cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanical-energy-based amplifiers for probing interactions of DNA with metal ions

We report our development of a simple and cost-effective method to amplify and probe the interactions of DNA with metal ions, which are important for various fundamental processes in living systems. This method is based on perturbing energy landscapes using mechanical energy stored in bent DNA molecules. In this proof-of-principle study, the mechanical-energy-based amplifiers were applied to examine the interactions between DNA and ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{2+}$ ions or ${\mathrm{Ag}}^{+}$ ions. We demonstrated that interactions between DNA and ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{2+}$ or ${\mathrm{Ag}}^{+}$ ions, which are not detectable using gel electrophoresis without amplification, can be easily measured using our molecular amplifiers. In addition, we showed that quantitative details about the DNA-metal interactions can be estimated using our method. Our method is simple, sensitive, and cost-effective. We expect that the developed method will be useful for various applications.
Genetic and environmental relations of executive functions to antisocial personality disorder symptoms and psychopathy

Abstract Meta-analytic findings suggest that antisocial behavior, broadly defined, may relate to a Common Executive Function (EF) factor that captures covariance across response inhibition, working memory updating, and mental set shifting tasks. However, it is unclear whether this common factor, which is isomorphic with individual differences in response inhibition, accounts for all of the EF variance in antisocial behavior and psychopathy, or if they also relate to updating- and shifting-specific abilities. Moreover, findings that antisocial behavior and lower cognitive ability are particularly associated with the psychopathy dimension reflecting impulsivity and irresponsibility, compared to the dimension reflecting affective–interpersonal functioning, raise the possibility that EF relates to the variance shared between the impulsive–irresponsible psychopathy dimension and antisocial personality disorder. We examined these questions in a young adult twin sample (N = 765) with measures of multiple EF latent variables, Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) Primary (affective–interpersonal) and Secondary (impulsive–irresponsible) scales, and antisocial personality disorder symptoms (ASPDsx). Phenotypically, higher ASPDsx and LSRP Secondary psychopathy, but not LSRP Primary psychopathy, were associated with lower Common EF. Moreover, both psychopathy dimensions were negatively correlated with Updating-Specific ability, which was unrelated to ASPDsx. Results from twin models indicated that the association between LSRP Secondary psychopathy and ASPDsx was due to both genetic and nonshared environmental influences; however, Common EF's association with ASPDsx was primarily genetic, whereas its association with LSRP Secondary psychopathy had a significant environmental component. Thus, the interrelations among these constructs may reflect heterogeneous etiological pathways.
Highly accelerated rates of genomic rearrangements and nucleotide substitutions in plastid genomes of Passiflora subgenus Decaloba

Plastid genomes (plastomes) of photosynthetic angiosperms are for the most part highly conserved in their organization, mode of inheritance and rates of nucleotide substitution. A small number of distantly related lineages share a syndrome of features that deviate from this general pattern, including extensive genomic rearrangements, accelerated rates of nucleotide substitution, biparental inheritance and plastome-genome incompatibility. Previous studies of plastomes in Passiflora with limited taxon sampling suggested that the genus exhibits this syndrome. To examine this phenomenon further, 15 new plastomes from Passiflora were sequenced and combined with previously published data to examine the phylogenetic relationships, genome organization and evolutionary rates across all five subgenera and the sister genus Adenia. Phylogenomic analyses using 68 protein-coding genes shared by Passiflora generated a fully resolved and strongly supported tree that is congruent with previous phylogenies based on a few plastid and nuclear loci. This phylogeny was used to examine the distribution of plastome rearrangements across Passiflora. Multiple gene and intron losses and inversions were identified in Passiflora with some occurring in parallel and others that extended across the Passifloraceae. Furthermore, extensive expansions and contractions of the inverted repeat (IR) were uncovered and in some cases this resulted in exclusion of all ribosomal RNA genes from the IR. The most highly rearranged lineage was subgenus Decaloba, which experienced extensive IR expansion that incorporated up to 25 protein-coding genes usually located in large single copy region. Nucleotide substitution rate analyses of 68 protein-coding genes across the genus showed lineage- and locus-specific acceleration. Significant increase in dS, dN and dN/dS was detected for clpP across the genus and for ycf4 in certain lineages. Significant increases in dN and dN/dS for ribosomal subunits and plastid-encoded RNA polymerase genes were detected in the branch leading to the expanded IR-clade in subgenus Decaloba. This subgenus displays the syndrome of unusual features, making it an ideal system to investigate the dynamic evolution of angiosperm plastomes.
Evidence-based intervention sustainability strategies: a systematic review

