cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building Entrepreneurial Confidence

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has developed a course, Technology Entrepreneurship, that combines the process-oriented strengths of engineering with entrepreneurial skills. Entrepreneurial education is not just for students who hope to create their own company. It is also for those who want to succeed as intrapreneurs-engineers working within a company to develop innovative products or services. Our goal is to provide the necessary foundation of vocabulary, knowledge, skills, and experience to succeed as an entrepreneur or intrapreneur.
57 The effect of growing season and fertilization on ADF and NDF levels in three species of warm-season grass

ADF and NDF reduce nutrient digestibility in horses, however the effects of climate, time of day, and fertilization on these fibers have not been adequately studied in our region of east Texas. Therefore, the focus of this research was to analyze the NDF and ADF content of 3 varieties of warm season grasses: Jiggs Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.)], Tifton 85 Bermudagrass [Tifton 68 bermudagrass X PI 290884], and Pensacola Bahiagrass [Paspalum notatum Flugge var. saurae Parodi], in response to season, time of day, and fertilization. Plots were set up in a grid design to prevent cross-contamination. Half of the plots were fertilized at a rate of 105.23 kg/acre (FERT) and half were unfertilized (CON). Samples were collected at 6AM and 6PM on, or as close to the first of the month as possible, from May through September, which encompassed the entire growing season for these grasses. ADF and NDF were analyzed using an ANKOM 200 Fiber Analyzer (ANKOM Technology, Macedon, New York) according to the manufacturer's instructions. All data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED function of SAS (v. 9.4 SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC). For Bahia, %NDF was greater in CON than FERT (P = 0.01) and AM than PM (P = 0.02), across all months. For Jiggs bermudagrass, %NDF was not different between treatments (P > 0.4) and was greater in AM than PM (P = 0.03), across all months. For Tifton 85 bermudagrass, %NDF was not different between treatments and time points (P > 0.7), across all months. For Bahia, %ADF was not different between treatments (P = 0.31) or between time points (P = 0.13), across all months. For Jiggs bermudagrass, %ADF was greater in CON than FERT (P = 0.001) but was not different between time points (P > 0.1), across all months. For Tifton 85 bermudagrass, %ADF was not different between treatments and time points (P > 0.3), across all months. ADF and NDF varied across months for all 3 species (Table 1). ADF was lowest for Bahia and Tifton 85, and NDF was lowest in all 3 species at the beginning of the growing season regardless of time of day or treatment. This indicates that month had a greater impact on ADF and NDF content than time of day or fertilization.
THE EFFECT OF POSITIVE EMOTIONAL REGULATION TOWARDS HAPPINESS LEVEL IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Background: Menopausal women experience various physical changes leading to psychological problems, such as anxiety, and may cause negative emotions. Regulating positive emotions in menopausal women may increase the happiness level in this population. Objective: This study aims to analyze the effect of positive emotional regulation towards the happiness level in menopausal women Methods: This analytic observational study utilized cross sectional design. The population was all female elders living in community under the supervision of Kenjeran Public Health Center, and the sampel was menopausal women. The independent variable was positive emotional regulation, while the dependent variable was the happiness level. Valid and reliable questionnaires were used in data collection. Linear regression test was used in data analysis. Results: All respondents (100%) had good positive emotions, and most respondents (59.5%) had a high level of happiness. Linear regression test showed that positive emotional regulation affected the happiness level significantly in menopausal women (p<0.05). Conclusions: Positive emotions affect the happiness level ini menopausal women.
Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Public Health Crisis or a Political Battle?

Since the start of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social media platforms have been filled with discussions about the global health crisis. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the importance of seeking credible sources of information on social media regarding COVID-19. In this study, we conducted an in-depth analysis of Twitter posts about COVID-19 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to identify influential sources of COVID-19 information and understand the characteristics of these sources. We identified influential accounts based on an information diffusion network representing the interactions of Twitter users who discussed COVID-19 in the United States over a 24-h period. The network analysis revealed 11 influential accounts that we categorized as: 1) political authorities (elected government officials), 2) news organizations, and 3) personal accounts. Our findings showed that while verified accounts with a large following tended to be the most influential users, smaller personal accounts also emerged as influencers. Our analysis revealed that other users often interacted with influential accounts in response to news about COVID-19 cases and strongly contested political arguments received the most interactions overall. These findings suggest that political polarization was a major factor in COVID-19 information diffusion. We discussed the implications of political polarization on social media for COVID-19 communication.
Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after perventricular ventricular septal defect device closure.

