cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Finding the intersection of two convex polyhedra

Abstract Given two convex polyhedra in three-dimensional space, we develop an algorithm to (i) test whether their intersection is empty, and (ii) if so to find a separating plane, while (iii) if not to find a point in the intersection and explicitly construct their intersection polyhedron. The algorithm runs in timeO (n log n), where n is the sum of the numbers of vertices of the two polyhedra. The part of the algorithm concerned with (iii) (constructing the intersection) is based upon the fact that if a point in the intersection is known, then the entire intersection is obtained from the convex hull of suitable geometric duals of the two polyhedra taken with respect to this point.
Current Directions in the Study of Relational Aggression During Early Childhood

(2005). Current Directions in the Study of Relational Aggression During Early Childhood. Early Education and Development: Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 109-114.
1,4,7,10-Tetraoxacyclododecane(12-Crown-4) as Neutral Carrier for Lithium Ion in Lithium Ion Selective Electrode

Abstract 1,4,7,10-Tetraoxacyclododecane (12-crown-4) (I) and its lithium complex (II) are used as neutral carriers for lithium ion in polyvinylchloride membrane ion selective electrodes. The lithium response varies with concentration, being near Mernstian at low (10−5-10−4 M) concentrations and sub-Nernstian (24-28 aV) at higher concentrations (10−3 M). The selectivity coefficients KLi Pot M for II are: Na+ (0.12), K+ (0.66), Cs+ (0.15), Mg2+ (1.6 × 10−4), Ca2+ (3.1 × 10−4), Ba2+ (9.5 × 10−7), NH+ 4 (9.0 × 10−2), H+ (2.2).
Somatostatin action in pituitary cells involves two independent transduction mechanisms

S OMATOSTATIN is a physiologically important inhibitor of growth hormone (GH) release and also reduces the secretion of prolactin and thyrotropin in specific circumstances.‘.’ Early studies of somatostatin action in primary cultures of pituitary cells indicated that the mechanisms by which this peptide inhibited hormone secretion were complex and probably involved multiple intracellular messengers.‘-‘-’ However, these mechanisms proved difficult to identify in primary pituitary cell cultures because the presence of multiple target cells precluded the measurement of intracellular messengers in any one cell type. Thus, we turned to the clonal GHJZ, rat pituitary cell line to examine the biochemical events involved in somatostatin inhibition of pituitary hormone release.4,5 The effects of somatostatin on GH and prolactin secretion in GH4C’ cells parallel its actions in estrogen primed rat pituitary cells both in primary culture and in viv~.~-* In addition, this cell line provides an experimental system with several major advantages for the study of somatostatin action. First, because GH.+C’ cells are clonal in origin, both hormonal and biochemical responses are produced by the same population of target cells and can be quantitatively correlated. Second, changes in intracellular messenger concentration can be detected with greater sensitivity in such a homogeneous population because they are not obscured by basal levels present in nonresponsive cell types. Finally, GH4C’ cell cultures are easier to prepare and maintain than primary pituitary cell cultures. The aim of our studies has been to identify the transduction mechanisms activated by occupancy of somatostatin receptors and to determine how these m~hanisms produce the biological response.
An evaluation of the pragmatics of web-based bug tracking tools

Web-based tools are often used to support software development processes. Many of these tools are aimed toward a development process that relies implicitly on particular supported roles and activities. Developers may already understand how the tool operates; however, developers do not understand or adhere to a development process supported (or implied) by the tools. This paper proposes a preliminary formal model of roles and activities in one aspect of software development, namely the problem reporting process, and describes both a standards-based process and a well-known tool with respect to its support for their respective processes. An alternative is proposed for modeling problem status that is based on the analysis of process roles.
Report on the NIST low-accelerating-voltage SEM magnification standard interlaboratory study

NIST is in the process of developing a new scanning electron microscope (SEM) magnification calibration reference standard useful at both high and low accelerating voltages. This standard will be useful for all applications to which the SEM is currently being used, but it has been specifically tailored to meet many of the particular needs of the semiconductor industry. A small number of test samples with the pattern were prepared on silicon substrates using electron beam lithography at the National Nanofabrication Facility at Cornell University. The structures were patterned in titanium/palladium with maximum nominal pitch structures of approximately 3000 micrometers scaling down to structures with minimum nominal pitch of 0.4 micrometer. Eighteen of these samples were sent out to a total of 35 university, research, semiconductor and other industrial laboratories in an interlaboratory study. The purpose of the study was to test the SEM instrumentation and to review the suitability of the sample design. The results of the analysis of the data obtained in this study are presented in this paper.
De novo synthesis of Escherichia coli glycogen is due to primer associated with glycogen synthase and activation by branching enzyme.