Sustainability of evidence-based interventions (EBI) remains a challenge for public health community-based institutions. The conceptual definition of sustainment is not universally agreed upon by researchers and practitioners, and strategies utilized to facilitate sustainment of EBI are not consistently reported in published literature. Given these limitations in the field, a systematic review was conducted to summarize the existing evidence supporting discrete sustainment strategies for public health EBIs and facilitating and hindering factors of sustainment. We searched PsychINFO, Embase, ProQuest, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The initial search was run in March 2017 and an update was done in March 2019. Study eligibility criteria included (a) public health evidence-based interventions, (b) conducted in the community or community-based settings, and (c) reported outcomes related to EBI sustainment. Details characterizing the study setting, design, target population, and type of EBI sustained were extracted. A total of 26 articles published from 2004 to 2019 were eligible for data extraction. Overall, the importance of sustainability was acknowledged across all of the studies. However, only seven studies presented a conceptual definition of sustainment explicitly within the text. Six of the included studies reported specific sustainment strategies that were used to facilitate the sustainment of EBI. Only three of the studies reported their activities related to sustainment by referencing a sustainment framework. Multiple facilitators (i.e., adaptation/alignment, funding) and barriers (i.e., limited funding, limited resources) were identified as influencing EBI sustainment. The majority (n = 20) of the studies were conducted in high-income countries. Studies from low-income countries were mostly naturalistic. All of the studies from low-income countries reported lack of funding as a hindrance to sustainment. Literature focused on sustainment of public health EBIs should present an explicit definition of the concept. Better reporting of the framework utilized, steps followed, and adaptations made to sustain the intervention might contribute to standardizing and developing the concept. Moreover, encouraging longitudinal dissemination and implementation (D&I) research especially in low-income countries might help strengthen D&I research capacity in public health settings.
What should we teach in intermediate microeconomics

Intermediate micro is as close to the core of economics as any course in the field. It is the canon. There’s fairly widespread consensus over what that means should go into the class. But that does...
The association between baseline insomnia symptoms and future suicide attempts within an intensive outpatient treatment program for suicide.

Abstract This study examines the prospective relationship between insomnia symptoms and suicide attempts in high-risk youth. We obtained depressive symptoms, insomnia symptoms, and suicide ideation measures from clinical records of 206 adolescents ages 12–17 at entry and discharge from a suicide prevention intensive outpatient program. Information about whether the participant made a suicide attempt was available through six months after discharge. Patients were mainly girls (79.1%; n = 163) with depression (89.8%; n = 185). Associations between insomnia symptoms, attempts within 6 months of discharge, persistent insomnia symptoms, and suicide ideation at discharge were tested with multiple regression analyses. Entry insomnia symptoms were prospectively associated with attempts when controlling for age, sex, and previous attempts, but insomnia symptoms at discharge were not. Suicide ideation at discharge was associated both with entry insomnia symptoms and attempts within 6 months of discharge. When entry and discharge suicide ideation were controlled, the association between entry insomnia symptoms and attempts lost significance. However, the association between discharge ideation and attempts remained significant. Insomnia symptoms contribute indirectly to suicide attempt risk after discharge. Intensive treatment for ideation and reducing insomnia symptoms could reduce discharge suicide risk and subsequent suicide attempts.
Una, Mercilla, and the Elizabethan Apocalypse

Focusing on prophecies in the Book of Revelation, this chapter explores the possibility that Spenser thought Elizabeth was fulfilling prophecies of the End Times, acting as St. John’s Woman Clothed with the Sun, mother of the Rider on the White Horse, a figure traditionally associated with Christ’s Second Coming. To identify the Rider with Redcrosse in his defeat of the dragon and with Prince Arthur in his later rescue of Belge is, however, to mistake Spenser for a follower of earlier English Protestant polemicists such as Bale, Foxe, and Bullinger, who saw the unfolding of the End Times as linear and imminent. The apocalyptic passages in The Faerie Queene align better with the recursive and temporally indeterminate views of early Latin Fathers, as synthesized by Augustine.
Conceptus interruptus: Forestalling sureties about violence and feminism

Forestalling sureties about what constitutes violence and feminism and the relationships between violence and feminism have been significant themes in the work of feminist International Relations theorist Marysia Zalewski. I follow how Zalewski, through her work and work with others including myself, interrupts well-trodden ‘trails’ of violence and feminism to open up thinking about both. I consider how her provocative work on violence and particularly feminist violence prefigures and advances cutting-edge critical thought on violence as represented in the ‘Histories of Violence’ project. What I call her ‘palimpsestic’ or multilayered and intertextual approach to violence reveals it as not only destructive, but also productive in terms of breaking with deadening conventions. I also consider her conceptualisation of feminist violence as both epistemic and militant over time in relation to some contemporary feminist insurgencies, the kinds of insurgencies that serve as her muses for breaking out of forms of ‘secured’ feminism and opening space for unbounded feminist thought. Consistent with her insistence that theory (and writing) should provide uncomfortable openings, not comforting foreclosures, I end not with a conclusion about her work, but rather echo her call to resist the kind of ‘knowing’ that suffocates critical thinking and (re)generative feminist thought.
Prospective study of a diabetes risk reduction diet and the risk of breast cancer

