cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MEASUREMENT OF VIBRATIONAL CIRCULAR DICHROISM BELOW 600 CM-1 : PROGRESS TOWARDS MEETING THE CHALLENGE

The measurement of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) below ∼600 cm-1 is one of the experimental challenges of the current times. Polarization-division interferometry is considered to be the most efficient approach for realizing these measurements. A crucial component for successful applications of this interferometry is the beamsplitter, which divides the incoming beam according to polarization. Free-standing metal wires and the metal wires deposited on a mylar substrate have been employed as beamsplitters, and their performance has been evaluated for the ∼700-10 cm-1 region. VCD measurements obtained for the enantiomers of α-pinene in the 400-250 cm-1 region are presented. The current status and future developments needed for routine far-infrared VCD measurements are summarized.
Estimating the spatial autocorrelation function for ultrasound scatterers in isotropic media

The autocorrelation function pertaining to spatial distributions of ultrasonic scatterers in soft tissue is believed to contain useful information related to tissue morphology. A simple processing method applied to radio-frequency echo signals estimates this function for a sample having isotropic scattering conditions. It utilizes backscattered echo signals from the sample and echo signals from a reference object having defined scattering properties. The ratio of the echo signal power spectrum from the sample to the echo signal power spectrum from the reference object is obtained, and corrected for attenuation differences between the two media. This yields a "form factor" for the sample, whose inverse Fourier transform is the autocorrelation function. The method was tested using tissue-mimicking samples for which spatial autocorrelation functions could be modeled from the dimensions of embedded scatterers. The shapes of the measured autocorrelation functions were in reasonable agreement with those estimated, although measured functions overestimated the function at small lag distances. Scatterer diameters estimated from the zeros of the autocorrelation function agreed to within 6% of expected values when the measurement system bandwidth satisfied minimal criteria.
Sphingomyelin Inhibits the Lecithin-Cholesterol Acyltransferase Reaction with Reconstituted High Density Lipoproteins by Decreasing Enzyme Binding

Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) catalyzes the formation of cholesterol esters on high density lipoproteins (HDL) and plays a critical role in reverse cholesterol transport. Sphingomyelin, an important constituent of HDL, may regulate the activity of LCAT at any of the key steps of the enzymatic reaction: binding of LCAT to the interface, activation by apo A-I, or inhibition at the catalytic site. In order to clarify the role of sphingomyelin in the regulation of the LCAT reaction and its effects on the structure of apolipoprotein A-I, we prepared reconstituted HDL (rHDL) containing egg phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I, and up to 22 mol % sphingomyelin. Because the interfacial properties of substrate particles can dramatically affect LCAT binding and kinetics, we also prepared and analyzed proteoliposome substrates having the same components as the rHDL, except for a 4-fold higher ratio of phospholipid to apolipoprotein A-I. The reaction kinetics of LCAT with the rHDL particles revealed no significant change in the apparent Vmax but showed a concentration-dependent increase in slope of the reciprocal plots and in the apparent Km values with sphingomyelin content. The dissociation constant (Kd) for LCAT with these particles increased linearly with sphingomyelin content up to 22 mol %, changing in parallel with the apparent Km values. No structural changes of apolipoprotein A-I were detected in the particles with increasing content of sphingomyelin, but fluorescence results with lipophilic probes revealed that significant changes in the acyl chain, backbone, and head group regions of the lipid bilayer of the particles are introduced by the addition of sphingomyelin. On the other hand, the proteoliposome substrates also had increased Kd values for LCAT at high sphingomyelin contents but compared with the rHDL particles had a 6-10-fold lower affinity for LCAT binding and exhibited kinetics consistent with competitive inhibition by sphingomyelin at the active site. These results show conclusively that the dominant mechanism for the inhibition of LCAT activity with rHDL particles by sphingomyelin is the impaired binding of the enzyme to the interface. The results also underscore the significant differences in the enzyme reaction kinetics with different substrate particles.
Tutorial on high-level synthesis

High-level synthesis takes an abstract behavioral specification of a digital system and finds a register-transfer level structure that realizes the given behavior. In this tutorial we will examine the high-level synthesis task, showing how it can be decomposed into a number of distinct but not independent subtasks. Then we will present the techniques that have been developed for solving those subtasks. Finally, we will note those areas related to high-level synthesis that are still open problems.
Two Patches of Amino Acids on the E2 DNA Binding Domain Define the Surface for Interaction with E1

