cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability and validity of the mother-child neglect scale.

The current study offers a new way to ascertain information about child neglect by evaluating a self-report measure of neglectful behaviors, the Mother-Child Neglect Scale (MCNS). The scale was modified from an existing self-report measure, the Neglect Scale (NS), which was originally designed to measure personal histories of neglect. One hundred adolescent mothers were administered the MCNS and NS in two occasions via phone interviews. In addition, maternal abuse potential and the quality of mother-child interactions were assessed when children were age 3 and 5 years. The MCNS had high internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability. Convergent validity was found between the MCNS and maternal histories of neglect as well as observed parenting behaviors and child abuse potential; those relationships remained after social desirability was controlled. This research tool may prove useful, in conjunction with existing assessment instruments, in determining the type and severity of past neglectful be...
Crime and place proximity and the location of methamphetamine laboratories

Methamphetamine laboratories have been a widely variable problem across the United States, very problematic in some communities but not at all in others. This study analyzes the variation in methamphetamine labs using demographic and geographic information on 17,720 seized laboratories. The analysis found that traditional community-level factors representing economic disadvantage, social disorganization, and civic community theories demonstrated little power to predict the presence of methamphetamine laboratories, although they were useful in predicting other types of crime. A single spatial lag variable measuring a county's geographic proximity to other counties with drug laboratory seizures accounted for almost half of the variance in meth lab prevalence and contributed substantially to the explained variance in index crime arrests and drug arrests. The findings demonstrate the utility of spatial lag variables in assessing proximity effects in explaining crime patterns, while demonstrating that fully explaining different forms of crime may require different theoretical models. Language: en
An 11 000-year-long record of fire and vegetation history at Beaver Lake, Oregon, central Willamette Valley

High-resolution macroscopic charcoal and pollen analysis were used to reconstruct an 11 000-year-long record of fire and vegetation history from Beaver Lake, Oregon, the first complete Holocene paleoecological record from the floor of the Willamette Valley. In the early Holocene (ca 11 000e7500 calendar years before present [cal yr BP]), warmer, drier summers than at present led to the establishment of xeric woodland of Quercus, Corylus, and Pseudotsuga near the site. Disturbances (i.e., floods, fires) were common at this time and as a result Alnus rubra grew nearby. High fire frequency occurred in the early Holocene from ca 11 200e9300 cal yr BP. Riparian forest and wet prairie developed in the middle Holocene (ca 7500 cal yr BP), likely the result of a decrease in the frequency of flooding and a shift to effectively cooler, wetter conditions than before. The vegetation at Beaver Lake remained generally unchanged into the late Holocene (from 4000 cal yr BP to present), with the exception of land clearance associated with Euro-American settlement of the valley (ca 160 cal yr BP). Middle-to-late Holocene increases in fire frequency, coupled with abrupt shifts in fire-episode magnitude and charcoal composition, likely indicate the influence anthropogenic burning near the site. The paleoecological record from Beaver Lake, and in particular the general increase in fire frequency over the last 8500 years, differs significantly from other low-elevation sites in the Pacific Northwest, which suggests that local controls (e.g., shifts in vegetation structure, intensification of human land-use), rather than regional climatic controls, more strongly influenced its environmental history.
A negative regulatory role for auxin in sulphate deficiency response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Sulphate is a major macronutrient required for the synthesis of the sulphur (S)-containing amino acid cysteine and thus is critical for cellular metabolism, growth and development and response to various abiotic and biotic stresses. A recent genome-wide expression study suggested that several auxin-inducible genes were up-regulated by S deficiency in Arabidopsis. Here, we examined the relationship between auxin signaling and S deficiency. Investigation of DR5::GUS expression patterns indicates that auxin accumulation and/or response is suppressed by S deficiency. Consistently, S deficiency resulted in the suppression of lateral root development, but the axr1-3 mutant was insensitive to this response. Furthermore, the activation of the promoter for the putative thioglucosidase gene (At2g44460) by S deficiency was suppressed by auxin, cytokinin and abscisic acid (ABA). Interestingly, the activation of At2g44460 by S deficiency is regulated by the availability of carbon and nitrogen nutrients in a tissue-specific manner. These results demonstrate that auxin plays a negative role in signaling to S deficiency. Given that activation of the genes encoding the sulphate transporter SULTR1;2 and 5′-adenylylsulphate reductase APR2 are suppressed by cytokinin only, we hypothesize that while cytokinin may play an important role in general S deficiency response, auxin might be only involved in a subset of S deficiency responses such as the release of thiol groups from the S storage sources.
Complexes within complexes: hydrogen bonding in capsules

Hydrogen bonds play an important role in molecular recognition, biomolecule stabilization and organocatalysis. Typically, individual hydrogen bonding interactions are weak and short-lived in solution but isolated in capsules the encounters are intense and prolonged. We report here the interactions of carboxylic acids and primary carboxamides in a number of different capsule environments. The preference for hetero- vs. homo-dimerization is interpreted in terms of the adaptation of the guests to the hosts' spaces and chemical surfaces.
Neuropsychiatric implications of thyroid hormone and benzodiazepine interactions.

