cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CAR T Toxicity Management: Cytokine Release Syndrome and Neurotoxicity

The development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has brought unprecedented single-agent efficacy to patients with hematologic malignancies who have failed to respond to conventional therapies. With a novel mechanism of action comes novel toxicities that substantially differ from toxicities associated with conventional chemo- and radiotherapy. Two of the most notable and clinically significant adverse effects (AE) associated with CAR T include cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). Understanding these toxicities is critical, as the lessons learned will apply to other emerging immune effector cell therapies.
Arthroscopically Assisted Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Bone–Patellar Tendon–Bone Autograft: Challenges and Solutions of Medial Independent Femoral Tunnel Drilling:

Background:As the main translational and rotatory stabilizer of the knee, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) plays a critical role in knee biomechanics. Anterior cruciate ligament ruptures genera...
Potentially modifiable predictors of cell collection efficiencies and product characteristics of allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cell collections.

BACKGROUND Hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) and immune effector cell (IEC) therapies often require high doses of mononuclear cells (MNCs), whether CD34+ cells, lymphocytes, or monocytes. Cells for IEC can be sourced from HPC products. We thus examined potentially modifiable variables affecting collection efficiencies (CEs) of MNC subsets in HPC collection and also of the typically undesired cell types of platelets, granulocytes, and red cells, which hinder downstream processing. Finally, we sought to confirm previously indeterminate studies of the effect of an adjusted collect flow rate (CFR) on CD34+ CE. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS We performed univariate and multivariate regression analyses of all 135 National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) HPC collections in 2019 and compared these fixed CFR procedures to previous NMDP collections using adjusted CFRs. RESULTS Target cell CEs decreased with increasing peripheral blood (PB) concentration and were associated with different cell type locations within the MNC layer. CEs of undesired cell types varied with standard procedural parameters (inlet flow rate, whole blood processed, etc.). Interestingly, some CEs increased with preapheresis hematocrit. Finally, adjusting the CFR by PB MNC count improved MNC CE but not CD34+ CE. CONCLUSION Correlation of target cell CEs with their PB concentration and different cell type locations by depth within the MNC layer indicates the importance of investigating the compensatory fine-tuning of procedure variables to improve CE. Correlation of CEs with PB hematocrit, and CFR adjustment by a modified PB MNC and/or PB CD34 algorithm should be further explored. Adjusting standard procedural parameters may reduce product contamination.
The Impact of Auditor Behavior and Audit Committee Questioning on Non-GAAP Reporting Decisions

While external auditors’ contentious or cooperative behavior during discussions over subjective GAAP reporting choices can influence management’s GAAP reporting decisions, this behavior may also impact managers’ subsequent non-GAAP reporting. Additionally, recent calls for audit committees to go beyond GAAP and question non-GAAP disclosures may impact non-GAAP reporting. We experimentally examine if contentious or cooperative auditor behavior and audit committee questioning influence managers’ non-GAAP disclosure choices. Senior executives are less likely to make non-GAAP earnings exclusions, and present non-GAAP earnings less prominently earlier in the earnings release, when the auditor is contentious during GAAP discussions and/or when an audit committee questions both GAAP and non-GAAP disclosures. Auditor contentiousness likely enhances subsequent disclosure hesitancy, while anticipated non-GAAP questioning generates more thorough disclosure analysis, both curbing non-GAAP reporting. Managers select more aggressive non-GAAP reporting choices only absent both auditor contention and active audit committee questioning of non-GAAP financials. Thus, certain governance mechanisms can individually and jointly curb aggressive non-GAAP reporting.
Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics toward Passenger-centric Ground Delay Programs

Ground Delay Programs (GDP) comprise the main interventions to optimize flight operations in congested air traffic networks. The core GDP objective is to minimize flight delays, but this may result in optimal outcomes for passengers — especially with connecting itineraries. This paper proposes an original passenger-centric approach to GDP by leveraging data on passenger itineraries in flight networks. First, we identify analytical drivers of passenger-centric operations in transportation systems. Second, we develop an integer program that balances flight delays and passenger delays in large-scale GDP operations. A rolling procedure decomposes the problem while ensuring global feasibility, enabling the model’s implementation in short computational times. Third, we propose statistical learning models to predict passenger itineraries and optimize GDP operations accordingly, enabling the model’s implementation when passenger itineraries are unknown by air traffic managers. Computational results based on real-world data suggest that our modeling and computational framework can reduce passenger delays significantly at small increases in flight delay costs, and that these benefits are robust to imperfect knowledge of passenger itineraries. Results highlight two major levers of passenger-centric operations: (i) delay allocation (which flights to delay vs. prioritize), and (ii) delay introduction (whether to deliberately hold flights to avoid passenger misconnections).
Benevolent AI for All