The E1 and E2 proteins from bovine papillomavirus bind cooperatively to the viral origin of DNA replication (ori), forming a complex which is essential for initiation of DNA replication. Cooperative binding has two components, in which (i) the DNA binding domains (DBDs) of the two proteins interact with each other and (ii) the E2 transactivation domain interacts with the helicase domain of E1. By generating specific point mutations in the DBD of E2, we have defined two patches of amino acids that are involved in the interaction with the E1 DBD. These same mutations, when introduced into the viral genome, result in severely reduced replication of the viral genome, as well as failure to transform mouse cells in tissue culture. Thus, the interaction between the E1 and E2 DBDs is important for the establishment of the viral genome as an episome and most likely contributes to the formation of a preinitiation complex on the viral ori.
Inhibition of the Conversion of Aldrin to Dieldrin in Soils with Methylenedioxyphenyl Synergists

Methylenedioxyphenyl synergists (sesamex, piperonyl cyelonene, piperonyl butoxide, sulfoxide and n-propyl isome) added to aldrin-treated loam soils blocked the conversion of aldrin to dieldrin and increased the persistence of the residues by factors of 1.5 to 1.8 within 4 months of soil incubation at 37±1° C. With no synergists, 21% of the applied insecticide was recovered in the form of aldrin and 25% in the form of dieldrin. Soil samples treated also with synergists at 250 times the concentration of aldrin, still contained 60 to 65% of the applied aldrin and only 7 to 23% in the form of dieldrin. Sesamex inhibited the conversion of aldrin to dieldrin more than any of the other methylenedioxyphenyl compounds. The addition of corn oil to aldrin-treated soil increased the conversion of aldrin to dieldrin. Sesamol, which is a breakdown product of sesamex, and a known antioxidant, caused no significant inhibition of dieldrin formation. Sesamex also reduced populations of microorganisms when added to pure cultures, soil suspension, or soils. Thornton’s culture medium, treated with aldrin and inoculated with a suspension of a silt loam, contained 10 to 30% of thc recovered residues as dieldrin. No dieldrin was formed when sesamex and aldrin were added to the media inoculated with microorganisms. Moreover, the persistence of aldrin increased 4- or 10-fold after 2 or 4 weeks of incubation at 37° C.
Estimation of Mexico's informal economy using DMSP nighttime lights data

In many countries of the world governments are unable to accurately track the true magnitude of economic activity due to the large number of transactions upon which taxes are not paid. It is particularly easy to avoid paying taxes on cash transactions and on remittances transferred from outside of the country. In some cases the so called “informal economy” is believed to be a substantial fraction of a nation's total gross domestic product (GDP). Using DMSP satellite observed nighttime lights we developed a calibration for estimating reported GDP for the 48 contiguous states of the USA, where the informal economy is rated as relatively low. We applied this calibration to estimate the GDP for the states of Mexico and compared these values to officially reported GDP and Gross National Income (GNI) values. We found that most states in Mexico have a surplus in lighting relative to their officially reported GDP. We attribute this surplus in lighting to the informal economy and have made estimates of the magnitude of this unreported component to the true GDP. The results are encouraging and suggest that this technique could be used in other countries where accurate GDP reporting is problematic.
Effect of Growth Stage and Initial Inoculum Level on Leaf Rust Development and Yield Loss Caused by Puccinia recondita f. sp. tritici

The effects of the combinations of leaf rust inoculation at different growth stages and initial inoculum levels on leaf rust development and yield of winter wheat cultivars, McNair 1003 and Coker 762 were evaluated. Disease onset stage and initial inoculum level affected the rate of leaf rust development and shape of the disease progress curves in both cultivars. Epidemics with common onset stages and different initial inoculum levels differed in area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). Leaf rust epidemics initiated at Feeke's growth stages 5, 7, and 10 reduced yield in both cultivars. Leaf rust epidemics initiated early with high inoculum levels had the greatest deleterious effect on yield. Maximum losses due to leaf rust were 30–40 %. Yield loss was directly related to AUDPC when the AUDPC varied from 500 to 1700 in McNair 1003 and from 250 to 1700 in Coker 762. Yield reduction was mainly due to reduction in grain weight.
Satellite monitoring of vegetation dynamics: Sensitivity enhancement by the wide dynamic range vegetation index

[1] Synoptic monitoring of vegetation dynamics relies on satellite observations of the distinctive spectral contrast between red and near infrared reflectance that photosynthetically active green vegetation exhibits. It has long been recognized that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) suffers a rapid decrease of sensitivity at moderate-to-high densities of photosynthetic green biomass. This decrease can conceal detection of vegetation change in croplands, woodlands, and productive grasslands. We applied a recent, straightforward modification of the NDVI, the Wide Dynamic Range Vegetation Index (WDRVI), to a standard AVHRR dataset to assess its sensitivity to variability within ecoregions and across years, relative to NDVI. In productive ecoregions, the sensitivity increased within a single year by up to 47% and the sensitivity to interannual variability increased by up to 100%. The WDRVI exhibited no increase in sensitivity in ecoregions with sparse vegetation. These findings have significant implications for diverse applications of vegetation monitoring products.
The beneficial role of left ventricular assist device destination therapy in the reversal of contraindications to cardiac transplantation

