cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Meeting Analyst Forecasts and Stock Returns

Firms whose quarterly earning announcements closely meet the most recent analyst consensus forecast enjoy higher long-lasting future returns. These firms tend to be larger and are followed by more analysts, whose forecasts have a smaller dispersion. While the proportion of past quarters when forecasts are met is positively related to future returns, the proportion of past quarters when forecasts are strictly beaten is negatively related to future returns. Return differentials based on past earning surprises are not easily explained by standard risk factors. A model in which investors ignore fundamentals as long as news are good shows that firms who anticipate investors' reaction to earnings performance might have incentives to manage their earnings in order to avoid negative surprises, and that closely matching the forecasts might help them with this objective. Firms managing earnings might perform better in the long run despite their medium term objective.
Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Homochiral Peptides Containing Arginine and Histidine as Molecular Transporters.

Linear (HR)n and cyclic [HR]n peptides (n = 4,5) containing alternate arginine and histidine residues were synthesized. The peptides showed 0–15% cytotoxicity at 5–100 µM in human ovarian adenocarcinoma (SK-OV-3) cells while they exhibited 0–12% toxicity in human leukemia cancer cell line (CCRF-CEM). Among all peptides, cyclic [HR]4 peptide was able to improve the delivery of a cell impermeable fluorescence-labeled phosphopeptide by two-fold. Fatty acids of different alkyl chain length were attached at the N-terminal of the linear peptide (HR)4 to improve the molecular transporter property. Addition of fatty acyl chains was expected to help with the permeation of the peptides through the cell membrane. Thus, we synthesized seven fatty acyl derivatives of the linear (HR)4 peptide. The peptides were synthesized using Fmoc/tBu solid phase peptide chemistry, purified by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) spectrometry. The fatty acyl peptides containing C8, C12, C14, and C18 alkyl chain did not show cytotoxicity on SK-OV-3 or CCRF-CEM cell lines up to 50 µM concentration; however, at higher concentration (100 µM), they showed mild cytotoxicity. For example, C16-(HR)4 was also found to reduce the proliferation of SK-OV-3 cells by 11% at 50 µM and C20-(HR)4 showed mild toxicity at 10 µM, reducing the proliferation of SK-OV-3 cells by 21%. Increase in the length of alkyl chain showed cytotoxicity to the cell lines. C20-(HR)4 peptide showed better efficiency in translocation of F′-GpYEEI to SK-OV-3 than the phosphopeptide alone. Further investigation of C20-(HR)4 peptide efficacy showed that the peptide could deliver doxorubicin and epirubicin into SK-OV-3 and also improved the drug antiproliferative ability. These studies provided insights into understanding the structural requirements for optimal cellular delivery of the fatty acyl-(HR)4 peptide conjugates.
Toward Automating an Inference Model on Unstructured Terminologies: OXMIS Case Study

Most modern biomedical vocabularies employ some hierarchical representation that provides a “broader/narrower” meaning relationship among the “codes” or “concepts” found within them. Often, however, we may find within the clinical setting the creation and curation of unstructured custom vocabularies used in the everyday practice of classifying and categorizing clinical data and findings.
Health Surveillance Around Prespecified Locations Using Case-Control Data

There are several approaches one may use to model or test for potential risk around point sources of interest. These approaches have been developed almost universally to (a) fit model parameters to estimate the nature and significance of decline in risk as one moves away from the point source, or (b) assess the significance of a test statistic based upon the null hypothesis of no raised incidence around the source. In this paper, I assume that the data on the locations of cases and controls often used for these questions may be arranged in temporal order (for example, data might consist of the date of diagnosis for both case and control diseases). I then illustrate how conventional modeling approaches may be adapted to use the dataset observation by observation, to detect as quickly as possible a change from one set of model parameters to another.
ULTRASONIC OBLIQUE INCIDENCE IN ANISOTROPIC MEDIA

Determining the elastic moduli of anisotropic materials via non-destructive testing techniques is one of the most difficult subjects of acoustoelasticity theory today. The major difficulty comes from the fact that the elastic waves propagating in anisotropic media have different phase and group velocities in both magnitude and direction, which was considered to greatly complicate the analysis of the problem. Therefore, previous work in this area has been restricted to either measurements conducted only in symmetry planes, as mentioned in [1,2], or the slight anisotropy case in which the ultrasonic measurement was approximately related to the phase velocity, such as [3,4].
Ethics in Regenerative Medicine

