cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teaching about Good Work by Preparing Well: Designing Online Resources for Ethics Educators: Commentary on 'Moral Pedagogy and Practical Ethics'

Instruction in ethics (e.g., recognizing the presence of common ethical problems, developing skills in ethical reasoning, and improving familiarity with intermediate concepts such as informed consent and confidentiality) forms a foundation for SEE. This skill-building emphasis prepares students to confront ethical decisions in their careers with disciplined thought and action. Through this coursework, students discover that ethics is more than how one feels about a situation, and ideally, more than simple interpersonal accountability. The case method highlighted by Chuck Huff and William Frey in Moral Pedagogy and Practical Ethics, can ,indeed, be a fruitful way to stimulate dialogue and to encourage student sensitivity to various perspectives. The exercises surrounding a given case can help students internalize the complexity associated with defining ethical behavior and can drive home the message to students in science and engineering that ethics is their issue. Ethical questions are not something to be left to a staff ethicist or to be considered as an afterthought. Ethical concerns are at the core of their work today and will continue to be throughout their careers. The guided discussions associated with case studies can promote a sense of community among students. The diversity within a classroom provides a range of opinions, and the discussions about cases – sometimes quite passionate – can transform views in memorable, experiential ways. In this process, the students are learning the ethical expectations of their field. It is this vital sense of contact with professional and Teaching About Good Work by Preparing Well: Designing Online Resources for Ethics Educators Commentary on “Moral Pedagogy and Practical Ethics” (Huff & Frey)
Hope for the homeless in the US: Lessons from the Third World

Abstract The scale of homelessness in the US is vast, and present policies aimed at solutions are severely lacking. Since there are obvious similarities between the homeless of the US and the developing world (they are poor and often unemployed or underemployed), the author suggests that the US could learn from Third World housing policies. The self-help schemes favoured in these countries are proving cost-efficient and also draw upon the considerable resources of the homeless themselves. It is quite probable that such schemes could prove effective in parts of the developed world too.
Projective construction of non-Abelian quantum Hall liquids

Using projective construction, a generalized parton construction, we construct many non-Abelian quantum Hall (QH) states, which include the Pfaffian state at filling fraction $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/2.$ The projective construction allows us to calculate bulk and edge effective theories for the constructed QH state. We illustrate how to use the bulk effective theory to calculate the ground-state degeneracy of non-Abelian QH liquids on a torus. We point out that a full description of the effective theory requires both an effective Lagrangian and the definition of electron operators. The latter generates all physical states, and defines the gauge structure of the theory.
Initial reliability and validity of the Ohio State University TBI Identification Method.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the psychometric properties of indices of a lifetime history of traumatic brain injury (TBI). PARTICIPANTS: Convenience samples recruited from 2 treatment programs for persons with substance use disorders: N = 119 (study 1) and N = 103 (study 2) DESIGN: Test interrater reliability (study 1) and predictive validity (Study 2). MEASURES: Summary indices of the number, severity, timing, and effects of lifetime TBIs calculated from data elicited via a structured interview. RESULTS: Interrater reliability was high. Factor analysis showed indices could be characterized by severity weighted counts of the number of injuries, both lifetime and in childhood, number of symptoms persisting, worst injury, time since last TBI with loss of consciousness, and age at first TBI with loss of consciousness. Age at injury and symptoms persisting contributed independently to the prediction of common cognitive and behavioral consequences of TBI. CONCLUSION: These results provide preliminary support for the reliability and validity of summary indices of lifetime history of TBI elicited via a structured interview. Language: en
Revitalizing Achievement by Using Instrumentation in Science Education (RAISE), a GK-12 Fellows Project

Revitalizing Achievement by using Instrumentation in Science Education (RAISE) was a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project in which undergraduate and graduate engineering students (fellows) assisted high school science teachers with sensor-based experiments as lab exercises to expand on concepts taught in the classroom. By using sensors and computerized data acquisition, the RAISE project sought to enhance students’ academic achievement; excite them about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); and inspire them to pursue STEM careers. Fellows assisted the teachers in presenting the lab experiments and helped students to understand the lab assignments. Despite difficulties in establishing appropriate baseline grades and comparison groups, analysis of available test scores of students involved in the RAISE versus non-RAISE classes indicates that (1) a slightly larger percentage of RAISE project students took standardized exams; (2) a larger percentage of RAISE project students passed t...
Chemical Mass Balance Source Apportionment of PM10 during the Southern California Air Quality Study

The chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor model was applied to the chemically speciated diurnal particulate matter samples acquired at nine locations in California's South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) during the summer and fall of 1987 as part of the Southern California Air Quality Study (SCAQS). Source profiles applicable to the Los Angeles area were used to apportion PM2.5 and PM10 (particles with aerodynamic diameters < 2.5 and 10 μm, respectively) to primary paved road dust, primary construction dust, primary motor vehicle exhaust, primary marine aerosol, secondary ammonium nitrate, and secondary ammonium sulfate. Suspended dust was the major contributor to PM10 during the summer, whereas secondary ammonium nitrate and primary motor vehicle exhaust contributions were high during the fall. Secondary ammonium sulfate contributions were uniform across the SoCAB, with average contributions during the fall less than half those found during the summer. Marine aerosol contributions were lower during the fall than ...
Is early too early? Effect of shorter stays after bypass surgery.

