cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Events in Frog Blastomere Fate Determination

Publisher Summary Xenopus embryos are amenable to experimental perturbation throughout all stages of development. Many experimental tests of fate specification, determination, and commitment are possible. In Xenopus, there is the added advantage that naturally fertilized eggs often cleave in predictable, stereotypic patterns, and the three cardinal axes can be recognized by the first cleavage. The animal–vegetal axis, which will be transformed into the anterior–posterior axis at gastrulation, can be identified in unfertilized eggs by the asymmetric distribution of pigment granules to the animal hemisphere. The dorsal–ventral axis can be identified shortly after fertilization by a change in the animal hemisphere pigmentation caused by cytoplasmic reorganizations in response to the entry of the sperm. Finally, the first cleavage furrow defines the midsagittal plane in naturally fertilized eggs, identifying left and right sides. These characteristics make it possible to identify specific lineages just as has been done in invertebrates with invariant cleavage patterns. This chapter explores that cytoplasmic rearrangements and positioning of maternal factors may be involved in specifying the dorsal axis during the early cleavage stages. It also demonstrates that the position of a blastomere is critical for establishing whether its descendants will contribute to the retina, and the initial steps in the pathway of retinal cell specification.
Domain-general inhibition and lexical processing in monolingual and bilingual children: A longitudinal approach

Abstract We examined the association between inhibition and lexical processing in English-speaking monolingual and simultaneous Spanish-English bilingual children, at two time points one year apart. In both years, children completed a lexical decision task (LDT) in English and two nonverbal inhibitory control tasks. Monolingual children were more accurate than bilingual children on the LDT in Year 1, but not Year 2. Processing speed was similar across the two groups in both years. Cross-sectionally, inhibition was associated with LDT performance in both years. However, longitudinal analyses revealed that LDT performance in Year 1 predicted inhibition in Year 2, while the reverse relationship was not significant. Together, the findings suggest that inhibition appears to be related to lexical processing performance for all children, and the directionality of the relationship indicates that lexical skills contribute to inhibitory control skills over time, rather than the other way around.
Revisiting direct bootstrap resampling for input model uncertainty

Metamodel-based bootstrap methods for characterizing input model uncertainty have disadvantages for settings where there are a large number of input distributions, or when using empirical distributions to drive the simulation. Early direct bootstrapping of empirical distributions did not take into account the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic variations in the resampled quantities. When the intrinsic uncertainty is large, the result is overcoverage of the bootstrap percentile intervals. We explore ways of accounting for both sources in direct bootstrap characterization of input model uncertainty, and study the impact on confidence interval (CI) coverage. Four new bootstrap-based CIs for the expected simulation output under the unknown true distribution are proposed, basic shrinkage CI, percentile shrinkage CI, basic hierarchical bootstrap CI, and percentile hierarchical bootstrap CI, and their empirical performances are demonstrated using an example.
Status of Pacific Martens (Martes caurina) on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Pacific martens (Martes caurina) remain common in montane regions of the Pacific states, yet their distribution and status on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, is uncertain. Between 1968–2008, six reliable marten detections exist; a dead juvenile female (2008) indicates martens were reproducing on the Peninsula within the last decade. To assess the status of martens, we describe carnivore surveys conducted from 1991–2008 (n = 223 stations). Additionally, we present results from three survey efforts we conducted from 2013–2016 (n = 747 stations). Although a suite of carnivore species was detected, surveys from 1991–2008 failed to detect either martens or fishers. Surveys from 2013–2016 detected reintroduced fishers, and resulted in two marten detections near Mt. Olympus, 4 km apart. A marten was photographed opportunistically near Mt. Cruiser in 2015, 44 km from Mt. Olympus. Altogether, nine reliable detections of Pacific martens were obtained between 1968 and 2016, including three since 2008. Evidence suggests martens are absent from the lower elevation regions they once occupied and occur at exceedingly low densities at higher elevations. To understand the trend in marten populations on the Peninsula and develop appropriate conservation strategies, additional broad- and fine-scale surveys using detection devices that enable the genetic identification of individuals will be needed.
On the Progress Made in GaN Vertical Device Technology

Silicon technology enabled most of the electronics we witness today, including power electronics. However, wide bandgap semiconductors are capable of addressing high-power electronics more efficien...
Augmented quasigroups and character algebras

Abstract The conjugacy classes of groups and quasigroups form association schemes, in which the relation products are defined by collapsing group or quasigroup multiplications. In previous work, sharp transitivity was used to identify association schemes, such as certain Johnson schemes, which cannot appear as quasigroup schemes. Thus quasigroup schemes only constitute a fragment of the full set of all association schemes. Nevertheless, the current paper shows that every association scheme is in fact obtained by collapsing a quasigroup multiplication. In a second application of a similar technique, character quasigroups are constructed for each finite group, as analogues of the character groups of abelian groups, to encode the multiplicative structure of group characters. As infrastructure for these and related results, three key unifying concepts in compact closed categories are established: augmented comagmas, augmented magmas, and augmented quasigroups, the latter serving to capture such diverse structures as groups and Heyting algebras.
Tafenoquine: A Step toward Malaria Elimination.

