cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
More on homological supersymmetric quantum mechanics

In this work, we first solve complex Morse flow equations for the simplest case of a bosonic harmonic oscillator to discuss localization in the context of Picard-Lefschetz theory. We briefly touch on the exact non-BPS solutions of the bosonized supersymmetric quantum mechanics on algebraic geometric grounds and report that their complex phases can be accessed through the cohomology of WKB 1-form of the underlying singular spectral curve subject to necessary cohomological corrections for nonzero genus. Motivated by Picard-Lefschetz theory, we write down a general formula for the index of $\mathcal{N}=4$ quantum mechanics with background $R$-symmetry gauge fields. We conjecture that certain symmetries of the refined Witten index and singularities of the moduli space may be used to determine the correct intersection coefficients. A few examples, where this conjecture holds, are shown in both linear and closed quivers with rank-one quiver gauge groups. The $R$-anomaly removal along the ``Morsified'' relative homology cycles also called ``Lefschetz thimbles'' is shown to lead to the appearance of Stokes lines. We show that the Fayet-Iliopoulos parameters appear in the intersection coefficients for the relative homology of the quiver quantum mechanics resulting from dimensional reduction of $2d$ $\mathcal{N}=(2,2)$ gauge theory on a circle and explicitly calculate integrals along the Lefschetz thimbles in $\mathcal{N}=4$ $\mathbb{C}{\mathbb{P}}^{k\ensuremath{-}1}$ model. The Stokes jumping of coefficients and its relation to wall crossing phenomena is briefly discussed. We also find that the notion of ``on-the-wall'' index is related to the invariant Lefschetz thimbles under Stokes phenomena. An implication of the Lefschetz thimbles in constructing knots from quiver quantum mechanics is indicated.
Predictive Potential of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Organoids

In this issue of Cancer Discovery, Driehuis and colleagues establish culture conditions for the rapid, efficient, and long-term expansion of healthy human oral mucosa and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tumor organoids. The HNSCC tumor organoids provide a functional platform for analyzing tumor cell phenotype, tumorigenic potential, and drug and radiotherapy response, and they have a potential role in clinical decision-making.See related article by Driehuis et al., p. 852.
THE NMR BLOOD TEST FOR CANCER : CURRENT STATUS

Our laboratory has developed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for detecting cancer. Using water-suppressed proton (H-1) NMR spectroscopy, we observed that the linewidths of the resonances of methyl and methylene moieties in lipoprotein lipids were consistently narrower in plasma samples from cancer patients than in those from controls. These findings have been corroborated by a number of independent laboratories, but other investigators have been unable to reproduce our results. One reason for the variability of results obtained with H-1 NMR may be that hypertriglyceridemia also induces linewidth narrowing of lipoprotein lipid methyl and methylene resonances, and can cause false positive results. We show that this ambiguity can be circumvented by using a second test based on the carbon-13 (C-13) NMR spectrum of plasma. Here we postulate that the cancer-associated changes seen in H-1 and C-13 NMR spectra are caused by peroxidation of lipoprotein lipids, an effect that may be induced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha released during malignancy.
Characterization of Locked Combinational Circuits via ATPG

Threats to integrated circuits exist due to the outsourcing of IC design and fabrication to third parties. As a result, various design-for-trust techniques have been developed including logic locking. Current methods of characterizing the security of logic locking require multiple tools and expertise for the various locking types now in existence. In this paper, we propose an ATPG-based toolbox called CLIC-A (Characterization of Locked Integrated Circuits via ATPG) that can be used to determine the level of security effectiveness for a given instance of a locked circuit. Experiments demonstrate that CLIC-A is effective across a multitude of locking methods.
A robust LC-MS/MS method for amikacin: application to cellular uptake and pharmacokinetic studies.

Background: Aminoglycosides are last-resort antibiotics for bacterial infections due to concerns of nephrotoxicity. A robust method is needed to correlate the magnitude of drug accumulation in the ...
A 2020 centenary perspective on neuromuscular disorders

In August 1921, the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (JNNP) published a case of recurrent hypertrophic neuritis,1 which detailed the clinical course of a patient with a likely inherited neuropathy. Although unknown in 1921, this article foreshadowed the critical role that genetics would play in altering the course of neuromuscular diseases in the next 100 years. In fact, 98 years later JNNP published a review on peripheral neuropathy in complex inherited diseases.2 As a group of disorders, neuromuscular diseases include entities that affect muscle, the neuromuscular junction, peripheral nerves, nerve roots and motor neurons. At each location, genetic alterations can result in severe disease, resulting in mild-to-severe disability for those carrying mutations. The progress made in our understanding of the genetic aetiology of neuromuscular diseases in the last 100 years is remarkable. When JNNP first began publishing articles the structure of DNA was unknown, and today we have effective gene-targeted therapies that alter the course of multiple neuromuscular diseases. One year ago, we were challenged to consider the ‘most important or transformative development in neurology’ in the past 100 years and how JNNP contributed to this achievement given its broad scope.3 To our surprise, no nomination for neuromuscular disorders made the final list.4 Therefore, we wish to put forth a nomination for neuromuscular disorders. All articles cited for this nomination are published in JNNP. We contend the subspeciality …
Improving Occupational Performance in Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients

Importance There is a critical gap in the literature regarding the efficacy of occupational therapy interventions for pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) patients. Objective To demonstrate that occupational therapy 4-5×/wk during inpatient hospitalization positively affects strength, coordination, and independence in activities of daily living (ADLs) of pediatric patients during HCT. Design Retrospective study. Setting Inpatient bone marrow transplant unit at a children's hospital. Participants Thirty-two pediatric patients admitted for HCT. Outcomes and measures Patients were seen by an occupational therapist as part of an interdisciplinary program. Interventions included play and leisure engagement, upper extremity therapeutic exercises, fine motor activities, and ADL training. Strength, coordination, and daily living skills data were documented prospectively and analyzed retrospectively to compare differences between patients seen by occupational therapy at high versus low frequency. Results For grip strength (dynamometer), fine motor dexterity (the 9-Hole Peg Test), and independence in ADLs (an ADL functional measure and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test Daily Activities), the high-frequency group had a significantly smaller decrease in performance from time of admission at pretransplant (baseline) to peak decline after transplant. Grip strength and ADL scores for the high-frequency group returned to baseline at time of discharge more readily than for the low-frequency group. Conclusions and relevance Participation in occupational therapy 4-5×/wk had positive effects on strength, coordination, and independence in ADLs for patients undergoing HCT. What this article adds This article provides evidence that occupational therapists are an important part of the interdisciplinary team treating pediatric bone marrow transplant patients. It also demonstrates that occupational therapy interventions delivered at a high frequency can have a positive impact on upper extremity strength and independence in ADLs.
My Taxes are Too Darn High: Tax Protests as Revealed Preferences for Taxation

In all U.S. states, individuals can file a protest with the goal of legally reducing their property taxes. The decision to protest can provide unique revealed-preference evidence on individuals’ support for taxation in a high-stakes, naturally-occurring context. We study the motives for protesting taxes using administrative records and two sources of causal identification: a quasi-experiment and a large-scale natural field experiment. We show that, consistent with selfish motives, the decision to protest is highly elastic to the private benefits and private costs of protesting. We find evidence of fairness motives too: consistent with conditional cooperation, a higher perceived average tax rate decreases both households’ feelings of unfairness and their probabilities of protesting. Lastly, we study differences in protest choices between Democrats and Republicans.
Rapid multiperiodic variability in a high-mass X-ray binary

Positions of High-Mass X-ray Binaries are often known precisely enough to unambiguously identify the optical component, and a number of those stars are monitored by the OGLE and MACHO collaborations. The light curves of two such candidates are examined for evidence of Be star behavior and for periodicity. One of the stars exhibits two periods of 6.833 and 15.586 hours, much shorter and more stable than periods of Be/X-Ray Binaries that are attributed to the Be star's disk, but consistent with short-term Be variability attributed to pulsations. The multiperiodicity is quantified with Fourier techniques and examined for phase stability; a combination of radial and non-radial pulsations is discussed.
Mental Health and Benzodiazepine Use Among Patients on Chronic Opioid Therapy

Introduction: Higher daily doses of opioids as well as co-prescription of benzodiazepines have been associated with risk of overdose. The current study characterizes prescribing patterns in a family medicine practice with regard to patient mental health diagnoses, benzodiazepine prescriptions, morphine milligram equivalent opioid dose, and patient demographics. Methods: Patients on chronic opioid therapy were studied in 2018 and 2019. Mental health diagnoses, opioid dose, benzodiazepine prescriptions and demographic characteristics were extracted from the electronic health record. Data were compared between years and logistic regression was used to determine which patient characteristics were associated with likelihood of decreased opioid dose. Results: A total of 387 patients were prescribed chronic opioid therapy in 2018, and 231 in 2019. In 2018, 49.9% of patients prescribed chronic opioids had mental health diagnoses. In 2019, this proportion rose to 92.2%. In 2019, 205 of the original 387 patients were still with the practice but were not prescribed chronic opioids. Among the factors studied, psychiatric diagnosis and higher opioid dose were associated with a significantly lower likelihood of tapering doses. Discussion: As practices taper or de-prescribe opioids, or implement harm reduction methods such as de-prescribing benzodiazepines, it is important to understand patient characteristics and their relationship to success with tapering. This study adds to the evidence that odds of successfully tapering opioids may be significantly impacted by patients’ mental health diagnosis and opioid dose.
Unified Mechanics of Metals under High Electrical Current Density: Electromigration and Thermomigration

