cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Acquisition and Generalization of Joint Attention and Symbolic Play Skills in Young Children with Autism.

For children with autism, acquiring and generalizing new skills can be particularly difficult and may be affected by child characteristics. Forty-one preschool children with autism were recruited from an existing early intervention program and then randomized to one of two treatments, a targeted intervention for symbolic play skills or one for joint attention skills. Interventions involved Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approaches, in two teaching contexts that included similar prompt hierarchies, natural rewards (access to item), expansion, and corrective feedback. However, in the first ABA context, Naturalistic I, the children sat at the table. Components, such as scaffolding in play, greater pause times, and imitation of the child were included in the second ABA context, Naturalistic II. Mastery of children's first treatment goal was analyzed, and results indicate that children with autism generally acquired and mastered their first joint attention or symbolic play skill with the Naturalistic I approa...
Nucleus accumbens shell and core involvement in drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking in rats

Rationale The nucleus accumbens (NAC) is a functionally heterogeneous brain region with respect to its involvement in cocaine-seeking behavior triggered by drug-associated explicit conditioned stimuli, foot shock stress, or cocaine itself in the reinstatement animal model of drug relapse. However, it is not known whether the NAC or its subregions are critical for reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior produced by re-exposure to a previously cocaine-paired environmental context.
High-precision calculations of the hyperfine constants and some selected transition energies for the low-lying 4S levels of the lithium atom

High-precision Hylleraas-type calculations of the hyperfine constants for the four lowest excited 1s2sns 4Se (n = 3–6) levels of the lithium atom are reported. The transition energies from the lowest 4Po term to the 1s2sns 4Se (n = 3–6) levels for the stable isotopes 6Li and 7Li are evaluated. A number of addition expectation values for the four levels studied are also reported, including some moments of the electron–nuclear separation, the electron–electron separation, and the specific mass-shift operator. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effect of water temperature and composition on Henry's law constant for various PAH's

Henry's Law Constants (H) for benzene, naphthalene, phenanthrene and anthracene were experimentally determined at various water temperatures (5°C to 35°C) in distilled water using an on-line monitoring technique. The results from these experiments were compared to the values available in the literature and to the ratio of vapor pressure and solubility data using experimental and calculated data. The effect of salt concentration on H for naphthalene was measured at 25°C. H values increased with salt concentration and were proportional to the decrease in solubility of naphthalene in water. A good correlation between the observed H for naphthalene in sea water as a function of temperature and the ratio of vapor pressure and solubility was observed.
Surface tension of water droplets at the critical radius

In die Theorie der homogenen Keimbildung wird fur die Oberflachenspannung kleiner Tropfchen eine vonTolman vorgeschlagene Korrektur eingefuhrt, die kleinere kritische Keimradien ergibt. Diese Verkleinerung ist zwar abhangig von Temperatur und Ubersattigung, jedoch praktisch konstant oberhalb vierfacher Ubersattigung. Die hier berechneten Werte kritischer Keimradien, der Molekulzahlen pro kritischen Keim, der Anzahl kritischer Keime sowie der Keimbildungsrate mit und ohne Korrektur sind in den Tabellen 1 und 2 dargestellt; Keimzahl und Keimbildungsrate sind zudem in Figur 1 fur die Temperatur 283,2° K graphisch dargestellt. Um Vergleiche mit den Ergebnissen von Wolkenkammer-Versuchen anstellen zu konnen, wird der «Schwellenwert der Kondensation» neu definiert unter Einschluss des Korrekturterms; die so erhaltenen Werte sind in Tabelle 3 aufgefuhrt. Die Ubereinstimmung mit dem Experiment ist besser als im Fall, in dem lediglich die Oberflachenspannung der ebenen Oberflache in Rechnung gesetzt wird.
RoadCompass: following rural roads with vision + ladar using vanishing point tracking

We present a vision- and ladar-based approach to autonomous driving on rural and desert roads that has been tested extensively in a closed-loop system. The vision component uses Gabor wavelet filters for texture analysis to find ruts and tracks from which the road vanishing point can be inferred via Hough-style voting, yielding a direction estimate for steering control. The ladar component projects detected obstacles along the road direction onto the plane of the front of the vehicle and tracks the 1-D obstacle "gap" presumed due to the road to yield a lateral offset estimate. Several image- and state-based tests to detect failure conditions such as off-road poses (i.e., there is no road to follow) and poor lighting due to sun glare or distracting shadows are also explained. The system's efficacy is demonstrated with analysis of diverse logged data including from the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, as well as tests with full control of a vehicle over 15 km of difficult roads at up to 37 km/h with no waypoints.
Impact of the Orozco Fracture Zone on the central Mexican Volcanic Belt