Clinical Summary Between January 2000 and September 2004, 15 patients received destination LVAD therapy in our institution. Nine patients had received the Novacor device as part of the INTrEPID (Investigation of Non-Transplant-Eligible Patients who are Inotrope Dependent) trial, and 6 had received the HeartMate XVE device (Thoratec Corporation) after US Food and Drug Administration approval was granted for destination therapy. From this group, 6 patients were reevaluated and listed for transplantation. The mean age was 52 years (range, 31-66 years). The cause of the underlying cardiomyopathy was ischemic in 4 patients, idiopathic in 1 patient, and adriamycin-induced heart failure in 1 patient. Contraindications for cardiac transplantation before LVAD destination therapy were irreversible severe pulmonary hypertension in 5 patients, 2 of whom also had concomitant renal insufficiency and 1 of whom had a recent history of treated endometrial cancer (Table 1). After LVAD implantations, significant reduction in pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, and renal function was seen in these patients (Table 2). Heart transplantation was initially contraindicated in another patient because of psychosocial history and poor compliance. The mean duration of LVAD support until listing among the 6 patients was 243 days (range, 88-684 days). Four patients have undergone transplantation and are alive at a mean duration of 33 months (range, 8-55 months; Table 1). One patient is still on the waiting list, and 1 died from a hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident before undergoing transplantation. In the one patient with cancer, there has been no evidence of recurrence. None of the patients who underwent transplantation with previous pulmonary hypertension had significant perioperative right ventricular dysfunction. The remaining 9 patients with LVAD destination therapy were not offered heart transplantation because of either the presence of ongoing contraindications to heart transplantation or perioperative death after LVAD implantation. The contraindications to heart transplantation in these 9 patients were significant comorbidity in 3 patients, advanced age in combination with significant comorbidity in 3 patients, and malignancy in 2 patients. At a mean follow-up of 200 days (range, 1-1095 days), 5 patients were deceased, whereas the remaining patients were still alive. The causes of death in the 5 patients were multiorgan failure in 3 patients, traumatic hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident after a motor vehicle accident in 1 patient, and intraoperative death in 1 patient.
Three Different Turkey Luteinizing Hormone Receptor (tLH-R) Isoforms II: Characterization of Differentially Regulated tLH-R Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Isoforms in the Ovary

Abstract We have recently characterized three different, alternatively spliced, partial turkey LH receptor (tLH-R) cDNA isoforms by the combination of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 5′- and 3′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The first cDNA (intact form: tLH-Rintact) showed 98% and 72–75% similarity with chicken and mammalian LH receptor sequences, respectively. The other two cloned cDNA isoforms (insertion and truncated forms: tLH-Rinsert and tLH-Rtrunc) could encode truncated soluble protein isoforms that lack the transmembrane region. Northern blot analysis detected two transcripts of 3.0 kilobases (kb) (tLH-Rintact) and 1.5 kb (tLH-Rtrunc) in the turkey ovary but could not discriminate a third alternatively spliced transcript (tLH-Rinsert) due to the small 86-base pair difference in the size range of approximately 3.0-kb mRNAs. But with the combination of RNase protection assay, RT-PCR, and Northern blot analysis, three different alternatively spliced tLH-R mRNA isoforms...
Novel techniques for the fabrication of holey optical fibers

Recently developed optical fibers rely on an array of air holes in the cladding to confine light to the fiber core as opposed to conventional telecommunications fibers that require a refractive index difference produced by different composition glasses in the core and cladding regions. Holey fibers have been fabricated by drawing an array of tubes stacked around a solid central core. In this paper, we describe a new technique to produce the holes (or pores) in the cladding region. These new fibers have been made by drawing a preform, consisting of a porous outer cladding region surrounding a solid central core region, into a fiber. During the fiber drawing process, the pores initially present in the preform cladding region are drawn into small, long, thin tubular pores. Controlling the dimensions and distribution of the pores in the preform can control the physical dimensions and distribution of the pores in the fiber. In some of the preforms, the porous cladding region in the preform was prepared by sol gel techniques. The preform fabrication process and fiber drawing process used to produce these new holey fibers as well as the results of the morphological study elucidating the size, shape and distribution of the porous phase are presented.
Effects of prairie restoration on weed invasions