Electromigration and thermomigration are in principal irreversible mass diffusion mechanisms under high current density and high temperature gradient, respectively. However, thermomigration can take place alone in the absence of electrical current, while electromigration cannot happen without thermomigration due to Joule heating, except for special circumstances.
Understanding the Gut Microbiota in Pediatric Patients with Alopecia Areata and their Siblings: A Pilot Study

A cross-sectional study of 41 children aged 4–17 years with alopecia areata and 41 of their siblings without alopecia areata was conducted. A total of 51% had the Severity of Alopecia Tool scores in the range of 0–25%, 12% had scores between 26% and 49%, and 36% had scores between 75% and 100%. The fecal microbiome was characterized using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. A comparison of alpha and beta diversity yielded a small but statistically significant difference on the basis of Jaccard distance, which measures species presence and absence between samples. However, a follow-up analysis did not reveal the particular species that were present more often in one group. The relative abundance of one species, Ruminococcus bicirculans, was decreased in patients with alopecia areata relative to that in their sibling controls. An analysis of gene ortholog abundance identified 20 orthologs that were different between groups, including spore germination genes and genes for metal transportation. The associations reported in this study support a view of pediatric alopecia areata as a systemic disease that has effects on hair but also leads to internal changes, including differences in the gut microbiome.
Boundary effects. Refraction of a particle beam.

The refraction of light at an interface is familiar as a rainbow or the 'bending' of a pencil in a glass of water. Here we show that particles can also be refracted and even totally internally reflected, as evidenced by an electron beam of 28.5 × 109 electron volts being deflected by more than a milli-radian upon exiting a passive boundary between a plasma and a gas — the electron beam is bent away from the normal to the interface, just like light leaving a medium of higher refractive index. This phenomenon could lead to the replacement of magnetic kickers by fast optical kickers in particle accelerators, for example, or to compact magnet-less storage rings in which beams are guided by plasma fibre optics.
Safety and efficacy of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin instillations in steroid-treated and immunocompromised patients

14507 Background: We assess the safety and efficacy of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for high-risk superficial bladder cancer in steroid-treated and immunocompromised patients. Method...
Changes in species interactions across a 2.5 km elevation gradient: effects on plant migration in response to climate change.

Predicted climate change in the Andes will require plant species to migrate upslope to avoid extinction. Central to predictions of species responses to climate change is an understanding of species distributions along environmental gradients. Environmental gradients are frequently modelled as abiotic, but biotic interactions can play important roles in setting species distributions, abundances, and life history traits. Biotic interactions also have the potential to influence species responses to climate change, yet they remain mostly unquantified. An important interaction long studied in tropical forests is postdispersal seed predation which has been shown to affect the population dynamics, community structure, and diversity of plant species in time and space. This paper presents a comparative seed predation study of 24 species of tropical trees across a 2.5 km elevation gradient in the Peruvian Andes and quantifies seed predation variation across the elevational gradient. We then use demographic modelling to assess effects of the observed variation in seed predation on population growth rates in response to observed increasing temperatures in the area. We found marked variation among species in total seed predation depending on the major seed predator of the species and consistent changes in seed predation across the gradient. There was a significant increase in seed survival with increasing elevation, a trend that appears to be driven by regulation of seed predators via top-down forces in the lowlands giving way to bottom-up (productivity) regulation at mid- to high elevations, resulting in a ninefold increase in effective fecundity for trees at high elevations. This potential increase in seed crop size strongly affects modelled plant population growth and seed dispersal distances, increasing population migration potential in the face of climate change. These results also indicate that species interactions can have effects on par with climate in species responses to global change.
Evaluating a contextual model of responses to relational uncertainty increasing events : The role of intimacy, appraisals, and emotions

This study formulates and tests a contextual model of communication about events that increase relational uncertainty within courtship (N = 278 participants). Intimacy is examined as a feature of the distal context, and appraisals and emotions are investigated as features of the proximal context. As expected, intimacy coincided with positively-valenced behaviors (Hypothesis 1). Appraisals also explained variance in behaviors (Hypothesis 2), especially attentional activity, relevance, obstacle, power, and legitimacy (Research Question 1). With some exceptions, emotions predicted behaviors beyond the effects of appraisals (Hypothesis 3, Research Question 2). Emotions partially mediated the association between appraisals and behaviors (Hypothesis 4), but intimacy, appraisals, and emotions were all unique predictors of behaviors (Hypothesis 5), and intimacy did not moderate the effects of appraisals or emotions on behaviors (Research Question 3). Although the pattern of covariation was consistent across the self-reported and hypothetical events, the self-reported events generated more negatively-valenced appraisals, emotions, and behaviors than the hypothetical events (Research Question 4). The discussion examines how knowledge can accumulate by assimilating features of the distal and proximal contexts.
Tetraphenylarsonium Chloride Hydrochloride

Tetraphenylarsonium Chloride Hydrochloride intermediate: triphenylarsine intermediate: triphenylarsine oxide product: tetraphenylarsonium chloride hydrochloride Keywords: arylation; Grignard and related reactions; metalation reactions, arsenic; oxidation, miscellaneous; arsenic compounds, poison
Differences in Background and Drug Use History Among Three Types of Drug Users Entering Drug Therapy Programs.

