cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effecting change in academic dentistry through small groups.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE The work of faculty, staff, and students is driven by their alignment with an institution's vision and purpose, as set forth in its strategic plan. Any plan that calls for innovative growth must address certain aspects of organizational culture as roadblocks to success and should foster relationship building to achieve long-standing progress. This demonstration project investigates a method for effecting change through a Small Group Initiative (SGI). METHODS Representatives from faculty and staff were selected by purposive sampling, placed into eight groups of six, and one member of each group was made a facilitator to participate in or facilitate monthly structured discussion-based meetings for a 1-year time period. Participants read one chapter a month of 12: The Elements of Great Managing, which corresponds to the Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement survey that each participant completed at the beginning and end of the program. RESULTS Findings indicate an overall increase in participant levels of employee engagement and increased levels of personal ownership in regard to the strategic plan after participating in the SGI. CONCLUSIONS Many other institutional efforts aimed at the advancement of school-wide vision and employee engagement can be cumbersome to implement and require a substantial allocation of resources. The SGI, however, requires minimal resources, limited infringement on regular activity, and minimal direct cost to implement. These factors suggest that the SGI could be tailored to meet specific needs of leadership and may have broad-based applicability across various academic settings.
Pygmalion in the ’hood: Reflecting on Enhancing Job Interview Performance at an Urban Community College

Self-presenting effectively at job interviews presents significant challenges for students at urban community colleges, especially those identified as low-income Black and Latinx. Current practices provide minimal support, if any, for enhancing the self-presentation of these students at job interviews. Too often, instead, students simply do not perform well, fail to achieve their job objectives, and remain marginalized by society. This article describes the experiences of urban community college students involved in an innovative effort to enhance their performance in job interviews. This innovative approach features identity work and highlights the value of role play and improvisation in a range of dramatic activities. It utilizes insights gained from research into Freirian conscientization, critical pedagogy, and critical race theories as well as participatory action research (PAR) methodology. This study highlights the eloquent voices and dramatic concerns of the students involved in two vignettes, “Acting White” and “Acting Phony,” expressing the plight of these students. Providing insights for teachers, the article reviews identity work to facilitate successful self-presentation conducted by a wide range of educators dealing with similar challenges involving racial and ethnic minorities. Concluding observations are presented and future debate and research is encouraged.
Race Sorting in Family Formation

Our laws afford enormous freedom not only to parents, but also to the intermediaries — adoption agencies, social workers, sperm banks, and egg vendors — that bring them together with (future) children. These middlemen routinely exercise this discretion to emphasize race in matching parents to the same-race gamete donors or adoptive children they tend to prefer. This Symposium Essay provides a conceptual framework to govern the use of race in decisions about family formation. This spectrum of salience-varying ways to manage racial information ranges from those that lay the greatest emphasis on race to those that soften or altogether exclude its expression. The Essay locates the operation of these different approaches in the law and practice of adoption and assisted reproduction. That race tends to reproduce itself within the family makes these unique contexts from which to ask what sort of racial self-understandings our multiracial democracy should seek to embody.
Chapter 9 Preparation of Synthetic mRNAs and Analyses of Translational Efficiency in Microinjected Xenopus Oocytes

Publisher Summary This chapter describes protocols that enable the synthesis and functional analysis of synthetic messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in microinjected Xenopus oocytes. These procedures also address the requirements for and the ability to introduce a 5′ terminal cap structure and a 3′ poly (A) tail into synthetic mRNAs. Functional mRNAs can be synthesized in vitro from complementary DNAs (cDNAs) of interest cloned into a variety of plasmid or phagemid vectors which contain promoters recognized by the highly specific bacteriophage SP6, T3, and T7 DNA dependent RNA polymerases. The ability to generate relatively large amounts of specific transcripts in combination with the efficient expression of these synthetic mRNAs in microinjected Xenopus oocytes provides a powerful and straightforward approach to address diverse problems ranging from the function and localization of a variety of proteins to the posttranscriptional and translational regulation of maternal mRNAs. The chapter discusses choice of transcription vectors and bacteriophage DNA–dependent RNA polymerases.
Chapter 19 Transcriptional and translational regulatory mechanisms during normal aging of the mammalian brain and in Alzheimer's disease

Publisher Summary Irrespective of the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that basic defects at the level of transcription or translation, or both, may be involved in the pathogenesis of this illness. Decreased levels of protein synthesis can be demonstrated in living patients with AD and the AD post-mortem brain messenger RNA has diminished capacity to stimulate high levels of protein synthesis in vitro. Although numerous factors may contribute to the observed decline in in vivo functional activity, the concentration of the brain RNA appears to be particularly important for regulating the rate of translation. During normal aging, the level of the brain RNA decreases. In AD, there appears to be an accelerated general decline in neuronal RNA and a further decrease within neurons containing neurofibrillary tangles. RNA extracted from affected regions supports the limited synthesis of proteins. Although the overall levels of in vitro synthesis tend to be low, the specific activity of certain proteins, such as glial fibrillary acidic protein, remains high. These observations may be related, in part, to increased degradation of neuronal RNA with sparing of glial RNA. The level of AD brain alkaline ribonuclease activity is increased due to the loss of inhibitor activity.
Impact of mismatch loss on mobile phone simulation for automotive testing