Publisher Summary Regenerative medicine entails a broad range of methodologies that utilize cells or tissues as therapeutic tools to rebuild or repair damaged or diseased structures and restore their function. The source of therapeutic cells can be autologous, allogenic, or xenogenic. If allogenic, then these cells can be harvested without harm or risk of harm or cooperation with harm to another human being or harvested with corresponding harm. Ethical issues abound in experimental medicine but those that arise uniquely in regenerative medicine reflect this latter circumstance, wherein one human life is used as an object to satisfy the needs or desires of another. The developmental potential of embryonic cells and fetal cells and tissues has attracted the compelling interest of investigators. The interest of the political establishment and the media are similarly engaged in part because the ethics of regenerative medicine are so frequently intertwined with the ethics of abortion. The ethics of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and of abortion both hinge on the respect, or the absence of respect, accorded to the human organism at a prenatal stage of development.
The effects of stress, cortisol administration and cortisol inhibition on black sea bass (Centropristis striata) sex differentiation

Abstract Sex differentiation in many lower vertebrates (e.g. reptiles, amphibians, and fishes) can be influenced by environmental factors experienced during sensitive developmental periods. Environmental stressors, acting through cortisol, masculinize some teleost fishes during development by limiting gonadal cytochrome P450 aromatase (cyp19a1a), the enzyme that irreversibly converts testosterone to 17β-estradiol. In this study, we examined the influence of cortisol, cortisol inhibitors and a repeated, acute stressor (net-chasing) on sex differentiation in black sea bass (BSB; Centropristis striata), a protogynous hermaphroditic teleost. Wild-caught, sexually-undifferentiated, BSB juveniles (~90 mm) were collected from Rhode Island waters, raised in recirculating systems and fed diets supplemented with cortisol, a cortisol receptor antagonist (mifepristone), a cortisol synthesis inhibitor (metyrapone), or net-chased twice a week for two min until gonads were differentiated (77–89 days). Long term cortisol administration partially masculinized all female fish, but repeated net-chasing did not alter sex differentiation relative to the control group. Blocking cortisol receptor binding delayed sex differentiation in some individuals, but overall led to increased masculinization compared to control fish. The proportion of treatment fish that developed as males suggests a functionally, diandric protogynous reproductive strategy in this species. We also identified a glucocorticoid response element in the gonadal aromatase (cyp19a1a) promoter, indicating a possible relationship between cortisol and cyp19a1a gene expression.
Discrete Event Systems: Modeling, Observation, and Control

This article begins with an introduction to the modeling of discrete event systems, a class of dynamical systems with discrete states and event-driven dynamics. It then focuses on logical discrete ...
UNIT 21.5 The Fluorescent Protein Color Palette

Advances in fluorescent protein development over the past 10 years have led to fine-tuning of the Aequorea victoria jellyfish color palette in the emission color range from blue to yellow, while a significant amount of progress has been achieved with reef coral species in the generation of monomeric fluorescent proteins emitting in the orange to far-red spectral regions. It is not inconceivable that near-infrared fluorescent proteins loom on the horizon. Expansion of the fluorescent protein family to include optical highlighters and FRET biosensors further arms this ubiquitous class of fluorophores with biological probes capable of photoactivation, photoconversion, and detection of molecular interactions beyond the resolution limits of optical microscopy. The success of these endeavors certainly suggests that almost any biological parameter can be investigated using the appropriate fluorescent protein–based application. Keywords: GFP; fluorescent proteins; optical highlighters; biosensors; photoconversion; photoactivation; chromophore; fluorophore; FRET; FRAP; microscopy; confocal
Abstract TP313: Communication Center Guided Prehospital Stroke Assessment Has Sustained Ability to Identify Patients With Large Vessel Occlusion

Introduction: There is need for sustainable models of effective prehospital stroke triage. Goal: Prospectively validate communication center guided prehospital identification of stroke patients wit...
Determining flow directions in river channel networks using planform morphology and topology

Abstract. The abundance of global, remotely sensed surface water observations has accelerated efforts toward characterizing and modeling how water moves across the Earth's surface through complex channel networks. In particular, deltas and braided river channel networks may contain thousands of links that route water, sediment, and nutrients across landscapes. In order to model flows through channel networks and characterize network structure, the direction of flow for each link within the network must be known. In this work, we propose a rapid, automatic, and objective method to identify flow directions for all links of a channel network using only remotely sensed imagery and knowledge of the network's inlet and outlet locations. We designed a suite of direction-predicting algorithms (DPAs), each of which exploits a particular morphologic characteristic of the channel network to provide a prediction of a link's flow direction. DPAs were chained together to create “recipes”, or algorithms that set all the flow directions of a channel network. Separate recipes were built for deltas and braided rivers and applied to seven delta and two braided river channel networks. Across all nine channel networks, the recipe-predicted flow directions agreed with expert judgement for 97 % of all tested links, and most disagreements were attributed to unusual channel network topologies that can easily be accounted for by pre-seeding critical links with known flow directions. Our results highlight the (non)universality of process–form relationships across deltas and braided rivers.
Understanding Flexible Work Scheduling: A Behavioral Economic Approach

A theoretical economic model is developed to explain the disparities in flexible work scheduling observed across firms, workplaces, sectors, and time periods. Given heterogeneity in firms’ costs, the supply of flextime is determined by firms’ costs of enacting versus not adopting it. The innovative practice would be adopted if it generates net unit labor cost savings. If it is cost neutral, the extent to which the supply of flextime falls short of worker demand for it depends on the extent to which employers must accommodate employee preferences for more time sovereignty and are induced by policy incentives to switch to flexible scheduling.
A Phase 0 Trial of Ribociclib in Recurrent Glioblastoma Patients Incorporating a Tumor Pharmacodynamic- and Pharmacokinetic-Guided Expansion Cohort.

