cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Horizontal transfer of a non-autonomous Helitron among insect and viral genomes

The movement of mobile elements among species by horizontal transposon transfer (HTT) influences the evolution of genomes through the modification of structure and function. Helitrons are a relatively new lineage of DNA-based (class II) transposable elements (TEs) that propagate by rolling-circle replication, and are capable of acquiring host DNA. The rapid spread of Helitrons among animal lineages by HTT is facilitated by shuttling in viral particles or by unknown mechanisms mediated by close organism associations (e.g. between hosts and parasites). A non-autonomous Helitron independently annotated as BmHel-2 from Bombyx mori and the MITE01 element from Ostrinia nubilalis was predicted in the genomes of 24 species in the insect Order Lepidoptera. Integrated Helitrons retained ≥ 65% sequence identity over a 250 bp consensus, and were predicted to retain secondary structures inclusive of a 3′-hairpin and a 5′-subterminal inverted repeat. Highly similar Hel-2 copies were predicted in the genomes of insects and associated viruses, which along with a previous documented case of real-time virus-insect cell line transposition suggests that this Helitron has likely propagated by HTT. These findings provide evidence that insect virus may mediate the HTT of Helitron-like TEs. This movement may facilitate the shuttling of DNA elements among insect genomes. Further sampling is required to determine the putative role of HTT in insect genome evolution.
Benzene photosensitized depolymerization of α-truxillic acid

Abstract α-Truxillic acid, in aerated methanol solution excited in the phenyl absorption band (∼ 1 4 μm) was reported earlier to photolyze 18% more efficiently than in deoxygenated solution concomitant with a 17% attenuation of fluorescence emission. The oxygen clearly facilitated intersystem crossing to another reactive excited state. Thus, the reaction rate of forming the scission product cinnamic acid from the non-fluorescent excited triplet state is larger than its excited precursor. The scission of the cinnamic acid dimer in the present investigation was effected by benzene photosensitization. Although both the first excited singlet and triplet states of the donor lie roughly 2 kcal/mol higher than the respective acceptor states the experiments presented here indicate that the photosensitized reaction proceeds by triplet energy transfer.
The Hyperkinetic Child: What Do Teachers Know?.

School personnel are involved in the diagnosis and treatment of hyperkinetic children in many important ways: (a) schools identify and refer the hyper-kinetic child to the physician, who then relies on behavioral reports provided by teachers and parents in making a formal diagnosis and in evaluating treatment; and (b) more recently, schools have begun to administer behavioral intervention programs which may well be as effective as drug treatment in reducing the off-task classroom behavior of many hyperkinetic children. There are many hyperactive children in classrooms who are not referred for medical evaluation and treatment. A group of teacher-identified hyperactive boys was rated significantly higher on the Hyperkinesis Index of the Conners Teacher's Questionnaire than a group of non-hyperactive classmate control boys, but the mean Hyperkinesis Index scores of teacher-identified hyper-actives and clinic-diagnosed hyperkinetics did not differ from each other. The teacher-identified hyperactive boys were observed to be off-task 33% of the time in their classrooms, and the clinic-diagnosed hyperkinetic boys were off-task a comparable 37% of the time. It was suggested that if school personnel use their expertise to identify hyperactive children in the classroom and begin behavioral intervention programs at the earliest possible time, medical referral and treatment will be unnecessary for many children.
the emigration of the ‘comparative method’: transatlantic exchange and the birth of american political science

To explore the transatlantic emigration of the ‘comparative method’(s) is to recover the range of European work – in institutional history, comparative legislation, and the theory of the State – that scholars in the nascent American science of politics drew on in the late nineteenth century. Their nascent science was, however, not merely derivative, and in the changing practices of comparative study from the mid-1880s through 1900 a distinctive American ‘political science’ began to emerge.
The test of a full-scale three-story RC structure with masonry infill walls

Abstract Masonry infill walls are used as partitions in many countries. There is no consensus on whether infill walls make a reinforced concrete frame more or less vulnerable to the effects of strong ground motion. To provide hard evidence to address this question, a full-scale three-story reinforced-concrete structure was tested with and without infill walls made out of solid clay bricks. During the test without the walls, the structure experienced a punching shear failure at a slab–column connection. After this first test, infill walls were built with solid bricks. The walls filled completely full bays and ran continuously from the foundation to the roof. It was observed that the walls increased the stiffness and the strength of the structure. The drift capacity of the structure with walls was observed to be 1.5%. Up to this level of deformation, masonry infill walls in structures similar to the one described here can be expected to help control inter-story drift provided that measures are taken to prevent their out-of-plane failure.
Sensory Evaluation of the Texture and Appearance of 17 Species of North Atlantic Fish