Perventricular ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure has been adopted as a therapeutic option for selected patients with muscular VSDs. This technique may combine some of the advantages of surgical and interventional techniques. Complication rates have been low: only one case of procedure-related left ventricular (LV) pseudoaneurysm has been documented. We report the surgical repair for a LV pseudoaneurysm after perventricular VSD device closure. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12226 (J Card Surg 2014;29:186–188)
Genetic Enhancement in Humans

A great deal of public excitement and controversy has been associated with advances in gene technology, especially the idea that humans could be experimentally "enhanced." However, based on the recent history of transgenic experiments in animals, the prospects are much less rosy than portrayed, and even successful efforts could not affect human evolution. These realities should temper unduly restrictive legislation that could impede the course of scientific progress.
Gedanken über die Knappheit der Ressourcen

Da sich aus Zedern gute und haltbare Kriegsschiffe bauen lassen, haben die Romer sie einst rucksichtslos abgeholzt. Bekanntlich wachsen Zedern nur sehr, sehr langsam, und damals hatte man gar vergessen, sie nachzupflanzen. Die Kriegschiffe versanken und die Zedern mit ihnen auch.
A Proposal for a New Definition of Genocide

Bailey deconstructs the United Nations' definition of "genocide" to reveal its flaws, specifically in the case of defining Darfur as genocide, rather than its current status as a "humanitarian crisis." This paper outlines the current definition’s flaws as lacking judgment capacity, neglecting groups of people and its inflexibility to allow for different levels of genocide. The author looks at other model definitions of genocide made by scholars in the field, but is not satisfied with the results. In the end, the author proposes a new definition of genocide that removes the widely debatable term "genocide" and replaces it with his term, The Code of Greater Crimes Against Humanity. [Abstract by editor]
MRI by steering resonance through space

Purpose This work introduces a technique to excite MR signals locally and to steer this localized region over the object in a spatiotemporal manner. The purpose is to demonstrate the feasibility of MRI with multidimensional spatiotemporal-encoding in a way that provides the ability to compensate extreme field inhomogeneity. Methods The method is called steering resonance over the object (STEREO). A modulated gradient is applied in concert with a frequency-modulated pulse to steer a resonant region through space and thus produce sequential excitation and echo formation. Images are reconstructed using exclusively an inverse problem solution. Results Images of phantoms and human brain were produced to demonstrate the feasibility of the STEREO sequence and image reconstruction. Simulations support the postulated capability to compensate for extreme field inhomogeneity. Conclusion STEREO represents a substantial departure from conventional MRI in which spins contained in the sample, slab, or slice are excited synchronously. By exciting spins sequentially along a curved spatial trajectory, STEREO in principle affords a unique opportunity to adjust for spatial variations in static and radiofrequency fields. By adjusting field amplitudes and frequencies in a temporal manner in STEREO, in future works it should be possible to perform MRI with highly inhomogeneous fields. Magn Reson Med 72:49–58, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PAX3-FOXO1 Induces Up-Regulation of Noxa Sensitizing Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma Cells to Apoptosis

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) has a much poorer prognosis than the more common embryonal subtype. Most ARMS tumors characteristically possess a specific genomic translocation between the genes of PAX3/7 and FOXO1 (FKHR), which forms fusion proteins possessing the DNA binding domains of PAX3/7 and the more transcriptionally potent transactivation domain of FOXO1. We have shown that the proapoptotic BH3-only family member Noxa is upregulated by the PAX3-FOXO1 fusion transcription factor in a p53-independent manner. The increased expression of Noxa renders PAX3-FOXO1-expressing cells more susceptible to apoptosis induced by a γ-secretase inhibitor (GSI1, Z-LLNle-CHO), the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, and BH3 mimetic ABT-737. Apoptosis in response to bortezomib can be overcome by shRNA knockdown of Noxa. In vivo treatment with bortezomib reduced the growth of tumors derived from a PAX3-FOXO1-expressing primary myoblast tumor model and RH41 xenografts. We therefore demonstrate that PAX3-FOXO1 up-regulation of Noxa represents an unanticipated aspect of ARMS tumor biology that creates a therapeutic window to allow induction of apoptosis in ARMS cells.
Obligation, Contracts, and Negotiation

Many obligations can be seen as arising from contractual arrangements (or from situations resembling contractual arrangements) among agents. My obligation to repay you the $100 I borrowed is associated with a simple (quite possibly tacit and informal) contractual arrangement between us. My obligations as an employee of my university are associated with contractual arrangements with my university, which may be considered a collective agent. My university in turn has certain obligations to me. But some obligations change over time as a result of changing circumstances, and in at least some cases the changes that occur can be thought of as involving a renegotiation of a contract among the parties involved. When I pay back half the money I owe you, I have not fulfilled my original obligation; but neither does that original obligation to pay you $100 still stand. Instead, we may consider, we have renegotiated my contract with you so that my remaining obligation is to pay you $50 (or, depending on details of the negotiation, perhaps $50 plus interest or a late fee). Analogous, though usually more explicit, renegotiations of contracts are commonplace in the corporate world as well.
The Handbook of Hearing and the Effects of Noise: Physiology, Psychology, and Public Health

