cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure and longitudinal invariance of the Short Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire

Many studies have employed the Short Alcohol Attitudes Problem Perception Questionnaire (SAAPPQ) to measure professionals' attitudes toward working with people experiencing alcohol problems. However, research has not confirmed the internal structure of the SAAPPQ, leaving open the possibility that scale scores are not valid empirical proxies for underlying attitudes. It is also unclear if measurement invariance holds over time or across groups. This is an important gap in light of evidence that (a) experiences can change the structure of scales and (b) structures of some popular scales differ dramatically between groups. Thus, measurement bias may confound comparisons of composite SAAPPQ scores between measurement occasions or groups. To address these gaps in the literature, we conducted a longitudinal examination of the psychometrics of the SAAPPQ using data from 241 human services professionals-in-training. We found a four-factor structure, rather than the previously reported five factors. Configural, metric, and a strong degree of scalar invariance held longitudinally. Few factor intercorrelations were significant at time one and they strengthened over time, suggesting that the SAAPPQ should not be aggregated at higher-order levels (i.e., global scores should not be used). Findings suggest four SAAPPQ subscale scores may be used as valid proxies for attitudes toward alcohol users; however, additional confirmatory studies are needed to ensure that measurement bias does not compromise inferences based on SAAPPQ scores.
The exchange and use of cultural and social capital among community health workers in the United States

Community health care workers (CHWs), lay community members with basic health care training, have been charged with providing appropriate care for vulnerable populations, addressing social determinants and improving population health. Frequently, CHWs lack the economic or cultural capital to accomplish these goals. Through analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews with CHWs and supervisors at a CHW programme in the United States, we draw on Bourdieu's theory of practice to examine how the exchange of cultural and social capital impact CHW effectiveness. We found that CHWs' reliance on bonding capital was perceived to effectively build social networks and mutual trust among marginalised communities. But, over-reliance on embodied cultural capital and bonding capital reduced integration into the health care field; limited access to bridging capital; and limited social standing. We highlight how the exchange of cultural to bonding and bridging capital presented structural limitations. Overall, the demonstrated tension demarcates and reinforces longstanding divisions between social issues and health care issues. Future efforts should focus on promoting the unique skills of CHWs within health care settings to avoid compromising CHWs' ability to advance population health.
Response to Representative Schakowsky’s Questions for the Record for House Energy & Commerce Committee (Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce) Hearing on 'Profits Over Consumers: Exposing How Pharmaceutical Companies Game the System'

After my testimony at the House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing, I addressed Rep. Schakowsky's questions relating to a potential FTC report on product hopping. I explained that such a report would be helpful in obtaining information on the frequency and types of "product hopping" (by which drug companies switch from one version of a drug to another to delay generic entry). A report also would shed light on the potential anticompetitive harms of "soft switches" (in which the old drug is left on the market). Finally, I discussed the types of information that could appear in the report, including the extent of product hopping and the effects on profitability and consumers.
Advancing the Understanding of Vitamin D Status in Post-Thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia.

Background Post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia is the most common complication after total thyroidectomy. Studies to examine the role of low vitamin D in increasing post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia incidence have produced varying results. This study aimed to assess whether vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. Methods This retrospective study involved 244 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy between 2014 and 2019. Patients were divided into two groups based on pre-operative vitamin D levels. Group A and Group B had pre-operative vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) levels of ≥20 ng/ml and <20 ng/ml (reference range for vitamin D is 30-100 ng/dl). The effect of vitamin D, gender, body mass index (BMI), and ethnicity on post-operative calcium and PTH levels was analyzed. Results Post-operative calcium levels for Group A were not statistically different compared to Group B (8.52 ± 0.64 mg/dl vs. 8.45 ± 0.58 mg/dl (mean ± S.D.; p value = 0.352). The average post-operative PTH of the two groups did not differ significantly (Group A: 32.4 ± 27.5 pg/ml; Group B: 34.4 ± 41.7 pg/ml; p value = 0.761). Conclusion Pre-operative vitamin D levels are not predictive of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia.
Black Scholes: The Imperfect Hedge

This paper follows up a discussion in the authors previous work on Louis Bachelier, examining the Black Scholes Merton model and reviewing the Payoff, Profit and Value of the option contract so defined. The paper in doing so addresses the contention that a perfect hedge can be achieved finding this is not achieved. The paper outlines in doing so a series of pricing anomalies that arise from the perfect hedge and risk free create adoption in the model.
Genesis of a Latina Science Professor

