cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 125: Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein-C Phosphorylation Is Critical for Normal Diastolic Function

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) accounts for approximately 50% of all cases of heart failure, but there is no effective treatment of this disease. Cardiac myosin binding protein-C (MyBPC3) is a thick filament protein that is thought to slow cross-bridge cycling by inhibiting acto-myosin interaction. When phosphorylated, MyBPC3 releases its inhibition thereby accelerating cross-bridge cycling. Thus, we hypothesize that MyBPC3 phosphorylation enhances heart’s ability to relax (lusitropy). To test this idea, we expressed wild type MyBPC3(tWT), non-phosphorylatable MyBPC3(t3SA), and constitutively phosphorylated mimetic MyBPC3(t3SD) onto MyBPC3(-/-) mouse background. We used echocardiography, voluntary running, and measurements of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) for comparison. MyBPC3(t3SA) and MyBPC3(t3SD) hearts had similar ejection fraction as MyBPC3(tWT) hearts. MyBPC3(t3SA) hearts show depressed diastolic function revealed by slower myocardial tissue Doppler relaxation velocity at the mitral valve annulus (Ea) and an increased mitral blood flow/myocardium relaxation ratio (E/Ea). In contrast, MyBPC3(t3SD) hearts exhibited enhanced lusitropy with increased Ea and smaller E/Ea. Moreover, the findings of shorter 7-day average voluntary running distances, increased lung/body weight ratios, and increased BNP levels indicated heart failure in MyBPC3(t3SA) mice. Conversely, MyBPC3(t3SD) mice did not show signs of heart failure. Since cardiac function in MyBPC3(t3SA) mice resembles HFpEF and MyBPC3(t3SD) mice exhibit enhanced lusitropy, we conclude that phosphorylation of MyBPC3 is crucial for normal diastolic function. ![Figure][1] [1]: pending:yes
Wave particles

We present a new method for the real-time simulation of fluid surface waves and their interactions with floating objects. The method is based on the new concept of wave particles, which offers a simple, fast, and unconditionally stable approach to wave simulation. We show how graphics hardware can be used to convert wave particles to a height field surface, which is warped horizontally to account for local wave-induced flow. The method is appropriate for most fluid simulation situations that do not involve significant global flow. It is demonstrated to work well in constrained areas, including wave reflections off of boundaries, and in unconstrained areas, such as an ocean surface. Interactions with floating objects are easily integrated by including wave forces on the objects and wave generation due to object motion. Theoretical foundations and implementation details are provided, and experiments demonstrate that we achieve plausible realism. Timing studies show that the method is scalable to allow simulation of wave interaction with several hundreds of objects at real-time rates.
Silicon Wafers for Solar Cells by Horizontal Ribbon Growth

In this paper, we present a set of models that describe the principal components of the Horizontal Ribbon Growth process—mainly, the interaction between fluid flow and heat transfer, the crystalliz...
Mechanistic Studies on Platinum(II) Catalyzed Hydroarylation of Alkynes

The dicationic acetylene platinum(II) complex [Pt(PNP)(C2H2)](BF4)2 (PNP = 2,6-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)pyridine) was generated in situ by ligand substitution from the ethylene complex [Pt(PNP)(C2H4)](BF4)2 and was reacted with a series of arenes at low temperature. Only electron-rich arenes added across the coordinated C–C triple bond and gave the corresponding arylalkenyl complexes (E)-[Pt(PNP)(CH═CHAr)]BF4 (Ar = C6Me5, C6H2Me3-2,4,6, C6H3Me2-2,6, C6H3Me2-2,4). A slow E–Z isomerization of the arylalkenyl complexes was observed. Single-crystal X-ray structure analyses were obtained for both E and Z isomers of the pentamethylbenzene derivative. The E isomers of [Pt(PNP)(CH═CHAr)]BF4 (Ar = C6Me5, C6H2Me3-2,4,6) reacted with excess HBF4·Et2O to give the corresponding arylalkene complexes [Pt(PNP)(CH2═CHAr)](BF4)2, whereas the Z isomers did not undergo immediate protonolysis. Using (E)-[Pt(PNP)(CD═CDC6Me5)]BF4 it was shown that the stereochemistry of the C–C double bond in the protonolysis product depends...
pH Responsive Nanofiltration Membranes for Sugar Separations

Nanofiltration membranes were surface modified by grafting poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) nanochains using a UV initiated free radical polymerization method. These pH sensitive membranes were then used to separate monosaccharides, disaccharides, and their mixtures from filtration feed streams. It was found that pH dramatically affects the flux, rejection, and selectivity using these modified pH sensitive nanofiltration membranes. Membrane performance could be enhanced not only by the conformational changes of the grafted surface layer due to protonation and deprotonation of the acid groups on the polymer chains but also from the different interactions between the sugar molecules and the neutral PAA chain or its negative conjugate. Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to investigate the specific interactions between glucose/sucrose and the neutral/negatively charged PAA chains. The simulation results show that both sugar size and PAA charge affect significantly the sugar-polymer interactions.
In situ localization of sodium-potassium ATPase mRNA in developing mouse lung epithelium