Abstract Previous reports have demonstrated the incorporation of glucose from ADP-glucose into methanol-insoluble and TCA-insoluble fractions in cell extracts of Escherichia coli in the absence of added primer α-glucan. This activity is reduced 6- to 76-fold in cell extracts of three independently isolated glycogen synthase-deficient mutants of E. coli B. Homogeneous preparations of E. coli B glycogen synthase catalyze incorporation of glucose into both methanol- and TCA-insoluble fractions in the absence of added primer. Since glycogen synthase catalyzes these reactions, it is not necessary to propose a protein acceptor glucose or a unique ADP-glucose-glycosyl transferase to catalyze formation of the glucoprotein in E. coli cell extracts to explain glucose incorporation into TCA-insoluble material (R. Barengo et al. (1975) FEBS Lett.53, 274–278). The incorporation of glucose into methanol-and TCA-insoluble fractions is stimulated by 0.25 m citrate and by branching enzyme. Citrate reduces the Km for the primer, glycogen, about 11- to 15-fold. Branching enzyme can also reduce the concentration of primer required for incorporation of glucose into methanol-insoluble material. The simultaneous presence of both 0.25 m citrate and branching enzyme enables the glycogen synthase reaction rate to proceed at 30% the maximal velocity at a primer concentration of 1 μg/ml. Incorporation of glucose into methanol- or TCA-insoluble material in the absence of primer is completely inhibited by adding α-amylase. Furthermore, incorporation into methanol- or TCA-insoluble material is reduced 13- to 16-fold relative to the reaction occurring in the presence of primer when glycogen synthase is pretreated with glucoamylase and α-amylase. Previous results show that homogeneous preparations of glycogen synthase contain glucan. Heat-denatured glucogen synthase can act as a primer for the glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen synthase reactions. Both the TCA- and methanol-insoluble products form I2-glucan complexes with wavelength maxima of about 580–590 nm and 610–615 nm, respectively, suggesting that they are mainly linear chain glucans. The products are completely solubilized with α-amylase. The TCA-insoluble product is not solubilized by pronase treatment. The above results strongly suggest that previous reports on formation of glucoprotein primer for glycogen synthesis or on de novo glycogen synthesis in various similar systems is due to endogenous glucan associated with glycogen synthase rather than formation of glucoprotein which then acts as primer for glycogen synthesis.
Identification of genes associated with morphology in Aspergillus niger by using suppression subtractive hybridization.

The morphology of citric acid production strains of Aspergillus niger is sensitive to a variety of factors, including the concentration of manganese (Mn2+). Upon increasing the Mn2+ concentration in A. niger (ATCC 11414) cultures to 14 ppb or higher, the morphology switches from pelleted to filamentous, accompanied by a rapid decline in citric acid production. The molecular mechanisms through which Mn2+ exerts effects on morphology and citric acid production in A. niger cultures have not been well defined, but our use of suppression subtractive hybridization has identified 22 genes responsive to Mn2+. Fifteen genes were differentially expressed when A. niger was grown in media containing 1,000 ppb of Mn2+ (filamentous form), and seven genes were expressed in 10 ppb of Mn2+ (pelleted form). Of the 15 filament-associated genes, seven are novel and eight share 47 to 100% identity with genes from other organisms. Five of the pellet-associated genes are novel, and the other two genes encode a pepsin-type protease and polyubiquitin. All 10 genes with deduced functions are either involved in amino acid metabolism-protein catabolism or cell regulatory processes. Northern blot analysis showed that the transcripts of all 22 genes were rapidly enhanced or suppressed by Mn2+. Steady-state mRNA levels of six selected filament-associated genes remained high during 5 days of culture in a filamentous state and remained low under pelleted growth conditions. The opposite behavior was observed for four selected pellet-associated genes. The full-length cDNA of the filament-associated clone, Brsa-25, was isolated. Antisense expression of Brsa-25 permitted pelleted growth and increased citrate production at concentrations of Mn2+ that were higher than the parent strain could tolerate. These results suggest the involvement of the newly isolated genes in the regulation of A. niger morphology.
pH of the Cytoplasm and Periplasm of Escherichia coli: Rapid Measurement by Green Fluorescent Protein Fluorimetry

Cytoplasmic pH and periplasmic pH of Escherichia coli cells in suspension were observed with 4-s time resolution using fluorimetry of TorA-green fluorescent protein mutant 3* (TorA-GFPmut3*) and TetR-yellow fluorescent protein. Fluorescence intensity was correlated with pH using cell suspensions containing 20 mM benzoate, which equalizes the cytoplasmic pH with the external pH. When the external pH was lowered from pH 7.5 to 5.5, the cytoplasmic pH fell within 10 to 20 s to pH 5.6 to 6.5. Rapid recovery occurred until about 30 s after HCl addition and was followed by slower recovery over the next 5 min. As a control, KCl addition had no effect on fluorescence. In the presence of 5 to 10 mM acetate or benzoate, recovery from external acidification was diminished. Addition of benzoate at pH 7.0 resulted in cytoplasmic acidification with only slow recovery. Periplasmic pH was observed using TorA-GFPmut3* exported to the periplasm through the Tat system. The periplasmic location of the fusion protein was confirmed by the observation that osmotic shock greatly decreased the periplasmic fluorescence signal by loss of the protein but had no effect on the fluorescence of the cytoplasmic protein. Based on GFPmut3* fluorescence, the pH of the periplasm equaled the external pH under all conditions tested, including rapid acid shift. Benzoate addition had no effect on periplasmic pH. The cytoplasmic pH of E. coli was measured with 4-s time resolution using a method that can be applied to any strain construct, and the periplasmic pH was measured directly for the first time.
A Uniform Theory of Conditionals

