cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complete three-dimensional photonic bandgap in a simple cubic structure

The creation of a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal with simple cubic (sc) symmetry is important for applications in the signal routing and 3D waveguiding of light. With a simple stacking scheme and advanced silicon processing, a 3D sc structure was constructed from a 6-in. silicon wafer. The sc structure is experimentally shown to have a complete 3D photonic bandgap in the infrared wavelength. The finite size effect is also observed, accounting for a larger absolute photonic bandgap.
Light-induced metastable effects in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

Abstract This paper reviews various light-induced metastable effects in a a-Si : H : changes in dark conductivity (Staebler-Wronski effect), increased spin resonance signal due to dangling bonds, reduced luminescence efficiency, emergence of emission at ≈0.8 eV , and also field-induced observations. The defects can be produced not only by irradiation with visible light, but also by X-rays, electron or ion bombardment, and even by ambipolar injection.
Baudelaire and Synesthesia

(1958). Baudelaire and Synesthesia. Kentucky Foreign Language Quarterly: Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 128-135.
Anti-cardiolipin from periodontitis patients induces MCP-1 production by human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Aim Periodontal diseases are associated with a variety of systemic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and stroke, and patients with periodontitis demonstrate elevated levels of anti-cardiolipin antibodies. We sought to determine if anti-cardiolipin antibodies from periodontitis patients induced monocyte chemotactic protein-1 production by human vascular endothelial cells. Materials and Methods IgG was purified from sera from 53 subjects, including chronic and aggressive periodontitis patients and periodontally healthy controls, with elevated or normal IgG anti-cardiolipin levels. In addition, anti-cardiolipin antibodies were specifically removed from some sera by immunoabsorption. Results We found that, irrespective of diagnostic category, IgG from subjects with elevated anti-cardiolipin induced significantly greater monocyte chemotactic protein-1 production by human vascular endothelial cells than IgG from those subjects with normal anti-cardiolipin titres. Removal of anti-cardiolipin from IgG preparations from periodontitis patients significantly reduced their ability to induce monocyte chemotactic protein-1. Conclusions Since elevated titres of anti-cardiolipin are found in a significantly greater proportion of patients with periodontitis than in periodontally healthy individuals, and these antibodies activate endothelial cells to produce monocyte chemotactic protein-1, they may explain some of the associations noted between periodontal infections and systemic conditions.
Tunneling ionization of noble gases in a high-intensity laser field.

Studies of multiphoton ionization of noble gases have been carried out using 1-\ensuremath{\mu}m, 1-ps laser pulses with intensities up to the mid- ${10}^{16}$ W/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. To our knowledge, this work represents the first study of the production of highly ionized noble-gas ions done exclusively in the tunneling regime. It is found in this regime that the ionization at a given intensity depends on both the ionization potential and the charge state of the species. The onset of ionization occurs when the sum of the Coulomb and laser electric potentials causes the electron to be unbound.
Body computed tomography in the evaluation of pediatric malignancy

Fifty-eight body CT scans were obtained in 33 children with malignant disease over a 2-year period at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals. When compared with conventional radiography, excretory urography, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound, CT provided additional information in 26 patients (78%). In 17 patients CT was useful for monitoring response to surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy.
Fruit size as a model for teaching first trimester uterine sizing in bimanual examination.

Abstract Objective: To examine a commonly used fruit-comparison model for teaching uterine sizing by bimanual examination, to compare the sizes of actual fruits with published first trimester uterine ultrasound measurements, and to estimate the degree of provider agreement with this model. Methods: Actual fruits (pears, juice oranges, navel oranges, and grapefruits) were measured. Published ultrasound measurements of first trimester pregnant uteri were compared with the fruit measurements. A questionnaire was developed and sent to a community-based sample of 300 women’s healthcare providers selected from a local medical society roster of obstetrician-gynecologists and a local reproductive healthcare provider list. Results: One hundred twelve (37%) of 300 questionnaires were returned. Of these respondents, 55% were medical doctors, 41% nurse-practitioners, and 4% midwives. Overall, 75% of respondents agreed (responded either “Agree” or “Strongly agree”) that a nonpregnant or 5-week pregnant uterus feels like a small, unripe pear. Sixty-one percent agreed that a 6-week pregnant uterus feels like a small (juice) orange. Eighty percent agreed that an 8-week pregnant uterus feels like a large (navel) orange. Eighty-one percent expressed agreement that a 12-week pregnant uterus feels like a grapefruit. Conclusion: The degree of provider agreement with the fruit-based teaching model indicates potential utility of the model.
Monotonicity of solutions in certain dynamic cooperative games

Abstract We consider cooperative games in which new players are sequentially added, while the underlying structure is held constant, and examine monotonicity of the core and value for convex games, linear production games, and minimum cost spanning tree games.
“In It for the Long Haul”—: How Teacher Education Can Contribute to Teacher Retention in High-Poverty, Urban Schools