Abstract This study investigates a prominent indentation in the central Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB), referred to as the Tzitzio Gap (TG). In this region, centered at 101° W, Quaternary volcanism is displaced approximately 100 km toward the back of the arc. This embayment is roughly aligned with the projected position of the Orozco Fracture Zone (OFZ), which separates segments of the Cocos Plate that differ in age by approximately 5 Ma. The fracturing of the oceanic lithosphere associated with the OFZ appears to have caused alteration and increased the buoyancy of this ~ 100 km-wide linear feature. Several indicators of the buoyancy of the OFZ have been reported, including shallowing of the Middle America Trench (MAT), seaward advancement of the shoreline, and the uplift and exposure of deeply buried and deformed Jurassic to Oligocene rocks that comprise the TG region. Arc volcanism in the regions surrounding the TG provides constraints on the subduction of the OFZ. In the central MVB, enrichment in fluid-mobile elements such as Ba, Sr, P2O5, Pb and K2O typically decreases with distance from the Middle America Trench, consistent with progressive dehydration of the down-going slab. Numerous studies in the central MVB have demonstrated that this fluid-mobile element enriched signature results from flux-induced melting at the front of the arc, while decompression melting of asthenospheric mantle peridotite is dominant at the back of the arc. The data presented here (a compilation of available geochemical data and new XRF major and trace element analyses of lavas erupted adjacent to the TG) shows that the volcanism that occurs behind the TG exhibits an anomalous fluid signature (high K2O, P2O5, Ba, and Pb) superimposed on compositions similar to those from the extensional regions in northern Mexico. We propose that these distinctive structural and geochemical characteristics arise from subduction of the OFZ. Increased buoyancy of the fracture zone may cause it to subduct at a shallower angle. Therefore, the OFZ portion of the slab reaches the P/T conditions for de-volatilization further from the Middle America Trench, resulting in the profound offset of the arc toward the back and the fluid signature from the slab superimposed on back-arc, extension-related intraplate basalts.
Structures, Mechanisms, and Kinetics of Ammoxidation and Selective Oxidation of Propane Over the M2 Phase of MoVNbTeO Catalysts

We report here first-principles-based predictions of the structures, mechanisms, and activation barriers for propane activation by the M2 phase of the MoVNbTeO multi-metal oxide catalysts capable of the direct conversion of propane to acrylonitrile. Our approach is to combine extensive quantum mechanical (QM) calculations to establish the mechanisms for idealized representations of the surfaces for these catalytic systems and then to modify the parameters in the ReaxFF reactive force field for molecular dynamics (MD) calculations to describe accurately the activation barriers and reaction mechanisms of the chemical reactions over complex mixed metal oxides. The parameters for ReaxFF are derived entirely from QM without the use of empirical data so that it can be applied to novel systems on which there is little or no data. To understand the catalysis in these systems it is essential to determine the surface structures that control the surface chemistry. High quality three-dimensional (3D) Rietveld structures are now available for the M1 and M2 phases of the MoVNbTeO catalysts. However the details of the chemical mechanisms controlling selectivity and activity have remained elusive because the catalytically important sites in these Rietveld structures are occupied by mixtures of Mo and V atoms, obscuring the actual distributions of the metals and oxides at the active sites. To solve this problem we use a supercell of the Rietveld structure sufficiently large that all atoms can be whole, then we use Monte Carlo techniques based on ReaxFF to resolve these partial occupations into the optimum configuration of whole atoms still consistent with the X-ray data. We will report the ReaxFF resolved 3D structures for the M2 phase of the MoVNbTeO system. Using the resolved 3D structures we consider the distribution of sites on the important surfaces and carry out ReaxFF Reactive Dynamics (RD) calculations to follow the initial steps of the reactions. Such studies provide insights into the chemical reaction steps on MMO catalysts that should be useful in designing more selective and more active systems. We find that this suggests the critical role of the Te^(IV) oxo chains for activating propene but not propane in the M2 phase. This suggests a new mechanism for this phase.
Correlation of United States Medical Licensing Examination and Internal Medicine In-Training Examination performance

The Internal Medicine In-Training Examination (ITE) is administered during residency training in the United States as a self-assessment and program assessment tool. Performance on this exam correlates with outcome on the American Board of Internal Medicine Certifying examination. Internal Medicine Program Directors use the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) to make decisions in recruitment of potential applicants. This study was done to determine a correlation of USMLE Steps 1, 2 and 3 results with ITE scores in each level of Internal Medicine training. A retrospective review of all residents graduating from an Internal Medicine program from 1999 to 2006 was done. Subjects included had data for all USMLE Steps and ITE during all years of training. Thirty-one subjects were included in the study. Correlations of USMLE Steps 1, 2 and 3 were done with ITE scores (percent correct) in each year of training. Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was determined for each pairing and a t test to determine statistical significance of the correlation was done. Statistical significance was defined as P value <0.05. The r values for USMLE Step 1 and ITE percent correct in PGY I, II and III were 0.46, 0.55 and 0.51 respectively. Corresponding r values for USMLE Step 2 and ITE percent correct were 0.79, 0.70 and 0.72; for USMLE Step 3 these values were 0.51, 0.37 and 0.51 respectively for each training year. USMLE scores are correlated with ITE scores. This correlation was strongest for USMLE Step 2.
Kinetics of microbial bromate reduction in a hydrogen-oxidizing, denitrifying biofilm reactor.