Background: CDK4/6-dependent cell-cycle regulation is disrupted in most glioblastomas. This study assesses the central nervous system (CNS) pharmacokinetics and tumor pharmacodynamics of ribociclib, a highly selective CDK4/6-inhibitor, in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Experimental Design:Recurrent glioblastoma patients with intact retinoblastoma protein (RB) expression and CDKN2A deletion or CDK4/6 amplification were treated with ribociclib daily (900 mg) for 5 days before tumor resection. Blood, tumor, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected and total and unbound ribociclib concentrations were determined. Pharmacodynamic effects, assessed by RB and FOXM1 phosphorylation, were compared to matched archival tissue. Patients with positive pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects were enrolled into the expansion cohort for preliminary assessment of progression-free survival (PFS). Results:Twelve patients were enrolled. The mean unbound ribociclib concentrations in CSF, non-enhancing, and enhancing tumor regions were 0.374 µM, 0.560, and 2.152 µmol/kg, respectively, which were > 5-fold the in vitro IC50 for inhibition of CDK4/6 (0.04 µM). G1-to-S phase suppression was inferred by decreases in phosphorylation of RB (P
Treating ischemia via recruitment of antigen-specific T cells

Ischemic diseases are a leading cause of mortality and can result in autoamputation of lower limbs. We explored the hypothesis that implantation of an antigen-releasing scaffold, in animals previously vaccinated with the same antigen, can concentrate TH2 T cells and enhance vascularization of ischemic tissue. This approach may be clinically relevant, as all persons receiving childhood vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have vaccines that contain aluminum, a TH2 adjuvant. To test the hypothesis, mice with hindlimb ischemia, previously vaccinated with ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminum, received OVA-releasing scaffolds. Vaccinated mice receiving OVA-releasing scaffolds locally concentrated antigen-specific TH2 T cells in the surrounding ischemic tissue. This resulted in local angiogenesis, increased perfusion in ischemic limbs, and reduced necrosis and enhanced regenerating myofibers in the muscle. These findings support the premise that antigen depots may provide a treatment for ischemic diseases in patients previously vaccinated with aluminum-containing adjuvants.
Case Study of Electromagnetic Solvers - Finite Element Method (FEM) to RF System Models to Simulate a Routine Implant Environment

IoT and 5G is synonymous with the use of many wireless devices. How does this affect people with wireless implants? This paper will provide some detail how to setup an electromagnetic (EM) simulation tool to characterize the implant device inside a human body to the complex crowded smart wireless environment the patient lives in. This problem uses the commercially available ANSYS Electronic Desktop (AEDT) simulation tools.
Alternatively spliced isoforms reveal a novel type of PTB domain in CCM2 protein

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) is a microvascular disorder in the central nervous system. Despite tremendous efforts, the causal genetic mutation in some CCM patients has not be identified, raising the possibility of an unknown CCM locus. The CCM2/MGC4607 gene has been identified as one of three known genes causing CCMs. In this report, we defined a total of 29 novel exons and 4 novel promoters in CCM2 genomic structure and subsequently identified a total of 50 new alternative spliced isoforms of CCM2 which eventually generated 22 novel protein isoforms. Genetic analysis of CCM2 isoforms revealed that the CCM2 isoforms can be classified into two groups based on their alternative promoters and alternative start codon exons. Our data demonstrated that CCM2 isoforms not only are specific in their subcellular compartmentation but also have distinct cellular expression patterns among various tissues and cells, indicating the pleiotropic cellular roles of CCM2 through their multiple isoforms. In fact, the complexity of the CCM2 genomic structure was reflected by the multiple layers of regulation of CCM2 expression patterns. At the transcriptional level, it is accomplished by alternative promoters, alternative splicing, and multiple transcriptional start sites and termination sites; while at the translational level, it is carried out with various cellular functions with a distinguishable CCM2 protein group pattern, specified abundance and composition of selective isoforms in a cell and tissue specific fashion. Through experimentation, we discovered a unique phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain, namely atypical phosphotyrosine binding (aPTB) domain. Some long CCM2 isoform proteins contain both classes of PTB domains, making them a dual PTB domain-containing protein. Both CCM1 and CCM3 can bind competitively to this aPTB domain, indicating CCM2 as the cornerstone for CCM signaling complex (CSC).
Apolipoprotein E regulates the maturation of injury-induced adult-born hippocampal neurons following traumatic brain injury