A standardized sensory methodology for evaluating the texture and appearance of fin fish was developed as part of a new retail marketing strategy for fisheries products proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce. This methodology is based on the evaluation of eight texture and appearance attributes of fish, using a 7-point category scale. The method was applied to an evaluation of 17 species of North Atlantic fish to provide a data base for grouping species according to similarities and dissimilarities in their sensory characteristics. The obtained data were analyzed by cluster analytic procedures and revealed several distinct groupings of fish. Multidimensional unfolding of the data resulted in a two-dimensional “fish map” that can be used to schematically represent the sensory relationships among species.
Approaches to chinese character recognition

Abstract Work on the recognition of Chinese characters is reviewed. All of this work has been reported in just the last nine years, and most of it since 1970. The topics covered are: printed Chinese Character Recognition—Half a dozen groups have tackled this problem, using methods as varied as syntactic description, projection profiles, template matching. Fourier transforms, and hierarchical processing: handwritten Chinese Character Recognition. This is a somewhat more difficult problem. The approaches tried include a stroke generation technique and a statistical Markov chain analysis; on-line Recognition—Several investigators have reported on work in on-line Chinese character recognition. Input for on-line recognition is dynamic, using a suitable device such as a tablet. Because the strokes are isolated in time and their sequence known, this is a substantially easier recognition task: on-line Analysis—Less ambitious than on-line recognition is the on-line analysis of Chinese characters falling short of recognition. Several useful applications have been reported, including CAI and dictionary-lookup. The paper is intended as a companion to a paper(6) on formal models of the structure of Chinese characters and their application in computerized systems.
Combinatorial techniques for universal hashing

The idea of a universal class of hash functions is due to Carter and Wegman. The goal is to define a collection of hash functions in such a way that a random choice of a function in the class yields a low probability that any two distinct inputs will collide. In this paper, we present some characterizations of universal classes of hash functions in terms of combinatorial designs such as resolvable balanced incomplete block designs and orthogonal arrays. The two classes of hash functions that we study are called optimally universal and strongly universal. We show that optimally universal classes of hash functions are equivalent to resolvable balanced incomplete block designs and strongly universal classes are equivalent to orthogonal arrays. Consequently, known classes of combinatorial designs yield new, small, and efficient classes of universal hash functions.
Studies on the survival of parenterally inoculated oral treponemes in the guinea pig.

Abstract Germ-free and conventional guinea pigs were inoculated intraperitoneally and intramuscularly with between 107 and 108 cells of either of two pure strains of small oral treponemes isolated from human beings. The organisms were inoculated in their growth medium, which contained a small amount of charcoal as a marker for the inoculation site. After two weeks there was no evidence of infection, and spirochetes could not be recovered in cultures or observed in sections of the inoculation sites. A time study of intramuscular inoculation in conventional guinea pigs of 108 cells of a third small oral treponeme in charcoal-containing medium revealed that under these conditions the spirochetes provoked the early histologic response of a typical acute and diffuse inflammatory lesion which, however, was well on the way to resolution within forty-eight hours. Twenty-four hours after inoculation viable spirochetes no longer could be demonstrated in the tissues by microscopic examination or recovered in cultures of the inoculation site.
Gold nanoparticle-enhanced photodynamic therapy: effects of surface charge and mitochondrial targeting

Aim: The authors aimed to further improve the efficiency and selectivity of gold nanoparticle (Au NP)-assisted photodynamic therapy by modulating the surface charge of Au NPs and delivering Au NPs particularly to mitochondria of breast cancer cells. Methods: Solid gold nanospheres (˜50 nm) with negative and positive surface charge were synthesized respectively, and mitochondria-targeting Au NPs were prepared by conjugating with triphenylphosphonium molecules. Conclusion: Positively charged Au NPs were preferably taken up by breast cancer cells. Combination of positive surface charge with mitochondria-targeting domain onto Au NPs allowed their accumulation in the mitochondria of breast cancer cells to significantly elevate reactive oxygen species formation in 5-aminolevulinic-acid-enabled photodynamic therapy and improve selective destruction of breast cancer cells.
Evaluating algorithm performance metrics tailored for prognostics

Prognostics has taken center stage in Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) where it is desired to estimate Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of a system so that remedial measures may be taken in advance to avoid catastrophic events or unwanted downtimes. Validation of such predictions is an important but difficult proposition and a lack of appropriate evaluation methods renders prognostics meaningless. Evaluation methods currently used in the research community are not standardized and in many cases do not sufficiently assess key performance aspects expected out of a prognostics algorithm. In this paper we introduce several new evaluation metrics tailored for prognostics and show that they can effectively evaluate various algorithms as compared to other conventional metrics. Four prognostic algorithms, Relevance Vector Machine (RVM), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Polynomial Regression (PR), are compared. These algorithms vary in complexity and their ability to manage uncertainty around predicted estimates. Results show that the new metrics rank these algorithms in a different manner; depending on the requirements and constraints suitable metrics may be chosen. Beyond these results, this paper offers ideas about how metrics suitable to prognostics may be designed so that the evaluation procedure can be standardized.
The atmospheric SO2 budget for Pinatubo derived from Noaa-11 SBUV/2 spectral data