There is a pressing need for compounds with broad-spectrum activity against malaria parasites at various life cycle stages to achieve malaria elimination. However, this goal cannot be accomplished ...
Heaviness of Alcohol Use, Alcohol Problems, and Subjective Intoxication Predict Discrepant Drinking Reports in Daily Life

BACKGROUND Self-reported consumption is pervasive in alcohol research, though retrospective recall bias is a concern. Fine-grained methods are designed to limit retrospection; yet, discrepancies can arise when comparing responses on fine-grained surveys with responses to retrospective surveys across weeks or months. Many fine-grained studies use both repeated daily surveys (RDS) and end-of-day (EOD) summaries, but little research has examined whether these survey types are consistent. The purpose of this study was to quantify the magnitude and directionality of discrepancy between EOD summaries and RDS and identify alcohol-related predictors of discrepancy. METHODS As a part of a larger study, college student alcohol and cannabis users (N = 341; 53% women; Mage = 19.79 years) were recruited to complete 56 days of data collection, including 5 daily assessments of their substance use and related constructs, one of which included an EOD summary of the previous day. Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to examine between- and within-person predictors of a 5-category, discrepancy outcome: no discrepancy, low discrepancy where RDS < EOD, low discrepancy where EOD < RDS, high discrepancy where RDS < EOD, and high discrepancy where EOD < RDS. RESULTS Discrepancies between EOD and RDS were observed in both directions. Alcohol problems predicted more alcohol consumption reported on the EOD survey than across RDS. Within-person alcohol quantity and hourly rate of consumption were most strongly related to less alcohol consumption reported on the EOD survey. Between- and within-person peak subjective intoxication and within-person liquor consumption were associated with discrepancies in both directions. CONCLUSIONS Surveys requiring more retrospection may overestimate alcohol consumption in problematic drinkers and underestimate consumption on days where more alcohol is consumed than typical. Evidence also suggests that greater day-to-day instability in alcohol behavior is linked to less consistent reporting overall. More research is needed to discern factors contributing to inconsistent reporting on fine-grained surveys to maximize the validity of reports.
Abstract CT188: Pharmacodynamic changes by durvalumab in combination with chemotherapy in women with untreated, advanced stage ovarian cancer

Objectives: To evaluate safety and efficacy of durvalumab (D) in combination with paclitaxel (P) and carboplatin (C) in newly diagnosed, advanced-stage, high grade, non-mucinous ovarian cancer (OC). To investigate informative pharmacodynamic changes including proteome changes and immune-related pathways by treatment with immuno-oncology therapy in combination with chemotherapy. Methods: In this single arm phase II study, patients (pts) with untreated, advanced stage (III/IV) OC dispositioned to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) received D (750mg) with weekly P (80mg/m2) and C (AUC6) after baseline tissue biopsy. Matched biopsies were obtained at tumor reductive surgery (TRS) after 3 cycles. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. Reverse-phase protein arrays (RPPA) were performed on pre- and post-treatment tissues. Protein expression alteration and an enriched Reactome pathway analysis using differentially expressed proteins between pre- and post-treatments were assessed. Results: 19 pts were enrolled and 18 treated. Median age was 63 and 50% had stage III disease. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed. 94% of pts had an adverse event (AE). Most common AEs were anemia (94%), neutropenia (83%), fatigue (72%), hyperglycemia (73%), and thrombocytopenia (66%). Immune-related AEs observed included hyperthyroidism (22%), hypothyroidism (22%), diarrhea (6%), hypophysitis (6%). Eighty-three percent had optimal interval TRS, 70% had a pre-operative response by RECIST (PR=11, CR=1). At 13 months (mo) median follow up, 9 pts (50%) had disease progression and median PFS was 14.5 mo (95% CI: 9.2 - NA). Median OS was not reached; OS rate at 18 mo was 69% (95% CI 0.21 - 0.91). Fifty-five tumor specimens were available from 9 pts (31 pre- and 24 post-treatment). Thirteen significantly differentially expressed proteins among 211 proteins (adj. p Citation Format: Shannon N. Westin, Sanghoon Lee, Li Zhao, Ying Yuan, Jimin Wu, Richard Hajek, Sara Sharafi, Larissa A. Meyer, Nicole D. Fleming, Amir Jazaeri, Robert L. Coleman, Karen H. Lu, Gordon B. Mills, Jianhua Zhang, Andrew Futreal, Anil K. Sood. Pharmacodynamic changes by durvalumab in combination with chemotherapy in women with untreated, advanced stage ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr CT188.
A System Level SI-PI co-simulation of LPDDR4x at 4267Mbps Speed