BACKGROUND Hyperinsulinemia and higher insulin-like growth factors may increase breast cancer risk. We evaluated a diabetes risk reduction diet (DRRD) and breast cancer risk. OBJECTIVES We prospectively evaluated the association between adherence to a DRRD and the incidence of breast cancer. METHODS We followed 88,739 women from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS; 1980-2016) and 93,915 women from the NHSII (1991-2017). Incident breast cancer cases (n = 11,943) were confirmed with medical records, and subtypes were determined by tissue microarray data and pathology reports. Information on diet and breast cancer risk factors was repeatedly ascertained in follow-up questionnaires. A DRRD score was derived with 9 factors: lower glycemic index of diet; lower intakes of trans fat, sugar-sweetened beverages/fruit juices, and red/processed meat; higher intakes of cereal fiber, coffee, nuts, and whole fruits; and a higher ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat (score range: 9-45). Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (MVHRs) and 95% CIs were calculated with Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS Being in the highest compared with the lowest DRRD adherence quintile was associated with a modestly lower breast cancer risk (MVHRQ5vsQ1: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.95; P-trend = 0.0002); this was attenuated after adjusting for weight change since age 18 y (MVHRQ5vsQ1: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.87, 0.98; P-trend = 0.01). The inverse association was strongest among women with current BMI < 25 kg/m2 (MVHRQ5vsQ1: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.81, 0.98; P-trend = 0.004; P-interaction = 0.04). Among tumor molecular subtypes, the strongest inverse association was observed with basal-type tumors (MVHRQ5vsQ1: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.45, 1.01; P-trend = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS Greater DRRD-adherence was associated with lower breast cancer risk, likely mediated by less weight gain with a DRRD; however, independently of weight change, DRRD-adherence was modestly associated with lower breast cancer risk, particularly among lean women.
Control mechanism for D-STATCOM using Cross Correlation Approach for Power Quality Enhancement in 3 phase 4 wires Distribution System

This paper present correlation and cross correlation function based mechanism for 3 phase 4 wires DSTATCOM in distribution system for enhancement of power quality using linear/nonlinear load(PFC and ZVR modes). Mathematical integral function is applied to this control mechanism for computation of load current active and reactive component in time domain. The work is performed in MATLAB using Simulation. At different load condition the behavior of DSTATCOM is found adequate for power quality enhancement.
HAMLET: A Hierarchical Agent-based Machine Learning Platform.

Hierarchical Multi-Agent Systems provide a convenient and relevant way to analyze, model, and simulate complex systems in which a large number of entities are interacting at different levels of abstraction. In this paper, we introduce HAMLET (Hierarchical Agent-based Machine LEarning plaTform), a platform based on hierarchical multi-agent systems, to facilitate the research and democratization of machine learning entities distributed geographically or locally. This is carried out by firstly modeling the machine learning solutions as a hypergraph and then autonomously setting up a multi-level structure composed of heterogeneous agents based on their innate capabilities and learned skills. HAMLET aids the design and management of machine learning systems and provides analytical capabilities for the research communities to assess the existing and/or new algorithms/datasets through flexible and customizable queries. The proposed platform does not assume restrictions on the type of machine learning algorithms/datasets and is theoretically proven to be sound and complete with polynomial computational requirements. Additionally, it is examined empirically on 120 training and four generalized batch testing tasks performed on 24 machine learning algorithms and 9 standard datasets. The experimental results provided not only establish confidence in the platform's consistency and correctness but also demonstrates its testing and analytical capacity.
Guide Me to Exploit: Assisted ROP Exploit Generation for ActionScript Virtual Machine

Automatic exploit generation (AEG) is the challenge of determining the exploitability of a given vulnerability by exploring all possible execution paths that can result from triggering the vulnerability. Since typical AEG implementations might need to explore an unbounded number of execution paths, they usually utilize a fuzz tester and a symbolic execution tool to facilitate this task. However, in the case of language virtual machines, such as the ActionScript Virtual Machine (AVM), AEG implementations cannot leverage fuzz testers or symbolic execution tools for generating the exploit script, because of two reasons: (1) fuzz testers cannot efficiently generate grammatically correct executables for the AVM due to the improbability of randomly generating highly-structured executables that follow the complex grammar rules and (2) symbolic execution tools encounter the well-known program-state-explosion problem due to the enormous number of control paths in early processing stages of a language virtual machine (e.g., lexing and parsing). This paper presents GuidExp, a guided (semi-automatic) exploit generation tool for AVM vulnerabilities. GuidExp synthesizes an exploit script that exploits a given ActionScript vulnerability. Unlike other AEG implementations, GuidExp leverages exploit deconstruction, a technique of splitting the exploit script into many smaller code snippets. GuidExp receives hints from security experts and uses them to determine places where the exploit script can be split. Thus, GuidExp can concentrate on synthesizing these smaller code snippets in sequence to obtain the exploit script instead of synthesizing the entire exploit script at once. GuidExp does not rely on fuzz testers or symbolic execution tools. Instead, GuidExp performs exhaustive search adopting four optimization techniques to facilitate the AEG process: (1) exploit deconstruction, (2) operand stack verification, (3) instruction tiling, and (4) feedback from the AVM. A running example highlights how GuidExp synthesizes the exploit script for a real-world AVM use-after-free vulnerability. In addition, GuidExp’s successful generation of exploits for ten other AVM vulnerabilities is reported.
Use of Telemedicine to Improve Interfacility Communication and Aid in Triage of Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Pilot Study