Spectral scan data from the NOAA-11 SBUV/2 instrument were used to derive SO2 for three days following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo - June 19, July 1, and July 17, 1991. Band structure between 300 and 310 nm observed in the backscattered albedo uniquely identifies the presence of SO2. Band ratios are used to infer SO2 amounts to better accuracy (10-20 percent) and sensitivity (about 0.5 milli-atm-cm of SO2) than the TOMS retrieval, but with relatively poor spatial coverage because the measurement is nadir only. Only 7 scans showed detectable SO2 on June 19 when the cloud was still very localized. On July 1 there were 29 scans between 35N and 12S with SO2, with the highest concentration detected over the Atlantic, and on July 17 SO2 was detected in 30 scans around the world, but in decreased concentration. Estimates of the total SO2 budget made after the cloud had spread sufficiently for the sparse SBUV/2 sampling to be adequate indicated that there were 8.4 million metric tons (MMT) of SO2 in the stratosphere on July 1, 1991, and 4.1 MMT remaining on July 17. This corresponds to an e-folding time of about 24 days for the conversion of SO2 to aerosol, and is consistent with an initial injection into the stratosphere of 12-15 MMT of SO2.
The GTP hydrolysis defect of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant G-protein Gpa1(G50V).

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid cell response to pheromone involves two seven-transmembrane-domain pheromone receptors that couple to a heterotrimeric G protein. The G50V mutation in the G protein alpha subunit (G(alpha)), Gpa1p, is analogous to the p21(ras) transforming mutation Gly-->Val 12, and has been extensively examined for the phenotypes it produces in yeast cells. Here we have characterized the Gpa1(G50V) mutant protein in vitro by examining GTPgammaS binding, GDP exchange, GTP occupancy and guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) activity. Compared to wild-type (WT) Gpa1p, Gpa1(G50V)p was found to have a moderately reduced GTPase activity and increased GTP occupancy, while GTPgammaS binding and GDP exchange were not significantly altered. The yeast regulator of G protein Signalling (RGS) protein, Sst2p, was also expressed and purified, and found to have a significantly reduced ability to stimulate the initial rate of GTP hydrolysis of Gpa1(G50V)p compared to its effect on WT Gpa1p. Probing conformational transitions by a protease sensitivity assay suggested that Gpa1(G50V)p did not bind the transition state mimetic GDP/AlF(4)(-) as efficiently as the WT Gpa1p. These biochemical results can explain many of the known gpa1(G50V) yeast cell phenotypes.
Inhibitory neurons hear themselves during development.

Miniature synaptic events, resulting from spontaneous presynaptic release of neurotransmitter in the absence of an action potential, are often used to assay neural connectivity and are thought to play a pivotal role in the development and maintenance of neuronal circuits. In this issue of Neuron , Trigo et al. identify a new class of miniature synaptic event, called "preminis," that originate from and are subsequently detected by the presynaptic terminals of GABAergic neurons in the molecular layer of cerebellum. Remarkably, these events easily outnumber conventional minis. Their restriction to a relatively narrow time window (
Applying public access programming techniques to astronomical image display

The X Public Access (XPA) mechanism allows an Xt program to define named public access points through which data and commands can be exchanged with other programs. We will discuss our design goals for XPA, the technical challenges we faced--including extensions to the Xt selection implementation--and the user interface and application programming interface that we developed to meet these challenges. We also will describe our application of XPA to a new version of the popular SAOimage astronomical image display program. XPA makes possible external control of the program's main function, including image display, image zoom and pan, colormap manipulation, cursor/region definition, and frame selection. It also supports `public access' to internal algorithms such as image file access and scaling. Finally, we will describe how XPA is used to support user-configurable analysis of image data and bi- directional communication with other processes.
Embryotoxicity of mixtures of weathered crude oil collected from the Gulf of Mexico and Corexit 9500 in mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos).

