cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analytical structure function of a polydisperse Percus-Yevick fluid with Schulz (gamma) distributed diameters.

Analytical expressions for the static structure function for a polydisperse Percus-Yevick fluid with Schulz (gamma) distributed particle diameters have been obtained. Results obtained with the expression for selected width factors and particle densities are presented.
Abstract IA10: Deciphering the signals from the GWAS hits: From function to epidemiology and back again.

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that confer susceptibility to a multitude of complex, multifactorial disease traits including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and several cancers. For the vast majority of identified common genetic variants, the functional rationale underlying disease is largely unknown. The functional effects of common risk associated SNPs are likely to be subtle given that they confer smaller risks (ORs <1.2). More than 90% of confirmed common risk-SNPs lie in non-coding DNA, often several kilobases from the nearest gene suggesting a critical role for non-coding DNA in the functional influence of these SNPs. A significant focus of functional follow-up studies at common susceptibility loci has therefore been to understand the interplay between non-coding DNA elements such as regulators and enhancers, non-coding RNA species such as micro- and long non-coding RNAs, and risk associated germline variants. GWAS studies have also highlighted regions of the genome that contain plausible cancer susceptibility genes that may be specific to disease etiology (e.g. the FGFR gene in breast cancer), and other genes that may play more general role in cancer (e.g. the TERT gene, multi-cancer risk locus). The current presentation will focus on ovarian cancer. The Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC) has identified 11 confirmed susceptibility loci, and suggest multiple candidate genes that have either previously been implicated in ovarian cancer development, or function in pathways such as double strand DNA break and nucleotide excision repair, which suggests they may play a significant role in ovarian cancer risk and/or clinical outcome. Data presented will describe approaches to understanding the functional role of both susceptibility SNPs and candidate genes in the underlying cellular etiology of different subtypes of ovarian cancer, and provide evidence suggesting a role of candidate genes in disease initiation and treatment response. Overall, these studies highlight the challenges we face in the developing field of functional-epidemiology, in particular in understanding common low-penetrance susceptibility loci. However, the emerging data also provide support for the role of GWAS in unearthing critical, previously unknown mechanisms that underlie cancer biology, suggesting these studies may have a substantial clinical impact in the future. Citation Format: Simon A. Gayther. Deciphering the signals from the GWAS hits: From function to epidemiology and back again. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Post-GWAS Horizons in Molecular Epidemiology: Digging Deeper into the Environment; 2012 Nov 11-14; Hollywood, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(11 Suppl):Abstract nr IA10.
The balance of social, economic, and demographic change in puerto rico—1950–60

Algunos estudios recientes han utilizado los conceptos debalance yequilibrio para interpretar el cambio social que se observa en las sociedades en vias de desarrollo. Se ha tratado de comprobar la validez de estos argumentos determinando la medida en que los cambios occuridos en las caracteristicas de los municipios de Puerto Rico pueden predecirse sobre la base de su estado de desequilibrio o desviacion con respecio a las lineas de regresion que describen la relacion entre pares de variables seleccionadas. Nuestras comprobaciones apoyan la validez de los conceptos de balance y deecquitibrio utilizados en otros estudios.
Expression of Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF)-related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) Receptors and Sensitivity to TRAIL-induced Apoptosis in Primary B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Cells

Because tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) (Apo2 ligand) preferentially kills malignant cells while sparing normal cells, it may be therapeutically useful against cancers, including those of haematopoietic origin. Although the activity of TRAIL has been studied in tumour cell lines and in a limited number of different primary tumours, its overall activity in a large number of uniform cases of primary tumours is not known. We therefore studied the activity of TRAIL in 29 primary precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) samples. TRAIL was found to have a modest activity as it killed a maximum of 29% of ALL cells within 18 h compared with killing 75% of Jurkat cells. The sensitivity to TRAIL did not correlate with the pattern of TRAIL receptor expression or FLIP expression, as determined by Western blot analysis. The CD40 receptor, which can transduce survival signals in mature malignant B cells, was less frequently expressed on ALL cells, but incubation with an exogenous soluble CD40 ligand trimer did not rescue them from spontaneous apoptosis and did not mediate their resistance to TRAIL. Further, although ALL cells expressed TRAIL protein, they failed to kill target Jurkat cells in a TRAIL-dependent manner. Our data delineate major biological differences between mature and precursor malignant B cells and suggest a limited therapeutic role for TRAIL as a single agent in primary B-cell ALL.
Competition for space between Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms and Pistia stratiotes L. cultured in nutrient-enriched water

Abstract The interrelationships between two free-floating aquatic macrophytes, Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms and Pistia stratiotes L, were investigated using a reciprocal replacement series for the intermixed combinations. The carrying capacity for each species was investigated in monoculture. The plants were cultured in outdoor tanks in Gainesville, Florida, where nutrient-enriched water was replenished at weekly intervals. E. crassipes showed dominance over P. stratiotes when the species were grown together. Interaction between the two species for growth space became apparent within the first month of the experimental period. The luxuriant growth and high plasticity of E. crassipes plants enabled them to grow above the P. stratiotes plants, thus shading and stressing them. Higher concentrations of nitrogen (N) (by about two-fold) were accumulated in the shoots of E. crassipes than in its roots, whereas N accumulation in the roots and shoots of P. stratiotes was similar. The N content of E. crassipes shoots increased throughout the experimental period ∼ six-fold, while the N content of roots increased two-fold. Phosphorus accumulation was equally distributed between the roots and shoots of both species.
Synaptic stimulation of RNA metabolism in the giant neuron of Aplysia californica