Introduction Over the past several years there has been a dramatic increase in the implementation of telemedicine technology to aid in the delivery of care across community, inpatient, and emergency settings. This technology has proved valuable for acute life-threatening clinical scenarios. We aimed to pilot a novel neurosurgical telemedicine program within an academic tertiary care center to assist in consultation of patients with high-grade intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) (ICH score 4, 5). Methods A quality improvement conceptual framework was developed. Subsequently, a process map and improvement interventions were created. Patients in community hospitals with high-grade ICH or pre-existing Do Not Resuscitate/Do Not Intubate orders with an admitting diagnosis of ICH triggered a TeleNeurosurgery consultation. Patients who met the inclusion criteria, with consent of their decision makers, were enrolled in the study. Post-encounter physician surveys were used to evaluate overall satisfaction with the implementation. Results This 18-month pilot study proved feasible, with an enrollment of 63.6% (n = 14 of 22) of patients who met criteria. All patients who were enrolled in the study and participated in TeleNeurosurgery consultation remained at the presenting facility for end-of-life care and palliative medicine consultation. Both community emergency physicians and subspecialists who performed the consultations reported satisfaction with the TeleNeurosurgery consultation process and a perceived benefit both to patients, families, and emergency medicine physicians. Conclusions The program proved feasible and several areas in need of improvement within the health system were identified. Emergency physicians reported comfort with the process, program effectiveness, and improved access to care by implementation of this program.
Composing Recurrent Spiking Neural Networks using Locally-Recurrent Motifs and Risk-Mitigating Architectural Optimization

In neural circuits, recurrent connectivity plays a crucial role in network function and stability. However, existing recurrent spiking neural networks (RSNNs) are often constructed by random connections without optimization. While RSNNs can produce rich dynamics that are critical for memory formation and learning, systemic architectural optimization of RSNNs is still an opening challenge. We aim to enable systemic design of large RSNNs via a new scalable RSNN architecture and automated architectural optimization. We compose RSNNs based on a layer architecture called Sparsely-Connected Recurrent Motif Layer (SC-ML) that consists of multiple small recurrent motifs wired together by sparse lateral connections. The small size of the motifs and sparse inter-motif connectivity leads to an RSNN architecture scalable to large network sizes. We further propose a method called Hybrid Risk-Mitigating Architectural Search (HRMAS) to systematically optimize the topology of the proposed recurrent motifs and SC-ML layer architecture. HRMAS is an alternating two-step optimization process by which we mitigate the risk of network instability and performance degradation caused by architectural change by introducing a novel biologically-inspired "self-repairing" mechanism through intrinsic plasticity. The intrinsic plasticity is introduced to the second step of each HRMAS iteration and acts as unsupervised fast self-adaption to structural and synaptic weight modifications introduced by the first step during the RSNN architectural "evolution". To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first work that performs systematic architectural optimization of RSNNs. Using one speech and three neuromorphic datasets, we demonstrate the significant performance improvement brought by the proposed automated architecture optimization over existing manually-designed RSNNs.
Absence of Luther-Emery superconducting phase in the three-band model for cuprate ladders

Correlated-electron theories of superconductivity in layered cuprates often start from the premise of a gapped spin-liquid phase proximate to the superconducting state. This assumption is justified based on analytical and numerical demonstrations of a superconducting Luther-Emery phase in the doped 2-leg one-band Hubbard ladder, and the perceived analogy between coupled ladders and the two-dimensional ${\mathrm{CuO}}_{2}$ layer. We demonstrate from accurate density matrix renormalization group studies the absence of the superconducting Luther-Emery phase in the doped 2-leg three-band ladder consisting of both copper and oxygen, even as the spin gap is large in the undoped three-band ladder. For realistic oxygen-oxygen hopping and Hubbard repulsion on the oxygen atoms, density-density rather than pairing correlations are dominant at long range. This result is equally valid whether or not the oxygens outside the ladder proper, over and above the rung and leg oxygens, are included in the computation. These results demonstrate the critical importance of oxygen orbitals, and raise disturbing questions about the applicability of many of the existing correlated-electron theories of superconductivity.
Commodity Market Indicators of a 2022 Texas Winter Freeze