This study explores a constellation of factors that contribute to the retention of teachers in high-poverty, urban schools. It focuses on one cohort of the University of California at Berkeley's Mu...
Replication timing of genes and middle repetitive sequences

DNA replication in mammals is temporally bimodal. "Housekeeping" genes, which are active in all cells, replicate during the first half of the S phase of cell growth. Tissue-specific genes replicate early in those cells in which they are potentially expressed, and they usually replicate late in tissues in which they are not expressed. Replication during the first half of the S phase is, therefore, a necessary but not sufficient condition for gene transcription. A change in the replication timing of a tissue-specific gene appears to reflect the commitment of that gene to transcriptional competence or to quiescence during ontogeny. Most families of middle repetitive sequences replicate either early or late. These data are consistent with a model in which two functionally distinct genomes coexist in the nucleus.
New life for old garbage Resource and energy recovery from solid wastes

Abstract National interest has been growing recently in the potential for systems of resource recovery from municipal solid wastes, particularly from those systems associated with energy recovery. A regional model for resource and energy recovery from municipal solid wastes is discussed briefly in this paper. Particular attention is given to the definition of profits and to the question of whether resource recycling could be truly regional in scope or would be limited to a few urban areas. An empirical application of the model to a resource recovery system in the Tennessee Valley Authority region is summarized.
Early Surgical Ligation Versus a Conservative Approach for Management of Patent Ductus Arteriosus That Fails to Close after Indomethacin Treatment

Objective To examine whether a more conservative approach to treating patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is associated with an increase or decrease in morbidity compared with an approach involving early PDA ligation. Study design In January 2005, we changed our approach to infants born at age ≤27 weeks gestation who failed indomethacin treatment. We changed from an early surgical approach, in which feedings were stopped and all PDAs were ligated (period 1: January 1999 to December 2004; n=216) to a more conservative approach in which feedings continued and PDAs were ligated only if cardiopulmonary compromise developed (period 2: January 2005 to August 2009; n=180). All infants in both periods received prophylactic indomethacin therapy. Results The 2 periods had similar rates of perinatal/neonatal risk factors and indomethacin failure (24%), as well as ventilator management and feeding advance protocols. The conservative approach (period 2) was associated with decreased rates of duct ligation (72% vs 100%; P Conclusions These findings support the need for new controlled, randomized trials to reexamine the benefits and risks of different approaches to PDA treatment.
Novel liver findings in Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency due to Xp11.4-p21.1 microdeletion

Abstract Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD, OMIM 311250), the most common urea cycle disorder, results in impaired synthesis of citrulline from carbamoyl phosphate and ornithine. Individuals have been identified with OTCD due to a contiguous gene deletion at Xp11.4-p21.1 and unique clinical features, described as the “extended OTCD phenotype”. We present a male with neonatal-lethal OTCD due to a 1.87 Mb microdeletion at Xp11.4-p21.1 (37126841-38998991 hg18). Autopsy revealed a novel histological finding of hepatocyte globular and granular inclusions. Such inclusions have not been described in OTCD or other metabolic disorders and are not an associated finding in neonatal liver failure due to other causes. The deleted region includes the gene SYTL5, potentially involved in RAB27A-dependent membrane trafficking in the liver and placenta. We propose that the contiguous gene deletion could contribute to the severity of the clinical presentation here and hypothesize that deletion of SYTL5 could contribute to the liver findings.
Effects of Antiarrhythmic Agents on Cardiac Function

Many, if not most antiarrhythmic drugs, even with differing pharmacologic properties, are capable of myocardial depression. That this has not occurred commonly with most drugs currently available may reflect several factors. These may include depression of myocardial function which is not clinically overt or which is masked by preexisting cardiac decompensation, limitation of dosages because of the difficulty in accurately determining a therapeutic endpoint, and the lack of physician awareness of the effects of these drugs on myocardial performance. However, as techniques for monitoring and quantifying arrhythmia permit more aggressive drug therapy, and as more drugs become available for clinical use, the incidence of clinically overt myocardial depression from anti-arrhythmic therapy will undoubtedly rise. Hopefully, awareness of the hemodynamic effects of these drugs and applications of new technology permitting accurate, noninvasive assessment of left ventricular function will identify and hence limit the occurrence of toxic hemodynamic effects, as well as permit the usage of maximum dosages of antiarrhythmic drugs when warranted by clinical circumstances.
Effect of parity and milk production on somatic cell count, standard plate count and composition of goat milk