Restoration of late-successional plant communities may reduce weed invasion in non-cropland. In studies of natural succession and invasion, however, the presence of late-successional vegetation is often confounded with lower weed propagule pressure and greater time since disturbance. This paper reports a study in which propagule pressure and time since disturbance were controlled by adding weed species to experimental plots dominated by early and late-successional perennial grass species. Seeds of 12 weed species were added to randomized, 6-year-old plots of restored prairie and non-restored, old-field vegetation. Restoration reduced added weed biomass by 92% in year one and 72% in year two, and reduced biomass of four individual weed species, each by more than 82%. Likely mechanisms through which restoration may have reduced invasion include competition and establishment limitation. To examine these mechanisms, subplots were treated with N addition and burning, to reduce competition and remove litter, respectively. Several patterns suggest that competition may have mediated reductions in weed invasion: restoration increased biomass of resident vegetation, decreased light levels, and decreased weed size. Furthermore, adding N reduced effects of restoration on resident and added weeds. The importance of establishment limitation in reducing invasion is suggested by increased litter mass and decreased weed density with restoration. Burning removed litter, and reduced effects of restoration on added weeds. These results suggest that tallgrass prairie restoration can reduce weed invasion, and that this reduction may involve multiple mechanisms, including competition and establishment limitation.
Pneumocystis Encodes a Functional Endo-β-1,3-glucanase That is Expressed Exclusively in Cysts

β-1,3-glucan is a major cell wall component of Pneumocystis cysts. We have characterized endo-β-1,3-glucanase (Eng) from 3 species of Pneumocystis. The gene eng is a single-copy gene that encodes a protein containing 786 amino acids in P. carinii and P. murina, and 788 amino acids in P. jirovecii, including a signal peptide for the former 2 but not the latter. Recombinant Eng expressed in Escherichia coli was able to solubilize the major surface glycoprotein of Pneumocystis, thus potentially facilitating switching of the expressed major surface glycoprotein (Msg) variant. Confocal immunofluorescence analysis of P. murina–infected mouse lung sections localized Eng exclusively to the cyst form of Pneumocystis. No Eng was detected after mice were treated with caspofungin, a β-1,3-glucan synthase inhibitor that is known to reduce the number of cysts. Thus, Eng is a cyst-specific protein that may play a role in Msg variant expression in Pneumocystis.
Lorentz-Violating Extension of the Standard Model

In the context of conventional quantum field theory, we present a general Lorentz-violating extension of the minimal $\mathrm{SU}(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{U}(1)$ standard model including $\mathrm{CPT}$-even and $\mathrm{CPT}$-odd terms. It can be viewed as the low-energy limit of a physically relevant fundamental theory with Lorentz-covariant dynamics in which spontaneous Lorentz violation occurs. The extension has gauge invariance, energy-momentum conservation, and covariance under observer rotations and boosts, while covariance under particle rotations and boosts is broken. The quantized theory is Hermitian and power-counting renormalizable, and other desirable features such as microcausality, positivity of the energy, and the usual anomaly cancellation are expected. Spontaneous symmetry breaking to the electromagnetic U(1) is maintained, although the Higgs expectation is shifted by a small amount relative to its usual value and the ${Z}^{0}$ field acquires a small expectation. A general Lorentz-breaking extension of quantum electrodynamics is extracted from the theory, and some experimental tests are considered. In particular, we study modifications to photon behavior. One possible effect is vacuum birefringence, which could be bounded from cosmological observations by experiments using existing techniques. Radiative corrections to the photon propagator are examined. They are compatible with spontaneous Lorentz and $\mathrm{CPT}$ violation in the fermion sector at levels suggested by Planck-scale physics and accessible to other terrestrial laboratory experiments.
THE INACTIVATION OF COMPLEMENT AND ITS COMPONENTS BY PLASMIN

Human complement is inactivated by plasmin, the proteolytic enzyme of plasma or serum active at or near neutrality. The addition of streptokinase to human serum, which converts plasminogen to plasmin, also causes the inactivation of complement components C'2 and C'4 and varying amounts of C'1. C'3 is the most resistant to inactivation by plasmin. Chloroform-activated human plasmin and bovine plasmin also destroy these components of complement, but are less effective than the streptokinase-activated enzyme. The inactivation of complement by the addition of streptokinase to human serum is inhibited by high hydrogen ion concentrations, low temperature, and elevated ionic strength. The inactivation of the components of complement in various fractions of serum is influenced by the available plasminogen and the content of plasmin inhibitors in these fractions. Certain similarities are pointed out between the components of complement and the factors in the plasmin system and between the inactivation of the components of complement by antigen-antibody reactions, by specific agents, and by plasmin. The possible significance of these relationships in immune hemolysis and complement fixation, and the possible role of the plasmin system in the instability of complement and the development of anticomplementary properties in serum are discussed.
Static pressure sensitivity amplification in interferometric fiber-optic hydrophones

The induced optical phase change produced when a static pressure is applied to the test arm of an interferometric single-mode fiber optic hydrophone is examined in terms of hydrostatic and radial mechanical models. The expressions for the models are given in terms of a 3-D solution to the equations of elastostatics for multilayered cylinders. The induced phase change is calculated using both models for various values of the diameter and elastic properties of fiber jacket materials. It is shown that the phase change predicted from the 3-D approach for each model can be adequately described in terms of much simpler 2-D plane strain models. Calculations show that the hydrophone sensitivity of a jacketed fiber is amplified compared with a bare fiber. The largest increase in sensitivity is predicted with the radial model. Calculated sensitivities for the hydrostatic model are shown to correspond closely in value with static pressure sensitivity measurements for the experimental arrangement used here.
Graph Theory Derived Methods for the Study of Metal Cluster Bonding Topology: Applications to Post-Transition Metal Clusters