The purpose of this review is to incorporate new research developments implying a direct interaction of thyroid hormones (TH) and benzodiazepines (BZ) at the cellular level, into our understanding of the neuroendocrinologic mechanisms involved in neuropsychiatric disorders. General information pertaining to TH endocrinology and BZ pharmacology is provided. This provides the background for the subsequent presentation of parallel basic scientific and clinical research from the TH and BZ literature. The case for endogenous benzodiazepine ligands is presented and discussed. New mechanisms of action for BZ and TH compounds are proposed.
Binomial Sequential Sampling Plans for Late Instars of European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Corn Earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and Damaged Kernels in Sweet Corn Ears

Abstract Late-season infestations of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), and corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), were sampled to develop binomial sequential sampling plans for larval infestations and damaged kernels in sweet corn, Zea mays L., ears, near harvest. Fields were sampled to obtain a range of larval densities likely to be encountered over a range of infestation levels and field conditions. Binomial sampling plans were developed for O. nubilalis larvae, H. zea larvae, O. nubilalis, and H. zea larvae combined, and for damaged sweet corn kernels. Observed densities ranged from 0.01 to 4.40 larvae per ear for O. nubilalis, 0.005–1.62 larvae per ear for H. zea, and 0.004–36.12 damaged kernels per ear. Results of resampling analyses, based on the proportion of ears infested with one or more larvae, or damaged kernels, indicated an average sample size of 34–37 ears was necessary to classify whether larval infestations, or the incidence of damaged kernels, exceeded 5%. Two operating c...
Darkened Rooms: A Genealogy of Avant-Garde Filmstrips from Man Ray to the London Film-Makers' Co-op and Back Again

The cinema? Three cheers for darkened rooms. —Andre Breton, Manifesto of Surrealism (1924) I. We are witnessing the reconfiguration of twentieth-century art history as a dark passage illuminated by intermittent projections. Most notably in “Le mouvement des images” (2006), a survey exhibition at the Centre Pompidou, paintings, sculptures, and other material objets d’art were relegated to side galleries grouped under cinematic rubrics. The spine of the exhibition was a darkened corridor with looped digital projections of films that traced a cinematic history of twentiethcentury art: Richard Serra and Paul Sharits, Joseph Cornell and Marcel Broodthaers, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray. 1 In each instance, the investment in cinema exceeded the production of films and was augmented by a range of works in adjacent galleries. There unfolded an “immaterial” passageway surrounded by material relics. Nowhere did the division between immaterial projection and material object congeal more strikingly than around a single wall on which was projected Man Ray’s Retour a la raison (1923) and behind which several meters of the film’s rayographically inscribed 35 mm filmstrips were exhibited as such for the first time: laid out flat for inspection like a museological artifact or specimen rather than upright like a painting, as in the case of the neatly framed filmstrips of Peter Kubelka’s Arnulf Rainer (1958‐1960), also on view. The most attentive viewers repeatedly skirted around the dividing wall to piece together the different components of the work. The filmstrips reveal white forms on a dark ground: tacks and pins, a coiled spring, rope, crystals, glass plates,
A theory of blood flow in skeletal muscle.

A theoretical analysis of blood flow in the microcirculation of skeletal muscle is provided. The flow in the microvessels of this organ is quasi steady and has a very low Reynolds number. The blood is non-Newtonian and the blood vessels are distensible with viscoelastic properties. A formulation of the problem is provided using a viscoelastic model for the vessel wall which was recently derived from measurements in the rat spinotrapezius muscle (Skalak and Schmid-Schonbein, 1986b). Closed form solutions are derived for several physiologically important cases, such as perfusion at steady state, transient and oscillatory flows. The results show that resting skeletal muscle has, over a wide range of perfusion pressures an almost linear pressure-flow curve. At low flow it exhibits nonlinearities. Vessel distensibility and the non-Newtonian properties of blood both have a strong influence on the shape of the pressure-flow curve. During oscillatory flow the muscle exhibits hysteresis. The theoretical results are in qualitative agreement with experimental observations.
From Trademarks to Brands

The business world has moved from using trademarks — simple symbols identifying products — to brands — rich symbols that feed business strategy. At the same time, networked and empowered consumers are using brands, brand language, and branding strategies to make decisions about what they purchase, express preferences about how corporations conduct their business, and call for changes in corporate practices. These changes are the future of commerce. But trademark law has not kept pace with either.This Article argues that because brands are governed by trademark law, the full realization of brands as information resources is hindered. Current trademark law is blinkered and confused, and consequently fails to manage all the interests at stake in the modern business environment. This failure flows from a core misunderstanding: trademark law has not grasped that it is managing brands, not trademarks. To address this shortcoming, this Article develops a new theory of trademarks: brand theory. This theory explains riddles within current trademark doctrine and provides the foundation for a new normative approach to trademarks. It expands the current information-based understanding of trademarks to embrace the possibility that trademarks can be true information resources for all stakeholders in a brand — corporations, consumers, and communities — rather than vessels for only one side’s views. In short, a brand theory of trademarks offers the opportunity to bring trademark law into the information age.
RE: Successful management of hereditary angioedema with normal C1-INH (type III HAE) when using on-demand ecallantide