Abstract Dispersants are applied to marine crude oil spills to enhance microbial degradation and reduce impacts of crude oils on ecosystems. In summer 2010, the dispersant Corexit 9500 was applied to crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico. The co-occurrence of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill with nesting efforts of birds in the Gulf region may have resulted in exposure of adult birds, and subsequently bird eggs, to combinations of crude oil and Corexit 9500. The objective of this study was to examine the embryotoxicity of 50:1 and 10:1 mixtures of weathered crude oil collected from the Gulf of Mexico and Corexit 9500 applied to mallard duck eggs. Combinations of weathered crude oil and Corexit 9500 were applied to eggshells of mallard ducks via paintbrush in varying masses ranging from 0.1 to 59.9 mg and 0.1 to 44.9 mg for 50:1 and 10:1 mixtures, respectively. Conservatively derived median lethal applications for 50:1 and 10:1 mixtures of weathered crude oil and Corexit 9500 were 21.3 ± 4.9 mg/egg (321.8 μg/g egg) and 33.1 ± 11.8 mg/egg (517.0 μg/g egg), respectively. Spleen mass of hatchlings exposed to the 50:1 mixture was the only physiological measure significantly different from controls of both mixtures. Results indicated that decreasing ratios of dispersant relative to weathered crude oil decreased toxicity to mallard embryos. In comparison to treatments of eggs with weathered crude oil alone, toxicity increased when the oil to dispersant ratio was 50:1, but decreased with the mixture that contained more dispersant (10:1).
Chloroplast genome characterization in the red alga Griffithsia pacifica.

It has been suggested that cyanobacteria served as the ancestors for rhodophytic algae whose chloroplasts contain chlorophyll a and phycobilins, and that a rhodophyte served as the plastid source for chromophytic plants that contain chlorophylls a and c. Although organellar DNA has been used to assess phylogenetic relatedness among terrestrial plants and green algae whose chloroplasts contain chlorophylls a and b, few data are presently available on the molecular profile of plastid DNA in chromophytes or rhodophytes. In this study the chloroplast genome of the rhodophytic, filamentous alga Griffithsia pacifica has been characterized. DNA was purified from isolated chloroplasts using protease k treatment and sodium dodecyl sulfate lysis followed by density centrifugation in Hoescht-33258 dye-CsCl gradients. Single and double restriction enzyme digests demonstrate that the DNA prepared from purified chloroplasts has a genome size of about 178 kilobase pairs (kb). A restriction map of this chloroplast genome demonstrates that it is circular and, unlike the chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) in most other plants, contains only a single ribosomal DNA operon. DNA was also purified from the mitochondria that co-isolated with chloroplasts. Mitochondrial DNA consists of molecules that range in size from 27 to 350 kb based on restriction endonuclease digestion and electron microscopic analysis.
Mechanical performance studies on extruded cornstarch-based plastic manufactures

Twin-screw extrusion of cornstarch produces a strong, yet readily biodegradable plastic material. Because of the brittleness of these cornstarch plastics, ASTM standard methods did not apply, and an alternative sample grip was developed. A suitable method for the tensile testing of extruded cornstarch plastics of differing feed composition (amylose content, cross-linking, plasticizer) and processing conditions (temperature) was developed, and quantitative values of tensile strength, strain, elastic modulus, and energy were obtained. The mean tensile strength of these materials ranged from 667 to 4148 psi, which is in the range of values for low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene. The high amylose content cornstarch plastics extruded at high temperatures demonstrated greatest strength. Wet/dry studies of the pure cornstarch materials showed them to degrade readily with extended exposure to water, but immersion in water for 1 h in room temperature (17°C) water did not, as measured by standard tensile tests, adversely affect their strength, but made them more ductile, less stiff and tougher.
Application of stable sulfur isotopes to differentiate sources of size‐resolved Particulate sulfate in polluted marine air at Bermuda during spring

Stable sulfur isotopic compositions of size-segregated aerosols were measured at Bermuda during spring 1998 to differentiate contributions of marine biogenic and pollution sources of non-sea-salt SO 4 2- (NSS). Marine biogenic sources contributed an average 0.41 ± 0.33 nmol m -3 3 (15 ± 7%) of supermicron NSS and 2.55 ± 0.45 nmol m -3 (11 ± 2%) of submicron NSS. Calculated concentrations of submicron NSS from marine biogenic sources are within the range of reported values for the remote southeastern Pacific. The average molar ratio of marine biogenic NSS/CH 3 SO 3 - for aerosol with geometric mean radius (GMR) of 0.6 pm (10.1 ± 1.9) was significantly greater than that for aerosols with GMR 0.34 μm (3.9 ± 1.4), suggesting differential atmospheric processing. Supermicron radius aerosol accounted for 75% of the NSS dry-deposition flux.
Effects of melt density on magma mixing in calc-alkaline series lavas

We discuss here the melt density variations expected to occur during differentiation in calc-alkaline magma systems, and show how these density changes can influence the generation and chemical composition of mixed magmas. We assume that fractional crystallization of basaltic melt is the dominant process in generating the association high alumina basalt (HAB), basaltic andesite (BA), andesite, dacite and rhyolite1. During differentiation of a basaltic parent there is an overall decrease in the density of derivative calc-alkaline liquids2–4, but associated with the decline in density are density increases and related minima. At Medicine Lake Highland, petrological studies5–7 have identified mixed BA, mixed andesite and mixed dacite lavas. We show how liquid density variations may explain the origin of the mixed basaltic andesites and andesites at Medicine Lake. We emphasize that our mechanism may be limited to aphyric calc-alkaline suites similar to those found at Medicine Lake volcano, and we do not propose magma mixing as a general model for the origin of all andesites. Densities of residual liquids produced by differentiation of primary basaltic magmas at elevated pressures pass through a minimum, and many of the basalts and basaltic andesites in island arcs have compositions that coincide with this minimum. Fractionation at crustal pressures may create a density filter that prohibits the eruption of denser primary magmas.
Attentional inhibition mediates inattentional blindness