Human history teaches us that there are two sides of human nature. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is in fact not strange. “All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil,” notes Robert Louis Stevenson, the perceptive author of the celebrated story. Individually we may believe that we are good, but collectively the two sides of our nature are very apparent. On the one side, we have public libraries and schools; on the other side, we have weapons of mass destruction.
Electric-field enhancement caused by subwavelength-sized particles located on the surface of multilayer dielectric mirrors

A laser pulse impinging on the surface of an optical component can interact with particles, such as contamination debris, to produce a scattered electric field, which, either by itself or combined with the incident laser field, coherently can significantly increase the local field intensity. This effect can be of critical importance as it can reduce the laser-induced–damage threshold of the affected component. In this work, we use a field-propagation code to improve understanding regarding the factors that determine the magnitude and location of the electric-field enhancement for the case of subwavelength-sized particles located on the surface of multilayer dielectric mirrors.
Community foundations provide collaborative responses and local leadership in midst of COVID-19

Abstract Community foundations are uniquely positioned within their localities to provide immediate needs and realize their communities' strengths, resources, and challenges, affording them opportunities to be highly effective in responding to crises. Many community foundations act not only as grant-makers and social investors, but also as community mobilizers, experts, facilitators, and leaders, who work on identifying areas of greatest need to catalyze meaningful social change. As the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly spread across the United States, many community foundations are spearheading immediate relief efforts locally and mobilizing millions of dollars throughout the U.S. This article highlights the initial response efforts of specific community foundations to the COVID-19 outbreak, including operations, shifts in funding priorities, and fund allocation oversight. Moving forward, it will be increasingly critical for community foundations and all philanthropists to strategically prioritize funding initiatives, voice local concerns to policymakers, and advocate for both state and federal policies related to nonprofit support.
Mechanical Characterization and Modeling of Ceramic Foam Materials

The materials investigated were silicon carbide foams of various densities ranging from 7.7 % to 12.3 % of the bulk material density. They were characterized under pure shear and uniaxial compression. Special test procedures were developed for this testing. For shear characterization two pairs of prismatic strips were used in a three-rail fixture. Stress–strain curves to failure were obtained from which the shear modulus, shear strength and ultimate shear strain were determined. A statistical analysis based on the Weibull distribution function was conducted to determine expected differences in results obtained by different test methods, specifically differences between three-rail shear and torsion test results. A power law model was proposed to describe the variation of shear modulus with relative density. It was also shown that the parameters of this model depend on the porosity structure of the foam for the same density. Similar tests were conducted under uniaxial compression. It was found that the Young’s modulus varies linearly with the relative density of the foam.
Nanocrystalline Mg-Matrix Composites with Ultrahigh Damping Properties

Recently, we reported on the processing of 50 vol.% Ti2AlC-nanocrystalline magnesium, nc-Mg, matrix composites using a pressureless melt infiltration method. Herein we report on composites with up to 80 vol.% Mg. These composites are readily machinable, relatively stiff, strong and light, and exhibit ultrahigh damping. Increasing the nc-Mg volume fraction leads to lighter composites with higher damping characteristics at lower stresses (~30% of the mechanical energy is dissipated at 250 MPa). In some cases the Mg nanograms are also extraordinarily thermally stable which renders these composites good candidates for applications at temperatures higher than ambient. Due to the simple inexpensive melt infiltration technique used to fabricate these novel nanocomposites, it is possible to produce samples as large as ones made via normal powder metallurgy methods.
Development of a Bench-Top Air-to-Water Heat Pump Experimental Apparatus

A bench-top air-to-water heat pump experimental apparatus was designed, developed, and constructed for instructional and demonstrative purposes. This air-to-water heat pump experimental apparatus is capable of demonstrating thermodynamics and heat transfer concepts and principles. This heat pump experimental setup was designed around the vapor compression refrigeration cycle. This experimental apparatus has an intuitive user interface, reliable, safe for student use, and portable. The interface is capable of allowing data acquisition by a computer. A PC-based control system which consists of LabVIEW and data acquisition unit is employed to monitor and control this experimental laboratory apparatus. This paper provides details about the development of this unit and the integration of the electrical/electronic component and the control system.
The Relevance of Connectionism to AI: A Representation and Reasoning Perspective

Abstract : In this paper it is argued that not only is connectionism relevant to knowledge representation and reasoning, but it also provides an ideal computational architecture for intelligent systems. To justify this claim, certain critical features that any computational architecture capable of supporting intelligent behavior must possess are identified, and then it is shown that the core features of connectionism correspond exactly to these features. It is also argued that connectionism cannot be viewed merely as an implementation paradigm because its core features influence our conceptions of representation and reasoning in important ways: designing connectionist models for solving complex tasks leads to the identification of constraints on the conceptual structure. The above issues are discussed with reference to two connectionist systems that perform reasoning tasks with extreme efficiency. Keywords: Artificial intelligence.
Metals in a high magnetic field: A universality class of marginal Fermi liquids.