Women of color in the United States face major barriers to entry into and professional advancement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Here I use auto-ethnography to illustrate from my own life how family, ethnicity, race, gender, and class played a role in my becoming a science professor. I discuss how growing up in a family of bilingual Mexican American teachers helped shape my identity and motivation. I describe how white schoolteachers encouraged my interest in science, and how, as a biracial Latina, I have faced some of the same obstacles as other women of color in STEM. Lastly, I describe a few of the ways I responded to these challenges and make an argument for why more government resources are needed to train Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) working as K-12 science and math teachers.
Theoretical Dimensions of a Structured System of Impunity for Political Killings

The question of political repression and violence in democratization is a general global problem because there is evidence that, as political competition and pluralism increase, reported political violence such as attacks on journalists, party activists, and human rights activists also increases (Ahnen 2003; Pereira 2000). Much of the early literature on democratization cited some important, mainly European, transitions to democracy as evidence of the peaceful nature of the post-1974 wave of democratization including the Portuguese “revolution of the carnations” (1975), the Czechoslovakian “velvet revolution” (1989–1990), and the Hungarian and Polish transitions to democracy, where no major state-led episodes of violence occurred (Maxwell 1986; Rosenfeld 1994). Also, frequently mentioned was Spain’s democratization (1975–1977) where, in the height of violence, only two students, five communist lawyers, and five policemen were murdered (Maravall and Santamaria 1986:84).
Transcriptional Regulation of Senescence-Related Genes in Carnation Flowers

The senescence of flower petals in several plant species is associated with a dramatic increase in the production of ethylene. There is considerable evidence pointing to a role for this increased ethylene in regulating the processes of programmed cell death leading to senescence [13]. A number of years ago we reported that the senescence of carnation flower petals was associated with the expression of new genes, which led us to isolate a number of senescence-related cDNA clones that have been useful in elucidating the mechanism by which ethylene regulates their transcription [13]. In addition to its influence on the cell death program leading to floral senescence [27] ethylene controls the expression of genes during tomato fruit ripening [3,15] and pathogen attack [9,18,23]. Ethylene-responsive elements in the promoter regions of several genes have been identified [2,5,11,20]. While nuclear factors have been shown to specifically interact with some of these regulatory regions [5,11,20], little is known about the nature of these DNA binding proteins. Recently, Ohme-Takagi and Shinshi [23] have demonstrated that an 11-bp GCC box, conserved in the promoter regions of ethylene-regulated pathogenesis-related proteins, is sufficient for conferring ethylene-responsiveness to a heterologous promoter. Four different cDNAs encoding DNA binding proteins capable of interacting with the GCC box were cloned (EREBP-1 to 4). The DNA binding domain of the EREBPs does not share homology with other known DNA binding proteins.
The Ecology of Standards Processes: Lessons from Internet Standardization

In order to create Internet standards, people and ideas move across many institutions. By drawing upon the new institutionalism and on organizational ecology, we develop an ecological approach to studying this movement. The approach examines the birth and death of standards bodies and the ideas they cultivate. We apply the approach to the history of Web services choreography standards, in which over 500 participants traversed nine institutions during a 12-year period. We explain critical aspects of this history by analyzing patterns of movement of standardization ideas. We show that standard-making institutions refuse to legitimate standards by utilizing bylaws which reflect the values of the institution; these values reflect the design legacy of the Internet. We formulate conjectures about the dynamics of the birth and death of working groups inside larger institutions that form a population ecology. We discuss plausible explanations for why specific Internet standard-making efforts do not resolve quickly. The theoretical implication of the study is that an ecological approach will apply well to inventions that have been incubated, such as the Internet. The pragmatic implication is that changes to institutional Internet governance, particularly to the bylaws of standards bodies, can have drastic and unintended effects that will reshape the standard-making ecology.
Breaking the Integrin Hinge A DEFINED STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINT REGULATES INTEGRIN SIGNALING

Integrins are heterodimeric (alpha, beta) cell adhesion receptors. We demonstrate that point mutations in the cytoplasmic domains of both the alpha and beta subunits promote constitutive signaling by the integrin alphaIIbbeta3. By generating charge reversal mutations, we show these "activating" mutations may act by disrupting a potential salt bridge between the membrane-proximal portions of the alpha and beta subunit cytoplasmic domains. Thus, the modulation of specific interactions between the alpha and beta subunit cytoplasmic domains may regulate transmembrane signaling through integrins. In addition, these activating mutations induce dominant alterations in cellular behavior, such as the assembly of the extracellular matrix. Consequently, somatic mutations in integrin cytoplasmic domains could have profound effects in vivo on integrin-dependent functions such as matrix assembly, cell migration, and anchorage-dependent cell growth and survival.
What Caused the Massachusetts Fiscal Crisis