Winter storm Uri impacted large swaths of the Continental United States, including the State of Texas, over the period Feb. 13 -- Feb. 17, 2021. This research attempts to discern what the natgas and power commodity markets are anticipating for Texas for the First Quarter of 2022. As of this writing, natgas prices for Feb. 2022 are 7.49% (33 cents/MMBtu) higher, and power prices 37.8% ($18.67/MWh) higher, than their respective non-freeze benchmarks. While these numbers appear large, they should be set in perspective: If the spike in prices is as pronounced in duration and intensity as last year, markets are indicating a probability between 1.3% and 2.5% of a Winter 2022 recurrence of the events of Feb. 2021.
Prostaglandin E2 EP receptors in cardiovascular disease: An update.

Abstract This review article provides an update for the role of prostaglandin E2 receptors (EP1, EP2, EP3 and EP4) in cardiovascular disease. Where possible we have reported citations from the last decade although this was not possible for all of the topics covered due to the paucity of publications. The authors have attempted to cover the subjects of ischemia–reperfusion injury, arrhythmias, hypertension, novel protein binding partners of the EP receptors and their pathophysiological significance, and cardiac regeneration. These latter two topics bring studies of the EP receptors into new and exciting areas of research that are just beginning to be explored. Where there is peer-reviewed literature, the authors have placed particular emphasis on clinical studies although these are limited in number.
Local Dimensionality Reduction: A New Approach to Indexing High Dimensional Spaces

Many emerging application domains require database systems to support efficient access over highly multidimensional datasets. The current state-of-the-art technique to indexing high dimensional data is to first reduce the dimensionality of the data using Principal Component Analysis and then indexing the reduceddimensionality space using a multidimensional index structure. The above technique, referred to as global dimensionality reduction (GDR), works well when the data set is globally correlated, i.e. most of the variation in the data can be captured by a few dimensions. In practice, datasets are often not globally correlated. In such cases, reducing the data dimensionality using GDR causes significant loss of distance information resulting in a large number of false positives and hence a high query cost. Even when a global correlation does not exist, there may exist subsets of data that are locally correlated. In this paper, we propose a technique called Local Dimensionality Reduction (LDR) that tries to find local correlations in the data and performs dimensionality reduction on the locally correlated clusters of data individually. We develop an index structure that exploits the correlated clusters to efficiently support point, range and k-nearest neighbor queries over high dimensional datasets. Our experiments on synthetic as well as real-life datasets show that our technique (1) reduces the dimensionality of the data with significantly lower loss in distance information compared to GDR and (2) significantly outperforms the GDR, original space indexing and linear scan techniques in terms of the query cost for both synthetic and real-life datasets. This work was supported by NSF CAREER award IIS-9734300, and in part by the Army Research Laboratory under Cooperative Agreement No. DAAL01-96-2-0003. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the VLDB copyright notice and the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the Very Large Data Base Endowment. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee and/or special permission from the Endowment. Proceedings of the 26th VLDB Conference, Cairo, Egypt, 2000.
Performance range comparison via crossing point analysis

Parallel programming is elusive. The relative performance of different parallel implementations varies with machine architecture, system and problem size. How to compare different implementations over a wide range of machine architectures and problem sizes has never been well addressed due to its difficulty. Scalability has been proposed in recent years to reveal scaling properties of parallel algorithms and machines. In this paper, based on scalability analysis, the concepts of crossing point analysis and range comparison are introduced. Crossing point analysis finds slow/fast performance crossing points of parallel algorithms and machines. Range comparison compares performance over a wide range of ensemble and problem size via scalability and crossing point analysis. Three algorithms from scientific computing are implemented on an Intel Paragon and an IBM SP2 parallel computer. Experimental and theoretical results show the combination of scalability, crossing point analysis, and range comparison provides a practical solution for scalable performance evaluation. While our testings are conducted on homogeneous parallel computers, the proposed methodology applies to heterogeneous and network computing as well.
Narrow complex tachycardias. Differential diagnosis and management.