We have monitored the incorporation of tritiated uridine into RNA by the giant neuron of the Aplysia abdominal ganglion. Synaptic stimulation evoking a mean of 3,000 impulses in the neuron increased incorporation by about 67%. Incorporation was proportional to the number of stimuli given and to the number of synaptically evoked action potentials produced in the stimulated neuron. Stimulation did not alter uridine uptake or the percentage of intracellular label appearing in UTP. The effect of stimulation cannot be accounted for by glial incorporation.
CD4 T-cell differentiation and inflammatory bowel disease

Differentiation of naive T cells leads to the generation of T-cell subsets, each possessing distinct cytokine expression profiles for serving different immune functions. Through the activation of separate signaling pathways, this process results in both differentiated helper T (Th) cells, termed Th1, Th2 and Th17, and induced regulatory T cells, which suppress Th cells. These different cells are important for combating infectious diseases and cancers; however, when aberrant, they can be responsible for chronic inflammatory diseases. One such disease is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in which each T-cell subset can have a role in disease. New studies highlight the importance of the recently identified Th17 subset in IBD. Therapeutics targeting these aberrant Th responses are already under development and hold promise for treating IBD and other chronic inflammatory diseases.
Redox shuttles for safer lithium-ion batteries

Overcharge protection is not only critical for preventing the thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries during operation, but also important for automatic capacity balancing during battery manufacturing and repair. A redox shuttle is an electrolyte additive that can be used as intrinsic overcharge protection mechanism to enhance the safety characteristics of lithium-ion batteries. The advances on stable redox shuttles are briefly reviewed. Fundamental studies for designing stable redox shuttles are also discussed.
A rat liver lysosomal membrane flavin-adenine dinucleotide phosphohydrolase: Purification and characterization

Abstract An enzyme hydrolyzing flavin-adenine dinucleotide (FAD) to flavin mononucleotide and AMP was identified and purified from rat liver lysosomal (Tritosomal) membranes. The purified enzyme showed a single band on silver-stained denaturing gels with an apparent M r 70,000. Periodate-Schiff staining after denaturing gel electrophoresis of whole membrane preparations revealed that this enzyme is one of the major glycoproteins in lysosomal membranes. FAD appeared to be the preferred substrate for the purified enzyme; equivalent concentrations of NAD or CoA were hydrolyzed at about one-half of the FAD rate. Negligible activity (⩽16%) was noted with ATP, TTP, ADP, AMP, FMN, pyrophosphate, or p -nitrophenylphosphate. The enzyme was inhibited by EDTA or dithiothreitol. It was stimulated by Zn, and was not affected by Ca or Mg ions, nor by p -chloromercuribenzoate. The pH optimum for FAD hydrolysis was 8.5–9 with an apparent K m of 0.125 m m . Antibodies prepared against the purified enzyme partially (50%) inhibited FAD phosphohydrolase activity in lysosomal membrane preparations but had no effect on the soluble lysosomal acid pyrophosphatase known to hydrolyze FAD. This enzyme could not be detected immunochemically in preparations of microsomes, Golgi, plasma membranes, mitochondrial membranes, or the soluble lysosomal fraction, suggesting that the enzyme is different from either soluble lysosomal acid pyrophosphatase or other FAD hydrolyzing activities in the liver cell.
Regulation of the growth of Epstein-Barr virus-infected B cells: temporal profile of the in vitro development of three distinct cytotoxic cells.

Abstract The time course of the appearance of cytotoxic cells was examined in cocultures of E-rosetting (E + ) cells and EBV-infected non-T cells (4:1 ratio) from the blood of VCA-positive healthy adults. Classical HNK-1 + NK cells were present at the initiation of the cultures and they produced 76 ± 2% specific 51 Cr-release from K-562 cells, but they did not effectively lyse the NK-resistant Daudi cells, nor did they kill autologous EBV-induced lymphoblasts (LCL EBV ). The NK activity decreased during the first week in culture to 40 ± 7% cytotoxicity. At the same time, nonspecific cytotoxic cells capable of killing Daudi as well as K562 developed and persisted into the third week in culture when it declined. This later nonspecific cytotoxicity was mediated by 4F2 + , T8 − , HNK-1 − activated E + cells. After 10 days in culture, killing of autologous lcl ebv increased continuously, from 4 ± 3% at Day 10 to 38 ± 4% by Day 22. The cytotoxicity to lcl ebv was mediated by classical T8 + CTL, and it was antigen specific and at least partially HLA Class I restricted. The regression of B EBV growth that occurs in e + /b ebv cocultures coincides with the development of this CTL-mediated cytotoxicity.
Generalized comparative statics for the production-location problem

Abstract This paper presents a general parametric analysis of deterministic production-location and design-location problems. The analysis characterizes the effects of changes in output level, input and output prices, and transport rates on the firm's optimal production and location solutions. The approach, which uses arguments similar to those used in revealed preference analysis, does not rely on differential methods, so that it is applicable to more general situations, such as non-differentiable production and transport cost functions, and does not assume interior optimal locations. Several numerical examples are provided to explain major results and to illustrate apparent anomalies which can occur in spatial economic models.
Simple permeation absorber for sampling and preconcentrating hazardous air contaminants.