The 26,316 patients who entered drug therapy programs participating in the DARP from June, 1971, to March, 1973, and who had used drugs for at least two years were grouped into three drug use categ...
Rapid changes in chick liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase indicative of phosphorylation control.

Abstract Liver fatty acid synthesis was suppressed 75,95 and 90% within 1, 2 and 4 hrs respectively of depriving chicks of food. Accompanying this rapid drop in lipogenesis was a marked reduction in acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity, i.e., 40 and 75% decrease after 2 and 4 hrs of fasting. Adding 10mM citrate to the crude liver supernatant, or incubating the supernatant at 37°, 30 min increased activity of the briefly fasted birds, but neither method restored carboxylase activity to fed level. Heat and citrate activation were additive and together resulted in an activity comparable to the fed condition. The heat-dependent activation was accelerated by exogenous phosphoprotein phosphatase, and completely blocked by 100 mM NaF. Thus, enhancement of carboxylase activity from liver of briefly fasted chicks appears to be a dephosphorylation process. This is the first report indicating acute changes in chick carboxylase activity may involve a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation mechanism.
Inhibition of the Sodium, Potassium Adenosine Triphosphatase Enzyme in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Subjects with Allergic Rhinitis

Background Previous investigations have documented that a sodium, potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na+, K+ ATPase) enzyme inhibitor is bound to the platelet membrane, displaced from the platelet membrane by freezing, and present in the plasma of subjects with allergic rhinitis. Others have shown that stimulation of Na+, K+ ATPase is an important early event in mitogen-induced activation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Na+, K+ ATPase enzyme inhibited observed in the platelets of subjects with allergic rhinitis also extends to peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Methods Na+, K+ ATPase activity of the particulate fraction of sonicated peripheral blood mononuclear cells was determined by spectrophotometry in asymptomatic adults with and without allergic rhinitis. Results The mean Na+, K+ ATPase activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells expressed as nanomoles per microgram protein per minute (nM/μg protein/min) ± 1 standard deviation of the patients with allergic rhinitis (n = 14) was 1.04 ± 1.01, while that of the control subjects (n = 12) was 3.57 ± 1.60 (P ≤.001). In contrast, when the peripheral blood mononuclear cell membranes were frozen and then thawed prior to assay, the mean Na+, K+ ATPase activity for the subjects with allergic rhinitis (n = 24) was 5.33 + 2.62, while that of the control subjects (n = 23) was 1.12 ± 1.24 ( P P Conclusions These data demonstrate that peripheral blood mononuclear cells from subjects with allergic rhinitis, like platelets, possess a membranebound Na+, K+ ATPase inhibitor that is displaced from the membrane by freezing. In vivo Na+, K+ ATPase inhibition could have significant effects on the activation and function of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in subjects with allergic rhinitis.
Comment on "systematic investigation of the sorption properties of polyurethane foams for organic vapors".

A method was devised for combining experimental partition coefficients measured at different temperatures into a single regression correlation. The proposed method described the 265 experimental air-to-polyurethane ether adsorption coefficients reported by Kamprad and Goss (Kamprad, I.; Goss, K.-U. Anal. Chem. 2007, 79, 4222−4227) to within a standard deviation of 0.084 log units, which is comparable in descriptive ability to the four temperature-specific correlations determined from a regression analysis of the experimental data at each of the temperatures studied.
Evaluating the use of blood cultures in the management of children hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia

Background Blood cultures are often recommended for the evaluation of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, institutions vary in their use of blood cultures, and blood cultures have unclear utility in CAP management in hospitalized children.
Control model of maintainability level

Abstract The method of building a control model of maintainability level is presented based on using regression analysis. To carry out the structure of the model, the realization system of maintainability design is taken into account. To specify model inputs, maintainability as a complexity property of technical system is considered. Maintainability attributes are accepted as model outputs which in the synthetic way are determined a maintainability level of a technical system. They can be taken over from the set of maintainability indices, for example: mean active repair time (corrective), etc. A control model of maintainability level for 67 ship engines of Sulzer RD and RND types has been developed. The considered control model can be applied to the improvement of design which leads to the modification of technical systems.
Addressing the complexity of writing development: Toward an ecological model of assessment