A uniform theory of conditionals is one which compositionally captures the behavior of both indicative and subjunctive conditionals without positing ambiguities. This paper raises new problems for the closest thing to a uniform analysis in the literature (Stalnaker, Philosophia, 5, 269–286 (1975)) and develops a new theory which solves them. I also show that this new analysis provides an improved treatment of three phenomena (the import-export equivalence, reverse Sobel-sequences and disjunctive antecedents). While these results concern central issues in the study of conditionals, broader themes in the philosophy of language and formal semantics are also engaged here. This new analysis exploits a dynamic conception of meaning where the meaning of a symbol is its potential to change an agent’s mental state (or the state of a conversation) rather than being the symbol’s content (e.g. the proposition it expresses). The analysis of conditionals is also built on the idea that the contrast between subjunctive and indicative conditionals parallels a contrast between revising and consistently extending some body of information.
Genetic sparse distributed memory

Kanerva's 'sparse distributed memory' (SDM) is a type of self-organizing neural network which is able to extract a statistical summary from large volumes of data as it is being processed online. Genetic algorithms have been used to optimize the 'location address space' which corresponds to the mapping from the input layer to the hidden units in the neural network implementation of the sparse distributed memory. If treated as a global optimization problem, the genetic algorithm will attempt to optimize the sparse distributed memory so as to extract a single best statistical predictor. However, the real objective is to obtain not just a single global optimum, but to extract information about as many local optima as possible, since each local optimum in this particular definition of the search space represents a different and distinct data pattern that correlates with some output in which we may be interested. The implementation details of a genetic sparse distributed memory as well as modified algorithm designed to deal better with multiple data patterns are presented. >
Effect of dissolved oxygen on nitrogen fixation by A. vinelandii. II. Ionically adsorbed cells.

Continuous culture studies of Azotobacter vinelandii cells immobilized by ionic adsorption to Cellex E anion exchange resin were conducted under oxygen-limited conditions for comparison to free-cell cultures. Immobilization had little effect upon the specific respiration and sucrose consumption rates as compared to free cells. However, maxima in specific nitrogen fixation rate and nitrogenase activity as a function of dissolved oxygen occurred at a C value of approximately 0.005 mM as opposed to 0.02 mM for free cells. Further, in contrast to free-cell culture, most of the fixed nitrogen appeared in the medium rather than within intact cells. There were strong indications that reproduction of bound cells often resulted in cell lysis accounting for the fixed nitrogen content in solution.
DEVITRIFICATION INHIBITOR IN BINARY BOROSILICATE GLASS COMPOSITE

When an appropriate mixture of a low-softening borosilicate glass (BSG) and a high-softening high silica glass (HSG) is sintered at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1000 °C, a crystalline phase, identified as cristobalite by XRD, is known to precipitate out of the initial amorphous binary mixture of glasses as the sintering continues. The precipitation of cristobalite is found to originate in HSG, and is controlled by the transport of alkali ions (e.g., K+, Na+, and Li+) from BSG to HSG.1 In this paper, we report that when a small amount of alumina is present as a dopant in the above binary mixture of BSG and HSG, the cristobalite formation is completely prevented at the sintering temperatures investigated. The above result is attributed to a strong affinity between Al+3 from alumina and alkali ions from BSG, which diverts the diffusion of alkali ions from HSG to alumina, thus forming a K+ and Al+3-rich reaction layer adjacent to the alumina particles far too rapidly compared to that of cristobalite formation.
Gersonides on the Possibility of Conjunction with the Agent Intellect

In De anima 3. 5 Aristotle distinguished two aspects in the activity of intellection or knowing: one active, the other passive. His remarks are notoriously obscure, and they have occasioned an enormous exegetical literature from antiquity to our own day. Besides laying the foundations of an epistemological edifice that remained intact for many centuries, Aristotle also suggested that the active factor in knowing is eternal and immortal. Thus, he retained in some form Plato's belief that there is a link between knowledge and immortality.' Several of the leading ancient and medieval interpreters of Aristotle developed this suggestion into a complex doctrine of immortality, the main thesis of which was the idea that human perfection
ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR CARTESIAN COORDINATE DATA WITH REFERENCE TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HYLOBATES AND SYMPHALANGUS (HYLOBATIDAE; HOMINOIDEA)