Abstract A permeation absorber was developed and experimentally evaluated for sampling and preconcentrating vapors of a primary aromatic amine into a small volume (ca. 0.1 ml) of a liquid extractant that can be directly injected into a chromatograph or other analytical instrument. Starting with 1-1 or 4-1 samples containing dry or humidified air (0, 7% or 35% relative humidity) and 0.5–5 parts per million by volume of aniline, the measured collection efficiency (fraction of aniline recovered in the extractant) ranged between 60 and 100% when the samples were recirculated 3–6 times. For a single-pass non-recirculating mode, the collection efficiency is calculated to be 40–50%. The degree of preconcentration is directly proportional to the volume V of the sampled air. The collection method is simple and fast and should also be applicable to the sampling and preconcentration of other hazardous air contaminants.
Selective solubilization of red blood cell membrane proteins with guanidine hydrochloride.

Abstract The treatment of red blood cell membranes with 6 M guanidine hydrochloride plus reduction and alkylation produces a turbid suspension which is resolved by ultracentrifugation into a clear solution and an overlying membraneous pelliccle. As analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate, the guanidine·HCl-soluble fraction is deficient in a major polypeptide component (III), the principal sialoglycoproteins, and some minor bands, all of which are selectively concentrated in the buoyant lipoid layer. These data suggest the particular lipophilicity of these unsolubilized polypeptides and account for the discrepancy between preparations of membrane proteins solubilized in sodium dodecyl sulfate and in guanidine·HCl.
Giant-chirp fiber oscillators

Recent work has shown that stable, highly-chirped pulses can be generated by all-normal-dispersion fiber lasers. Pulses in the ~100-ps range but with bandwidth to support ~500-fs pulses are produced, with energies of tens of nanojoules and at repetition rates of 1 MHz and below. The chirped pulses can be compressed to near the transform limit. Lasers that produce pulses with such giant chirp should greatly simplify chirped-pulse fiber amplifiers. After a brief review of fiber lasers based on dissipative solitons, recent developments will be summarized.
Nafcillin Therapy for Staphylococcus aureus Endocarditis

Semisynthetic penicillinase-resistant penicillins are recommended for therapy of Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis, but evaluation of the efficacy and safety of individual agents has received little attention. At The New York Hospital, 11 heroin addicts and 5 nonaddicts were treated with nafcillin. The 11 addicts did well clinically, but four of the five nonaddicts had severe complications, and three of them died. Important adverse reactions to nafcillin occurred in two patients: one developed leukopenia, and one developed an extensive rash. Methicillin was employed to treat two heroin addicts and four nonaddicts. Five of the six patients were cured bacteriologically, but three patients developed nephritis and one patient developed an extensive rash. Nafcillin appears to be highly efficacious for the treatment of S. aureus endocarditis, yielding results at least equal to those obtained with other drugs. Because adverse reactions appear to occur more frequently with methicillin than with nafcillin, we regard nafcillin as the preferable penicillinase-resistant penicillin for the treatment of S. aureus endocarditis.
Chromosomes and causation of human cancer and leukemia. XXVI. Banding studies in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

Chromosomes were studied in the bone marrow cells of 101 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) hospitalized at or attending the clinics of Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) between January, 1968, and December, 1976. Aneuploidy was observed in about 50% (54/101) of the cases. Two cases were hypodiploid and the remaining were either pseudo or hyperdiploid. The frequency of abnormalities and the chromosomal numbers were similar to those of 106 cases studied in our laboratory prior to 1968. Of 50 recently unselected cases of ALL in whom Q- and G-banded karyotypes were attempted, 31 were successfully analyzed with these techniques. The banding patterns revealed 16 cases to have chromosome abnormalities and four of these to have a similar abnormality, i.e., partial deletion of the long arm of chromosome no. 6: two cases had a 6q- with additional abnormalities and two had 6q- as the sole karyotypic abnormality. The breakpoint in chromosome no. 6 seemed to involve a segment from q21 to q25. An isochromosome of the long arm of no. 7, i(7q), was observed in two cases, two additional no. 21 chromosomes were observed in five cases and, except for the Y, all other chromosomes participated in the karyotypic changes encountered in the 16 cases in which banding analyses were performed. Banding analysis has afforded the first reliable approach towards ascertaining karyotypic evolution in ALL, which was achieved in eight cases of the present study. The chromosomes contributing to this karyotypic evolution were distributed widely. Thus, all chromosomes except the Y participated in numerical and/or structural karyotypic changes. Even though nonrandom chromosome changes may occur early in ALL, the pristine prototypic picture of the karyotypes in ALL is often obfuscated by successive chromosomal changes and hyperdiploidy by the time the karyotypes are analyzed in this condition. Further cytogenetic studies are required, with special attention to karyotypic evolution, in order to uncover the significance of chromosomal changes in early and late ALL.
The Undergraduate Major in Psychology