Abstract This article offers one potential response to Yancey's (1999) call for a fourth wave of writing assessment able to capture writing development in all of its complexity. Based on an ecological perspective of literate development that situates students’ growth as writers across multiple engagements with writing, including those outside of school, the ecological model of writing assessment described in this article seeks to provide students, teachers, departments, and institutions with fuller, richer accounts of the breadth of students’ literate experiences and how those experiences impact their abilities to accomplish academic tasks throughout the undergraduate years and beyond. Using the University of Central Florida's recent efforts to develop and employ an ecological assessment model as one of many potential examples, this article argues that an ecological model of writing assessment enables institutions to make visible the multiple sites where writing takes place, strengthen the affordances for student learning and writing in these sites, and also respond effectively to the multiple stakeholders invested in understanding writing development, what it involves, and how it might best be supported.
Dynamic Assessment of School-Age Children’s Narrative Ability: An Experimental Investigation of Classification Accuracy

Two experiments examined reliability and classification accuracy of a narration-based dynamic assessment task. Purpose The first experiment evaluated whether parallel results were obtained from sto...
The elusive physiologic role of Factor XII

Physiologic hemostasis upon injury involves many plasma proteins in a well-regulated cascade of proteolytic reactions to form a clot. Deficiency of blood coagulation Factors VIII, IX, or XI is associated with hemophilia. Factor XII (FXII) autoactivates by contact with a variety of artificial or biologic negatively charged surfaces (contact activation), resulting in blood coagulation and activation of the inflammatory kallikrein-kinin and complement systems. However, surprisingly, individuals deficient in FXII rarely suffer from bleeding disorders. Most biologic surfaces that activate FXII become expressed in disease states. Investigators have long searched for physiologic activators of FXII and its role in vivo. In this issue of the JCI, Maas et al. show that misfolded protein aggregates produced during systemic amyloidosis allow for plasma FXIIa and prekallikrein activation and increased formation of kallikrein-C1 inhibitor complexes, without Factor XIa activation and coagulation (see the related article beginning on page 3208). This study describes a novel biologic surface for FXII activation and activity, which initiates inflammatory events independent of hemostasis.
Seismic-Reflection Identification of Susquehanna River Paleochannels on the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain

Land-based, high-resolution seismic-reflection methods were used to image Quaternary paleochannels of the Susquehanna River system. Using a portable, 12-channel signal-enhancing seismograph, 12 accelerometers as receivers, and a 4.54-kg sledge hammer struck against an aluminum plate as a source, a sixfold, multichannel seismic profile 2.5 km long was acquired at Taylors Island, Maryland. On the processed seismic profile, pronounced high-amplitude seismic reflections delineate the unconformity between Quaternary and underlying Tertiary sediments and the disconformable contact separating Miocene and Eocene deposits. Subsurface-seismic stratigraphic relationships that clearly indicate the presence of two paleochannels were observed, one believed to be the Exmore paleochannel, projected to underlie northern Taylors Island based on marine seismic data. An overlapping sequence of fill sediments was observed on the eastern margin of the Exmore paleochannel. The second paleochannel may be a tributary of the Exmore or possibly the western edge of the younger Eastville paleochannel. Results from this study indicate that land-based, shallow, high-resolution seismic-reflection data can be used to delineate subsurface geomorphology successfully in coastal plain environments. This technique of defining erosional surfaces and depositional units beneath present land areas, when integrated with chronostratigraphic data, is a powerful tool for developing a better understanding of the Quaternary record.
An Archaeological Correlate of War

War is a critical variable in a large number of theoretical models used in archaeology, yet there has been little research to date on archaeological correlates of war. An archaeological correlate of war based on patterns of community organization is developed and tested using ethnographic data. This correlate is applied to the archaeological record of Mississippian societies in eastern North America, and the presence of warfare during the Mississippian period is confirmed. In addition, it is suggested that the pattern of warfare made evident through Mississippian community organization appears to be one focused solely on riverine centers and not affecting more rural Mississippian communities.
Spare the Rod? Ideology, Experience, and Attitudes Toward Child Discipline Among Presbyterian Clergy

Despite the recurrent public and academic controversies over the issue of corporal punishment, few studies have examined the attitudes of clergy members. This oversight is noteworthy, because clergy members may influence the beliefs and behaviors of church members and others via their roles in parish ministry, counseling, and civic leadership. Our study addresses this gap in the research literature using data from a nationwide sample of Presbyterian Church (USA) clergy members. Key findings include the following: (a) Approval of corporal punishment is higher among male, non-white, less affluent, and parish (vs. specialized) clergy; (b) Theological conservatism is unrelated to corporal punishment attitudes, but political conservatism and Republican Party leanings are strongly predictive of greater approval of physical discipline; and (c) Clergy members who know someone in their congregation who has experienced abuse are less supportive of the corporal punishment of children, although direct personal experiences with physical or emotional abuse are less consistently related to corporal punishment attitudes. Several implications and promising directions for future research are discussed.
Inherent calibration of a blue LED-CE-DOAS instrument to measure iodine oxide, glyoxal, methyl glyoxal, nitrogen dioxide, water vapour and aerosol extinction in open cavity mode