Corruccini, R. S. (Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901) 1981. Analytical techniques for Cartesian coordinate data with reference to the relationship between Hylobates and Symphalangus (Hylobatidae; Hominoidea). Syst. Zool., 30:32-40.-Hylobatid cranial similarities are examined using Cartesian coordinates describing morphological landmarks. While Symphalangus appears distinct from analysis of raw coordinates, it is less so when analytical procedures are included for controlling the influence of general size. This weakens arguments for maintaining siamangs as a distinct genus from Hylobates. [Hylobatidae; Cartesian coordinates; allometry; crania.] Cartesian coordinates are an attractive alternative to the more traditional caliper measurements taken directly on organisms. By mapping morphological landmarks as they are projected onto an X-Y grid system, it is possible to get an evenly balanced representation of the organism's shape, and repetitive reliance on certain central landmarks (such as basion and nasion in craniometry) can be avoided. Interest in expression of data as Cartesian coordinates goes back to Thompson (1917) and further, but more recently a variety of analytical techniques have been proposed. Sneath (1967) gave an example of conversion of Thompson's transformation grids into contour maps which could then be analyzed by polynomial contouring. Benfer (1975) used the X and Y coordinates directly as input data for factor analysis of human crania. Ramaekers (1975) analyzed polar coordinates (which can be derived from Cartesian coordinates) describing tooth shape in a Paleogene primate. Lestrel (1976) and Lestrel et al. (1977) advocated Fourier analysis of morphological outlines (whose perimeters can be described by Cartesian coordinates). Bookstein (1978) developed a method of quantifying Thompson's transformnations as "biorthogonal grids," using (like most of the previous workers) an example from primate cranial shape studies. Scheibengraber (1979) proposed processing of
ARM: Anticipated route maintenance scheme in location-aided mobile ad hoc networks

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) are composed of moving wireless hosts which, within range of each other, form wireless networks. For communication to occur between hosts that are not within each other's range, routes involving intermediate nodes must be established; however, since the hosts may be in motion, a host that was part of a route may move away from its upstream and downstream partners, thus breaking the route. In this paper, we propose anticipated route maintenance (ARM) protocol with two extensions to route discovery based routing scheme: Extend the route when nodes on a link move apart from each other and they have common neighbor that can be “inserted” in the path, and shrink route when a node discovers that one of its neighbor which is not the next hop is also on the same route several hops later on. By utilizing only local geographic information (now a part of some route finding algorithms), a host can anticipate its neighbor's departure and, if other hosts are available, choose a host to bridge the gap, keeping the path connected. We present a distributed algorithm that anticipates route failure and performs preventative route maintenance using location information to increase a route lifespan. The benefits are that this reduces the need to find new routes (which is very expensive) and prevents interruptions in service. As the density of nodes increases, the chance to successfully utilize our route maintenance approach increases, and so does the savings. We have compared the performance of two protocols, pure dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol and DSR with ARM. The simulation results show how ARM improves the functionality of DSR by preventing the links in the route from breaking. Packets delivery ratio could be increased using ARM and achieved approximately 100% improvement. The simulations clarify also how ARM shows a noticeable improvement in dropped packets and links stability over DSR, even though there is more traffic and channel overhead in ARM.
T-Cell Signaling Regulated by the Tec Family Kinase, Itk

The Tec family tyrosine kinases regulate lymphocyte development, activation, and differentiation. In T cells, the predominant Tec kinase is Itk, which functions downstream of the T-cell receptor to regulate phospholipase C-γ. This review highlights recent advances in our understanding of Itk kinase structure and enzymatic regulation, focusing on Itk protein domain interactions and mechanisms of substrate recognition. We also discuss the role of Itk in the development of conventional versus innate T-cell lineages, including both αβ and γδ T-cell subsets. Finally, we describe the complex role of Itk signaling in effector T-cell differentiation and the regulation of cytokine gene expression. Together, these data implicate Itk as an important modulator of T-cell signaling and function.
Icelandic Data Driven Part of Speech Tagging

Data driven POS tagging has achieved good performance for English, but can still lag behind linguistic rule based taggers for morphologically complex languages, such as Icelandic. We extend a statistical tagger to handle fine grained tagsets and improve over the best Icelandic POS tagger. Additionally, we develop a case tagger for non-local case and gender decisions. An error analysis of our system suggests future directions.
Multiple Automatic Sequential Analysis

A multiple automatic analyzer has been constructed which determines albumin, total protein, chloride, carbon dioxide, sodium, potassium, glucose, and urea nitrogen. The results for each of these 8 determinations are obtained in sequence for an individual sample and are recorded on a single sheet of paper. The entire system is calibrated by means of a standard solution containing all 8 of the components under test. Results appear on the record in a directly readable and immediately usable form. The actual record is used as the laboratory report sent to the requesting physician.
Spatially resolved backscattering: implementation of extrapolation boundary condition and exponential source