Salient stimuli presented at unattended locations are not always perceived, a phenomenon termed inattentional blindness. We hypothesized that inattentional blindness may be mediated by attentional inhibition. It has been shown that attentional inhibition effects are maximal near an attended location. If our hypothesis is correct, inattentional blindness effects should similarly be maximal near an attended location. During central fixation, participants viewed rapidly presented colored digits at a peripheral location. An unexpected black circle (the critical stimulus) was concurrently presented. Participants were instructed to maintain central fixation and name each color/digit, requiring focused attention to that location. For each participant, the critical stimulus was presented either near to or far from the attended location (at the same eccentricity). In support of our hypothesis, inattentional blindness effects were maximal near the attended location, but only at intermediate task accuracy.
Solvothermal synthesis of a highly branched Ta-doped TiO2

We present a low-temperature, hydrothermal synthesis method for Ta-doped TiO2. Here, alkoxide-based precursors are mixed at low temperatures to suppress differential hydrolysis and phase separation. This method ensures homogeneous, molecular mixing of the Ta dopant with the native oxide up to a concentration of ~2.5 at.%. X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectrometer analyses confirm a uniformly doped rutile TiO2. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses reveal a highly branched structure. Optoelectronic properties of these structures were investigated using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and low-temperature photoluminescence.
Velocardiofacial Syndrome in Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia

ABSTRACT Objectives: Deletion of chromosome 22q11 (velocardiofacial syndrome) is associated with early neurodevelopmental abnormalities and with schizophrenia in adults. The rate of 22q11 deletions was examined in a series of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS), in whom early premorbid developmental and cognitive impairments are more pronounced than in adult-onset cases. Method Through extensive recruiting and screening, a cohort of 47 patients was enrolled in a comprehensive study of very-early-onset schizophrenia. All were tested with fluorescence in situ hybridization for deletions on chromosome 22q11. Results Three (6.4%) of 47 patients were found to have a 22q11 deletion. All 3 COS patients with 22q11 deletions had premorbid impairments of language, motor, and social development, although their physical characteristics varied. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed increased midbody corpus callosum area and ventricular volume in relation both to healthy controls and to other COS patients. Conclusions The rate of 22q11 deletions in COS is higher than in the general population (0.025%, p p = .09). These results suggest that 22q11 deletions may be associated with an earlier age of onset of schizophrenia, possibly mediated by a more salient neurodevelopmental disruption.
Sliding Mode Based LMI Criterion for Robust Stabilization of Uncertain Fractional Order Nonlinear Systems

A robust sliding mode control (SMC) technique is introduced in this paper for a class of fractional order (FO) nonlinear dynamical systems. Using the sliding mode control technique, a sliding surface is determined and the control law is established. A new LMI criterion based on the sliding mode control law is derived to make the states of the FO nonlinear system asymptotically gravitate toward the origin which can work for any order of the system, 0<q<2. The designed control scheme can also control the uncertain FO nonlinear systems, i.e. the controller is robust against the system uncertainty and guarantees the property of asymptotical stability. The advantage of the method is that the control scheme does not depend on the order of systems model and it is fairly simple. So, there is no complexity in the application of our proposed method. An illustrative simulation result is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed robust sliding mode control design.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Advocacy, Political Participation, and Citizenship: Lutheran Contributions to Public Theology1

Abstract: Martin Luther never developed a political theory, but his theology does inform the way Christians live in society, making it both public and political. Luther's “two kingdom theory” often has been misinterpreted to justify passivity and obedience toward civil authorities. Under closer examination, however, his theology applies to the everyday practices of politics, economics, and religious affairs. In the context of nation-building, a Lutheran theology fosters citizenship not only as individual rights and responsibilities, but as active participation in civil society.
Movement of adult temperate reef fishes off the west coast of North America

Movement of reef fishes has important consequences for the demography, spatial structure, and connectivity of their populations and their conservation and management. I synthesized and analyzed the...
On Momentum Transport and Dissipative Heating during Hurricane Landfalls