Definitions and Measurement of Noise and Sound. Structures and Functions of the Ear. Auditory Sensations and Perceptions. Normal Hearing, Sociocusis, Nosocusis, and Hearing Loss from Industrial Noise. Derivation of a General Theory and Procedure for Predicting Hearing Loss from Exposure to Sound. Speech Intelligibility in Quiet and in Noise. The Assessment of Hearing Handicap and Damage Risk from Noise. Mental and Psychomotor Task Performance in Noise. Nonauditory System Responses to Sound and Noise and Relations to Health. Community Reactions to Environmental Noise. References. Index.
Stability of 2-D distributed processes with time-variant communication delays

Motivated by the applications of parallel and distributed computing in m-D systems, this paper analyzes the effect of time-variant communication delays on the stability of 2-D systems. The time-variant communication delays are at first modeled and then used in the formulation of the 2-D Roesser local state space model. The arising overall dynamic system model is of uncertain, shift-variant form and it is described by finite uncertainty sets. The result is a sufficient condition for stability of the described process.
Dynamic evaluation of regional air quality models: Assessing changes in O3 stemming from changes in emissions and meteorology

Abstract Regional-scale air quality models are used to estimate the response of air pollutants to potential emission control strategies as part of the decision-making process. Traditionally, the model-predicted pollutant concentrations are evaluated for the “base case” to assess a model's ability to reproduce past observations. Dynamic evaluation approaches, which evaluate a model's ability to accurately simulate air quality changes from given changes in emissions, are critically important to regulatory applications. Here, we investigate approaches to evaluate the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model's predicted ozone (O3) response to large NOx emission reductions associated with the NOx State Implementation Plan (SIP) Call and on-road mobile emissions. This case has the advantages that emission changes associated with the NOx SIP Call can be well characterized and substantial changes are observed in O3 levels. To consider the modeled response to emission changes in light of the strong meteorological influences on O3, two time periods after the NOx SIP Call are included with very different meteorological conditions. The sensitivity to chemical mechanisms is also considered by including simulations with the CB4, SAPRC, and CB05 chemical mechanisms. The evaluation results suggest that the air quality model predictions underestimate the O3 reductions observed after the NOx SIP Call was implemented. While the emission estimate uncertainties may also be a factor, the results suggest that the contribution of long-range transport of O3 and precursors is underpredicted, especially when using the CB4 chemical mechanism. Further investigation of the chemical mechanisms’ ability to characterize tropospheric chemistry aloft is recommended. Results based on the most recent CMAQ version 4.6 with CB05 and updated emission inventories show incremental improvements to the modeled O3 response to NOx emission reductions.
Return to the Origin: Negotiating the Modern and Unmodern in the Old City of Damascus

The 2002 government restoration of Suq in Damascus led to disagreements between officials and merchants over acceptable spatial practice in the marketplace. Though both were vested in the Suq's introduction to the historic Old City, they had different interpretations of this role. Officials emphasized a sanitized and ordered space whereas merchants focused on the commercial activities necessary in the marketplace over discipline. Eventually both interpretations, though at times contradictory, were included in the project. This article illustrates how the replication of modernity in a public space with inherent contradictions is a result of negotiations between formal and informal modernitites.
The processing of spatial frequency and orientation information

Three identification experiments were completed to disambiguate the associations-between-spatial frequency and orientation information at the sensory, decisional, and response levels. The stimuli were gratings generated by crossing four levels each of spatial frequency and orientation. In Experiment 1, the subjects made a single identification response to the stimuli. In Experiment 2, two identification responses were made, one for the spatial frequency component and the other for the orientation component. In Experiment 3, the subjects identified either the spatial frequency or the orientation component in any block of trials. The data were confusion matrices, and an information-transmission approach was used to investigate the-interactions in the system. The results show that although there were sensory associations, there were no interactions at the decisional level. Performance parity was found: there was no significant difference between the single- and double-judgment paradigms in terms of information transmitted. Overall, the results suggest that although spatial frequency and orientation information is coded jointly at the sensory level, subsequent processing is independent, with each dimension drawing upon different attentional resources.
Laparoscopic Gastric Band Complications

Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, has evolved from a specialty dominated by intestinal bypasses and vertical banded gastroplasty to its current state of a specialty characterized by minimal access techniques and Centers of Excellence. Bariatric surgery has remained the only reliably effective option for significant weight loss for the morbidly obese. This article reviews common problems occurring after laparoscopic adjustable gastric band with emphasis on conservative diagnosis and effective treatment.
A preliminary evaluation of grammatical capacity in Children