TO THE EDITOR: Riedl recently reviewed clinical characteristics of hereditary angioedema with normal C1 inhibitor (HAE-nmlC1-INH), also known as type III hereditary angioedema. In his review, the potential role of bradykinin in the pathogenesis of HAE-nmlC1INH is discussed in light of several case series that demonstrated successful on-demand treatment of acute attacks with the bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist icatibant and one case report that demonstrated successful on-demand treatment of an acute attack of HAE-nmlC1-INH in an adolescent boy with ecallantide. Since the time of the initial case report, this young boy has been successfully treated for acute attacks of HAE-nmlC1-INH with ecallantide 17 times, including 7 inpatient and 10 outpatient treatments. As mentioned previously, treatment failed with high-dose antihistamines, corticosteroids, fresh frozen plasma, and plasma-derived C1-INH. Prophylaxis with attenuated androgens and high-dose antihistamines also failed. Before bradykinin-targeted therapy was available to him, his recurrent and unpredictable episodes of laryngeal edema resulted in 21 intubations and numerous pediatric intensive care unit admissions. His acute attacks are now successfully treated at home, and he has not been intubated since initiation of on-demand treatment with ecallantide. Despite multiple administrations, he has not experienced any adverse reactions. Numerous successful treatments with a kallikrein inhibitor have dramatically improved this patient’s quality of life and provide supportive diagnostic evidence that his HAE-nmlC1-INH is bradykinin mediated.
The effect of recent trends in vehicle design on U.S. societal fatality risk per vehicle mile traveled, and their projected future relationship with vehicle mass

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently updated its 2003 and 2010 logistic regression analyses of the effect of a reduction in light-duty vehicle mass on US fatality risk per vehicle mile traveled (VMT). The current NHTSA analysis is the most thorough investigation of this issue to date. LBNL's assessment of the analysis indicates that the estimated effect of mass reduction on risk is smaller than in the previous studies, and statistically non-significant for all but the lightest cars. The effects three recent trends in vehicle designs and technologies have on societal fatality risk per VMT are estimated, and whether these changes might affect the relationship between vehicle mass and fatality risk in the future. Side airbags are found to reduce fatality risk in cars, but not necessarily light trucks or CUVs/minivans, struck in the side by another light-duty vehicle; reducing the number of fatalities in cars struck in the side is predicted to reduce the estimated detrimental effect of footprint reduction, but increase the detrimental effect of mass reduction, in cars on societal fatality risk. Better alignment of light truck bumpers with those of other vehicles appears to result in a statistically significant reduction in risk imposed on car occupants; however, reducing this type of fatality will likely have little impact on the estimated effect of mass or footprint reduction on risk. Finally, shifting light truck drivers into safer, car-based vehicles, such as sedans, CUVs, and minivans, would result in larger reductions in societal fatalities than expected from even substantial reductions in the masses of light trucks. A strategy of shifting drivers from truck-based to car-based vehicles would reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions, while improving societal safety.
When an extra bit is a waste

In most cases, the more independent measurements of a phenomenon the better the estimate of the data. We show that this statement is not necessarily true when measuring binary data with a minimum error probability criterion. For n independent binary measurements, there are n − 1 different conditions when one measurement bit is redundant, which also means that there are n conditions when one additional independent measurement does not help reduce error.
Catmull-Rom curve fitting and interpolation equations

Computer graphics and animation experts have been using the Catmull-Rom smooth curve interpolation equations since 1974, but the vector and matrix equations can be derived and simplified using basic algebra, resulting in a simple set of linear equations with constant coefficients. A variety of uses of Catmull-Rom interpolation are demonstrated, including data point interpolation, image surround and key frame animation.
Implementing a carrier-band node using VLSI

With the IEEE 802.4 token bus standard rapidly gaining acceptance because of its useful features and inclusion in the GM MAP (General Motors manufacturing automation protocol) specification, semiconductor companies are implementing this standard. A carrier-band implementation can provide a low-cost token bus node with up to 10 Mbs data rates. A carrier-band node that includes a token bus controller (TBC), carrier-band modem (CBM), host processor, and memory can be quickly and inexpensively designed using VLSI computer-aided design (CAD) techniques. One such implementation is presented. The token bus controller (TBC) implements the medium-access control (MAC) function in accordance with the IEEE 802.4 standard. The carrier-band modem (CBM) chip implements the 802.4 carrier-band physical layer. An IEEE recommended standard serial interface is used to pass information between the carrier-band modem and the token bus controller. >
An asynchronous time division multiplexing-multiple access protocol for indoor wireless multi-service networks