The images method is widely used to solve the diffusion equation for the propagation of light within a semi-infinite medium (z>0) in which both scattering and absorption occur. The results are widely used both to analyze data and to illustrate the failings of the diffusion approximation. We emphasize that the images method does not properly obey the extrapolation boundary conditions of diffusion theory, namely, (1-ze d/dz)φ(z)|z=0=0; instead, it approximates these by φ(-ze)=0. The images method also does not describe the source of diffusing photons produced by the exponential attenuation of a collimated incident beam. By correcting these defects and comparing with a simulation, we show that most of the error in the images solution is due to the source and boundary treatment rather than to the diffusion approximation. Our prediction for backscattered intensity versus distance from the source point should be useful for improved analysis of experimental data, especially in cases of nonzero wall reflectivity.
Update in pain medicine

More than 75 million Americans have chronic or recurrent pain.1 Pain accounts for 20% of all outpatient visits2 and more than $100 billion dollars per year in direct (i.e., health care services) and indirect costs (i.e., lost productivity)3; analgesics account for 12% of all prescriptions.4 Chronic pain is a leading cause of work loss, and disability and is a common reason for use of alternative medicine.5 Our aims were to: review recent pain medicine studies and their key findings and understand how these new findings may impact generalist clinical practice. We used a systematic search strategy for the period of January 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007 for human subject, English language, peer-reviewed articles that could potentially change generalist care of patients with chronic pain. We searched MEDLINE and PubMed using the medical subject heading (MeSH) terms pain, chronic pain, and primary care. Members of the Society of General Internal Medicine’s Pain Medicine Interest Group also suggested other relevant articles. We narrowed the initial list of 314 references to 33. We independently rated the 33 remaining articles using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = poor to 5 = outstanding) on: impact on general internal medicine clinical practice, clinical policy and research, and the quality of the study methods. Based on ratings and consensus deliberations, we chose a subset of 12 articles. We categorized the articles into 5 topic areas: (1) chronic pain and comorbidities; (2) systems approaches to managing chronic pain; (3) opioids and chronic pain; (4) non-pharmacologic approaches to treating chronic pain; and (5) complementary and alternative pain treatments.
Race, Social Class and the Motive to Avoid Success in Women:

This study sought to examine race and social class differences in the expression of fear of success in women. This concept, termed the Motive to Avoid Success (M-s), was developed and utilized by Horner (1968) to explain sex differences in achievement motivation.In our study, M-s imagery expressed in response to TAT-verbal cues was compared for black and white college women and two social class levels. The hypothesis that black women would show less M-s than white women was supported. The findings held for subjects at two schools and for two verbal cues. Social class differences were not found. Several interpretations and suggestions for follow-up studies are given.
Effects of calcium ion concentration on the degeneration of amputated axons in tissue culture.

Light and electron microscope studies were conducted on the nature of the degenerative changes in amputated nerve fibers of cultured rat sensory ganglia and on the effects of media with differing calcium concentrations upon these changes. With glucose-enriched Eagle's media (MEM) containing 1.6 mM calcium, the amputated myelinated and unmyelinated axons undergo a progressive granular disintegration of their axoplasm with collapse and fragmentation of myelin sheaths between 6 and 24 h after transection. With MEM containing only 25–50 µM calcium, the granular axoplasmic degeneration does not occur in transected fibers and they retain their longitudinal continuity and segmental myelin ensheathment for at least 48 h. Addition of 6 mM EGTA to MEM (reducing the estimated Ca++ below 0.3 µM) results in the structural preservation of both microtubules and neurofilaments within transected axons. A transient focal swelling of amputated axons occurs, however, in cultures with normal and reduced calcium. These observations suggest that an alteration in the permeability of the axolemma is a crucial initiating event leading to axonal degenerative changes distal to nerve transection. The loss of microtubules and neurofilaments and the associated granular alterations of the axoplasm in transected fibers appears to result from the influx of calcium into the axoplasm.
Fine‐needle aspiration cytology of seminoma: A review of 16 cases

We report the cytomorphologic features of 16 fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies of seminoma obtained from 16 male patients. The aspirates included two primary gonadal tumors (one occurring in a cryptorchid testis), two primary mediastinal tumors, and 12 metastases (two with unknown primaries). Analysis of the aspirates revealed a primarily dispersed cell population of large cells with scant to moderately abundant cytoplasm. The nuclei were round to slightly irregular, had finely granular chromatin, and had either one central prominent nucleolus or two to three smaller nucleoli. Variable numbers of lymphocytes and plasma cells were intermingled with the tumor cells. Only a few cases had epithelioid histiocytes or the characteristic "tigroid" background. The cytologic features of the metastases were distinctive and were considered diagnostic for therapeutic management. In six cases, an initial diagnosis of seminoma by FNA biopsy identified the neoplasm as germ cell in origin rather than other neoplasms in the differential diagnosis, thereby expediting therapeutic management.
Transferable Skills Development in Engineering Students: Analysis of Service-Learning Impact