Narrow complex tachycardias are a common clinical problem and can be divided into those in which the arrythmic circuit is located exclusively in the atrium and those that involve the atrioventricular (AV) node or and accessory pathway. There have been recent advances in the nonpharmacologic treatments of supraventricular tachycardias, most notably in surgery and radiofrequency percutaneous catheter ablation for AV nodal reentry, AV reciprocating tachycardia, atrial flutter, and atrial tachycardias.
Di­chloro­methyl phenyl sulfone

The unequivocal structure of di­chloro­methyl phenyl sulfone, C7H6Cl2O2S, (I), via X-ray analysis is reported for the first time. Prepared from the reaction of sodium benzene­sulfinate with chloro­form in KOH, (I) exhibited a sharp melting point, 331.5–332.0 K. Several different melting points have been reported. We find that (I) crystallizes as two chemically identical mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit, but with a number of small geometric differences between the two mol­ecules. Intermolecular Cl2C—H⋯O—S(O)—Ph hydrogen bonding between the two geometrically different mol­ecules produces infinite molecular chains, which may induce the small geometric differences exhibited in the two mol­ecules of (I).
The social regulation of affect and self-esteem among opiate-dependent adults

This study extends basic theory and research on the social regulation of affect and thought to opiate-dependent adults. Inner-city, opiate-dependent adults rated the supportiveness of, and conflict with, each of four support providers, and rated affect and self-esteem experienced with each. This permitted the isolation of trait-like aspects of these constructs (i.e., stable across providers) from their socially influenced aspects (i.e., varied across providers). Affect and self-esteem were strongly socially influenced and such influences were as strong as trait-like individual differences. Providers who elicited unpleasant affect and low self-esteem in recipients were viewed as unsupportive and as eliciting conflict. Findings were virtually identical to research on students, suggesting broadly generalizable social processes in the regulation of affect and thought.
Oxygen isotope salt effects at high pressure and high temperature and the calibration of oxygen isotope geothermometers

The influence of NaCl, CaCl2, and dissolved minerals on the oxygen isotope fractionation in mineral-water systems at high pressure and high temperature was studied experimentally. The salt effects of NaCl (up to 37 molal) and 5-molal CaCl2 on the oxygen isotope fractionation between quartz and water and between calcite and water were measured at 5 and 15 kbar at temperatures from 300 to 750°C. CaCl2 has a larger influence than NaCl on the isotopic fractionation between quartz and water. Although NaCl systematically changes the isotopic fractionation between quartz and water, it has no influence on the isotopic fractionation between calcite and water. This difference in the apparent oxygen isotope salt effects of NaCl must relate to the use of different minerals as reference phases. The term oxygen isotope salt effect is expanded here to encompass the effects of dissolved minerals on the fractionations between minerals and aqueous fluids. The oxygen isotope salt effects of dissolved quartz, calcite, and phlogopite at 15 kbar and 750°C were measured in the three-phase systems quartz-calcite-water and phlogopite-calcite-water. Under these conditions, the oxygen isotope salt effects of the three dissolved minerals range from ∼0.7 to 2.1‰. In both three-phase hydrothermal systems, the equilibrium fractionation factors between the pairs of minerals are the same as those obtained by anhydrous direct exchange between each pair of minerals, proving that the use of carbonate as exchange medium provides correct isotopic fractionations for a mineral pair. When the oxygen isotope salt effects of two minerals are different, the use of water as an indirect exchange medium will give erroneous fractionations between the two minerals. The isotope salt effect of a dissolved mineral is also the main reason for the observation that the experimentally calibrated oxygen isotope fractionations between a mineral and water are systematically 1.5 to 2‰ more positive than the results of theoretical calculations. Dissolved minerals greatly affect the isotopic fractionation in mineral-water systems at high pressure and high temperature. If the presence of a solute changes the solubility of a mineral, the real oxygen isotope salt effect of the solute at high pressure and high temperature cannot be correctly derived by using the mineral as reference phase.
Using predicate fields in a highly flexible industrial control system

Predicate fields allow an object's structure to vary at runtime based on the object's state: a predicate field is present or not, depending on the values of other fields. Predicate fields and related concepts have not previously been evaluated outside a research environment. We present a case study of two industrial applications with similar requirements, one of which uses predicate fields and one of which does not. The use of predicate fields was motivated by requirements for high flexibility, by unavailability of many requirements, and by high user interface development costs. Despite an implementation of predicate fields as a library (rather than as a language extension), developers found them natural to use, and in many cases they significantly reduced development effort.
Effect of local anesthetics on radiocalcium binding in nerve.

Abstract The effects of the ionized form of dibucaine and the non-ionized form of either dibucaine or benzocaine on the uptake and release of radiocalcium in desheathed frog sciatic nerve were studied. The cationic form of dibucaine, when bound to nerve membrane, reduced significantly the uptake of radiocalcium. The analysis of the kinetics of the desaturation curve revealed that the reduction occurred only in the fast exchangeable compartment for calcium binding in the nerve, which includes the extracellular space, the connective tissue and the surface of the excitable membrane. The fact that radiocalcium uptake in connective tissue (Achilles tendon) was not modified suggests that the cationic form of dibucaine interferes with the binding of calcium ions to readily accessible sites in the nerve fiber. On the other hand, neither benzocaine nor the free base form of dibucaine affected the radiocalcium uptake and release in nerves. Increasing extracellular calcium from 1 mM to 10 mM antagonized the nerve block due to the cationic form of dibucaine, but enhanced the nerve block due to the free base forms of dibucaine and benzocaine. The data support the hypothesis that only the cationic form of tertiary amine local anesthetics interferes with movement of calcium ions to sites governing the increased membrane conductance during nerve excitation.
Graph Ear Decompositions and Graph Embeddings