A system level SI-PI co-simulation of LPDDR4x 4267 Mbps is presented. Power Supply Induced Jitter (PSIJ) is estimated based on noise numbers of IO and core supplies. This PSIJ is fed into signal integrity simulation with ideal power to evaluate write and read margins. Layout and stackup optimization of both package and PCB is discussed in detail. Eye height and Eye width are measured and compared with Tx and Rx specification to conclude good margins.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring With Low-Carbohydrate Diet Coaching in Adults With Prediabetes: Mixed Methods Pilot Study

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is preventable; however, few patients with prediabetes participate in prevention programs. The use of user-friendly continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) with low-carbohydrate diet coaching is a novel strategy to prevent T2DM. Objective: This study aims to determine the patient satisfaction and feasibility of an intervention combining CGM use and low-carbohydrate diet coaching in patients with prediabetes to drive dietary behavior change. Methods: We conducted a mixed methods, single-arm pilot and feasibility study at a suburban family medicine clinic. A total of 15 adults with prediabetes with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels between 5.7% and 6.4% and a BMI >30 kg/m2 were recruited to participate. The intervention and assessments took place during 3 in-person study visits and 2 qualitative phone interviews (3 weeks and 6 months after the intervention). During visit 1, participants were asked to wear a CGM and complete a food intake and craving log for 10 days. During visit 2, the food intake and craving log along with the CGM results of the participants were reviewed and the participants received low-carbohydrate diet coaching, including learning about carbohydrates and personalized feedback. A second CGM sensor, with the ability to scan and record glucose trends, was placed, and the participants logged their food intake and cravings as they attempted to reduce their total carbohydrate intake (<100 g/day). During visit 3, the participants reviewed their CGM and log data. The primary outcome was satisfaction with the use of CGM and low-carbohydrate diet. The secondary outcomes included feasibility, weight, and HbA1c change, and percentage of time spent in hyperglycemia. Changes in attitudes and risk perception of developing diabetes were also assessed. Results: The overall satisfaction rate of our intervention was 93%. The intervention induced a weight reduction of 1.4 lb (P=.02) and a reduction of HbA1c levels by 0.71% (P<.001) since enrollment. Although not significantly, the percentage of time above glucose goal and average daily glucose levels decreased slightly during the study period. Qualitative interview themes indicated no major barriers to CGM use; the acceptance of a low-carbohydrate diet; and that CGMs helped to visualize the impact of carbohydrates on the body, driving dietary changes. Conclusions: The use of CGMs and low-carbohydrate diet coaching to drive dietary changes in patients with prediabetes is feasible and acceptable to patients. This novel method merits further exploration, as the preliminary data indicate that combining CGM use with low-carbohydrate diet coaching drives dietary changes, which may ultimately prevent T2DM. Trial Registration:
Cyberbullying Roles Among Adolescents: A Social-Ecological Theory Perspective

Few studies have been conducted to perform an in-depth examination of cyberbullying roles and to identify multifaceted factors associated with cyberbullying roles. Using Latent Class Analysis, the ...
Predictors of Sexual Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Men: A Prospective Analysis.

Research demonstrates that both peer socialization and underage drinking play a significant role in teen dating violence. However, less is known about the lasting effects of these risk factors on b...
Understanding sex differences in physical activity behavior: The role of anxiety sensitivity

Abstract Problem There is a well-evidenced sex-disparity in physical activity (PA), such that females are significantly less active than males. Anxiety sensitivity, the fear of anxiety-related bodily sensations, is a cognitive-affective vulnerability associated with increased negative affect during PA and lower levels of PA. The current study examined anxiety sensitivity as a potential sex-specific, psychological factor related to sex differences in past-week PA behavior in daily cigarette smokers. Method Participants (n = 527; 53.3% female) completed an anonymous online survey on emotion and health. Anxiety sensitivity was assessed with the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3. Past-week, self-reported PA minutes were measured across four intensities (e.g., walking, moderate, vigorous, and total PA) using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short. Four zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were constructed to test the main and interactive effects of sex and anxiety sensitivity on PA outcomes. Results Females reported significantly fewer past-week PA minutes relative to males across all domains. At higher levels of anxiety sensitivity, males reported significantly fewer total PA minutes; whereas, total PA levels in females were not dependent on anxiety sensitivity level. Additionally, females with elevated anxiety sensitivity reported significantly more past-week walking minutes relative to females with low anxiety sensitivity, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in males. Conclusion This is the first study to our knowledge to examine sex differences in anxiety sensitivity and PA, at varying PA intensities, among smokers. These data have the potential to inform sex-specific models of anxiety, PA, and smoking.
Placebo controlled phase II clinical trial: Safety and efficacy of combining intranasal insulin & acute exercise.