Summary The purpose of this study was to examine the hypothesis that children have incorporated the generative rules of their grammar and are able to understand and produce sentences in accordance with these rules and to extend systematically their behavior without additonal instruction if additional memory aids are given. Fourteen nursery-school children (age 2 years 10 months to 3 years 8 months) and 50 kindergarten children (age 4 years 9 months to 6 years 1 month) were the subjects in this study. A language sample was obtained from each child in various stimulus situations. The children were then asked to repeat a set of sentences representative of the various transformation types (sentences which go beyond the simple-active-declarative type) and a set representative of the various restricted forms (deviations from complete grammaticalness) that were found in their usage of grammar. In addition, three older Ss were asked to repeat the two sets of sentences, to repeat the set containing the restricted forms in a manner they thought correct, and to repeat the set representing the transformations given to them in reverse word order. It was found that when given the memory aid of immediate recall, these children were better able to produce than use in their own language both transformations and completely grammatical rules at all three levels of the grammar (phrase structure, transformations, and morphology). The 3 older Ss, although they had repeated all sentences containing transformation types with complete accuracy, were unable to do so when the structure of these sentences was removed (reverse word order) even though they were again given the aid of immediate recall. The children's deviations from complete repetition were due to the particular structure contained in the sentence and not sentence length. It was hypothesized that significantly more nursery-school than kindergarten children modified some transformations and corrected some restricted forms because the younger children were evaluating and producing sentences in accordance with the rules of their grammar at a more external level than the older children. Therefore, the older children were better able to perform the task of repeating regardless of the structure of the sentence. The data obtained seem to indicate that the children in this population, at age 3, have incorporated most of the basic generative rules of the grammar that we have thus far been able to describe and are using these rules to understand and produce sentences. Some of the results obtained suggest areas for further examination of this hypothesis.
Prospective evaluation of periodic breast examination programs: interval cases.

A mathematical model is developed and used to obtain estimates of the expected proportion of breast cancer cases which will be detected at scheduled examinations and between them in various periodic examination programs; the latter are called interval cases. Another model is used to get estimates of the proportion of women in such programs who get cancer and are expected to have axillary node metastases at the time of first treatment. Programs with or without patient self-examinations are also evaluated. The purpose of both models is to enable evaluations of different periodic schedules. Although interval cases have been reported to have poorer prognostic characteristics than those found at scheduled examinations, calculations indicate that large reductions in these cases do not imply an equivalent reduction in positive axillary node cases. Thus, interval case counts are a relatively weak measure of the success of a periodic program. However, they may still be valuable since programs which can be expected to have low proportions of interval cases are less dependent on efficient patient self-examinations. Cost-benefit calculations show how the relative costs of mammographic and physical examinations can be considered in the development of mass screening programs. For example, if a mammographic examination costs three times as much as a physical, then a physical examination program may be preferred to one involving both modalities.
Attention to Explicit and Implicit Contrast in Verb Learning

Contrast information could be useful for verb learning, but few studies have examined children's ability to use this type of information. Contrast may be useful when children are told explicitly that different verbs apply, or when they hear two different verbs in a single context. Three studies examine children's attention to different types of contrast as they learn new verbs. Study 1 shows that 3.5-year-olds can use both implicit contrast (“I'm meeking it. I'm koobing it.”) and explicit contrast (“I'm meeking it. I'm not meeking it.”) when learning a new verb, while a control group's responses did not differ from chance. Study 2 shows that even though children at this age who hear explicit contrast statements differ from a control group, they do not reliably extend a newly learned verb to events with new objects. In Study 3, children in three age groups were given both comparison and contrast information, not in blocks of trials as in past studies, but in a procedure that interleaved both cues. Results ...
Two Stoves, Two Refrigerators, Due Cucine: The Italian immigrant home with two kitchens

Many Italian North Americans have two kitchens in their homes: one on the first floor, and a second in the basement. While this set-up is pervasive in cities across North America, homes with two kitchens are uncommon in Italy. This article explores the significance of the basement kitchen in first-generation Italian homes in Canada and the United States. Examining homes of various typologies in and around Toronto, Montreal and New York, purchased by Italian immigrants between 1950 and 1980, this paper argues that for Italian women the basement kitchen is a liberating space, free from the constraints of formality and traditional room divisions.
Chronic exposure of goldfish-derived cell cultures to toxaphene alters the replication of Goldfish Virus-2.