AbstractMomentum transport and dissipative heating are investigated using the high-resolution (10 Hz) wind data collected by Florida Coastal Monitoring Program portable weather stations in the surface layer of three landfalling hurricanes. The momentum flux is calculated using the eddy correlation method. The drag coefficient is determined from the momentum flux and surface wind speed. The values of the momentum flux and drag coefficient are found to be generally larger than those observed over the ocean at similar wind speeds up to near hurricane strength. The rate of dissipation is determined from the wind velocity spectra. The dissipative heating is estimated using two different methods: 1) integrating the rate of dissipation in the surface layer and 2) multiplying the drag coefficient by the cubic of the surface wind speed. It is found that the second method, which has been widely used in previous theoretical and numerical studies, significantly overestimates the magnitude of dissipative heating. This...
Innovations in undergraduate engineering education through NSF ILI- and NASA JOVE program-sponsored development of a laboratory course sequence in semiconductor materials

This paper describes development of two undergraduate laboratory courses in semiconductor materials and devices. The project was supported through a National Science Foundation (NSF) Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement (ILI) Grant with supplementary support from the NASA JOVE Program, Arkansas State University, and equipment vendors. The courses complement lecture courses, cover semiconductor growth, characterization, processing, and simple devices, and enhance intuition of abstract concepts. They consist of "Activity Sets" covering particular topics and consisting of three related but distinct experiments, one each to be performed by a two-four-person team. Each team orally presents results of its experiment and all results are then discussed to form overall Activity Set conclusions. Innovations include use of compound semiconductor thin-film samples grown by liquid solution techniques directly by student teams, and team research on original topics during the second course. Emphasis is also on laboratory and chemical safety, technical communication through laboratory notebooks, oral presentations, and formal reports, and creative and team-oriented solutions of frequent, experimental challenges. Students are provided "open-ended" experiences more typical of the "real world" than in many instructional laboratories. The popular courses enhance student confidence, maturity, and marketability.
Revitalizing instruction in scientific genres: Connecting knowledge production with writing to learn in science

This article explores the history and theoretical paradigms associated with writing to learn in science, including the debate surrounding the teaching of traditional scientific genres that has received attention in Australia and the United Kingdom. It is asserted that unique features of writing in traditional scientific genres, such as experiment, explanation, and report, promote reflection and the production of new knowledge, espe- cially through the formation of meaningful inferences for data. The author presents sample data illustrating the potential for meaningful learning associated with writing in commu- nicative genres, considers the limited potential of creative writing for developing scientific understandings, and recasts a description of scientific genres in light of contemporary classroom practices. q 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 83:115- 130, 1999.
The combined pharyngeal flap and palate pushback procedure: Improvements in technique

Experience with the combined pharyngeal flap and palate pushback operation (Dibbell et al., 1965; Bucholz et al., 1967; Weber et al., 1970) has confirmed that palate surgery in older children-particularly in children or adults who have had previous palate surgery-is associated with more bleeding than the primary palate repair in infants. A simple reversal of the customary sequence of the procedure (not unique, we are sure, to this centre) has reduced blood loss and simplified the operation. After the mouth gag has been placed, the palate and posterior pharynx are injected
A Sparsification Approach for Temporal Graphical Model Decomposition

Temporal causal modeling can be used to recover the causal structure among a group of relevant time series variables. Several methods have been developed to explicitly construct temporal causal graphical models. However, how to best understand and conceptualize these complicated causal relationships is still an open problem. In this paper, we propose a decomposition approach to simplify the temporal graphical model. Our method clusters time series variables into groups such that strong interactions appear among the variables within each group and weak (or no) interactions exist for cross-group variable pairs. Specifically, we formulate the clustering problem for temporal graphical models as a regression-coefficient sparsification problem and define an interesting objective function which balances the model prediction power and its cluster structure. We introduce an iterative optimization approach utilizing the Quasi-Newton method and generalized ridge regression to minimize the objective function and to produce a clustered temporal graphical model. We also present a novel optimization procedure utilizing a graph theoretical tool based on the maximum weight independent set problem to speed up the Quasi-Newton method for a large number of variables. Finally, our detailed experimental study on both synthetic and real datasets demonstrates the effectiveness of our methods.
"Occult" Boerhaave's syndrome.

Spontaneous rupture of the esophagus (Boerhaave's syndrome) usually presents in a dramatic fashion. Classically, following repeated episodes of vomiting, patients present with chest pain, dyspnea, cyanosis, shock, and cardiovascular collapse. We present a case of occult Boerhaave's syndrome diagnosed by an upper gastrointestinal series in a 33-year-old man who arrived at the emergency department with a chief complaint of hematemesis. This case report reviews the usual presenting signs and symptoms of Boerhaave's syndrome and concludes with a caution to physicians not to ignore the possibility of this disease entity in relatively stable patients.
Complication rates are reduced for revision adult spine deformity surgery among high-volume hospitals and surgeons