Parquet equations, describing the competition between superconducting and density-wave instabilities, are solved for a three-dimensional isotropic metal in a high magnetic field when only the lowest Landau level is filled. In the case of repulsive interaction between electrons, a phase transition to the density-wave state is found at finite temperature. In the opposite case of attractive interaction, no phase transition is found. With decreasing temperature T, the effective vertex of interaction between electrons renormalizes toward a one-dimensional limit in a self-similar way with the characteristic length (transverse to the magnetic field) decreasing as ${\mathrm{ln}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1/6}$(${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\omega}}}_{\mathit{c}}$/T) (${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\omega}}}_{\mathit{c}}$ is a cutoff). The residue of the one-particle Green function vanishes at the Fermi surface indicating the marginal character of the Fermi liquid.
How Students Learn in a Service-Learning Course: A Quasi-Experimental Field Study of Generative Learning

Sessa and London’s (2005, 2006) continuous learning model was used to generate hypotheses suggesting that service-learning courses trigger student engagement in generative learning processes moderated by the students’ prior experience and that engagement in generative learning behaviors impact learning outcomes. 127 students in eight courses participated in a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design with a pre-test and two post-tests. Results partially support hypotheses. Implications for theory development, future research, and service learning pedagogy are discussed.
Developing numerical techniques for solving low Mach number fluid-acoustic problems

Conservation equations applicable to this regime are derived by applying four simplifying assumptions to the fully compressible form of the Navier-Stokes and energy equations: isentropic state changes, adiabatic flow, negligible density variation inertial terms, and Stokes' hypothesis. The resulting equations, termed acoustic compressible, are similar to the traditional pseudocompressible equations except for two distinctions. Pseudocompressible solutions use artificially high Mach numbers for computational convenience and neglect the pressure convection term in the mass conservation equation
Burn wound fluid : an important diagnostic source : review

Burn wound fluid analysis can be useful in representing the physiological changes taking place in the underlying burn tissue micro-environment. These data may relate to cellular components, signalling mediators and protein content, and can provide clues as to the extent of local tissue damage, the depth of the wound and the potential for systemic complications. This information can impact on wound management decisions, and appears to provide a more accurate reflection of the burn wound pathophysiology than traditional blood or serum investigations. This review provides the historical context of burn fluid analysis, and suggests new avenues for utilising this untapped resource.
"Art and Material Culture of the North American Subartic and Adjacent Regions," Arctic Anthropology 28(1)

Art and Material Culture of the North American Subarctic and Adjacent Regions, edited by Shepard Krech III and Barbara Hail. Special Issue of Arctic Anthropology 28(1), 1991. 149 pp. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. $13.50 (single Issue).
Emerging Policy and Practice Issues (2007)

This paper, presented at the West Government Contracts Year in Review Conference (covering 2007), attempts to identify the key trends and issues for 2008 in U.S. federal procurement. We bemoan the absence of attention to significant issues by the current Presidential candidates, critique the leadership vacuum that sustains the longstanding and increasingly critical acquisition workforce shortage, and discuss the potentially active legislative agenda in light of the now-Final Report of the Acquisition Advisory Panel (AAP), a blue-ribbon commission mandated by Section 1423 of the Services Acquisition Reform Act (SARA). We also discuss the dramatic post-2000 trend in increased federal procurement spending, increased transparency due to the Federal Procurement Data System and new online vehicles, increased attention to contractor compliance systems, continuing problems with contracting in Iraq, and the application of certain social policies to the procurement process.
A truncated human Ah receptor suppresses growth of human cervical tumor xenografts by interfering with hypoxia signaling

We used a xenograft model to investigate whether the aryl hydrocarbon receptor deletion construct CΔ553 suppresses tumor growth. HeLa cells that were infected with CΔ553 expressing adenovirus (Ad553) formed very small tumors whereas the control adenovirus-infected cells formed large tumors at day 15. CΔ553 inhibited the formation of the HIF-1 DNA complex and suppressed the induction of the HIF-1α target proteins CAIX and GLUT1. The Ad553 tumors had less HIF-1 function since they showed reduced microvessel formation and lesser amounts of HIF-1α, Arnt, phospho-Akt, CAIX, and GLUT1. Proteasome-mediated Arnt degradation was enhanced in Ad553-infected HeLa cells and tumors.
B-spline enhanced time-spectrum analysis

A new technique for the time-spectrum analysis of non-stationary signals is presented. The proposed technique smoothly fits a system's time-varying spectral coefficients using the combined methods of Fourier analysis and B-splines. The resulting algorithm is efficient and generally effective. Algorithm assumptions and limitations are identified; performance is explored using simulated data. Provided certain conditions are met, the algorithm degenerates into the well-known cases of the simple and averaged periodograms. Methods are presented to calculate knot spacing based on the frequency and geometric properties of the ensuing time-spectrum curve. Near real-time capabilities are also discussed. Finally, the method is compared with other time-spectrum analysis techniques such as the evolutionary periodogram (EP).
Relative Significance of Head and Body Spill from a Channelized Turbidity Current

The relationship between the flow of the head and body of a turbidity current traveling through a deep-sea fan channel is examined. Our interest lies especially in the relative thicknesses of the head and body as this will govern which spills out of the confines of the channel and is, therefore, important in submarine fan deposition. It is found that for a Froude number of ~0.75 (a channel slope of 0.0022), or somewhat greater, the head and the body will be approximately equal in thickness and, therefore, would both spill from the channel. At higher channel slopes and Froude numbers, the head would be thicker and more significant in spilling while at lower slopes and Froude numbers, the body would be thickest and spilling. The implications of this to fan sedimentation and over-all fan construction are discussed.
An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Contextual Cues of Violence in an Active Videogame.