Background Postoperative stays after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) decreased substantially in the 1990s. Although shorter stays offer clinical benefits, premature discharge could increase adverse events and offset initial savings. This study examined the effect of early discharge after CABG on readmission/death and cost within 60 days of discharge home. Variability in hospitals' tendencies for early discharge and adverse outcomes was also explored. Methods Analyses were based on clinical and claims data for 55,889 New York CABG patients discharged home 1995 to 1998. Early discharge was defined as a postoperative stay below the 15th percentile for patients with similar risk. The likelihood of early discharge and its effect on readmission/death were examined using hierarchical logistic regression, accounting for patient risk and within-hospital correlation. The correlation between early discharge and adverse outcomes at the hospital level was assessed. The effect of early discharge on subsequent inpatient, outpatient, skilled nursing, and home health costs was examined in the Medicare subset. Results Overall, 17% of patients were discharged early, with increasing prevalence over time. The tendency to discharge early varied widely among hospitals (2% to 42% of patients). We found no association between hospitals' tendencies for early discharge and adverse outcomes. Lower postdischarge costs among patients discharged early (mean = $3,491 versus $5,246 for typical stays) resulted in average cumulative savings of $6,309. Conclusions Patients selected for earlier discharge after CABG did not have increased adverse event rates or higher costs. Variation among hospitals in early discharge suggests that more efficient patient management could be achieved at some hospitals.
Underestimating Correlation from Scatterplots

Eighty subjects estimated the correlation coeffi cient, r, for each of 13 computer-printed scatter plots. Making judgments were 46 students in a graduate-level statistics course and 34 faculty and graduate students in a department of psychology. The actual correlation values ranged from .010 to .995, with 200 observations in each scatterplot and with the order of scatterplot presentation ran domized. As predicted, subjects underestimated the degree of actual correlation. Also as predicted, but with substantial moderation by a method-of-presen tation factor, this underestimation was most pro nounced in the middle of the correlational range—between the 0 and 1 extremes. Though per ception of correlation was shown not to be veridical (i.e., in terms of r), little support was given one al ternative view—its being in terms of r 2.
Parotid gland lesions in experimental bovine vitamin A deficiency.

Summary Two groups of four dairy bull calves, averaging 189 days in age were fed a grain mixture containing less than 350 γ per lb. of carotene and beet pulp ad libitum for about 105 days. One control calf in each group received a daily supplement of 100,000 I.U. of vitamin A from dogfish oil containing 25 per cent crude soybean lecithin. In weekly determinations, the hemaglobin values showed no significant changes for treated and supplemented animals, plasma carotene regressed in both groups, while plasma vitamin A was markedly higher in the supplemented animals. The same relationship was reflected in the final liver storage of carotene and vitamin A. Monthly readings of spinal fluid pressure indicated a relative rise in the treated animals, while simultaneous liver biopsies failed to manifest changes in glycogen and fat storage. Pathologic studies of the animals killed after convulsions occurred daily failed to show consistent gross lesions. Irregularly occurring microscopic lesions of focal necrosis and/or cirrhosis in the liver, pneumonia and mild interstitial nephritis suggested intercurrent diseases. Consistent changes were found in the anterior pituitary showing a decrease in the chromatic cells and in the thyroid showing mild hyperplasia. The testes manifested retarded spermatogenesis in some seminiferous tubuli. The parotid gland showed a high incidence of specific squamous metaplasia in the interlobular ducts. The parotid gland appears to be especially prone to exhibit specific histopathologic alterations of A-hypovitaminosis and is the only organ so far ascertained that lends itself to specific morphologic diagnosis of vitamin A deficiency in the ox.
Factors Determining the Sensitivity of Intraoperative Ultrasonography in Detecting Colorectal Liver Metastases in the Modern Era

Background With improved preoperative cross-sectional imaging, the added clinical value of intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) in the detection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) is unclear. Specifically, the ability of IOUS to detect additional liver metastases during surgery and its relationship between clinical and lesion specific ultrasonographic characteristics remains ill-defined. The purpose of the current study was to determine the association of clinical parameters and tumor echogenicity with the ability of IOUS to detect occult CRLM.
America’S Changing Population: Census Monograph Series, the Population of the United States in the 1980S

: This commentary reviews six of the 11 monographs in the Census Monograph Series, The Population of the United States in the 1980s. The series was written for the National Committee for Research on the 1980 Census. The several volumes were published in 1986, 1987, and 1988 by the Russell Sage Foundation.
Factorial validity and reliability of the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale.