Abstract. The combination of Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy (CEAS) with broad-band light sources (e.g. Light-Emitting Diodes, LEDs) lends itself to the application of cavity enhanced Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (CE-DOAS) to perform sensitive and selective point measurements of multiple trace gases and aerosol extinction with a single instrument. In contrast to other broad-band CEAS techniques, CE-DOAS relies only on the measurement of relative intensity changes, i.e. does not require knowledge of the light intensity in the absence of trace gases and aerosols (I0). We have built a prototype LED-CE-DOAS instrument in the blue spectral range (420–490 nm) to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2), glyoxal (CHOCHO), methyl glyoxal (CH3COCHO), iodine oxide (IO), water vapour (H2O) and oxygen dimers (O4). We demonstrate the first direct detection of methyl glyoxal, and the first CE-DOAS detection of CHOCHO and IO. The instrument is further inherently calibrated for light extinction from the cavity by observing O4 or H2O (at 477 nm and 443 nm) and measuring the pressure, relative humidity and temperature independently. This approach is demonstrated by experiments where laboratory aerosols of known size and refractive index were generated and their extinction measured. The measured extinctions were then compared to the theoretical extinctions calculated using Mie theory (3–7 × 10−7cm−1). Excellent agreement is found from both the O4 and H2O retrievals. This enables the first inherently calibrated CEAS measurement at blue wavelengths in open cavity mode, and eliminates the need for sampling lines to supply air to the cavity, i.e., keep the cavity enclosed and/or aerosol free. Measurements in open cavity mode are demonstrated for CHOCHO, CH3COCHO, NO2, H2O and aerosol extinction. Our prototype LED-CE-DOAS provides a low cost, yet research grade innovative instrument for applications in simulation chambers and in the open atmosphere.
A new worldview of soils

In the spectrum of things in nature that range from nonliving to living, soils fall right in the middle—functioning as the bridge between the biotic and the abiotic worlds and possessing enormous internal power as the nurturing ground for life. A fundamental shift is needed to understand and manage complex, semi-living soil systems. After the Newtonian and Darwinian worldviews, a third worldview is emerging that integrates living and nonliving entities as well as space and time cultures. This new worldview emphasizes the interwoven nature of conservation and evolution, the intimate link between internal organization and system function, the system between extremes, and the unprecedented anthropogenic impacts. A new kind of physics is suggested for enhanced understanding of soil complexity, including (i) the modification of Newton’s three laws of motion, (ii) the internal organization (rather than externality) of soils in response to perturbations, and (iii) the medium number syndrome (systems too complex for classical analytics and too organized for statistical treatment). Soils are a great subject for the study of complexity and sustainability, where non-closed cycles and irreversible thermodynamics prevail. However, modern soil vulnerability to global change and anthropogenic threats is unprecedented. If current land use and hazard trends are not adjusted, we may run the risk of losing the ground for sustainability. We need innovative investigations toward building better human systems that are in harmony with functional soils and ecosystems.
Navy fuel production during a middle east political disruption

Abstract Econometric and linear programming models have been used to study the production of Navy mobility fuels during a political disruption scenario in the year 1995. Among other conditions of the disruption, exports of petroleum from the Persian Gulf, Algeria, and Libya are reduced by 50% and strategic petroleum reserves are used at maximum rates. The disruption results in a 90% cut in Navy jet fuel production with stable price differentials and in high sulfur levels for Navy mobility fuels.
Investigating the improvement of prospective elementary teachers’ number sense in reasoning about fraction magnitude

We report on interview results from a classroom teaching experiment in a Number and Operations course for prospective elementary teachers. Improving the number sense of this population is an important goal for mathematics teacher education, and researchers have found this goal to be difficult to accomplish. In earlier work, we devised a local instruction theory for the development of number sense, which focused on whole-number mental computation. In this study, the local instruction theory was applied to the rational-number domain, with the help of a framework for reasoning about fraction magnitude, and it guided instruction in the content course. We interviewed seven participants pre- and post-instruction, and we found that their reasoning on fraction comparison tasks improved. The participants made more correct comparisons, reasoned more flexibly, and came to favor less conventional and more sophisticated strategies. These improvements in number sense parallel those that we found previously in mental computation. In addition to the overall results, we highlight two cases of improvement that illustrate ways in which prospective elementary teachers’ reasoning about fraction magnitude can change.
Undesired usage and the robust self-assembly of heterogeneous structures.