Abstract Background context Revision adult spinal deformity surgery (RASDS) is a particularly high-risk intervention. Purpose The aim was to assess complication rates in RASDS by surgeon and hospital operative volume. Study design/setting This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. Patient sample Based on a Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (2001–2010), patients aged older than 21 years (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification) with spine arthrodesis for scoliosis were included. For longitudinal analysis, the 2008-2011 New York State Inpatient Database (NY SID) was queried. Outcome measures The outcome measures included complication rate after RASDS. Methods Cases were identified as primary or revision surgery with or without osteotomy performed. Annual surgeon and hospital volumes were stratified into quartiles via identifier codes. Case complexity was determined using a novel operative complexity index, based on available NIS operative parameters: levels fused, approach, osteotomy, and revision status. The primary end point was morbidity during the hospital stay. New York State Inpatient Database analysis allowed for identification of rate of reoperation for infection or pseudarthrosis/implant failure. One-way analysis of variance was used to assess continuous measures, chi-square for categorical measures. Results Of 139,150 adult spinal deformity surgery (ASDS) cases, 4,888 revision with hospital identifiers and 1,978 with surgeon identifiers were identified. Higher-volume surgeons performed more revision cases and cases requiring osteotomy. With increasing hospital volume, complication rate for RASDS decreased (9.7% vs. 12.9% at highest- vs. lowest-volume centers, p Conclusions Perioperative complication rate associated with RASDS is lower when patients are treated by high-volume surgeons at high-volume centers. As complex cases requiring osteotomy and combined approaches are more frequent at high-volume centers, an operative complexity index helps predict the likelihood of volume-dependent complication rates. Future interhospital and intersurgeon comparisons should account for these case characteristics so that similar case complexity is compared in these analyses.
Extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds: puncturing the epoetin bubble—lessons for the future

Recent trials, and meta-analyses, have cast further doubt on the clinically desirable and safe range for increasing haemoglobin in chronic kidney disease using erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. In this article, I review the current dilemmas we face, suggest key clinical and biological research priorities, and conclude that we need to be brave enough to admit our present shortcomings, and then perhaps adopt a more patient-focused, individualized approach to anaemia management.
A global name service for a highly mobile internetwork

Mobile devices dominate the Internet today, however the Internet rooted in its tethered origins continues to provide poor infrastructure support for mobility. Our position is that in order to address this problem, a key challenge that must be addressed is the design of a massively scalable global name service that rapidly resolves identities to network locations under high mobility. Our primary contribution is the design, implementation, and evaluation of auspice, a next-generation global name service that addresses this challenge. A key insight underlying auspice is a demand-aware replica {placement engine} that intelligently replicates name records to provide low lookup latency, low update cost, and high availability. We have implemented a prototype of auspice and compared it against several commercial managed DNS providers as well as state-of-the-art research alternatives, and shown that auspice significantly outperforms both. We demonstrate proof-of-concept that auspice can serve as a complete end-to-end mobility solution as well as enable novel context-based communication primitives that generalize name- or address-based communication in today's Internet.
Numerical simulations of current collection for the electrodynamic tether in space

Numerical simulations have been carried out to determine the I-V characteristic of a long cylindrical body moving in a magnetized plasma. Results show that at relatively small body voltages, the collected current in the presence of magnetic field is insignificantly small compared with the situation without a magnetic field. However, when the body voltage increases, the current collection increases almost linearly, even in the magnetized plasma. The result is important in the sense that it is found to be true under the most restrictive condition for current collection, when the plasma particles are allowed to move only in a plane perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. The result is also important for future power plants in space capable of supplying civilian and military systems, as these are likely to employ electrodynamics tethers for power generation. >
Conversion of a flood control system to a sustainable system: the energy requirements for pipeline transport of silt.

The reservoirs of flood control systems will eventually fill with sediment, and all flood control will be lost. Well before complete filling,the loss of flood control and competition with other system purposes, such as power generation, will force remediation efforts. The energy required to transport the sediments from the reservoirs back to the river channel has been determined using the Pick-Sloan system of the Missouri River as a representative system. Pipeline transport of the silt and clay requires about 3% of the hydroelectric energy generated by the system. This is small enough to justify a thorough study of the full cost and environmental impact of conversion to a sustainable system. Sand and gravel are more economically moved by rail, but they are probably best used as underlayment for silt and clay to mimic the natural process of fertile flood plain creation. The time frame for remediation is much shorter than often presumed. Using the volume of the permanent pool (25%) as the loss of reservoir capacity allowable before sustainability is achieved, the two lowest of the six Pick-Sloan reservoirs will have filled their permanent pools in less than 25 yr.
The regulatory VirA protein of Agrobacterium tumefaciens does not function at elevated temperatures.

