporating more complex orbital structure. [2]It contains a pair of orbitals on each site-a de-localized conduction band and a set of highly correlated, localized states. The PAM successfully describes conditions for transitions between antiferromagnetic order of the local moments and phases in which these moments are quenched into singlets paired with conduction electrons. [3] These phenomena are central to heavy fermion systems. [4] The pressure induced volume collapse in Ce has also been attributed to Kondo-like quenching of the local f moments in this metal, as has been discussed in the context of the impurity Anderson Model. [5]
Pathophysilogical mechanism and treatment strategies for leber congenital amaurosis

Mutations in retinoid isomerase, RPE65, or lecithin-retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) disrupt 11-cis-retinal recycling and cause Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), the most severe retinal dystrophy in early childhood. We used Lrat −/−, a murine model for LCA, to investigate the mechanism of rapid cone degeneration. We found that mislocalized M-opsin was degraded whereas mislocalized S-opsin accumulated in Lrat −/− cones before the onset of massive ventral/central cone degeneration. Since the ventral and central retina expresses higher levels of S-opsin than the dorsal retina in mice, our results may explain why ventral and central cones degenerate more rapidly than dorsal cones in Rpe65 −/− and Lrat −/− LCA models. In addition, human blue opsin and mouse S-opsin, but not mouse M-opsin or human red/green opsins, aggregated to form cytoplasmic inclusions in transfected cells, which may explain why blue cone function is lost earlier than red/green-cone function in LCA patients. The aggregation of short-wavelength opsins likely caused rapid cone degenerations through an ER stress pathway as demonstrated in both the Lrat −/− retina and transfected cells. Based on this mechanism, we designed a new therapy of LCA by reducing ER stress. We found that systemic injection of an ER chemical chaperone, tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), is effective in reducing ER stress, preventing apoptosis, and preserving cones in Lrat −/− mice.
Women in K-12 Educational Administration: A Synthesis of Dissertation Research.

One part of the literature concerning women in educational administration that is frequently overlooked is the dissertation research. The purpose of this study is to examine the dissertation resear...
The Allometry of Reproductive Allocation

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on reproductive allocation (RA) and its relation to plant size, assessed as a vegetative dry mass. It aims to (1) describe how allometric theory can be applied to the concept of RA, (2) determine whether RA is correlated with Darwinian fitness by presenting data for a few annual and perennial species, (3) explore how development impacts the allometry of reproductive modules in some detail for an annual plant, (4) show how the allocation of biomass to a single propagule (here termed reproductive expenditure) may be useful in allometric research because it is commonly negatively related to plant size, (5) review the allometry literature to determine whether any generalizations can be made regarding plant life history and the allometry of RA, and (6) use path analysis to explore the functional components of allometry by examination of the interrelationships among root, stem, and leaf mass and RA, and the indirect effects of other traits on vegetative mass.
Preventive Strategies with Children and Families

Although the chapters in this volume attest to the rapid development of more effective assessment and treatment procedures for a wide range of childhood problems and disorders, these innovations continue to face the same problems of more traditional approaches. That is, it is very costly to treat any recalcitrant problem or disorder, and the “reach” of any psychotherapy intervention (either behavioral or more traditional therapy) is severely limited by the nature of that treatment modality (Rappaport & Chinsky, 1974). For at least two decades, mental health practitioners have been well aware of these limitations and have been urged to develop and implement preventive programs. In fact, prevention was supposed to be a key aspect of community mental health centers as they were implemented in 1963 (Kennedy, 1963).
Raging Against the Enlightenment: The Ideology of Steven Bannon

The ideology of Steven Bannon is not a reflection of today’s social problems and strains, but a contemporary version of a centuries-long culture structure. The ideology emerged in nineteenth-century reactions to the Enlightenment and its progressive carrier groups, and it was radicalized in the anti-democratic cultural and political movements of European Fascism in the century that followed. Enraged by the steady, if incremental, progress of American liberalism, Bannon is less a conservative in the traditionalist mode of Burke or Oakeshott than a radical hell bent on revolutionary, reactionary change. Simplistic binary structures trigger the othering pollution that marks Bannon’s ideology, and an apocalyptic sensibility narrates these binaries as a struggle to the death between good and evil. Bannon brought Trump’s failing campaign from ashes to victory, and he guided Trump’s most controversial policies during the first year of his presidency. After Bannon left the administration, he emerged not only as the most visible and influential ideological activist of Trumpism, but as the master strategist of the hard right’s political campaign to undermine the American civil sphere.
Pockets of Weakness in Strong Institutions: Post-Marketing Regulation, Psychopharmaceutical Drugs, and Medical Autonomy, 1938–1982