Massachusetts, like many states across the country, is facing its worst fiscal crisis since World War II. The consensus among politicians and pundits is that the problem is the recession or, alternatively, "extravagant" state spending in the 1990s. But an analysis of state tax revenue data reveals that the major reason for the budget shortfall is legislated cuts in capital gains and personal income tax rates, along with declines in the yield of the corporate income tax. Without these tax cuts, the state would not be facing a budget crisis at all.
Linking Research, Policy, and Activism: Library Services in Women's Studies

This paper explores the role of the reference librarian in an interdisciplinary field bridging scholarly and policy information, and in a library that serves the public, academic, business and policy communities. After considering the nature of women's studies and policy studies, the author reviews recent literature on the changing role of the librarian in providing specialized research and reference services, finding the emergence of a proactive, client-centered, multifunction model. Through an examination of the diverse activities in women's policy issues in Washington DC, the author shows the ability of the librarian to merge reference service, research consultation, outreach, collection development, and bibliographic instruction. In monitoring the field within and outside the library, the librarian becomes established as an independent authority and can offer well-informed service to policymakers, analysts, students, the media and political groups. The paper summarizes the benefits and problems for th...
Use of hCG in Reproductive Dysfunction

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a heterodimeric glycoprotein. The primary structures of the α- and β-subunits were determined in 1972. The hormone is approximately 30% carbohydrate. Its similarity to luteinizing hormone (LH) and its capacity to bind to its receptors has fostered interest in hCG's clinical utility in human reproductive medicine. Studies were performed that clarified the disappearance rates of hCG following pregnancy delivery, after intravenous (IV) and intramuscular (IM) injections to healthy males and females, after subcutaneous or IM injections in healthy males, as well as calculating metabolic and renal clearance rates with continuous-infusion and single-injection techniques. These studies similarly confirmed that hCG disappears in a rapid phase and a slower phase, taking approximately 6 h and 36 h, respectively. Studies examining the pharmacokinetics of hCG when administered to humans have been published. In males, the peak hCG concentrations are reached 6–8 h after IM injection. When administered intramuscularly to three subjects, the half-life of the tail was longer compared to clearance rates after IV injection, which averaged approximately 26 h. There were no appreciable differences in the disappearance curves between males and females. Using then current second international reference preparation-human menopausal gonadotropins (IRP-hMG) standards, the authors noted that LH in human ovulation reaches 40–200 mIU during a 24-h period. The slower disappearance rate of hCG relative to LH was characterized as a disadvantage, in that slower metabolism could be an aggravating factor in multiple ovulation and an independent factor for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
Efficient static power based side channel analysis for Hardware Trojan detection using controllable sleep transistors

Modern integrated circuits (ICs) are vulnerable to Hardware Trojans (HTs) due to the globalization of semiconductor design and fabrication process. HT is an extra circuitry which alters functionality or leaks information making military and financial sectors vulnerable to security threats. The challenge in detection of HTs lies in their clever design and placement that makes them stealthy due to rare activation. While HTs can be detected through power side channels, methodologies that rely on dynamic power, which requires activation of HTs, can prove inefficient. On the other hand, static power based methodologies, which do not require activation of HTs, will be efficient even though they suffer from lower detection sensitivity. In this work, we propose a static power based HT detection methodology where the detection sensitivity is improved by compartmentalizing the circuit, utilizing the sleep transistors used to reduce leakage power. In order to provide efficient HT detection, the power based control is overridden in such a way that only a single sleep transistor is turned ON at any given instance. Even if the Trojan is distributed across the circuit to make it stealthier, the proposed method can effectively detect it. Using the proposed method, detection sensitivity of a 3-bit comparator based HT (0.26% of the total number of gates) has increased from 0.7% to 4.43% without process variations and from 2.03% to 4.32% in the presence of process variations with just 3 controllable sleep transistors The proposed method improved the detection sensitivity of smaller Trojan (only 0.02% of the total number of gates) by 10 folds with just 15 controllable sleep transistors.
Dielectrophoresis and antibody mediated selective capture of microorganisms in micro-fluidic biochips

A dielectrophoretic (DEP) filter device was fabricated for antibody mediated specific capture of microorganisms. The device consisting of a network of fluidic inlet/outlet ports and chamber etched into silicon substrate with bonded glass on the top and interdigitated electrodes at the bottom of the chamber. The whole electrode array was covered with a thin silicon oxide layer for preventing electroosmotic currents at the electrodes. For selective capture of Listeria monocytogenes from the mixture of L. monocytogenes and Escherichia coli, the channel surface of the DEP filter device was functionalized with biotinylated BSA-streptavidin-biotinylated monoclonal antibody sandwich structure. Positive DEP (at 20Vpp and 1 MHz) was used to attract, capture and concentrate all bacteria in the sample from the fluid flow. About 8% Listeria bacteria were captured while no E. coli was captured with 40 min DEP. We demonstrated that this novel method combining dielectrophoresis, micro-fluidics, and antibody-antigen recognition can be used to selectively capture L monocytogenes or other target bacteria in the micro-fluidic device with good efficiency and selectivity.
Introductory Note to Prosecutor v. Perišić, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