A growing number of investigations are exploring the utility of intranasal insulin as a means of mitigating cognitive decline. However, as a basic tenant of dementia prevention programs is increasing physical activity, it is essential to obtain a preliminary assessment of the safety profile of combining intranasal insulin with physical activity; to ensure that undue risks are not incurred. Utilizing a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled design, a sample of 116 non-diabetic, fasted college-aged adults were randomly assigned to receive a dose of 0-to-120 IU of NovoLog (Insulin Aspart) before being randomized to 20 min of exercise or sitting control condition. The safety of intranasal insulin was assessed by examining the incidence of potential symptoms of hypoglycemia and changes in peripheral blood glucose. The efficacy of a combination therapeutic approach was assessed using behavioral measures of inhibition and sustained attention alongside neuroelectric indices of attentional engagement. The frequency of symptoms reported following administration of intranasal insulin were not observed to interact with exercise so as to make their occurrence any more or less prominent, nor was the frequency observed to relate to the dose of intranasal insulin. However, doses of intranasal insulin of 100 IU or more were observed to result in a 7-fold increase in the likelihood of a level 1 hypoglycemic event for those individuals in the exercise condition. This study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that exercise is not associated with an increase in risk when combined with lower doses of intranasal insulin. Clinical trial registration The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT04292535.
Northern bobwhite select for shrubby thickets interspersed in grasslands during fall and winter.

Resource selection is a key component in understanding the ecological processes underlying population dynamics, particularly for species such as northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), which are declining across their range in North America. There is a growing body of literature quantifying breeding season resource selection in bobwhite; however, winter information is particularly sparse despite it being a season of substantial mortality. Information regarding winter resource selection is necessary to quantify the extent to which resource requirements are driving population change. We modeled bobwhite fall and winter resource selection as a function of vegetation structure, composition, and management from traditionally (intensively) managed sites and remnant (extensively managed) grassland sites in southwest Missouri using multinomial logit discrete choice models in a Bayesian framework. We captured 158 bobwhite from 67 unique coveys and attached transmitters to 119 individuals. We created 671 choice sets comprised of 1 used location and 3 available locations. Bobwhite selected for locations which were closer to trees during the winter; the relative probability of selection decreased from 0.45 (85% Credible Interval [CRI]: 0.17–0.74) to 0.00 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.002) as distance to trees ranged from 0–313 m. The relative probability of selection increased from near 0 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.01) to 0.33 (85% CRI: 0.09–0.56) and from near 0 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.00) to 0.51 (85% CRI: 0.36–0.71) as visual obstruction increased from 0 to 100% during fall and winter, respectively. Bobwhite also selected locations with more woody stems; the relative probability of selection increased from near 0.00 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.002) to 0.30 (85% CRI: 0.17–0.46) and near 0.00 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.001) to 0.35 (85% CRI: 0.22–0.55) as stem count ranged from 0 to 1000 stems in fall and winter, respectively. The relative probability of selection also decreased from 0.35 (85% CRI: 0.20– 0.54) to nearly 0 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.001) as percent grass varied from 0 to 100% in fall. We suggest that dense shrub cover in close proximity to native grasslands is an important component of fall and winter cover given bobwhite selection of shrub cover and previously reported survival benefits in fall and winter.
Nonionic Contamination Prevention — The Next Step Toward Guaranteed Printed Wiring Assembly Reliability

Recognition of the devastating effects of contamination on printed wiring assembly reliability, identification of contaminant classes and control of certain ionic contaminants by post-defluxing testing were important first steps toward assured assembly reliability. After briefly summarizing these steps, the discussion will concentrate on nonionic contamination prevention, the next step the electronics industry must take to achieve guaranteed assembly reliability.
Counterfeit Test Coverage: An Assessment of Current Counterfeit Detection Methods

The detection of counterfeit integrated circuits has become a major challenge largely due to the deficiencies in today’s testing mechanisms [1–4]. The detection of such components is still in its infancy, and there are major challenges that must be overcome in order for effective counterfeit detection methods to be deployed. Counterfeiting is an evolving problem with counterfeiters acquiring increasing amounts of experience with each passing day. Hence, it is imperative that we make every effort to stay ahead of them in order to prevent the widespread infiltration of counterfeit parts into our critical infrastructures. By detecting counterfeit parts efficiently, we can also enhance the public’s confidence in the security of systems that surround them. In order to achieve this goal, we must be able to continuously monitor counterfeiting activity and assess counterfeit detection methods in order to evaluate their effectiveness in detecting counterfeit components. We also need to develop a common platform to evaluate the efficacy of a set of test methods.
College Students' Text Messaging, Use of Textese and Literacy Skills