Biological and synthetic systems seek to assemble complex structures, such as protein or DNA assemblies, out of many distinct building blocks. Here, the authors show that the optimal supply of building blocks must account for the composition of undesired structures and not just the desired structure.
Stress induces rapid changes in central catecholaminergic activity in Anolis carolinensis: Restraint and forced physical activity

Immobilization stress and physical activity separately influence monoaminergic function. In addition, it appears that stress and locomotion reciprocally modulate neuroendocrine responses, with forced exercise ameliorating stress-induced serotonergic activity in lizards. To investigate the interaction of forced physical activity and restraint stress on central dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and epinephrine (Epi), we measured these catecholamines and their metabolites in select brain regions of stressed and exercised male Anolis carolinensis lizards. Animals were handled briefly to elicit restraint stress, with some lizards additionally forced to run on a track until exhaustion, or half that time (50% of average time to exhaustion), compared to a control group that experienced no restraint or exercise. Norepinephrine concentrations in the hippocampus and locus ceruleus decreased with restraint stress, but returned to control levels following forced exhaustion. Levels of NE in the raphe nuclei and area postrema, and epinephrine in raphe became elevated following restraint stress, and returned to control levels following forced physical activity to 50% or 100% exhaustion. Striatal DA increased as animals were exercised to 50% of exhaustion, and returned to baseline with exhaustion. At exhaustion, striatal Epi levels were diminished, compared with controls. In the area postrema, exhaustion reversed a decline in epinephrine levels that followed forced physical activity. These results suggest that stress stimulates a rapid influence on central catecholamines. In addition, forced exercise, and even exhaustion, may alleviate the effects of restraint stress on central monoamines.
“It's Not My Job”: K–12 Teacher Attitudes Toward Students' Heritage Language Maintenance

Abstract This paper examines teachers' attitudes towards their students' heritage language maintenance and their engagement in classroom practices that may or may not affirm the value of maintaining and developing heritage languages among students. Through surveys and interviews with K–12 teachers in California public schools, the data show that the nature of teacher training and personal experience with languages other than English significantly affect teacher attitudes toward heritage language maintenance and bilingualism. Teachers who did not receive training as language educators expressed negative or indifferent attitudes toward heritage language maintenance and did not see a role for themselves and schools in heritage language maintenance efforts. This study highlights the need for all educators to better understand the critical role and functions of heritage languages in the personal, academic, and social trajectories of linguistic minority students.
Optimized Assembly and Covalent Coupling of Single-Molecule DNA Origami Nanoarrays

Artificial DNA nanostructures, such as DNA origami, have great potential as templates for the bottom-up fabrication of both biological and nonbiological nanodevices at a resolution unachievable by conventional top-down approaches. However, because origami are synthesized in solution, origami-templated devices cannot easily be studied or integrated into larger on-chip architectures. Electrostatic self-assembly of origami onto lithographically defined binding sites on Si/SiO_2 substrates has been achieved, but conditions for optimal assembly have not been characterized, and the method requires high Mg^(2+) concentrations at which most devices aggregate. We present a quantitative study of parameters affecting origami placement, reproducibly achieving single-origami binding at 94 ± 4% of sites, with 90% of these origami having an orientation within ±10° of their target orientation. Further, we introduce two techniques for converting electrostatic DNA–surface bonds to covalent bonds, allowing origami arrays to be used under a wide variety of Mg^(2+)-free solution conditions.
In situ formed Si nanoparticle network with micron-sized Si particles for lithium-ion battery anodes.

To address the significant challenges associated with large volume change of micrometer-sized Si particles as high-capacity anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, we demonstrated a simple but effective strategy: using Si nanoparticles as a structural and conductive additive, with micrometer-sized Si as the main lithium-ion storage material. The Si nanoparticles connected into the network structure in situ during the charge process, to provide electronic connectivity and structure stability for the electrode. The resulting electrode showed a high specific capacity of 2500 mAh/g after 30 cycles with high initial Coulombic efficiency (73%) and good rate performance during electrochemical lithiation and delithiation: between 0.01 and 1 V vs Li/Li+.
Social control in marital relationships: effect of one's partner on health behaviors

The present study examined the role that health-related social control plays in promoting health-enhancing behavioral reactions among married couples. Health-related social control refers to interactions entailing influence and regulation of health practices. A sample of 109 couples answered questions about their social control interactions during structured phone interviews. Analyses maintaining the couple as the unit of analysis indicated that spouses' reports of more frequent social control overall and the use of positive, bilateral, and direct social control tactics predicted their partners' reports of health-enhancing behavioral reactions.
Real-time pitch extraction of voiced speech