The practice of engineering, especially the design process, involves many aspects beyond just the technical and includes such critical components as engineering ethics, sustainability and transferable skills such as communication, leadership and mentoring. Engineering educators often struggle with how to best incorporate these nontechnical aspects within their curricula. Service learning offers an opportunity to do this. The disconnect is that students often view engineering as only the technical number crunching and these other nontechnical components as less important. We report on the assessment of student written reflections across two very different service-learning engineering design projects for the purpose of evaluating student attitudes about these service-learning experiences and to assess their awareness and appreciation of transferable-skills development. In the spirit of service-learning pedagogy, we divided the contents of the written reflections into three categories – academic enhancement, civic engagement and personal growth skills. The commonality across both courses centered on academic enhancements and the value of transferable skills (i.e., leadership, teamwork, negotiation skills, mentoring, scheduling, verbal and written communication skills). Assessments show our current service-learning pedagogy improves students’ understanding of the importance of written and oral presentation skills. However, as of yet, many students do not consider leadership, negotiation skills, design setbacks, scheduling and mentoring skills to be part of “real” engineering.
Minimizing energy consumptions in wireless sensor networks via two-modal transmission

We present a sophisticated framework to systematically explore the temporal correlation in environmental monitoring wireless sensor networks. The presented framework optimizes lossless data compression in communications given the resource constraint of sensor nodes. The insights and analyses obtained from the framework can directly lead to innovative and better design of data gathering protocols for wireless sensor networks operated in noisy environments to dramatically reduce the energy consumptions.
Minding the calcium store: Ryanodine receptor activation as a convergent mechanism of PCB toxicity

Chronic low-level polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposures remain a significant public health concern since results from epidemiological studies indicate that PCB burden is associated with immune system dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and impairment of the developing nervous system. Of these various adverse health effects, developmental neurotoxicity has emerged as a particularly vulnerable endpoint in PCB toxicity. Arguably the most pervasive biological effects of PCBs could be mediated by their ability to alter the spatial and temporal fidelity of Ca2+ signals through one or more receptor-mediated processes. This review will focus on our current knowledge of the structure and function of ryanodine receptors (RyRs) in muscle and nerve cells and how PCBs and related non-coplanar structures alter these functions. The molecular and cellular mechanisms by which non-coplanar PCBs and related structures alter local and global Ca2+ signaling properties and the possible short and long-term consequences of these perturbations on neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration are reviewed.
Continued Effectiveness of Relapse Prevention Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Following Fluoxetine Treatment in Youth With Major Depressive Disorder

Objective To evaluate the continued effect of a sequential treatment strategy (fluoxetine followed by continued medication plus relapse prevention cognitive-behavioral therapy [RP-CBT]) on relapse prevention beyond the treatment phase. Method Youth (aged 8–17 years) with major depressive disorder (MDD) were treated with fluoxetine for 6 weeks. Responders (≥50% reduction on the Children's Depression Rating Scale–Revised [CDRS-R]) were randomized to continued medication management alone (MM) or continued medication management plus RP-CBT (MM+CBT) for an additional 6 months. Long-term follow-up assessments were conducted at weeks 52 and 78. Results Of 144 youth randomized to MM (n = 69) or MM+CBT (n = 75), 67% had at least 1 follow-up assessment, with equal rates in the 2 groups. Remission rates were high, although most had remitted during the 30-week treatment period. Only 6 additional participants remitted during long-term follow-up, and there were no differences on time to remission between MM+CBT and MM. The MM+CBT group had a significantly lower risk of relapse than the MM group throughout the 78-week follow-up period (hazard ratio = 0.467, 95% CI = 0.264 to 0.823; χ 2 = 6.852, p = .009). The estimated probability of relapse during the 78-week period was lower with MM+CBT than MM only (36% versus 62%). Mean time to relapse was also significantly longer with MM+CBT compared to MM alone by approximately 3 months ( p = .007). Conclusion The addition of RP-CBT after acute response to medication management had a continued effect on reducing risk of relapse even after the end of treatment. Clinical trial registration information —Sequential Treatment of Pediatric MDD to Increase Remission and Prevent Relapse; http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00612313.
Purines in Parkinson’s: Adenosine A2A Receptors and Urate as Targets for Neuroprotection