The ontogeny of Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) mRNA in the mouse lung was examined, using alpha- and beta-isoform-specific probes in Northern blot assays and for in situ hybridization analysis. Northern blot assays demonstrated an increase in Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase expression in the perinatal period, peaking at birth (D1), with alpha 1- and beta 1-isoform levels reaching six to eight times adult levels. In situ alpha 1-isoform hybridization signals were localized primarily to developing airway epithelium and were most intense on D1. Postnatally, alpha 1-isoform hybridization signals persisted in airway epithelium, although progressively diminishing in intensity relative to perinatal levels. In developing alveolar regions, alpha 1-isoform hybridization signals remained slightly above background during this period. beta 1-Isoform hybridization signals increased dramatically during the perinatal period in both developing airway and alveolar epithelia. Postnatally, beta 1-isoform hybridization signals declined slightly in airway epithelium and developed a punctate pattern in alveolar epithelium. These data indicate that the perinatal increase in Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase expression observed in the developing mouse lung is localized primarily to epithelial structures and is therefore likely to be related to the changes in transepithelial ion and fluid transport known to occur in the perinatal period.
Initiation and growth of salt diapirs in tectonically stable settings: Upbuilding and megaflaps

We use finite element modeling to show that upbuilding can be a significant component of salt diapir growth in tectonically stable systems when basin sediments are elastoplastic mudrocks. The ability of such sediments to deform plastically and the dependence of their strength on confining pressure enable structural thinning, which allows salt to pierce through a relatively thick roof. Once pierced, the originally continuous roof uplifts to form a megaflap. We show that the evolution to an upturned megaflap adjacent to a salt stock causes shortening of the bedding layers in the radial and vertical directions and extension in the hoop (circumferential) direction. These deformations lead to significant shear strains within the sediments; as a result, in some areas within the upturned megaflap, mudrocks have reached their maximum level of shear resistance and are failing. Thinning and shear failure of sediments are also significant near salt walls, despite the absence of out-of-plane deformation. We illustrate that cross-sectional area and bedding line lengths are not necessarily preserved. Based on our results, we re-evaluate traditional assumptions of kinematic restoration and show that established workflows may not properly restore salt systems that interact with shallow plastic sediments. Finally, we show that when wall rocks are deformable, salt diapir shapes are not necessarily a simple function of sedimentation and salt flux rates (qfx/A) and that the diapir hourglass shape might result from lateral deformation of the megaflap.
Home- and community-based growth monitoring to reduce early life growth faltering: an open-label, cluster-randomized controlled trial

Background: Despite the continued high prevalence of faltering growth, height monitoring remains limited in many low- and middle-income countries.Objective: The objective of this study was to test whether providing parents with information on their child's height can improve children's height and developmental outcomes.Design: Villages in Chipata District, Zambia (n = 127), were randomly assigned with equal probability to 1 of 3 groups: home-based growth monitoring (HBGM), community-based growth monitoring including nutritional supplementation for children with stunted growth (CBGM+NS), and control. Primary study outcomes were individual height-for-age z score (HAZ) and overall child development assessed with the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21st Century Neurodevelopment Assessment tool. Secondary outcomes were weight-for-age z score (WAZ), protein consumption, breastfeeding, and general dietary diversity.Results: We enrolled a total of 547 children with a median age of 13 mo at baseline. Estimated mean difference (β) in HAZ was 0.127 (95% CI: -0.107, 0.361) for HBGM and -0.152 (95% CI: -0.341, 0.036) for CBGM+NS. HBGM had no impact on child development [β: -0.017 (95% CI: -0.133, 0.098)]; CBGM+NS reduced overall child development scores by -0.118 SD (95% CI: -0.230, -0.006 SD). Both interventions had larger positive effects among children with stunted growth at baseline, with estimated interaction effects of 0.503 (95% CI: 0.160, 0.846) and 0.582 (95% CI: 0.134, 1.030) for CBGM+NS and HBGM, respectively. HBGM increased mean WAZ [β = 0.183 (95% CI: 0.037, 0.328)]. Both interventions improved parental reports of children's protein intake.Conclusions: The results from this trial suggest that growth monitoring has a limited effect on children's height and development, despite improvements in self-reported feeding practices. HBGM had modest positive effects on children with stunted growth. Given its relatively low cost, this intervention may be a cost-effective tool for increasing parental efforts toward reducing children's physical growth deficits. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02242539.
Imaging to End Points: Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment in HIV