Stimulated by Clark's (2) report on distinguished psychologists and by Roe's (7) work with psychologists eminent in the experimental field, the writers decided to study a group of unselected undergraduate majors in psychology and to follow their subsequent careers. This paper reports preliminary findings at the end of the first year. All 37 undergraduates majoring in psychology at Louisiana State University (L.S.U.) in 1957-58 were asked to complete and sign a two-page questionnaire about courses completed, subject-matter interests, and future plans. Their A.C.E. scores were obtained from the appropriate University office. Of these 16 women and 21 men, 16 were in their junior year, 11 were sophomores, and 10 were seniors; freshmen were not eligible to enroll in a psychology course. Responses showed that, of the 15 hours of courses specifically required for the psychology major, those most frequently completed at L.S.U. were in Intro
Subcellular phototoxicity of Photofrin-II and lutetium texaphyrin in cells in vitro

. Three cell types including bovine pulmonary artery endothelium cells (CPAE), rat kangaroo kidney cells (PTK2), and human larynx epidermoid carcinoma cells (Hep-2) were used to study subcellular localisation and phototoxicity of Photofrin-II and lutetium texaphyrin (Lu Tex). Cells were examined for fluorescence after administration of the photosensitisers. Subcellular regions were exposed with a laser microbeam system that used an argon ion laser pumped dye laser generating a 630 nm for Photofrin-II and 730 nm for Lu Tex. Fluorescence detection suggests that the Photofrin-II is bound primarily to the mitochondria with some diffuse fluorescence in the rest of the cytoplasm. The fluorescence in Lu Tex treated cells appears to be localised to the lysosomes. The percentage of damaged cells following light exposure to the different subcellular regions after Photofrin-II or Lu Tex treatment demonstrates that the nuclear region was the most sensitive target followed by the perinuclear region and peripheral cytoplasm region.
Molecular Freedom of the Ammonium Ion. Heat Capacity and Thermodynamic Properties of Ammonium Perchlorate from 5°–350°K

The heat capacity of NH4ClO4 has been determined by adiabatic calorimetry from 5°–350°K and found to be of simple sigmate character without thermal anomalies. The heat capacity (Cp), entropy (S°), enthalpy function (H°−H°0) / T, and Gibbs energy function (G°−G0°) / T evaluated at 298.15°K from these data are 30.61, 44.02, 20.24, and −23.78 cal/(gfm °K). Combination of these values with aqueous NH4ClO4 thermochemical data suggests the absence of zero‐point entropy. Comparison with the heat capacity of isostructural KClO4 permits resolution of the molecular dynamics of the ammonium ions and leads to the conclusion that these ions are restricted rotators, prevented from freely rotating by comparatively low‐energy barriers.
Desperately seeking stable 50-year-old landscapes with patches and long, wide corridors.

gene flow and demographic movement among plants and animals connected by the corridors as intended. Nonetheless, it’s clear that swaths of land much smaller than conservation corridors and embedded in a matrix that is not intensely modified by human activities do support presence and movement of plants and animals [7,9]. These results suggest that corridors may be a useful conservation intervention. However, evidence that such movements occur often enough to promote genetic connectivity and patch occupancy across longer distances in human-dominated landscapes is generally lacking (but see [10]). Evidence is lacking primarily because most corridor studies have been conducted in landscapes that are vastly smaller and different than the landscapes conservation corridors are designed for and have measured species response variables weakly related to corridor utility. That’s why we’re issuing a call for help to identify appropriate sites to test the effectiveness of conservation corridors on a global scale.
Experiences with a mobile robotic guide for the elderly

This paper describes an implemented robot system, which relies heavily on probabilistic AI techniques for acting under uncertainty. The robot Pearl and its predecessor Flo have been developed by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers over the past three years. The goal of this research is to investigate the feasibility of assisting elderly people with cognitive and physical activity limitations through interactive robotic devices, thereby improving their quality of life. The robot's task involves escorting people in an assisted living facility-a time-consuming task currently carried out by nurses. Its software architecture employs probabilistic techniques at virtually all levels of perception and decision making. During the course of experiments conducted in an assisted living facility, the robot successfully demonstrated that it could autonomously provide guidance for elderly residents. While previous experiments with fielded robot systems have provided evidence that probabilistic techniques work well in the context of navigation, we found the same to be true of human robot interaction with elderly people.
Adenosine Receptors, Blood Vessel and Inflammation