Purines are essential constituents of all living cells. The nucleoside adenosine is not only a precursor of ATP and cyclic AMP but is also released by a wide variety of cells under various physiological and pathological conditions. In mammals, adenosine acts on four subtypes of guanine nucleotide binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptor (GPCR)—A1, A2A, A2B and A3. Among these the adenosine A2A receptor has emerged as a particularly attractive target of therapeutics development for Parkinson’s disease (PD), in part because it is highly expressed in brain regions innervated by the dopaminergic neurons that degenerate in PD. Urate (also known as uric acid —2,6,8-trioxypurine) is the most abundant plasma antioxidant as well as the end product of purine metabolism in humans. Emerging clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory evidence has identified urate as a potential neuroprotectant for the treatment of PD. The primary intent of this review is to explore the neuroprotective effects of adenosine receptor antagonists and urate and their therapeutic potential in PD with particular attention to epidemiological and preclinical findings linking these purines to PD and other neurodegenerative diseases. This review also summarizes current clinical development of purines as candidate neuroprotectants.
Political Identity, Territory, And Institutional Change: The Case Of Belgium

This article examines the interplay of political identity, territory, and institutional change in Belgium. Political mobilization has gradually reshaped the territorial constitution of political institutions, and with it, group identities. Politicians have chosen to abandon a unitary state structure and instead establish a federation of Regions and Communities, both of which are territorially delimited but have different functions. As contention over language policy and language-use assessment has grown, Belgians have decided to favor territoriality over language use in matters of governance. This decision has not been without significant effects on identity-based politics. The analysis presented here shows how group mobilization can alter the institutional and territorial structures of group interaction and that these structural changes affect future options available to groups.
African regional organizations

List of tables, figures and map List of contributors 1. Introduction: the regional trend Domenico Mazzeo 2. The UN and political cooperation in Africa Leon Gordenker 3. The Economic Commission for Africa Isebill V. Gruhn 4. The Organization of African Unity K. Matthews 5. The African Development Bank and the African Development Fund Francis Wodie 6. OCAM: one scene in the drama of West African development R. A. Fredland 7. Competition, conflict and decline in the Union Douaniere et Economique de l'Afrique Centrale (UDEAC) Lynn Krieger Mytelka 8. The experience of the East African Community: implications for the theory and practice of regional cooperation in Africa Domenico Mazzeo 9. ECOWAS, the EEC and the Lome Convention S. K. B. Asante 10. The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) and regional cooperation in southern Africa Peter Meyns 11. Conclusion: problems and prospects of intra-African cooperation Domenico Mazzeo Bibliography List of abbreviations Index.
Estimating the Density of Larval Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), Using Frass Drop and Frass Production Measurements: Sources of Variation and Sample Size

At three sites on Cape Cod, Mass., successive gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), larval densities were estimated using simultaneous measurements of the number of frass pellets produced per larva (frass yield) and the number of frass pellets falling in the forest per unit area (frass drop). Estimated larval densities declined through the period of larval development at all sites. Frass yield was positively correlated with ambient temperature. Frass drop was positively correlated with the basal area of host trees immediately around the frass trap. At a low-density population, rate of frass drop exhibited a diel periodicity similar to that of larval feeding. Mean-variance relationships of frass drop measurements and density estimates indicated that frass pellets and larvae were spatially aggregated within stands. The optimal ratio of drop to yield samples and the number of replicates of each sample necessary to obtain a given level of precision decreased with increasing density.
Effects of chronic antidepressant drug administration and electroconvulsive shock on activity of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmentum: a reply to Chenu et al. (2011)

We have read the letter commenting on our article entitled ‘Effects of chronic antidepressant drug administration and electroconvulsive shock on activity of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmentum’. We offer the following response. The authors of the letter direct attention to our mean spontaneous firing rate for dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA-DA neurons) being lower than typically found and particularly note that we included neurons with firing rates as low as 1.0 Hz. Our mean rates of firing are indeed somewhat lower than often reported by other investigators. We were clearly aware of this, specifically describing in our Methods section that we included slow-firing neurons. Our criteria for DA neurons in the VTA depended upon ( a ) stereotaxic location and then ( b ) the specific wave form of the unit as stated in the Procedure section, which is widely acknowledged for these neurons. Because we were recording multiple neurons in each animal, there was no way to mark individual neurons and identify their locations and/or characteristics histologically; consequently, we included neurons based on waveform. Given these criteria, we saw no basis for discarding neurons because their firing rate was slow and, consequently, such neurons were included. The writers of the letter call attention to an article by Ungless et al. (2004), who described differences between DA and non-DA neurons in the VTA. The writers noted that our mean spontaneous firing rate was closer to that of non-dopaminergic cells than dopaminergic cells. However, the main point of the article by Ungless et al. was that VTA-DA neurons were inhibited by aversive or stressful stimuli whereas non-DA neurons were excited by such stimuli; they reported 10 of 12 DA neurons were inhibited by 10-s foot pinch whereas four of six non-DA neurons were excited by this stimulus. We have examined the …
Linear Stochastic Estimation of the Flowfield from a Bypass Ratio 8 Nozzle Configuration