Fifteen milking does were randomly selected from the Alpine herd of the Langston University farm, with five each in Parities 1, 2, and 3 (P1, P2 and P3, respectively). Composite milk samples of equal volume of morning and evening milkings were taken once a month throughout the lactation period of 8 months. All samples were analyzed for somatic cell count (SCC), standard plate count (SPC), and chemical composition (percent fat, percent protein, percent lactose, and percent solids non-fat (SNF)). Milk production was recorded daily. All experimental does kidded in March and were dried off in October. No symptoms of mastitis were observed during this study. Overall mean SCC, SPC, percent fat, percent protein, percent lactose, percent SNF, and milk production were 1.2 × 106 cells ml−1, 9.5 × 103 colony forming units (cfu) per ml, 3.73%, 2.80%,4.42%, 7.85%, and 2.69 kg per doe per day, respectively. Parity of does did not affect the variables significantly except for milk production. Does of P1 produced less milk than those of P2 and P3 (P < 0.05). Goat milk samples contained high SCC and exceeded the 1 × 106 ml−1 requirement of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) during most of the late lactation stages, although mastitic conditions were absent in any experimental goats during the lactation period. Histological and pathological tests on fresh tissues of udder halves revealed no changes in mammary gland change or other mastitic evidence. High SCC in goat milk appeared to be natural, particularly in the late stages of lactation. Goat milk showed low SPC, indicating high microbial quality. SCC had a positive relationship with SPC (0.44) and was negatively correlated with milk production (0.46) and fat content (0.41). As the lactation progressed, SCC and SPC increased (P < 0.001) and milk production decreased (P < 0.001). SPC was negatively correlated with percent fat, percent protein, percent SNF and milk production.
Biblio-techniques,Inc.: the promise that was BLIS

Biblio‐Techniques, which was incorporated in 1980, developed a product based on IBM hardware, a commercial database management system, and the Washington (Western) Library Network software. The company's product was innovative and promising but complex and incomplete, and required further development. The company tried to bootstrap that development through up‐front fees from customers who believed in the product. However, the lack of coherent management doomed the effort to failure. This article presents a candid discussion of the rise and fall of Biblio‐Techniques, and details the remarkable relationship between it and its customers. The article is accompanied by four sidebars, two of which are contributed by former customers of Biblio‐Techniques.
Cells within the bulge region of mouse hair follicle transiently proliferate during early anagen: heterogeneity and functional differences of various hair cycles

Based on cell kinetic, morphological and several biological considerations, we have recently proposed that hair follicle stem cells reside in the bulge area of the upper follicle. We predicted that during early anagen the normally slow-cycling bulge stem cells may be activated by the abutting dermal papilla cells to undergo transient proliferation giving rise to keratinocytes of the lower follicle. In the present work, we performed tritiated thymidine-labeling of DNA-synthesizing cells and colcemid-arrest of mitotic figures on the skins of 20-23 and 75-80 day old SENCAR mice, when the follicles entered the anagen phase of the 2nd and 3rd hair cycles. The results clearly indicate that the normally slow-cycling bulge cells indeed undergo transient proliferation during early anagen. Similar results were obtained when the telogen follicles are experimentally induced to enter the 3rd hair cycle by plucking and by topical applications of phorbol ester or tretinoin. These results support the notion that bulge cells are follicular stem cells, and that transient proliferation of these cells is a critical feature of early anagen. However, the long duration of the 2nd telogen (> 30 days in mouse) suggests that a new anagen phase does not automatically result from the physical proximity of dermal papilla to the bulge cells, and that another 'factor' is required for the initiation of the 3rd anagen. The tremendous difference in the durations of the first and second telogen (lasting for 2-3 days and > 50 days, respectively) suggests that follicles can exist in a non-cycling state that may be conceptually equivalent to the G0 state of the cell cycle. Our results also underscore the fact that the first hair cycle is distinct from all the subsequent hair cycles in their cellular origin and morphological sequence, and thus should be regarded as a neogenic event.
An Emerging Theory of Human Relatedness

Theory of human relatedness addresses a pervasive human concern, establishing and maintaining relatedness to others, objects, environments, society and self. This theory, derived from a series of inductive and deductive strategies, views relatedness as a functional, behavioral system rooted in early attachment behaviors. Individuals move through different states of relatedness including connectedness, disconnectedness, parallelism and enmeshment. Social processes that contribute to this movement are sense of belonging, reciprocity, mutuality and synchrony. Disruptions in clients' relatedness contribute to biological, psychological, and social disturbances.
Temporal hyperacuity in the electric sense of fish

It has recently become evident that sensory thresholds for certain tasks are lower than those expected from the properties of individual receptors. This perceptual capacity, termed hyperacuity, reveals the impressive information-processing abilities of the central nervous system. Although much is known about spatial hyperacuity, temporal hyperacuity has received little attention. Here we demonstrate that an electric fish, Eigenmannia, can detect modulations in the timing (phase) of an electrical signal at least as small as 400 ns. Such sensitivity exceeds the temporal resolution of individual phase-coding afferents. This hyperacuity results from a nonlinear convergence of parallel afferent inputs to the central nervous system; subthreshold inputs from particular areas of the body surface accumulate to permit the detection of these extremely small temporal modulations.
Down regulation of δ but not μ opioid receptors in the hippocampal slice associated with loss of physiological response