A central question in the study of health politics and policy is the degree to which the state can shape American medicine. This long-standing debate began amid early battles over health insurance and continues through the contemporary opioid epidemic. Unlike recent and post–Affordable Care Act claims emphasizing the federal government's strong ability to intervene in healthcare marketplaces, this article supports claims of medicine's autonomy from political intervention, drawing on an extensive analysis of recurrent, halting, and largely unsuccessful efforts to regulate popular psychopharmaceutical drugs from the 1940s through the 1980s. I first develop an account of a “pocket of weakness,” the post-marketing pharmaceutical regulatory process, in an otherwise strong institution, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). I then demonstrate how this regulatory structure, interacting with policymakers’ incentives, caused constrained responses, inaction, and drift. Amid concerns about misuse, overuse, abuse, side effects, and addiction, regulators and legislators found it difficult to restrict access to or disincentivize the prescription and consumption of problematic therapeutics, in spite of their varied and repeated regulatory efforts. This elaboration of a pocket of weakness has important theoretical implications for historical institutionalist scholarship that principally focuses on state strength. This account also has substantive implications for scholarship on health politics and policy, mental health treatment, and the political causes of medicalization, and can help explain the opioid epidemic's emergence, potential trajectory, and circumscribed solution set.
Continuing Presence of Discarded Bodies: Occupational Harm, Necro-Activism, and Living Justice

This essay explores the coexistence of struggles against the foreclosure of disabled people’s lives and against occupational illness, debilitation, and deaths caused by the manufacturing process of electronics in South Korea. Starting from the two activist campsites set up in Seoul and the historical backgrounds of occupational health movement, I draw on two documentary films, The Empire of Shame (2014) and Factory Complex (2015), that depict workers who became ill and those who died due to toxic exposure at semiconductor manufacturing plants. Beyond commemoration, necro-activism emerges in the form of persistent involvements of dead bodies, mourning, and objects representing death as important agents for making claims for justice. Taking into account political and historical differences of locations in which disabled people are positioned differently in the global order redirects us from the language of worth toward sociality, collective reframing of suffering and disability, and justice as an ongoing practice of everyday life and afterlife.
A rare observation of White-collared Swift ( Streptoprocne zonaris ) breeding activity on Hispaniola

Abstract: The White-collared Swift (Streptoprocne zonaris) has long been considered a common resident of Hispaniola. However, its breeding status on the island is poorly documented, and we are aware of only three previously described nesting sites on the island. Here, we describe an observation of apparent breeding activity of the White-collared Swift from La Reserva Cientifica Ebano Verde in the Dominican Republic and provide recommendations for improving our knowledge of this species in Hispaniola and throughout the Caribbean. Keywords: aerial insectivore, Apodidae, Caribbean, conservation, Ebano Verde Resumen: Rara observacion de actividad de cria del Vencejo de Collar (Streptoprocne zonaris) en La Espanola—El Vencejo de Collar (Streptoprocne zonaris) ha sido considerado, durante largo tiempo, un residente comun de La Espanola. Sin embargo, su estatus reproductivo en la isla no esta bien documentado, y solo sabemos de tres sitios de cria descritos previamente en la isla. En este articulo describimos la observacion de una aparente actividad de cria del Vencejo de Collar en La Reserva Cientifica Ebano Verde en la Republica Dominicana y brindamos recomendaciones para incrementar nuestro conocimiento sobre esta especie en La Espanola y el Caribe. Palabras clave: Apodidae, Caribe, conservacion, Ebano Verde, insectivoro aereo Resume: Une observation rare de l’activite de reproduction du Martinet a collier blanc (Streptoprocne zonaris) a Hispaniola—Le Martinet a collier blanc (Streptoprocne zonaris) a longtemps ete considere comme une espece sedentaire commune a Hispaniola. Cependant, son statut de reproduction sur l’ile est peu documente et seuls trois sites de nidification y ont ete precedemment decrits. Nous decrivons ici l’observation d’une probable activite de reproduction du Martinet a collier blanc sur La Reserva Cientifica Ebano Verde en Republique dominicaine, et formulons des recommandations pour l’amelioration des connaissances sur cette espece a Hispaniola et dans les Caraibes. Mots cles: Apodidae, Caraibes, conservation, Ebano Verde, insectivore aerien
Stock market trading simulations: Assessing the impact on student learning

In higher education, business students with different learning styles may not all respond successfully to a straight lecture format. The authors analyze the impact that an experiential learning act...
The case for a tortoise approach to US nuclear research and development

Abstract The future role of nuclear power in decarbonization of the US electricity grid is uncertain. Large light water plants have proven challenging to deploy, and the existing nuclear fleet is under market pressure. A new cadre of developers, supported by the US Department of Energy, is pressing for an accelerated path to deployment of new nuclear designs to address the climate challenge and maintain the nuclear industrial base. However, an examination of market dynamics and the ongoing pace of low carbon technology transition portend significant challenges for these vendors. Our analysis indicates that the current advanced reactor research and development paradigm is unlikely to yield multiple technology options in a timeframe that matters and argues for a slower and steadier “tortoise” approach. Using an optimization model we demonstrate that a slower, structured approach across a broad portfolio of technologies will better align nuclear development with a possible mid-century market opening. By allowing additional development time, building multiple demonstration plants, and operating these new designs for extended periods, it is more likely that there will be competitive technologies that can meet the future economic and technical requirements for widespread nuclear deployment should the technology be required in decarbonization efforts.
Design framework for high-speed 3D scanning tools and development of an axial focusing micromirror-based array