This paper describes an asynchronous time division multiplexing-multiple access (ATDM-MA) protocol which is designed to support different types of service on future wireless indoor local area networks. The proposed architecture does not follow the conventional cellular or ad-hoc approaches but supports both peer-to-peer communication and infrastructure access. It is assumed that a high bit rate (20 Mbit/s) radio solution is used to provide the physical connectivity with omnidirectional antennas. The goal of the ATDM-MA protocol is to provide efficient channel utilisation and re-use and operates in conjunction with different medium access control (MAC) protocols for different traffic types (i.e. polling and random access). The throughput and delay of the proposed scheme obtained from computer simulation shows that good performance can be achieved with modest complexity.
Antipneumococcal Activity of ABT-773 Compared to Those of 10 Other Agents

MICs, time-kills, and postantibiotic effects (PAEs) of ABT-773 (a new ketolide) and 10 other agents were determined against 226 pneumococci. Against 78 ermB- and 44 mefE-containing strains, ABT-773 MICs at which 50% of the isolates tested were inhibited (MIC50s) and MIC90s were 0.016 to 0.03 and 0.125 μg/ml, respectively. Clindamycin was active only against macrolide-resistant strains containing mefE (MIC50, 0.06 μg/ml; MIC90, 0.125 μg/ml). Activities of pristinamycin (MIC90, 0.5 μg/ml) and vancomycin (MIC90, 0.25 μg/ml) were unaffected by macrolide or penicillin resistance, while β-lactam MICs rose with those of penicillin G. Against 19 strains with L4 ribosomal protein mutations and two strains with mutations in domain V of 23S rRNA, ABT-773 MICs were 0.03 to 0.25 μg/ml, while macrolide and azalide MICs were all ≥16.0 μg/ml. ABT-773 was bactericidal at twice the MIC after 24 h for 8 of 12 strains (including three strains with erythromycin MICs greater than or equal to 64.0 μg/ml). Kill kinetics of erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, and roxithromycin against macrolide-susceptible strains were slower than those of ABT-773. ABT-773 had longer PAEs than macrolides, azithromycin, clindamycin, or β-lactams, including against ermB-containing strains. ABT-773, therefore, shows promising in vitro activity against macrolide-susceptible as well as -resistant pneumococci.
Influenza A Virus Hemagglutinin Antibody Escape Promotes Neuraminidase Antigenic Variation and Drug Resistance

Drugs inhibiting the influenza A virus (IAV) neuraminidase (NA) are the cornerstone of anti-IAV chemotherapy and prophylaxis in man. Drug-resistant mutations in NA arise frequently in human isolates, limiting the therapeutic application of NA inhibitors. Here, we show that antibody-driven antigenic variation in one domain of the H1 hemagglutinin Sa site leads to compensatory mutations in NA, resulting in NA antigenic variation and acquisition of drug resistance. These findings indicate that influenza A virus resistance to NA inhibitors can potentially arise from antibody driven HA escape, confounding analysis of influenza NA evolution in nature.
Family history study of the restless legs syndrome.

Abstract Background : Although there is a relatively high rate of occurrence of sporadic cases of restless legs syndrome (RLS), the systematic study of family history of RLS in populations of RLS patients has been very limited. The objective of the present study was to determine the risk of RLS for first- and second-degree relatives of a population of primary RLS patients not selected for the number of affected relatives in their families and to obtain an estimate of the degree of genetic involvement in RLS. Methods : Consecutively consenting patients from two different sites who met the criteria for RLS completed a worksheet that asked them to indicate their current age, the date of their earliest RLS symptoms, and the names and RLS status of all of their first- and second-degree relatives. Controls with no clinical history of RLS also completed the worksheet. Results : First- and second-degree relatives of patients with RLS had a significantly greater risk of RLS than the first- ( P ) and second-degree relatives ( P ) of controls. The risk of RLS was found to be greater for first-degree relatives of early-onset, rather than late-onset, RLS probands ( P ) . Conclusions : This study provides a complete systematic examination of the risk of RLS among relatives of RLS probands and controls using the same assessment methodology. Although the results are consistent with a genetic etiology for RLS, they do not support the presence of one simple, Mendelian-inherited major gene in most RLS families.
Prion protein repeat expansion results in increased aggregation and reveals phenotypic variability