The remarkable evolution of the HIV epidemic from a near uniformly fatal condition to a chronic viral infection now managed for many patients with 1 pill once a day marks one of the great accomplishments of medicine in recent decades. Life expectancy estimates for people living with HIV with access to antiretroviral therapy are beginning to approach life expectancy estimates of the general population.1 However, not long after the widespread use of combination antiretroviral therapy for the treatment of HIV, clinicians began to recognize undesirable effects of HIV therapy such as dyslipidemia and alterations in body fat distribution. These observations stimulated considerable attention from HIV providers and researchers to identify and understand cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with HIV and its therapy. See Article by Janjua et al Early large cohort studies designed to evaluate CVD outcomes in the context of HIV demonstrated an increased risk of myocardial infarction in association with increasing years of antiretroviral therapy exposure, and observational patient registries showed that rates of myocardial infarction in people living with HIV are increased compared with uninfected contemporaries.2,3 Subsequent cohort studies have consistently validated these observations, identifying ≈1.5-fold higher risk of acute myocardial infarction in people living with HIV compared with uninfected controls. In these studies, the enhanced risk of CVD associated with a diagnosis of HIV was found to be independent of traditional CVD risk factors, which are often enriched in HIV-infected populations.4,5 Considerable efforts are underway to optimize CVD risk assessment and to characterize the unique contribution that HIV and immune activation play in the pathophysiology of CVD in people living with HIV. Recent estimates for the aging characteristics of the HIV-infected population suggest that by 2030 as many as 73% of people living with HIV will be over the …
A critique of mutualism’s combination of the Aristotelian and Kantian traditions

In this article, I will identify two key normative principles at the core of Robert L. Simon’s mutualist theory of sport, namely, the respect-for-the-opponent principle and the idea that sport is a...
Bio-inspired Imaging Systems with Wide Field-of-View and Enhanced Photosensitivity

Performance of many imaging systems can be limited by their narrow field-of-view and low photosensitivity. Inspired by natural eyes, we developed two systems, which can overcome the previous obstacles and optimize the performance of the imaging systems. Mimicking dragonfly eyes, an array of microlenses is arranged on a curved surface to capture images with a wide field of view as large as 175°. Following the anatomy of elephantnose fish eye, we designed microscale reflecting concentrators that can intensify optical power on sensors and enhance photosensitivity. These bio-mimic structures offer viable solutions to significantly advance surveillance, security and night-vision cameras.
Nonverbal Behavior Research and Psychotherapy

There have been many assertions of the importance of body movement, facial expression, voice tone, and other aspects of nonverbal behavior in face-to-face interaction. And, if one includes research from anthropology, communication, and ethology as well as psychology, there is now an extensive and fascinating literature on bodily communication that is of potential value to the clinician (M. Davis, 1972; M. Davis & Skupien, 1982).
A QUANTUM-CHEMICAL CORRELATE OF HALLUCINOGENESIS

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a quantum-chemical correlate of hallucinogenesis. In a study discussed in the chapter, molecular orbital calculations were performed for series of mono-, di-, and trihydroxylated and methoxylated phenylethylamines. Progressive methoxylation was found to correlate with an increase in highest filled molecular orbital (HFMO) energy. With monophenolic amines, such as tyramine and metatyramine, and the diphenolic amine dopamine, the methoxy derivatives had more energetic HFMOs than the corresponding hydroxylated derivatives. A more energetic HFMO is indicated by a lower value in β units. Additional hydroxy groups also increased the HFMO energy. Thus, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine had a more energetic HFMO than the monophenolic derivatives, and 3,4,5-trihydroxyphenylethylamine had the highest HFMO energy of the phenolic amines.
A numerical study of buoyancy-Marangoni convection of volatile binary fluids in confined geometries

Abstract A horizontal temperature gradient can cause a flow in a layer of liquid with a free surface via several different mechanisms. The most universal one is due to thermocapillary stresses that arise due to the temperature dependence of surface tension. For binary liquids, the flow can also be driven by solutocapillary stresses that arise due to the dependence of surface tension on the composition of the liquid. For some binary liquids, such as water-alcohol mixtures, solutocapillary stresses are primarily due to phase change (e.g., differential evaporation or condensation of the two components), and these two mechanisms can counteract each other. A recent experimental study (Li and Yoda, 2016) has demonstrated that the flow direction can be reversed by changing the amount of air present inside the experimental apparatus. To understand how the presence of air affects the interfacial stresses, we have developed and implemented numerically a comprehensive two-sided transport model, which accounts for transport of heat, mass, and momentum in both phases and phase change across the interface and is able to reproduce the experimental results. The detailed analysis of these results shows that air tends to suppress phase change and hence solutocapillary stresses. Removing the air enhances phase change, instead suppressing the variation in the interfacial temperature and hence thermocapillary stresses.
Abstract 1078: Identification of peptides binding to mesenchymal subtype breast cancer from phage display peptide library