The factorial validity and internal consistency reliability of the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale was examined using a random sample of elementary-school children in grades I through 6. Teacher ratings of subjects' classroom behaviors on the Devereux approximated ratings obtained by the standardization sample. Internal consistency (coefficient alpha) reliability coefficients of the 11 Devereux subscales were found to be quite adequate, ranging from 80 to 93. Intercorrelations among Devereux subscales were moderate to high. A principal factor analysis of the 11 subscales produced two factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0, which cumulatively accounted for 70.2% of the total variance. When rotated via an orthogonal (Varimax) solution, the two resultant factors appeared to measure “emotional adjustment” and “academic related” dimensions of classroom behavior. Given the problem of multicollinearity that was shown to exist among subscales, the authors suggest caution in the interpretation of Devereux subscales as discrete factors.
Actin polymerization regulates clathrin coat maturation during early stages of synaptic vesicle recycling at lamprey synapses

Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute, New Haven, Connecticut 06510ABSTRACTAlthoughitisestablishedthatpresynapticactinparticipatesinsynapticvesiclerecyclingat several synapses, the earliest stages at which actin polymerization is employed during thisprocess are still unclear. To address this, we prevented actin polymerization at lampreysynapses by applying latrunculin B or swinholide A. Latrunculin and swinholide depolymer-izeactinbysequesteringactinmonomersand,inaddition,swinholidecanseverexistingactinﬁlaments. When injected into individual presynaptic axons of the intact spinal cord, ﬂuores-cently labeled monomeric actin rapidly incorporated in a calcium-dependent manner into astable, ﬁlamentous actin network concentrated at endocytic zones. This pool of actin wasdisrupted completely by latrunculin. At stimulated synapses, speciﬁc disruption of actinpolymerization with latrunculin and swinholide induced a selective increase in unconstrictedclathrin-coated pits and, in the case of swinholide, an additional increase in the size of plasmamembrane evaginations. These results indicate that actin polymerization participates ini-tially in the maturation of clathrin-coated pits during early stages of synaptic vesicle recy-cling. J. Comp. Neurol. 497:600–609, 2006.
Crystal Structure of FadA Adhesin from Fusobacterium nucleatum Reveals a Novel Oligomerization Motif, the Leucine Chain.

Many bacterial appendages have filamentous structures, often composed of repeating monomers assembled in a head-to-tail manner. The mechanisms of such linkages vary. We report here a novel protein oligomerization motif identified in the FadA adhesin from the Gram-negative bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum. The 2.0 A crystal structure of the secreted form of FadA (mFadA) reveals two antiparallel α-helices connected by an intervening 8-residue hairpin loop. Leucine-leucine contacts play a prominent dual intra- and intermolecular role in the structure and function of FadA. First, they comprise the main association between the two helical arms of the monomer; second, they mediate the head-to-tail association of monomers to form the elongated polymers. This leucine-mediated filamentous assembly of FadA molecules constitutes a novel structural motif termed the “leucine chain.” The essential role of these residues in FadA is corroborated by mutagenesis of selected leucine residues, which leads to the abrogation of oligomerization, filament formation, and binding to host cells.
Distribution of fibronectin on peripheral blood cells in freshly clotted blood.

Blood clots were prepared on plastic substrata and analyzed for fibronectin distribution using indirect immunofluorescence. Platelets generally were observed at focal points where numerous fibrin strands came together and the entire platelet-fibrin meshwork was covered with a uniform coating of fibronectin. In contrast to platelets, other peripheral blood cells observed had no fibronectin on their surfaces, including neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, lymphocytes, and red blood cells.
Use of antibiotics alone for treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background The use of antibiotics alone in the treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis has been controversial. The present report is based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies that compared antibiotics treatment to appendectomy in patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis. Methods A Medline search was performed for studies published between 1970 and 2009. Studies were selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Six reports comprised of 1,201 patients were analyzed. Results In patients treated with antibiotics alone, 6.9 ± 4.4% failed to respond and required appendectomy, and acute appendicitis recurred in 14.2 ± 10.6%. One appendectomy patient had a recurrence. A normal appendix was found in 7.3 ± 5.1% of patients at appendectomy. Complications were considerably less likely to occur with antibiotic treatment than with appendectomy. Major surgical complications included enterocutaneous fistula and reoperation. Conclusion In some cases, antibiotic treatment may fail, and there is a risk of recurrence. However, surgically treated patients, including those with the potential for spontaneous resolution and those with a normal appendix, are subjected to the risks of operative morbidity and mortality. Antibiotic therapy incurs significantly fewer complications. Prospective randomized studies are urgently needed to conclusively define the roles of appendectomy and antibiotic treatment in the management of uncomplicated acute appendicitis.
Pseudo-riddling in chaotic systems