Rapid 3D optical scanning of points or patterned light is widely employed across applications in microscopy, material processing, adaptive optics and surveying. Despite this broadness in applicability, embodiments of 3D scanning tools may vary considerably as a result of the specific performance needs of each application. We present here a micromirror arraybased modular framework for the systemic design of such high-speed scanning tools. Our framework combines a semicustom commercial fabrication process with a comprehensive simulation pipeline in order to optimally reconfigure pixel wiring schemes across specific applications for the efficient allocation of available degrees of freedom. As a demonstration of this framework and to address existing bottlenecks in axial focusing, we produced a 32-ring concentric micromirror array capable of performing random-access focusing for wavelengths of up to 1040 nm at a response rate of 8.75 kHz. By partitioning the rings into electrostatically driven piston-mode pixels, we are able to operate the array through simple openloop 30 V drive, minimizing insertion complexity, and to ensure stable operation by preventing torsional failure and curling from stress. Furthermore, by taking advantage of phase-wrapping and the 32 degrees of freedom afforded by the number of independently addressable rings, we achieve good axial resolvability across the tool’s operating range with an axial fullwidth- half-maximum to range ratio of 3.5% as well as the ability to address focus depth-dependent aberrations resulting from the optical system or sample under study.
Adaptive Force-based Control for Legged Robots.

In this paper, we present a novel methodology to introduce adaptive control for force-based control systems, with application to legged robots. In our approach, the reference model is based on the quadratic program force control. We evaluate our proposed control design on a high-fidelity physical simulation of LASER, a dynamic quadruped robot. Our proposed method guarantees input-to-state stability and is successfully validated for the problem of quadruped robots walking on rough terrain while carrying unknown and time-varying loads.
Patient Comorbidities Drive High Mortality Rates Associated with Major Liver Resections Irrespective of Hospital Volume.

INTRODUCTION Major hepatectomies are utilized to manage primary hepatic malignancies. Reports from high-volume centers (HVCs) with minimal perioperative mortality focus on multiple aspects of perioperative care, although patient-specific factors remain unelucidated. We identified patient factors associated with outcomes and examined whether these contribute to survival differences. METHODS We queried the National Cancer Database (2006-2015) for patients with primary liver malignancies managed with major hepatectomy. Facilities were dichotomized by volume (high volume: >15 hepatectomies/year). Perioperative outcomes were compared based on patient demographic and clinical characteristics as well as center volume. RESULTS 4263 patients were included with 78.5% receiving care in low-volume centers (LVCs). 90-day postoperative mortality was higher in LVCs vs. HVCs (12% vs. 7.5%; P 1 (P = .014). Patients with CDS ≤ 1 had higher 90-day mortality in LVCs (11.3% vs. 6.6%; P 1 were more likely to receive care in LVCs (16.3% vs. 12.7%; P < .001). CONCLUSION Reduced perioperative mortality following major hepatectomy in HVCs is driven by optimal management of patients with low CDS. However, nearly 1 in 5 patients who undergo major hepatectomies have a high CDS and approximately 15% of them succumb in the perioperative period irrespective of the treating centers' experience.
Meckel's Diverticulum with Dieulafoy's Lesion: A Cause of Severe Hematochezia.

BACKGROUND Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is a remnant of the omphalomesenteric duct. Although the majority of MD are asymptomatic, it can present with severe hematochezia. Hematochezia is generally considered to result from a peptic ulcer caused by ectopic gastric mucosa in MD. However, this hypothesis has not been proved. METHODS 10 cases of surgically resected MD initially presenting with severe hematochezia were histologically examined. RESULTS Ectopic gastric mucosa was present in 9 cases, two of which also contained ectopic pancreas. No ectopic tissue was found in one case, which shows that bleeding can occur in MD without ectopic gastric mucosa. In addition, a rupture of aberrant submucosal arterioles through the overlying mucosa, a vascular abnormality called Dieulafoy's lesion, was detected in all the 10 cases. CONCLUSION This study suggests that the actual cause of massive bleeding in MD is not a peptic ulcer, but Dieulafoy's lesion.
An Interstate Compact to End the Economic Development Subsidy Arms Race

Targeted economic development subsidies do not work as advertised. In fact, the balance of economic theory and empirical evidence suggests that they are more likely to undermine development than to enhance it. Yet policymakers face strong incentives to continue to offer subsidies. Because subsidies are economically costly but politically valuable, they create a situation similar to a prisoner’s dilemma. An interstate compact offers a solution by changing the political payoffs. Importantly, interstate compacts enable policymakers to credibly commit to ending what many already see as a race to the bottom. Ending the mutually destructive subsidy war would allow state and local governments to repurpose up to $95 billion annually to tax relief and other projects with better payoffs.
Querying moving objects with uncertainty in spatio-temporal databases