Most available therapeutic drugs efficiently treat tumors; however, absence of specificity has deleterious effects on patients. Identifying a tumor ablation method that has specificity with minimal to no side effects is needed. Phage display allows for expression of peptide and protein libraries on the surface of phage with a diversity of 109 peptides of different permutations, which leads to the selection of peptides and proteins, with high affinity and specificity. Phage display can be used as a tool to identify specific targets using a pIII phage library for identification of cell surface markers. To do so, we performed an initial depletion assay to isolate specific phages that express an affinity to human cells. We isolated a phage diversity of 10-2 from 109. Subsets of this population were used to identify phage and breast cancer cell interaction in vitro using an ELISA assay. Briefly, phages were exposed to epithelial and mesenchymal breast cancer cells and fibroblast cells. We have identified a phage profile that selectively targets tumor cells based on their transition from epithelial to mesenchymal. Interestingly, PE-26, a phage subset, indicated a greater affinity for more mesenchymal-like tumor cells. Moreover, we identified a 5-fold increase in the binding affinity for MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 (overexpressed with TGF-β) in comparison to the control fibroblast cells. Additionally, PE-21 demonstrates a 6-fold increased affinity for breast cancer cells when contrasted with our control fibroblast cells. Our data provide further support that the identified phage profiles exhibit a preferential affinity for more mesenchymal-like tumor cells, which are known to be aggressive. This suggests their potential chemotherapeutic capability. Our future endeavors include further validation of selected phages and development of peptides to be employed as imaging agents to study EMT in vivo and as diagnostics to detect circulating tumor cells. Citation Format: Kelvin M. Jones, Rajeev Samant, Shree Singh, Deepa Bedi. Identification of peptides binding to mesenchymal subtype breast cancer from phage display peptide library [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1078.
Design and Fabrication of Germanium-Zinc Sulfide Mid-IR Photonic Devices

The mid-IR from 3 to 13 μm is an established region for scientific and industrial applications and may benefit from the introduction of photonic devices. Methods for the design and fabrication mid-IR devices are demonstrated.
Impact of MRI Selection on Triage of Endovascular Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: The MRI in Acute Management of Ischemic Stroke (MIAMIS) Registry

Background The recently published multicenter randomized DAWN trial confirmed greater outcome benefit of endovascular therapy (ET) for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion ischemic stroke from 6 to 24 h from symptom onset compared to medical management in patients selected by advanced imaging with MRI or perfusion CT to identify mismatch between clinical deficit and infarct volume, which represents salvageable penumbra. The debate of CT over MRI is usually the potentially increase time consumption and the difficulty in establishing an adequate standardized workflow utilizing MRI during the hyperacute phase. Purpose While CT-based selection of patients is the current standard of care, we sought to determine the time impact of the alternative approach of MRI selection in the 0-12 h window. Methods In the MRI in Acute Management of Ischemic Stroke (MIAMIS) registry, we retrospectively analyzed 89 consecutive patients from January 2008 to January 2010 who presented with acute stroke symptoms with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥5 or aphasia within 0-12 h from symptom onset. The presence of penumbra was determined by MR perfusion-diffusion mismatch or clinical diffusion mismatch. Patients were stratified based on the presence of mismatch and clinical outcomes in patients who received ET. Imaging times were recorded. Results The MRI turnaround time was 95.5 ± 48.5 min. The total MRI time was 27.7 ± 12.8 min. Seventeen (19.1%) patients were found to have nonvascular etiology. Mismatch was found in 35 (48.6%) patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Patients with nonvascular etiology were younger (55.7 vs. 65.6 years, p < 0.02), without any vessel occlusion or mismatch noticed in this group. We dichotomized the 39 AIS patients with vessel occlusion into two subgroups: these with mismatch and these without. Patients without mismatch were older (76.7 vs. 64.4 years, p < 0.05), more likely to have congestive heart failure (71.4 vs. 22%, p < 0.03), a higher total serum cholesterol level (196 vs. 156 mg/dL, p < 0.04), and medium to large lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) (85.7 vs. 37.5%, p < 0.04). Conclusions Multimodality MRI screening for AIS symptoms for ET is feasible. Optimizing each center's protocol and the utilization of MRI with DWI only may be a time-saving alternative.
Should You Use Frequent Quizzing in Your College Course? Giving up 20 Minutes of Lecture Time May Pay Off

This study examined whether frequent testing would promote long-term retention of college-level course material. Students in a college course engaged in three different types of interval practice over the course of a 13-week semester: quizzes, quizzes with feedback, and study. We examined the impact of type of interval practice on performance on unit exams. Six exams were given that consisted of multiple choice (MC) questions presented during earlier practice, new highly related MC questions, and new highly related short answer (SA) questions. The variation in type of unit exam questions allowed for the examination of interval quiz-related transfer to related MC and related SA questions. Further, half of the unit exams were taken individually and half were taken collaboratively. This manipulation allowed us to examine post-collaborative facilitation. Results suggest that interval quizzing resulted in beneficial transfer effects to highly related MC and SA questions and post collaborative facilitation.
Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage to Identify Fragmented Electronic Medical Records in the All of Us Research Program