Mammalian prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders dependent on the prion protein PrP. Expansion of the oligopeptide repeats (ORE) found in PrP is associated with inherited prion diseases. Patients with ORE frequently harbor PrP aggregates, but other factors may contribute to pathology, as they often present with unexplained phenotypic variability. We created chimeric yeast-mammalian prion proteins to examine the influence of the PrP ORE on prion properties in yeast. Remarkably, all chimeric proteins maintained prion characteristics. The largest repeat expansion chimera displayed a higher propensity to maintain a self-propagating aggregated state. Strikingly, the repeat expansion conferred increased conformational flexibility, as observed by enhanced phenotypic variation. Furthermore, the repeat expansion chimera displayed an increased rate of prion conversion, but only in the presence of another aggregate, the [RNQ+] prion. We suggest that the PrP ORE increases the conformational flexibility of the prion protein, thereby enhancing the formation of multiple distinct aggregate structures and allowing more frequent prion conversion. Both of these characteristics may contribute to the phenotypic variability associated with PrP repeat expansion diseases.
Reconsidering Compulsory Childhood Vaccination

The laws that govern childhood compulsory vaccination deprive parents and children of three ordinary tort law protections: free and informed consent to an invasive medical procedure; accurate and complete information about vaccine ingredients and possible side effects; and the right to sue manufacturers and medical practitioners directly in the event of injury. While these atypical tort law standards have been adopted and upheld for the public good, this article argues that they have caused unintended and undesirable consequences. These effects include unnecessary compulsory childhood vaccinations; conflicts of interest in national vaccine policy; inadequate vaccine safety; inadequate warnings about vaccine risks; insufficient compensation for vaccine-induced injury; and other undesirable outcomes. The article offers a new interpretation of the landmark Supreme Court case, Jacobson v. Massachusetts, that recognizes constitutional limitations on compulsory vaccination, and sheds light on the key federal statute, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Act.
Retail Consolidation And The Price Elasticity Of Demand For Books

This paper estimates a translogarithmic utility function to derive price elasticities of demand for nine categories of books published for the period 1975 to 1996. In general, more popular categories of books, such as adult fiction and non-fiction hardcover and paperbound publications, tended on average to have higher price elasticities of demand, suggesting lower retail margins than more specialized categories, such as professional books and mail order specialty items. This study also briefly examines increased consolidation and concentration in the retail book industry. While increases in oligopsony power suggests larger publisher to retailer discounts, price elasticity estimates indicate that retail margins were generally virtually unaffected during the period considered. One possible explanation is that increases in retailer profits were at the expense of publishers, which augur further concentration in the retail book industry.
Estimated Nursery Liner Production Costs for Woody Ornamental Plant Stock

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. polyhouse covering, containers, field-grown liners, fixed, variable, ground bed SUMMARY. Ornamental plant growers must be able to accurately assess production costs associated with woody liner stock to gain profit potential in a highly competitive industry. Fixed and variable cost inputs may not be intuitive or readily apparent to growers and may even differ between common types of production in the trade. To help liner producers identify profit-based price points for their woody ornamental liner stock, we modeled costs associated with producing familiar species and cultivars of a representative deciduous shade tree, a broadleaf evergreen, and a needle leaf evergreen liner. Production costs are projected down to individual plant units for each of the three most common liner production systems, including afieldground bedsystem, apolyhouse-covered (plantprotection structuresheathed with one layer of 6-mil polyethylene film) ground bed system, and a polyhousecovered container system. Production costs for individual plants varied due to the actual growing space available within each system. The field ground bed system offered greatest flexibility in crop planting density, with cost potentially distributed among the largest numberof salable units. In addition to modeledcosts, advantages and disadvantages of each liner cropping system are discussed.
Pathways Between Discrimination and Quality of Life in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract Background: Discrimination is a social determinant that has been linked to poor physical and mental health outcomes. This study aimed to examine the pathway whereby discrimination influences quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes. Subjects and Methods: Six hundred fifteen patients were recruited from two adult primary care clinics in the southeastern United States. Measures included perceived discrimination, perceived stress, social support, and social cohesion and were based on a theoretical model for the pathways by which perceived discrimination influences mental and physical health. Quality of life was measured using the SF-12 questionnaire. Results: The final model [χ2(106) = 157.35, P = 0.009, R2 = 0.99, root mean square error of approximation = 0.03, comparative fit index = 0.99] indicates direct effects of higher perceived stress (r = −1.02, P < 0.05) and lower social support (r = 0.36, P < 0.001) significantly related to decreased mental health component score (MCS) of quality ...
Practical Issues in InSAR Analysis

Among many practical issues facing practitioners of InSAR are the interpretation of InSAR phase variations, analysis of multi-temporal interferograms, production of digital elevation models using various techniques including cross-platform InSAR, and three-dimensional deformation mapping from InSAR observations. In this chapter we address these issues and share our experiences dealing with them, in hopes of providing some useful guidance to the interested reader.
Optimal obstacle avoidance trajectory generation using the root locus principle