Bromate (BrO) is an oxidized contaminant produced from bromide (Br−) during ozonation and advanced oxidation of drinking water. Previous research shows that denitrifying bioreactors can reduce bromate to innocuous bromide. We studied a hydrogen-based, denitrifying membrane-biofilm reactor (MBfR) for bromate reduction, and report the first kinetics for a hydrogen-based bromate reduction process. A mixed-culture MBfR reduced up to 1,500 µg/L bromate to below 10 µg/L with a 50-min hydraulic residence time. Kinetics were determined using short-term tests on a completely mixed MBfR at steady state with an influent of 5 mg N/L nitrate plus 100 µg/L bromate. Short-term tests examined the impact of pH, nitrite, nitrate, and bromate on bromate reduction rates in the MBfR. Kinetic parameters for the process were estimated based on the short-term bromate tests. The qmax for bromate reduction was 0.12 mg BrO·mg·day−1, and the K was 1.2 mg BrO/L. This qmax is 2–3 times higher than reported for heterotrophic enrichments, and the K is the first reported in the literature. Nitrite and nitrate partially inhibited bromate reduction, with nitrite exerting a stronger inhibitory effect. Bromate was self-inhibitory at concentrations above 15 mg/L, but up to 50 mg/L of bromate had no inhibitory effect on denitrification. The optimum pH was approximately 7. We also examined the performance of an MBfR containing pure culture of the denitrifying bacterium Ralstonia eutropha. Under conditions similar to the mixed-culture tests, no bromate reduction was detected, showing that not all denitrifying bacteria are active in bromate reduction. Our results suggest the presence of specialized, dissimilatory bromate-reducing bacteria in the mixed-culture MBfR. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;98: 543–550. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A road map for the development of community systems (CoSy) biology

Microbial interactions are essential for all global geochemical cycles and have an important role in human health and disease. Although we possess general knowledge about the major processes within a microbial community, we are presently unable to decipher what role individual microorganisms have and how their individual actions influence others in the community. We also have limited knowledge with which to predict the effects of microbial interactions and community composition on the environment and vice versa. In this Opinion article, we describe how community systems (CoSy) biology will enable us to decode these complex relationships and will therefore improve our understanding of individual members of the community and the modes of interactions in which they engage.
Role of DNA polymerase beta in the excision step of long patch mammalian base excision repair.

Abstract The two base excision repair (BER) subpathways in mammalian cells are characterized by the number of nucleotides synthesized into the excision patch. They are the “single-nucleotide” BER pathway and the “long patch” (several nucleotides incorporated) BER pathway. Both of these subpathways involve excision of a damaged base and/or nearby nucleotides and DNA synthesis to fill the excision gap. Whereas DNA polymerase β (pol β) is known to participate in the single-nucleotide BER pathway, the identity of polymerases involved in long patch BER has remained unclear. By analyzing products of long patch excision generated during BER of a uracil-containing DNA substrate in mammalian cell extracts we find that long patch excision depends on pol β. We show that the excision of the characteristic 5′-deoxyribose phosphate containing oligonucleotide (dRP-oligo) is deficient in extracts from pol β null cells and is rescued by addition of purified pol β. Also, pol β-neutralizing antibody inhibits release of the dRP-oligo in wild-type cell extracts, and the addition of pol β after inhibition with antibody completely restores the excision reaction. The results indicate that pol β plays an essential role in long patch BER by conducting strand displacement synthesis and controlling the size of the excised flap.
Performance implications of stage-wise lead user participation in software development problem solving

The problem-solving view of new product development sees the innovation process as a series of problem-solving loops broken down into three stages: problem detection, analysis and removal. We link this framework with lead user-driven innovation regarding software and show that effort by lead users (LUs) in each stage of the innovation problem solving process is, in varying degrees, associated with the source code's quality, the productivity of the development process and the software's popularity. We also test whether front loading the problem solving process is associated with development performance and we find that front loading is associated with increased code quality but decreased development productivity. Empirical tests are carried out with data from open source software projects. Findings potentially impact the design and management of online communities to help product development. The paper addresses software development seen as a series of problem solving loops helped by user input.Effort in user-led problem analysis is related to better product quality.Front loading the problem solving process yields better software quality.Engaging users in either problem solving stage always negatively impacts productivity.
Cortisol, salivary alpha-amylase and children's perceptions of their social networks.