As part of a national study in the United States to recruit one million Americans (All of Us Research Program) and their Electronic Health Record data, we set out to determine the degree to which care is fragmented across a sample of participating health provider organizations (HPOs). We distributed a previously validated Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage (PPRL) tool to participating sites to generate a unique set of keyed encrypted hashes for seven participating institutions across three States in the Upper Midwest of the U.S. An honest broker received the resulting encrypted hashes to identify patients with the same encrypted hashes shared across any combination of more than one institution as a proxy for patients receiving care across institutions. Out of 5,831,238 individuals, we identified 458,680 patients with data at more than one institution. Care fragmentation varied significantly by State and by Institution ranging from 6.1% up to 32.7%. Patients with fragmented care were more likely to be black (11.8% vs 10.8%), and slightly older (Median birth year 1968 vs 1969) compared with patients receiving care at only one participating institution. In contrast, patients who maintained an address in a warmer state (“snowbirds”) were the least likely to be black (7.5%) of all study groups. We identified conflicting or inconsistent demographic information in 49.1% of patients with care fragmentation compared with 5.6% of patients without care fragmentation. Privacy-preserving record linkage can be an effective means to identify populations with care fragmentation and poor data quality for focused clinical and data improvement efforts.
Determination of neutron irradiation temperatures of SiC using electrical resistivity method

Abstract The irradiation temperature of silicon carbide (SiC) was determined post-irradiation by examination of the recovery of the electrical resistivity due to thermal annealing in a rapid heating/cooling optical furnace. High-purity, high-resistivity grade SiC is routinely used as a passive temperature monitor in neutron irradiation studies at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), and this paper presents an alternative automated technique for determination of the irradiation temperature the SiC experienced. Neutron collisions with the atoms results in displaced lattice atoms (interstitials) that act as electron donors yielding a significant decrease in electrical resistivity. The irradiation defects become thermodynamically unstable and start to recombine, when annealed above the irradiation temperature, resulting in a recovery of the electrical resistivity. The resistivity is measured at a fixed elevated temperature above ambient, which is below the target irradiation temperature. When the resistivity is plotted as a function of annealing temperatures, a clear increase is observed due to the recovery of irradiation defects. We have demonstrated that this electrical resistivity measurement of SiC is effective to determine irradiation temperature of SiC. Energy levels of various defects in SiC were calculated from Arrhenius plots of electrical conductivity versus inverse temperature.
Observation of the high-order Mollow triplet by quantum mode control with concatenated continuous driving

The Mollow triplet is a fundamental signature of quantum optics and has been observed in numerous quantum systems. Although it arises in the ``strong driving'' regime of the quantized field, where the atoms undergo coherent oscillations, it can be typically analyzed within the rotating wave approximation. Here we report the first observation of high-order effects in the Mollow triplet structure due to strong driving. In experiments, we explore the regime beyond the rotating wave approximation using concatenated continuous driving that has less stringent requirements on the driving field power. We are then able to reveal additional transition frequencies, shifts in energy levels, and corrections to the transition amplitudes. In particular, we find that these amplitudes are more sensitive to high-order effects than the frequency shifts and that they still require an accurate determination in order to achieve high-fidelity quantum control. The experimental results are validated by Floquet theory, which enables the precise numerical simulation of the evolution and further provides an analytical form for an effective Hamiltonian that approximately predicts the spin dynamics beyond the rotating wave approximation.
Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Expert Consensus Statement: Anesthetic Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke* Endorsed by the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery and the Neurocritical Care Society

Literature on the anesthetic management of endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is limited. Anesthetic management during these procedures is still mostly dependent on individual or institutional preferences. Thus, the Society of Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNAC
A comparative study of deconvolution methods for RNA-seq data under a dynamic testing landscape

Deconvolution analyses have been widely used to track compositional alternations of cell-types in gene expression data. Even though numerous novel methods have been developed in recent years, researchers are still having difficulty selecting optimal deconvolution methods due to the lack of comprehensive benchmarks relative to the newly developed methods. To systematically reveal the pitfalls and challenges of deconvolution analyses, we studied the impact of several technical and biological factors such as simulation model, quantification unit, component number, weight matrix, and unknown content by constructing three benchmarking frameworks that cover comparative analysis of 11 popular deconvolution methods under 1,766 conditions. We hope this study can provide new insights to researchers for future application, standardization, and development of deconvolution tools on RNA-seq data.
A Generic Dynamic Load Model Framework