Abstract In rat hippocampal slices, opioids potentiate the synaptic activation of pyramidal neurons as revealed by the shift to the left in the input-output curve constructed by plotting the population spike as a function of the field EPSP. The peak effect was obtained within 12–25 min with D-Ala 2 , D-Leu 5 -enkephalin (DADLE), morphiceptin and morphine. However, the effect of both peptides declined during constant superfusion. About 60% peak effect was lost after 1 hr superfusion with morphiceptin or after 4 hr with DADLE. In contrast, the effect of morphine gradually increased over a 4 hr incubation. Following superfusion of the slices for 4 hr in DADLE or morphine, or 1.5 hr in morphiceptin, the membrane particulate fractions were prepared from the homogenate of slices. Opiate receptor binding activities were measured with 125 I-DADLE (δ-receptors) and 125 I-FK 33824 (μ-receptors). A significant reduction in δ- but not μ-receptor binding was detected in slices treated with DADLE. This seems to correlate to the development of desensitization to DADLE. Neither μ-receptor nor δ-receptor binding activity was altered by the superfusion of morphine or morphiceptin despite the development of desensitization to morphiceptin. These data suggest that there are differences in the regulation of μ- and δ-receptors in hippocampus. The down-regulation of δ-receptors may result in desensitization to δ-agonists and a different mechanism may be responsible for desensitization to μ-agonists.
MEPE is downregulated as dental pulp stem cells differentiate

Summary Previous studies on dental pulp cell culture have described heterogenous mixtures of cells that differentiate into odontoblasts and form mineralized dentin. Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein (MEPE) expression by dental pulp stem cells (DPSC), related to cell differentiation. Design: DPSC differentiation to form mineralized nodules was characterized by Alizarin red staining and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Osteogenesis SuperArray analysis was used to broadly screen for osteogenesis-related genes altered by DPSC differentiation. Relative levels of expression of MEPE and DSP were determined by semiquantitative RT-PCR and Western blot. Results: Mineral analysis showed that as DPSC differentiated, they formed a carbonated hydroxyapatite mineral. Differentiation was initially marked by upregulation by Runx2, TGFβ-related genes, EGFR and genes involved in collagen metabolism. ALP activity first increased, as DPSCs reached confluence but later decreased when cells further differentiated three weeks after confluence. MEPE was the only marker that was downregulated as DPSCs differentiated. Conclusion: DPSC differentiation can be characterized by downregulation of MEPE as other markers of DPSC differentiation, such as DSP, are upregulated. Expression of MEPE related to DSP and can be used to monitor DPSC as they are used for studies of odontoblast differentiation, tissue engineering or vital pulp therapy. The downregulation of MEPE as DPSC differentiate, suggests that MEPE is an inhibitor of mineralization.
Examples of engineering applications on ibm digital computers

Three typical engineering problems solved by the IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) Scientific Computation Laboratory are given. They demonstrate approaches that might be used in the solution of many similar problems. The use of computers can lead to different approaches to problems thus yielding valuable results more quickly and economically.
Biomechanics of love: reinventing the avant-garde in Tsai Ming-liang's wayward ‘pornographic musical’

AbstractTsai Ming-liang's film aesthetics has been largely compared with European auteur film-making in style and philosophical concerns. This essay attempts to resituate Tsai's works in relation to his prior theatre practice and his deployment of popular film genres that carry a dialogue with film theories of genre and intermediality. I focus on The Wayward Cloud as a case study to examine the three distinct modes of production within the film, namely, the avant-garde theatre acting, the musical, and hardcore pornography, showing how Tsai Ming-liang crosses the boundaries between high and low as well as between cinema and theatre. I trace the acting style in the film to Taiwan's avant-garde theatre movement in the 1980s, particularly the aesthetics of environmental theatre, and its affinity with Meyerhold's 1920s' biomechanical actor training that redefines the technologically mediated interaction between the human body and its environment. Meanwhile, instead of privileging the avant-garde, I demonstrate...
Evidence that accent is a dimension of social categorization, not a byproduct of perceptual salience, familiarity, or ease-of-processing

article i nfo Article history: Initial receipt 18 June 2013 Final revision received 26 September 2013 Certain features of language, such as accent, are acquired from the local social environment during an acquisition period starting at infancy and ending roughly at puberty. If the scale of social interaction expands after puberty, humans will encounter variance in these linguistic features, and the linguistic similarity between people will indicate the degree to which they share a common early social history. There is reason to believe that such a dynamic is not a modern phenomenon, but has likely occurred throughout our species' evolutionary history since the advent of language. Consequently, the human mind may contain systems for categorizing others according to their linguistic repertoires, including their accents. Four studies dem- onstrate that (i) accent differences—both native versus non-native accents and also two different non-native accents‚ are the basis of spontaneous and implicit social categorization, and (ii) this is not driven by general acoustic-differences, low level sound differences, or differences in familiarity or ease-of-processing. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that human mind contains systems for categorizing others according to their accents.
System-Justifying Beliefs and Psychological Well-Being: The Roles of Group Status and Identity