This paper details a framework to create a set of trajectories, all guaranteed to avoid known obstacles, using the generalized root locus (GRL). The creation of harmonic potential fields followed by generalized root locus analysis leads to a set of parameterized curves, whose gradient dynamics uniquely generate the curves. Next, the curve generation is addressed by considering three reparameterizations of the GRL which propagate at different speeds. After defining the set of admissible paths via the GRL, the paper covers a simpler method to solve the minimum time problem in the new framework with and without the state dependent speed constraints along the path. An example of the minimum time problem with two different constraints is included at the end.
Postcolonial or neocolonial? Defining the grounds of research in global communication studies

(1998). Postcolonial or neocolonial? Defining the grounds of research in global communication studies. Critical Studies in Mass Communication: Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 195-203.
Linear systems approach to describing and classifying Fano resonances

We show that a generalized asymmetric resonant line shape derived elsewhere from rigorous electromagnetic calculations [Gallinet and Martin, Phys. Rev. B 83, 235427 (2011)] and from the two-oscillators model [Joe et al., Phys. Scr. 74, 259 (2006)] can also be obtained using a very general assumption that the spectral dependence of the scattering amplitudes is given by the transfer function of a linear system. We reformulate the line shape equation and show that in the case of a first-order transfer function all possible line shapes can be presented by a weighted sum of the original Fano and Lorentzian line shapes. We propose a new two-parameter classification scheme for asymmetric resonances with one parameter \ensuremath{\delta} being the asymmetry factor of the Fano component and the other parameter \ensuremath{\eta} quantifying the relative weight of the Fano and Lorentzian components of the line shape. The proposed formula is used to fit experimental spectra of a silicon photonic crystal cavity nanobeam interrogated using a fiber taper probe.
Characterization of Ring Resonator Structures for Applications in Photonic Thermometry

We have systematically examined the impact of structural parameters on silicon ring resonator-based photonic temperature sensor's performance by systematically varying the ring radius, waveguide width and gap separating the ring and waveguide.
Intrageneric predation by Notonecta (Hemiptera : Notonectidae) in the laboratory and in nature

When five New England species of Notonecta were offered amphipods, corixid nymphs, mosquito larvae, and notonectid nymphs as prey, all five species commonly preyed on smaller congeneric nymphs, even when alternate prey were available. Notonecta apparently cannot distinguish among species of congeneric prey, attacking nymphs of their own species at the same rate as those of another species. Preference for first-instar congeneric prey was like that for 4-5-mm mosquito larvae and corixid nymphs, but preferences for third-instar (or older) congeneric prey became increasingly less than that for mosquitoes and corixids. The predation rate on congeneric prey in laboratory trials depended on the relative sizes of the interacting notonectids; the larger the difference in their sizes, the more likely that intrageneric predation would occur. Intrageneric predation rates in pond enclosures, however, were generally independent of the relative sizes of the interacting notonectids. Apparently the relationship between prey size and predator-prey encounter rates was different in the two environments. Nevertheless, estimated daily rates of intrageneric predation by Notonecta undulata Say and N. irrorata Uhler in the field were high enough to have a significant effect on the survival of young congenerics where these species breed, and possibly to prevent smaller species from establishing populations at such sites. N. insulata Kirby, a species which spends more time foraging below the surface and deeper in the water column than other species, produced the lowest rates of intrageneric predation in both the laboratory and the field.
Lateral Heterogeneity and Surface-Wave Inversion (MASW)

Summary The Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) is an effective surface-wave inversion method to estimate the near-surface shear (S)-wave velocity structure. But, this method is mostly intended to image a subsurface which is vertically layered but laterally homogeneous. We have evaluated the effect of sharp lateral heterogeneity on MASW analysis. We have used seismic data from – i) physical modeling (model composed of plexiglas and aluminum blocks merged vertically side by side) experiment at laboratory, and ii) field data from Hockley fault survey, Texas. Both cases have laterally varying media with sharp changes in their physical properties. We found flat dispersion curves (Rayleigh-wave or ground-roll phase velocity versus frequency plots) with reasonable values for homogeneous portions of the physical model; but noisy, less precise results with mixed velocity values are obtained across the laterally varying zone. We have found S-wave velocities of 1400 m/s for plexiglas (actual value 1380 m/s) and 3000-3100 m/s for aluminum (actual value 3100 m/s) in the final S-wave velocity structure after full MASW analysis. But, the velocities are mixed across the vertical boundary between two blocks. Similarly, S-wave velocity structure shows noisy, mixed velocity values near the fault area for Hockley fault survey (S-wave velocities vary from 200-325 m/s for 10 m deep model). The present study shows that MASW may identify the proper zones of lateral variations spatially but resultant S-wave velocity values around those zones are severely affected.
Assessing sexual motives for drinking alcohol among HIV-positive men who have sex with men.