Linear Stochastic Estimation (LSE) and Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) are used to compare the large-scale structures of a jet exhausted through a baseline Bypass Ratio 8 nozzle to a jet exhausted through a chevron nozzle with the same Bypass Ratio. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to measure the streamwise and radial velocity components on a 2D streamwise plane over the first 11 jet equivalent diamters. A comparison of the mean velocity and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) for these two cases show that the streamwise vortices generated by the chevron nozzle result in high turbulence levels near the nozzle and reduced turbulence levels downstream. The results from the LSE analysis are consistent with the TKE in that the correlations levels between the original and reconstructed flowfield are highest when the referente signals for the LSE reside at the peca in the TKE radial profiles. It was also shown that the baseline estimates from the LSE analisis could be used to reconstruct the chevron flowfield, particularly near the end of the potencial core. The POD modes further supported that the changes seen in the TKE were due to the coherent structures. The energy levels for the first few POD modes were higher for the chevron configuration near the nozzle and lower downstream. Finally, the complimentary technique was employed which combined the LSE and POD methods. The complimentary technique had lower correlation levels, but was better at reconstructing the entire flowfield compared to the LSE technique which was very localized near the peak TKE values.
An Assessment of Electronic Exchange in Phosphomolybdates

In the synthesis of polyacrylates, a necessary step involves the conversion of acroleins to acrylic acids- a process catalysed by Mo oxides. We have directed our work towards the elucidation of the electronic structure of the most stable structure of 12-heteromolybdate, ie. the α-keggin unit, using EPR spectroscopy, Cyclic Voltammetry, and molecular orbital calculations based on the extended Huckel theory. Metal ion substitution has been shown to have negligible effect on the electronic structure of the keggin unit thus rationalising previous arguments of structural rigidity. Electronic exchange has been shown to be facilitated through metal-metal interaction.
Fiscal Health Rated Relatively Good for Most Jurisdictions, But Improvement Slows and Decline Continues for Many

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of their jurisdictions’ fiscal conditions and the actions they plan to take in the coming year given their financial situations. The findings are based on responses from seven statewide survey waves of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) conducted annually each spring from 2009 through 2015.
SU-A-BRC-07: Q&A

This year’s Annual Student Meeting consists of a panel of professionals who have pursued a traditional education in medical physics and have since pursued a variety of careers. These range from chief medical physicist, small business founder, FDA scientist, industry R&D scientist, and academic researcher. Each panelist will discuss their education, positions that they have held leading to their current one, and factors that influenced them to pursue their careers. Time will be left at the end of the talk to open the floor for questions from students and trainees. Discussion between the presenters and participants is encouraged. Learning Objectives: 1. The audience will learn about how to prepare for a career in medical physics. 2. The audience will be able to consider some of the widely different job opportunities open to medical physicists. 3. The audience will gain a better understanding of some future challenges facing medical physics graduates. N. Childress, I am the owner of Mobius Medical Systems, LP.
Opinions and Preferences Towards a Community Mental Health Center

The last decade marks the application of marketing theory in the areas of non-profit organizations, for example schools, hospitals, mental health centers, etc. This article assesses the perceived needs of the community by asking respondents to indicate their awareness of individuals who are in need of such services. The study also focuses on the variables of mental health center that are important in the choice of the organization. Marketing implications of the findings are discussed.
Analysis of inelastic pion scattering from the low-lying 2 + states in C 14

I have analyzed data for inelastic ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$ and ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ scatterings to the two lowest ${2}^{+}$ states of $^{14}\mathrm{C}$ to determine proton and neutron matrix elements. In a two-state model, I have then derived one-body transition amplitudes for $p$ shell and ${(sd)}^{2}$ transitions. Data are found to be consistent with equal mixing of the ${2}^{+}$ states but with slightly nonstandard ratios of effective charges. Using effective charges in common usage, mixing is found to be only slightly different from equal---55% of the ${(sd)}^{2}$ component in the lower ${2}^{+}$ state.
Residential building energy conservation and avoided power plant emissions by urban and community trees in the United States

Urban trees and forests alter building energy use and associated emissions from power plants by shading buildings, cooling air temperatures and altering wind speeds around buildings. Field data on urban trees were combined with local urban/community tree and land cover maps, modeling of tree effects on building energy use and pollutant emissions, and state energy and pollutant costs to estimate tree effects on building energy use and associated pollutant emissions at the state to national level in the conterminous United States. Results reveal that trees and forests in urban/community areas in the conterminous United States annually reduce electricity use by 38.8 million MWh ($4.7 billion), heating use by 246 million MMBtus ($3.1 billion) and avoid thousands of tonnes of emissions of several pollutants valued at $3.9 billion per year. Average reduction in national residential energy use due to trees is 7.2 percent. Specific designs to reduce energy use using urban trees could increase these values and further reduce energy use and improve air quality in the United States.
Forensic psychologists' perceptions of bias and potential correction strategies in forensic mental health evaluations

A qualitative study with 20 board-certified forensic psychologists was followed up by a mail survey of 351 forensic psychologists in this mixed-methods investigation of examiner bias awareness and strategies used to debias forensic judgments. Rich qualitative data emerged about awareness of bias, sp