Spatio-temporal uncertainty is a special feature of moving objects due to the inability of precisely capturing or predicting their continuously changing locations. Indeterminate locations of moving objects at time instants add uncertainty to their topological relationships. Spatio-temporal uncertainty is important in many applications, for example, to determine whether two moving objects could possibly meet. Previous approaches, such as the 3D cylinder model and the space-time prism model have been proposed to study the spatio-temporal uncertainty. However, topological relationships between uncertain moving objects have been rarely studied and defined formally. In this paper, we propose a model called pendant model, which captures the uncertainty of moving objects and represents it in a databases context. As an important part of this model, we define a concept called spatio-temporal uncertainty predicate (STUP) which expresses the development of topological relationships between moving objects with uncertainty as a binary predicate. The benefit of this approach is that the predicates can be used as selection conditions in query languages and integrated into databases. We show their use by query examples. We also give an efficient algorithm to compute an important STUP.
Interval Censored Survival Data: A Review of Recent Progress

We review estimation in interval censoring models, including nonparametric estimation of a distribution function and estimation of regression models. In the nonparametric setting, we describe computational procedures and asymptotic properties of the nonparametric maximum likelihood estimators. In the regression setting, we focus on the proportional hazards, the proportional odds and the accelerated failure time semiparametric regression models. Particular emphasis is given to calculation of the Fisher information for the regression parameters. We also discuss computation of the regression parameter estimators via profile likelihood or maximization of the semiparametric likelihood, distributional results for the maximum likelihood estimators, and estimation of (asymptotic) variances. Some further problems and open questions are also reviewed.
Thermal-aware energy-efficient task scheduling for DVFS-enabled data centers

In this paper we study the problem of optimal task scheduling that minimizes the computation and AC energy consumption of a data center. Different from existing studies that assume a linear relationship between computation power consumption and CPU frequency, our model considers a nonlinear cube-function computation power model. Compared with the linear model, this model better describes the behavior of the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technology that has been widely supported by modern CPUs to improve their energy efficiency. Moreover, our optimization formulation explicitly accounts for the heterogeneous thermal correlation among different servers in the data center, so that tasks are carefully scheduled to offset the spatially-uneven temperature distribution caused by the heterogeneity of thermal correlation. This process makes the AC cooling efficiency better. We show that the energy-efficient task scheduling under the above settings can be formulated as a mixed-integer convex (MIC) optimization problem, in which approximate solution can be computed efficiently. Extensive simulations are conducted to verify the energy benefit of the proposed optimization by comparing with those proposed in previous studies.
Improved Adsorption to Starch of a β-Galactosidase Fusion Protein Containing the Starch-Binding Domain from Aspergillus Glucoamylase

We have previously shown (Chen et al., 1991) that a beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) fusion protein (BSB133) containing 133 amino acids (aa) from the C-terminus of Aspergillus glucoamylase (GA) adsorbs strongly to starch compared to beta-gal, due to the presence of the GA starch-binding domain. We have now made deletions at the N-terminus of this 133-aa region to test the minimal size required for starch binding of beta-gal fusion proteins. Three fusion proteins (BSB119, BSB103, and BSB80) were genetically engineered, containing 119, 103, and 80 C-terminal aa from GA, respectively. The fusion proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Purified BSB119 adsorbed to native starch at least 2-fold more strongly than did BSB133 or fusion proteins with shorter tails. Adsorption isotherms generated over a wide range of initial concentrations indicated a 10-fold difference in the loading capacity of starch for BSB119 (36.5 mg of protein/g of starch) compared to beta-gal (3.7 mg of protein/g of starch). Adsorption constants calculated from the initial slopes of the isotherms indicated a nearly 30-fold difference in affinity to starch for BSB119 (Kad = 63 mL/g of starch) compared to beta-gal (Kad = 2.3 mL/g of starch). BSB119 in the presence of crude enzyme extracts also bound to starch with a high affinity compared to a beta-gal control. Potential applications of the starch-binding tail include enzyme immobilization to starch or recovery and purification of target proteins from crude extracts.
A Fuzzy Rule Based Docking Procedure for Two Moving Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

A fuzzy logic control system is described which allows an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to safely dock with another moving umderwater vehicle. The fuzzy logic controller's rulebase recursively drives the docking vehicle towards intermediate fuzzy targets that will put the vehicle in an increasingly better position from which docking is more achievable. A six degree of freedom non-linear model of the Ocean Voyager dynamics is used to test the performance of an AUV under fuzzy control. The imaginary docking collar is fixed to a simple, moving model of a 688 Los Angeles Class submarine. Docking is then attempted from any position around the submarine. Models of uncertainties in vehicle position sensing turbulence and hull suction effects are also included.
MOLECULAR CLONING AND FUNCTIONAL EXPRESSION OF HUMAN DEOXYHYPUSINE SYNTHASE CDNA BASED ON EXPRESSED SEQUENCE TAG INFORMATION