In this study, I examined reported frequency of text messaging, use of textese and literacy skills (reading accuracy, spelling and reading fluency) in a sample of American college students. Participants reported using text messaging, social networking sites and textese more often than was reported in previous (2009) research, and their frequency of textese use varied across contexts. Correlational analyses revealed significant, positive relationships between text messaging frequency and literacy skills (spelling and reading fluency), but significant, negative relationships between textese usage in certain contexts (on social networking sites such as MySpace™ and Facebook™ and in emails to professors) and literacy (reading accuracy). These findings differ from findings reported in recent studies with Australian college students, British schoolchildren and American college students. Explanations for these differences are discussed, and future directions for research are presented.
Δa curiosities in some 4d susy RG flows

We explore some curiosities in 4d susy RG flows. One issue is that the compelling candidate a-function, from a-maximization with Lagrange multipliers, has a ‘strange branch,” with reversed RG flow properties, monotonically increasing instead of decreasing. The branch flip to the strange branch occurs where a double-trace deformation $ \varDelta W={{\mathcal{O}}^2} $ passes through marginality, reminiscent of the condition for the chiral symmetry breaking, out of the conformal window transition in non-susy gauge theories. The second issue arises from Higgsing vevs for IR-free fields, which sometimes superficially violate the a-theorem. The resolution is that some vevs trigger marginal or irrelevant interactions, leading to Δa = 0 and decoupled dilaton on a subspace of the moduli space of vacua. This is contrary to classical intuition about Higgsing. This phenomenon often (but not always) correlates with negative R-charge for the Higgsing chiral operator.
Climate change and forest management: Adaptation of geospatial technologies

Global climate disruption, mainly due to human interaction with the environment, has led to increased concerns about the impact of such disruption on major areas of sustainable development. This has resulted in various innovations in technology, policy and forged alliances at regional and international scales in an effort to reduce humans' impact on climate. Forests provide a suitable option for reducing the net amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by acting as carbon sinks, thereby forming one part of a more complete solution for combating climate change. At the same time, forests are also sensitive to changes in climate, making sustainable forest management a critical component of present and future climate change strategies. This paper examines the contribution of geospatial technologies in supporting sustainable forest management, emphasizing its use in the classification of forests, estimation of their structure, detecting change and modeling of carbon stocks.
Determination of Binder Distribution in Green‐State Ceramics by NMR Imaging

The manufacture of reliable high performance structural ceramics requires a good understanding of the different steps involved in the process. The presence of nonuniformities in the distribution of the polymeric binder could give rise to local fluctuations of density that could produce failure of the ceramic piece. Specimens prepared from Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ with 15 and 2.5% ww binder were imaged using NMR in order to measure binder distribution maps. Results show that NMR imaging could be a useful technique to nondestructively evaluate the quality of green-state specimens. 5 refs., 5 figs.
The Causes of Slavery or Serfdom and the Roads to Agrarian Capitalism: Domar's Hypothesis Revisited

I propose a simple general equilibrium formalization of Domar's famous hypothesis on the causes of slavery or serfdom that emphasizes the interactions between factor endowments, the nature of the production technologies, and the initial distribution of property rights over land. The model provides a framework within which to understand the choice between slavery, serfdom, and free labor and tenancy equilibria with or without bonded labor-service obligations. The model also sheds light on the `Agrarian Question' regarding why some otherwise similar regions transitioned to free-labor agrarian capitalism via an `American road' dominated by independent family farms while others followed a `Junker road' with production dominated by large estates surrounded by small semi-proletarianized peasant households. The model is built around an otherwise canonical general equilibrium trade model adapted to allow for the endogenous emergence of land oligopoly and labor oligopsony power distortions that shape the pattern of agrarian production organization.
Stress Management: International Variations

A great deal of research on occupational stress and its effects on health is done outside the United States. With roots in epidemiology, the predominant model for occupational stress – the job demand–control model – provides a simple and unifying framework for interdisciplinary research across cultures and occupation types. This entry reviews the literature on occupational stress in general, then spotlights the contributions made by researchers outside the United States. The growing importance of occupational stress as a sociological object is addressed. Keywords: job control; job demands; occupational stress; well-being
Asteroseismology of DA White Dwarf Stars

Following the recent mode identification by Clemens suggesting the hydrogen layer mass of the DAV (ZZ Ceti) stars is nearly the same, I make the extreme assumption that models with a single composition profile with a hydrogen layer mass of 1.5 × 10−4M* may be able to fit the observed pulsation periods. Because I use only a single composition profile, this seismological analysis of eight DAV stars is preliminary, pending model fits for a range of hydrogen layer masses. These models duplicate the observed periods of several hot DAV pulsators quite well, when I allow for a small spread in total mass and effective temperature. My results confirm the dominant pulsation mode power in the DAV stars resides in l = 1 modes, although a few l ≥ 2 modes are present. Assuming this hydrogen layer mass is typical for all DA white dwarfs, current theories for the evolution of stars from the asymptotic giant branch through the planetary nebula stage are at least qualitatively correct and will affect the ages and average mass of the DA white dwarfs.
Testing general relativity on accelerators