Adenosine and adenosine analogs, by binding to neutrophil (PMN) and monocyte/macrophage adenosine receptors, can affect leukocyte viability, adherence, phagocytic capacity, motility and release of oxidatiye and non-oxidative products. Adenosine and selective A1 adenosine receptor agonists enhance PMN adherence to endothelium and surfaces coated with matrix proteins, and increase PMN chemotaxis and immune complex-stimulated superoxide release. In addition, agonist binding to monocyte A1 receptors results in increased Fcγ R-mediated phagocytosis. In contrast, adenosine and selective agonists of A2A adenosine receptors diminish stimulated PMN adherence, degranulation, and oxidative activity. Adenosine binding to A2 receptors on monocytes results in decreased FcγR-mediated phagocytosis, diminished viability, reduced tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF) release but increased production of interleukin-10. These adenosine-mediated changes in PMN and moncyte/macrophage function have the potential to alter the course of an inflammatory response in cardiovascular diseases such as ischemia/reperfusion injury, atherosclerotic plaque development and inflammatory aneurysm formation.
Apparent Shear Sensitivity of Molecular Rotors in Various Solvents

Fluorescent environment-sensitive dyes often change their spectral properties concomitantly with multiple solvent properties, such as polarity, protonation, hydrogen bond formation, or viscosity. Careful consideration of the response is needed when a fluorescent dye is used to report a single property. Recently, we observed an increase of emission intensity of viscosity-sensitive molecular rotors in fluids subject to flow and speculated that either polar-polar interaction or hydrogen bond formation play a role in the apparent flow sensitivity. In this study, we show experimental evidence that photoisomerization to an isomer with a lower quantum yield, first proposed by Rumble et al. (J Phys Chem A 116(44):10786–10792, 2012), plays a key role in the observed phenomenon. We subjected four molecular rotors with different electron acceptor motifs to fluid flow in solvents of different polarity and ability to form hydrogen bonds. We also measured the isomerization dynamics in a custom fluorophotometer with extremely low light exposure. Our results indicate that the photoisomerization rate depends both on the solvent and on the electron acceptor group, as does the recovery of the original isomer in the dark. In most solvents, recovery of the dark isomer is much more rapid than originally reported, and a state of quasi-equilibrium between both isomers is possible. Moreover, the sensitivity (i.e., relative intensity increase at the same flow rate) is also solvent-dependent. The intensity increase can be detected at very low velocities (as low as 0.06 mm/s). Characteristic for fluorescent dyes is the high spatial resolution, and no flow measurement device with comparable sensitivity and spatial resolution exists, although the nature of the solvent needs to be taken into account for quantitative flow measurement.
Pediatric tracheotomy: indications and decannulation outcomes

Objectives/Hypothesis The objective of this study was to determine if there are differences in decannulation rates and duration of cannulation between pediatric patients undergoing tracheotomy for different indications. Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods Medical records for pediatric patients (age 0–18 years) undergoing tracheotomy between January 1, 2003, and May 31, 2012, were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were assigned an indication for tracheotomy from five categories: neurological, cardiopulmonary, upper airway obstruction, craniofacial anomalies, and maxillofacial/laryngotracheal trauma. Results Initial chart review identified 124 patients, 113 for whom complete data was available. Of these patients, the indications for tracheotomy were cardiopulmonary disease in 24 (21.2%), craniofacial anomalies in 12 (10.6%), neurological impairment in 44 (38.9%), traumatic injury in 11 (9.7%), and upper airway obstruction in 22 (19.5%). The time to decannulation was shorter for trauma patients compared to cardiopulmonary (P = 0.044) and neurological patients (P = 0.001). A total of 32 (31.9%) patients were decannulated during the study period, with a higher rate in trauma patients (72.7%) and a lower rate in those with upper airway obstruction (36.4%) than would be expected under homogeneity. Of the 32 patients who were decannulated, 11 (30.6%) were decannulated during the same hospitalization in which the tracheotomy was performed. Conclusion This study demonstrates a difference in overall decannulation rates and a shorter time to decannulation in children undergoing tracheotomy for maxillofacial and laryngotracheal trauma compared to cardiopulmonary and neurological indications. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 124:1952–1958, 2014
Dynamic distributed dimensional data model (D4M) database and computation system

A crucial element of large web companies is their ability to collect and analyze massive amounts of data. Tuple store databases are a key enabling technology employed by many of these companies (e.g., Google Big Table and Amazon Dynamo). Tuple stores are highly scalable and run on commodity clusters, but lack interfaces to support efficient development of mathematically based analytics. D4M (Dynamic Distributed Dimensional Data Model) has been developed to provide a mathematically rich interface to tuple stores (and structured query language “SQL” databases). D4M allows linear algebra to be readily applied to databases. Using D4M, it is possible to create composable analytics with significantly less effort than using traditional approaches. This work describes the D4M technology and its application and performance.
Passive feed methods for meshed antennas

Meshed patch antennas have been shown to be a simple and cost effective solution for applications where antennas are required to be transparent to light. One good example is to integrate highly transparent antennas with solar cells on small satellites to save surface real estate [1]. These meshed antennas can be conveniently constructed from electroformed metal mesh or be printed with conductive ink [1].
Total Synthesis of (±)-Sorocenol B Employing Nanoparticle Catalysis