Formulating accurate dynamic load models is critical for power system analysis, control, and planning. In this paper, a generic dynamic load model is proposed. The dynamic power response of the load is directly approximated as the superposition of various mathematical functions that produce a dynamic response. Basic physical principles of the dynamic process are reflected in the mathematical functions utilized in the proposed model. Firstly, different stages of the dynamic process are detected based on the derivatives' continuity of the measurement. Then, a complete set of mathematical functions that produce the dynamic responses in electric devices are formulated. Thirdly, a parsimonious set of mathematical functions is selected in each stage by performing feature selection using nonlinear principal component analysis. The generic dynamic load model is further formulated based on the parsimonious set of mathematical functions in each stage. Finally, the parameters of the generic load model corresponding to different system events are solved. Based on the formulated generic load model, its possible application in event detection is further analyzed. The proposed generic load model is easy-to-implement given limited data measurement. Various tests on different system event data are performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed generic dynamic load model. The results show that the proposed generic load model framework has excellent accuracy and robustness for different system events.
Effect of harvesting module design on the thermal performance and voltage generation of a thermoelectric oscillating heat pipe

Abstract A thermoelectric oscillating heat pipe (OHP) converts a temperature potential into electricity by exploiting its internal, cyclic fluid enthalpy. In this study, the energy harvesting ability of a tubular oscillating-magnet OHP (OMHP), a type of thermoelectric OHP that utilizes a floating, cylindrical magnet and externally-wrapped solenoid, was experimentally investigated over a range of heat inputs for evaluating how harvesting module design, e.g. size of induction magnet, number of solenoids, length of module, impacts its thermal and electrical performance. Two methods for constraining/positioning the floating cylindrical magnet, i.e. with internal posts or externally-located annular magnets (for repulsive forces), were considered. While using water as a working fluid at a 75% fill ratio, results demonstrate that the OMHPs operated as a traditional OHP, with effective thermal conductivities on-the-order of 5000 W/m ⋅ K, while also generating electrical voltages up to ∼ 250 mV (peak-to-peak). The investigated OMHPs could accommodate up to 400 W of heat transfer while maintaining an average evaporator temperature below ∼ 100 °C; this heat transfer limit was found to decrease substantially when using internal posts over external annular magnets for magnet positioning. However, harvester modules with internal posts were found to produce significantly more electrical voltage due to the induction magnet’s increased freedom of motion in the absence of an external magnetic field. The heat transfer and electrical voltage generation needs for a given application must be balanced and this work will aid in designing the appropriate OMHP.
The analysis of metronidazole in human serum: an unusual overdose case.

A case of attempted suicide involving metronidazole in conjunction with ethanol. The chemical and toxicological findings will be discussed.
Optical waveguides from a lithographically-defined wetting of a high-index liquid

We present a new approach to realize liquid-core optical waveguides via selective wetting on lithographically patterned oleophobic and oleophilic patches for sensing and adaptable optics applications.
Suggestions for Modern Security Analysts

The field of Security Analysis has generally come to embrace the theories of modern economics, seemingly without adequate consideration for how to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The consequences of this, most recently experienced in the 2007-2008 financial crisis, have been significant. To help rectify this we provide practical suggestions for modern security analysts to consider, which center on four key areas. First is obtaining a working knowledge of financial/economic history, which will help put security analyses into context. The collapse of Long-Term Capital Management in the late 1990s is compared to recent events experienced during the financial crisis as an example. We also suggest that a multi-discipline analytical framework, which incorporates a common-sense approach to risk management, be adopted along with contrary thinking, and an understanding of - and appreciation for - market complexity. Cumulatively, these suggestions could lead to more insightful analyses and profitable investments at lower levels of risk over time.
IL-4 and IL-13 Induce Protection of Porcine Endothelial Cells from Killing by Human Complement and from Apoptosis through Activation of a Phosphatidylinositide 3-Kinase/Akt Pathway

Vascular endothelial cells (EC) perform critical functions that require a balance of cell survival and cell death. EC death by apoptosis and EC activation and injury by the membrane attack complex of complement are important mechanisms in atherosclerosis and organ graft rejection. Although the effects of various cytokines on EC apoptosis have been studied, little is known about their effects on complement-mediated EC injury. Therefore, we studied the abilities of various cytokines to induce protection of porcine aortic EC against apoptosis and killing by human complement, a model of pig-to-human xenotransplantation. We found that porcine EC incubated with IL-4 or IL-13, but not with IL-10 or IL-11, became protected from killing by complement and apoptosis induced by TNF-alpha plus cycloheximide. Maximal protection required 10 ng/ml IL-4 or IL-13, developed progressively from 12 to 72 h of incubation, and lasted 48-72 h after cytokine removal. Protection from complement was not associated with reduced complement activation, C9 binding, or changes in CD59 expression. Inhibition of PI3K prevented development of protection; however, inhibition of p38 MAPK or p42/44 MAPK had no effect. IL-4 and IL-13 induced rapid phosphorylation of Akt. Although protection was inhibited by an Akt inhibitor and a dominant negative Akt mutant transduced into EC, it was induced by transduction of EC with the constitutively active Akt variant, myristylated Akt. We conclude that IL-4 and IL-13 can induce protection of porcine EC against killing by apoptosis and human complement through activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
Leadership Styles and Employee Satisfaction: A Correlation Study