This note introduces a controversial ICTY decision which attempted to clarify the requisite elements required to convict the former head of the Army of Yugoslavia with aiding and abetting war crimes committed by other organizations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. The Perisic judgment serves as a reminder of the still unsettled nature of international criminal law on even threshold issues like the elements for a mode of liability. Given that the Special Court for Sierra Leone has already affirmatively rejected the Perisic fomulation the case may, sadly, signal the fragmentation of international criminal law.
Radar signal propagation through the ionosphere of Europa

Abstract We review the current state of knowledge of the Europan plasma environment, its effects on radio wave propagation, and its impact on the performance and design of future radar sounders for the exploration of Europa׳s ice crust. The Europan ionosphere is produced in two independently-rotating hemispheres by photo-ionization of the neutral exosphere and interaction with the Io plasma torus, respectively. This combination is responsible for temporal and longitudinal ionospheric heterogeneities not well constrained by observations. When Europa׳s ionosphere is active, the maximum cut-off frequency is 1 MHz at the surface. The main impacts on radar signal propagation are dispersive phase shift and Faraday rotation, both a function of the total electron content (up to 4×1015 m−2) and the Jovian magnetic field strength at Europa (~420 nT). The severity of these impacts decrease with increasing center frequency and increase with altitude, latitude, and bandwidth. The 9 MHz channels on the Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) and proposed Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON) will be sensitive to the Europan ionosphere. For these or similar radar sounders, the ionospheric signal distortion from dispersive phase shift can be corrected with existing techniques, which would also enable the estimation of the total electron content below the spacecraft. At 9 MHz, the Faraday fading is not expected to exceed 6 dB under the worst conditions. At lower frequencies, any active or passive radio probing of the ice shell exploration would be limited to frequencies above 1–8 MHz (depending on survey configuration) below which Faraday rotation angle would lead to signal fading and detection ambiguity. Radar instruments could be sensitive to neutrals and electrons added in the exosphere from any plume activity if present.
Raman spectral classification of mineral- and collagen-bound water's associations to elastic and post-yield mechanical properties of cortical bone

Water that is bound to bone's matrix is implied as a predictor of fracture resistance; however, bound water is an elusive variable to be measured nondestructively. To date, the only nondestructive method used for studying bone hydration status is magnetic resonance variants (NMR or MRI). For the first time, bone hydration status was studied by short-wave infrared (SWIR) Raman spectroscopy to investigate associations of mineral-bound and collagen-bound water compartments with mechanical properties. Thirty cortical bone samples were used for quantitative Raman-based water analysis, gravimetric analysis, porosity measurement, and biomechanical testing. A sequential dehydration protocol was developed to replace unbound (heat drying) and bound (ethanol treatment) water in bone. Raman spectra were collected serially to track the OH-stretch band during dehydration. Four previously identified peaks were investigated: I3220/I2949, I3325/I2949 and I3453/I2949 reflect status of organic-matrix related water (mostly collagen-related water) compartments and collagen portion of bone while I3584/I2949 reflects status of mineral-related water compartments and mineral portion of bone. These spectroscopic biomarkers were correlated with elastic and post-yield mechanical properties of bone. Collagen-water related biomarkers (I3220/I2949 and I3325/I2949) correlated significantly and positively with toughness (R(2)=0.81 and R(2)=0.79; p<0.001) and post-yield toughness (R(2)=0.65 and R(2)=0.73; p<0.001). Mineral-water related biomarker correlated significantly and negatively with elastic modulus (R(2)=0.78; p<0.001) and positively with strength (R(2)=0.46; p<0.001). While MR-based techniques have been useful in measuring unbound and bound water, this is the first study which probed bound-water compartments differentially for collagen and mineral-bound water. For the first time, we showed an evidence for contributions of different bound-water compartments to mechanical properties of wet bone and the reported correlations of Raman-based water measurements to mechanical properties underline the necessity for enabling approaches to assess these new biomarkers noninvasively in vivo to improve the current diagnosis of those who may be at risk of bone fracture due to aging and diseases.
Performance Engineering of Component-Based Distributed Software Systems

The ability to estimate the future performance of a large and complex distributed software system at design time can significantly reduce overall software cost and risk. This paper investigates the design and performance modeling of component interconnection patterns, which define and encapsulate the way client and server components communicate with each other. We start with UML design models of the component interconnection patterns. These designs are performance annotated using an XML-type notation. The performance-annotated UML design model is mapped to a performance model, which can be used to analyze the performance of the software architecture on various configurations.
Beyond the Big Five: Leader Goal Orientation as a Predictor of Leadership Effectiveness