Abstract Objective: With the expanded genres of active videogames, one inevitably raises the question of whether it is worthwhile to use active videogames to promote physical activity if games involve violent themes. The purpose of the current study was to explore the effects of contextual cues of violence in an active videogame on (1) state hostility, (2) perceived arousal, (3) game enjoyment, (4) perceived effort in the game, and (5) activity intensity in the game. Materials and Methods: A one-factor between-subjects experiment with three conditions (minimal, moderate, and extreme contextual cues of violence) of playing an in-house–developed active videogame was conducted. Activity intensity was objectively measured using the ActiGraph (Pensacola, FL) model GT3X accelerometer. Psychological outcomes were measured using established scales. Results: We did not find that the level of contextual cues of violence had any effect on the outcome variables, although the moderate level of contextual cues of viole...
Surface science studies of Ziegler-Natta olefin polymerization system: Correlations between polymerization kinetics, polymer structures, and active site structures on model catalysts

The surface composition and structure of model Ziegler-Natta catalysts, polymerizing α-olefins to produce polyolefins, have been studied using modern surface science techniques and compared with their polymerization behaviors. Two types of thin films — TiClx/MgCl2 and TiCly/Au — were fabricated on an inert gold substrate, using chemical vapor deposition methods, to model the high-yield catalysts of MgCl2-supported TiCl4 and TiCl3-based catalysts, respectively. The model catalysts could be activated by exposure to triethylaluminum (AlFt3) vapor. Once activated, both catalysts were active for polymerization of ethylene and propylene in the absence of excess AlEt3 during polymerization. The model catalysts had polymerization activities comparable to the high-surface-area industrial catalysts. Though both catalysts were terminated with chlorine at the surface, each catalyst assumed different surface structures. The TiClx/MgCl2 film surface was composed of two structures: the (001) basal plane of these halide crystallites and a non-basal plane structure. The TiCly/Au film surface assumed only the non-basal plane structure. These structural differences resulted in different tacticity of the polypropylene produced with these catalysts. The TiClx/MgCl2 catalyst produced both atactic and isotactic polypropylene, while the TiCly/Au catalyst without the MgCl2 support produced exclusively isotactic polypropylene. The titanium oxidation state distribution did not have a critical role in determining the tacticity of the polypropylene.
Membrane electrical properties of vascular smooth muscle from the guinea pig superior mesenteric artery.

Some electrical membrane properties of an isolated small artery, namely, the superior mesenteric artery of the guinea pig, were studied by intracellular microelectrodes. The mean resting membrane potential (E m) was −54 mV. The average slope of theE m vs. log [K]o curve (between 10 and 100 mM [K]o) was 32 mV/decade, and the curve extrapolated to a [K]i of 160 mM. The ratio of Na+ permeability to K+ permeability (P Na/P K) at 4.0 mM [K]o calculated from the Goldman constant-field equation (assuming Cl− to be passively distributed) was 0.18 (E m=−46 mV after a 5 min exposure to ouabain to suppress any electrogenic pump potential). The normal input resistance (R in) averaged 8.5 mΩ. Choline substitution for Na+ or amiloride, an agent known to depressP Na, hyperpolarized the muscle to about −63 mV without a significant change inR in. Ba2+ (0.5 mM) depolarized the muscle to −37 mV, increasedR in to 15 mΩ, and produced spontaneous action potentials in this normally quiescent artery; tetraethylammonium (TEA, 5 mM) enabled large overshooting action potentials to be produced upon stimulation. Glutamate of NO 3 − substitution for Cl− produced an initial depolarization followed by a return to the original resting potential within 10 min; readdition of 25 mM Cl− transiently hyperpolarized the muscle markedly, followed by a return to the originalE m. These data indicate that Cl− is passively distributed and does not contribute to the steady-state resting potential in this vascular muscle. The data also suggest that the relatively lowE m in this arterial muscle is not due to a low [K]i, but is due to a highP Na/P K ratio, presumably related to a low K+ conductance (g K). Since Ba2+ and TEA+ are known to decrease restingg K and K+ activation, the data also suggest that K+ activation could inhibit action potential generation.
Factors that predict financial sustainability of community coalitions: five years of findings from the PROSPER partnership project.