Graph-theory derived methods have been used to study the chemical bonding topology of clusters of post-transition metals such as Sn, Pb, Sb, and Bi thereby suggesting that similar structure and bonding ideas apply to both condensed phase and gas phase clusters of these metals.
Plasmonic electro-optic modulator design using a resonant metal grating

A plasmonic electro-optic modulator design using an evanescently coupled resonant metal grating is numerically studied in this Letter. Owing to excitation and propagation of long-range surface plasmons between the metal grating nanowires, a deep and narrow reflection dip can be obtained. Improved modulation performance is achieved through decreased damping from large dielectric gaps between the grating nanowires. An optimized electro-optic modulator design with lower insertion loss and low operating voltage is presented.
Systematic Feature Extraction

A systematic feature extraction procedure is proposed. It is based on successive extractions of features. At each stage a dimensionality reduction is made and a new feature is extracted. A specific example is given using the Gaussian minus-log-likelihood ratio as a basis for the extracted features. This form has the advantage that if both classes are Gaussianly distributed, only a single feature, the sufficient statistic, is extracted. If the classes are not Gaussianly distributed, additional features are extracted in an effort to improve the classification performance. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the performance of the procedure.
Progress toward Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis

For decades, noninvasive analysis of the fetal genotype has been the holy grail of the field of prenatal diagnosis. Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD)2 would use a sample source other than amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. The focus has been primarily on the use of maternal blood samples, with less attention given to the possibility of recovering fetal cells from maternal cervical samples (as would be collected for cervical cancer screening). The initial efforts focused on the presence of fetal cells in the maternal circulation, and evidence indicated as early as 1979 that fetal cells could be recovered via fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The elegant strategy of using antibodies to paternal HLA antigens to identify fetal cells was demonstrated. Attempts to recover fetal cells focused for a time on fetal nucleated red blood cells via analysis with fluorescence in situ hybridization and the PCR, but the disappointing results led to skepticism that NIPD would ever become a reality. By 1996 there were reports of tumor DNA detected in the plasma of cancer patients, and Lo et al. first reported in 1997 the presence of fetal DNA in maternal plasma. The use of fetal DNA in the plasma has important advantages over the use of fetal cells in that fetal DNA can be obtained consistently in virtually 100% of pregnancies, whereas fetal cells are recovered much less consistently. In recent years, the use of fetal DNA in maternal plasma to detect fetal sex has become a well-established clinical test [see references in Lo et al. (1) for background on this test and other details]. In fact, determining whether any genotype present in the father but not the mother has been transmitted to the fetus is relatively straightforward. This approach has been used to determine whether a fetus is Rh negative or positive …
Bioinspired composites from freeze casting with clathrate hydrates

Freeze casting with isopropanol (IPA)-H2O as a freezing agent has shown the potential to create porous scaffolds with enlarged pores. Though not experimentally proven, this effect has been suggested to be the result of non-stoichiometric structures called clathrate hydrates forming during the freezing process. In this manuscript, we build upon these results to provide experimental evidence of the formation of clathrate hydrates during the freeze casting process when using IPA-H2O as a freezing agent and explain the observed maximum in pore area through observations of the enthalpy of the transitions. Additionally, these enlarged pores are harnessed in order to create two-phase bioinspired composites. These compos- ites exhibit an increase in mechanical strength over both constituents, a phenomena that is common to complex biological composites. Previous reports have shown that the characteristic method of failure for many freeze cast scaffolds is buckling of the lamellar walls within the porous microstructure. It is proposed that this increase in mechanical strength is due to the support of the second phase, which resists this characteristic buckling failure mode.
Developing distributed applications rapidly and reliably using the TENA middleware