In a recent examination of the effect of toxaphene on the goldfish-derived CAR cell line, it was demonstrated that cells chronically exposed to low levels of toxaphene were ~ore sensitive to subsequent exposure to increased concentrations of this insecticide than were cells which had not been previously exposed (SHEA & BERRY 1982). To further explore this phenomenon, we examined the response of chronically exposed cells to infection by Goldfish Virus-2. MATERIALS & METHODS Cells and virus: cultivation of the goldfish-derived CAR cell line (ATCC CCL-71) has been previously described (SHEA & BERRY 1982). Goldfish Virus-2 (GFV-2), an Iridovirus, was originally isolated from air bladder cultures of healthy goldfish in this laboratory (BERRY & SHEA 1982); viral growth studies have indicated GFV-2 replication is completed by 5 days in CAR cell cultures at 25~ Medium: Medium 199 was employed, supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, and I00 units of penicillin and streptomycin and 0.025 mcg. Fungizone/mL (Gibco). Toxaphene: technical grade toxaphene (99.5% pure) was obtained from Hercules Corp., Delaware. Stock solutions were prepared in 100% ethanol at 0.2g/mL and serially diluted with medium to final concentrations of 50, 35, 25, 15, I0~ and 5 parts per million (ppm). Chronic exposure of cells: cells were chronically exposed to toxaphene at 5ppm for I00 days as previously described (SHEA & BERRY 1982). In brief, cells were planted in 150cm 2 flasks (Corning) at a density of 2xl06/flask in 20mL medium without toxaphene and incubated for 24hr at 25~ Medium was then replaced with 20mL medium containing 5ppm toxaphene. At 10-day intervals, cells were subcultured, with the above proceedure repeated. Infection of chronically-exposed cells: after i00 days chronic exposure to 5ppm toxaphene (above), cells were planted in 24-well trays (Falcon) at a density of ix105/well in medium without toxaphene; these cells were termed CAR 5. Control cells (CARo) were passaged in identical manner in medium without toxaphene. 24hr later, medium was removed, and duplicate cultures received 2xlO6TCID50 GFV-2. After allowing 2hr for viral adsorption, cultures were rinsed and refed with medium without toxaphene. The viral inoculum was retained for titration of unadsorbed virus. Viral progeny were harvested on day 5 after infection. TCID50 were determined by endpoint dilution using the microtitration system (BERRY & SHEA 1982). Total protein/culture was determined according to OYAMA & EAGLE (1956).
Hemispheric difference in human skin color

Previous studies of human skin color have shown a strong relationship between skin color and distance from the equator, which has been interpreted as a link between skin color, latitude, and the intensity of ultraviolet radiation. The underlying assumptions are that UV radiation is greatest at the equator and that it diminishes with increasing latitude to the same extent in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The standard analysis of human skin color is based on these assumptions, such that skin color is assumed to be darkest at the equator, and the decrease of skin color with latitude is assumed to be the same in both hemispheres. A nonlinear piecewise regression model was developed to test these assumptions and applied to mean skin reflectance data from 102 male samples and 65 female samples from across the Old World. For both males and females, skin reflectance (%) is lowest at the equator (darkest skin). Among males, skin reflectance increases roughly 8.2% for every 10 degrees of latitude in the Northern Hemisphere but only 3.3% for every 10 degrees of latitude in the Southern Hemisphere. Among females, the corresponding numbers are 8.1% in the Northern Hemisphere and 4.7% in the Southern Hemisphere. These results indicate that human skin color is darker in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere at equivalent latitude. Recent research shows that UV radiation is higher in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere at similar latitude. This difference, relating to astronomical and climatic conditions, may have existed in the past at different times and perhaps influenced the evolution of human skin color. Am J Phys Anthropol 104:449–457, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
EFFECT OF OXYGEN-DERIVED FREE RADICAL SCAVENGERS ON MORTALITY IN ENDOTOXIN-CHALLENGED NICE

Oxygen-derived free radicals have been shown to play a role in many forms of cell injury. A role for free radicals has recently been demonstrated in the mortality of a rat/sepsis model. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of pretreatment in a mouse endotoxin model with superoxide dismutase (SOD), and acetylcysteine (Mucomyst, MM), a clinically available free radical scavenger. Methods. Forty-eight mice were divided into three equal groups. Each group received pretreatment 2 hours prior to endotoxin challenge. Pretreatment consisted of a 0.5 ml intra-peritoneal injection of saline, SOD (20,000 units/kg), or MM (140 mg/kg). Endotoxin (0.1 meg E. Coli 0111:84) was then injected intraperitoneally according to protocol developed in this lab and previously described. The mice were checked every 12 hours for survival. Results. Increased survival was seen in the SOD treated group compared to controls, with cumulative mortalities of 38 vs. 81%, 44 vs. 88%, and 75 vs. 100% at 12, 24 and 72 hours respectively. These differences were all statistically significant. Increased survival was also seen early in the MM group, but this difference failed to achieve statistical significance. Conclusions: 1) Free radicals play a role in endotoxin mortality, and 2) free radical scavengers increase survival.
Effect of dietary vitamin E on nitrite-treated rats