Abstract Previous investigations of riddling have focused in the case where the dynamical invariant set in the symmetric invariant subspace of the system is a chaotic attractor. A situation expected to arise commonly in dynamical systems, however, is that the dynamics in the invariant subspace is in a periodic window. In such a case, there are both a stable periodic attractor and a coexisting non-attracting chaotic saddle in the invariant subspace. We show that riddling can still occur in a generalized sense. In particular, we argue that the basin of the periodic attractor in the invariant subspace contains both an open set and a set of measure zero with riddled holes that belong to the basin of another attractor. We call such basin pseudo-riddled and we argue that pseudo-riddling can be more pervasive than riddling of chaotic attractors because it can occur regardless of whether the chaotic saddle in the invariant subspace is transversely stable or unstable. We construct an analyzable model, derive a scaling law for pseudo-riddling, and provide numerical support. We also show that the chaotic saddle in the invariant subspace can undergo an enlargement into the full phase space when it becomes transversely unstable.
Flexible pavement thermal cracking performance sensitivity to fracture energy variation of asphalt mixtures

Thermal cracking in asphalt pavements continues to be a significant pavement distress mechanism in cold climate regions. The formation of discontinuities due to thermal cracking causes extensive damage to the integrity of the pavement and forms pathways for intrusion of water into the base and subgrade layers. Current use of the performance-based binder specifications has not been shown to effectively lower the propensity for this distress. When this is combined with advent of newer asphalt mix manufacturing and construction technologies as well as desire for incorporation of greater amounts of recycled materials in paving mixtures, it has led to significant research and implementation efforts on asphalt mixture performance-based specifications. On the basis of various past research studies on low temperature cracking, a performance specification that utilises fracture energy of asphalt mixtures through use of disk-shaped compact tension (DCT) test has been developed. A significant number of present studi...
Progress, Opportunity, and Backlash: Explaining Attitudes toward Gender-Based Affirmative Action

Abstract A wealth of research attests to the importance of interest, prejudice, and stratification beliefs in the explanation of race-based affirmative action attitudes. Little research, however, has been done on the importance of interest, prejudice, and stratification beliefs in the explanation of gender-based affirmative action attitudes. This study examines whether these three well-documented explanations are as effective in explaining attitudes toward gender-based affirmative action as they are in explaining attitudes towards race-based affirmative action. Logistic regression analysis of 1996 General Social Survey data reveals that explanations of attitudes toward gender-based affirmative action are related to but distinct from attitudes toward race-based affirmative action. Whereas race, a component of interest explanations, is a strong predictor of race-based affirmative action attitudes, gender is not a strong predictor of gender-based affirmative action attitudes. All three explanations work less...
In Vivo Whole Animal Fluorescence Imaging of a Microparticle-Based Oral Vaccine Containing (CuInSexS2–x)/ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots

Zinc sulfide-coated copper indium sulfur selenide (CuInSexS2-x/ZnS core/shell) nanocrystals were synthesized with size-tunable red to near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence with high quantum yield (40%) in water. These nanocrystals were tested as an imaging agent to track a microparticle-based oral vaccine administered to mice. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticle-encapsulated CuInSexSe2-x/ZnS quantum dots were orally administered to mice and were found to provide a distinct visible fluorescent marker in the gastrointestinal tract of living mice.
THE CASE FOR LOCAL EXCISION OF BREAST CANCER IN SELECTED CASES

Abstract 49 women with small peripherally located cancers of the breast were treated by local excision of the cancer, usually without irradiation. All cancers were invasive and there was no selection as to histological type, clinical stage, or age of patient, but the average diameter of the tumours treated by local excision was 5 mm. less than that of the tumours treated by mastectomy. At five years the survival-rate of the patients treated by local excision was 76%, compared with 71% in the larger group treated by mastectomy. In a five to fourteen year follow-up, the incidence of local recurrence was 6% —a figure identical to that reported after mastectomy. No recurrences were observed in breast tissue and no new cancers appeared in the breast of the affected side. Since the survival-rate and the incidence of local recurrence are similar in patients treated by local excision and in those treated by mastectomy, a randomised clinical trial would be justified in the hope that by simplifying treatment patients will seek treatment earlier and more of them will be cured.
On the seasonal variability of the currents in the Straits of Florida and Yucatan Channel