The test and training enabling architecture (TENA) middleware is the result of a joint interoperability initiative of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The goals of the initiative are to enable interoperability among ranges, facilities, and simulations in a quick and cost-efficient manner, and to foster reuse of range assets and future range system developments. The TENA middleware uses Unified Modeling Language (UML)-based model-driven code generation to automatically create a complex Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) application. This model-driven automatic code-generation greatly reduces the amount of software that must be hand-written and tested. Furthermore, the TENA middleware combines distributed shared memory, anonymous publish-subscribe, and model-driven distributed object-oriented programming paradigms into a single distributed middleware system. This unique combination yields a powerful middleware system that enables its users to rapidly develop sophisticated yet understandable distributed applications. The TENA middleware offers powerful programming abstractions that are not present in CORBA alone and provides a strongly-typed application programmer interface (API) that is much less error-prone than the existing CORBA API. These high-level, easy-to-understand programming abstractions combined with an API designed to reduce programming errors enable users to quickly and correctly express the concepts of their applications. Re-usable standardized objects farther simplify the development of applications. The net result of this combination of features is a significant reduction of application programming errors yielding increased overall reliability and decreased overall development time. Distributed applications developed using the TENA middleware exchange data using the publish-subscribe paradigm. Although many publish-subscribe systems exist, the TENA middleware represents a significant advance in the field due to the many high-level, model-driven programming abstractions it presents to the programmer. The TENA middleware API relies heavily on compile-time type-safety to help ensure reliable behavior at runtime. Careful API design allows a great number of potential errors to be detected at compile-time that might otherwise go unnoticed until run-time - where the cost of an error could be extremely high! The implementation of the TENA middleware uses C++, as well as a real-time CORBA ORB. The TENA middleware is currently in use at dozens of Department of Defense (DoD) testing and training range facilities across the county and has been used to support major test and training events such as Joint Red Flag '05. The TENA Middleware is available at http://www.tena-sda.org/
The New Frontier of State Constitutional Law

In the past decade, a new frontier of constitutional discourse has begun to emerge, adding a fresh perspective to state constitutional law. Instead of treating states as jurisdictional islands in a sea under reign of the federal government, this new approach sees states as co-equals among themselves and between them and the federal government in a collective enterprise of democratic self-governance. This Symposium, organized around the theme of Dual Enforcement of Constitutional Norms, provides the occasion for leading scholars on state constitutional law to take a fresh look at their subject by adopting a vantage point outside of the individualized jurisdictional context. Instead, the Symposium invited participants to consider directly whether state and federal constitutional law are separate and distinct systems of law, each with its own doctrines, traditions, and dominant norms, or whether state and federal constitutional law may profitably be understood as complementary features of a shared project of elaborating and enforcing shared constitutional norms. The Articles in this issue lie along what we hope will prove to be a new frontier that moves courts and scholars closer to a sustainable interpretive theory of state constitutions, shedding important light on the role of state courts, while also addressing the federal judicial role in a system of dual enforcement.
Computerized Cognitive Training Based upon Neuroplasticity

Computer assisted cognitive training is used in the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI), schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Pilot studies and case studies have now progressed to randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses that demonstrate efficacy of computer assisted cognitive training. In patients with schizophrenia, computer assisted cognitive remediation has demonstrated improvement in general and social cognition, as well as verbal and working memory, attention/vigilance, and speed of processing. Cognitive rehabilitation in TBI has shown evidence for effectiveness of attention training and language and visual spatial training for aphasia and neglect. Cogmed, a computerized massed practice approach to working memory training, has an adaptive process, to adjust to the person’s performance. Cogmed has frequently been used with patients diagnosed with ADHD. Compliance with treatment is a key to achieving benefit. Working memory training is based on neural plasticity, the concept where the brain is stimulated and reacts by changing. These changes are in neural pathways and synapses. Computerized cognitive training does result in changes in the brain, and these changes are sustained over time. Cogmed has resulted in increased verbal and visual spatial working memory and improvements in attention with ADHD clients. Also gains in reading comprehension and mathematics have been found after completing Cogmed.
Spatial Analysis of Cereal Leaf Beetle Abundance in Relation to Regional Habitat Features

Environmental correlates of cereal leaf beetle (CLB), Oulema melanopus (L.), adult and egg density in the cereal grain fields of a 41.4 km2 region in Michigan were examined in 1976 and 1977. Discriminant analysis was used to relate high and low insect density to 38 spatially arrayed variables characterizing the fields and the environment within 0.4 km of field boundaries. Habitat features were measured from color infrared photographs taken from an aircraft at high altitude. It was generally possible to identify functions of five or fewer variables that correctly separated 90 to 100% of the fields each year into high or low insect density categories. Variables selected as contributing most to the discriminant functions varied considerably depending on crop, insect stage, and year. The amounts of sparse woods and susceptible (nonresistant) wheat near a field were selected more often than other variables. In only a few cases was an association of high or low CLB density with specific habitat features repeated in both years. Reasons for a general inability to account consistently for spatial variations in insect density in terms of characteristics of fields and the habitat surrounding them are discussed at length. Although localized features of individual fields may be responsible for between-field variation in insect density, these determinants of density are probably many and vary in importance from year to year.
Investigation of electric fields, interface charges, and conduction band offsets at ZnSe/GaAs heterojunctions with a novel photoreflectance technique

ZnSe/GaAs heterojunctions were investigated by contactless electroreflectance and photoreflectance techniques. Negative surface charge densities on the order of 1012 cm-2 were observed for films grown on n-type GaAs indicating a large contribution to the conduction band barrier between the materials due to band bending. The conduction band offset was also measured using a new photoreflectance technique involving a tunable pump laser.
The medicalization of normal variants: the case of mitral valve prolapse.