The effect of dietary vitamin E on cellular responses to nitrite was studied in rats. One-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a basal vitamin E-deficient diet with or without 100 ppm vitamin E and 1000 ppm sodium nitrite (NaNO2) for 9 weeks. In addition to a high mortality rate, nitrite-fed rats maintained on a vitamin E-deficient diet exhibited a marked increase in liver necrosis, tubular nephrosis and myodegeneration, as well as greater biochemical and hematological alterations when compared to the control animals. No animal mortality or histopathologic lesions in any tissues were observed in rats receiving a vitamin E-supplemented diet with or without nitrite. The results suggest that depletion of vitamin E renders rats more susceptible to the adverse effect of nitrite, and that nitrite administration potentiates deficiency of vitamin E in rats.
Functional anatomy of impaired selective attention and compensatory processing in autism

In autism, physiological indices of selective attention have been shown to be abnormal even in situations where behaviour is intact. This divergence between behaviour and physiology suggests the action of some compensatory process of attention, one which may hold clues to the aetiology of autism's characteristic cognitive phenotype. Six subjects with autism spectrum disorders and six normal control subjects were studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a bilateral visual spatial attention task. In normal subjects, the task evoked activation in a network of cortical regions including the superior parietal lobe (P<0.001), left middle temporal gyrus (P=0.002), left inferior (P<0.001) and middle (P<0.02) frontal gyri, and medial frontal gyrus (P<0.02). Autistic subjects, in contrast, showed activation in the bilateral ventral occipital cortex (P<0.03) and striate cortex (P<0.05). Within the task condition, a region-of-interest comparison of attend-left versus attend-right conditions indicated that modulation of activation in the autistic brain as a function of the lateral focus of spatial attention was abnormally decreased in the left ventral occipital cortex (P<0.03), abnormally increased in the left intraparietal sulcus (P<0.01), and abnormally variable in the superior parietal lobe (P<0.03). These results are discussed in terms of a model of autism in which a pervasive defect of neural and synaptic development produces over-connected neural systems prone to noise and crosstalk, resulting in hyper-arousal and reduced selectivity. These low-level attentional traits may be the developmental basis for higher-order cognitive styles such as weak central coherence.
Effect of simultaneous high intensity ultraviolet irradiation and hydrogen peroxide on bacterial spores

Summary High intensity (1.8 × 103 mW/cm2) ultraviolet light irradiation of spores of Bacillus subtilis in the presence of 2.5% (w/v) hydrogen peroxide resulted in a rapid kill. Higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide protected spores against the effects of irradiation. The results are discussed in relation to the use of simultaneous ultraviolet irradiation and hydrogen peroxide treatment as a method of sterilization.
Non-stationary fluctuation analysis of macroscopic gap junction channel records

Non-stationary fluctuation analysis was applied to macroscopic records of junctional currents arising from homotypic Cx37 and Cx43 gap junction channels expressed in RIN cells. The data were analyzed by a modification of existing analytical methods that takes endemic uncoupling into account. The results are consistent with both channels having open probabilities ranging from 0.7 to near unity for low transjunctional voltages. The analysis also yielded estimates of single-channel conductances for the two channel types similar to those seen in single-channel recordings. The results presented here show that fluctuation analysis can be used to extract single-channel gap junctional conductances from macroscopic double whole-cell recordings. These results also constitute empirically determined estimates of the open probability that are not model-dependent.
Contact: The Yanomami Indians of Brazil. 1989. A film

Contact: The Yanomami Indians of Brazil. 1989. A film by GEOFFREY O'CONNOR and BRUCE ALBERT. 28 Minutes, color. Purchase $295 (video only); rental $55 from Filmmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016 (212/808-4980; FAX 212/808-4983).
Superconducting tunneling on CuxMo6S8 films

Superconducting tunneling junctions were fabricated on sputtered CuxMo6S8 films with Al2O3 and SiO2 barriers. The energy gap was determined by the first derivative measurement. The ratio 2Δo/kBTc obtained in the experiment clearly indicates the strong coupling nature of CuxMo6S8. Preliminary results of the second derivative measurements show phonon structure, which agrees reasonably well with inelastic neutron scattering measurements.
Issues Related to the Study of Cannabinoids in Exhaled Breath

To the Editor: In the December 2013 issue of Clinical Chemistry , Huestis and colleagues published an article on cannabinoids in exhaled breath following smoked cannabis (1). This intriguing study prompted a valuable conversation regarding current legislation and future possibilities for detecting cannabis-induced impairment. We therefore commend the authors for their initial efforts to assess a breath test for cannabinoid detection. There are, however, several aspects of this study that deserve further discussion. First, the possibility of laboratory interference must be considered. Although all study participants tested negative 1 h before smoking, there were positive tests that were …
Effects Coincident With the Presence and Absence of a One-Shot Interview Directed at Families of Runaways