Abstract Within the general theory of relativity, the curvature of spacetime is related to the energy and momentum of the present matter and radiation. One of the more specific predictions of general relativity is the deflection of light and particle trajectories in the gravitational field of massive objects. Bending angles for electromagnetic waves and light in particular were measured with a high precision. However, the effect of gravity on relativistic massive particles was never studied experimentally. Here we propose and analyze experiments devoted to that purpose. We demonstrate a high sensitivity of the laser Compton scattering at high energy accelerators to the effects of gravity. The main observable – maximal energy of the scattered photons – would experience a significant shift in the ambient gravitational field even for otherwise negligible violation of the equivalence principle. We confirm predictions of general relativity for ultrarelativistic electrons of energy of tens of GeV at a current level of resolution and expect our work to be a starting point of further high-precision studies on current and future accelerators, such as PETRA, European XFEL and ILC.
Consensus power agent model and stability analysis for (η,k)-star power grids

This paper investigates the properties and effects of a novel consensus control power agent model and information discovery algorithm for (n,k)-star power distribution system. This system is a combination of power components represented by power agents in a interconnected networked topology called (n,k)-star. The generator agent model is based on the real-time control model for generator turbines. It is reactive to power flow and can change its status in response to received information from neighboring agents. Also, with the change of this generator agent model, we investigated its influence on system stability of the control algorithm. We show that with the new real-time generator agent model, the cooperative control algorithm we present is stable on a simple gain controller and can reach a consensus state for the whole (n,k)-star networked system. This consensus algorithm is then simulated to illustrate the convergence and stability on information discovery of the (n,k)-star power distribution system.
TreeMatch: A Fully Unsupervised WSD System Using Dependency Knowledge on a Specific Domain

Word sense disambiguation (WSD) is one of the main challenges in Computational Linguistics. TreeMatch is a WSD system originally developed using data from SemEval 2007 Task 7 (Coarse-grained English All-words Task) that has been adapted for use in SemEval 2010 Task 17 (All-words Word Sense Disambiguation on a Specific Domain). The system is based on a fully unsupervised method using dependency knowledge drawn from a domain specific knowledge base that was built for this task. When evaluated on the task, the system precision performs above the First Sense Baseline.
Novel homogeneous polymer–heavy metal salt complexes for X‐ray imaging

Polymerisation radicalaire (avec ou sans reticulant) de melange de sels monomeres en materiaux transparents avec des radioopacites depassant celles requises pour les resines utilisees en prothese dentaire ou chirurgie plastique
NMR Studies of Drug Interaction with Membranes and Membrane-Associated Proteins

This review focuses on the recent developments in the study of drug interactions with biological membranes and membrane-associated proteins using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and other spectroscopic techniques. Emphasis is placed on a class of low-affinity neurological agents as exemplified by volatile general anesthetics and structurally related compounds. The technical aspects are reviewed of how to prepare membrane-mimetic systems and of NMR approaches that are either in current use or opening new prospects. A brief literature survey covers studies ranging from drug distribution in simplified lipid matrix to specific drug interaction with neuronal receptors reconstituted in complicated synthetic membrane systems.
Effects of exposure to direct-to-consumer television advertising for statin drugs on food and exercise guilt.

Abstract Objective Pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) is widely prevalent on US television. This study tests the relationship between estimated exposure to DTCA for statin drugs, which often feature mixed messages about the efficacy of diet and exercise in reducing risk of cholesterol and heart disease, and guilty feelings regarding food and exercise. Methods A series of repeated cross-sectional surveys of the US population between 2001 and 2007 ( N =106,859 adults aged 18 and older) were combined with data on the frequency of DTCA appearances on national, cable, and local television during the same time period. Results Adjusting for potential confounders with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, increased potential exposure to statin DTCA was associated with increased food guilt (in a dose-response pattern) and exercise guilt (in a threshold pattern). Conclusion This study provides new evidence that DTCA has potential to influence emotional well-being as well as direct behavioral responses emphasized in previous academic research. Practice implications Health practitioners should be prepared to encounter and counsel patients who are prompted by DTCA to feel guilty about their food and exercise behaviors, feelings which may impact the likelihood of adherence to prescribed behavioral modification for weight management.
Expected and unexpected results from combined β-hairpin design elements