This paper describes a novel speech analysis application which was implemented using a Motorola M68HC11 microcontroller system. This microcontroller-based platform was designed to function as a pitch extractor for voiced speech in real time. In this context, pitch extraction is the identification of individual pitch periods, or glottal cycles, from a raw speech waveform. The system implements a new pitch determination algorithm (PDA) that is based on a progressing wave model of speech generation. The PDA was developed specifically to operate in real-time and to maintain phase characteristics with the raw speech signal. As one possible application, the pitch extractor was incorporated into a dual processor system designed to function as a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)-compatible controller.
Self-Reported Physical Activity and Myocardial Flow Reserve in Postmenopausal Women at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Background: Regular exercise protects against coronary heart disease (CHD) events and improves vascular reactivity. Exercise effects on myocardial flow reserve (MFR) are not well studied. Methods: We performed dynamic N-13 ammonia positron emission tomography (PET) in 16 postmenopausal women (60 ± 6 years) to measure myocardial blood flow (MBF) and MFR. We also obtained information from each woman on her self-reported physical activity. Results: Of the 16 patients, 6 reported moderate regular physical activity, and 10 did not. Women who reported regular, at least moderate physical activity had a higher percentage increase in adenosine MBF from rest compared with women who did not exercise (268% vs. 129%, p = 0.04) and had a significantly higher mean maximal MFR (3.68 vs. 2.29, p = 0.04). Conclusions: These findings provide further mechanistic support for the beneficial cardiovascular effects of exercise.
Molecular Determinants of Tuberoinfundibular Peptide of 39 Residues (TIP39) Selectivity for the Parathyroid Hormone-2 (PTH2) Receptor N-TERMINAL TRUNCATION OF TIP39 REVERSES PTH2 RECEPTOR/PTH1 RECEPTOR BINDING SELECTIVITY

Tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues (TIP39) and the parathyroid hormone-2 (PTH2) receptor form part of an extended family of related signaling molecules that includes the PTH1 receptor, which responds to PTH and PTH-related protein. TIP39 does not appreciably activate the PTH1 receptor, but in this study it is shown to bind the receptor with moderate affinity (59 nm). In this study, we investigated the molecular determinants of both ligand and receptor for the PTH2 receptor selectivity of TIP39 and quantitatively evaluated the role of molecular elements in the binding of TIP39 to the PTH2 and PTH1 receptors. A chimeric receptor composed of the N-terminal extracellular domain of the PTH1 receptor and the remainder (juxtamembrane domain) of the PTH2 receptor (P2-NP1) was fully activated by TIP39 (E(max) = 98% of the rPTH-(1-34), E(max), EC(50) = 2.0 nm). This receptor chimera bound TIP39 with an equivalent affinity to the wild-type PTH2 receptor (2. 3 and 2.0 nm, respectively). The reciprocal chimeric receptor (P1-NP2) was not activated by TIP39 and bound the ligand with an affinity equivalent to that of the PTH1 receptor. Thus, the juxtamembrane receptor domain specifies the signaling and binding selectivity of TIP39 for the PTH2 receptor over the PTH1 receptor. Removing six N-terminal residues of TIP39 eliminated activation of the PTH2 receptor and reduced binding affinity 70-fold. In contrast, this truncation increased affinity for the PTH1 receptor 10-fold, reversing the PTH2/PTH1 receptor binding selectivity and resulting in a high affinity interaction of TIP-(7-39) with the PTH1 receptor (6 nm). These findings can be explained by a strong interaction between the N-terminal region of TIP39 and the juxtamembrane domain of the PTH2 receptor, with the corresponding domain of the PTH1 receptor acting as a selectivity barrier against high affinity binding of TIP39. As a result, TIP-(7-39) is a highly potent, selective antagonist for the PTH1 receptor.
Galvanic Corrosion of Duplex FeCr-10%Ni Alloys in Reducing Acids

Abstract The effect on corrosion of composition and microstructure in a series of FeCr-10%Ni alloys with increasing chromium content has been investigated in reducing acids. In the range of 25 to 3...
DNA-Decorated Carbon Nanotubes as Sensitive Layer for AlN Contour-Mode Resonant-MEMS Gravimetric Sensor

In this work a nano-enabled gravimetric chemical sensor prototype based on single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) decorated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) as nano-functionalization layer for Aluminun Nitride (AIN) contour-mode resonant-MEMS gravimetric sensors has been demonstrated. Two resonators fabricated on the same silicon chip and operating at different resonance frequencies, 287 and 450 MHz, were functionalized with this novel bio-coating layer to experimentally prove the capability of two distinct single strands of DNA bound to SWNT to enhance differently the adsorption of volatile organic compounds such as dinitroluene (DNT, simulant for explosive vapor) and dymethyl-methylphosphonate (DMMP, a simulant for nerve agent sarin). The introduction of this bio-coating layer addresses the major drawbacks of recovery time (50% recovery in less than 29 seconds has been achieved) and lack of selectivity associated with gas sensor based on polymers and pristine carbon nanotube functionalization layers.