This study examined proximal traits as mediators of the relationships between distal traits and leadership effectiveness. Specifically, we examined goal orientation, leadership self-efficacy, and motivation to lead (MTL) as antecedents of leadership effectiveness, after controlling for the Big Five personality traits. We tested our hypotheses with a sample of 100 leaders of four-person teams performing a manufacturing task in a laboratory setting. Consistent with expectation, leadership self-efficacy partially mediated the relationships between learning goal orientation and Affective-Identity MTL as well as Social-Normative MTL, after controlling for the Big Five. Noncalculative MTL related significantly to averaged team member ratings of leadership effectiveness, after controlling for both the leader's and the team member's personality. These results help aid in our understanding of why leader traits relate to leadership effectiveness.
The infrared spectra of aromatic compounds I. The out-of-plane C-H bending vibrations in the region 625 900 cm-1

Abstract An empirical study has been made of the infrared spectra of aromatic compounds to determine the effect of substituent groups or some of the vibrations of the aromatic nucleus. In this paper particular attention is devoted to the out-of-plane C-H bending vibrations between 625 and 900 cm −1 . For monosubstituted benzenes of the type (phenyl) n M , where n is the valence of the substituent atom M , the frequency of the absorption band between 725 and 820 cm −1 decreases linearly with the reduced mass of the diatomic group M -carbon. Most monosubstituted benzenes not of the type (phenyl) n M also show some correlation between the frequency of this band and the mass of the atom attached to the ring, but certain substituents produce anomalous shifts of this band. For disubstituted benzenes the effect of the substituents on the frequencies of some of the out-of-plane vibrations can be correlated with the effect of the same substituents on the 725 to 820 cm −1 band in monosubstituted benzenes.
JETLAG Resets the Drosophila Circadian Clock by Promoting Light-Induced Degradation of TIMELESS

Organisms ranging from bacteria to humans synchronize their internal clocks to daily cycles of light and dark. Photic entrainment of the Drosophila clock is mediated by proteasomal degradation of the clock protein TIMELESS (TIM). We have identified mutations in jetlag-a gene coding for an F-box protein with leucine-rich repeats-that result in reduced light sensitivity of the circadian clock. Mutant flies show rhythmic behavior in constant light, reduced phase shifts in response to light pulses, and reduced light-dependent degradation of TIM. Expression of JET along with the circadian photoreceptor cryptochrome (CRY) in cultured S2R cells confers light-dependent degradation onto TIM, thereby reconstituting the acute response + of the circadian clock to light in a cell culture system. Our results suggest that JET is essential for resetting the clock by transmitting light signals from CRY to TIM.
Human Melanocytes Cultured from Nevi and Melanomas

The requirements for growth factors of human melanocytes in culture may be dependent on the stage of malignant transformation. Several factors synergistically promote the viability and proliferation of human neonatal melanocytes in culture. They are TPA (12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13- acetate), isobutylmethyl xanthine, cholera toxin, and as yet unidentified factors from extracts derived from several cell lines and human placenta. Neonatal melanocytes can maintain at least 50 population doublings during a period of 6 months, whereas melanocytes from adult skin proliferate only for 1 month and at less than 1% of the proliferative rate of melanocytes derived from newborn foreskins. In contrast, melanocytes from dysplastic and congenital nevi proliferate well in the presence of mitogens during the initial 4-6 weeks of culture, but then become quiescent. Melanocytes from primary melanomas are the most difficult to grow in culture. They need the mitogens, but their rate of proliferation is slow. Most of the metastatic melanocyte strains that do not need the mitogens in order to proliferate, are strongly inhibited by TPA, and to a lesser extent by WI-38 cell extract. We conclude that the acquisition of independence from mitogens in culture is a late event in the transformation of melanocytcs to melanomas.
Production of vitamin B12 and vitamin B12 analogues by pure cultures of ruminal bacteria.

MICROBIAL fermentation in the rumen was early recognized as the primary source of vitamin B12 for the cow1. Rumen contents contain not only the vitamin itself but also certain analogues in which the nucleotide portion of the vitamin is missing or modified by the substitution of a different benzimidazole or a purine for the base (5 : 6-dimethylbenzimidazole). In general, the analogues containing nucleotides with benzimidazole derivatives tend to possess some vitamin activity for animals while those containing purines tend to have activity only for micro-organisms2. The relative activities vary with different micro-organisms and even with the particular assay technique used3. In rumen contents, vitamin B12 itself makes up about 10 per cent of the activity for Escherichia coli, factor A (containing 2-methyl adenine) composes about 60 per cent, while pseudo-vitamin B12 (containing adenine), factor B (containing no nucleotide) and factor C (containing guanine) account for most of the remainder4. Relatively little work has been reported in regard to the part played in the synthesis of these compounds by the individual species of micro-organisms obtained from the rumen and in general such studies have not included true or functional rumen organisms5.
Optical Stark spectroscopy of solids