A model β-hairpin dodecapeptide [EFGWVpGKWTIK] was designed by including a favorable D-ProGly Type II′ β-turn sequence and a Trp–zip interaction, while also incorporating a β-strand unfavorable glycine residue in the N-terminal strand. This peptide is highly folded and monomeric in aqueous solution as determined by combined analysis with circular dichroism and 1H NMR spectroscopy. A peptide representing the folded conformation of the model β-hairpin [cyclic(EFGWVpGKWTIKpG)] and a linear peptide representing the unfolded conformation [EFGWVPGKWTIK] yield unexpected relative deviations between the CD and 1H NMR spectroscopic results that are attributed to variations in the packing interactions of the aromatic side chains. Mutational analysis of the model β-hairpin indicates that the Trp–zip interaction favors folding and stability relative to an alternate hydrophobic cluster between Trp and Tyr residues [EFGYVpGKWTIK]. The significance of select diagonal interactions in the model β-hairpin was tested by rearranging the cross-strand hydrophobic interactions to provide a folded peptide [EWFGIpGKTYWK] displaying evidence of an unusual backbone conformation at the hydrophobic cluster. This unusual conformation does not appear to be a result of the glycine residue in the β-strand, as replacement with a serine results in a peptide [EWFSIpGKTYWK] with a similar and seemingly characteristic CD spectrum. However, an alternate arrangement of hydrophobic residues with a Trp–zip interaction in a similar position to the parent β-hairpin [EGFWVpGKWITK] results in a folded β-hairpin conformation. The differences between side chain packing of these peptides precludes meaningful thermodynamic analysis and illustrates the caution necessary when interpreting β-hairpin folding thermodynamics that are driven, at least in part, by aromatic cross strand interactions.
Scheduling policies for a computing system

We describe simulation experiments conducted to analyze scheduling procedures for batch jobs on a Cray computer. Two prominent themes are use of information and avoidance of interference of small jobs by large jobs.
Asymptotic corrections to the potential of impurity ions in semiconductors with spatially variable dielectric constants

In a recent paper, the problem of the screening of a (point) donor ion in Si and Ge has been reexamined by introducing into the theory the spatial dielectric functions of Azuma and Shindo and Okuro and Azuma, respectively. Poisson's equation, with the neglect of a small term, has been solved approximately by making use of a variational principle. The result was an impurity-ion potential that consists of a linear combination of two exponentially screened Coulomb potentials (with two different screening lengths) which is scaled by the static dielectric constant of the medium. The present paper shows that, at distances larger than Dingle's screening length ${R}_{0}$ the term neglected in Poisson's equation would add to this impurity-ion potential two types of correction. One type consists of terms which are proportional to Dingle's potential, but with proportionality constants so small that the correction terms are rendered utterly negligible. The other type consists of terms each one of which is proportional to functions of the form $(\frac{1}{{r}^{m}})\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}{q}_{i}r)$, where $m=2,3,4,\dots{}$ and the parameters ${q}_{i}$ are related to the constants appearing in the spatial dielectric functions of Si and Ge. The finding that the correction terms to the impurity-ion potential fall off faster than $\frac{1}{r}$ does, in the author's opinion, establish the asymptotic validity of the previous variational theory.
Pathophysiology of Fetal Hydrocephalus in a Developmental Rat Model of Spina Bifida

Objectives: The two hit hypothesis claims that on top of the first hit of non-closure of the neural tube, secondary damage occurs during the rest of gestation leading to additional significant morbidity in fetuses with Meningomyelocele (MMC). The objective of the study was to understand the pathophysiology of MMC-associated Hydrocephalus (HCP) in a fetal developmental model of MMC in rats. Materials and methods: This study was conducted as part of a research project focused on the secondary neuronal damage occurring during gestation in fetuses with MMC. The study was performed in collaboration with the Fetal treatment center at UCSF. MMC was created by administration of Retinoic-Acid (RA) to rat-mothers during neuro-embryogenesis. At embryonal days 15-19 fetuses were removed and CSF pathways were studied in vivo to evaluate ventricular dilatation and pattern of major CSF pathway obstruction. Results: of 16 fetuses with MMC only 2 had significant ventriculomegaly with blockage at foramen magnum. Other MMC fetuses and all control fetuses demonstrated passage of dye from the injected lateral ventricle to the contralateral, third, fourth ventricles and down through the central canal. 14/16 MMC fetuses showed extravasation of the dye around the interrupted arachnoid at MMC site with no obstruction of major CSF pathways. Conclusions: Obstructive HCP is rare in fetuses with MMC. Abnormal absorption (communicating HCP) may be the major reason for persistent HCP even in the absence or reversal of chiari 2. This is the first report of in-vivo documentation of obstructive HCP in fetuses with MMC.
The effect of constant temperature on egg development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria (Forsk.)