This research examined the relationship between endorsing system-justifying beliefs and psychological well-being among individuals from ethnic groups that vary in social status. System-justifying beliefs are beliefs that imply that status in society is fair, deserved, and merited; examples of system-justifying beliefs in the United States include the beliefs that hard work pays off and that anyone can get ahead regardless of their group membership. We found that endorsing system-justifying beliefs was negatively related to psychological well-being among members of low-status groups who were highly identified with their group but positively related to well-being among members of low-status groups who were not highly identified with their ethnic group. In addition, we found that endorsing system-justifying beliefs was positively related to well-being among members of high-status groups, especially among members of high-status groups who were highly identified with the group.
Beneficial effects of fluosol-polyethylene glycol cardioplegia on cold, preserved rabbit heart

Background. Because of its high oxygen-carrying capacity, especially at low temperatures, fluosol may enhance heart preservation. Methods. Hearts of male New Zealand white rabbits (1.5‐2.0 kg) were excised and flushed through the aorta with 0°C St. Thomas’ Hospital solution, fluosol, or polyethylene glycol or fluosol‐polyethylene glycol cardioplegic solution. Hearts were then stored for 12 hours at 0°C and reperfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer at 36.5°C for 60 minutes using a Langendorff system. Results. Myocardial contractile function was significantly greater in the fluosol‐polyethylene glycol cardioplegia‐preserved group (p < 0.01) and polyethylene glycol‐cardioplegia preserved group (p < 0.05) than in the St. Thomas’ Hospital solution‐preserved group. The myocardial high-energy phosphate content was significantly higher in the fluosol‐polyethylene glycol‐ cardioplegia‐preserved group (p < 0.01), with reduced release of lactate dehydrogenase (p<0.01) in comparison with the St. Thomas’ Hospital solution‐preserved group. Conclusions. The addition of fluosol and polyethylene glycol to the cardioplegic solution may enhance longterm cold heart preservation.
Optimal control for systems with deterministic production cycles

Considers a failure prone production system with deterministic production cycles. The objective is to find the optimal production rate to minimize long-run average cost. The authors first show that the optimal control policy belongs to a type of switching curve policy which has a special structural property and can be characterized by a single parameter. The authors then establish a relationship between the surplus process of the system under the optimal control policy and the workload process of a D/G/1 queue, based on which the existing results in queueing theory which can be applied to obtain the steady-state probability distribution of the surplus process under the optimal control policy. >
From modeling to morals: imagining the future of HIV PREP in Lesotho.

Amidst growing global endorsements of new biomedical HIV prevention strategies ARV-based pre-exposure prophylaxis (ARV PrEP) has garnered considerable attention as a potentially promising prevention strategy. Though it may offer more effective protection for certain at-risk groups than conventional prevention strategies (such as sexual partner reduction condom use and prevention of mother-to-child transmission) PrEP is more costly. PrEP requires more ongoing contact between individuals and providers and a level of surveillance from the health system that is not necessary with other preventive measures. In this sense it represents a new bio-technology for HIV prevention that poses particular challenges for worldwide implementation given developing countries struggling health systems and incomplete HIV treatment programs. Since the emergence of PrEP has stimulated ethical discussions premised on incomplete knowledge of efficacy and implementation this paper explores the ethical parameters of a likely scenario for PrEP usage in a single resource-poor country. We first develop a plausible model for PrEP deployment and utilization based on current PrEP research while carefully considering the reigning institutional values of feasibility and effectiveness in global health approaches. Drawing on ethnographic research of HIV treatment and prevention approaches in Lesotho we address ethical questions arising from this scenario of PrEP delivery. Lesotho presents a compelling and emblematic case study of PrEPs potential successes and pitfalls in a developing country given the countrys high HIV prevalence struggles to achieve universal access to HIV treatment regimes continued existence of stigma around the epidemic and difficulties in addressing persistent social inequalities that fuel infections.
Alkyl group versus hydrogen atom transfer from metal alkyls to macrocyclic rhodium complexes.

Macrocyclic rhodium(II) complexes LRh(H2O)2+ react with (dmgH)2(H2O)CoR and with (H2O)5CrR2+ by alkyl transfer for R = CH3 to generate L(H2O)RhCH32+. When R = C2H5, C3H7 or C4H9, the reaction takes place by hydrogen atom abstraction from the coordinated alkyl and produces L(H2O)RhH2+ and an α-olefin.
Photic Regulation of Melatonin in Humans: Ocular and Neural Signal Transduction