Optical Stark spectroscopy of solids has been closely associated with Alexander Kaplyanskii over the last four decades. The field is reviewed here with some emphasis on the use of spectral hole burning and coherent transient techniques to measure linear and quadratic Stark coefficients. Examples are drawn from a wide range of materials including transition metal and rare-earth-doped insulators, color centers, organic molecular solids and semiconductors. Tabulation of data drawn from the literature of the last 50 years is juxtaposed to give some perspective and suggest material, which might benefit from future application of high-resolution spectroscopic techniques.
Red-Emitting Semiconductor Quantum Dot Lasers

Visible-stimulated emission in a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) laser structure has been demonstrated. Red-emitting, self-assembled QDs of highly strained InAlAs have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a GaAs substrate. Carriers injected electrically from the doped regions of a separate confinement heterostructure thermalized efficiently into the zero-dimensional QD states, and stimulated emission at ∼707 nanometers was observed at 77 kelvin with a threshold current of 175 milliamperes for a 60-micrometer by 400-micrometer broad area laser. An external efficiency of ∼8.5 percent at low temperature and a peak power greater than 200 milliwatts demonstrate the good size distribution and high gain in these high-quality QDs.
Animal Evolution and the Molecular Signature of Radiations Compressed in Time

The phylogenetic relationships among most metazoan phyla remain uncertain. We obtained large numbers of gene sequences from metazoans, including key understudied taxa. Despite the amount of data and breadth of taxa analyzed, relationships among most metazoan phyla remained unresolved. In contrast, the same genes robustly resolved phylogenetic relationships within a major clade of Fungi of approximately the same age as the Metazoa. The differences in resolution within the two kingdoms suggest that the early history of metazoans was a radiation compressed in time, a finding that is in agreement with paleontological inferences. Furthermore, simulation analyses as well as studies of other radiations in deep time indicate that, given adequate sequence data, the lack of resolution in phylogenetic trees is a signature of closely spaced series of cladogenetic events.
Procedural Justice Judgments of Alternative Procedures for Resolving Medical Malpractice Claims1

Procedural justice theorists Thibaut and Walker (1978) asserted that the Anglo-American adversary process is the most ideal for resolving disputes involving high conflict of interest. Sheppard (1985) asserted that this claim may be premature and argued for the investigation of more complex litigation models in procedural justice research. This survey study examined the procedural justice attributes of five litigation procedures for resolving medical malpractice claims. Three groups of subjects (psychology undergraduates, N= 87; first-year law students, N= 88; and jury venire persons, N= 65) read written descriptions of the Anglo-American adversary model, the inquisitorial model, and three hybrid procedures that combine some features of these two basic models. Subjects then rated each model on six procedural justice attributes. Analyses focused on ratings of the adversary model as compared to the three hybrid models. Results indicated that the adversary model was consistently rated higher than the hybrid models on only one procedural justice measure, voice. On the remaining procedural justice measures, the hybrid models were comparable to, and frequently rated higher than, the adversary model. The results are supportive of Sheppard's plea that researchers investigate more complex procedural models, and the findings are considered in light of Lind and Tyler's (1988) plea for the development of hybrid procedures that may optimize both subjective and objective procedural justice outcomes.
The effects of ion implantation and pulsed electron beam anneal on Ge films grown epitaxially on ◃100▹ GaAs

Ge films deposited by vacuum deposition at 425‡C are generally p-type. This paper discusses the use of pulsed-electron beam annealing and ion implantation to modify the carrier concentration of such films. Electron beam annealing has been used to reduce the carrier concentration by more than a factor of 30 and n-type films have been obtained by phosphorus implantation and subsequent thermal annealing. TEM, RBS and Hall measurements have been used to characterize the films. The electrical properties of the as-grown films are believed to be defect dominated.
Discovering the Structure of a Reactive Environment by Exploration

Consider a robot wandering around an unfamiliar environment, performing actions and sensing the resulting environmental states. The robot's task is to construct an internal model of its environment, a model that will allow it to predict the consequences of its actions and to determine what sequences of actions to take to reach particular goal states. Rivest and Schapire (1987a, 1987b; Schapire, 1988) have studied this problem and have designed a symbolic algorithm to strategically explore and infer the structure of "finite state" environments. The heart of this algorithm is a clever representation of the environment called an update graph. We have developed a connectionist implementation of the update graph using a highly-specialized network architecture. With back propagation learning and a trivial exploration strategy - choosing random actions - the connectionist network can outperform the Rivest and Schapire algorithm on simple problems. The network has the additional strength that it can accommodate stochastic environments. Perhaps the greatest virtue of the connectionist approach is that it suggests generalizations of the update graph representation that do not arise from a traditional, symbolic perspective.
The release and uptake of excitatory amino acids in rat brain: Effect of aging and oxidative stress