Laboratory studies were conducted on the incubation period of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forsk.). When egg-pods were incubated at constant temperature, the duration of the incubation period ranged from 50 days at 19·7°C to 11–12 days at 35–41 °C. The colour of the resulting hatchlings showed dependence on temperature, ranging from grey-white at 41 °C to overall black at 20°C. The minimum temperature at which embryonic development took place was 15·1°C, while the minimum temperature for the hatching sequence was about 20–24°C. The upper lethal limit for embryonic development depended both on temperature and on the duration of exposure of the eggs to that temperature. For example, constant temperatures above 38°C throughout development reduced viability, but exposure to 40°C for six hours each day did not adversely affect development or hatching. Between 15·1 and 35°C the rate of egg development was proportional to temperature; above 35°C the rate appeared to be constant and independent of temperature. Embryonic development was complete when the eggs had experienced 224 degree-days above 15·1°C, except at temperatures in excess of 35°C.
The American Medical Association, Health Insurance Association of America, and Creation of the Corporate Health Care System

This narrative demonstrates how public and private power interacted during the post–World War II era to create America's unique health care system, a system based on a high-cost, corporate model financed and managed by insurance companies. The article compares the divergent political, organizational, and economic strategies of the American Medical Association (AMA), which represented physicians, and the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA), which represented for-profit insurance firms. Even after the defeat of President Harry Truman's plan for a universal, government-managed system, policymakers in both parties attempted to reform the health care market, because most observers recognized that the embryonic insurance-company-funded model had inherent cost problems. In order to defeat numerous reform proposals, AMA and HIAA leaders allied to rapidly develop the market around insurance-company financing. Insurers and physicians constructed overlapping institutions to manage their increasingly close financial relationship, thus creating a pseudocorporate arrangement. In an attempt to control costs, insurance companies expanded their function beyond simply underwriting the risks associated with medical services consumption to also assuming a supervisory role, albeit distant, over health care delivery. When policymakers designed Medicare, they adopted the organizational framework that private health interests had already created, thereby legitimizing the previously contested high-cost model.
Two-Spin Correlation Functions of an Ising Model with Continuous Exponents

An Ising model on a square lattice is studied, where one row of horizontal bonds has an energy ${{E}_{1}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ different from all other horizontal bonds. The correlation of two spins is calculated in this row, resulting in exponents $\ensuremath{\beta}$ and $\ensuremath{\eta}$ which depend on ${{E}_{1}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$. The long-distance behavior of the correlation for fixed $T\ensuremath{\ne}{T}_{c}$ is found to have different forms depending upon the value of ${{E}_{1}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$.
Rheological properties of sieved beef-cattle manure slurry: Rheological model and effects of temperature and solids concentration

Rheological properties of sieved beef-cattle manure slurries having total solids concentrations (TS) ranging from 2.6% to 19.3%, temperatures ranging from 14 to 64°C, and shear rates ranging from about 0·1 to 200 s−1 were measured using a rotational viscometer. A rheological model was proposed and used to describe the slurries' shear stress and shear rate relationship. Equations relating the rheological parameters to the temperature and solids concentration were also obtained.
Evidence for higher order QED effects in e+ e- pair production at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider.

A new lowest order QED calculation for BNL Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ pair production has been carried out with a phenomenological treatment of the Coulomb dissociation of the heavy-ion nuclei observed in the STAR ZDC triggers. The lowest order QED result for the experimental acceptance is nearly 2 standard deviations larger than the STAR data. A corresponding higher-order QED calculation is consistent with the data.
Neurobehavioral and transcriptional effects of acrylamide in juvenile rats

Acrylamide is a type-2 alkene monomer with established human neurotoxic effects. While the primary source of human exposure to acrylamide is occupational, other exposure sources include food, drinking water, and smoking. In this study, neurobehavioral assays coupled with transcriptional profiling analysis were conducted to assess both behavioral and gene expression effects induced by acrylamide neurotoxicity in juvenile rats. Acrylamide administration in rat pups induced significant characteristic neurotoxic symptoms including increased heel splay, decrease in grip strength, and decrease in locomotor activity. Transcriptome analysis with the Affymetrix Rat Genome 230 2.0 array indicated that acrylamide treatment caused a significant alteration in the expression of a few genes that are involved in muscle contraction, pain, and dopaminergic neuronal pathways. First, expression of the Mylpf gene involved in muscle contraction was downregulated in the spinal cord in response to acrylamide. Second, in sciatic nerves, acrylamide repressed the expression of the opioid receptor gene Oprk1 that is known to play a role in neuropathic pain regulation. Finally, in the cerebellum, acrylamide treatment caused a decrease in the expression of the nuclear receptor gene Nr4a2 that is required for development of dopaminergic neurons. Thus, our work examining the effect of acrylamide at the whole-genome level on a developmental mammalian model has identified a few genes previously not implicated in acrylamide neurotoxicity that might be further developed into biomarkers for assessing the risk of adverse health effects induced by acrylamide exposure.