Despite two decades of government interest in runaway youth, unanswered questions remain concerning the value of interventions directed at families of runaways. In an experiment designed to assess effects associated with a one-shot intervention and its absence, Ohio State University researchers found that families exposed to intervention achieved modest gains mainly associated with improvements in youths' school adjustment, parents' self concept and use of community resources. Families that refused treatment declined on several measures of family cohesion. Families not provided with an opportunity for intervention showed both gains and losses, but failed to match the range of gains made by those exposed to intervention. The researchers concluded that early treatment intervention improved the chances of conflict resolution, and the absence of such intervention increased the likelihood of declining cohesion in families of runaways.
Do professors matter?: using an a/b test to evaluate the impact of instructor involvement on MOOC student outcomes

This research investigates the impact professors, and other instructional staff, have on student content knowledge acquisition in a physical science MOOC offered through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. An A/B test was used to randomly assign MOOC participants in either a control group (with no instructional interaction) or an intervention group (in which the professor and teaching assistants responded to comments in the discussion and complied summary weekly feedback statements) to identify the differences in learning outcomes, participation rates, and student satisfaction. The study found that instructor intervention had no statistically significant impact on overall completion rates, overall badge acquisition rates, student participation rates, or satisfaction with the course, but did (p
Aesthetic and technical aspects of nasal osteotomies

Osteotomies of the nose including the lateral nasal bones, dorsal hump, and anterior nasal spine, are reviewed.The author shares his indications and techniques for these procedures. Some of the salient points made include the following: (1) In general lateral osteotomies are overdone. When in doubt, they should not be done or deferred. By maintaining the upper third of the nose on the larger side, one keeps the tip portion of the nose small by comparison. Because the tip is the hardest part of the nose to make smaller, it is best to adjust the upper half of the nose to the limiting width of the lower half of the nose. (2) There seems to be a tendency to underdo the medial osteotomy, causing some noses to have narrow nasal bone bases but broad dorsal components. (3) There are a number of sculpturing considerations for osteotomies. Nasal bones should be thought of in four separate sections: the base, where it is often broad; the dorsal aspect of the nasal bones, where it may be broad; the cephalic portion; and the caudal portion. Consideration of reduction of the nasal bones should take into account which combination of the four portions of the nasal bones need to be reduced. (4) Lateral osteotomy from the buccal-sulcus approach is an outstanding method of controlling the width of the nasal bones. It eliminates one more incision from the nose. It allows any blood that accumulates to exit from the mouth rather than by the nose, and thereby minimizes nasal bleeding. (5) The open approach is not an indication for osteotomies, but it does allow one to see the extent of the medial osteotomy. In some cases it can help establish what is causing the nasal bones to not come together properly.
The Effect of Agitation and Quenchant Temperature on the Heat Transfer Coefficients for 6061 Aluminum Alloy Quenched in Distilled Water

A 6061 aluminum alloy probe was quenched using a Center for Heat Treating Excellence probe-quenching system in distilled water while varying bath temperature and the agitation level. Time versus temperature data were collected during the quench using a thermocouple embedded inside the probe. The surface heat transfer coefficients as a function of temperature were calculated using the Newtonian cooling approximation. The maximum heat transfer coefficient values ranged from 1054 W/m2⋅K for 100°C water with no agitation to 3822 W/m2⋅K for 5°C water with the agitation of 1850 r/min. The data also showed that at higher levels of agitation and lower bath temperatures, the maximum heat transfer coefficient increased.
Rachman and Hodgson (1974) a decade later: How do desynchronous response systems relate to the treatment of agoraphobia?

Abstract The patterning of subjective anxiety and measured heart rate (HR) was examined for 28 agoraphobics who participated in a standard 12-week treatment program at the Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders. Twenty-eight agoraphobics attempted a walk (22 pre-, mid-, post-treatment; 6 pre, post) along a course that began at this clinic and ran for 1 mile into an increasingly crowded (and therefore more frightening) section of the city. The course consisted of 20 approximately equidistant stations at which S 's HR was measured and subjective anxiety (SUDS) recorded. Results indicate that overall improvements in mean HR and SUDS do occur as a function of treatment. Further analysis targeted at examining the utility of synchrony and relative HR level as predictors of response were conducted at post-test. Data indicated that synchrony between HR and SUDS demonstrated utility as a descriptor of psychophysiological changes during treatment but did not predict treatment success. Only relative HR level achieved significance as a predictor of treatment outcome at post-test. That is, patients who began with the highest levels of physiological responsiveness to the behavioral walk were most likely to evidence improvement on a composite measure. Discussion focuses on the potential implications of these findings for clinical research and practice.
Chemical Sensitivities and the Gulf War: Department of Veterans Affairs Research Center in Basic and Clinical Science Studies of Environmental Hazards