Abstract The excitatory amino acids (EAAs) l -aspartate and l -glutamate constitute the major neurotransmitters in the mammalian brain. This study established the influence of aging and oxidative stress on the release and uptake of EAAs. The high affinity uptake of d -[3H]aspartate in synaptosomal fractions of the neostriatum, hippocampus, and neocortex was not significantly different in Fisher 344/Norwegian Brown hybrid rats aged 3, 12, 24, and 37 months. Similarly, the K1-evoked efflux of endogenous aspartate and glutamate from neocortical minislices was also unaffected by age. To examine the possibility that EAA nerve terminals become more vulnerable to oxidative stress with age, the influence of an inhibitor of the electron transport chain (sodium cyanide) on EAA uptake and release was determined. Although cyanide inhibited d -[3H]aspartate uptake and potentiated the potassium-evoked efflux of aspartate and glutamate in a Ca2+-independent fashion, neither of these changes were influenced by age. Thus, the functional integrity of EAA nerve terminals and their vulnerability to oxidative stress are both preserved in normal aging. The potency of cyanide to inhibit d -[3H]aspartate uptake did, however, display regional variability: hippocampus > neocortex > neostriatum (IC50 = 1.2 ± 0.2 mM, 1.9 ± 0.1 mM and 2.7 ± 0.2 mM, respectively), suggesting that EAA nerve terminals in the hippocampus may be selectively vulnerable to oxidative stress.
Food Problems and Emerging Policy Responses in Sub-Saharan Africa: Discussion

For the past two years international aid institutions, led by the World Bank, have been putting substantial pressure on African countries to adopt a series of policy measures which they believe will help reverse the decline of per capita food production on the continent. Particularly important in this set of recommended policy prescriptions has been increasing prices on basic food commodities and turning over the marketing of basic food commodities to the private sector. Some African countries have adopted one or both of these policies, either in response to donor pressure or for their own reasons. The paper by Christensen and Witucki examines the initial evidence to see what impact these policies, usually price policy, have on agricultural production. It then examines other policies and the state of agricultural technology to assess the impact on agricultural production that can be expected from various instruments available.
Modeling proline ligation in the heme-dependent CO sensor, CooA, using small-molecule analogs

CooA, the only protein known to employ proline as a heme ligand, is a CO-activated transcription factor found in the bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum. Proline is a heme ligand in both the Fe(III) and Fe(II) states; the sixth ligand is cysteinate in Fe(III) CooA and histidine in Fe(II) CooA. When CO binds to Fe(II) CooA, it selectively replaces the proline ligand, activating the protein. The proposed roles of proline are to stabilize the heme pocket during the redox-mediated ligand switch and to form a weak metal-ligand bond that is preferentially cleaved to bind CO. To explore this latter proposal, binding affinity, structural, and density functional theory computational studies were performed using pyrrolidine and 2-methylpyrrolidine as analogs of proline, and imidazole as an analog of histidine. Measurement of the binding properties of these amino acid analogs in two different protein environments, CooA variant deltaP3R4 and myoglobin, revealed that CooA is tailored to accept the bulky proline ligand. Furthermore, the high pKa of proline facilitates selective replacement by CO. Model metalloporphyrin X-ray and computational structures suggest that the key factor leading to lengthening of the Fe-ligand bond and decreased binding affinity is steric hindrance at the C-2 position of the pyrrolidine ring. These data afford a more complete understanding of how CooA utilizes the weak proline ligand to direct CO to the distal position, thus ensuring selective retention of the histidine ligand.
Estimation of lead and arsenic bioavailability using a physiologically based extraction test

The physiologically based extraction test (PBET) is an in vitro test system for predicting the bioavailability of metals from a solid matrix and incorporates gastrointestinal tract parameters representative of a human (including stomach and small intestinal pH and chemistry, soil-to-solution ratio, stomach mixing, and stomach emptying rates). For lead (Pb), the results of the PBET are linearly correlated with results from a Sprague-Dawley rat model (r2 = 0.93 between in vitro and in vivo results, n = 7). For arsenic (As), the results of the PBET are overpredicting bioavailability study results in rabbit and primate models (2−11% difference between in vitro and in vivo results, depending on the animal model). The PBET was not designed to supplant bioavailability studies using animal models, but rather to estimate Pb and As bioavailability when animal study results are not available. Dissolution of Pb in the acidic stomach environment was strongly pH dependent; the extent of dissolution decreased by 65% whe...
Morphological interpretation of modulated microstructures