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the use of social network analysis in biobehavioral research. Despite the well-established importance of social relationships in influencing human behavior and health, little is known about how children’s perception of their immediate social relationships correlates with biological parameters of stress. In this study we explore the association between two measures of children’s personal social networks, perceived network size and perceived network density, with two biomarkers of stress, cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase. Forty children (mean age = 8.30, min age = 5, and max age = 12) were interviewed to collect information about their friendships and three samples of saliva were collected. Our results show that children characterized by a lower pre-interview cortisol concentration and a lower salivary alpha-amylase reactivity to the interview reported the highest density of friendships. We discuss this result in light of the multisystem approach to th...
Molecular mechanisms underlying activity-dependent AMPA receptor cycling in retinal ganglion cells

On retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) transmit light encoded information to the brain and receive excitatory input from On cone bipolar cells (CBPs). The synaptic CBP input onto On RGCs is mediated by AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) that include both those lacking a GluA2 subunit, and are therefore permeable to Ca(2+), and those that possess at least one GluA2 subunit and are Ca(2+)-impermeable. We have previously demonstrated in electrophysiological studies that periods of low synaptic activity, brought about by housing animals in darkness, enhance the proportion of GluA2-lacking AMPARs at the On CBP-On RGC synapse by mobilizing surface GluA2 containing receptors into a receptor pool that rapidly cycles in and out of the membrane. AMPAR cycling induction by reduced synaptic activity takes several hours. This delay suggests that changes in expression of proteins which regulate AMPAR trafficking may mediate the altered mobility of GluA2 AMPARs in RGCs. In this study, we test the hypothesis that AMPAR trafficking proteins couple synaptic activity to AMPAR cycling in RGCs. Immunocytochemical and biochemical analyses confirmed that darkness decreases surface GluA2 in RGCs and changed the expression levels of three proteins associated with GluA2 trafficking. GRIP was decreased, while PICK1 and Arc were increased. Knockdown of GRIP with siRNA elevated constitutive AMPAR cycling, mimicking effects of reduced synaptic activity, while knockdown of PICK1 and Arc blocked increases in constitutive GluA2 trafficking. Our results support a role for correlated, activity-driven changes in multiple AMPAR trafficking proteins that modulate GluA2 cycling which can in turn affect synaptic AMPAR composition in RGCs.
Meta-analysis of multiple microarray datasets reveals a common gene signature of metastasis in solid tumors

Metastasis is the number one cause of cancer deaths. Expression microarrays have been widely used to study metastasis in various types of cancer. We hypothesize that a meta-analysis of publicly available gene expression datasets in various tumor types can identify a signature of metastasis that is common to multiple tumor types. This common signature of metastasis may help us to understand the shared steps in the metastatic process and identify useful biomarkers that could predict metastatic risk. We identified 18 publicly available gene expression datasets in the Oncomine database comparing distant metastases to primary tumors in various solid tumors which met our eligibility criteria. We performed a meta-analysis using a modified permutation counting method in order to obtain a common gene signature of metastasis. We then validated this signature in independent datasets using gene set expression comparison analysis with the LS-statistic. A common metastatic signature of 79 genes was identified in the metastatic lesions compared with primaries with a False Discovery Proportion of less than 0.1. Interestingly, all the genes in the signature, except one, were significantly down-regulated, suggesting that overcoming metastatic suppression may be a key feature common to all metastatic tumors. Pathway analysis of the significant genes showed that the genes were involved in known metastasis-associated pathways, such as integrin signaling, calcium signaling, and VEGF signaling. To validate the signature, we used an additional six expression datasets that were not used in the discovery study. Our results showed that the signature was significantly enriched in four validation sets with p-values less than 0.05. We have modified a previously published meta-analysis method and identified a common metastatic signature by comparing primary tumors versus metastases in various tumor types. This approach, as well as the gene signature identified, provides important insights to the common metastatic process and a foundation for future discoveries that could have broad application, such as drug discovery, metastasis prediction, and mechanistic studies.
Murdered bread, living bread: Doris Grant and the homemade, wholemeal loaf.

Doris Grant (1905–2003), a middle-class, British housewife, published numerous books from the 1940s into the 1970s urging her fellow housewives to bake organic, wholemeal bread for their families. This article argues that Grant's arguments defy easy categorization as either ‘conservative’ or ‘progressive’. On the one hand, her targeted appeal to women reflected a traditional, conservative understanding of gender roles: women were, first and foremost, wives and mothers and therefore naturally responsible for family diet and health. On the other hand, Grant also pushed her readers to look beyond their homes and recognize a dangerous food supply system that was impinging on their daily lives. She demanded that her readers reject comfortable complicity in this system and preached the value of individual action in effecting substantive change.
MEASURING RISK AVERSION: ALLOCATION, LEVERAGE, AND ACCUMULATION

The risk-asset ratio that measures Arrow-Pratt relative risk aversion reflects a multidimensional risk behavior. The risk-asset ratio is decomposed into the product of ratios that measure portfolio allocation between riskless and risk assets, use of financial leverage, and accumulation of wealth in marketable form. The three dimensions are less sensitive to the definition of wealth than is the composite risk-asset ratio. Constant relative risk aversion can be characterized by offsetting changes in the three dimensions as wealth changes.
Simulating F-22 heavy maintenance and modifications workforce multi-skilling