Various brain injuries lead to the activation of adult neural stem/progenitor cells in the mammalian hippocampus. Subsequent injury-induced neurogenesis appears to be essential for at least some aspects of the innate recovery in cognitive function observed following traumatic brain injury (TBI). It has previously been established that Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) plays a regulatory role in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, which is of particular interest as the presence of the human ApoE isoform ApoE4 leads to significant risk for the development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease, where impaired neurogenesis has been linked with disease progression. Moreover, genetically modified mice lacking ApoE or expressing the ApoE4 human isoform have been shown to impair adult hippocampal neurogenesis under normal conditions. Here, we investigate how controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury affects dentate gyrus development using hippocampal stereotactic injections of GFP-expressing retroviruses in wild-type (WT), ApoE-deficient and humanized (ApoE3 and ApoE4) mice. Infected adult-born hippocampal neurons were morphologically analyzed once fully mature, revealing significant attenuation of dendritic complexity and spine density in mice lacking ApoE or expressing the human ApoE4 allele, which may help inform how ApoE influences neurological diseases where neurogenesis is defective.
MACRO MODEL WITH SOCIAL ACCOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR BRAZIL

A general equilibrium model is presented for Brazil. It is based on a social accounting framework to ensure consistency. There are eight sectors and two income classes rural and urban. Among its features are the introduction of resource constraints. These can be either sector specific or combined. Corresponding factor prices are allowed to adjust to meet these constraints so that one has flexible prices by sectors. A number of policy options are discussed to demonstrate the methodology. The data base may be readily updated to reflect recent economic changes.
Trajectories of Academic Achievement in High Schools: Growth Mixture Model

The current study investigated patterns of growth in academic achievement trajectories among American high school students ( N = 12,314) that were obtained from a nationally representative, public-use dataset (the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009) in relation to key demographic information ( i.e. , gender, grade level, socioeconomic status [SES] in ninth grade, and ethnicity) and a distal outcome ( i.e. , applying for college). Unconditional growth mixture model showed that the three-class model was most appropriate in capturing the latent heterogeneity ( i.e. , low-achieving/increasing, moderate-achieving/decreasing, and high-achieving/slightly increasing). Two covariates ( i.e. , gender and SES in ninth grade) were positively associated with the intercept growth factor ( i.e. , initial GPA) in two of the three achievement classes ( i.e. , high-achieving and moderate-achieving). In contrast, two other covariates ( i.e. , Hispanic and African American) were negatively associated with the intercept growth factor in all of the achievement classes. The multinomial logistic regression coefficients identified an increase in the likelihood of belonging to the following achievement classes: (1) Moderate-achieving, if the students were male or African American and of low SES, (2) Low-achieving, if the students were male and of low SES, and (3) High-achieving, if the students were female and of an ethnicity other than African American and high SES. The probability of not applying for college was higher among the low-achieving and the moderate-achieving classes compared with the high-achieving class (223 words).
Characterizing clinics with differential changes in the screening rate in the Colorectal Cancer Control Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds the Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in primary care clinics by implementing evidence-based interventions (EBIs). This study examined differences in clinic characteristics and implementation efforts among clinics with differential changes in screening rates over time. Methods CRCCP clinic data collected by the CDC were used. The outcome was the clinic status (highest quartile [Q4] vs lowest quartile [Q1]), which was based on the absolute screening rate change between the first and second program years. Five clinic characteristic variables and 12 clinic-level CRCCP variables (eg, EBIs) were assessed in bivariable analyses, and logistic regression was used to determine significant predictors of the outcome. Results Each group included 78 clinics (N = 156). Clinics with a Q4 status saw a 14.9 percentage point increase in the screening rate, whereas clinics with a Q1 status experienced a 9.1 percentage point decline. Q4s were more likely than Q1s to have a CRC champion, implement 4 EBIs versus fewer EBIs, implement at least 1 new EBI, and increase the number of implemented EBIs. The adjusted odds of Q4 status were 5.3 times greater (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9-14.9) if a clinic implemented an additional EBI. The adjusted odds of Q4 status increased to 7.1 (95% CI, 2.2-23.1) if a clinic implemented 2 to 4 additional EBIs. Conclusions Implementing new EBIs or enhancing existing ones improves CRC screening rates. Additionally, clinics with lower screening rates had greater rate increases and may have benefited more from the CRCCP.
Midterm outcomes of the Potts shunt for pediatric pulmonary hypertension, with comparison to lung transplant.