This study is a longitudinal investigation of the Promoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) partnership model designed to evaluate the level of sustainability funding by community prevention teams, including which factors impact teams’ generation of sustainable funding. Community teams were responsible for choosing, implementing with quality, and sustaining evidence-based programs (EBPs) intended to reduce substance misuse and promote positive youth and family development. Fourteen US rural communities and small towns were studied. Data were collected from PROSPER community team members (N = 164) and prevention coordinators (N = 10) over a 5-year period. Global and specific aspects of team functioning were assessed over six waves. Outcome measures were the total funds (cash and in-kind) raised to implement prevention programs. All 14 community teams were sustained for the first 5 years. However, there was substantial variability in the amount of funds raised, and these differences were predicted by earlier and concurrent team functioning and by team sustainability planning. Given the sufficient infrastructure and ongoing technical assistance provided by the PROSPER partnership model, local sustainability of EBPs is achievable.
Comparison of the toxicity of citral in F344 rats and B6C3F1 mice when administered by microencapsulation in feed or by corn-oil gavage

Abstract A study of the potential effects of microencapsulation on the toxicity of citral was conducted in 14-day continuous feeding studies with both sexes of F344 rats and B6C3F 1 mice. Toxicity by the feeding route was compared with that from bolus doses of the neat chemical in corn oil administered by gavage. Both sexes of rats and mice were given diet containing 0, 0.63, 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10% citral microcapsules. These feed formulations were equivalent to daily doses of 0, 142, 285, 570, 1140 and 2280 mg citral/kg body weight for rats and 0, 534, 1068, 2137, 4275 and 8550 mg citral/kg body weight for mice. The daily gavage doses were 0, 570, 1140 and 2280 mg citral/kg body weight for both sexes of rats, and 0, 534, 1068 and 2137 mg citral/kg body weight for both sexes of mice. Citral microcapsules administered in the diet did not cause mortality in mice or rats. Toxicity was confined to decreases in body weight at the 10% concentration in mice, at the 5 and 10% concentrations in rats, and decreases in absolute weights of the liver, kidney and spleen at the 10% concentration in rats. The only histopathological change observed was minimal to mild hyperplasia and/or squamous metaplasia of the respiratory epithelium in the anterior portion of the nasal passages of rats fed 5 or 10% citral microcapsules. By contrast, citral gavage caused mortality in five out of five male and female mice at 2137 mg/kg body weight, and in two out of five male mice at 1068 mg/kg body weight. There were dose-related increases in absolute liver weights of male and female mice. Cytoplasmic vacuolization of hepatocytes occurred in all female mice gavaged with 1068 and 2137 mg citral/kg body weight, and in male mice from the 2137 mg/kg dose group. Necrosis, ulceration and/or acute inflammation of the forestomach occurred in the high-dose mice of both sexes. Inflammation and/or hyperplasia of the forestomach occurred in about half of the male and female mice dosed with 1068 mg citral/kg. Citral gavage at doses that were equivalent to up to 10% in the diet (2280 mg/kg body weight) did not cause toxicity in rats, except for minimal hyperplasia of the squamous epithelium of the forestomach in high-dose males. Microencapsulated citral given in the diet has distinct advantages as an alternative route of administration for long-term studies: the microencapsulation process prevents the normally rapid degradation of the chemical; continual ingestion from the diet mimics the human route of exposure; and higher doses of the chemical can be attained in the animal model to maximize the detection of potential toxic or carcinogenic responses.
Solar absorption air conditioning alternatives

Abstract The relative advantages of a single-stage, lithium bromide-water absorption air conditioner heated from a flat-plate solar collector are compared theoretically to those for an ammonia-water system, and the lithium bromide system is selected as the preferred one. Double-stage absorption systems with their improved performance are described and are shown theoretically to require generator temperatures that are too great to make them attractive for use with flat-plate collectors. Dual, series-connected systems which require no cooling tower for heat rejection are shown by analysis to have a low coefficient of performance. Systems utilizing refrigerant storage and a heat rejection buffer between a cooling tower and the absorber and condenser are discussed along with the computer simulation describing them. They are shown to require smaller cooling towers than conventional units. Operation with an air heat exchanger rather than the cooling tower in such a system is shown to yield acceptable system performance with a small reduction in the fraction of the cooling load which can be met with solar energy.
Preparation of Uniformly Isotope-labeled DNA Oligonucleotides for NMR Spectroscopy

Two methods for the large scale preparation of uniformly isotope-labeled DNA for NMR studies have been developed. The first method comprises the growth of a suitable plasmid harboring multiple copies of the desired oligonucleotide in a medium based on 15N and 13C nutrients. The second method uses a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based approach with 15N- and/or 13C-labeled deoxynucleoside triphosphates. The novelty of our PCR strategy over existing ones is that the primer and template are the identical molecule, resulting in an exponential growth in the length of the double strand that contains tandem repeats of the target DNA sequence. This novel PCR approach, which we have termed ESRA for endonuclease-sensitive repeat amplification, is easy to use, results in high yields, and can be accomplished at low costs. The utility of both methods is demonstrated for the preparation of a double-stranded 21-mer uniformly labeled with 15N and a double-stranded 17-mer DNA uniformly labeled with 15N and 13C.
Multiplicities of Purpose: The Auditorium Building, the State, and the Transformation of Arab Digital Media