[1] Seasonal variability in the major passages of the Caribbean are investigated using 5 years of wind and current observations (Explorer of the Seas), combined with a 3 year 1/12° simulation. Seasonal fluctuations in the Florida and Yucatan passages are both characterized by semiannual cycles with transport maxima in summer and winter and minima in spring and fall. In the Straits of Florida, seasonal variability is associated with surface-intensified fluctuations of the Florida Current and can be largely explained by along-channel winds and wind stress curl over the Atlantic Ocean. In the Yucatan Channel, seasonal variability is more barotropic and does not covary with wind forcing but rather is associated with fluctuations of an anticyclonic recirculation to the south of the channel. Upstream, the seasonality in the Grenada Passage also covaries with seasonality in the Yucatan and Florida passages, although the Grenada Passage carries only a small fraction of the total inflow to the Caribbean. Recent in situ estimates of the mean transport in the Yucatan Channel differ by 7 Sv (30.5 Sv, Explorer of the Seas; 23.1 Sv, CANEK). An assessment of sampling errors, biases, and interannual variability seem to account for no more than 2 Sv, leaving no satisfactory explanation for the difference. In Explorer of the Seas data, flows in the Straits of Florida and Yucatan Channel display similar vertical shear structure, while CANEK data exhibit significantly lower shears in the upper 500 m, which account for all the transport difference.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for hypochondriasis/health anxiety: A meta-analysis of treatment outcome and moderators

The present investigation employed meta-analysis to examine the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for hypochondriasis/health anxiety as well as potential moderators that may be associated with outcome. A literature search revealed 15 comparisons among 13 randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) with a total sample size of 1081 participants that met inclusion criteria. Results indicated that CBT outperformed control conditions on primary outcome measures at post-treatment (Hedges's g = 0.95) and at follow-up (Hedges's g = 0.34). CBT also outperformed control conditions on measures of depression at post-treatment (Hedges's g = 0.64) and at follow-up (Hedges's g = 0.35). Moderator analyses revealed that higher pre-treatment severity of hypochondriasis/health anxiety was associated with greater effect sizes at follow-up visits and depression symptom severity was significantly associated with a lower in effect sizes at post-treatment. Although effect size did not vary as a function of blind assessment, smaller effect sizes were observed for CBT vs. treatment as usual control conditions than for CBT vs. waitlist control. A dose response relationship was also observed, such that a greater number of CBT sessions was associated with larger effect sizes at post-treatment. This review indicates that CBT is efficacious in the treatment of hypochondriasis/health anxiety and identifies potential moderators that are associated with outcome. The implications of these findings for further delineating prognostic and prescriptive indicators of CBT for hypochondriasis/health anxiety are discussed.
Neuroendocrine Cell Type-Specific and Inducible Expression of Chromogranin/Secretogranin Genes

: The chromogranin/secretogranins (Cg/Sg) are a family of soluble, acidic proteins representing major constituents in secretory vesicle cores of virtually all neuroendocrine tissues. We and others have identified the cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element (CRE) as the crucial promoter element responsible for neuroendocrine cell type-specific expression of the Cg/Sg genes. In addition to CRE, GC-rich domains in chromogranin B (CgB) and serum response element (SRE) in secretogranin II (SgII) promoters appear to play important roles in neuroendocrine cell type-specific expression of CgB and SgII genes. Nicotinic-cholinergic and peptidergic chromaffin cell stimuli evoke catecholamine secretion and augment biosynthesis of Cg/Sg genes. These stimuli signal to CgA gene transcription through the CRE in cis and through protein kinase A, protein kinase C, and mitogen-activated protein kinase and CRE-binding protein in trans. In addition to CRE, a GC-rich domain in CgB and SRE in SgII promoters also play important roles in mediating inducible expression of the CgB and SgII genes. We conclude that CRE, GC-rich domains, and SRE are crucial determinants of both cell type-specific and secretagogue-inducible expression of the Cg/Sg genes.
Review of Modeling of Liquid Precursor Droplets and Particles Injected into Plasmas and High-Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) Flame Jets for Thermal Spray Deposition Applications

This article presents a review of the current state-of-the-art in modeling of liquid chemical precursor droplets and particles injected into high-temperature jets in the form of DC-arc plasmas and high-velocity oxy-fuel flames to form coatings. Conventional thermal spray processes have typically utilized powders that are melted and deposited as a coating on hardware surfaces. However, production of coatings utilizing liquid precursors has emerged in the last decade as a viable alternative to powder deposition. Use of liquid precursors has advantages over powder in terms of their relative ease of feeding and tailoring of chemical compositions. In this article, we review the modeling approaches to injection of liquid precursors and particles into plasmas and high-velocity oxy-fuel flames. Modeling approaches for the high-temperature DC-arc plasma and oxy-fuel flame jets are first reviewed. This is followed by the liquid spray and droplet level models of the liquid precursors injected into these high-temperature jets. The various knowledge gaps in detailed modeling are identified and possible research directions are suggested in certain areas.
Analysis of the Two Dimensional Datta-Das Spin Field Effect Transistor