Abstract Objective For children with severe pulmonary hypertension, addition of Potts shunt to a comprehensive palliation strategy might improve the outcomes afforded by medications and delay lung transplantation. Methods A prospective analysis was conducted of all children undergoing Potts shunt (first performed in 2013) or bilateral lung transplant for pulmonary hypertension from 1995 to present. Results A total of 23 children underwent Potts shunt (20 surgical, 3 transcatheter), and 31 children underwent lung transplant. All children with Potts shunt had suprasystemic right ventricle pressures despite maximal medical treatment. In the majority of patients, the Potts shunt was performed through a left thoracotomy approach (90%, 18/20), by direct anastomosis (65%, 13/20), and without the use of extracorporeal support (65%, 13/20). Perioperative outcomes after Potts shunt were superior to lung transplant including mechanical ventilation time (1.3 vs 10.2 days, P = .019), median hospital length of stay (9.8 vs 34 days, P = .012), and overall complication rate (35% [7/20] vs 81% [25/31], P = .003). Risk factors for operative mortality after Potts shunt (20%, 4/20; compared with 6%, 2/31 for lung transplant, P = .195) included preoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and significant right ventricle dysfunction. In midterm follow-up (median 1.8, maximum 6.1 years), patients with Potts shunt had durable equalization of right ventricle/left ventricle pressures and improved functional status. There was no significant survival difference in patients with Potts shunt and patients with lung transplant (P = .258). Conclusions Potts shunt is an effective palliation for children with suprasystemic pulmonary hypertension that may become part of a strategy to maximize longevity and functional status for these challenging patients.
Noninvasive strategies in COVID-19: epistemology, randomised trials, guidelines, physiology.

COVID-19 is producing seismic changes in society at large and the action of doctors is receiving greater attention from the public than ever in our lifetime. The medical care provided to millions of patients suffering from a single disease constitutes an experiment of nature of extraordinary proportions. The release of voluminous data into medical journals provides the spur to meditate on long-held assumptions about the way we interpret clinical research.
The erector spinae plane block can facilitate outpatient stone surgery by reducing breakthrough pain.

Pain after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is thought to arise from the dilated renal tract rather than from the skin incision, and the response to traditional analgesics is typically limited.[1] To address this problem, the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has recently been identified as safe and effective method to target kidney pain. While both T8 and T11 have been reported to be effective in relieving renal colic and surgical pain after PCNL, T11 is hypothesized to have greater ureteral coverage.[2-6].
UAV Waypoint Opportunistic Navigation in GNSS-Denied Environments

Navigation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to reach a desired waypoint in global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-denied environments is considered. The UAV is assumed to have an unknown initial state and the environment is assumed to possess multiple terrestrial signals of opportunity (SOPs) transmitters with unknown states and one anchor SOP whose states are known. The UAV makes pseudorange measurements to all SOPs to estimate its own states simultaneously with the states of the unknown SOPs. The problem is formulated as a multi-objective motion planning (MOMP) strategy, which guarantees the UAV gets to within a user-specified distance of the waypoint with a user-specified confidence. The MOMP strategy balances two objectives: (i) navigating to the waypoint and (ii) reducing UAVs position estimate uncertainty. It is demonstrated that in such an environment, formulating the waypoint navigation problem in a so-called naive fashion by heading directly to the waypoint results in failing to reach the waypoint due to poor estimability of the environment. In contrast, the MOMP strategy guarantees (in a probabilistic sense) reaching the waypoint. Simulation and experimental results are presented showing that the MOMP strategy achieves the desired objective while the naive strategy fails to do so.
First-principles investigation of amorphous n-type In 2 O 3 for BEOL transistor

The electronic transport properties of amorphous In$_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}(\mathrm{a} - In _{2} \mathrm{O}_{3})$ are investigated from first principles simulations for BEOL transistor application. It is determined that local atomic and electronic structure disorders in a-In 2 O 3 are the fundamental origin of reduced mobility in amorphous phase. Medium range order In-In connectivity is responsible for the electron conduction pathway. It is found that amorphous disorder present in a-In 2 O 3 could induce shallow donor states and acceptor states that are responsible for the device threshold voltage instability. Nonstoichiometric defects including indium vacancy and interstitial will further increase the density of these defect states intrinsic to a-In 2 O 3 . The results could provide a better understanding of the electronic transport behavior in a-In 2 O 3 and useful insights for future defect controlling for better device performance.
Business Practices in Higher Education: A Guide for Today's Administrators