Automotive electronic systems must operate as designed while exposed to the RF energy produced by mobile transmitters including cellular telephones. Automotive OEMs often verify functional performance using test procedures delineated in ISO 11452-3 [1] and ISO 11452-9 [2]. Test procedures simulate the mobile device via use of a small antenna placed in close proximity to the electronic device. RF immunity levels are based on a specified net power delivered from a broadband amplifier attached to the antenna via coaxial cable. The ISO standard makes only cursory reference to minimizing the antenna VSWR and cable loss for accurate delivery of the specified net power. This paper will focus on the effect of mismatch loss and its specific impact on the error in the actual net power delivered to the antenna.
Handling and archiving of magnetic fusion data at DIII-D

Recent modifications to the computer network at DIII-D enhance the collection and distribution of newly acquired and archived experimental data. Linked clients and servers route new data from diagnostic computers to centralized mass storage and distribute data on demand to local and remote workstations and computers. Capacity for data handling exceeds the upper limit of DIII-D Tokamak data production of about 4 GBytes per day. Network users have fast access to new data stored on line. An interactive program handles requests for restoration of data archived off line. Disk management procedures retain selected data on line in preference to other data. Redundancy of all components on the archiving path from the network to magnetic media has prevented loss of data. Older data are rearchived as dictated by limited media life.
DDBE Platform Requirements

This chapter contains sections titled: DDBE Architectural Vocabulary Fundamental Platform Requirements Distributed Process Platform Requirements Distributed Data Platform Requirements Preview of the DDBE Platforms Used in Chapters 15-19 Summary Glossary References Exercises ]]>
Updated Hurricane Models: A New Opportunity to Insure Against Climate Change

This article suggests that the insurance industry’s increased recognition of the economic implications of climate change, as evidenced by the industry’s desire to use updated hurricane models that account for global warming in the rate setting process, will enable insurers to make more accurate estimates of their losses but only if state insurance regulators step up to the challenge of understanding and scrutinizing the models. The article briefly discusses how states are empowered to regulate the insurance industry and influence its rate setting approaches. The article then discusses the major approaches to rate setting and highlights the inaccuracy that is characteristic of the traditional approaches. It also discusses the primary obstacle to increased usage of modeling in the rate setting process- state insurance regulators, who are concerned for consumer protection, fear insurers will use the proprietary nature of the models to hide the fact that they are charging unjustifiably high premiums for insurance. Next the article shows, through a case study from Massachusetts, how this fear can be addressed. The paper further discusses how proactive measures to encourage more widespread understanding and usage of the models will contribute to a more financially stable insurance industry that can withstand climate change and enable homeowners to make better long-term decisions about where they want to live and how they want their homes to be constructed.
Associations of patella lead with polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor, δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase and endothelial nitric oxide synthase genes

A cross-sectional analysis was performed to evaluate associations of polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR), delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) genes with patella lead concentrations in 652 lead workers in the Republic of Korea. There was a wide range of patella lead (from below detection limit to 946 microg Pb/g bone mineral), with a mean (standard deviation) of 75.2 (101.0). There were no associations of ALAD or eNOS genotypes with patella lead, but workers with the VDR B allele had significantly (P value < 0.05) higher patella lead (on average, 25% or approximately 6.6 microg Pb/g bone mineral) than lead workers with the VDR bb genotype. There was evidence that the relation between age and patella lead was modified by both the VDR and eNOS genotypes.
Multiple-scattering theory of wave diffraction by superposed volume gratings

We present a powerful multiple-scattering approach to wave diffraction by media whose permittivity contains overlapping periodic modulations, such as those found in thick holograms or in other applications involving superposed volume gratings. For this purpose we consider sequential wave scattering in a planar model having two periodic variations that are inclined at an arbitrary angle Δϕ with respect to each other. We thus show that all the diffracted fields can be described by flow diagrams that provide physical insight into the wave-scattering process. We then examine the particularly relevant case of small angular separations Δϕ and find that the individual diffracted orders can be evaluated by applying simple flow-graph considerations to the mathematical formulation. This procedure readily provides accurate numerical results, together with an estimate of the errors incurred if simplifying approximations are introduced. Furthermore, we show that the two-grating model can be readily extended to situations having any number of superposed periodicities.
Regulation of neurotensin secretion in mammalian C cell lines: potassium and norepinephrine affect the rapid release of the peptide.