Abstract An analytical expression is derived for the conductance modulation of a ballistic two-dimensional Datta–das spin field effect transistor (SPINFET) as a function of gate voltage. Using this expression, we show that the recently observed conductance modulation in a two-dimensional SPINFET structure does not match the theoretically expected result very well. This calls into question the claimed demonstration of the SPINFET and underscores the need for further careful investigation.
Allosteric activation and tuning of ligand efficacy in cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels

Despite recent advances in the identification of ligand-binding1,2 and voltage-sensing3 regions of ion channels, the domains that couple such regions to channel opening have not been identified. Moreover, it is uncertain whether ligand binding or depolarization are obligatory steps that must precede channel opening (according to linear reaction schemes4,5) or whether they act to stabilize the channel in an open state that can exist independently of ligand binding or depolarization (according to cyclic allosteric models6–8). By comparing ligand-independent and ligand-dependent channel openings, we now show that retinal and olfactory cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels2 are activated by a cyclic allosteric mechanism. We further show that an amino-terminal domain, distinct from the pore and ligand-binding motifs, participates in the allosteric gating transition, accounting for differences in the free energy of gating of the two channels. The allosteric transition provides an important mechanism for tuning the physiological response of ligand-binding proteins, such as cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels, to different biological signals.
Evanescent fields in physics and their interpretations in terms of flowgraphs

Evanescent waves and fields play an important role in microwaves, quantum mechanics, optics and elastic waves. Because electromagnetic waves in waveguides have dispersion characteristics similar to those of a unidimensional de Broglie wave, there is a close analogy between quantum mechanical tunneling and the transition through an attenuating sector of a waveguide. Microwave “evanescent mode” filters, quantummechanical tunneling resonance and optical frustrated total internal reflection filters are compared in light of this analogy. The flowgraph technique and “unit real” function representation are shown to be effective in discussing the interdependence of incident and reflected waves in various locations in multilayered structures. In electrognetic and elastic waves, the role of evanescent waves is significant in the case of incident beams of limited extent. The role of equivalent circuits of transverse resonance is discussed in the context of oscillatory natural modes determining the character of propagating fields.
Ten Suggestions for a Successful Commencement Address

The commencement ceremony is one of the most meaningful and symbolic events in a college student’s career. It is a time to reflect on the sacrifices and accomplishments of the past, and on the hope, excitement, and responsibility of the future. It is a time when parents and friends visit the campus and meet, often for the first time, the classmates and faculty members of the graduates. In many cases, it is the last formal on-campus encounter with the college community and a crucial moment in the graduates' forming of lifelong impressions of their alma mater. If you have been chosen to deliver the keynote address, it is probably because of your eminence in your field and because you are well respected. You have been entrusted to offer an inspirational address. The following 10 suggestions are one man’s opinion, based on the observation of over 50 commencement addresses, some of which were good, many mediocre, and a few bland, boring, tasteless, or downright inappropriate. These tips are intended to help in the composition and delivery of wise, interesting, inspiring, and effective addresses. They are not carved in stone, and they are not inviolable; they are merely suggestions. In no way do they jeopardize freedom of speech, inhibit creativity, or stifle ideas.
Theory of hydrogen diffusion and reactions in crystalline silicon

The behavior of hydrogen in crystalline silicon is examined with state-of-the-art theoretical techniques, based on the pseudopotential-density-functional method in a supercell geometry. Stable sites, migration paths, and barriers for different charge states are explored and displayed in total-energy surfaces that provide immediate insight into these properties. The bond-center site is the global minimum for the neutral and positive charge states; in the negative charge state, the tetrahedral interstitial site is preferred. The positive charge state is energetically favorable in p-type material, providing a mechanism for passivation of shallow acceptors: electrons from the H atoms annihilate the free holes, and formation of H-acceptor pairs follows compensation. Also addressed are the issues of molecule formation and hydrogen-induced damage. A number of different mechanisms for defect formation are examined; hydrogen-assisted vacancy formation is found to be an exothermic process.
First Report of Tomato Pith Necrosis (Pseudomonas corrugata) on Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in Washington.

Tomato pith necrosis was observed on 2.7% of tomatoes grown in rows covered with black polyethylene, various biodegradable plastics, and an experimental spunbond poly(lactic) acid agricultural mulch in high tunnel and open field experimental plots, in western Washington in 2011. Symptoms developed on 3-month-old plants and progressed acropetally until night temperatures dropped to 10°C. Affected plants had chlorotic leaves, produced adventitious roots, and pith tissue was brown and either corrugated or rotted. Similar symptoms were observed again in 2012 on 2.0% of plants, but only in experimental plots with black polyethylene mulch. Diseased stem tissue was homogenized with a mortar and pestle in sterile water and the extract was streaked onto King's medium B (KMB) agar. Colonies were white and smooth initially, and after 5 days had an irregular surface and margin and produced a tan diffuse pigment. One isolate, Pc.Sl.2011, was gram-negative, grew at 37°C on nutrient broth yeast (NBY) agar, did not fluor...
The student-authored essay as a teaching tool