Deoxyhypusine synthase is an NAD(+)-dependent enzyme that catalyses the formation of a deoxyhypusine residue on the eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) precursor by transferring an aminobutyl moiety from spermidine to the epsilon-amino group of a unique lysine residue. We have recently cloned and characterized the Neurospora crassa deoxyhypusine synthase cDNA using a reverse genetics approach. A GenBank search showed that a stretch of the deduced amino acid sequence (96 amino acids) of Neurospora deoxyhypusine synthase matches a short human expressed sequence tag (EST), {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"Z25337","term_id":"396018","term_text":"Z25337"}}Z25337, with greater than 70% amino acid identity. Gene-specific primers based on this EST were used together with universal primers to obtain 1219 bp and 1078 bp cDNAs from a human cDNA library. The 1219 bp and 1078 bp sequences, each containing an open reading frame, encode polypeptides of respectively 368 and 321 amino acids. The short sequence is identical to the long one except that it is missing a stretch of 47 amino acids spanning residues 261-307. The 368-amino-acid sequence of human deoxyhypusine synthase shares a high degree of identity ( > 50%) and similarity ( > 60%) with that of the Neurospora and yeast deoxyhypusine synthases. After cloning into an expression vector, the 368-amino-acid recombinant protein exhibits high deoxyhypusine synthase activity. In contrast, the 321-amino-acid recombinant protein shows no detectable activity.
Standards of laboratory practice: evaluation of fetal lung maturity

In this standard of laboratory practice I recommend guidelines for fetal lung maturity (FLM) testing. If possible, obtain a 10-mL uncontaminated sample by amniocentesis. Keep the amniotic fluid at 4 degrees C and mix well before testing. If centrifugation is required, strictly adhere to the protocol. Most laboratories should offer a rapid test, such as fluorescence polarization, phosphatidylglycerol, or foam stability index, daily on both a routine and emergency basis. Requests for lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio may be referred to a reference laboratory. Communicate immediately the results of any FLM test to the ordering location. The report should contain the result, sample contamination, and reference information. Separate reference intervals for diabetic patients are not recommended.
Pattern perception at high velocities

Abstract Background When objects are stationary, human pattern vision is exquisitely acute. A number of studies show, however, that Vernier acuity for lines is greatly impaired when the target velocity exceeds about 5 deg sec −1 . The degradation of line Vernier acuity under image motion appears to be a consequence of a shift in the spatial scale of analysis to low spatial frequencies. If correct, this implies that Vernier acuity may not be subject to a strict velocity limit, and that with appropriate low spatial frequency stimuli, Vernier acuity might be preserved at high velocities. To test this notion, we measured Vernier acuity and contrast discrimination using low spatial frequency periodic gratings drifting over a wide range of velocities. Results Vernier acuity and contrast discrimination for low spatial frequency periodic gratings are both possible at velocities as high as 1000 deg sec −1 . When both are specified in the same units (as Weber fractions), Vernier acuities are closely predicted by the observers' contrast discrimination thresholds. Our results suggest that Vernier acuity is subject to a spatiotemporal limit, rather than to a strict velocity limit. At temporal frequencies less than about 10 Hertz, Vernier acuity is independent of velocity, but is strongly dependent on stimulus contrast. At high temporal frequencies Vernier acuity is markedly degraded, and shows little dependence on contrast. Conclusions Two mechanisms, which may have their neuronal counterparts early in the visual pathway, appear to limit the perception of moving targets at low and high temporal frequencies. Taken together with other recent work the present results suggest that the process of spatio-temporal interpolation in pattern analysis can operate at very high velocities.
Effect of Si3N4 Powder Reactivity on the Preparation of the Si2N2O‐Al2O3 Silicon Aluminum Oxynitride Solid Solution

Dense high-purity silicon aluminum oxynitride was prepared by reactive hot-pressing of an Si3N4-Al2O3-SiO2 mixture. The formation of a single-phase material was found to be critically dependent on the Si3N4 powder in the starting mixture. It is suggested that evolution of a chlorine- and nitrogen-containing species may enhance the reactivity of Si3N4 in this reaction. Densities of O prime sialons are very similar to that of Si2N2O, the widely quoted value in the ceramics literature of 3.1 g/cu cm for the density of Si2N2O being incorrect.
Dendritic Cells in Human Pneumovirus and Metapneumovirus Infections

Lung dendritic cells (DC) play a fundamental role in sensing invading pathogens, as well as in the control of tolerogenic responses in the respiratory tract. Their strategic localization at the site of pathogen entry makes them particularly susceptible to initial viral invasion. Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) belong to the Paramyxoviridae family, within the Pneumovirus and Metapneumovirus genera, respectively. hRSV and hMPV are significant human respiratory pathogens that cause similar clinical manifestations and affect many of the same subpopulations. However, they differentially activate the host immune response, including DC, which represents a fundamental link between the innate and adaptive immune response. In this review, the role of DC in the immune response against hRSV and hMPV infections, as well as the inhibitory effects of these paramyxoviruses on the DC immunity will be discussed.
On the purely motherly character of the hybrids produced from the eggs of Strongylocentrotus