The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to determine the extent to which leadership style preferences correlate with employee satisfaction with supervision among employees and leaders of some companies. This study measured preferences for each of five common leadership styles and examined correlations with measures of employee satisfaction. The styles studied were transactional leadership, transformational leadership, autocratic leadership, charismatic leadership, and situational leadership. Results indicated that each of the five leadership styles has a positive correlation with employee satisfaction, suggesting that the situational leadership style may be the most appropriate style for leaders in some companies. The global geopolitical situation in the twenty-first century is changing and requiring businesses to engage in creating new organizational paradigms to meet and thrive with changing circumstances, technology, and globalization (Glaser, 2012). To succeed, businesses must design dramatically different organizational paradigms from those paradigms used in the past. Businesses in smaller countries must look to innovative leadership styles that will increase employee morale to remain competitive in the emerging global community and global markets to attract investors (Moore, 2013). Dynamic leadership boosts productivity and generates better services and products to global consumers. With globalization, a country's success is no longer linked exclusively to itself and its own internal resources. Instead, the world marketplace affects each country. There have been limited studies in the past to demonstrate the effect of transactional, transformational, autocratic, charismatic, and situational styles on the effectiveness of Iranian organizational leadership. Lack of researches in the past made some organizations unable to realize there is a meaningful relation and positive correlation between probable award, job satisfaction, entrustment of power, and way of control and management and the managers' effectiveness. Researches did not show that exchange leadership style has a direct relation with the managers' effectiveness while each of the five leadership styles has a reversal relation with the managers' effectiveness.
On the behavior of competing markets populated by automated traders

Real market institutions, stock and commodity exchanges for example, do not occur in isolation. Company stock is frequently listed on several stock exchanges, allowing traders to potentially trade such stock in different markets. While there has been extensive research into agent-based trading in individual markets, there is little work on agents that trade in such multiple market scenarios. Our work seeks to address this imbalance. Here we provide an initial analysis of the behavior of trading agents that are free to move between a number of parallel markets, where markets are able to charge traders in a variety of ways. We show the movement of traders between markets, sketch some adaptive strategies that markets may use to adjust charges, evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, and give some results which show the effect of trader movement on properties of the markets.
Spatial sensitivity functions for rapid numerical simulation of borehole sonic measurements in vertical wells

ABSTRACTBorehole sonic measurements are routinely used to measure dynamic elastic properties of rock formations surrounding a wellbore. However, shoulder-bed effects, mud-filtrate invasion, and near-wellbore damage often influence the measurements and bias the interpretations. Inversion-based methods can reduce the influence of complex geometric conditions in the estimation of formation properties from sonic logs, but they require fast-forward modeling algorithms. We have developed new spatial sensitivity functions for rapid modeling of borehole sonic measurements, which were equivalent to the Green’s functions of borehole modal wave measurements. An adaptive finite-element (FE) method was used to calculate 1D axial (vertical) and 2D (axial-radial) sensitivity functions, which combined the dependence of sonic logs on the wave mode, frequency, formation properties, and logging-instrument geometry. Semianalytical formulations were also used to calculate the sensitivity functions, which involved modeling the...
Towards the design and implementation of a multilevel secure deductive database management system

The preliminary design and implementation of a multilevel secure deductive database management system (MLS/DEDBMS) is described. The MLS/DEDBMS is defined as a multilevel secure relational DBMS (MLS/RDBMS) augmented with a deductive manager which is a logic programming system for a multilevel environment. Logic as a data model for multilevel databases, reasoning across security levels, architectural issues for an MLS/DEDBMS, and a prototype implementation are discussed. >
Robotic Puppets and the Engineering of Autonomous Theater

This chapter outlines the design of software for embedded control of robotic marionettes using choreography. In traditional marionette puppetry, the puppets often possess dynamics that are quite different from the creatures they imitate. Puppeteers must therefore understand and leverage the inherent dynamics of the puppets to create believable and expressive characters. Because marionettes are actuated by strings, the mechanical description of the marionettes either creates a multiscale or degenerate system—making simulation of the constrained dynamics challenging. Moreover, marionettes have 40–50 degrees of freedom with closed kinematic chains. Generating puppet choreography that is mimetic (that is, recognizably human) results in a high-dimensional nonlinear optimal control problem that must be solved for each motion. In performance, these motion primitives must be combined in a way that preserves stability, resulting in an optimal timing control problem. Our software accounts for the efficient computation of the (1) discrete time dynamics that preserve the constraints and other integrals of motion, (2) nonlinear optimal control policies (including optimal control of LTV systems), and (3) optimal timing of choreography, all within a single framework. We discuss our current results and the potential application of our findings across disciplines, including the development of entertainment robots and autonomous theater.
It's About Time1