Abstract Previous studies have shown that Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes tumors on plants only at temperatures below 32 degrees C, and virulence gene expression is specifically inhibited at temperatures above 32 degrees C. We show here that this effect persists even when the virA and virG loci are expressed under the control of a lac promoter whose activity is temperature independent. This finding suggests that one or more steps in the signal transduction process mediated by the VirA and VirG proteins are temperature sensitive. Both the autophosphorylation of VirA and the subsequent transfer of phosphate to VirG are shown to be sensitive to high temperatures (> 32 degrees C), and this correlates with the reduced vir gene expression observed at these temperatures. At temperatures of 32 degrees C and higher, the VirA molecule undergoes a reversible inactivation while the VirG molecule is not affected. vir gene induction is temperature sensitive in an acetosyringone-independent virA mutant background but not in a virG constitutive mutant which is virA and acetosyringone independent. These observations all support the notion that the VirA protein is responsible for the thermosensitivity of vir gene expression. However, an Agrobacterium strain containing a constitutive virG locus still cannot cause tumors on Kalanchoe plants at 32 degrees C. This strain induces normal-size tumors at temperatures up to 30 degrees C, whereas the wild-type Agrobacterium strain produces almost no tumors at 30 degrees C. These results suggest that at temperatures above 32 degrees C, the plant becomes more resistant to infection by A. tumefaciens and/or functions of some other vir gene products are lost in spite of their normal levels of expression.
Gamson's Law versus non-cooperative bargaining theory

We compare Gamson’s Law, a popular empirical model of legislative bargaining, with two noncooperative bargaining models in three players divide the dollar games in which no player has enough votes to form a winning coalition on their own. Both of the game theoretic models better organize the comparative static data resulting from changes in nominal bargaining power than does Gamson’s Law. We also identify deviations from the point predictions of the non-cooperative bargaining models. Namely, proposer power is not nearly as strong as predicted under the Baron–Ferejohn model, and a significant number of bargaining rounds tend to take more than two steps under demand bargaining and more than one stage under Baron–Ferejohn, counter to the models’ predictions. Regressions using the experimental data provide results similar to the field data, but fail to do so once one accounts for predictions regarding coalition composition under Gamson’s Law.
Role of nucleus based context in word-independent syllable stress classification

An acoustic-phonetics based word-independent technique which uses syllable context for classifying the lexical syllable stress of spoken English words is presented. Nucleus based clustering is remarkably successful in moving from word-dependent syllable stress classification which is intrinsically not scalable to word-independent classification. This however is not possible without an inherent drop in accuracy due to the loss of important contextual information of the syllables. An approach based on incorporating the left and the right context-ID of the syllable nucleus is proposed which results in a 10% improvement in word-level accuracy for word-independent syllable stress classification. The proposed approach exhibits performances comparable to that of the best performing word-dependent classifiers without suffering from the latter's scalability issues. A 7% improvement in the syllable level accuracy is also reported.
Spatially clustered join on heterogeneous scientific data sets

In the era of data-intensive scientific discovery, data analysis is critical for scientists to identify essential information from the mountains of data generated by large-scale simulations or experiments. A generic operation in scientific data analysis is to combine information from multiple data sets, which are stored in heterogeneous ile formats. This operation is typically known as a Join in database management field. Currently, a join operation involving multiple data sets in different file formats is time-consuming because of the need to prepare data (i.e., to convert data into a uniform format or to ingest into a database) and to run the join algorithms. Furthermore, data processing languages, such as SQL (Structured Query Language), can not easily express typical scientific analysis tasks such as interpolation. In this paper, we propose three techniques to address these challenges: a two-level data model to process data from different file formats without converting to a uniform format, a data organization structure known as Multi-Dimensional Binning (MDBin), and a join processing algorithm known as Spatially Clustered Join (SCJoin). Together, these techniques allow scientific data files to be used for query processing with less I/O cost and fast query response time without the extra cost to perform ile format conversion and data ingestion. Evaluation of our proposed techniques in joining and interpolating data sets generated by a plasma physics simulation studying space weather phenomenon showed up to 8X improvement over FastQuery. Querying with our solution outperforms SciDB, a popular array data management system for scientific data, by 43X-143X. We also demonstrate that our methods scale to 64K CPU cores in analyzing 32TB data on a large-scale supercomputing system.
Some Modest Proposals

The great English writer, Jonathan Swift (1965), wrote an essay entitled “A Modest Proposal,” in which he suggested that the Irish could reduce the famine then plaguing their country by eating their young children. The result was, not surprisingly, an uproar against Swift for his sarcasm and indifference toward the suffering of the Irish people. The title of this chapter is borrowed from Swift because the “modest proposals” suggested in this chapter may seem hostile to some.
Exploring the Use of Faded Worked Examples as a Problem Solving Approach for Underprepared Students.

It is not uncommon for students to find themselves underprepared when entering a post secondary institution. In additional to lower levels of academic achievement, underprepared students may not be aware that they lack the skills needed to be successful and effectively acquire and process information. Because of this, students that enter post-secondary institutions underprepared often require more support in and out of the college classroom. In computational based classes, such as math, engineering, chemistry or physics, this support often includes an