1) Considerable numbers of pure-bred cultures of bothStrongylocentrotus Purpuratus andS. Franciscanus were raised during the experiments. In addition, eggs of both species were made to develop parthenogenetically, and the two kinds of hybrid-plutei were raised,S. Purpuratus ♂/S. Franciscanus ♀, andS. Franciscanus ♂/S. Purpuratus ♀. Eggs of both species were also fertilized with sperm of the starfishAsterias ochracea, and hybrid-plutei produced from this union,Asterias ♂/S. Purpuratus andAsterias ♂/S. Franciscanus ♀. 2) Pure breeds as well as all the hybrids showed a certain latitude of variability in the form of the skeleton of the pluteus. On comparing large number of plutei of the four different kinds raised from the eggs of each of theStrongylocentrotus species, this variability proved to be within the same limits in all the different breeds. 3) The different breeds of hybrids were without exception always purely maternal. No difference whatever could be detected between the plutei of the pure breeds ofS. Purpuratus, the parthenogenetic plutei ofS. Purpuratus, the hybrid pluteiAsterias ♂/S. Purpuratus ♀ and the hybridsS. Franciscanus ♂/S. Purpuratus /pF. The plutei of the pure culturesS. Franciscanus differed just as little from those of the hybrid culturesAsterias ♂/S. Franciscanus ♀, or from parthenogenetic plutei ofS. Franciscanus.
Clozapine response in treatment-refractory first-episode schizophrenia.

We examined the response to clozapine in 10 schizophrenic patients who had been followed prospectively from the time of their first hospitalization and who were refractory to multiple clinical trials with typical neuroleptics
The effects of verbal pretraining on the multidimensional generalization behavior of children

Abstract Predictions for multidimensional generalization were derived from Hull-Spence discrimination learning theory, and an experiment was reported that was designed to test this aspect of the theory. Three groups of 48 kindergarten S s were given verbal pretraining on one of the three dimensions on which a set of stimulus compounds varied. After the pretraining, S s were asked to classify 20 instances of each of these compounds into two classes—those like a display compound and those not like the display. Analysis of results showed distinctive patterns of generalization for the three groups. Parameters in the theory were estimated from the data and measures of goodness of theoretical fit were obtained. Alternative interpretations of the results were discussed.
Mutations in FLS2 Ser-938 dissect signaling activation in FLS2-mediated Arabidopsis immunity.

FLAGELLIN-SENSING 2 (FLS2) is a leucine-rich repeat/transmembrane domain/protein kinase (LRR-RLK) that is the plant receptor for bacterial flagellin or the flagellin-derived flg22 peptide. Previous work has shown that after flg22 binding, FLS2 releases BIK1 kinase and homologs and associates with BAK1 kinase, and that FLS2 kinase activity is critical for FLS2 function. However, the detailed mechanisms for activation of FLS2 signaling remain unclear. The present study initially identified multiple FLS2 in vitro phosphorylation sites and found that Serine-938 is important for FLS2 function in vivo. FLS2-mediated immune responses are abolished in transgenic plants expressing FLS2S938A, while the acidic phosphomimic mutants FLS2S938D and FLS2S938E conferred responses similar to wild-type FLS2. FLS2-BAK1 association and FLS2-BIK1 disassociation after flg22 exposure still occur with FLS2S938A, demonstrating that flg22-induced BIK1 release and BAK1 binding are not sufficient for FLS2 activity, and that Ser-938 controls other aspects of FLS2 activity. Purified BIK1 still phosphorylated purified FLS2S938A and FLS2S938D mutant kinase domains in vitro. Phosphorylation of BIK1 and homologs after flg22 exposure was disrupted in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing FLS2S938A or FLS2D997A (a kinase catalytic site mutant), but was normally induced in FLS2S938D plants. BIK1 association with FLS2 required a kinase-active FLS2, but FLS2-BAK1 association did not. Hence FLS2-BIK1 dissociation and FLS2-BAK1 association are not sufficient for FLS2-mediated defense activation, but the proposed FLS2 phosphorylation site Ser-938 and FLS2 kinase activity are needed both for overall defense activation and for appropriate flg22-stimulated phosphorylation of BIK1 and homologs.
The fruit and tribal affinity of genus cionomene (Menispermaceae)

Fruits of Cionomene Krukoff, a monotypic genus known hitherto only from staminate plants, have the vermiform embryo embedded in laminate endosperm that characterizes tribe Anomospermeae. The genus is related, not to Curarea Barneby & Krukoff, as surmised by the describer, but to Anomospermum Miers and Caryomene Barneby & Krukoff.
The Dialectic of Estrangement: Memory and the Production of Places of Wealth and Poverty in the Argentinean Chaco