Digital media played a key role in a number of uprisings that later became known as the Arab Spring. Now that this moment of resistance has largely given way to a tumultuous and unsettled regional order, we can ask what role these media forms are playing in the new ecology of the postuprisings Middle East. I would argue that we are witnessing a period of experimentation—journalists are attempting to generate both revenue and dissent under circumstances that range from unsettled (Tunisia) to increasingly repressive (Jordan), while proto-state actors and transnational jihadis are exploiting social media to attract supporters and influence diverse audiences. What is clear is that in many states the digital arrangement that characterized the 2000s—activist bloggers squaring off openly with recalcitrant and often clueless states—is gone. States are now more aware of and careful about the strategies they employ vis-a-vis digital dissent. In places such as Egypt, some of the most vocal activists are in prison. In Jordan, they have returned to producing journalism that skirts the line between tolerated and forbidden. Across the region digital media activists are grappling with disillusionment about the trajectory of the Arab Spring, while digital spaces are sites for transnational contestation, including by the most successful challenger to the state system since Jamal ʿAbd al-Nasir in the 1950s, the Islamic State (IS). ʿAbd al-Nasir famously used radio to breach the information firewalls erected by new Arab states. IS has similarly employed the technologies of the day to execute a plan of even greater ambition and reach—far from reaching out only across national boundaries within the subsystem, IS militants have crafted a transnational media operation of remarkable scope, one that has drawn tens of thousands of recruits not only from the Middle East but also from Europe, the United States, and Asia.
The relationship between the evolution of microRNA targets and the length of their UTRs

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small RNA molecules that modulate the gene expression at the post-transcription levels in many eukaryotic cells. Their widespread and important role in animals is gauged by estimates that ~25% of all genes are miRNA targets. We perform a systematic investigation of the relationship between miRNA regulation and their targets' evolution in two mammals: human and mouse. We find genes with longer 3' UTRs are regulated by more distinct types of miRNAs. These genes correspondingly tend to have slower evolutionary rates at the protein level. Housekeeping genes are another class of genes that evolve slowly. However, they have a distinctly different type of regulation, with shorter 3'UTRs to avoid miRNA targeting. Our analysis suggests a two-way evolutionary mechanism for miRNA targets on the basis of their cellular roles and the length of their 3' UTRs. Functionally critical genes that are spatially or temporally expressed are stringently regulated by miRNAs. While housekeeping genes, however conserved, are selected to have shorter 3'UTRs to avoid miRNA regulation.
Glucose Kinetics in Neonatal Elephant Seals During Postweaning Aphagia

Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris)pups undergo extended periods of terrestrial aphagia after weaning and exhibit a paradoxical fasting hyperglycemia. To investigate the details of glucose metabolism during this period, reversible and irreversible radiotracers were used to determine the body mass of glucose, and rates of glucose turnover, recycling, and oxidation in fasting seal pups. A typical 75 kg pup has a glucose mass of about 4.5 g (60 mg/kg), and a blood glucose concentration of about 174 mg/dl. Blood glucose removal rate was about 30 grams per day (17 mg/kg · h-1), but less than 2.5% of this glucose was oxidized, contributing less than 1% of the total metabolic rate. About 20% of the glucose pool was removed from the blood per hour, yielding a turnover time in the vascular space of about five hours. Most glucose removed from the blood was returned to the blood by recycling. Such recycling may contribute to mechanisms which prolong survival during fasting, such as high rates of triacyclglycerol turnover, synthesis of new protein pools, low ketone levels, and the Cori cycle which is important during diving.
Association of Acute Coronary Syndrome-Induced Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms with Self-Reported Sleep

Background Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are associated with recurrent ACS events and mortality. Poor sleep may be a mechanism, but the association between PTSD and sleep after ACS is unknown.
“Input-inflation trade-off in industrial and developing countries”: A comment and additional evidence

Abstract This paper reinvestigates the relationship between the output-inflation trade-off and the variances of the rate of change of nominal income and the price level, and the relationship between the variance of the inflation rate and the variance of the rate of change of nominal income. In contrast to previous cross-country studies, the stability assumption of the slope of the supply curve and the variance of the specific market price from its economywide average across countries is relaxed. The results of this paper show little support for these relationships.
Substance use in prison: How much occurs and is it associated with psychopathology?