The purpose of the New Jersey Center for Environmental Hazards Research is to define the illness referred to as Persian Gulf Syndrome (PGS). Our preliminary data indicated that more than half of the Persian Gulf Registry (PGR) veterans reported illness characterized by severe fatigue and symptoms consistent with chemical sensitivities. Therefore, our research approach focuses on investigations of veterans with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). Project 1 is an epidemiological study of 2800 PGR veterans. Symptoms, indices of Chronic Fatigue (CF) and Chemical Sensitivity (CS), and risk factors will be surveyed with mailed questionnaires. Risk factors include demographics, past medical history, psychosocial variables, Gulf War experiences such as prophylactic medication use, occupational and environmental exposures, and pesticide exposures. Symptoms will be clustered to define Gulf War Syndromes. Significant associations between risk factors and these symptom clusters will also be investigated Subjects identified as CF, CS, or both will be recruited into Projects 2 and 3. In Project 2, healthy veterans will be compared to veterans with CF, CS, and CF concurrent with CS. Veterans will undergo four studies: (1) viral-immunological, (2) psychiatric, psychological, behavioral, and neuropsychological, (3) autonomic dysregulation, and (4) marker of P4501A2 induction resulting from exposure to combusting material. The purpose of Project 3 is to test the autonomic, immunologic, neuropsychologic, and psychologic responses of veterans with CS or CF to two stressors: controlled chemical exposure and exercise. CS subjects will undergo chemical exposures in our Controlled Environment Facility (CEF) to assess their biologic and psychologic response to low-level exposure. CF subjects will undergo a maximal treadmill exercise test. Circadian patterns of catecholamines and axillary temperature, viral burden, and cardiovascular and endocrine reactivity will be measured in response to this physical stressor. Project 4 is an animal study evaluating the interaction between stress and pathology/physiology when rats are predisposed to disease by exposure to Soman or to Dioxin. Two strains of rats that differ in stress reactivity will be used to determine the interaction of hereditary factors and chemical exposure.
Regulatory focus and food choice motives. Prevention orientation associated with mood, convenience, and familiarity.

The authors tested the robustness of the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) with a U.S. sample and examined the relationship between individual differences in regulatory focus and everyday food choice motives. Although a popular measure in cross-culture research, the FCQ has seen limited use with U.S. samples, and its psychometric properties have not been tested in this population. American participants (n = 408) completed the Regulatory Focus Questionnaire and a measure of food choice motives. The data did not support the nine-factor FCQ structure. An ad hoc revised measure of food choice motives showed complete measurement invariance (loadings, intercepts, and residuals) across regulatory focus. Regarding everyday food choices, participants with a prevention focus placed greater importance on mood, convenience, and familiarity than participants with a promotion focus. There were no significant differences regarding the importance of health, environmental protection, impression management, natural content, price, and sensory appeal. Several food choice motives were positively correlated. Compared with the promotion-focused participants, the prevention-focused participants more strongly associated the importance of sensory appeal with the importance of natural content and the importance of price.
Low-energy electron-atom scattering in a field of model potentials

Scattering of low-energy electrons on atoms in a field of two different model potentials is investigated using effective range theory. A general formulation of the problem is such that it yields the scattering differential, momentum-transfer and total cross sections as functions of a few parameters that are derived from first principles and can easily be calculated for any electron-atom system. Long-range electron-atom interaction is represented by the polarization potential and the short-range potential is approximated by two significantly different functions. Possible solutions of collision Schrodinger equations in terms of special functions and related polynomials are discussed, and the scattering lengths for almost all electron-atom collision systems are calculated from numerical solutions of the corresponding wave equations.
Lighting up mRNA localization in Drosophila oogenesis

The asymmetric localization of four maternal mRNAs - gurken, bicoid, oskar and nanos - in the Drosophila oocyte is essential for the development of the embryonic body axes. Fluorescent imaging methods are now being used to visualize these mRNAs in living tissue, allowing dynamic analysis of their behaviors throughout the process of localization. This review summarizes recent findings from such studies that provide new insight into the elaborate cellular mechanisms that are used to transport mRNAs to different regions of the oocyte and to maintain their localized distributions during oogenesis.
WIEM '09: The First IEEE Women in Electromagnetics Workshop [Women in Engineering]

The First IEEE Women in Electromagnetics (WIEM) Workshop was held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 5–8, 2009. It was organized by Cynthia Furse, University of Utah; Parveen Wahid, University of Central Florida; and Elena Semouchkina, Penn State University. The WIEM Workshop was planned to target young scientists - MS, PhD, post-doctoral, and early stage researchers - both male and female, to provide a stimulating atmosphere to learn, present, discuss, and exchange ideas. WiEM was organized as a gender-related activity, with all lectures being given mainly by female scientists, both leading experts and younger researchers, working in the area of electromagnetics. With this selection of instructors, the workshop was intended to serve the purpose of improving the entry and the retention of women in the very complex, mathematically intense field of electromagnetics.