In the mid-1990s, the memory of their past labor experiences at San Martin del Tabacal was a recurrent theme among the Toba who live on the middle course of the Pilcomayo River. At one point or another, conversations with them led to anecdotes about this sugar plantation located at the foot of the Andes, over 300 kilometers to the west of their lands in the Argentinean Chaco. These memories are full of references to the harsh working conditions, the high death toll among their children, and the fear they experienced in the cane fields, epitomized in the threat posed by the "devils" (evil spirits) that came down from the mountains and spread diseases among them. Yet, side by side with these accounts, most adult members of this indigenous group remember San Martin del Tabacal with nostalgia, to the point that this nostalgia often overshadows the horror that this place evokes in their subjectivity. This nostalgia is for a lost source of wealth. This memory of the plantation acquires much of its force in a complex dialectic that is both temporal and spatial; that is, this memory is culturally constructed first, in its contrast to the material poverty most Toba experience in the present, three decades after the migrations came to a halt, and second, in contrast to a different place-the bush of the Chaco lowlands where they live, which most of them often associate with poverty and unsatisfied needs.
Consumers' desire towards current and prospective reproductive genetic testing.

As our knowledge and abilities in molecular genetics continues to expand, so does our ability to detect certain conditions/traits prenatally; however, it is unknown if this increase in scientific ability will be utilized by the consumers of genetic services. Our study gauges the consumers’ opinion towards reproductive testing for diseases and enhancements. Prior to their initial visit with a genetic counselor, patients were asked to participate in a survey. These consumers were asked to indicate traits and conditions for which they would choose reproductive genetic testing. The majority of respondents would elect to have prenatal genetic testing for mental retardation (75%), deafness (54%), blindness (56%), heart disease (52%), and cancer (51%). Our results indicated that 49.3% would choose testing for a condition that resulted in death by 5 years of age, whereas only 41.1%, 24.9%, and 19% would choose testing for conditions that results in death by 20, 40, and 50 years of age, respectively. Most respondents did not desire testing for enhancements (e.g. 13% would choose testing for superior intelligence). Our study suggests that consumers desire more reproductive genetic testing than what is currently offered; however, their selection of tests suggests self-imposed limits on testing.
Serum proteins of the golden pheasant Chrysolophus pictus.

Abstract 1. 1. Gel filtration separated the proteins of the serum of the golden pheasant, Chrysolophus pictus, into macroglobulins, globulins, and albumins. 2. 2. The albumins had a higher proportion of tyrosine to total aromatic amino acids than the globulins and the macroglobulins. 3. 3. Following immunization with bovine serum albumin or with diazophenyl lactoside porcine gamma globulin, the golden pheasant elicited antigen binding, precipitating, and haemagglutinating antibodies. 4. 4. The antibodies were located in both the macroglobulins and the globulins serum fractions.
Orientation of repeating units in Xenopus chromosomal ribosomal DNA: A test of a stochastic model for maintaining intraspecies homogeneity

Abstract The orientation of repeating units in chromosomal ribosomal DNA of Xenopus was determined by denaturation mapping in order to test a model for gene rectification. The model postulates an alternating orientation that will allow the formation of pallindromic loops between adjacent repeats. Mutations would then be lost or driven to fixation by random correction of one sequence by another, following genetic homogeneity among the repeats. Head-to-tail orientation was found, ruling out the model for this system.
Rapid Cooperative Two-state Folding of a Miniature α–β Protein and Design of a Thermostable Variant

Abstract There is a great deal of interest in developing small stably folded miniature proteins. A limited number of these molecules have been described, however they typically have not been characterized in depth. In particular, almost no detailed studies of the thermodynamics and folding kinetics of these proteins have been reported. Here we describe detailed studies of the thermodynamics and kinetics of folding of a 39 residue mixed α–β protein (NTL9 1–39 ) derived from the N-terminal domain of the ribosomal protein L9. The protein folds cooperatively and rapidly in a two-state fashion to a native state typical of those found for normal globular proteins. At pH 5.4 in 20 mM sodium acetate, 100 mM NaCl the temperature of maximum stability is 6 °C, the t m is 65.3 °C, Δ H °( t m ) is between 24.6 kcal mol −1 and 26.3 kcal mol −1 , and Δ C p ° is 0.38 kcal mol −1 deg −1 . The thermodynamic parameters are in the range expected on the basis of per residue values determined from databases of globular proteins. H/ 2 H exchange measurements reveal a set of amides that exchange via global unfolding, exactly as expected for a normal cooperatively folded globular protein. Kinetic measurements show that folding is two-state folding. The folding rate is 640 s −1 and the value of Δ G ° calculated from the folding and unfolding rates is in excellent agreement with the equilibrium value. A designed thermostable variant, generated by mutating K12 to M, was characterized and found to have a t m of 82 °C. Equilibrium and kinetic measurements demonstrate that its folding is cooperative and two-state.
Balance and imbalance in the immune system: life on the edge.