The present study assessed rates of substance use and symptoms of mental health distress of male inmates in two state-level prisons in the Southeastern region of the United States. Inmates (n = 103) completed self-report surveys regarding substance use prior to and during incarceration. Participants also completed the Symptom Checklist 90 – Revised (SCL-90) to screen for symptoms of psychopathology. Results indicated that more than 50% of participants reported use of illicit substances during incarceration. Moreover, individuals who endorsed symptoms consistent with two or more psychological disorders were more likely to report higher levels of involvement with substance use than individuals who endorsed symptoms consistent with one or no psychological disorders. Findings show a substantial amount of use of illicit substances in the prison environment, and indicate a need for re-evaluation of substance abuse programs for inmates during their incarcerations.
Large Neutral Amino Acid Supplementation Increases Melatonin Synthesis in Phenylketonuria: A New Biomarker

Objective To determine whether levels of melatonin in blood and urine can serve as a peripheral biomarker to reflect brain serotonin synthesis in individuals with phenylketonuria (PKU). Study design We measured the levels of melatonin, a serotonin metabolite in the pinealocytes, in the blood and urine of individuals with PKU in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled crossover study consisting of three 3-week phases in 10 adults with PKU: phase 1 (washout), phase 2 (supplementation of large neutral amino acid [LNAA] tablets or placebo), and phase 3 (alternate supplementation). An overnight protocol to measure blood melatonin and urine 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and dopamine in first void urine specimens was conducted after each phase for subjects with PKU and once in 10 controls. Results Significantly lower concentrations of these neurotransmitter metabolites were observed in subjects with PKU after phase 1 compared with controls (serum melatonin P = .008, urine melatonin P = .0043, urine dopamine P P = .0008, urine melatonin P = .0008, urine dopamine P = .0005). The mean tryptophan/LNAA and tyrosine/LNAA ratios were markedly lower in subjects with PKU compared with controls, and these ratios were significantly increased in the LNAA phase compared with the placebo phase ( P = .016, P = .0003, respectively). Blood phenylalanine levels in subjects with PKU were not significantly different between placebo and LNAA phases ( P = .74). Conclusion Blood and urine melatonin levels may serve as biomarkers reflecting brain serotonin synthesis in subjects with PKU. Because this cannot be evaluated using blood phenylalanine levels, it may provide information on neurotransmitter metabolism for optimal dietary management.
Measuring the air content of the Larsen Ice Shelf

[1] The surface elevation of the Larsen Ice Shelf in the Antarctic Peninsula has decreased by about 0.1 meter per year since 1992. This could be caused either by an increase in the density of firn (compacted snow) at the surface of the ice shelf or by an increase in melting of ice at the base of the shelf. Attributing the observed decrease to one of these causes would help researchers to know whether atmospheric or ocean warming is affecting the ice shelf. To do this, it is necessary to know the density or air content of the firn. However, firn air content has been measurable only with labor-intensive ground-based techniques. To overcome those challenges, Holland et al. developed a new method that uses radar sounding measurements to estimate air content. Using this approach, they observed spatial variations in the air content of the shelf. Overall, they found that the air content suggested that loss of air (increased firn density) could account for the observed lowering of the surface of the ice shelf, though the result does not rule out a contribution from melting at the base of the ice shelf. (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2011GL047245, 2011)
Regulation of Intracellular Sodium Concentrations in Rat Diaphragm Muscle

The concept is suggested that the sodium pump mechanism is influenced by the transmembrane electrical potential, and that the pump acts to maintain a constant electrochemical gradient for sodium. Evidence leading to this suggestion was obtained in rat diaphragm muscle by altering systematically the transmembrane chemical gradient for sodium ions and the transmembrane voltage. The voltage changes were produced by varying the extracellular and intracellular potassium ion concentrations. In each case the intracellular sodium concentration changed, presumably by activity of the sodium pump, so that the total electrochemical gradient for sodium was restored.
Internal Wave Spectra at the Buoyant and Inertial Frequencies

Abstract Spectra of the vertical displacement (potential energy) have been observed to be only slightly enhanced at the buoyancy frequency ω = N, whereas spectra of horizontal velocity u, v (kinetic energy) are greatly enhanced at the inertial frequency ω = f (except at equatorial latitudes). Consequently. the former are ignored in certain model spectra, whereas the latter are allowed for explicitly (e.g., by a term (ω2 − f2)−1/2). I have attempted to interpret these observations in terms of the behavior of free wave packets at the turning points. Local resonant generation may also be a factor (Fu, 1980) but is not considered here. In this tutorial N′ = dN/dz and f′ = df/dy ≡ β are taken as constant in order to make the derivation of the solutions near N and f as simple and as parallel as possible; these turning point solutions (in terms of Airy functions) fail in narrow waveguides, e.g., near a sharp buoyancy peak and at equatorial latitudes. The β-plane approximation fails at polar latitudes. Limit func...
Sodium migration through electron-gun evaporated Al2O3 and double layer Al2O3SiO2 structures