The U.S. Air Force aircraft maintenance depots face complex operating environments due to the diversity of aircraft or mission design series (MDS) maintained by each depot and the variability of maintenance requirements for each MDS. Further complicating their operations is the variability of maintenance actions required from one aircraft to another within each MDS and a highly specialized workforce that has inherent inflexibility to compensate for the workload variability. Air Force Materiel Command is reviewing maintenance personnel multi-skilling as a method to efficiently absorb the variability of workload and maintenance requirements between aircraft. Using a simulation built in ARENA 14®, we studied the F-22 Heavy Maintenance Modification Program through a series of designed experiments. Our study analyzes whether using a multi-skilled workforce impacts the productivity of depot maintenance personnel through simulation of several multi-skilling policies.
Conservation of Ligand Specificity between the Mammalian and Amphibian Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors

We have previously cloned and sequenced a newt keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR) cDNA which exhibited a unique spatial and temporal expression pattern in the regenerating newt limb. In this report, we further characterize the biochemical and functional properties of this newt KGFR. A stable Chinese hamster ovary transfectant overexpressing the newt KGFR was capable of binding both 125I-fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) and 125I-FGF-7 but not 125I-FGF-2, indistinguishable from the human KGFR. Scatchard analysis and cross-linking studies further support the conclusion that FGF-1 and FGF-7 are the ligands for the newt KGFR. In addition to their ability to bind to FGFs, both the human and the newt KGFR are also capable of repressing differentiation in mouse MM14 myoblasts. MM14 cells express FGFR1 and are repressed from differentiation by FGF-1, FGF-2, and FGF-4 but not FGF-7. Co-transfection of MM14 cells with either a human or newt KGFR expression construct conferred a response to FGF-7 as determined by a human alpha-cardiac actin/luciferase reporter construct. The response to FGF-7 was similar to the endogenous FGF response as FGF-7 prevented MM14 myoblasts from undergoing terminal differentiation. Thus, both the human and the newt KGFRs transduce signals similar to those transduced via the endogenous mouse FGFR1. Together these data indicate that this newly isolated newt KGFR is a functional receptor as it binds two FGF family members with high affinity and mediates signaling in skeletal muscle myoblasts. Because the binding pattern of the newt KGFR is similar to the pattern observed for its mammalian counterpart, it emphasizes the strict conservation that this ligand/receptor system has undergone through evolution.
The relation of preventive dental behaviors to periodontal health status

Current recommendations for periodontal health maintenance emphasize toothbrushing, flossing and periodic dental checkups. The purposes of this study were to examine (1) the effects of these practices on periodontal health and (2) the relationships of demographic and socioeconomic variables with these behaviors and with periodontal health. Adults (n = 319) in the Detroit, Michigan tri-county area were asked how frequently they performed the 3 preventive behaviors. Levels of plaque, gingivitis, calculus, and periodontal attachment were then assessed during in-home dental examinations. There were no statistically significant differences in these health measures between those with acceptable and unacceptable brushing behavior. About 20% of the subjects reported acceptable flossing behavior, and these individuals had significantly less plaque and calculus than other participants. Over 3/4 of subjects reported having a dental checkup at least 1 x a year, and these persons were found to have significantly less plaque, gingivitis, and calculus compared to less frequent attenders. Acceptable brushing behavior was not associated with any particular demographic or socio-economic characteristic, while differences in acceptable flossing behavior were found among age groups. Frequencies of yearly dental checkups varied significantly within every demographic and socioeconomic characteristic.
Outside looking in, inside looking out--expanding the concept of health.

Rilke’s image of widening circles in many ways describes our progress toward a system in which the notion of health encompasses more dimensions than merely the treatment of illness and disease. We have moved far beyond thinking in terms of individual patients and particular symptoms to considering the myriad factors that shape health. These factors exist where people live, work, play, and learn. They require us to widen our lens to include all that happensbefore illnessoccurs, aswell as when treatment is needed. We might call this widened view contextbased health. We build a context-based health system through our personal journeys outward, as Rilke describes, especially through our willingness to step beyond our comfort zones into terra incognita to gain new perspective and insight. Rilke’s image tells only part of the story, though. Truly appreciating and integrating context also requires moving inward to incorporate our personal experiences and values. This movement inward combined with movement outward completes a spiral journey. Spirals are common in nature— and perhaps in our nature. We find them in our weather, in hurricanes and tornadoes, in galaxies, in shells, even in trees’ growth rings. They are a force for progress and change. Together, let us explore the nature of such spiral journeys in your and my lives (Fig. 1).
Selection for international assignments