The total synthesis of (±)-sorocenol B has been accomplished featuring key steps including silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-catalyzed Diels–Alder cycloaddition and late-stage Pd(II)-catalyzed oxidative cyclization. The synthetic natural product exhibited low micromolar cytotoxic activity against a number of human cancer cell lines.
Oxygen Permeation Through Cobalt-Containing Perovskites: Surface Oxygen Exchange vs. Lattice Oxygen Diffusion

The oxygen permeation fluxes from p' O2 to p O2 (p' O2 > p O2 ) across cobalt-containing perovskite ceramic membranes La 1-x Sr x CoO 3-δ and SrCo 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3-δ were measured by gas chromatography as functions of oxygen chemical potential gradient. temperature, thickness, and catalytic activity on the surface. Power indexes 0.5 > n >0 for uncatalyzed La 1-x Sr x CoO 3-δ and 1 > n > 0.5 for SrCo 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3-δ were obtained when J O2 vs. p' O2 n - p O2 n was plotted as a straight line. The results clearly indicate an overall permeation process controlled by both surface oxygen exchange and bulk oxygen diffusion for uncatalyzed La 1-x Sr x CoO 3-δ and SrCo 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3-δ , Application of a thin layer of catalytically active SrCo 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3-δ on the feeding-gas surface of La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3-δ under the condition of a fixed p' O2 = 0.21 atm and a varied p O2 not only increases remarkably the overall oxygen flux, but also changes a mixed control to a bulk diffusion control. This enables evaluation of the bulk transport properties of the mixed conductors. A coat of SrCo 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3 on the permeate side has little catalytic effect, especially at low p O2 range due to the formation of a poorly conducting brownmillerite phase The results explicitly show a higher activation energy for the surface exchange kinetics than for the ambipolar transport in the mixed conductors. The mechanism of the surface exchange is discussed, and an analytic expression that agrees well with the experimental results is obtained.
Renal function in sick, very low-birth-weight infants

Renal immaturity is pronounced in very low-birth-weight infants with a gestational age < or = 30 weeks. We attempted to elucidate if conditions requiring mechanical ventilation, including patent ductus arteriosus, might further compromise renal function due to decreased renal perfusion. Forty infants studied between 4 and 28 days of age were divided into four groups: Control with no patent ductus or mechanical ventilation (n = 8); PDA+MV, with both patent ductus and mechanical ventilation (n = 17); PDA, with patent ductus (n = 6); MV, with mechanical ventilation (n = 9). The groups PDA+MV and MV had significantly lower creatinine clearances and significantly higher fractional sodium excretions than controls. Mean arterial pressure was significantly lower in all groups compared to controls and correlated significantly with creatinine clearance (r = 0.47, p < 0.02). In conclusion, low renal function in these infants is further compromised by a patent ductus arteriosus and/or the use of mechanical ventilation.
Solid phase evolution in the Biosphere 2 hillslope experiment as predicted by modeling of hydrologic and geochemical fluxes

Abstract. A reactive transport geochemical modeling study was conducted to help predict the mineral transformations occurring over a ten year time-scale that are expected to impact soil hydraulic properties in the Biosphere 2 (B2) synthetic hillslope experiment. The modeling sought to predict the rate and extent of weathering of a granular basalt (selected for hillslope construction) as a function of climatic drivers, and to assess the feedback effects of such weathering processes on the hydraulic properties of the hillslope. Flow vectors were imported from HYDRUS into a reactive transport code, CrunchFlow2007, which was then used to model mineral weathering coupled to reactive solute transport. Associated particle size evolution was translated into changes in saturated hydraulic conductivity using Rosetta software. We found that flow characteristics, including velocity and saturation, strongly influenced the predicted extent of incongruent mineral weathering and neo-phase precipitation on the hillslope. Results were also highly sensitive to specific surface areas of the soil media, consistent with surface reaction controls on dissolution. Effects of fluid flow on weathering resulted in significant differences in the prediction of soil particle size distributions, which should feedback to alter hillslope hydraulic conductivities.
The Credit Rating Agencies and the Subprime Mess: Greedy, Ignorant, and Stressed?

The credit rating agencies (CRAs) were an important component of the subprime mess. This article describes what the CRAs are, what they do, what roles they play, and how they fit into the regulatory system. It outlines the types of mortgage securities that the CRAs rate and outlines the evolution of the subprime mess. It then assesses three prime suspects in the CRAs' problems: incentives, ignorance, and stress. The author concludes that all three factors were important, that public officials were slow to react, and that additional safeguards have been put into place to prevent such problems in the future.
Modelling a growth instability in a stressed solid

The growth of crystalline silicon from the amorphous phase in the presence of an applied stress is modelled using advanced numerical methods. The crystal region is modelled as a linear elastic solid and the amorphous as a viscous fluid with a time-dependent viscosity to reflect structural relaxation. Appropriate coupling conditions across the boundary are defined, and both problems are solved using a symmetric-Galerkin boundary integral method. The interface is advanced in time using the level set technique. The results match well with experiments and support the proposed kinetic mechanism for the observed interface growth instability.
Effect of land cover change on runoff curve number estimation in Iowa, 1832-2001