Part I. Environment and Structure 1. Today's Environment 2. Organizational and Administrative Structures of Higher Education in the US Part II. Finance and Funding 3. Basic Economic Principles and Higher Education 4. Finance in Higher Education 5. Budget Basics Part III. People and Processes 6. Management Principles 7. Managing Human Resources in Higher Education: The Recruitment, Selection, and Retention of Competent Staff 8. Marketing Basics 9. Politics and Power: Defense Against the Dark Arts Part IV. Perspectives on the Future 10. Where do we go from here? What is next?
Malagasy Ant Pheidole longispinosa (Forel, 1891) Behavior as Regionally Dominant Ant Predator in Rainforest Environment (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Workers from colonies of Pheidole longispinosa (Forel, 1891) in primary forests of Ranomafana National Park in the Fianarantsoa province of Madagascar engaged in periodical predatory raids against neighboring nests of rival ants, most prevalently Pheidole oswaldi (Forel, 1891) and Paraparatrechina glabra (Emery, 1914). Pheidole longispinosa workers engaged in sporadic “hit and run” attacks against foraging lines of enemy ants, preying upon workers as they returned to their respective nests, as well as organized raids on nest entrances. These raids also targeted wood dwelling termite nests. Behavioral observations were made over a 14-day period, with both daylight and nocturnal observations occurring. P. longispinosa was active only during the day, and preyed upon P. glabra regularly, with consistent raids of their foraging columns, and by surprising workers leaving nest entrances. Predation of P. oswaldi only occurred while defending from raids, or from carrying out raids of their own. Individual termites were attacked on sight, and their nest was sporadically raided. Data were taken on types and numbers of prey consumed by P. longispinosa. Behavioral observations of predation, aggression, and communication were also taken. Behaviors such as worker rescue and group hunting were observed. Detailed notes on worker activity were maintained over a 14-day period. P. longispinosa exhibited a local dominance of the invertebrate fauna in the area surrounding their nest. Throughout the observation periods, conflicts with neighboring P. oswaldi were commonplace, with P. longisposa carrying out raids, consuming workers of neighboring ant species.
Cognitive Styles and the Education of Computer Information Systems Students

AbstractThe Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, an instrument that measures cognitive styles, was administered to 92 computer information systems students. Aspects of cognitive psychology that are pertinent to business school educators is reviewed. The implications of the typology of the CIS students is investigated with regard to its impact on the university and the educational process.
Why Use Logic? Why Prove Programs Correct?

We have just finished writing a large program (3000 lines). Among other things, the program computes as intermediate results the quotient q and remainder r arising from dividing a non-negative integer x by a positive integer y. For example, with x=7 and y=2, the program calculates q= 3 (since 7÷2=3) and r=1 (since the remainder when 7 is divided by 2 is 1).
The Impact of Diagnostic Feedback to Teachers on Student Learning: Experimental Evidence from India

We present experimental evidence on the impact of a programme that provided low-stakes diagnostic tests and feedback to teachers, and low-stakes monitoring of classroom processes across a representative set of schools in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. We find teachers in treatment schools exerting more effort when observed in the classroom but students in these schools do no better on independently-administered tests than students in schools that did not receive the programme. This suggests that though teachers in the programme schools worked harder while being observed, there was no impact of the feedback and monitoring on student learning outcomes.
Microbioengineering: microbe capture and detection

Summary form only given. Recent deaths from outbreaks of microbial contamination particularly in foods, but also in water and air, the recent threats of biological warfare/terrorism, and the re-emergence of such diseases as tuberculosis have emphasized the importance of quick and accurate assessments of microbial contamination. In addition, microbial contamination of sterile surfaces, such as those of medical and surgical instruments and devices, cause considerable danger. Using a unique combination of leading edge technologies, microbe capture chips and a hand-held prototype detector have been developed which are capable of statistically sampling the environment for pathogens [including spores] and exotoxins, identifying the specific pathogens/exotoxins, and determining cell viability. This system is sensitive enough to detect very low levels [/spl sim/20 cells/sq cm] of infectious bacteria in minutes. The microbe capture technology is based on molecular recognition and pathogenesis using iron acquisition and eukaryotic receptor adhesion strategies. These non-antibody-based ligands are tethered to the sensor chip in a patterned array. In addition to statistically sampling the environment, pathogen identification can be made based on which ligands are bound by microbes. Capture events are detected using intrinsic fluorescence of the cells and spores such as that from metabolites, amino acids, and other specific cell components. The multi-wavelength fluorescence detection device incorporates integrated parallel 'readout' of the sensor chip and employs a pattern recognition algorithm for pathogen identification. This system is both several orders of magnitude more sensitive and several orders of magnitude faster than current field sensors.
The Ras pathway in cancer.

SY23-01 The Ras pathway is frequently activated in human cancer. Activated growth factor receptors signal through Ras, as well as other pathways, and Ras mutations account for half or more of colorectal cancers and lung cancers and significant fractions of other cancers. Proteins downstream of Ras, such as B-Raf and PI 3′ kinase, PTEN and others are also altered at high frequencies. These observations suggest that the Ras pathway may contain multiple opportunities for therapeutic interventions. Such therapies may also be useful in other indications, such as neurofibromatosis type 1 and Costello syndrome, which are caused by hyperactivation of Ras proteins indirectly or directly. Ras proteins in their active states engage a large number of potential effector proteins. Of these, the Raf kinases, sub-types of PI 3′ kinases and the RalGDS proteins are best known, but others may also play an important role in Ras signal transduction and in cancer. In addition, a number of Ras-related proteins have been characterized, and many of these are likely to play roles in cancer, though their functions may be less direct than the classical Ras proteins that are activated directly by point mutation. Analysis of mutations in Ras proteins and their effectors has revealed exclusive and non-exclusive relationships that point to the inter-dependence of these pathways in the development of cancer. For example, in melanoma, activating mutations in N-ras are mutually exclusive with either mutations in B-Raf or in PTEN, suggesting that a single activating mutation in Ras is sufficient to activate both downstream pathways. In other cancers, multiple hits have been observed in the same pathway, implying that in these cancers, full pathway activation requires several additive inputs. The implications of these relationships will be discussed in the context of drug targets in this pathway.
Parental Behavior in Voles