Students who enter college dreading their "required" courses are understandably skeptical of their ability to succeed in first-year writing. Their lack of preparation added to their skepticism results in students with too little confidence that their writing will ever resemble the models used in textbooks. As a tool of engagement, student-authored essays provide writing models students readily identify with, thereby promoting confidence. This analysis examines student perceptions of the student-authored essay as a writing tool and the implications of its use to improve learning outcomes in first-year writing courses.
Outer Space and International Cooperation

On October 4, 1957, when Sputnik I was successfully orbited, it was popular to say that mankind had entered a new age—the Age of Space. If this was not just hyperbole, perhaps we are entitled to make a few judgments about the Space Age as it moves toward the end of its first decade. For, even from this short a perspective, the Space Age sharply illustrates the portentous conflict in our time between the forces of neonationalism and, for want of a better word, internationalism.
A Survey of Tables of Probability Distributions.

This article is a survey of the tables of probability distributions published about or after the publication in 1964 of the Handbook of Mathematical Functions, edited by Abramowitz and Stegun
Methylation of CpG Dinucleotides Alters Binding and Silences Testis-Specific Transcription Directed by the Mouse Lactate Dehydrogenase C Promoter

The mouse lactate dehydrogenase c gene (mldhc) is transcribed only in cells of the germinal epithelium. Cloning and analysis of the mldhc promoter revealed that a 100-base pair fragment was able to drive testis-specific transcription in vitro and in transgenic mice. Several testis-specific genes are believed to be regulated at least in part through differential methylation of CpG dinucleotides. We investigated the possibility that transcriptional repression of the mldhc gene is mediated in somatic tissues by hypermethylation of CpG dinucleotides. The CpG dinucleotides within a fragment of the mldhc promoter containing a GC box and tandem activating transcription factor/cAMP-responsive element binding sites are hypermethylated in somatic tissues and hypomethylated in testis. Methylation of the activating transcription factor/cAMP-responsive elements altered the protein binding pattern observed in electrophoretic mobility shift assays using mouse liver but not testis nuclear extract. Furthermore, methylation of an extended mldhc promoter fragment driving lac Z silenced transcription from the promoter in a transient transfection assay. These data suggest that tissue-specific differential methylation plays a role in mldhc silencing in somatic tissues.
A trafficking defective, Brugada syndrome-causing SCN5A mutation rescued by drugs.

Background : The human cardiac SCN5A gene encodes for the α subunit of the human cardiac voltage-dependent sodium channel hNav1.5 [Neuron 28 (2) (2000) 365] and carries inward Na current ( I Na). Mutations in SCN5A cause arrhythmia syndromes including Brugada syndrome (BrS) and congenital long QT syndrome subtype 3 (LQT3). Here, we report a trafficking defective BrS-causing SCN5A mutation that was drug-rescued. Methods and Results : A 14-year-old Caucasian male was diagnosed with BrS with typical ECG pattern for BrS and ventricular fibrillation was easily induced. He also had significant HV interval delay (∼65 ms) and high (31 J) defibrillation thresholds (DFTs). Genomic analysis revealed the SCN5A mutation (G1743R). We engineered G1743R into the cardiac Na channel and transfected HEK-293 cells for functional studies. The mutant channel yielded nearly undetectable sodium channel currents. Coexpression with the β1 subunit, or incubation at low temperature did not increase current density. However, mexiletine, a sodium channel blocker, increased current density 93-fold in G1743R, but only twofold in WT. Conclusions : This study identifies an expression-defective BrS mutation in SCN5A with pharmacological rescue. The profoundly decreased sodium current associated with the G1743R suggests a molecular basis for the delayed His-Purkinje conduction and elevated DFTs observed in the proband. Whether the mutant channel may be rescued in vivo by mexiletine and normalize the patient's electrophysiologic parameters remains to be tested.
Sexual Dimorphism in Stroke

Stroke is a leading cause of death and serious, long-term disability. Studies evaluating differences between men and women are lacking. Significant differences exist between men and women in terms of risk factors and susceptibility to stroke. Women are less likely to have diagnostic studies performed to evaluate their risk for stroke, and they have a higher mortality following acute stroke. Women however, have a higher rate of arterial recanalization after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator used for the treatment of acute stroke. The data comparing the effectiveness of treatments for prevention of recurrent stroke between men and women is sparse. There have not been any studies comparing results of treatment of musculoskeletal impairments in men and women after stroke.
Sumstega: summarisation-based steganography methodology