Within the first few decades of European-descended settlers arriving in Iowa, much of the land cover across the state was transformed from prairie and forest to farmland, patches of forest, and urbanized areas. Land cover change over the subsequent 126 years was minor in comparison. Between 1832 and 1859, the General Land Office conducted a survey of the State of Iowa to aid in the disbursement of land. In 1875, an illustrated atlas of the State of Iowa was published, and in 2001, the US Geological Survey National Land Cover Dataset was compiled. Using these three data resources for classifying land cover, the hydrologic impact of the land cover change at three points in time over a period of 132+ years is presented in terms of the effect on the area-weighted average curve number, a term commonly used to predict peak runoff from rainstorms. In the four watersheds studied, the area-weighted average curve number associated with the first 30 years of settlement increased from 61·4 to 77·8. State-wide mapped forest area over this same period decreased 19%. Over the next 126 years, the area-weighted average curve number decreased to 76·7, despite an additional forest area reduction of 60%. This suggests that degradation of aquatic resources (plants, fish, invertebrates, and habitat) arising from hydrologic alteration was likely to have been much higher during the 30 years of initial settlement than in the subsequent period of 126 years in which land cover changes resulted primarily from deforestation and urbanization. Published 2010. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Construction of biological surface models from cross-sections image processing

An approach improving on existing techniques is presented for blending cross-sections of biological objects to produce a polynomial surface model. As intermediate steps to the final surface skinning, representative data points on the cross-sections are selected for defining piecewise cubic B-splines providing an immediate reduction in storage and computational requirements for the contour representation of the objects. A mesh of quadrilateral patches is subsequently formed over adjacent cross-sections using bicubic B-spline surfaces which exhibit second parametric derivative continuity. The surface model provides a complete and robust representation with significant data reduction. The resulting algorithm is demonstrated using bone data for a human hand. >
Coordinate regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 and TGF-β1 in replication error-positive colon cancer and azoxymethane-induced rat colonic tumors

Evidence is accumulating which indicates that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is involved in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. We evaluated the expression of COX-2 in replication error-positive (RER) colon cancers, colon cancers metastatic to liver and azoxymethane (AOM)induced rat colonic tumors. Immunohistochemistry showed that COX-2 was low to undetectable in normal human mucosa, but abundant in the RER adenocarcinomas we examined. COX-2 immunoreactivity in metastatic colon cancers was less abundant, but clearly detectable. In the colon of AOM-treated rats, COX-2 protein was not detectable in normal mucosa, but present in most of the epithelial cells comprising the tumors. The TGF-b1 staining pattern in these human and rat tumors was similar to that observed for COX-2. The role of TGF-b in RER adenocarcinomas is complex because of the increased mutation rate of TGFb type II receptors. Northern analysis showed abundant TGF-b1 mRNA in AOM-induced tumors, but not in paired mucosa. TGF-b1 induced the expression of COX-2 mRNA and protein in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-6). Chronic TGF-b1 treatment caused a TGF-b-dependent overexpression of COX-2 in rat intestinal epithelial cells (RIE-1). TGF-b1 may regulate COX-2 expression during the colonic adenoma to carcinoma sequence.
Developing Effective P-20 Partnerships to Benefit Chicano/Latino Students and Families

To consider how interdisciplinary P-20 partnerships increase college-going rates among Chicano/Latino youth, the authors highlight evidence from the Educational Partnership Center (EPC) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, a P-20 partnership that builds academic achievement and college and career pathways. Three elements advance EPC effectiveness: collaborative governance structures sustaining shared vision, mission, and goals; innovating with data-driven decision-making; and complementary theories aligning goals from childhood through college to careers. Three studies, guided by these theories, illuminate such effectiveness.
Accounting Income Smoothing And Stockholder Wealth

Contrary to the widespread view that the accounting income smoothing phenomenon is a revelation of cheating and misleading on the part of the firms management, this study demonstrates that income smoothing enhances the informational value of reported earnings. Furthermore, this study documents consistent evidence indicating that smoothed income numbers are viewed favorably by the markets, and firms with smoother income series are perceived as being less risky. The findings suggest that income smoothing can be beneficial to both existing stockholders and prospective investors.
American Society of Nephrology Quiz and Questionnaire 2015: Electrolytes and Acid–Base Disorders

The Nephrology Quiz and Questionnaire remains an extremely popular session for attendees of the annual Kidney Week meeting of the American Society of Nephrology. During the 2015 meeting the conference hall was once again overflowing with eager quiz participants. Topics covered by the experts included electrolyte and acid-base disorders, glomerular disease, end-stage renal disease and dialysis, and kidney transplantation. Complex cases representing each of these categories together with single-best-answer questions were prepared and submitted by the panel of experts. Before the meeting, training program directors of nephrology fellowship programs and nephrology fellows in the United States answered the questions through an internet-based questionnaire. During the live session members of the audience tested their knowledge and judgment on the same series of case-oriented questions in a quiz. The audience compared their answers in real time using a cell-phone app containing the answers of the nephrology fellows and training program directors. The results of the online questionnaire were displayed, and then the quiz answers were discussed. As always, the audience, lecturers, and moderators enjoyed this highly educational session. This article recapitulates the session and reproduces selected content of educational value for theClinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrologyreaders. Enjoy the clinical cases and expert discussions.
Risk Stratification Using Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Exploratory Analysis