Light is a potent stimulus for regulating the pineal gland's production of melatonin and the broader circadian system in humans. It initially was thought that only very bright photic stimuli (> or = 2500 lux) could suppress nocturnal melatonin secretion and induce other circadian responses. It is now known that markedly lower illuminances (< or = 200 lux) can acutely suppress melatonin or entrain and phase shift melatonin rhythms when exposure conditions are optimized. The elements for physical/biological stimulus processing that regulate photic influences on melatonin secretion include the physics of the light source, gaze behavior relative to the light source, and the transduction of light energy through the pupil and ocular media. Elements for sensory/neural signal processing become involved as photons are absorbed by retinal photopigments and neural signals are generated in the retinohypothalamic tract. Aspects of this physiology include the ability of the circadian system to integrate photic stimuli spatially and temporally as well as the wavelength sensitivity of the operative photoreceptors. Acute, light-induced suppression of melatonin is proving to be a powerful tool for clarifying how these elements of ocular and neural physiology influence the interaction between light and the secretion of melatonin from the human pineal gland.
Modeling of transformation-induced plasticity and its effect on the behavior of porous shape memory alloys. Part I: constitutive model for fully dense SMAs

A three-dimensional rate-independent thermomechanical constitutive model for fully dense shape memory alloys (SMAs) is developed in this Part I of a two-paper series. The model accounts for simultaneous development of transformation and plastic strains during stress-induced martensitic phase transformation, as well as for the evolution of shape and size of the hysteresis with repeated transformation cycling. A detailed procedure for the estimation of the material parameters is presented and a parametric study is also performed. The model is numerically implemented using return mapping algorithms. Using experimental data for SMA strips and large diameter wires, the material parameters for the model are estimated and the modeling results are with experiments. The model developed in Part I will be used in Part II [P.B. Entchev, D.C. Lagoudas, Mech. Mater., this issue] in a micromechanical averaging scheme to model the behavior of porous SMAs undergoing mechanical cyclic loading.
Object Recognition: Insights From Advances in fMRI Methods

Recent advancements in imaging methods and analysis approaches have provided important insights about the neural bases of object recognition. We address the potential limitations of standard functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and discuss methodological advancements, including fMRI-adaptation, pattern analyses, and high-resolution fMRI, that may be more appropriate for studying object and face representations. fMRI-adaptation and high-resolution fMRI measure responses of neural subpopulations within standard fMRI voxels, and pattern analyses examine the information in the distributed activations across voxels, which may differ from the mean response across these voxels. These methods have provided evidence for a multitude of representations across the human ventral stream that provide empirical constraints for cognitive theories of recognition.
Did dividend policy change during the financial crisis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether corporate dividend policy changed during the financial crisis.Design/methodology/approach – For this study, a life‐cycle model is used to predict the probability that a firm pays a dividend. The data sample for this research follows that of Fama and French and of DeAngelo et al., for the time period of 2006‐2009. The panel logistic regression analysis considers the firm cluster effects and the autoregressive correlation of the firm clusters.Findings – This study shows evidence that the probability that a firm paid a dividend declined in 2008 and 2009, even after taking the firm's financial condition into account. Furthermore, the analysis also shows that dividend policy did shift during the financial crisis.Originality/value – The results of this study show that dividend policy did shift during the financial crisis. The research provides evidence that firms placed additional emphasis on financial viability after the financial crisis.
Domain motion and interdomain hot spots in a multidomain enzyme

The aim of this article is to analyze conformational changes by comparing 10 different structures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phosphomannomutase/phosphoglucomutase (PMM/PGM), a four-domain enzyme in which both substrate binding and catalysis require substantial movement of the C-terminal domain. We focus on changes in interdomain and active site crevices using a method called computational solvent mapping rather than superimposing the structures. The method places molecular probes (i.e., small organic molecules containing various functional groups) around the protein to find hot spots. One of the most important hot spots is in the active site, consistent with the ability of the enzyme to bind both glucose and mannose phosphosugar substrates. The protein has eight additional hot spots at domain-domain interfaces and hinge regions. The locations and nature of six of these hot spots vary between the open, half-open, and closed conformers of the enzyme, in good agreement with the ligand-induced conformational changes. In the closed structures the number of probe clusters at the hinge region significantly depends on the position of the phosphorylated oxygen in the substrate (e.g., glucose 1-phosphate versus glucose 6-phosphate), but the protein remains almost unchanged in terms of the overall RMSD, indicating that computational solvent mapping is a more sensitive approach to detect changes in binding sites and interdomain crevices. Focusing on multidomain proteins we show that the subresolution conformational differences revealed by the mapping are in fact significant, and present a general statistical method of analysis to determine the significance of rigid body domain movements in X-ray structures.
RAGE: therapeutic target and biomarker of the inflammatory response―the evidence mounts

The RAGE binds multiple ligand families linked to hyperglycemia, aging, inflammation, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Activation of RAGE by its ligands stimulates diverse signaling cascades. The recent observation that the cytoplasmic domain of RAGE interacts with diaphanous or mDia-1 links RAGE signal transduction to cellular migration and activation of the Rho GTPases, cdc42 and rac-1. Pharmacological blockade of RAGE or genetic deletion of RAGE imparts significant protection in murine models of diabetes, inflammatory conditions, Alzheimer’s disease, and tumors. Intriguingly, soluble forms of RAGE, including the splice variant-derived esRAGE, circulate in human plasma. Studies in human subjects suggest that sRAGE levels may be modulated by the diseases impacted by RAGE and its ligands. Thus, in addition to being a potential therapeutic target in chronic disease, monitoring of plasma sRAGE levels may provide a novel biomarker platform for tracking chronic inflammatory diseases, their severity, and response to therapeutic intervention. J. Leukoc. Biol. 86: 505–512; 2009.
Ménage à Trois Intimate Relationship Among a MicroRNA, Long Noncoding RNA, and mRNA