CTLA-4 is a key immune checkpoint in maintaining self-tolerance, which can be co-opted by cancer to evade immune attack. In Science, Kuehn et al. (2014) describe clinical manifestations from inherited heterozygous CTLA4 mutations, and some are reminiscent of immune-related consequences from anti-CTLA-4 cancer therapy.
On the mechanism of inhibition of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by the anticonvulsant MK-801 investigated by laser-pulse photolysis in the microsecond-to-millisecond time region.

The mechanism of inhibition of the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is of interest because of the many drugs which are known to modify its function. The laser-pulse photolysis technique, using a photolabile, biologically inert ligand (caged carbamoylcholine) for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and BC3H1 cells have been used to investigate the mechanism of inhibition of the receptor by MK-801 [(+)-dizocilpine] in the microsecond-to-millisecond time region. MK-801 is an anticonvulsant and a known inhibitor of the N-methyl-d-aspartate and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Both the chemical kinetic and the single-channel current-recording measurements reported here indicate the existence of two inhibition processes, one occurring within 50 ms and the other within about 1 s of equilibration of the receptor with the inhibitor. Unless stated otherwise, here we characterize the receptor inhibition observed when MK-801 is equilibrated with the receptor for only 50 ms. We determined the effect of MK-8...
Optical characterization of photolithographic metal grids

Infrared window materials for modern military aircraft must simultaneously provide adequate optical performance and maintain stringent shielding levels for electromagnetic interference (EMI). Microscopic metal grids deposited on the surface of dielectric windows can provide the conductivity necessary for proper radio frequency or RF shielding. This paper will examine the optical impact of three grid patterns designed for EMI suppression. Transmission blockage and beam diffraction in the far-field have been measured and compared to predicted values. A discussion of durability under severe thermal and rain erosion environments is also included.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Tissue-Specific TAFs Counteract Polycomb to Turn on Terminal Differentiation

Polycomb transcriptional silencing machinery is implicated in the maintenance of precursor fates, but how this repression is reversed to allow cell differentiation is unknown. Here we show that testis-specific TAF (TBP-associated factor) homologs required for terminal differentiation of male germ cells may activate target gene expression in part by counteracting repression by Polycomb. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that testis TAFs bind to target promoters, reduce Polycomb binding, and promote local accumulation of H3K4me3, a mark of Trithorax action. Testis TAFs also promoted relocalization of Polycomb Repression Complex 1 components to the nucleolus in spermatocytes, implicating subnuclear architecture in the regulation of terminal differentiation.
Acquisition of subordinate categories by 3-year-olds: The roles of attribute salience, linguistic input, and child characteristics

Abstract This study was concerned with factors that may affect young 3-year-olds' acquisition of subordinate categories. Three factors were considered: (a) salience of the attribute or attributes which differentiate a subordinate category from other subordinates subsumed under the same basic level category, (b) presence or absence of linguistic input identifying the relevant attribute, and (c) characteristics intrinsic to the child. Three child characteristics were measured: (a) size of general comprehension vocabulary, (b) size of subordinate category name vocabulary, and (c) cognitive style. Results indicated that subordinate categories were easier to learn if their differentiating attribute was highly salient and/or linguistic input identifying the relevant attribute was provided. Correlational analyses pointed to a series of relations between the child characteristics measured and the number of subordinate categories acquired during the experiment, particularly for low salience categories. Implications of the three factors for the acquisition of expertise on object domains are considered.
Imaging evaluation of patients with soft tissue sarcoma.

Soft tissue sarcomas account for approximately 1% of all cancers [1]. The imaging evaluation of patients with known or suspected soft tissue tumors, including soft tissue sarcomas, is largely composed of diagnostic, staging, and follow-up examinations using MRI. The unparalleled soft tissue contrast, tissue specificity, and multiplanar capabilities of MRI have supplanted other imaging modalities in this patient population [2–4]. It is often possible to suggest a specific pathologic diagnosis or narrow differential diagnosis using tissue characteristics derived from MRI (Box 1) [5]. MRI is also the primary method for surgical, local chemotherapy, and radiotherapy planning. Finally, MRI is used for follow-up imaging in those patients undergoing therapy, to assess response, and in treated patients for local and regional recurrence surveillance [6]. Chest radiographs and staging CT examinations of the chest are indicated in patients with proven sarcomas because of the propensity for hematogenous metastasis to the lungs [7]. Staging CT examination of the abdomen and pelvis is used in primary or suspected metastatic disease in those regions, and follow-up CT examinations of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, when appropriate, are used for therapeutic response and recurrence surveillance. Imaging-guided biopsy for primary diagnosis, therapeutic response, and suspected recurrence or nodal disease is often used as well. In some instances, in expert hands, follow-up ultrasound for local recurrence surveillance has been advocated as an alternative to MRI [8].