Ear decomposition of a graph has been extensively studied in relation to graph connectivity. In this paper, a connection of ear decomposition to graph embeddings is exhibited. It is shown that constructing a maximum-paired ear decomposition of a graph and constructing a maximum-genus embedding of the graph are polynomial-time equivalent. Applications of this connection are discussed.
On the influence of the nucleation overpotential on island growth in electrodeposition

Abstract Electrochemical deposition of a metal onto a foreign substrate usually occurs by an island growth mechanism. A key feature of island growth for a material M on a foreign substrate S is that the onset potential for deposition is shifted negative from the equilibrium potential for the metal ion couple. The nucleation overpotential, defined as ηn(M+/S) = |Un(M+/S) − Ueq(M+/M)|, influences key aspects of deposition of a metal on a foreign substrate. Here we discuss how the nucleation overpotential influences the kinetics of island growth, the implications of the nucleation overpotential on island shape and orientation, and the consequences of the coupling between the island density (applied potential) and the island size at coalescence (grain size). We then discuss the kinetics of island growth in terms of the contributions to vertical and lateral growth. Finally, we present examples of experimental methods to manipulate the nucleation overpotential and overcome some of the limitations imposed by the nucleation overpotential.
The feasibility of investing in manual correction of metadata for a large-scale digital library

Given a large-scale digital library that automatically crawls and parses PDF files to generate metadata for documents and authors, we estimate the number of person-hours required to correct a small portion of the metadata, in the hope that a large portion of users can benefit from these corrections. We obtain users requests by analyzing Cite-SeerX's log files from September 2009 to March 2013. We found that the distribution of users requests for search is highly imbalanced: most document search queries and author search queries concentrate on a small set of terms. As a result, even for a large-scale digital library, we estimate it is affordable to invest a few person-hours to check the correctness of a few metadata, and thus provide benefits to a good portion of document search and author search requests.
Cheyne-Stokes Respiration in Patients with Cardiac Enlargement and Prolonged Circulation Time

A study has been made of arterial blood changes during the respiratory cycle in patients with cardiac enlargement, prolonged circulation time, and Cheyne-Stokes breathing. In these patients, Cheyne-Stokes breathing appeared to depend upon the delay in passage of blood from the lungs to the arterial chemoreceptors and respiratory center. This delayallowed cyclic over- and underventilation. There was little or no central nervous system depression. In contrast, one case of Biot's breathing is presented as an example of another mechanism responsible for periodic breathing. Here irregular breathing seems to depend on fluctuations in activity of a severely damaged central nervous system.
Elderly mental health in the developing world

Growing numbers of elderly in countries of the developing world presage an increase in those affected by organic, age-related mental diseases such as dementia. A simultaneous rise in the burden of non-organic mental disorders in elderly populations is likely because stressors in many countries are affecting the mental health of the elderly directly and/or indirectly by altering the ability of families to provide care for them. This paper reviews studies on the disease burden of mental health problems of the aged in the developing world. It examines evidence on how demographic change, economic change, education, urbanization, war and displacement, and widowhood influence elderly mental health. A look at policies and programs improving the condition of elderly mentally ill throughout the developing world emphasizes positive options for policymakers. Recommendations for future research both identify areas in which investigation would be particularly useful and highlight current methodological problems.
Laser micromachining of chemically altered polymers

During the last decade laser processing of polymers has become an important field of applied and fundamental research. One of the most promising proposal, to use laser ablation as dry etching technique in photolithography, has not yet become an industrial application. Many disadvantages of laser ablation, compared to conventional photolithography, are the result of the use of standard polymers. These polymers are designed for totally different applications, but are compared to the highly specialized photoresist. A new approach to laser polymer ablation will be described; the development of polymers, specially designed for high resolution laser ablation. These polymers have photolabile groups in the polymer backbone, which decompose upon laser irradiation or standard polymers are modified for ablation at a specific irradiation wavelength. The absorption maximum can be tailored for specific laser emission lines, e.g. 351, 308 and 248 nm lines of excimer lasers. We will show that with this approach many problems associated with the application of laser ablation for photolithography can be solved. The mechanism of ablation for these photopolymers is photochemical, whereas for most of the standard polymers this mechanism is photothermal. The photochemical decomposition mechanism results in high resolution ablation with no thermal damage at the edges of the etched structures. In addition there are not redeposited ablation products or surface modifications of the polymer after ablation.
The Pattern Glare Test: a review and determination of normative values