> “A disaster of biblical proportions....Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!” > > —Bill Murray as Dr Peter Venkman in the 1984 film Ghostbusters , cowritten by the late Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd The idea that cross-species cohabitation is catastrophic does not seem to apply to RNA. Post-transcriptional regulation of protein-coding mRNA transcripts bound by ≈20-nucleotide single-stranded microRNAs is thoroughly established.1 Another species of noncoding RNA, designated as long noncoding (lnc) RNAs because of their longer size (>200 nucleotides), can regulate microRNA abundance by binding and sequestering them, acting as so-called microRNA sponges.2 In this issue of Circulation Research , Wang et al3 close the circle by describing a lncRNA–microRNA–mRNA trio that functions interdependently to regulate cardiac hypertrophy. The mRNA encodes the immune response adaptor protein Myd88 (myeloid differentiation primary response 88), which regulates cardiomyocyte and cardiac hypertrophy via mechanisms that are not defined. Myd88 can be targeted by microRNA-489 (miR-489), steady-state levels of which are decreased during angiotensin II–stimulated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy (thus derepressing Myd88). And, miR-489 can also be bound by lncRNA AK048451 (here named cardiac hypertrophy–related factor), levels of which are increased by angiotensin II; by sequestering miR-489, cardiac hypertrophy–related factor impairs the ability of microRNA to downregulate Myd88 mRNA. Article, see p 1377 One of the revelations of multispecies genome sequencing is that organism complexity relates to the richness of the genetic regulatory machinery, not the number of protein-coding genes. Much of the noncoding mammalian genome previously referred to as junk DNA is now recognized as regulatory. For example, conventional DNA-binding transactivating proteins4 work in concert with microRNAs to orchestrate development of embryonic hearts and the response to cardiac stress.1 MicroRNAs are one of multiple species of noncoding RNAs that also include lncRNAs. Because RNAs do not possess intrinsic catalytic activity, biological function …
Nationalist Attitudes in Quebec and Belgium

A questionnaire survey of nationalist attitudes of a nonrepresentative sample of 374 high school youth in Quebec and Belgium was conducted. Scales of political and cultural nationalism, constructed by factor analysis and interitem correlations, had satisfactory alpha reliability and concurrent validity. The effects of different kinds of status on nationalist attitudes were examined. Political nationalism was found related to ethnicity (ascribed status) and social class (achieved status), but not to the interaction of ethnicity and social class (status inconsistency). The relationship between bilingualism and nationalism was also explored. Bilingual fluency was associated with cultural, but not with political, nationalism.
False but Slow: Evaluating Statements with Non-referring Definites

One central debate in the analysis of denite descriptions concerns the truthvalue of sentences where there is no entity that meets the description in the denite. Classical Russellian accounts predict them to be plain false, whereas presuppositional accounts predict them to be infelicitous. Recent discussions have homed in on the factors that aect actual judgment behavior in relation to the underlying status posited by dierent accounts. This paper presents experimental evidence for a presuppositional view based on response times for judging statements with non-referring denites to be ‘false’, which were longer relative to control statements where existence was asserted. I discuss the theoretical implications of these results, as well as of other ndings from the literature, arguing that they support a presuppositional view of denites that sees the existence presupposition as conventionally encoded. The paper also makes a methodological contribution, as systematic evidence on speakers’ judgments in these cases turns out to be hard to come by. Finally, the results inform the more general issue of the online processes involved in the interpretation of presupposed, as opposed to asserted, content.
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli suppresses inflammatory response to cytokines and its own toxin

Infection with the enteric pathogen enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) causes a variety of symptoms ranging from nonbloody diarrhea to more severe sequelae including hemorrhagic colitis, altered sensorium and seizures, and even life-threatening complications, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. The more severe consequences of EHEC infection are attributable to the production of Shiga toxin (Stx) and its subsequent effects on the vasculature, which expresses high levels of the Stx receptor, Gb3. Interestingly, the intestinal epithelium does not express Gb3. Despite the lack of Gb3 receptor expression, intestinal epithelial cells translocate Stx. The effect of Stx on intestinal epithelial cells is controversial with some studies demonstrating induction of inflammation and others not. This may be difficult to resolve because EHEC expresses both proinflammatory molecules, such as flagellin, and factor(s) that dampen the inflammatory response of epithelial cells. The goal of our study was to define the effect of Stx on the inflammatory response of intestinal epithelial cells and to determine whether infection by EHEC modulates this response. Here we show that Stx is a potent inducer of the inflammatory response in intestinal epithelial cells and confirm that EHEC attenuates the induction of IL-8 by host-derived proinflammatory cytokines. More importantly, however, we show that infection with EHEC attenuates the inflammatory response by intestinal epithelial cells to its own toxin. We speculate that the ability of EHEC to dampen epithelial cell inflammatory responses to Stx and cytokines facilitates intestinal colonization.
Indochine 1910 et Vendée 1940 dans Ma sœur aux yeux d'Asie de Michel Ragon Une mise en scène de l'Histoire