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the available literature on parental behavior in voles. An attempt is also made to examine the interactions of the environment with the behavior, as well as to explore the possible neural mechanisms underlying parental care in voles. The chapter focuses on monogamous prairie (Microtus ochrogaster) , pine (M. pinetorum) voles, promiscuous meadow (M. pennsylvanicus) , and montane (M. montunus) voles because most of the work has been done on these species. Monogamous species with biparental care have provided useful models for studying the role of the father and juveniles in the care and development of pups. Voles have also provided excellent model systems for studying the neurobiological basis of parental care. Although this work is still very recent, the data from several sources suggest that specific brain areas—the medial preoptic area, the amygdala, and the lateral septum are important for various aspects of affiliation, including parental care. Two neuropeptide hormones, vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT), with pathways in these brain regions appear to influence pair bonding and parental care in prairie voles. AVP in the lateral septum appears especially important for paternal care; OT (possibly in the amygdala) may influence maternal behavior. Exactly how and where these neuropeptides affect behavior remains to be defined, as does their roles in the nonmonogamous vole species.
Learning to Write and Diagram, Writing and Diagramming to Learn

Issue: Interior design, which aspires to elevate the individual's experience of space, involves application of theories and principles governing the definition and ordering of space. Learning these theoretical design principles is an essential part of the interior design curriculum. To become informed interior designers, students need a solid theoretical base, anchored in historical and spatial analysis, that can intelligibly render the relationships between problems and their solutions. Goal: The use of theory helps designers plan, predict, and create from a knowledge base. The desired result is to assist students acquiring this foundation to generate ideas for designing interior spaces and use informed, critical thinking to evaluate and select from those ideas. Application: A diagram is an image that explains rather than represents the basic arrangements and relations of the organizational elements in a specific environment. Combining the diagramming of interior spaces with analytic, intensive writing experiences serves as a model for learning design principles. The unique efficacy of the two teaching strategies is due to their correspondence to powerful learning techniques that involve analysis as well as synthesis. Description: Theoretical design principles such as contrast, proportion and scale, symmetry and balance, and containment are introduced in lectures and illustrated through slide presentations of significant spaces. Students create collage diagrams of the spaces and complete writing assignments. The diagrams and written compositions are reviewed and discussed in a weekly studio-lab for revision and reinforcement. Conclusions: As students in this course write about and diagram interior spaces, they develop their writing and diagramming skills and deepen their understanding of design theory principles. Students of interior design are introduced to seminal works in their field, taught to break down interior space into its component parts to understand its organizational structure, enabled to put the parts together to form a new graphic representation of the whole, and assisted in judging the value of a physical setting for a given purpose based on definite criteria.
Lysosomal phospholipase A activities of rat ovarian tissue.

Abstract 1. 1. Lysosome-enriched fractions were prepared by differential centrifugation of homogenates of luteinized rat ovaries. Acid phospholipase A activities were characterized with [U- 14 C]diacyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-palmitoyl-2-[9, 10- 3 H]- or [1- 14 C]oleoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine as substrates. Acid phospholipase A 1 activity had properties similar to other hydrolases of lysosomal origin; subcellular distribution, latency and acidic pH optimum. Acid phospholipase A 2 activity with similar characteristics was also tentatively identified. We were unable to exclude the possibility that the combined action of phospholipase A 1 and lysophospholipase contributed to the release of acyl moieties from the 2-position of the synthetic substrates. 2. 2. Lysophospholipase activity was present in the lysosome-enriched fractions. This activity had an alkaline pH optimum. 3. 3. Phospholipase a 1 and A 2 activities solubilized from lysosome fractions by freeze-thawing were inhibited by Ca 2+ and slightly activated by EDTA. A Ca 2+ -stimulated phospholipase A 2 activity, with an alkaline pH optimum, remained in the particulate residue of freeze-thawed lysosome preparations. This activity is believed to represent mitochondrial contamination. 4. 4. Activities of acid phospholipase A, as well as other acid hydrolases, increased approx. 1.5-fold between 1 and 4 days following induction of luteinization, suggesting a hormonal influence on lysosomal enzyme activities.
A study of chloride ion dissociation from six-coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complexes. Rate enhancements due to steric strain from trans-coordinated (proximal) imidazoles