Abstract The selection of individuals to fill international assignments is particularly challenging because the content domain for assessing candidates focuses primary attention on job context rather than attempting to forecast the ability to perform specific tasks on the job or more generally, the elements listed in a technical job description. International assignment selection systems are centered on predicting to the environment in which the incumbents will need to work effectively rather than the technical or functional job they are being asked to do which in many cases is already assessed or assumed to be at an acceptable level of competence. Therefore, unlike predictors of success in the domestic context where knowledge, skills, and abilities may dominate the selection strategy, many psychological and biodata factors including personality characteristics, language fluency, and international experience take on increasing importance in predicting international assignee success. This article focuses on the predictors affecting the outcome of international assignments and the unique selection practices, which can be employed in selection for international assignments. In addition, this article discusses the practical challenges for implementing the suggestions for selecting international assignees.
Effects of varying aeration treatment on fertilizing capacity of semen diluted with perfluorochemical emulsion and stored for twenty-four hours

The effects of perfluorochemical (PFC) oxygen carriers in turkey semen diluents on fertility and hatchability was measured for a 10-wk period. Semen was diluted (1:1) with Beltsville Poultry Semen Extender (BPSE) or BPSE:FC-75, an emulsified mixture of BPSE and perfluorobutyltetrahydrofuran (technical grade) (FC-75) and stored for 24 h at 5 C with agitation (150 rpm) and aeration with either air, nitrogen (100%), or oxygen (100%). Sperm concentration and percentage of dead sperm were determined prior to and after storage. Sperm concentration (8.35 to 9.21 x 10(9) per milliliter) was not significantly affected by the type of diluent or aeration gas, and only stored semen diluted with BPSE: FC-75 and aerated with nitrogen had increased percentage of dead sperm. Diluent type did not affect the percentage of fertilized eggs; however, fertility and hatchability for both diluent treatments with nitrogen aeration was significantly lower (P < or = 0.05) than for the semen treatments with air or oxygen aeration. Hatchability for semen diluted with BPSE:FC-75 and aerated with oxygen (63.7%) was significantly higher (P < or = 0.05) than that for BPSE-diluted semen aerated with oxygen (43.2%). Although use of oxygen carrying fluorocarbon emulsified with BPSE did not further improve fertility when the semen was stored for 24 h while oxygenated and mechanically agitated, a beneficial effect was noted for hatchability. The fact that nitrogen severely depressed fertility confirms that the beneficial effects of agitation are due to oxygenation of the spermatozoa. Therefore, further studies of oxygen carriers in semen are warranted.
Encyclopedia of Tourism

1. General Issues and Concepts Specific to Tourism: Accommodation, Consumerism, Gambling, Globalization, Policy, Seasonality 2. Definition of Key Terms and Acronyms: Ecoresort, Professional Native, Room Nights 3. Significant Institutions, Associations and Journals: Caribbean Tourism Organization, Centre des Hautes Etudes Touristiques, WTO, Journal of Leisure Research, Journal of Tourism Studies 4. Country Specific Tourism Profiles: Greece, Hungary, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, South Africa 5. Trends and Patterns of Tourism Development and Growth: Community Development, Demography, Ecologically Sustainable Tourism, Forecasting, Zoning 6. Tourism as an Industry with Many Businesses: Adventure Tourism, Business Travel, Convention Bureaux, Hospitality, Marketing, Public Relations
Electrical properties of the middle atmosphere

Probe techniques have been utilized extensively to measure middle atmospheric electrical properties such as the polar components of conductivity, ion mobility and density. The most variable of these parameters is conductivity, which is dependent on both charge mobility and concentration. Overall conductivity variations, attributable to different geophysical conditions, can exceed several orders of magnitude at some altitudes. Also, measurements of conductivity over the 20 to 90 km region indicate a general exponential increase with altitude, exceeding seven orders of magnitude during certain conditions. Gerdien condensers, on occasion, have measured very low-mobility positive ions in addition to the more commonly observed molecular species. These smaller mobility values appear to indicate the presence of very large ions at some altitudes, possibly charged particulates, having mass sizes greater than those identifiable by presently flown mass spectrometers. The presence of these large ions is of importance to middle atmospheric electrodynamics as a potential causal mechanism for measured large electric fields.
Texture segmentation by change detection in second and higher order statistics

In this study we consider unsupervised texture segmentation via non-parametric change detection of locally estimated image features. The change detection approach is straightforward and may be used with first, second, or higher order statistics. Adaptive smoothing is used to reduce the variance in local statistic estimates while preserving step behavior due to the presence of a region boundary. The approach is combined with Laws (1980) energy operators by detecting a change in the variance of the image resulting from application of a Laws mask to the original texture image. >
African-American Public Rituals on the Fourth of July and Citizenship in South Carolina During Reconstruction

On 4 July 1852, Frederick Douglass addressed a crowd of whites: “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of...
Dissolution Kinetics of Crystalline and Amorphous Silica in Hydrofluoric‐Hydrochloric Acid Mixtures