Abstract Sodium migration through electron-gun evaporated Al2O3 and through double-layer Al2 O3SiO2 structures has been investigated. Electron-gun evaporated Al2O3 does not require high-temperature processing and is, consequently, compatible with low-temperature and thin-film techniques. For evaluation, the Al2O3 films were deposited on silicon or on thermal SiO2 grown on silicon. Annealing at 320°C removed the radiation damage in the thermally grown SiO2. Sodium-contaminated devices have been investigated by means of standard bias-temperature tests, in which the parallel shift of C-V curves is observed. It was found that sodium is more soluble in this Al2O3 than in thermal SiO2 and drifts through the Al2O3 only slightly slower than it drifts through thermal SiO2. The drift behavior is similar in the two cases: An asymmetrical response is observed in the forward and reverse directions, and the time constants decrease exponentially with applied field. The double-oxide Al2O3SiO2 structure may be used to advantage since the field in the Al2O3 will be lower than the average field in the oxide combination, resulting in slower sodium drift. Furthermore, the sodium will drift readily only to the Al2O3-SiO2 interface and must overcome a substantial barrier before penetrating into the underlying SiO2.
Predation Tactics of Trumpetfish in Midwater

Predators are known to modify hunting tactics in response to local conditions to exploit prey of different species, densities or position within habitat patches. I describe three unusual prey hunting tactics used by trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus) distributed in midwater above reefs off Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, in the southern Caribbean Sea. Hunting behaviors were focused on dense feeding aggregations of brown chromis (Chromis multilineata) and were categorized as: (1) slow horizontal following, (2) vertical hovering or drift, and (3) diagonal cross encounters where trumpetfish descended diagonally through the water while adjusting trajectory to encounter target prey. Understanding variation in predator behavior and ambit, in this case vertical ambit, adds to our knowledge of how predators adapt to unique local opportunities to exploit prey.
Inhaled Nitric Oxide Therapy After Fontan-Type Operations

Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) therapy is a newly developed strategy designed to reduce pulmonary vascular resistance after the Fontan-type operation. We reviewed our experience to evaluate its efficacy and true indications. We retrospectively examined 47 children who received inhaled NO therapy after the Fontan-type operation between August 1996 and December 2002. The maximal dose of NO ranged from 5 to 30 ppm (median 10 ppm), and the duration of inhaled NO therapy ranged from 5 h to 52 days (median 2 days). Inhaled NO significantly decreased the central venous pressure (CVP), from 16.2 ± 2.2 to 14.6 ± 2.2 mmHg (P < 0.0001), and the transpulmonary pressure gradient between the CVP and left atrial pressure, from 9.9 ± 2.9 to 8.4 ± 2.7 mmHg (P < 0.0001). It also increased the systolic systemic arterial pressure from 71.9 ± 15.2 to 76.8 ± 14.5 mmHg (P < 0.05). In 26 patients with additional fenestration, inhaled NO led to a significant improvement in SaO2 from 90.1% ± 9.6% to 93.3% ± 7.9% (P < 0.01). However, patients with a CVP <15 mmHg or a transpulmonary pressure gradient <8 mmHg, or both, after the Fontan-type operation, showed no significant changes in hemodynamics during inhaled NO therapy. We propose that a CVP ≥15 mmHg or a transpulmonary pressure gradient ≥8 mmHg, or both, after Fontan-type operations are appropriate indications for inhaled NO therapy.
Effects of several ‘membrane stabilizing’ agents on frog neuromuscular junction

Abstract The effect of several ‘membrane stabilizing’ agents was examined on spontaneously occuring from miniature end-plate potentials (MEPPs). No consistent parallel was observed between the ability of agents to act as “membrane stabilizers” and their ability to alter MEPP frequency. Vinblastine, chlorpromazine and haloperidol increased MEPP frequency; the concentration of haloperidol which increased MEPP frequency consistently reduced the magnitude of the muscle resting membrane potential. Strychnine, methoxyflurane and practolol decreased MEPP frequency. Similarly, there was no consistent pattern of drug effects on the mean quantal content m of the end-plate potential. Chlorpromazine did not change m, and it is known that vinblastine does not influence m. Strychnine, methoxyflurane, haloperidol and practolol brought about a decline in m.
Electrospray emission from nonwetting flat dielectric surfaces

Abstract Electrosprays are devices in which nanometer sized droplets and/or solvated ions are electrically extracted from a liquid surface and accelerated to high velocities. They are usually constructed from conductive capillaries with one of the ends tapered down to a sharp tip with the purpose of enhancing the local electric field that produces the instability that develops into the Taylor cone structure from which emission occurs. In an alternative configuration, the conductive needles are replaced by small holes through a dielectric, nonwetting flat block. An electrostatic model shows that if the emitter material has low dielectric constant then the local electric field near the emission site is enhanced in a very similar way as with sharp metallic needles. Furthermore, the combination of the nonwetting property of the material and the sharp corner formed in the hole–surface interface effectively anchors the Taylor cone to the edge of the hole, thus simplifying the process of manufacturing. The possible microfabrication of this configuration makes it especially attractive for producing arrays of large numbers of individual emitters. Such arrays may find use as space propulsion thrusters and in the analytical industry to improve the characteristics of mass-spectrometric analyses.