Mild mitral valve prolapse, hypoglycemia, irritable colon, and premenstrual syndrome are examples of anatomicophysiologic phenomena that largely overlap with normal. Such “overlap syndromes” become labeled disease entities by the medical community through a process called medicalization. This report uses mitral valve prolapse (MVP) to exemplify the effects of medicalization on patients, physicians, and society. Ascertainment bias and insufficient controlled clinical studies have led to the description of a clinical entity replete with false associations (e.g., mitral valve prolapse syndrome) and overly pessimistic prognostication (e.g., risk of sudden death or endocarditis), leading to clinical overreaction, overtreatment, and unnecessary induction of disability. Though some physical complications may be prevented by recognizing severe MVP, there is substantial risk of iatrogenic harm by attributing complex symptoms and illness behavior to mild MVP, which is probably a normal variant. A three-dimensional analysis of illness experience is presented that may be of use in conceptualizing the clinical approach to overlap syndromes such as mild MVP. Conservative criteria for the diagnosis of significant MVP have been developed at the National Institutes of Health. Treatment of patients with mild MVP must emphasize that it is a normal variant without serious consequences. Because the risks of overmedicalization are so substantial, the impact of diagnostic labels on individual patients and society must be analyzed continually.
Quantitative Determination of Neutrophil VCS Parameters by the Coulter Automated Hematology Analyzer

We studied the clinical usefulness of the VCS parameters (mean channels of cell volume, conductivity, and light scatter) in reactive neutrophils for predicting acute bacterial infection, which are obtained by the Coulter LH 750 hematology analyzer (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA) during automated differential counts. Peripheral blood samples from 69 patients with positive blood cultures for bacteria and 35 control subjects were studied. We observed a significant increase in the mean channel of neutrophil volume (MNV) from septic patients compared with control subjects (156 ± 13.5 vs 143 ± 4.8; P < .001). The mean channel of neutrophil light scatter was decreased significantly in patients (140 ± 10.1 vs 146 ± 7.3; P = .002). An elevation of the MNV was associated with a higher WBC count and percentage of neutrophils and was present even in patients who did not have leukocytosis or neutrophilia. With a cutoff of 150 for the MNV, a specificity of 91% and sensitivity of 70% were achieved. As a quantitative, objective, and more sensitive parameter, we believe that the MNV has a potential to be an additional indicator for acute bacterial infection.
Drug dependence and its treatment. II.

Usually there is no medical reason to use amphetamines when antidepressants are available. The physician can therefore at least restrict his prescriptions for these drugs. We can then question whether this country requires the production of eight billion amphetamine tablets yearly!
Data Integrity Preservation and Identity Theft Prevention: Operational and Strategic Imperatives to Enhance Shareholder and Consumer Value

Given the current risk environment, businesses are obligated to do their utmost to protect systems and ensure consumer confidentiality. Unfortunately, even the prudent and vigilant business entities may still be susceptible to data theft or other outside system intrusion. In this respect, sound corporate governance should include some degree of planning and preparation for worst-case scenarios. There are several fundamental questions that every business should consider in order to effectively prepare for a breach of cybersecurity and ensure the integrity of stored data. For instance, in the event of a major system compromise, who bears the cost of system restoration or reimbursement? What about negative publicity, loss of goodwill, and lawsuits? What constitutes due diligence before and after a data compromise? What steps should management consider post-breach? What are the legal consequences to our business, customers, and other stakeholders, and should we purchase cyberinsurance? This chapter seeks to provide answers to those questions, as well as to offer valuable suggestions for both individual private consumers and business entities on how to best protect electronic information. The first section of the chapter, “Part I,” addresses current infrastructure risks and the challenges associated with cyber insurance underwriting. The next section, “Part II,” will attempt to summarize the increasingly complex legal and regulatory landscape inherent in preserving data integrity and preventing identity theft. Finally, the last section, “Part III,” of this chapter will address the concept of “due diligence” and emphasize the importance of postbreach best practices that seek to protect revenue streams and customer goodwill while minimizing business disruptions and legal liability.
Taxonomic Richness, Diversity, and Assemblage Size

This chapter discusses the difficulties involved in measuring richness and diversity in the archaeological setting. Faunal assemblage richness is tightly correlated with the size of the retrieved sample—the number of identified specimens—and this fact must be taken into account whenever richness is analyzed. In studies of taxonomic richness, analysis is focused on the number of taxa, often species, which have contributed to a faunal assemblage, and on comparing assemblages on the basis of the number of taxa they contain. Taxonomic richness has frequently been addressed in the archaeological literature. Smith, for instance, utilized species richness as a basic analytic device in his study of the use of vertebrates by Middle Mississippi people in the southeastern United States. Species richness is highly variable across strata within both Gatecliff Shelter and Hidden Cave; therefore, the chapter discusses this variability to the kinds of accumulation mechanisms that constructed the faunal assemblages of those sites, and to changes in past environments.
An Autonomous and Adaptive Bacteria-based Drug Delivery System

Traditional drug delivery systems are often inefficient and imprecise as they mainly rely on diffusion processes. For example, the blood circulation system is often used to transport and deliver drugs throughout the body; due to the randomness involved in molecular diffusion, this approach may cause inefficient delivery of drugs. To deal with this problem, we propose an autonomous and adaptive bacteria-based drug delivery system that integrates bacterial chemotaxis and quorum sensing to deliver drugs efficiently and precisely. More specifically, we design a synthetic AND gate that enables bacteria to detect the molecules produced by a particular type of tumor and release the appropriate drugs in a coordinated manner; the system can also dynamically adjust the amount of drugs released based on tumor size and activity. We envision that such a system can be used for cell-based therapeutics while preventing drug overuse and multidrug resistance.
Patient Perception of Tics

The subjective perception of abnormal movements was determined in 170 patients with various hyperkinesias at the Movement Disorders Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario.
Serotonin in Mood and Emotion

Abstract The topographical organization of serotonergic innervation of the forebrain, as well as the paracrine nature of serotonergic neurotransmission in limbic structures, support the contention that serotonin plays a neuromodulatory role in the brain. The lack of synaptic specializations at serotonergic terminals and varicosities in many brain regions suggests that serotonergic innervation may be particularly pliable. As conscious feeling or the cognitive aspect of emotion involves learning and memory, the serotonergic system may be particularly well suited for modulating mood. Pharmacological manipulations of serotonergic neurotransmission alter emotional processing, attentional bias, emotional memory, dysfunctional attitudes and decision-making. In healthy human subjects, increases in serotonergic neurotransmission result in enhanced attention and recognition of positive emotional material. Contrary to expectation, acute increases in serotonergic neurotransmission also increase attentional bias towards negative or fearful stimuli. In general, decreased serotonergic neurotransmission results in impaired attention and recognition of positive emotional material, and increases the attentional bias towards negative stimuli in healthy subjects. A polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene also alters emotional processing. Understanding not only the neurobiology of emotional responses, but also serotonergic modulation of emotional states, will be important as we attempt to elucidate the etiology of emotional disorders. Future research with agents specific to various serotonin receptors may identify important therapeutic targets for the treatment of cognitive and affective disorders.
On approximating information sources

In this paper we introduce a class of information sources T = [Si A], i = 1,2, .....m, such that each source in this class approximates, in a defined sense, a given source S. For this purpose we use the set of product approximations for a distribution introduced by Lewis (Ref. 2.). Thus, for any source Si A ? T, the nth order distribution is a product of some lower order distributions corresponding to the source S and further the product is an extension of the lower order distributions. It is then shown that each source Si A ? T is "compatible" with the source S, where the nation of "compatibility" roughly means that each source Si A ? T can use a code designed for the source S equally effectively as regards the probability of incorrectly receiving a given sequence and still maintain an effective information rate which can be made arbitrarily close to the rate corresponding to the source Si A by increasing the length of the sequences. A precise definition of "compatibility" and the corresponding necessary and sufficient conditions have been stated previously (Ref. 3.).
Photopolymerization Behavior of Coordinated Ionic Liquids Formed from Organic Monomers with Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metal Bistriflimide Salts

Coordinated ionic liquid (IL) monomers provide many of the benefits of conventional ILs in radical polymerization with the advantage of relatively simple synthesis and recovery of the polymer product. Previous studies have reported high solubilities of lithium bistriflimide in polar organic monomers such as methyl methacrylate (MMA), 1-vinylimidazole (VIm) and others. Here, coordinated IL monomers are formed comprising a variety of alkali and alkaline earth Mn+(Tf2N−)n salts with MMA and VIm, and polymerization behavior is investigated using real-time attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR). The size and valency of the coordinated Mn+ cations are observed to strongly influence monomer reactivity, as evidenced by significant changes in FT-IR spectra. This work further demonstrates that the bulky, delocalized [Tf2N]− anion allows for facile introduction of a wide range of Mn+ cations into organic polymers without phase separation, which may open opportunities for new composite materials.
To nearly come full circle: Nonoperative management of high-grade IV-V blunt splenic trauma is safe using a protocol with routine angioembolization.

IntroductionNonoperative management (NOM) of hemodynamically stable high-grade (IV–V) blunt splenic trauma remains controversial given the high failure rates (19%) that persist despite angioembolization (AE) protocols. The NOM protocol was modified in 2011 to include mandatory AE of all grade (IV–V)