BACKGROUND Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers can distinguish Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients from normal controls; however, their interpretation and potential for use in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To examine whether biomarker levels allow for risk stratification among MCI patients who are at increased risk to develop AD, thus allowing for improved targeting of early interventions for those whose risk are higher. METHODS We analyzed data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative on MCI patients (n = 195) to estimate their risk of developing AD for up to 6 years on the basis of baseline CSF biomarkers. We used time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis to identify the best combination of biomarkers to discriminate those who converted to AD from those who remained stable. We used these data to construct a multi-biomarker score and estimated the risk of progression to AD for each quintile of the multi-biomarker score. RESULTS We found that Aβ(1-42) and P-tau(181p) were the best combination among CSF biomarkers to predict the overall risk of developing AD among MCI patients (area under the curve = 0.77). The hazard ratio of developing AD among MCI patients with high-risk (3rd-5th quintiles) biomarker levels was about 4 times greater than MCI patients with low-risk (1st quintile) levels (95% confidence interval, 1.93-7.26). CONCLUSION Our study identifies MCI patients at increased risk of developing AD by applying a multi-biomarker score using CSF biomarker results. Our findings may be of value to MCI patients and their clinicians for planning purposes and early intervention as well as for future clinical trials.
Statistical Design of Experiment on Contact Secondary Nucleation as a Means of Creating Seed Crystals for Continuous Tubular Crystallizers

In the pharmaceutical industry, it is often desired to produce seed crystals with an appropriate narrow size distribution of the desired polymorph. This study describes a system that generates such crystals continuously in a small-scale tubular crystallizer at low supersaturation via contact secondary nucleation. A response surface model was constructed by conducting a statistical design of experiment that models the nucleation rate as a function of contact force, area, and frequency. This model reveals that within a certain range the nucleation rate is linearly related to all three factors in this system. A combination of in-line video analysis and off-line microscope image analysis was used to determine the particle size distribution of seed crystals obtained in this system, and the majority of the crystals were found to be under 20 μm. This seems to be a feature of contact secondary nuclei in general and does not vary significantly with contact force, area, and frequency. Furthermore, the seed crystals...
Isolation of Asian Virus from Extrapulmonary Tissues in Fatal Human Influenza.

SummaryAsian strain virus was demonstrated in extrapulmonary tissues from 3 influenza-associated deaths. This finding suggests the occurrence of viremia in overwhelming influenza in man.
Phase I Trial of a PSA based vaccine and ipilimumab in patients (pts) with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)

A142 Background: Therapeutic options for CRPC pts are limited, but a promising therapeutic modality is the combination of vaccines in concert with immunomodulating adjuvants. The vaccine utilized in this study (designated PSA-TRICOM) is comprised of poxviral vectors which encode a modified agonist epitope of PSA and 3 costimulatory molecules, ICAM, LFA-3 and B7.1. A phase II trial evaluating recombinant vaccinia (rV) and fowlpox (rF) PSA-TRICOM previously demonstrated PSA declines and an objective response (OR) with a significant (p grade 2 toxicities attributed to vaccine. irAE attributed to ipilimumab included colitis (n=6), panhypophysitis (n=3), rash (n=1) and neutropenia (n=1). The median number of cycles with ipilimumab was 3, (range 1-6) with 5 pts receiving only 2 cycles and 3 pts receiving only 1 cycle with ipilimumab due to irAE. Only one pt has received 6 does of ipilimumab. The six patients with prior chemotherapy (all treated at the 1 and 3 mg/kg doses) had no evidence of clinical benefit (no decrease in PSA or objective response) with a median time to progression (TTP) of 3.2 months (mean 2.8; range 1.6-3.7). Of the 9 pts treated on the 3 and 5 mg/kg dose who had no prior chemotherapy, the median TTP was 5 months (mean 5.4; range 2.9-9.3) with 2 patients still on trial at 5 and 8 months. 5 of these 9 patients had declines in PSA by at least 50% from peak PSA during study. This may be clinically significant as 4 of these pts had radiographically and clinically stable disease for at least 6 months (TTP 6, 7, 8+ and 9.3 months). There was one unconfirmed PR (out of 10 evaluable pts) by RECIST and another patient with a sustained decrease in PSA >95% who remains on study at 8 months. 3 pts have been enrolled in the 10mg/kg cohort. One patient had a solitary new lesion at L2 on bone scan with stable soft tissue disease and PSA and was taken off study and the other 2 patients remain with stable disease on study at 2.5 and 4 months. Conclusions: This combination has activity in pts with chemotherapy naive metastatic CRPC and is associated with manageable side effects. From data thus far, it is unclear if safety events or responses seen are related to the dose of anti-CTLA4. Further expansion of the 3 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg cohorts for additional toxicity and efficacy data are planned.