Abstract Calcitonin (CT) and neurotensin (NT) secreting cell lines (6–23,44-2) were established from a transplantable rat medullary thyroid carcinoma (rMTC). The 44-2 line was used to obtain two colony clones 44-2 B and C secreting 20–30-fold greater NT than CT. These cells were used to study the regulation of Ca 2+ -modulated NT secretion and to ascertain the role of K + and NE in the rapid release of NT. Medium NT was measured by a specific RIA with the antiserum N-1-11. Secretion experiments were in replicate 35 mm dishes in Krebs-Ringer-bicarbonate buffer supplemented with 90 mg% glucose (KRBG). Ca 2+ (0.5–4.0 mM) stimulated NT release in a dose-dependent manner with an ED 50 of 2.0 mM. Ca 2+ was required for NT release induced by the Ca 2+ ionophore, ionomycin, also K + (50 mM) and norepinephrine (NE). To determine the mode of NT release in the presence of control (1.0 mM Ca 2+ ) or experimental conditions (Ca 2+ 1.0 mM plus 10 −6 NE and/or 50 mM K + ), 44-2 cells were incubated in KRBG using an experimental paradigm wherein medium was changed at 10-min intervals, and NT release was quantitated. NE stimulated release of NT by these cells and the amount of NT released with each repetitive pulse of NE remained constant throughout the experiment. K + (50 mM) elicited a rapid release of NT in the first 0–10 min incubation and the amount of NT released into the buffer was greater than that measured with NE; however, in these experiments, the response to K + declined progressively and reached basal values at 20–30 min. Our results show neither pulse stimulation nor continuous incubation of cells with NE affected the response of the cells to a subsequent challenge with K + . These results suggest the presence of differentially stimulated, releasable pools of NT in these cells. We conclude that these newly established 44-2 B and C cells provide a useful model to study the regulation of NT release.
Workplace Violence and Worker Injury in Elderly Care Settings: Reflective of a Setting Vulnerable to Elder Abuse?

Abstract Many incidents of injury, assault, and abuse occur in health care settings. To better examine the situational context of the workplace, this paper examines whether workers providing care to elderly persons experience injuries that are consistent with the “for-profit” and “interpersonal conflict” explanations of elder abuse or neglect. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, results indicate that nursing home workers and home health care workers have higher rates of workplace injuries resulting from assaults and overexertion than do other workers. The data suggest that there are unique structural and situational factors present in the nursing home, which create a work setting vulnerable to conflict, violence, and elder abuse.
Constitutive Equations for the Thermomechanical Response of René 80: Part 1—Development From Isothermal Data

This work describes the development of a unified nonisothermal constitutive model to predict the thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) response of a Nickel base superalloy, Rene 80. Nonisothermal deformation mechanisms are modeled using state variables. The flow equation of the Ramaswamy-Stouffer model was rewritten in the form of an Arrhenius equation with explicit temperature dependence. The isothermal predictions were correlated with the test data at four test temperatures between 538 C and 982 C. Material parameters were verified using nonisothermal tensile calculations. This verification showed that modeling the transition between planar slip and dislocation climb accurately is crucial for obtaining reliable TMF predictions. The revised constitutive model could successfully predict Rene 80 response from several TMF tests between 760 C and 982 C.
Altered gene expression in cultured microglia in response to simulated blast overpressure: possible role of pulse duration.

Abstract Blast overpressure has long been known to cause barotrauma to air-filled organs such as lung and middle ear. However, experience in Iraq and Afghanistan is revealing that individuals exposed to explosive munitions can also suffer traumatic brain injury (TBI) even in the absence of obvious external injury. The interaction of a blast shock wave with the brain in the intact cranial vault is extremely complex making it difficult to conclude that a blast wave interacts in a direct manner with the brain to cause injury. In an attempt to “isolate” the shock wave and test its primary effects on cells, we exposed cultured microglia to simulated blast overpressure in a barochamber. Overpressures ranging from 15 to 45 psi did not change microglial Cox-2 levels or TNF-α secretion nor did they cause cell damage. Microarray analysis revealed increases in expression of a number of microglial genes relating to immune function and inflammatory responses to include Saa3, Irg1, Fas and CxCl10. All changes in gene expression were dependent on pulse duration and were independent of pressure. These results indicate that microglia are mildly activated by blast overpressure and uncover a heretofore undocumented role for pulse duration in this process.
Identifying genetic alterations in poorly differentiated thyroid cancer: a rewarding pursuit.

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant RO1-CA134225-01 (to M.M.X.). Disclosure Summary: The author has nothing to disclose. For article see page 4735 Abbreviations: ATC, Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma; FTC, follicular thyroid carcinoma; PDTC, poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; PTC, papillary thyroid carcinoma.
The influence of a central stimulus on visual field measurements in children from 3.5 to 30 months of age.

Purpose To provide normative data on the effect of a central competing stimulus on monocular visual field extent in 3.5- to 9-month-olds and adults, and binocular visual field extent in 11- to 30-month-olds. Methods Visual field extent along diagonal meridia was measured in 180 infants and children (N=30 at 3.5, 7, 9, 11, 17, and 30 months) and 20 adults, using static perimetry. Stimuli were 3-deg, 10-Hz flickering, yellow light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Each subject was tested with 12 trials in which the central stimulus remained on and 12 trials in which the central stimulus was turned off during presentation of the peripheral stimulus. Results A competing stimulus produced a decreased frequency of eye movements at 17 months and evidence suggestive of decreased measured field extent at 17 and 30 months. Conclusions A continuously present central stimulus does not produce underestimation of visual field extent in 3.5- to 9-month-old infants with normal vision and adults tested monocularly and 11 -month-old infants tested binocularly. However, visual field extent may be underestimated in 1 - and 2-year-olds if a competing central stimulus is used.
Numerical Prediction of Fluid Flow and Diesel Combustion in a Pre-Chamber and Main Chamber

In this study computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to model fluid flow and diesel combustion in an IC engine that uses a pre-chamber and a main-chamber. The pre-chamber is located in the cylinder head and a bowl in the piston serves as the main chamber. The study considers the effect of diesel combustion in the pre-chamber on turbulence generation and hence fuel-air mixing and combustion in the piston-bowl. Diesel fuel was injected directly into the pre-chamber and the piston bowl at different times. In order to better determine the effect of pre-chamber combustion on the main chamber combustion, various pre-chamber injection timings were considered. The results show that pre-chamber combustion caused the average cylinder pressure to increase by up to 20% in some cases.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Allozyme genotype and time-to-death of mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, during acute inorganic mercury exposure: a comparison of populations

Abstract Relationships between enzyme genotype and time-to-death (TTD) during acute mercury exposure were examined in mosquitofish taken from two isolated field populations. Results were compared with those from an exposure conducted two years previously, with fish from one of these populations, in which genotypes at three enzyme loci, Icd-1. Gpi-2. and Mdh-1. were significantly related to TTD, as was overall heterozygosity. Neither genotype nor heterozygosity were related to TTD in the present exposure of fish from this population. In the exposure of fish from the population not sampled previously, two loci. Icd-2 and Mpi. were significantly related to TTD. Multiple locus heterozygosity was not related to mortality in this exposure. These two populations exhibited different genotype-TTD relationships during laboratory exposures, suggesting that the response of one population exposed in the laboratory may not accurately represent the responses of other populations, either in the laboratory or during exposures in nature.
Urease activity in soil amended with methane-generator sludge

Abstract Sludge obtained from a methane-generator unit charged with fescue hay Festuca arundinacea Schreb) was air-dried and mixed with a sample from the surface horizon (0–15 cm) of a Menfro silt loam soil (fine-silty, mixed, mesic, Typic Hapludalf) to give 0, 40, and 80 g kg−1 sludge by weight. The sludge-soil mixtures were assayed for urease activity, then used in CO2-evolution or plant-growth studies and again assayed for urease activity. Urease activity was not altered by the addition of sludge when measured 1 h after addition. Urease activity in soil-sludge mixtures upon which plants had been grown for 42 days at − 33 kPa water potential and 25°C, was increased by sludge addition. Urease activity measured in soil-sludge mixtures incubated at − 20 kPa water potential and 25°C was increased significantly (P m in the 0 and 80 g kg−1 sludge treatments, respectively. Urease activation energies ranged from 25 to 38 kJ mol−1 in the 20–50°C temperature range and were not altered by sludge addition. During the 106 days of incubation, nearly 15% of the carbon added with the sludge evolved as carbon dioxide.
Translations from Greek into Latin and Arabic during the Middle Ages: Searching for the Classical Tradition

Byzantium's relationship with what we call “the classical tradition” is central to the development of its civilization and has been extensively discussed by Byzantinists for a number of reasons: since the fifteenth-century Renaissance, European interest in Byzantium was spurred by research on classical antiquity, and Byzantine literary culture was generally treated as a warehouse from which to retrieve information on ancient texts. In addition, Byzantine studies as a modern academic discipline was formed around the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, when the classical tradition was understood as a constituent part of modern Western culture, while ancient Greece and Rome served as political and aesthetic paradigms for the world's industrialized nations.
The differential activation of ornithine decarboxylase in synchronized cultures maintained with a salts/glucose medium

Abstract Asparagine and cAMP caused differential activation of ornithine decarboxylase activity that was dependent upon the cell cycle phase of Chinese Hamster Ovary cells maintained with a salts/glucose medium. Prior to incubation in the salts/glucose medium, stationary phase cultures were stimulated to proliferate by refeeding with fresh complete growth medium. Induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity was dependent upon two conditions: (1) the salts/ glucose medium required supplementation with an appropriate amino acid and cAMP; (2) cultures had to be in late G1/early S phase when placed in the salts/glucose medium. Cultures in G0 phase had moderate capacity for ornithine decarboxylase enhancement but lost this capacity as they traversed into early G1 or into mid S phase. These results demonstrate the importance of the cell cycle in modulating the activation of ornithine decarboxylase by asparagine and cAMP.
Some observations on the bowl phenomenon

Abstract Previous studies suggest that performance of a series system may be enhanced if those station(s) having smallest mean operation time requirement(s) and/or smallest variability are placed in the middle of the line. There has been considerable confusion relative to whether this ‘bowl phenomenon’ has to do with the placement of means, variances, or some combination of the two. The results of the current study show that the phenomenon observed is not related to an imbalance in means. Rather, it is associated with an imbalance in absolute variability. Furthermore, it is suggested that the bowl effect vanishes altogether in cases where a minimal level of in-process buffer stock is provided.
Ammonium in solution of flooded West African soils

Ammonium production is the key process for N nutrition of lowland rice because the mineralization process stops at ammonium in submerged soils. We studied the changes in ammonium N in the solution of 15 diverse wetland West African soils. Soil samples were held under flooded conditions in the greenhouse pots for 15 weeks, and anoxic solutions, drawn weekly, were monitored for the changes in ammonium N concentrations. The soils differed in the pattern of ammonium accumulation, and had a wide range of ammonium N mobilized in soil solution with mean values ranging from 0.3 to 7.4 mg N kg−1 soil. Ammonium N released in solution was related to organic C and total N contents of the soils. The pattern of ammonium N release in solution of the 15 soils, with the exception of two soils, was well-described by an exponential model. The fit to the linear log model was also good for most of the soils but the prediction was less consistent than with the exponential model. Our results indicate that the pattern of ammonium accumulation in soil solution of flooded West African soils can be described by an exponential model.
Determination of strophanthidin in ingesta and plant material by LC-MS/MS.

An LC-MS/MS method was developed for the semiquantitative determination of strophanthidin glycosides in ingesta from animals. Strophanthidin glycosides were simultaneously extracted and hydrolyzed to the strophanthidin aglycone using aqueous methanolic hydrochloric acid and the extracts cleaned up using solid-phase extraction. Extracts were analyzed using reverse-phase HPLC coupled with positive ion electrospray mass spectrometry. Characteristic product ion spectra were produced by fragmentation of the [M + H]+ precursor ion for each analyte. Quantitation was performed using the internal standard method with digitoxigenin serving as the internal standard. The method detection limit was calculated to be 0.075 μg/g, and the limit of quantitation was calculated to be 0.24 μg/g for strophanthidin in control rumen samples. This method was used in diagnostic investigations to confirm fatal strophanthidin glycoside poisonings in horses. Keywords: Strophanthidin; cardiotoxic glycosides; HPLC; mass spectrometry; LC-MS
Long-Wave Baroclinic Instability in the Troposphere and Stratosphere with Spherical Geometry

The most unstable normal modes are obtained for a global, quasi-geostrophic and spectral-form atmospheric model that includes wavenumbers one through six. In a first set of model calculations, the basic state represents Northern Hemisphere winter solstice conditions, whose long waves are deep modes having maximum kinetic energy in the stratosphere. These internal modes exist even in the presence of a stratospheric wind minimum, but propagate vertically into the stratosphere only north of this minimum, at the latitudes of the polar jet. The basic state for a second set of calculations is the axisymmetric solution corresponding to radiative equilibrium, with large vertical wind shear and all modes being essentially external, tropospheric Charney modes.
Ubiquitination-dependent mechanisms regulate synaptic growth and function

The covalent attachment of ubiquitin to cellular proteins is a powerful mechanism for controlling protein activity and localization1. Ubiquitination is a reversible modification promoted by ubiquitin ligases and antagonized by deubiquitinating proteases2. Ubiquitin-dependent mechanisms regulate many important processes including cell-cycle progression, apoptosis and transcriptional regulation3. Here we show that ubiquitin-dependent mechanisms regulate synaptic development at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Neuronal overexpression of the deubiquitinating protease fat facets4 leads to a profound disruption of synaptic growth control; there is a large increase in the number of synaptic boutons, an elaboration of the synaptic branching pattern, and a disruption of synaptic function. Antagonizing the ubiquitination pathway in neurons by expression of the yeast deubiquitinating protease UBP2 (ref. 5) also produces synaptic overgrowth and dysfunction. Genetic interactions between fat facets and highwire6, a negative regulator of synaptic growth that has structural homology to a family of ubiquitin ligases, suggest that synaptic development may be controlled by the balance between positive and negative regulators of ubiquitination.
Reproductive Diseases of the Backyard Hen

Reproductive diseases commonly occur in backyard hens, and the underlying cause is usually different from that of commercial-production hens. Because backyard hens typically live longer, are usually provided an adequate diet, and have relatively more space than commercial hens, the most common causes of their reproductive disease include neoplasia, egg-related peritonitis, persistent right oviduct, and old age. Conversely, other reproductive diseases including vent trauma and depletion of calcium are rarely diagnosed.
Mechanism of copper(II)-induced misfolding of Parkinson's disease protein

α-synuclein (aS) is a natively unfolded pre-synaptic protein found in all Parkinson's disease patients as the major component of fibrillar plaques. Metal ions, and especially Cu(II), have been demonstrated to accelerate aggregation of aS into fibrillar plaques, the precursors to Lewy bodies. In this work, copper binding to aS is investigated by a combination of quantum and molecular mechanics simulations. Starting from the experimentally observed attachment site, several optimized structures of Cu-binding geometries are examined. The most energetically favorable attachment results in significant allosteric changes, making aS more susceptible to misfolding. Indeed, an inverse kinematics investigation of the configuration space uncovers a dynamically stable β-sheet conformation of Cu-aS that serves as a nucleation point for a second β-strand. Based on these findings, we propose an atomistic mechanism of copper-induced misfolding of aS as an initial event in the formation of Lewy bodies and thus in PD pathogenesis.
Romeo, Romeo: A Look at a Winding Journey to Lesbian Parenthood

Romeo, Romeo [documentary]. Lizzie Gottlieb (Director), 2014. Run time: 81 minutes. $9.99. DVDRomeo, Romeo1, by filmmaker Lizzie Gottlieb, is a documentary that follows a lesbian couple as they pur...
Structure and luminescence of copper(I) cyanide-amine and -sulfide networks

Abstract Copper(I) cyanide reacts with various liquid amines and sulfides (L) under solvent-less conditions to form (CuCN)Ln, n = 0.5, 0.57, 0.75, 0.8, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 2. New X-ray structures are reported for L = Py (Py = pyridine, n = 0.57), 2-MePy (n = 1), 3-EtPy (n = 1.5), 2-ClPy (n = 1), 3-ClPy (n = 2), 3-MeOPy (n = 2), 4-tBuPy (n = 1.5), piperidine (n = 1.25), N-methylmorpholine (n = 1), N,N-dimethylcyclohexylamine (n = 1), 1-methylimidazole (n = 3), Me2S (n = 1), and tetrahydrothiophene (n = 1). The amine structures (except for the monomeric 1-methylimidazole complex) reveal 1D CuCN chains decorated with 0–2 L per metal atom. Chain structures observed include zigzag, helical and figure-8 helical. The CuCN-sulfide structures show sulfur-bridging of CuCN chains. In some cases (CuCN)L⩾1.5 species are transformed to (CuCN)L under vacuum. Thermal analysis shows facile release of ligand, yielding CuCN. Most of the (CuCN)Ln products are photoluminescent, emitting in the visible region. In some cases, coordination of very similar amines results in remarkably different emission spectra.
Teacher power: the exercise of professional autonomy in an era of strict accountability

Abstract This interpretative case study of one public elementary school in the state of Washington examined teachers' reasoning about exercising their autonomy. Results of the study indicated that participants exercised autonomy to alter mandated curricular and assessment policies. Teachers diagnosed students' academic and emotional needs, and then changed curricular policies stipulated by the state and district to improve student achievement. As teachers' diagnoses were discretionary, participants' utilised professional expertise, prior teacher education, and practitioner inquiry to support their exercise of power. Recommendations for providing teachers with learning opportunities to develop their professional judgments are discussed.
Tax accounting methods of aquacultural producers

Aquacultural producers were surveyed to ascertain the tax accounting methods utilized for federal income tax reporting purposes. Approximately 99% of the producers surveyed use the cash method of reporting and also deduct currently the cost of fingerlings purchased for ultimate resale. Because cash-method farmers generally must capitalize the cost of purchased inventory until the period of sale, aquacultural producers may not be in compliance with current tax rules. Further, producers have classified aquacultural pond construction costs as (a) a soil and water conservation expense, (b) a single purpose agricultural structure, and (c) a land improvement although only the latter treatment appears safe from attack by the IRS. The theoretical propriety of these and other tax policies is examined.
2001 Presidential Address: Working with Imperfect Models.

Since the early years of psychological research, investigators in psychology have made use of mathematical models of psychological phenomena. Models are now routinely used to represent and study cognitive processes, the structure of psychological measurements, the structure of correlational relationships among variables, the nature of change over time, and many other topics and phenomena of interest. All of these models, in their attempt to provide a parsimonious representation of psychological phenomena, are wrong to some degree and are thus implausible if taken literally. Such models simply cannot fully represent the complexities of the phenomena of interest and at best provide an approximation of the real world. This imperfection has implications for how we specify, estimate, and evaluate models, and how we interpret results of fitting models to data. Using factor analysis and structural equation models as a context, I examine some implications of model imperfection for our use of models, focusing on f...
Specific toxic effects of ethylcholine nitrogen mustard on cholinergic neurons of the nucleus basalis of Meynert.

Abstract The putative cholinergic neurotoxin, ethylcholine aziridinium ion (AF64A), was injected unilaterally into the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM) in order to determine whether it would produce specific damage to the cholinergic cell bodies of this nucleus. Injections of small amounts of AF64A (0.01 nmol in 1 μl) or of its vehicle had little effect on the appearance of the nbM or on the levels of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the cortex. Injections of larger amounts of AF64A (0.02 and 0.05 nmol in 1 μl and 0.02 nmol in 10 μl) produced a loss of difuse acetylcholinesterase staining in the nbM and a loss of large positively staining neurons. Furthermore, these injections produced a significant reduction of ChAT activity in the central portion of the cortex. However, non-cholinergic neurons in the area of the nbM were not affected by the these AF64A injections. In addition, cortical uptake of monoamines was not affected by these lesions. Further increases in the amount of AF64A injected (0.1 nmol in 1μl and 0.35 nmol in 10 μl) caused damage at the site of the injection which was not limited to the cholinergic elements of the nbM. These results suggest that AF64A canbe used to produce specific lesions of cholinergic neurons, and therefore may be useful in developing animal models of human disorders involving cholinergic hypofunction, such as senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. However, there is a narrow dose range for producing these specific effects.
Deficits Concomitant with Aphasia or Lesions of Either Cerebral Hemisphere

Summary Recent research has demonstrated several sensory, perceptual, cognitive, and motor deficits which are concomitant with, or are spared in aphasia, or lesions of either cerebral hemisphere. Concomitant impairments in aphasia . Studies of aphasics and non-aphasic brain-injured subjects revealed impairment specific to the aphasic for tests involving: knowledge of the body (body schema), ability to locate embedded geometrical figures (hidden figures), complex visual problem-solving ability (conditional reaction), and map-reading with path-findings (spatial orientation). Impairments specific to right or left hemispheres . Brain-injured subjects with lesions of the right hemisphere were significantly poorer than controls or those with left hemisphere lesions on: tactual three-dimensional size discrimination, tactual discrimination of form, and speed of index finger oscillation. Those with lesions of the left parieto-temporal region showed a significant decline in general intelligence. Elimination of the aphasics from this comparison did not modify the results. Impairments nonspecific to aphasia or either hemisphere . A variety of simple and complex tactual and visual tasks were found not to be associated with aphasia or lesions of right or left hemispheres. These consisted of: measures of time-error for tactual size or weight stimulation, judgment of magnitude of size or weight of objects, discriminations (roughness, pattern, texture, and form), tactual pattern learning, and complex tactual or visual problem solving. Laterality differences . Recent results have shown that the right and left sides of the body surface differ with regard to measures of pressure sensitivity. These results are related both to the individual's familial history of handedness and his own hand preference. Research on impairments concomitant with and spared in aphasia is urged to increase our understanding of this complex neurological disorder.
Early definitive intervention by thoracoscopy in pediatric empyema.

Abstract Purpose: Nineteen children had early thoracoscopic intervention for empyema between 1992 and 1997 at the LeBonheur Children's Medical Center. The authors have evaluated the results of this treatment. Methods: Thoracoscopic intervention was performed at the fibrinopurulent state of empyema. An irrigating laparoendoscope was inserted, loculi were disrupted, debris was evacuated, and a chest tube was passed through the port site. Results: The patients were aged between 11 months and 16 years (mean, 6.5 years). The etiology of the empyema was parapneumonic in 17, and there was one case each of perforated appendicitis and mediastinal histoplasmosis. They underwent thoracoscopy at a mean of 4.6 days after hospital admission (range, 1 to 12 days). Chest tubes were removed at 1 to 5 days (mean, 2.9 days) after operation, and resolution of fever occurred at 1 to 9 days (mean, 3.8 days) postoperatively. Patients were discharged home between 4 and 10 days (mean, 6.1 days) postoperatively, and the mean hospital stay was 10.3 days (range, 5 to 21). There were no complications. The surgical technique was simple and well tolerated, requiring few disposable items, and the mean operating time was 77 minutes. Conclusions: Thoracoscopy eliminated the morbidity of thoracotomy and the discomfort and expense of prolonged chest tube drainage. Thoracoscopy may be used as early first-line therapy in a majority of pediatric patients with fibrinopurulent empyema.
Review by medical teachers of a certification examination: rationale, method and application

Summary A method of conducting a systematic review of an externally prepared multiple choice examination by teaching staff’ in the basic sciences is described. The method consists of: (a) designing criteria questions and acceptable response categories for judging relationships between the examination and course content; (b) providing teachers with review copies of the examination, together with instructions for responding to criteria questions; (c) tabulating responses of teachers and comparing these responses with the results of an item analysis of the exam based on local student performance and on normative data, if available; and (d) providing feedback to teachers (and students) concerning results of the review and recommendations for curriculum development. With this set of data, other kinds of analyses are possible, such as a breakdown of the combined teacher judgment and item analysis data by content areas within a course for purposes of identifying student strengths and weaknesses and thus potential areas for increased teaching emphasis. The method as described here is simple and inexpensive. Most teachers reported having spent approximately 1 to 2 hours in individually reviewing the examination and usually another hour in discussing the results with their colleagues. The benefits of such a review are considerable, as described below in some detail. Broadly conceived, such a review is one very important aspect of an internal evaluation of a medical school curriculum, and it is an educational process for teaching staff.
Soft x-ray spectroscopy using charge-coupled devices with thin poly gates and floating gate output amplifiers

We present data from a charge-coupled device (CCD), collaboratively designed by PSU/JPL/Loral, which incorporates several novel features that make it well suited for soft X-ray spectroscopy. It is a three-phase, front-side illuminated device with 1024x1024 pixels. Each pixel is 18 microns by 18 microns.The device has four output amplifiers: two conventional floating diffusion amplifiers (FDAs) and two floating gate amplifiers (FGAs). The FGA non-destructively samples the output charge, allowing the charge in each pixel to be measured multiple times. The readnoise of a given pixel is reduced as the square root of the number of readouts, allowing one to reduce the amplifier noise of these devices to well below the 1/f knee. We have been able to achieve sub-electron readnoise performance with the floating gate amplifier (0.9 e+-) rms with 16 reads per pixel). Using the FGA, the measured energy resolution at 5.9 keV is 120 eV (FWHM). The CCD also has a thin poly gate structure to maximize soft X-ray quantum efficiency. Two-thirds of the active area of the chip is covered only by an insulating layer (1000 angstrom) and a thin poly silicon electrode (400 angstrom). This design enhances the soft X-ray quantum efficiency, but retains the excellent charge transfer efficiency and soft X-ray charge collection efficiency of front-side illuminated devices. The measured energy resolution at 277 eV is 38 eV (FWHM) with a measured quantum efficiency of 15%. We also show that this device performs well below 100 eV, as demonstrated by the detection of Al L fluorescence at 72 eV with a measured FWHM of 16 eV.
Online adaptation to maximize the tradeoff between tuned vibration absorbers and tuned vibration dampers

Tuned vibration absorbers and tuned vibration dampers are structurally similar, but there are significant differences in their implementation and tuning laws. Lightly damped absorbers are typically applied to primary systems experiencing tonal excitation and achieve a "near-zero" in the frequency response of the primary system. An additional resonant peak is added to the system, such, transients or a mismatch in the absorber's tuned condition may result in poor performance. In contrast, a mini-max approach is used in the design of tuned vibration dampers. The stiffness and damping are designed such that the maximum frequency response across a band of frequencies is minimized. The vibration damper is insensitive to changes in the excitation frequency, but does not generally achieve high performance, due to the added damping in the vibration damper. This paper presents a novel approach whereby the characteristics of both a vibration absorber and a vibration damper are utilized in a single device. During transients, the damping is increased with the goal of helping the system to settle quickly and to avoid operation at resonant conditions. As the vibration becomes tonal, the damping is reduced and good steady state performance is achieved.
The expression of transforming growth factor type beta in fetal and adult rabbit skin wounds

Abstract Transforming growth factor, subtype beta (TGF-β) exists in several isoforms and is known to have important roles in adult wound healing by promoting collagen and extracellular matrix component deposition. It is also believed that TGF-β influences normal development processes during embryogenesis. Immunolocalization of two isoforms, TGF-β1 and TGF-β2, in healing fetal and adult rabbit skin wounds shows distinctly different forms of expression of these molecules. TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 are both expressed within the developing fetal dermis, but no differential upregulation in the area of the healing wound is noted. In contrast, the expression of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 is increased in adult wounds by day 7 after wounding, within macrophages that are abundant by this time. High levels of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 within adult wounds might indicate that the relative paucity and differential distribution of these factors in fetal wounds are important in the production of scar in adults and the absence of scar in the fetus. Further, these patterns of expression suggest fundamental differences between fetal and adult tissues in accomplishing wound repair.
Angiography and Transcatheter Arterial Embolization of Vascular Injuries of the Face and Neck

The condition of patients sustaining penetrating neck trauma often appears deceptively stable, even when major structures have been injured. Tile clinician must identify patients who require treatment and limit invasive procedures in those without significant injuries. Angiography is often used to search for vascular damage following penetration of the neck and face. The charts of 401 hemodynamically stable patients with penetrating cervicofacial wounds who were evaluated by angiography followed, when necessary, by either transcatheter arterial embolization and observation or surgery were reviewed. One hundred twelve patients (27.9%) had 131 vascular injuries identified by angiography ; 77 (68.8%) of these patients sustained injuries to zone III of the neck or the face. The most commonly injured vessels were the internal carotid artery (ICA), the vertebral artery, and the external carotid artery (ECA) system. Multiple vessel injuries were seen in 17 (15.2%) of 112 patients and were more likely in patients with wounds in zone III or above than in those wounded in zone II or below (20.8% vs. 2.9%, respectively ; P<.025). Injuries to the internal maxillary artery (IMA) (60%), ECA (53.3%), and the ICA (30.8%) were also significantly more likely to be accompanied by additional vascular injuries (P<.005). No clinically significant venous injuries were missed. Complications were noted in only 4 patients, and no deaths occurred as a result of angiography. Angiography is a safe, effective modality in the head and neck trauma setting. Particular scrutiny should be given to patients with zone III or facial wounds, particularly those with documented ICA, IMA, and ECA injuries, since these patients have a higher incidence of multiple vascular injuries.