The demand for reading while no one has time to read everything has fuelled the necessity for automatic summarisation systems in business, science, World Wide Web, education, news, etc. Thus, the popular use of summaries by a wide variety of people creates a high volume of traffic for accessing and generating summaries. Such huge traffic makes an adversary's job impractical to investigate all of them and allows communicating parties to establish a secure covert channel to transmit steganographic covers. This renders summaries an attractive steganographic carrier. Therefore, summarisation-based steganography methodology (Sumstega), presented in this paper, takes advantage of the automatic summarisation techniques to generate summary-cover. Sumstega neither hides data in a noise nor produces noise. Instead, Sumstega manipulates the parameters and factors of automatic summarisation techniques in order to embed data without noise, which retains adequate rooms for concealing data. The validation demonstrates the capability of achieving the steganographic goal.
Radiation therapy for recurrent orbital hemangioma

Background. Surgical resection and corticosteroid therapy have traditionally been the preferred methods of treatment for orbital hemangioma. Radiation therapy is not usually indicated because of the potential for ocular complications. With modern radiation techniques, however, patients may experience substantial clinical improvement without significant radiation-induced morbidity. Methods. A case of unresectable, recurrent orbital hemangioma is described. The clinical presentation, management protocol using radiation therapy, and 5-year follow-up are reviewed. Results. The patient was initially seen with left orbital pain, diplopia, proptosis, and conjunctival edema caused by a recurrent left orbital hemangioma after failed previous surgery. CT scan and angiogram revealed a large, irregular, multilocular mass in the left orbit consistent with hemangioma. The patient was treated with a total of 2000 cGy in 10 treatments. Five-year follow-up revealed a stable, regressed hemangioma with no radiation complications. Conclusions. Radiation therapy may be used if appropriately indicated for function-threatening orbital hemangioma. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 25: 000–000, 2003
Imaging and visualization in medical education

Almost every imaging modality and type of visualization finds a place in the teaching of medicine. These include photographs of patients, dissected anatomy, and pathology tissue; videos of abnormal patient behavior; radiologic imagery such as computed-tomography scans; and images of isotope emissions in nuclear medicine. We also use synthetic or simulated images, such as animations of embryo development, graphs of simulation output, and 3D reconstructions of anatomy from cross-sectional imagery. Visualizations of simulated elastomechanical models allow us to see tissue undergoing natural processes, such as a heart beating, or intrusive processes, such as probing, cutting, or suturing. This tutorial reviews the many types of medical images available. Specific topics in medical education help demonstrate how imaging enhances their teaching.
The diagnostic yield of CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy in solid organ transplant recipients.

Hsu JL, Kuschner WG, Paik J, Bower N, Guillamet MCV, Kothary N. The diagnostic yield of CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy in solid organ transplant recipients. Abstract: Background: Despite the widespread use of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous lung biopsy (PLB) in immunocompetent patients, the diagnostic yield and safety in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients is unknown. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the test performance of CT-PLB in SOT recipients. Methods: We performed a 10-yr single-center, retrospective analysis among heart, lung, kidney, and liver transplant recipients. We included all adult patients who underwent a PLB of a parenchymal lung nodule following their transplantation. Results: Within the study period, 1754 SOTs were performed, of which 45 biopsies met study criteria. Overall, the incidence of PLB in SOT was 3%. PLB established a diagnosis in 24 of 45 cases. The yield of PLB was better for combined biopsy technique (fine-needle aspiration biopsy [FNAB]) and core biopsy than for FNAB alone (odds ratio [OR]: 4.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2, 15.6), and for lesions that were malignant (OR: 10.0, 95% CI: 1.8, 75.4) or caused by an invasive fungal infection (OR: 5.0, 95% CI: 1.1, 27.9). Complications occurred in 13% (6/45) of patients. Conclusion: CT-guided PLB is a safe modality that provides a moderate yield for diagnosing pulmonary nodules of malignant or fungal etiology in SOT recipients.
Nonlinear analytic semiflows

In this paper a local existence and regularity theory is given for nonlinear parabolic initial value problems (x′(t) = f(x(t))), and quasilinear initial value problems (x′(t)=A(x(t))x(t) + f(x(t))). This theory extends the theory of DaPrato and Grisvard of 1979, and shows how various properties, like analyticity of solutions, can be derived as a direct corollary of the existence theorem.
A multiple‐node method to resolve the difficulties in the boundary integral equation method caused by corners and discontinuous boundary conditions

In the boundary integral equation method (BIEM), use of Lagrangian shape functions together with conforming boundary elements requires continuity of functions at the interelement boundary. When the flux or the traction is discontinuous due to the presence of corners or discontinuous boundary conditions, conforming elements can be a source of error. In this paper, we detail a multiple-node method in which this error can either be eliminated or substantially reduced. The paper is limited to the Laplace problem and the problem of elastostatics in two dimensions. However, the method can be easily extended to problems of other types and to higher dimensions.