The dissolution kinetics of crystalline and amorphous silica were studied as a function of time, temperature, concentration of HF, concentration of HC1, and crystallographic orientation. The results indicate that dissolution is a surface reaction-controlled process. The dissolution rate depends strongly on HF concentration and weakly on HC1 concentration. The dissolution rates depend on crystallographic direction in α-quartz and are slower than for fused silica. The rate-controlling step is thought to be a ligand exchange process at the surface.
Auditory Cognition: The Integration of Psychophysics with Neurophysiology

Hearing and communication present a variety of challenges to the nervous system. To be heard and to be understood, an auditory signal must be transformed from a time-varying acoustic waveform to a perceptual representation and then to an abstract representation that combines this perceptual representation with memory stores and semantic/referential information (Griffiths & Warren, 2004). Finally, this abstract representation must be interpreted to form a categorical decision that guides behavior. Did I hear the stimulus? From where and whom did it come? What does it tell me? How can I use this information to plan an action? All of these issues and questions underlie auditory cognition.
OR Process Skills Transform an Out-of-Control Call Center into a Strategic Asset

A large consumer-software company was struggling to manage a seemingly unmanageable, high-cost technical-support call center. The company used “OR process skills” to transform the call center into a strategic asset. By focusing on executive priorities, personally observing business processes, engaging with frontline workers, and directly examining the sources of important data, we discovered the central problem amidst a contentious, disorganized situation. We used a pilot program to test simple analytical tools, such as Pareto charts and sampling, to bring actionable information to the right parts of the organization. Following the processes we developed, the company analyzed customer feedback to improve the product and customer self-support mechanisms, thereby reducing both current and future call volumes. By empowering client staff and leading process change across functional boundaries, the company reduced its call-center costs and achieved higher product quality. In addition, we demonstrate that OR process skills can be an essential element in sustaining long-term consultant-client relationships.
Development and organization of polarity-specific segregation of primary vestibular afferent fibers in mice

A striking feature of vestibular hair cells is the polarized arrangement of their stereocilia as the basis for their directional sensitivity. In mammals, each of the vestibular end organs is characterized by a distinct distribution of these polarized cells. We utilized the technique of post-fixation transganglionic neuronal tracing with fluorescent lipid soluble dyes in embryonic and postnatal mice to investigate whether these polarity characteristics correlate with the pattern of connections between the endorgans and their central targets; the vestibular nuclei and cerebellum. We found that the cerebellar and brainstem projections develop independently from each other and have a non-overlapping distribution of neurons and afferents from E11.5 on. In addition, we show that the vestibular fibers projecting to the cerebellum originate preferentially from the lateral half of the utricular macula and the medial half of the saccular macula. In contrast, the brainstem vestibular afferents originate primarily from the medial half of the utricular macula and the lateral half of the saccular macula. This indicates that the line of hair cell polarity reversal within the striola region segregates almost mutually exclusive central projections. A possible interpretation of this feature is that this macular organization provides an inhibitory side-loop through the cerebellum to produce synergistic tuning effects in the vestibular nuclei. The canal cristae project to the brainstem vestibular nuclei and cerebellum, but the projection to the vestibulocerebellum originates preferentially from the superior half of each of the cristae. The reason for this pattern is not clear, but it may compensate for unequal activation of crista hair cells or may be an evolutionary atavism reflecting a different polarity organization in ancestral vertebrate ears.
Long-delayed radio echoes: Mechanisms and observations

Experiments carried out in Alaska with the object of observing long-delayed radio echoes (LDE) are described. The results are subjected to critical sonogram analysis, together with data form previous experiments carried out at Stanford and elsewhere. It is concluded that, although strong supporting evidence for sporadic LDE phenomena has accumulated over the late 50 years, and a variety of plausible mechanisms have been proposed, stringent analysis of records such as those discussed in the paper almost invariably reveal alternative possible explanations for them. Further detailed experimentation is required on mechanisms, for which the phenomenon seems best established, e.g., round-the-world echoes and other forms of guided propagation.
in Vitro Dissolution Profile Comparison and IVIVR

USP1 describes the in-vivo/in-vitro correlation as the “establishment of a rational relationship between a biological property, or a parameter derived from a biological property produced by a dosage form and a physicochemical property or characteristic of the same dosage form”. In relation to a formulation, the most commonly used biological properties are the pharmacokinetic parameters such as Cmax or AUC, obtained following the administration of the dosage form while the physicochemical property is the dosage form’s in-vitro dissolution performance such as percent of drug released under a given set of conditions. The relationship between these two biological and physicochemical properties, is then expressed quantitatively. For rapidly dissolving (less than 15 minutes) immediate release formulations, an in-vitro characterization could be made using a single dissolution point. This however cannot be said for immediate release formulations consisting either low solubility actives or slowly dissolving matrix or for modified release formulations. In these cases, a dissolution profile and not a single dissolution specification point, is more appropriate. If an adequate in-vitro/in-vivo relationship is established using a suitable technique such as statistical moments or deconvolution, an insight into the pharmacokinetics could be obtained from the formulation’s in-vitro dissolution performance. More importantly, in case of an alteration in the dissolution profile characteristics, it allows one to raise a flag about the possible alteration in the in-vivo performance and pharmacokinetics.
The effect of methylxanthines on the hypocoagulability induced by chloroform in the dog.

1. The oral administration of a single or two consecutive daily doses of chloroform to dogs, induced hypoprothrombinemia and lowered the fibrinogen level. Both changes from the normal were most marked 48 hours after chloroform administration. By resting the dogs about 2 weeks between trials comparable reductions in the plasma prothrombin and fibrinogen levels were realized. 2. When caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and adenine were given orally to dogs prior to the oral administration of chloroform and continuing for five consecutive days, the hypoprothrombinemia was either markedly reduced or completely prevented. Creatine, creatinine, guanidine or uracil also afforded some protection. Guanine, xanthine, arginine, allantoin, uric acid or urea gave practically no protection. 3. Caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and adenine also prevented a reduction in the plasma fibrinogen level during chloroform intoxication. Uracil and guanidine showed some protective action, while creatine, creatinine, guanine, xanthine, uric acid, allantoin, urea and arginine gave no detectable protection. 4. Liver injury from the chloroform, as reflected by the bromsulfalein test and icteric plasma, was readily detectable when the methylxanthines or adenine were given with the chloroform, even though no change in prothrombin or fibrinogen level was apparent. 5. It appears that a definite relationship exists between the purine bases (caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and adenine) and the specific function of the liver to elaborate plasma prothrombin and fibrinogen. The capacity of the liver to synthesize prothrombin apparently can be affected independently of other normal functions.
Low-dispersion ultra-high-bandwidth vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser arrays

We show a novel design and operation technique for an array of optically coupled vertical cavity surface emitting lasers enabling high-performance optical transmission. Bandwidths up to 37 GHz have been obtained under single-mode operation with narrow spectral width and increased output power while the laser array is biased at low current density. Using dynamic coupled mode theory analysis we determine important design parameters to engineer for greater enhancement of modulation response.
Fabrication of Polycaprolactone Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds Using Selective Laser Sintering

Tissue engineering combines principles of the life sciences and engineering to replace and repair damaged human tissue. Present practice generally requires the use of porous, bioresorbable scaffolds to serve as temporary 3D templates to guide cell attachment, differentiation, proliferation, and subsequent regenerate tissue formation. Such scaffolds are anticipated to play an important role in allowing physicians to simultaneously reconstruct and regenerate damaged human tissue such as bone, cartilage, ligament and tendon. Recent research strongly suggests the choice of scaffold material and its internal porous architecture significantly influence regenerate tissue structure and function. However, a lack of versatile biomaterials processing and fabrication methods capable of meeting the complex geometric and compositional requirements of tissue engineering scaffolds has slowed progress towards fully testing these promising findings. It is widely accepted that layered manufacturing methods such as selective laser sintering (SLS) have the potential to fulfill these needs. Our research aims to investigate the viability of using SLS to fabricate tissue engineering scaffolds composed of polycaprolactone (PCL), one of the most widely investigated biocompatible, bioresorbable materials for tissue engineering applications. In this work, we report our recent progress on porous scaffold design and fabrication, optimal SLS processing parameter development using systematic factorial design of experiments, and structural characterization via optical microscopy.© 2004 ASME
Inhibition of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase suppresses breast tumor growthin vivo.

Abstract #3064 Phosphofructo-1-kinase, a rate-limiting enzyme of glycolysis, is activated in neoplastic cells by fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-BP), a product of four 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase isozymes (PFKFB1-4). The inducible PFKFB3 isozyme is constitutively expressed by neoplastic cells and required for the high glycolytic rate and anchorage-independent growth of ras -transformed cells. We report that siRNA silencing or small molecule inhibition (3PO) of PFKFB3 causes a decrease in cell proliferation and metabolic flux in several breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, BT-549, BT-474, SK-BR-3, ZR-75-1, MCF-7, and MCF-10A). Furthermore, 0.075mg/g 3PO administered via intraperitoneal injection suppresses tumor growth in two transgenic mouse models of breast cancer (MMTV- H-ras : 30% inhibition; MMTV- Erbb2(Her2/neu ): 60% inhibition). Interestingly, the Her2 positive cell lines (SK-BR-3, BT-549) and the Her2 mouse transgenic model were more susceptible to PFKFB3 inhibition suggesting that the Her2 phenotype may be more sensitive to disruption of glycolytic flux. Taken together, these data support the clinical development of 3PO and other PFKFB3 inhibitors as chemotherapeutic agents against breast cancer. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 3064.