Des analyses de microstructures modulees par microscopie ionique a emission de champ et par microscopie electronique en transmission montrent que les deux techniques peuvent introduire des erreurs dans l'interpretation de la morphologie et les mesures quantitatives sur des alliages contenant d'importantes proportions en volume de seconde phase. On montre que l'emploi des deux techniques en parallele ameliore la precision et la surete des resultats
A comparison of quality of life in adolescents with epilepsy or asthma using the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36)

Summary Purpose To compare the quality of life (QOL) in adolescents with epilepsy or asthma. Methods Eighty-five epileptic adolescents, 81 adolescents with asthma and 71 normal controls were recruited from the Affiliated Children's Hospital of FuDan University from June, 2007 to December, 2007. These adolescents received the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (MOS F-36) in order to evaluate QOL. Results Although the onset age for adolescents with asthma was younger ( P = 0.032), there were no significant differences in clinical characteristics between adolescents with epilepsy and asthma. The results of MOS SF-36 demonstrated the following: (1) For the adolescents with epilepsy, the total QOL score and sub-scores for 8 items were significantly different between epilepsy patients and healthy controls, and the total QOL score and sub-scores for 4 items were significantly different between controlled and uncontrolled epilepsy groups; (2) for the adolescents with asthma, the total QOL score and sub-scores for 4 items were significantly different between asthma patients and healthy controls, and the total QOL score and sub-scores for 4 items were significantly different between controlled and uncontrolled asthma groups; (3) the QOL of adolescents with epilepsy was poorer than that of the adolescents with asthma regardless of the remission stage and disease stage; (4) the emotional and mental health of adolescents with epilepsy was inferior to that of adolescents with asthma. Conclusions The QOL of adolescents with chronic paroxysmal diseases including epilepsy and asthma deserves close attention and should be included as a key parameter when evaluating disease status.
Postnatal refinement of auditory nerve projections to the cochlear nucleus in cats.

Studies of visual system development have suggested that competition driven by activity is essential for refinement of initial topographically diffuse neuronal projections into their precise adult patterns. This has led to the assertion that this process may shape development of topographic connections throughout the nervous system. Because the cat auditory system is very immature at birth, with auditory nerve neurons initially exhibiting very low or no spontaneous activity, we hypothesized that the auditory nerve fibers might initially form topographically broad projections within the cochlear nuclei (CN), which later would become topographically precise at the time when adult-like frequency selectivity develops. In this study, we made restricted injections of Neurobiotin, which labeled small sectors (300-500 microm) of the cochlear spiral ganglion, to study the projections of auditory nerve fibers representing a narrow band of frequencies. Results showed that projections from the basal cochlea to the CN are tonotopically organized in neonates, many days before the onset of functional hearing and even prior to the development of spontaneous activity in the auditory nerve. However, results also demonstrated that significant refinement of the topographic specificity of the primary afferent axons of the auditory nerve occurs in late gestation or early postnatal development. Projections to all three subdivisions of the CN exhibit clear tonotopic organization at or before birth, but the topographic restriction of fibers into frequency band laminae is significantly less precise in perinatal kittens than in adult cats. Two injections spaced > or = 2 mm apart in the cochlea resulted in labeled bands of projecting axons in the anteroventral CN that were 53% broader than would be expected if they were proportional to those in adults, and the two projections were incompletely segregated in the youngest animals studied. Posteroventral CN (PVCN) projections (normalized for CN size) were 36% broader in neonates than in adults, and projections from double injections in the youngest subjects were nearly fused in the PVCN. Projections to the dorsal division of the CN were 32% broader in neonates than in adults when normalized, but the dorsal CN projections were always discrete, even at the earliest ages studied.
An experimental investigation of third harmonic current distortion in single-phase induction motors

Tests were performed to examine the relationship between third harmonic voltage distortion and third harmonic current distortion in single-phase capacitor-run induction motors. An arbitrary waveform generator was used to supply fundamental power along with a controllable third harmonic to three different types of capacitor motors. The motors were supplied with voltages containing fundamental-only, 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5% third harmonic content, and the phase angles of these harmonic voltages were varied relative to the fundamental. The distortion of the motorpsilas current was found to be quite sensitive to the magnitude of the voltage distortion, and also was dependent upon the value of the run capacitor. The phase angle of the third harmonic voltage had a minor impact on the current distortion. This paper provides experimental results and summaries of the response of these three small capacitor motors to voltage distortion, and provides insight into a significant source of triplen harmonic distortion in single-phase residential AC power systems.
Optimal Individual Attacks against BB84

An economical version of asymmetric phase-covariant cloning is shown to provide an optimal individual attack on the BB84 protocol with error correction that can be physically simulated using deterministic single-photon two-qubit quantum logic.