Individuals who drink alcohol for the explicit motive of facilitating or enhancing sex may be more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, including having sex under the influence of alcohol. However, efforts to assess sexual motives for drinking have been very limited to date. We examined the psychometric properties of a 5-item measure of sexual motives for drinking (SMD) in a sample of HIV-positive heavy drinking men who have sex with men. Findings provided excellent support for the scale's internal consistency and concurrent validity with a well-established measure of sexual alcohol expectancies (SAEs). Good discriminant validity was also established, as SMDs were correlated with other drinking motives but uniquely predicted the proportion of sex acts occurring under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, over-and-above other drinking motives and SAEs. SMDs were not significantly associated with unprotected anal intercourse. Adjusting for alcohol problem severity, higher SMDs were associated with lower willingness to consider changing drinking. Results suggest this measure of SMDs exhibits sound psychometric properties and may be useful in studies examining the association between alcohol use and sexual behavior.
Reactivity of the Y3+ Tuck-Over Hydride Complex, (C5Me5)2Y(μ-H)(μ-CH2C5Me4)Y(C5Me5)

The trivalent yttrium tuck-over hydride complex, (C5Me5)2Y(μ-H)(μ-η1:η5-CH2C5Me4)Y(C5Me5), 1, acts as a reductant in reactions in which the (μ-H)− hydride ligand and the bridging Y–C alkyl anion linkage in the (μ-η1:η5-CH2C5Me4)2– ligand combine to form a C–H bond in (C5Me5)− and deliver two electrons to a substrate. Complex 1 reacts with PhSSPh, AgOTf (OTf = OSO2CF3), and Et3NHBPh4 to form [(C5Me5)2Y(μ-SPh)]2, [(C5Me5)2Y(μ-OTf)]2, and (C5Me5)2Y(μ-Ph)2BPh2, respectively. The reactivity of the Y–H and Y–CH2C5Me4 linkages in 1 was probed via carbodiimide insertion reactions. iPrN═C═NiPr inserts into both Y–H and Y–C bonds to yield (C5Me5)[iPrNC(H)NiPr]Y{μ-η5-C5Me4CH2[iPrNCNiPr]}Y(C5Me5)2. Carbodiimide insertion with [(C5Me5)2YH]2, 2, was also examined for comparison, and (C5Me5)2Y[iPrNC(H)NiPr-κ2N,N′] was isolated and structurally characterized. To examine the possibility of selective reactivity of the bridging ligands, μ-H versus μ-CH2C5Me4, trimethylsilylchloride was reacted with 1, and the tuck-over chlo...
Identification of a recombinational breakpoint at the BAT5 locus in three intra-H-2 recombinant inbred mouse strains

We have analyzed the S/D region in 14 inbred mouse strains by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using human BAT2 and BAT5 genes as probes. In all recombinant strains, the recombinational breakpoint mapped centromeric to Bat-2 (D17H6S51E). In recombinant strains B6.R4, B6.AK1 and B10.BYR1, recombination occurred within or close to the Bat-5 (D17H6S82E) locus. The immunogenicity of B10.BYR1 and B6.R4 bone marrow cell (BMC) grafts differs from that of both sets of parents, as if genes at or just centromeric to Bat-5 are involved. The phenotype of B6.AK1 BMCs (Kb Dk) is similar to that of the H2k parent suggesting no changes occurred. However, RNA blot analysis has shown that the Bat-5 gene is expressed well in bone marrow cells of B10.BR mice but not in B6.AK1 marrow cells. Analysis of a limited number of tumor cells of hemopoietic origin identified a single transcript for Bat-5. Our present data identify a recombinational hot spot at the Bat-5 locus. The expression of Bat-5 or a nearby gene may influence the immunogenicity of BMCs.
Predicting wide receiver trajectories in American football

Predicting the trajectory of a wide receiver in the game of American football requires prior knowledge about the game (e.g., route trees, defensive formations) and an accurate model of how the environment will change over time (e.g., opponent reaction strategies, motion attributes of players). Our aim is to build a computational model of the wide receiver, which takes into account prior knowledge about the game and short-term predictive models of how the environment will change over time. While prior knowledge of the game is readily accessible, it is quite challenging to build predictive models of how the environment will change over time. We propose several models for predicting short-term motions of opponent players to generate dynamic input features for our wide receiver forecasting model. In particular, we model the wide receiver with a Markov Decision Process (MDP), where the reward function is a linear combination of static features (prior knowledge about the game) and dynamic features (short-term prediction of opponent players). Since the dynamic features change over time, we make recursive calls to an inference procedure over the MDP while updating the dynamic features. We validate our technique on a video dataset of American football plays. Our results show that more informed models that accurately predict the motions of the defensive players are better at forecasting wide receiver plays.
CHAPTER 4 – Basic Physics of Radionuclide Imaging

This chapter describes some basic physics topics that are relevant to imaging of nuclear emissions. This chapter first explains the emergence of nuclear emissions which is used in imaging followed by modes of nuclear decay. The isomeric decay can result in the emission of a gamma ray or ejection of an internal conversion electron. Gamma-ray emission from typical short-lived nuclear deexcitation is of little use for imaging. However, metastable radionuclides with of their relatively long lifetimes are important to nuclear emission imaging. This chapter also discusses the production of radionuclides. Radionuclide imaging requires appropriate radioactive emissions. Naturally occurring radionuclides are not useful for tracers in biomedical diagnostic imaging because they are typically slowly decaying, long-lived constituents of heavy elements. Furthermore, there are many physical factors that affect radioisotope imaging performance. In planar gamma ray imaging and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), the sensitivity and typically spatial resolution are limited by the properties of physical collimator used. In certain cases, spatial resolution is strongly affected by the intrinsic spatial resolution and object scatter too.
Analysis of the isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase gene family from Arabidopsis thaliana

Two Arabidopsis thaliana cDNAs (IPP1 and IPP2) encoding isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase (IPP isomerase) were isolated by complementation of an IPP isomerase mutant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Both cDNAs encode enzymes with an amino terminus that may function as a transit peptide for localization in plastids. At least 31 amino acids from the amino terminus of the IPP1 protein and 56 amino acids from the amino terminus of the IPP2 protein are not essential for enzymatic activity. Genomic DNA blot analysis confirmed that IPP1 and IPP2 are derived from a small gene family in A. thaliana. Based on northern analysis expression of both cDNAs occurs predominantly in roots of mature A. thaliana plants grown to the pre-flowering stage.
MorphoNoC: Exploring the Design Space of a Configurable Hybrid NoC using Nanophotonics

Abstract As diminishing feature sizes drive down the energy for computations, the power budget for on-chip communication is steadily rising. Furthermore, the increasing number of cores is placing a huge performance burden on the network-on-chip (NoC) infrastructure. While NoCs are designed as regular architectures that allow scaling to hundreds of cores, the lack of a flexible topology gives rise to higher latencies, lower throughput, and increased energy costs. In this paper, we explore MorphoNoCs - scalable, configurable, hybrid NoCs obtained by extending regular electrical networks with configurable nanophotonic links. In order to design MorphoNoCs, we first carry out a detailed study of the design space for Multi-Write Multi-Read (MWMR) nanophotonics links. After identifying optimum design points, we then discuss the router architecture for deploying them in hybrid electronic-photonic NoCs. We then study the design space at the network level, by varying the waveguide lengths and the number of hybrid routers. This affords us to carry out energy-latency trade-offs. For our evaluations, we adopt traces from synthetic benchmarks as well as the NAS Parallel Benchmark suite. Our results indicate that MorphoNoCs can achieve latency improvements of up to 3.0× or energy improvements of up to 1.37× over the base electronic network.
The New Moneyball: How Ballpark Sensors Are Changing Baseball

Advancements in the capability of sensors, processors, and storage devices have led to an explosion in the amount of data that is captured during sporting events. The Statcast system, for example, uses Doppler radar and stereoscopic video from two arrays of high-resolution optical imagers to acquire seven terabytes of data during each Major League Baseball (MLB) game. One use of these data is to enhance the experience of sports fans. As a case in point, Statcast data are used to generate information and visualizations that are disseminated in real time through telecasts and other media such as an app which displays pitch parameters derived from sensor measurements.
Afterglow Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Biomolecular solid-state NMR experiments have traditionally been collected through detection of 13C or 15N nuclei. Since these nuclei have relatively low sensitivity stemming from their smaller gyromagnetic ratios relative to 1H, the time required to collect multi-dimensional datasets serves as a limitation to resonance assignment and structure determination. One improvement in the field has been to employ simultaneous or parallel acquisition techniques with the goal of acquiring more than one dataset at a time and therefore speeding up the overall data collection process. Central to these experiments is the cross-polarization (CP) element, which serves as a way to transfer magnetization between nuclei via magnetic dipolar couplings. In this chapter, we show how residual signal remaining after CP is a polarization source that can be used to acquire additional datasets. The setup of this class of experiments, referred to as Afterglow spectroscopy, is described and demonstrated using a membrane protein transporter involved in multidrug resistance.
Isolation of Monoclonal Antibody Fragments from Phage Display Libraries

Techniques developed over the past 20 years for the display of foreign peptides and proteins on the surfaces of filamentous bacteriophages have been a major driving force in the rapid development of recombinant antibody technology in recent years. With phage display of antibodies as one of its key components, recombinant antibody technology has led to the development of an increasing number of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Antibody gene libraries are fused to a gene encoding a phage coat protein. Recombinant phage expressing the resulting antibody libraries in fusion with the coat protein are propagated in Escherichia coli. Phage displaying monoclonal antibodies with specificities for target antigens are isolated from the libraries by a process called panning. The genes encoding the desired antibodies selected from the libraries are packaged within the phage particles, linking genotype and phenotype. Here, we describe the application of this technology to the construction of a phage-displayed single-domain antibody (sdAb) library based on the heavy chain antibody repertoire of a llama, the panning of the library against a peptide antigen and the expression, purification, and characterization of sdAbs isolated by panning.