Pattern glare is characterised by symptoms of visual perceptual distortions and visual stress on viewing striped patterns. People with migraine or Meares-Irlen syndrome (visual stress) are especially prone to pattern glare. The literature on pattern glare is reviewed, and the goal of this study was to develop clinical norms for the Wilkins and Evans Pattern Glare Test. This comprises three test plates of square wave patterns of spatial frequency 0.5, 3 and 12 cycles per degree (cpd). Patients are shown the 0.5 cpd grating and the number of distortions that are reported in response to a list of questions is recorded. This is repeated for the other patterns. People who are prone to pattern glare experience visual perceptual distortions on viewing the 3 cpd grating, and pattern glare can be quantified as either the sum of distortions reported with the 3 cpd pattern or as the difference between the number of distortions with the 3 and 12 cpd gratings, the '3-12 cpd difference'. In study 1, 100 patients consulting an optometrist performed the Pattern Glare Test and the 95th percentile of responses was calculated as the limit of the normal range. The normal range for the number of distortions was found to be 3 on the 3 cpd grating or a score of >1 on the 3-12 cpd difference. The literature suggests that these people are likely to have visual stress in everyday life and may therefore benefit from interventions designed to alleviate visual stress, such as precision tinted lenses.
Skype Me! Socially Contingent Interactions Help Toddlers Learn Language

Language learning takes place in the context of social interactions, yet the mechanisms that render social interactions useful for learning language remain unclear. This study focuses on whether social contingency might support word learning. Toddlers aged 24–30 months (N = 36) were exposed to novel verbs in one of three conditions: live interaction training, socially contingent video training over video chat, and noncontingent video training (yoked video). Results suggest that children only learned novel verbs in socially contingent interactions (live interactions and video chat). This study highlights the importance of social contingency in interactions for language learning and informs the literature on learning through screen media as the first study to examine word learning through video chat technology.
Tropomodulin Increases the Critical Concentration of Barbed End-capped Actin Filaments by Converting ADP·Pi-actin to ADP-actin at All Pointed Filament Ends

Abstract The pointed end capping protein, tropomodulin, increases the critical concentration of barbed end capped actin,i.e. it lowers the apparent affinity of pointed ends for actin monomers. We show here that this is due to the conversion of pointed end ADP·Pi-actin (low critical concentration) to ADP-actin (high critical concentration) when 70–98% of the ends are capped by tropomodulin. We propose that this is due to the low affinity of tropomodulin for pointed ends (K d ∼ 0.3 μm), which allows tropomodulin to rapidly exchange binding sites and transiently block access of actin monomers toall pointed ends. This leaves time for ATP hydrolysis and phosphate release to go to completion between successive monomer additions to the pointed end. When the affinity of tropomodulin for pointed ends was increased about 1000-fold by the presence of tropomyosin (K d < 0.05 nm), capping of 95% of the ends by tropomodulin did not alter the critical concentration. However, the critical concentration did increase when the tropomodulin concentration was raised to the high values effective in the absence of tropomyosin. This may reflect transient tropomodulin binding to tropomyosin-free actin molecules at the pointed ends of the tropomyosin-actin filaments without a high affinity tropomodulin cap,i.e. the ends that determine the value of the actin critical concentration.
Inhibition of bactericidal activity is maintained in a mouse α-defensin precursor with proregion truncations

alpha-Defensin biosynthesis requires the proteolytic conversion of inactive precursors to microbicidal forms. In mouse Paneth cell pro-alpha-defensin proCrp4((20-92)), anionic amino acids positioned near the proregion N-terminus inhibit proCrp4 activity by an apparent charge neutralization mechanism. Because most pro-alpha-defensins contain proregions of highly conserved chain length, we tested whether decreasing the distance between the inhibitory acidic residues of the proregion and the alpha-defensin component of the precursor would alter proCrp4 inhibition. Accordingly, two proCrp4 deletion variants, (Delta44-53)-proCrp4 and (Delta44-58)-proCrp4, truncated in a manner corresponding to deletions between MMP-7 cleavage sites, were prepared and assayed for bactericidal peptide activity. Consistent with the properties of full-length proCrp4((20-92)), (Delta44-53)-proCrp4 and (Delta44-58)-proCrp4 were processed effectively by MMP-7, lacked bactericidal activity at high peptide levels over a 3h exposure period, and failed to induce permeabilization of live Escherichia coliin vitro. Thus, bringing the inhibitory proregion domain into greater proximity with the Crp4 component of the precursor did not alter the activity of this pro-alpha-defensin. Therefore, the conserved distance that separates inhibitory acidic proregion residues from the Crp4 peptide is not critical to maintaining proCrp4((20-92)) in an inactive state.
New Opportunities for a Professional Services Firm: Building a Brand and Developing a Marketing Strategy.

BD Capital Management, an investment advisory firm based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is dedicated to providing personal, comprehensive investment services to individuals and families, pension and profit sharing plans, endowment funds, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations.