cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic interaction of BiP and ER stress transducers in the unfolded-protein response

PERK and IRE1 are type-I transmembrane protein kinases that reside in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and transmit stress signals in response to perturbation of protein folding. Here we show that the lumenal domains of these two proteins are functionally interchangeable in mediating an ER stress response and that, in unstressed cells, both lumenal domains form a stable complex with the ER chaperone BiP. Perturbation of protein folding promotes reversible dissociation of BiP from the lumenal domains of PERK and IRE1. Loss of BiP correlates with the formation of high-molecular-mass complexes of activated PERK or IRE1, and overexpression of BiP attenuates their activation. These findings are consistent with a model in which BiP represses signalling through PERK and IRE1 and protein misfolding relieves this repression by effecting the release of BiP from the PERK and IRE1 lumenal domains.
The history of research on RLF.

The Committee on Fetus and Newborn has given a thorough account of the history of research on the etiology of retrolental fibroplasia (RLF) (Pediatrics 57(suppl), April 1976), but there are characteristics of this research program as a whole, and of the report, which are worthy of further comment. 1. Anyone who followed the work of Patz and his colleagues should have recognized by the end of 1953 that overuse of oxygen was the chief etiological factor in the disease.
Goodly Frame, Spotty Globe: Earth and Moon in Renaissance Literature

My title, “Goodly Frame, Spotty Globe”, quotes from two of the greatest writers of the Renaissance, both of whom spent considerable time in Italy, even in Padova. I refer of course to those distinguished Italian poets, William Shakespeare and John Milton.
Opposites Attract in Differentiating T Cells

Depending on specific cues from the pathogen they are exposed to, progenitor T cells differentiate into T helper 1 (T1) or T helper 2 (T2) cells. Like other antagonistic cell differentiation pathways, T1 and T2 differentiation are mutually exclusive, with positive regulators of one pathway acting as negative regulators of the opposing pathway. In their Perspective, [ Bix et al. ][1] describe new data on how direct connections between elements in the two pathways might drive positive and negative crosstalk. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/308/5728/1563
Retro: Targeted resource management in multi-tenant distributed systems

In distributed systems shared by multiple tenants, effective resource management is an important pre-requisite to providing quality of service guarantees. Many systems deployed today lack performance isolation and experience contention, slowdown, and even outages caused by aggressive workloads or by improperly throttled maintenance tasks such as data replication. In this work we present Retro, a resource management framework for shared distributed systems. Retro monitors per-tenant resource usage both within and across distributed systems, and exposes this information to centralized resource management policies through a high-level API. A policy can shape the resources consumed by a tenant using Retro's control points, which enforce sharing and rate-limiting decisions. We demonstrate Retro through three policies providing bottleneck resource fairness, dominant resource fairness, and latency guarantees to high-priority tenants, and evaluate the system across five distributed systems: HBase, Yarn, MapReduce, HDFS, and Zookeeper. Our evaluation shows that Retro has low overhead, and achieves the policies' goals, accurately detecting contended resources, throttling tenants responsible for slowdown and overload, and fairly distributing the remaining cluster capacity.
The Emerging Law of Detention: The Guantanamo Cases as Lawmaking

President Obama’s decision not to seek additional legislative authority for detentions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — combined with Congress’s lack of interest in the task — means that, for good or for ill, judges through their exercise of habeas jurisdiction are writing the substantive and procedural rules governing military detention of terrorist suspects. Our purpose in this report is to describe in detail and analyze the courts’ work to date — and thus map the contours of the nascent law of military detention that is emerging from it. We pay particular attention to the courts’ decisions relating to: the substantive grounds for detention (including whether a once-adequate relationship with enemy forces may be vitiated); the nature and allocation of the burden of proof (including whether the burden actually varies over time); government requests for presumptions that its evidence is authentic and accurate; the admissibility and weight of hearsay evidence; the extent to which interrogation statements may be admitted or given weight in the face of torture, coercion, or involuntariness arguments; and the relevance of the “mosaic” theory. We find a considerable amount of disagreement among the judges regarding most of these matters — enough to suggest that in at least some instances the merits might well have been resolved differently had the detainee’s case been heard by a different judge. The appellate process may eventually impose greater uniformity. In the meantime, the lack of clarity regarding such important matters as the scope of the government’s detention power and the circumstances in which an interrogation statement can be used to justify a detention presents problems from the perspectives of both the detainees and the government. Neither can be sure of the rules of the road in the ongoing litigation, and the prospect that allocation of a case to a particular judge may prove dispositive on the merits can cut in either direction. Because it remains unclear how far the courts’ jurisdiction extends, moreover, nobody knows at this stage precisely how many cases these rules will ultimately govern and where else in the world they will have a direct impact. More fundamentally, because the courts in these cases are defining not merely the rules for habeas review but also the substantive law of detention itself, they have implications far beyond the litigation context. The rules the judges craft could have profound implications for decisions in the field concerning whether to initially detain, or even target, a given person, whether to maintain a detention after an initial screening, whether to employ certain lawful but coercive interrogation methods, and so forth.
Technologies for Real‐Time Data Acquisition, Integration, and Transmission

Immediately after a disaster, decision-makers need to know the magnitude, scope, and spatial distribution of damage in order to effectively assess impact and allocate resources. Without a clear view of the magnitude of an event, emergency managers may make misinformed decisions that exacerbate disaster conditions. Real-time data feeds are available to plan for an impending event, assess impact directly after an event, and monitor an event as it unfolds. Real-time data feeds are most effective for decision-making purposes when combined with decision support systems (DSS) that can interpret highly technical data into anticipated effects for use by emergency managers and/or the general public. Software developers must work with scientists to integrate DSS results into Internet data portals providing information in clear and simple terms. This article provides sources of real-time data and discusses promising examples of successful integration with software systems in the field of emergency management. Several areas for future research are identified. Keywords: decision support systems; real-time data; evacuation routing; emergency management; intelligent transportation systems
Educational Research, for Better or Verse

I thought that I would never see Educational research reduced to poe-tree. Through metaphor, artistic device Come, tackle research issues slice by slice! Probing deeply, metaphorically speaking We’ll give our powerful poetic tools a tweaking. As we seek to understand effects and causes Through fundamentally sound words and clauses. Leaving no unexplained phenomenon unturned We’ll apply all the methodological tricks we’ve learned. Till stanza by stanza, measure by measure We’ve unearthed every worldly research treasure. Other research approaches? To hell with ’em! For after all, we’ve got rhyme and rhythm. And while performing our craft on the shoulders of giants We can even spread the word to medical science. Imagine Secretary Whitehurst’s elation At our bold new educational research innovation! So thanks be to you, our AERA, For bringing us “Educational Research as ABBA.”
Resting state detection for gating movement of a neural prosthesis

The motor cortex is a promising source of signals for driving prosthetic devices to aid movement-impaired individuals. Successful studies in this area have limited subject control to specific task periods. However, real-world applications will require continuous control, which is problematic when the subject does not intend to produce movement. We have previously shown that patterns of neural activity during rest are different from those during movement. Consequently, the scheme used for kinematic decoding is not appropriate during intended rest, resulting instead in unwanted movement because traditional decoders report non-zero velocity during a resting state. We further showed that the population pattern during rest, dubbed the idle state, is robustly distinguishable from the pattern during movement. Here, we demonstrate that an idle state classifier can be combined with a movement decoder to allow for continuous, naturalistic prosthetic control that allows movement only when the subject intends it.
Scatter Measurements On LAK9 And SF1 Glasses At 0.915 µm

Scatter measurements on LAK9 and SF1 glasses at 0.915 pmWilliam L. Wolfe, John E. Hubbs and Frederick O. BartellOptical Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721AbstractMeasurements of two refractive samples were made at 0.915 pm of the BRDF to angles asclose as 3° from specular. The data fit a one -dimensional power spectrum using vectorelectromagnetic theory. The autocorrelation length and its error were estimated and fromthese a most probable value and upper bound of the BRDF at 1° from specular were determined.IntroductionThe reflected scatter from transmitting optical elements is sometimes of importance inthe reduction of stray light through an optical system. We had occasion to make such mea-surements for the Perkin -Elmer Corporation for one of their instruments. The results con-cerning the smoothness of the samples are interesting, but we find the implications concern-ing theory and technique to be more exciting.Statement of the problemBriefly stated, the problem was to measure the bidirectional reflectance distributionfunction (BRDF) at the diode wavelength (0.915 pm) and within about 1° of the speculardirection. The problems would surely be that of getting undue influence from the instrumen-tal scatter itself. The problems of replacing one of our standard lasers' with the diodeseemed to be relatively easy.The instrument profileThe background scatter of our instrument near the specular direction results from thescattering of the primary mirror. The diode laser flux is collected by a lens, shownthrough a pinhole for cleanup and collimated. The collimated beam passes through a chopperand attenuators and reaches an off -axis parabola. This element again focuses the beamthrough a pinhole and onto an F /40 sphere of about 3 in. diameter. The focal point of thesphere is at the detector assembly. The geometry of the mirror, the sample and the detec-tor are shown in Fig. 1. The mirror is labeled M; it is at a distance L from the sample,which is designated S. The detector D is at a distance R from the center of the sample,about which it rotates as a center. The angle 8 is the scatter angle. This geometry isshown for the transmission case, but it applies equally well for an unfolded reflection
DSM-5: Centripetal Scientific and Centrifugal Antiscientific Forces

The excellent articles in this Special Series underscore the centripetal forces pushing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), including DSM-5, toward science, as well as the centrifugal forces pushing the DSM away from science. These articles demonstrate that, some assertions to the contrary, many of the DSM-5 revisions were indeed responsive to data. At the same time, these articles underscore the point that certain assumptions and constraints are impeding the DSM's scientific potential. I highlight three such centrifugal forces here: (a) unwarranted categorical assumptions, (b) unwarranted belief in natural kinds, and (c) the DSM's many masters. Although the DSM is in part a scientific document, it is also in part a pragmatic compromise among multiple competing demands and constituencies. I encourage boosting competition in the marketplace of ideas as a means of enhancing the verisimilitude of the psychiatric classification system.
Optical diffraction of electron micrographs of argininosuccinase tubules

Abstract Optical diffraction patterns of argininosuccinase tubules (previous paper 1 ) define some of the tubules' helical parameters. From these, it can be shown that there is probably one active molecule (of molecular weight about 2 · 10 5 ) per asymmetric unit.
The taxonomic status of the bonobo chimpanzee

A review of past work on the taxonomic status of the bonobo chimpanzee is presented. It is suggested that differences in size and morphology of the common and the bonobo chimpanzees have been exaggerated or poorly understood. It is concluded that not enough data from the field on both bonobo and rainforest-living common chimpanzees exist to classify the bonobo. However, using Simpson's ('61) evolutionary species definition and the preliminary ecological data available, a subspecies designation for the bonobo chimpanzee is supported. Resolution of this taxonomic question through extensive field studies of both the bonobo and rainforest-dwelling common chimpanzees may greatly aid our interpretation of the hominoid fossil record.
Soil structure and pedotransfer functions

Summary Accurate estimates of soil hydraulic properties from other soil characteristics using pedotransfer functions (PTFs) are in demand in many applications, and soil structural characteristics are natural candidates for improving PTFs. Soil survey provides mostly categorical data about soil structure. Many available characteristics such as bulk density, aggregate distribution, and penetration resistance reflect not only structural but also other soil properties. Our objective here is to provoke a discussion of the value of structural information in modelling water transport in soils. Two case studies are presented. Data from the US National Pedon Characterization database are used to estimate soil water retention from categorical field-determined structural and textural classes. Regression-tree estimates have the same accuracy as those from textural class as determined in the laboratory. Grade of structure appears to be a strong predictor of water retention at −33 kPa and −1500 kPa. Data from the UNSODA database are used to compare field and laboratory soil water retention. The field-measured retention is significantly less than that measured in the laboratory for soils with a sand content of less than 50%. This could be explained by Rieu and Sposito's theory of scaling in soil structure. Our results suggest a close relationship between structure observed at the soil horizon scale and structure at finer scales affecting water retention of soil clods. Finally we indicate research needs, including (i) quantitative characterization of the field soil structure, (ii) an across-scale modelling of soil structure to use fine-scale data for coarse-scale PTFs, (iii) the need to understand the effects of soil structure on the performance of various methods available to measure soil hydraulic properties, and (iv) further studies of ways to use soil–landscape relationships to estimate variations of soil hydraulic properties across large areas of land.
J. B. S. Haldane and R. A. Fisher's Draft Life of Karl Pearson

A.W.F. Edwards has recently chronicled how L.G. Wickham Legg, the Editor of The Dictionary of National Biography , invited R.A. Fisher to write the life of Karl Pearson and how, after many disagreements, Fisher withdrew his draft contribution. Pearson’s major contributions had been in statistics and Fisher, the foremost statistician of his generation, was a natural choice to write his life when Legg first approached him on 14 April 1945 inviting a contribution. Fisher replied on 26 April and accepted, though he acknowledged that he ‘did not always get along with the subject’. By 28 June Legg had begun to have reservations. Writing to Fisher on that date, he mentioned that he had ‘had a letter during the last few days’ which had evidently given him some cause for concern. Noting how Fisher had already commented upon his personal differences with Pearson, Legg implicitly suggested that Fisher withdraw from the project. Fisher did not take the hint and submitted a draft to Legg on 21 January 1946. Legg forwarded the draft to at least one unsympathetic external reviewer and, after a prolonged set of exchanges, Fisher withdrew it. It was then replaced by a notice written by M. Greenwood.
Longitudinal Relations among Parental Emotional Expressivity and Sympathy and Prosocial Behavior in Adolescence

Concurrent and longitudinal relations among parental emotional expressivity, children’s sympathy, and children’s prosocial behavior were assessed with correlations and structural equation modeling when the children were 55 months to 97 months old (n = 214; M age = 73 months, SD = 9.59) and 8 years later (n = 130; ages 150 to 195 months old, M = 171 months, SD = 10.01). Parent emotional expressivity (positive and negative) and children’s sympathy were stable across time and early parent-reported sympathy predicted adolescents’ sympathy and prosocial behavior. Parents’ positive expressivity was positively related to sympathy and prosocial behavior, but in adolescence, this was likely due primarily to consistency over time. Early observed parental negative expressivity was negatively related to adolescents’ prosocial behavior. Reported negative expressivity in childhood was negatively related to boys’ sympathy in childhood and positively related to girls’ sympathy behavior in adolescence. The later relation remained significant when controlling for the stability of parental expressivity and sympathy, suggesting an emerging positive relation between the variables for girls.
The induction of acetylcholine synthesis in primary cultures of dissociated rat sympathetic neurons: II. Developmental aspects☆

Dissociated sympathetic neurons from the neonatal rat, grown in cell culture in the virtual absence of other cell types, can develop many of the properties expected of differentiated adrenergic neurons including the ability to synthesize and accumulate catecholamines (CA)2. However, in the presence of high concentrations of appropriately conditioned medium (CM), the cultures develop the ability to synthesize and accumulate acetylcholine (ACh); correspondingly, their ability to synthesize CA decreases. In this paper several developmental aspects of the CM effect are described. The time course of development of cultures grown with or without CM was followed using synthesis and accumulation of [3H]CA from [3H]tyrosine and production of [3H]ACh from [3H]choline as assays for adrenergic and cholinergic differentiation. The ability to produce CA or ACh developed along parallel time courses in the two sets of cultures, rising primarily during the second week in vitro and reaching a plateau during the fourth week. When CM was used as a cholinergic developmental signal, the sympathetic neurons showed a decreasing response to addition of CM as they matured adrenergically; addition of CM during the third or fourth 10 days in vitro was not as effective in inducing ACh production as addition during the first or second 10 days. Similarly, removal of CM at various times from cultures previously grown in CM showed that the cholinergic induction caused by CM was not easily reversible in older cultures. Thus, as with the adrenergic decision, the cholinergic decision becomes less reversible as the phenotype becomes fully expressed.
Recent research and developments in cold-formed steel framing

Recent research studies at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) have focused on developing a better understanding of the behavior of cold-formed steel members and truss assemblies. This research was initiated by the more widespread use of cold-formed steel in the residential construction market, and the need to provide structurally reliable, as well as highly economical design solutions. Steel trusses are commonly assembled using C-shaped sections and self-drilling screws. Based on UMR findings, appropriate design recommendations have been proposed for the web and chord members of a truss. Also of concern is the introduction of large holes in the webs of floor joists. To assess the effect of the web opening, a multi-phased research effort has recently been concluded. This paper summarizes the UMR studies, and the suggested design recommendations.
Stimulation by serotonin of erythropoietin-dependent erythropoiesis in mice.

Summary. Serotonin stimulates erythropoiesis in normal mice but not in the presence of anti-erythropoietin serum. It also stimulates erythropoiesis in adrenalectomized or hypophysectomized mice. It increases erythropoietin titres in the plasma of normal but not of nephrectomized mice. The serotonin precursor l-5-hydroxytryptophan stimulates, but d-5-hydroxytryptophan and the serotonin catabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid do not. As shown by ink penetration, serotonin blocks blood circulation in the kidney. Tissue hypoxia, especially of the kidney, causes the production of erythropoietin. Serotonin may cause a general hypoxia sufficient for the generation of erythropoietin. But its strong effect on kidney circulation suggests kidney hypoxia as the specific reason for its effectiveness in the mouse.
Probability and Causality in Quantum Physics

In attempting to formulate the logical structure of quantum physics it is necessary to refer frequently to probabilities; even the basic axioms of this system of thought which progressively pervades the various branches of physical science involve an explicit appeal to probability concepts. Now it has been customary in mathematical and physical investigations to examine very critically and with utmost care all consequences of a set of postulates when such a set is given, but the postulates themselves, in particular the questions with regard to their consistency and their relation to other fundamental suppositions, often receive unduly little attention. The mystifying power of the term axiom, applied to any set of assumptions, whether basic or not, appears to insure its immunity against inquisitive attacks from the quarters of undesirable sceptics. It is only too natural that such a situation should exist, for one science always starts where another leaves off, and axioms mostly have their place in the boundary region between two, in a domain, hence, over which neither can claim complete jurisdiction and in which neither is perfectly competent to operate. Probability, upon which quantum mechanics is axiomatically founded, lies precisely at the triple junction of mathematics, physics, and philosophy, and partakes of the uncertainty and diffuseness that is likely to affect the concepts arising in such neglected, yet much disputed, boundary fields.
Automatic summarization of open-domain multiparty dialogues in diverse genres

Automatic summarization of open-domain spoken dialogues is a relatively new research area. This article introduces the task and the challenges involved and motivates and presents an approach for obtaining automatic-extract summaries for human transcripts of multiparty dialogues of four different genres, without any restriction on domain.We address the following issues, which are intrinsic to spoken-dialogue summarization and typically can be ignored when summarizing written text such as news wire data: (1) detection and removal of speech disfluencies; (2) detection and insertion of sentence boundaries; and (3) detection and linking of cross-speaker information units (question-answer pairs).A system evaluation is performed using a corpus of 23 dialogue excerpts with an average duration of about 10 minutes, comprising 80 topical segments and about 47,000 words total. The corpus was manually annotated for relevant text spans by six human annotators. The global evaluation shows that for the two more informal genres, our summarization system using dialogue-specific components significantly outperforms two baselines: (1) a maximum-marginal-relevance ranking algorithm using TF*IDF term weighting, and (2) a LEAD baseline that extracts the first n words from a text.
Why not connectomics

Opinions diverge on whether mapping the synaptic connectivity of the brain is a good idea. Here we argue that albeit their limitations, such maps will reveal essential characteristics of neural circuits that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Analysis of Presidential Primary Campaign Commercials of 2004

This article examines television advertising used during the 2004 presidential primary campaign. Based on interviews with the advertising creators and on repeated viewings by the author and his students it describes and analyzes the advertisements. It reveals that Iowa was the heavy spending state at $12.4 million. It discloses how Kerry won through heavy late spending depending on testimonial advertisements from veterans and others; how Edwards depended on talking-head and town meeting advertisements; how Dean's innovation was the delivery of advertisements on the internet; how Clark relied on a strong bio-documentary while Gephardt, Lieberman, and Kucinich had less notable advertisements.
Experimental measurement of coil-rod-coil block copolymer tracer diffusion through entangled coil homopolymers.

The diffusion of coil–rod–coil triblock copolymers in entangled coil homopolymers is experimentally measured and demonstrated to be significantly slower than rod or coil homopolymers of the same molecular weight. A model coil–rod–coil triblock was prepared by expressing rodlike alanine-rich α-helical polypeptides in E. coli and conjugating coil-like poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) to both ends to form coil–rod–coil triblock copolymers. Tracer diffusion through entangled PEO homopolymer solutions was measured using forced Rayleigh scattering at various rod lengths and coil molecular weights for the tracer, and various concentrations for the coil homopolymer solutions. For rod lengths, L, that are close to the entanglementh length, a, the ratio between the diffusivity of a triblock and the diffusivity of a coil homopolymer of the same molecular weight decreases monotonically and is only a function of L/a, in quantitative agreement with previous simulation results. For large rod lengths, diffusion follows an arm ...
Wild-type p53-induced Phosphatase 1 Dephosphorylates Histone Variant γ-H2AX and Suppresses DNA Double Strand Break Repair

In response to DNA double strand breaks, the histone variant H2AX at the break site is phosphorylated at serine 139 by DNA damage sensor kinases such as ataxia telangiectasia-mutated, forming γ-H2AX. This phosphorylation event is critical for sustained recruitment of other proteins to repair the break. After repair, restoration of the cell to a prestress state is associated with γ-H2AX dephosphorylation and dissolution of γ-H2AX-associated damage foci. The phosphatases PP2A and PP4 have previously been shown to dephosphorylate γ-H2AX. Here, we demonstrate that the wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1 (WIP1) also dephosphorylates γ-H2AX at serine 139 in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of WIP1 reduces formation of γ-H2AX foci in response to ionizing and ultraviolet radiation and blocks recruitment of MDC1 (mediator of DNA damage checkpoint 1) and 53BP1 (p53 binding protein 1) to DNA damage foci. Finally, these inhibitory effects of WIP1 on γ-H2AX are accompanied by WIP1 suppression of DNA double strand break repair. Thus, WIP1 has a homeostatic role in reversing the effects of ataxia telangiectasia-mutated phosphorylation of H2AX.
Like Red Tulips at Springtime: Understanding the Absence of Female Martyrs in Afghanistan

In an era where female suicide terrorism is on the rise in conflict regions such as the Middle East, the North Caucasus, and South Asia, why has Afghanistan been largely immune to this trend? Why do some violent groups use female suicide terrorism and others avoid it? This is a critical question for policy makers and analysts attempting to understand a dangerous terrorist phenomenon and how it may evolve in Afghanistan. During the anti-Soviet jihad, narratives were woven of men and women marching through the mountains of Nuristan to “offer their blood for the Islamic revolution like red tulips at springtime.” But today, women are wholly absent from the Taliban and their jihad in Afghanistan. This article analyzes, in particular, the absence of women in Taliban martyrdom operations. There are three primary findings from this study that explain the low propensity for female suicide bombers in Afghanistan. First, a permissive social and geographic environment in Afghanistan gives insurgents freedom of mobili...
THE IN VITRO REACTION OF CELLS TO ADRENAL CORTICAL STEROIDS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO LYMPHOCYTES

The reaction of lymphocytes to adrenal cortical steroids in vitro has been studied recently with contradictory results. Robertson (1948) and Delaunay, Delaunay and Lebrun (1949) reported no effects of adrenal cortical compounds on lymphocytes, while Schrek (1949) and Hechter and Johnson (1949) described a slight but definite toxic action. The work to be reported is a study of the action in vitro of adrenal cortical extracts, compound A, compound E and desoxycorticosterone upon lymphocytes, marrow and testicular cells, white cells of the peripheral blood and peritoneal washings of rabbits which consist mostly of polymorphonuclear neutrophiles (pseudoeosinophiles). method Schrek’s (1947) method of unstained cell counts, with some modifications, was employed. In brief, the technique consisted of making a suspension of cells in homologous serum or plasma, or in physiological salt media. A single animal provided both the serum or plasma and the cells,
60 Ghz indoor propagation studies for wireless communications based on a ray-tracing method

This paper demonstrates a ray-tracing method for modeling indoor propagation channels at 60 GHz. A validation of the ray-tracing model with our in-house measurement is also presented. Based on the validated model, the multipath channel parameter such as root mean square (RMS) delay spread and the fading statistics at millimeter wave frequencies are easily extracted. As such, the proposed ray-tracing method can provide vital information pertaining to the fading condition in a site-specific indoor environment.
Some Contemporary Approaches in Treating Fluency Disorders in Preschool, School-Age, and Adolescent Children.

This clinical forum focuses on the treatment of preschool and school-age children who stutter. It was developed to provide school clinicians with an up-to-date summary of current intervention strat...
Women's decision making regarding choice of second trimester termination method for pregnancy complications

Abstract Objective To describe how women terminating a pregnancy for fetal or maternal complications decide between surgical (dilation and evacuation [D&E]) and medical abortion. Methods A qualitative study was conducted among women who underwent D&E or medical abortion before 24 weeks of gestation for fetal anomalies or pregnancy complications at an academic medical center where both methods are offered. Women were interviewed by phone 1 week after the procedure about their counseling experiences and reasons for choosing a particular method. Data were analyzed by 3 researchers using a grounded theory approach, and interviews were stopped upon thematic saturation. Results Of the 21 women, 13 (62%) chose D&E and 8 (38%) chose medical abortion. Key themes that emerged from the interviews were valuing the ability to choose the method, and the importance of religious beliefs, abortion attitudes, and emotional coping style. Women's preferences for a method were largely based on their individual emotional coping styles. Conclusion Decisions to undergo D&E or medical abortion are highly personal and could affect how women recover after ending a desired pregnancy. Women should be offered counseling about and access to both methods. Understanding these decision processes may help when counseling women faced with these diagnoses and decisions.
Stagnation of Ice Stream C, West Antarctica by water piracy

The dynamic behavior of the West Antarctic ice sheet is of interest because of the possibility that it may change and cause rapid sea-level rise. Attention is focused on the fast-moving and rapidly responding ice streams that drain the ice sheet. One of these, ice stream C, largely stopped about a century ago, and some models for this shutdown postulate negative feedbacks that would tend to stabilize the ice-sheet. Here, new data are presented indicating that the slowdown of the ice stream is restricted to its lower part, and occurred because of loss of lubrication on localized “sticky spots” at the bed of the ice stream. The increased friction probably arises from a topographic accident of the glacier bed that has directed lubricating water to the neighboring ice stream B, together with slow drawdown of the ice sheet, rather than from any general stabilizing feedbacks.
Asymmetric gold nanoparticle reduction into polydimethylsiloxane thin films

Polymer thin films embedded with plasmonic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are of significant interest in biomedicine, optics, photovoltaic, and nanoelectromechanical systems. Thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films containing 3-7 micron layers of AuNPs that were fabricated with a novel diffusive-reduction synthesis technique attenuated up to 85% of incoming laser light at the plasmon resonance. Rapid diffusive reduction of AuNPs into asymmetric PDMS thin films provided superior optothermal capabilities relative to thicker films in which AuNPs were reduced throughout. A photonto- heat conversion of up to 3000°C/watt was demonstrated, which represents a 3-230-fold increase over previous AuNPfunctionalized systems. Optical attenuation and thermal response increased in proportion to order of magnitude increases in tetrachloroaurate (TCA) solution concentration. Optical and thermoplasmonic responses were observed with and without an adjacent mesh support, which increased attenuation but decreased thermal response. Morphological, optical, and thermoplasmonic properties of asymmetric AuNP-PDMS films varied significantly with diffusive TCA concentration. Gold nanoparticles, networks, and conglomerates were formed via reduction as the amount of dissolved TCA increased across a log 10 -scale. Increasing TCA concentrations caused polymer surface cratering, leading to a larger effective surface area. This method, utilizing the diffusion of TCA into a single exposed partially cured PDMS interface, could be used to replace expensive lithographic or solution synthesis of plasmon-functionalized systems.
Advanced office systems: an empirical look at use and satisfaction

Preliminary research findings from a study of advanced office systems in varied user contexts are summarized here. The research, funded by the National Science Foundation Productivity Improvement Research Section, is intended to determine how information technology is successfully incorporated into white-collar work. Participating in the study were 55 offices. They ranged in size from four to 37 employees and represented 26 different organizations that ranged in size from a total of eight employees to multinational operations. The data reported here come from questionnaires administered to 530 employees in the 55 offices.Findings reported here address several issues relevant to implementing advanced office systems: (1) White-collar office employees can be classified into four types: management and administration, data-oriented professionals, text-oriented professionals, and support staff. (2) White-collar work forms a systematic cluster of information-handling activities, some of which are performed by nearly everyone in the office. (3) A large percentage of employees, including senior managers and professionals, already use computers in their work; and most nonusers expect to use them in the near future. (4) Four aspects of computer systems underlie user satisfaction: functionality, equipment performance, interaction features, and office environments. (5) Satisfaction with functionality is the best predictor of use of the system. (6) The most important organizational influences on use of and satisfaction with information technology are variety in work and the organization's approach to technological change.
"It's Raining Dispersants": Collective Sensemaking of Complex Information in Crisis Contexts

Addressing crises sometimes requires grappling with sophisticated technical or scientific content. To make sense of the BP DeepWater Horizon Oil Spill people had to grapple with uncertain and sometimes contentious, complex information. This empirical study shows that an emergent, connected crowd interacted to surface, share, question and discuss these complexities. While studies have observed collective sensemaking taking place via social media in other kinds of crises, this study extends our understanding of emergent crowd work as collective sensemaking where members of the public assemble and interpret evidence on complex topics in a crisis context, perhaps performing a kind emergent citizen science.
Assessing the variation in antiphospholipid antibody (APA) assays: comparison of results from 10 centers.

Abstract Objective This study was undertaken to determine the variability of antiphospholipid antibody (APA) assay results of cardiolipin and other frequently tested phospholipids. Study design Ten centers performing APA assays submitted samples that were positive in their assay. Twenty samples were identified to cover a broad range of APA results. Samples were distributed to the 10 participating centers for evaluation of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA antibodies to phospholipids. Results Of 20 patients, 9 (45%) were identified as positive by all 10 centers and 2 of 20 patients (10%) were identified as positive by 8 or 9 centers. However, 9 of 20 samples (45%) returned with mixed results. The average percent of positive samples was 29%, but results from the 10 centers ranged from a low number of positives (13%) to a high number of (37%). Conclusion When considering a clinical diagnosis of APA syndrome, laboratory concordance of results from 20 patient samples among the 10 centers was only 55%. However, when considering a single phospholipid of a single immunoglobulin isotype, agreement of test results was 83.8%. Isolated positive APA results should be correlated with the clinical history and confirmed by repeat testing.
Application of Non-Interferometric Phase Sensitive Visible/UV Diagnostics in Three and Four-Dimensions and Extension of Non-Interferometric Phase Sensitive Diagnostics into the Soft X-Ray Regime

Summary form only given. The characterization of high energy density physics experiments in three dimensions has rarely been undertaken and the capability of measuring in four dimensions currently does not exist. Current high energy density diagnostics measure almost exclusively in two-dimensions and, as such, provide limited ability to benchmark existing and future hydrodynamical codes. We present several novel phase-sensitive diagnostics that will enable the three-dimensional spatial characterization of plasma densities and also the temporal evolution of such profiles. These diagnostics represent a critical capability, which currently does not exist, for benchmarking and validating four-dimensional hydrodynamical codes with experiments. Extension of non-interferometric phase sensitive sensors into the soft-X-ray regime will allow for characterization of high-density plasmas using soft-X-ray lasers or incoherent X-ray backlighters. The merits of these diagnostic over current interferometric and deflectometry techniques include, higher efficiency, incoherent or low coherence length light capability, two-dimensional gradient determination, higher energy operation and experimental simplicity. Several diagnostic designs are presented
Prefusion structure of syntaxin-1A suggests pathway for folding into neuronal trans-SNARE complex fusion intermediate

The assembly of the three neuronal soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein (SNAP) receptor (SNARE) proteins synaptobrevin 2, syntaxin-1A, and SNAP-25 is the key step that leads to exocytotic fusion of synaptic vesicles. In the fully assembled SNARE complex, these three proteins form a coiled-coil four-helix bundle structure by interaction of their respective SNARE motifs. Although biochemical and mutational analyses strongly suggest that the heptad-repeat SNARE motifs zipper into the final structure, little is known about the prefusion state of individual membrane-bound SNAREs and how they change conformation from the unzippered prefusion to the zippered postfusion state in a membrane environment. We have solved the solution NMR structure of micelle-bound syntaxin-1A in its prefusion conformation. In addition to the transmembrane helix, the SNARE motif consists of two well-ordered, membrane-bound helices separated by the “0-layer” residue Gln226. This unexpected structural order of the N- and C-terminal halves of the uncomplexed SNARE motif suggests the formation of partially zippered SNARE complex intermediates, with the 0-layer serving as a proofreading site for correct SNARE assembly. Interferometric fluorescence measurements in lipid bilayers confirm that the open SNARE motif helices of syntaxin interact with lipid bilayers and that association with the other target-membrane SNARE SNAP-25 lifts the SNARE motif off the membrane as a critical prerequisite for SNARE complex assembly and membrane fusion.
Is Apology the Best Policy? An Experimental Examination of the Effectiveness of Image Repair Strategies During Criminal and Noncriminal Athlete Transgressions

Through the use of a 2 × 3 factorial experiment, the researcher examined the effects of response strategies on an athlete’s perceived image after they provide a response when faced with a criminal or a noncriminal transgression. Results showed that the attacking the accuser strategy was just as effective as the mortification strategy in the repair of the athlete’s image overall, as well as when the athlete is faced with a criminal transgression; the bolstering strategy was also the least effective strategy, regardless of the type of transgression. Implications for the experimental examination of response strategies and for strategic communication practitioners are provided.
Origin of Tensile Stress-Induced Rate Increases in the Photochemical Degradation of Polymers

A novel poly(vinyl chloride)-based polymer (1) containing Mo−Mo bonds along the backbone was prepared by the reaction of carboxylated PVC (ca. 1.8 wt % −COOH) with (HOCH2CH2Cp)2Mo2(CO)6. When irradiated with visible light, this polymer photodegrades, even in the absence of oxygen. Infrared spectroscopic analysis demonstrated that the chlorine atoms along the polymer backbone act as built-in traps for Mo-centered radicals formed by photolysis of the Mo−Mo bonds. The effect of stress on the degradation quantum yield of 1 and its plasticized analogue (2), made by addition of 20 wt % dioctyl phthalate (DOP) to 1, was studied. The presence of the internal radical trap permitted the polymer samples to be irradiated in the absence of oxygen, thus eliminating the kinetically complicating effects of rate-limiting oxygen diffusion. Results from both polymers showed that stress initially increased the quantum yields for degradation, but the quantum yields reached a maximum value and then decreased with higher stress...
Contrasting immediate and long-term effects of isosorbide dinitrate on exercise capacity in congestive heart failure

Abstract Exercise duration and maximal oxygen uptake in patients with heart failure are not suddenly increased after the administration of hemodynamically effective doses of a vasodilator, but they are increased after long-term treatment with these drugs. To explore these differing responses, we had 16 patients with chronic left ventricular failure perform exercise to symptomatic maximum before and 90 minutes after the oral administration of a single 40 mg dose of isosorbide dinitrate. Exercise was then repeated after three months of randomly assigned double-blind long-term treatment with isosorbide dinitrate (eight patients) or placebo (eight patients). Maximal oxygen consumption at control averaged 12.9 ± 1.8 ml/kg/min in the group subsequently assigned to isosorbide dinitrate, and 13.9 ± 1.7 ml/kg/min in the group given the placebo. After the first dose of nitrate, maximal oxygen consumption was unchanged in either group. After three months of nitrate treatment, maximal oxygen consumption increased by 58 percent to 19.4 ± 3.1 ml/kg/min (p
Correlation of Tethyan and Boreal Berriasian – Barremian strata with emphasis on strata in the subsurface of the Netherlands

Abstract The standard Tethyan Berriasian–Barremian successions of France and Spain are correlated with the Boreal successions of England, Germany and the Netherlands. Special emphasis is placed on the correlation and sequence stratigraphy of the main hydrocarbon-producing strata of the Berriasian–Barremian stages in the four main basins in the subsurface of the Netherlands and the Dutch part of the North Sea continental shelf. All available biostratigraphic, magnetostratigraphic, and sequence-stratigraphic correlation data-sets were used to draw this correlation chart. Many lacunae in shallow marine successions could be correlated with sediments in deeper marine successions. Some sequence boundaries are tectonically enhanced and were accompanied by extra large falls in sea level; they initiated important changes in the biota and sedimentary regimes of western Europe, viz, the boundaries of the so-called ‘transgressive regressive facies cycles’ of Jacquin & de Graciansky.
Determinants of Bank Distress in Europe: Evidence from a New Data Set

Using a unique data set on bank distress, this paper provides novel empirical evidence on the determinants of bank soundness in the European Union (EU) as a whole. The estimation results are consistent with the hypothesis that bank risks have converged across EU members, providing empirical support for introduction of a more centralized system of financial regulation in the EU. We show that asset quality and earning profile of banks are important determinants of bank distress next to leverage, suggesting that these should be central in EU-wide financial regulation and supervision. We find that market discipline, both by depositors and by stock market participants, plays a role in the EU, supporting the notion that transparency and dissemination of financial information would contribute to the financial soundness of banks. Our data also point to the presence of contagion effects, relatively higher fragility of concentrated banking sectors, and hazards associated with high ratios of wholesale funding.
Synthesis of high-density carbon nanotube films by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

Abstract Nanotubes with diameters ranging from 20 to 400 nm and densities in the range of 108–109 cm−2, produced on metal-coated silicon by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition, show various shapes depending upon: (i) growth conditions; and (ii) pre- or post-growth treatment of the samples. Presence of nitrogen in the growth or pre-growth atmosphere increases the density and vertical growth rate of nanotubes. The growth rate on an iron-coated substrate is higher than on a nickel-coated substrate. A cleaning procedure, consisting of ultrasonic treatment of nanotubes in methanol, is demonstrated.