Dans Ma sœur aux yeux d'Asie (1982), la lecture que Michel Ragon fait des lettres que son pere avait envoyees d'Indochine entre 1910 et 1920 est entrecoupee de reflexions sur l'Occupation (1940). A partir de cette structure curieuse du roman, cet article montre qu'autant que la memoire de son pere et de sa sœur, c'est l'Histoire que Ragon met en scene, avec son scenario confus, ses ironies dramatiques, ses acteurs qui ne connaissent pas tres bien leur role. En analysant les contrepoints entre deux lieux (Tonkin, Vendee), deux epoques (1910, 1940) deux formes d'occupation (colonisation, Occupation), deux peuples paysans (annamites, vendeens), je propose que ce roman des annees 80 esquissait deja des discussions sur la memoire coloniale et la representation de l'Histoire semblables a celles qui enflamment la France aujourd'hui.
Methods for Reducing Bacterial Contamination in the BacT/Alert Mycobacterial Culture Detection System

Two methods were compared for decreasing bacterial contamination in the BacT/Alert mycobacterial culture detection system. Two concentrations, 0.5 ml (standard amount) and 1.0 ml, of mycobacterial antibiotic supplement were evaluated. Contamination rates were 14% and 6% for the standard and the doubled concentrations, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.005).
Embedded machine learning systems for natural language processing: a general framework

This paper presents Kenmore, a general framework for knowledge acquisition for natural language processing (NLP) systems. To ease the acquisition of knowledge in new domains, Kenmore exploits an online corpus using robust sentence analysis and embedded symbolic machine learning techniques while requiring only minimal human intervention. By treating all problems in ambiguity resolution as classification tasks, the framework uniformly addresses a range of subproblems in sentence analysis, each of which traditionally had required a separate computational mechanism. In a series of experiments, we demonstrate the successful use of Kenmore for learning solutions to several problems in lexical and structural ambiguity resolution. We argue that the learning and knowledge acquisition components should be embedded components of the NLP system in that (1) learning should take place within the larger natural language understanding system as it processes text, and (2) the learning components should be evaluated in the context of practical language-processing tasks.
Selecting reference sites for stream biological assessments: best professional judgment or objective criteria

Selection of reference sites is a critical component in the process of developing and applying biological indicators of ecological condition. Some evidence suggests that despite its importance the rules by which reference sites are selected have not always been evaluated critically to assure that the sites represent least-disturbed conditions. We present a comparison of physical and chemical disturbance measures and biotic indices at handpicked reference sites provided by resource agencies and at sites selected by a probability design from a 12-state survey of western streams and rivers. In most cases, the distributions of disturbance measures and biotic index scores were essentially the same for both types of sites; that is, only a subset of the handpicked reference sites represented least-disturbed conditions. We recommend that all agencies that use reference sites critically review those sites with a set of explicit criteria, using field-collected data as well as mapped information.
Testate amoebae in the Neoproterozoic Era: evidence from vase-shaped microfossils in the Chuar Group, Grand Canyon

Vase-shaped microfossils (VSMs) occur globally in Neoproterozoic rocks, but until now their biological relationships have remained problematic. Exceptionally preserved new populations from the uppermost Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, Arizona, display details of morphology and taphonomy that collectively point to affinities with the testate amoebae. The fossils are tear-shaped tests, ∼20–300 μm long and ∼10–200 μm wide, that are circular in transverse section, expand aborally toward a rounded or slightly pointed pole, and taper orally toward a “neck” that ends in a single aperture. Apertures may be circular, hexagonal, triangular, or crenulate, and may be rimmed by a distinct collar. Approximately 25% of the Chuar VSMs are curved, such that the oral and aboral poles do not lie opposite each other. Tests are preserved as mineralized casts and molds, commonly coated with organic debris or iron minerals, but they were originally composed of nonresistant organic matter. Approximately 1% have a “honeycomb-patterned” wall attributable to the original presence of mineralized scales whose bases were arranged regularly in the test wall. Scale-bearing testate amoebae, such as members of the Euglyphidae, are essentially identical to the honeycomb VSMs, and a close relationship between other Grand Canyon VSMs and additional testate amoebae, both lobose and filose, is likely. The VSM population therefore most likely represents a multispecies assemblage whose spatial association reflects a common habitat and/or taphonomic circumstances that favor test preservation. The assignment of these fossils to the testate amoebae strengthens the case for a major diversification of eukaryotic organisms by mid-Neoproterozoic times and, more significantly, provides the earliest morphological evidence for heterotrophic eukaryotes in marine ecosystems.