A review of the article "Materials in the Classroom Ecology" by A.M. Guerrettaz and B. Johnston, which appeared in the journal's 2013 97th volume, is presented.
An automated, analytical method to determine shear-wave splitting

Abstract We introduce and discuss an automated, analytical method for determination of shear-wave splitting. To determine the polarization direction of the first-arriving shear wave (fast wave), we evaluate the linearity of the particle motion of shear waves by maximizing as a function of azimuth the aspect ratio, i.e., the ratio of the projections of the particle displacement on orthogonal axes in the horizontal plane. In a time window that contains only the first shear-wave arrival, the azimuth at which the maximum aspect ratio occurs is taken as the polarization direction of the fast shear wave. Then the time separation between the split shear waves is determined by time-shifting the component with the slow shear-wave arrival toward the fast shear-wave arrival until maximum linearity in particle motion is observed. The polarization direction of the fast shear wave can be accurately predicted for seismograms having good signal-to-noise ratios, as are typical of local earthquake recordings. Similar procedures are used to evaluate particle motion in a vertical plane in the time interval including the first shear-wave arrival to examine the apparent incident angle in order to reveal the likelihood of interfering S-P conversions.
Interactive computer-aided design of non-hybrid and hybrid plate girders

Abstract An interactive microcomputer program is presented for design of welded stiffened steel plate girders according to the AISC specification. The program is capable of designing hybrid girders and takes into account the tension-field action of the web. This program demonstrates the effectiveness of microcomputers in practical design of structures.
The thermodynamic and binding properties of the transferrins as studied by isothermal titration calorimetry.

Abstract Background In mammals, serum-transferrins transport iron from the neutral environment of the blood to the cytoplasm by receptor-mediated endocytosis. Extensive in-vitro studies have focused on the thermodynamics and kinetics of Fe3+ binding to a number of transferrins. However, little attention has been given to the thermodynamic characterization of the interaction of transferrin with its receptor. Scope of review Iron-loaded transferrin (Tf) binds with high affinity to the specific transferrin receptor (TfR) on the cell surface. The Tf–TfR complex is then internalized via receptor mediated endocytosis into an endosome where iron is released. Here, we provide an overview of recent studies that have used ITC to quantify the interaction of various metal ions with transferrin and highlight our current understanding of the thermodynamics of the transferrin–transferrin receptor system at physiological pH. General significance The interaction of the iron-loaded transferrin with the transferrin receptor is a key cellular process that occurs during the normal course of iron metabolism. Understanding the thermodynamics of this interaction is important for iron homeostasis since the physiological requirement of iron must be appropriately maintained to avoid iron-related diseases. Major conclusions The thermodynamic data revealed stoichiometric binding of all tested metal ions to transferrin with very high affinities ranging between 1017 and 1022 M− 1. Iron-loaded transferrin (monoferric or diferric) is shown to bind avidly (K ~ 107–108 M− 1) to the receptor at neutral pH with a stoichiometry of one Tf molecule per TfR monomer. Significantly, both the N- and the C-lobe contribute to the binding interaction which is shown to be both enthalpically and entropically driven. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Transferrins: Molecular mechanisms of iron transport and disorders.
Violence and Aggression in the Lives of Homeless Children

The present research examined the role of violence and aggression in the lives of children in homeless families, focusing on possible connections among family violence, children's aggression, and children's problems with social isolation and rejection. Measures were obtained from structured interviews with 93 sets of mothers and children. Consistent with past research, average estimates of specific violent incidents experienced by mothers (as adults) were quite high. Measures of this family violence were reliably correlated with children's behavior problems as well as with measures of aggression in peer relationships (victimization, ease of resolving fights with friends).Finally, results of regression analyses were most consistent with a model in which family violenceand economic distress contributed to problematic aggressive behaviors among children; that aggression, in turn, appeared to lead to social isolation and avoidance. The overall results emphasized the need to address violence and aggression in any intervention programs for homeless children and families.
Small-Scale Mechanical Properties of Biopolymers

AbstractThe use of biopolymers to improve the engineering properties of soil has received attention in recent years, stimulated by potential cost savings and the low environmental impact of this class of materials. The purpose of this work is to improve the understanding of precisely how biopolymers strengthen soil and to quantify the small-scale mechanical properties of biopolymers for implementation in physics-based numerical models. The authors describe the initial efforts to develop viable methods to form biopolymer bonds between grains of naturally occurring materials and present the results of mechanical properties experiments on these bonds. The subject biopolymer was an exopolysaccharide from Rhizobium tropici (ATCC #49672). The initial experiments indicate that the stiffness of bonds ranged from 1 GPa after approximately 1 h of curing to plateau values as high as 3.8 GPa for extended cure times. For bonds with neck areas in the range of 0.01–0.06 mm2, the cohesive tensile strength of the bonds ra...