Abstract The reaction of iron(III) tetraphenylporphyrin chloride, Fe(TPP)Cl, with imidazoles, RIm, substituted at the C-2 or C-4 position to give Fe(TPP)(RIm) 2 + Cl − has been studied at variable temperatures in dichloromethane. A coordinated (proximal) imidazole having a methyl substituent at C-2 or C-4 introduces a steric interaction with the porphyrin ring and this decreases by about a factor of ten the formation constant of the transient six-coordinate species Fe(TPP)(RIm)Cl. Conversely, the steric effect increases by a factor of ten or more the rate of chloride ion dissociation from Fe(TPP)(RIm)Cl; by comparison to results with cobalt(III) porphyrins, it is shown that this steric acceleration is independent of the spin state. These results model proximal steric strain in certain hemoproteins.
METHOD FOR CALCULATING THE AVERAGE CROSS-SECTION PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION IN TUBE FLOWS WITHIN THE VORTICITY-STREAMFUNCTION FORMULATION

This article describes an integral method for obtaining the average cross-section pressure distribution in tube flows by using the vorticity-streamfunction formulation. The method derives from the fact that the average cross-section pressure is related in a fundamental way to the power required to move the fluid through the tube. This relationship holds for flows in which the pressure distribution itself is nonuniform across the cross section. The analytical basis for these statements and a discussion of the circumstances in which they are true is given. Numerical calculations of a recirculating venturiflow and a flow in an irregular model coronary artery geometry reveal that in these flows the average cross-section pressure distributions calculated using the integral method are similar to the cen-terline and wall pressure distributions obtained from a full primitive-variable calculation based on the finite-element method and to wall pressure data obtained experimentally. This can be attributed to the nea...
Vertical heterostructure field effect transistor for high performance electronics

Graphene has emerged as an exciting material for future electronics and optoelectronics due to its unique electrical, optical and mechanical properties. However, the lack of an intrinsic bandgap in graphene has limited the achievable on-off ratio in transistors using graphene as an active channel. The creation of a transport gap in graphene nanostructures or bilayer graphene can improve the on-off ratio, but often at a severe sacrifice of the deliverable current density. With single atomic thickness, finite density of states and weak screening effect, graphene exhibits a field-tunable work-function and partial electrostatic transparency. It can thus function as an active contact in tunable graphene-semiconductor junction to enable a new generation of vertical device1&#x21013;5. Here we discuss three different vertical field-effect transistors, which have been recently demonstrated with greatly improved on-off ratio and current density, as well as unique properties such high flexibility, stability and low cost. This could open up a new pathway to graphene electronics and ultra-flexible thin film transistors.
Computers, revision, and ESL writers: The role of experience

Abstract Four advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) writers enrolled in a second-semester university composition class were observed while they used a computer to write and revise a paper on an assigned topic. The writers were selected for English proficiency (high vs. low) and computer writing experience (one semester vs. two or more semesters). Each student was videotaped for two sessions of writing and revising the paper. The tapes were transcribed and scored using an adaptation of the categories described by Faigley and Witte (1984). The results indicated that experience with the computer was a stronger factor than writing proficiency in determining computer writing strategies. The two inexperienced computer users spent less time revising, made more surface changes, and used the computer functions less than the experienced computer users. In posttaping interviews, the experienced users also showed a greater concern for content than did the inexperienced users, who indicated apprehension about using the computer and concern for correctness.
Monte Carlo simulation of interactions between nano-particles

The effective potential of interaction between two particles in a colloidal dispersion involves the interactions between the two particles as well as their interactions with all other particles of the system. The above potential has been calculated via Monte Carlo simulations, for volume fractions of solid particles varied between 0.005 and 0.24, for van der Waals and electrostatic pair interactions, or only van der Waals pair interactions. The results show that in the first case the effective potential is affected by van der Waals interactions only for short distances between the two particles. When the pair potential involves only van der Waals interactions, in addition to the attractive potential between the two particles a repulsive potential caused by the attraction between the two particles and all the other particles of the system can occur. When the pair potential involves only a repulsive electrostatic component, an attractive potential can be generated by the repulsion between the two particles and all the other particles of the system.
One Loop Calculations in Gauge Theories Regulated on an x + -p + Lattice ∗

In earlier work, the planar diagrams of ${SU(N}_{c})$ gauge theory have been regulated on the light cone by a scheme involving both discrete ${p}^{+}$ and $\ensuremath{\tau}{=ix}^{+}.$ The transverse coordinates remain continuous, but even so all diagrams are rendered finite by this procedure. In this scheme quartic interactions are represented as two cubics mediated by short-lived fictitious particles whose detailed behavior could be adjusted to retain properties of the continuum theory, at least at one loop. Here we use this setup to calculate the one loop three gauge boson triangle diagram, and so complete the calculation of diagrams renormalizing the coupling to one loop. In particular, we find that the cubic vertex is correctly renormalized once the couplings to the fictitious particles are chosen to keep the gauge bosons massless.